Post Oficial IndyCar Series 2008
Tema Cerrado
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 04:06
#1
 Luego de varios años de desavenencias que provocaron la división de el más importante campeonato de monoplazas estadounidense, finalmente se llegó a un acuerdo para fusionar este año la Champ Car a la Indy Racing League (IRL), acuerdo en el que sin duda se beneficiaran los aficionados a estos bólidos. Los dirigentes de las series de automovilismo de monoplazas estadounidenses Indy Racing League (IRL) y Champ Car anunciaron un acuerdo para fusionar ambos circuitos con vistas a la temporada 2008, 12 años después de haberse separado.  Video: Rueda de prensa de la unificación 27/02/08 El acuerdo se encamina a incorporar tres carreras de la Champ Car al itinerario original de la IRL, que contaba con 16 pruebas, con los grandes premios de Long Beach en California, Surfers Paradise en Australia y Edmonton en Canadá. El resto del calendario de Champ Car fue cancelado. A comienzos de la década de 1990, la serie CART, que luego cambió de nombre a Champ Car, era un destino habitual para pilotos europeos y sudamericanos, y tenía gran respaldo de los aficionados. La CART fue fundada en noviembre de 1978 por Roger Penske, Pat Patrick, Dan Gurney y otra serie de dueños de escuderías. La IRL comenzó a operar en 1996, con intención de dar espacio a los jóvenes pilotos estadounidenses, y CART tomó su propio rumbo hasta que se declaró en bancarrota en enero de 2004. George realizó la mejor oferta por las acciones de CART, pero un juez se las otorgó a Kalkhoven, Forsythe y Paul Gentilozzi porque el comprador había mostrado intenciones de clausurar la serie, lo que hubiera dejado a muchas personas desempleadas. Monoplaza. Los coches de las series IndyCar son monoplazas de al menos 1525 libras de peso y 192 pulgadas de longitud, con chasis monocasco y construidos con fibra de carbono y composite. Son coches con cambio de 6 velocidades secuanciales por palanca (no por levas) y sin dirección asistida. Los equipos pueden elegir entre 2 modelos de distintos fabricantes, bien sean los italianos Dallara o los americanos Panoz.   El Motor de 3.5 litros V8 turboalimentados desarrollados por Honda (y construidos por Ilmor Engineering, compañía constructora de los motores Mercedes-Benz en F1 hasta 2005), capaces de transmitir más de 650 CV usando como combustible Etanol-Metanol.  Los neumáticos son gomas son slick, con una grosor de la goma como el deaproximadamente 2.5 milímetros de espesor. Las dimensiones son 25.8” las delanteras pudiendo llegar hasta las 28” en las ruedas traseras. Los anchos: 28 centímetros alante y 38 atrás. Cada piloto dispone segun el tipo de circuitode 8 sets para Urbano/permanente y 7 sets para Ovales. En Indy 500 dispone de 35 sets. Street Tire / Race Tire  Hay dos tipos de Frenos dependiendo de si corren en un óvalo o en un circuito urbano. En el caso del óvalo, los frenos son de carbono con cuatro pistones, y son más bien pequeños. En el caso del circuito urbano, los discos son de acero, más grandes y de 6 pistones.  IndyCar Series. Puntuación. 1st - 50 2nd - 40 3rd - 35 4th - 32 5th - 30 6th - 28 7th - 26 8th - 24 9th - 22 10th - 20 11th - 19 12th - 18 13th - 17 14th - 16 15th - 15 16th - 14 17th - 13 18th>24th - 12 25th>33th - 10 Se otorgan 3 puntos extras a aquel piloto que consiga el mayor número de vueltas en cabeza durante la carrera. Repostajes.  Las paradas en boxes son también obligatorias en las IndyCar Series. Sin embargo, no se podrán realizar cuando la condición de la pista esté en "peligro", es decir, haya banderas amarillas y un coche de seguridad en el circuito, salvo que el dirigente de la carrera de la orden de "Pits Open". Todo aquel que haga una parada en esta situación será penalizado. En una parada de boxes podemos encontrar a 11 mecánicos. 4 se encargarán de sustituir las ruedas, 2 de ayudarles, uno sujetará el "chupete" o cartel de indicación de estado, 1 del respostaje junto a su ayudante y 1 mecánico se encargará de elevar el coche. El último, quizás el más curioso, es el que hace de "apagafuegos". Tras un respotaje, una vez retirada la manguera, él inyectará un chorro de agua sobre la boca del depósito para aplacar las posibles llamas. Recordemos que el metanol se apaga con agua y su llama es completamente invisible (de ahí que se realice siempre este procedimiento, tanto si hay llama o no). El Volante  1. OVERTAKE BUTTON: Changes the fuel map to 100 percent rich for a set amount of time, allowing the engine to produce the extra power needed to complete a pass or hold off another driver. 2. PI DASH: Displays warning lights and information the driver needs during the race. That information includes lap times, oil, water and gearbox temperatures and fuel mileage. 3. RPM SHIFT LIGHTS: LED lights that go from green to red and indicate engine RPM. When the red lights are on the driver shifts gears. 4. PIT LANE SPEED LIMITER: Used on pit lane by the driver to activate the engine control program limiting the car’s speed to the pit lane speed limit, which is usually 60 miles per hour. 5. PULL-TO-TALK (BEHIND THE CARBON): Activates the microphone in the driver’s helmet so he can communicate over the radio. 6. RESET: Used during the race. During a pit stop the driver pushes this button to reset the fuel reading on his display. 7. FUEL MAP SWITCH: Allows the driver to adjust the fuel mapping of the engine to increase fuel mileage or to increase power. There are a number of settings available including full rich, where the engine produces maximum power but uses more fuel. There is also a lean setting which uses less fuel but produces less power. During caution periods the drivers will switch to the leanest mixture to increase fuel economy. 8. DASH SCROLL: Allows the driver to scroll through the different pages available on the dash board, including the race page, qualifying page and practice page. 9. WEIGHT JACKER: Adjusts the cross weight on the car from left to right. The weight jacker allows the driver to make fine-tuning adjustments as the car begins to handle differently during the race. 10. DRINK (BEHIND THE CARBON): Allows the driver to get a drink of water during the race. It activates a pump connected to a water bottle on the car which pumps water through a hose installed in the driver’s helmet. |
Editado: 30-mar-2008 13:47 -
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 04:07
#3
Calendario 2008 1. 3/29 - Homestead-Miami, FL - oval track - "Gainsco 300" 2. 4/6 - St.Petersburg, FL - street course - "Honda GP of St.Pete" 3. 4/19 - Motegi, Japan - oval track - "Bridgestone 300" 4. 4/20 - Long Beach, CA - street course - "Toyota GP of Long Beach" 5. 4/27 - Topeka, KS - oval track - "RoadRunner 300" 6. 5/25 - Indianapolis, IN - oval/rectangular track - "92nd Indy 500" 7. 6/1 - Milwaukee, WI - oval track - "Foyt 225" 8. 6/7 - Fort Worth, TX - oval track - "Texas 550" 9. 6/22 - Newton, IA - oval track - "Iowa 250" 10. 6/28 - Richmond, VA - oval track - "SunTrust 225" 11. 7/6 - Watkins Glen, NY - road course - "Watkins Glen GP" 12. 7/12 - Nashville, TN - oval track - "Firestone 200" 13. 7/20 - Columbus, OH - road course - "Honda 200" 14. ¿¿ 7/27 - Edmonton, Canada - airfield course - "Rexall GP of Edmonton" ?? 15. 8/9 - Sparta, KY - oval track - "Meijer 300" 16. 8/24 - Sonoma, CA - road course - "Motorola 300" 17. 8/31 - Belle Isle, MI - street course - "Detoit Indy GP" 18. 9/7 - Joliet, IL - oval track - "Peak 300" - (3.30PM ABC) 19. 10/26 - Surfers Paradise, Australia - street course - "Lexmark Indy 300" Live Timing & Scoring |
Editado: 18-mar-2008 11:48 -
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 04:07
#4
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2008 IRL Indycar Series Silly Season Team Penske (2 Cars)   #3 Helio Castroneves #6 Ryan Briscoe Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2 Cars / 1 Partial?) #9 Scott Dixon #10 Dan Wheldon #33 Alex Lloyd?   Andretti / Green Racing (4 Cars) #7 Danica Patrick #11 Tony Kanaan #26 Marco Andretti #27 Hideki Mutoh     Rahal / Letterman Racing (2 Cars) #17 Ryan Hunter-Reay #????  Panther Racing (1 Car) #4 Vitor Meira  A.J. Foyt Racing (1 Car) #14 Darren Manning  KV Racing "Team Australia" [AuV/Gulfstream] (2 Cars) #8 Will Power #5 Oriol Servia   Vision Racing (3 Cars) #20 Ed Carpenter #2 AJ Foyt IV #22 Paul Tracy?   Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2 Cars) #15 Buddy Rice #23 Milka Duno (Partial) #23 Townsend Bell (Partial)  Roth Racing (2 Cars) #25 Marty Roth #24 Jay Howard   Conquest Racing (2 Cars) #34 Franck Perera #35 Enrique Bernoldi   Dale Coyne Racing (2 Cars) #18 Bruno Junqueria #19 Mario Moraes   Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (2 Cars) #02 Justin Wilson #06 Graham Rahal  Wiggins/HVM (1 Car) #16 Ernesto Viso  Sarah Fisher Racing (Partial) #67 Sarah Fisher Racing  Posibles Pilotos Davey Hamilton Tomas Enge Townsend Bell Dan Clarke Nelson Phillipe PJ Chesson Jimmy Kite Jon Herb Jaques Lazier Buddy Lazier Phil Geibler Jeff Simmons Andrew Ranger Mario Dominguez Ryan Dalziel Tristan Gommendy Roger Yasukawa Paul TRacy Frank Montagy |
Editado: 30-mar-2008 13:48 -
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 10:11
#5
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Oriol Serviá correrá las 500 Millas de Indy AUTOMOVILISMO Redacción - 28/02/2008 03:00 "La parte positiva es que por fin podré correr las 500 Millas de Indianápolis. Lo intenté en 2002 pero fue todo muy precipitado y no pudimos optar a la calificación", dijo Servià ayer en Florida en la rueda de prensa oficial de la unificación de los dos campeonatos IRL y ChampCar Desde hace tiempo, correr las 500 Millas era uno de sus sueños. El piloto catalán tiene asegurada su participación en el nuevo campeonato que surge de la fusión de la IRL y la ChampCar. Esta última categoría prácticamente desaparece y los equipos de la misma que lo desean se integran en la IRL, el campeonato gestionado por Tony George e Indianápolis, pese a que ello les obliga a disponer de coches y motores nuevos. Afortunadamente, Tony George ha puesto a disposición de estos nuevos equipos los chasis Dallara –en algunos casos son los de recambio de equipos de la IRL– y Honda se ha puesto las pilas para ofrecerles motores. El calendario IRL puede tener 18 ó 19 carreras al incoporar algunas de la ChampCar como Australia o Long Beach. "La unificación es muy importante de cara al futuro. Saldrá un campeonato reforzado que podrá competir con la NASCAR. Creo que en Estados Unidos buscaban una alternativa a la NASCAR, algo nuevo, y ahora los monoplazas se lo ofrecerán", explicó Servià, quien admite que el salto "es un perjuicio a corto plazo pero con enormes posibilidades de futuro. Nosotros teníamos equipo para estar delante en ChampCar y luchar por el título y soy consciente que en IRL ocuparemos posiciones retrasadas. No conocemos el coche ni el motor y nuestros rivales lo dominan perfectamente. Y además tendremos pocas oportunidades de rodar antes de la primera carrera. Sólo dos días en un oval y otros dos en un rutero. Es el peaje a pagar", dijo Servià, cuyo equipo ya ha recibido el primer chasis, "pero es muy difícil que este listo para los test de Sebring en una semana". Ayer el español estuvo muy atento a las evoluciones de sus nuevos rivales en Homesta para tomarle el pulso a la nueva categoría |
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 11:53
#6
INDYCAR: Homestead Testing Notebook, Day 1 FAMILIAR NAMES UP FRONT On the day the split officially died, some familiar IndyCar teams showed plenty of life. Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing all showed speed during a six-hour test session Wednesday night on the 1.5-mile oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dan Wheldon led the way with a lap of 25.0619 seconds—213.312 mph—in the Ganassi No. 10 Dallara-Honda. “The announcement today was great, but there’s not anything significant in (going fast on the same day of the announcement),” said Wheldon, who won last year’s opener at Homestead. “When you get down to work, you have to make the most of it. If I win the race, I might feel something special, but not now.” The test was the first of the 2008 season and the first since the end of the 12-year split between open-wheel sanctioning body officially ended. IndyCar Series founder Tony George and former Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven announced earlier in the day that Champ Car will join the IndyCar Series later this season, perhaps as early as the season opener March 29 at Homestead. No Champ Car teams participated in Wednesday’s test, nor are they expected to participate Thursday in another six-hour night session or in a three-day test next week at Sebring International Raceway. However, as many as nine teams could take part in tests for former Champ Car teams next month at Homestead and Sebring. Dates of those tests have not been announced. Wheldon was just a tick better than his teammate, Scott Dixon, who was followed by Penske’s Helio Castroneves, AGR’s Tony Kanaan and Penske’s Ryan Briscoe. Dixon, last year’s IndyCar Series runner-up, also said he felt no significance in being among the fastest of the usually fast. “Nothing has changed at the moment,” Dixon said. “Not until everybody is out there, man.” Testing resumes Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.  Meira shows off his Panther Dallara's new colors. (Ron McQueeney/IRL photo) » More Photos MEIRA ADDS NATIONAL GUARD BACKING Vitor Meira and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have something in common. Panther Racing has added the Army National Guard as a co-sponsor on the No. 4 Dallara-Honda, which has retained Delphi as a co-sponsor. Meira and his teammates unveiled the colorful red-white-and-blue paint scheme, which features “National Guard” in block letters similar to the scheme on Earnhardt’s Nationwide Series car, during a break in the activities Wednesday at Homestead. “We’ve been working on this for the whole off-season,” Meira said. “It really paid off. It’s really, really good to have National Guard on board with us. It’s just such a big deal.” Meira has yet to win a race in his IndyCar career, but has finished second six times and among the top-five 25 times in 76 races. The team struggled at times last season, but Meira and his teammates say—with the influx of cash from the new sponsor—they expect to improve this season. “We’ve been able to spend some time in the wind tunnel, which we haven’t done for some time,” said Mike Griffin, one of Panther’s co-owners. “It all costs money, but this has enabled us to take on those opportunities.”  Sarah Fisher is back in Indy cars. (Shawn Payne/IRL photo) » More Photos SARAH FORMS HER OWN TEAM Sarah Fisher teamed with two other famous female racers to announce the formation of Sarah Fisher Racing, which plans to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in May and hopes to add other IndyCar Series races to the schedule. Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James joined Fisher for the announcement Wednesday at Homestead. Fisher’s idea of forming her own team began long before she lost her ride with Dreyer & Reinbold during the off-season. “I didn’t just wake up one morning and do it,” Fisher said. “I consulted with a lot of the partners in the league and consulted with the marketing partners I’ve worked with and said, ‘Do you think this is going to be a good idea? Am I crazy for doing this or is this something that everybody thinks will be a good plan?’ I had absolutely no negativity going forward.” Fisher’s father-in-law, longtime Indy mechanic John O’Gara, will lead the team, which will field the No. 67 Dallara-Honda. HELIO’S ENTERTAINMENT STATEMENT For the record, Helio Castroneves and his partner on Dancing with the Stars, Julianne Hough, were not having an affair. “I just want to make a statement, man,” Castroneves joked to reporters during a press conference Wednesday at Homestead. “Me and Julianne, we’re not together. That’s the question I’ve been asked most. That and whether I’m going back to dancing. I’ve retired my dancing shoes for the moment.” Castroneves seemed relieved to be back in the presence of the racing press after being hounded for months by the entertainment press regarding his victory in December on the hit TV show and rumors of a relationship with his dancing partner. Still, he felt like he accomplished something to help his sport. “We reached a very different audience that never would have been into racing,” he said. “That was the initial goal. We did that.”  01. Dan Wheldon (Ganassi) - 25,0619 Sek. (213,312 km/h) - 136 Rdn. 02. Scott Dixon (Ganassi) - 25,0660 (213,277) - 136 03. Helio Castroneves (Penske) - 25,1211 (212,809) - 148 04. Tony Kanaan (Andretti/Green) - 25,1227 (212,796) - 94 05. Ryan Briscoe (Penske) - 25,2127 (212,036) - 160 06. A.J. Foyt IV (Vision) - 25,2179 (211,992) - 103 07. Marco Andretti (Andretti/Green) - 25,2465 (211,752) - 119 08. Hideki Mutoh (Andretti/Green) - 25,2476 (211,743) - 114 09. Ed Carpenter (Vision) - 25,2691 (211,563) - 68 10. Buddy Rice (Dreyer & Reinbold) - 25,3716 (210,708) - 104 11. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Rahal/Letterman) - 25,3934 (210,527) - 102 12. Vitor Meira (Panther) - 25,3987 (210,483) - 93 13. Milka Duno (Dreyer & Reinbold) - 25,6276 (208,603) - 68 14. Darren Manning (A.J. Foyt) - 25,6369 (208,528) - 85 |
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 11:58
#7
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IRL NOTEBOOK Potential IRL teams flood test session
Many part-time, 1-car programs show interest in unified series HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The unified version of the IndyCar Series figures to be brimming with participants, perhaps more than 30 for each race based on attendance Wednesday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  Sixteen car-and-driver combinations are testing here this week as Indy Racing League regulars, and several more are preparing to join the fold.Among them is a car for Indy Pro Series champion Alex Lloyd, soon to be confirmed at Vision Racing. Jay Howard (Marty Roth Racing) had not completed his rookie test. Part-time cars are in the works for Tomas Scheckter (Luczo Dragon Racing), Sarah Fisher (Sarah Fisher Racing), Max Papis (Rubicon Racing) and Roger Yasukawa (likely Beck Motorsports), and there might be others. At least nine of the former Champ Car World Series competitors confirmed plans Wednesday to be at the IRL's season-opening race here March 29. They include: two cars each for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, PK Racing (formerly PKV), Conquest Racing and Dale Coyne Racing. Walker Racing is sure it will field at least one, but is preparing for two. Also in the mix are three teams that fielded two cars in Champ Car last season: Forsythe Pettit Racing, Team Minardi USA and Pacific Coast Motorsports. Even officials from the one-car Rocketsports Racing, which is owned by merger critic Paul Gentilozzi, attended the IRL's orientation meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday. While unlikely, the IRL could have as many 39 entries and even more at the Indianapolis 500. "I just realized (the large car count possibilities) myself," said Brian Barnhart, the president of the IRL's competition division. "I think I'd be more comfortable with something more along the lines of 28 to 30 (at most races), but this is encouraging, to say the least." Honda officials aren't ready to set a limit, but they don't believe Barnhart will extend them too far. "At some point (too many cars) is a problem," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development. "We've only got so many engines . . . but it's a good problem to have." Greg Beck said most teams figure to get a sponsorship boost from the unification enthusiasm. "There's been a lot of interest in the past month," he said. While IRL founder Tony George is committing engines and cars to Champ Car teams that make the transition, those teams must commit to a full season of competition. If they accept his offer but quit early, they will be required to pay the engine lease of approximately $1 million and return the cars, Barnhart said. Helio Castroneves doesn't expect the top Champ Car teams to take too long to catch up with their IRL brethren. He recalled Penske Racing's transition in 2001. "We took one race (at Phoenix), we learned," he said. "The second race we finished first and second at Indianapolis." Etc. Champ Car's final race with its cars will be April 20 at Long Beach, Calif., a race that will count as an IRL race. The current IRL teams will be in Motegi, Japan, for a race April 19. . . . Milka Duno will compete in 11 races, including Indy, for Dreyer & Reinbold. Plans are for Townsend Bell to drive the car in the other races as Buddy Rice's teammate. . . . Fisher's new family-run team, which currently has eight employees, is based on Rockville Road in Indianapolis. She hopes to compete at Indy, Texas, Kentucky and Chicago, although she hasn't announced sponsorship. . . . Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe plan to continue to operate the Atlantics development series with 12 races this season. . . . Panther has signed National Guard as a primary sponsor for Vitor Meira's car. |
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 13:56
#8
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Videos: Drivers react  Urge to merge From Danica to George, all your unification questions get answered here  By John OreoviczSpecial to ESPN.com HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- One of the things the unification of American open-wheel racing is supposed to accomplish is eliminate the confusion that resulted from having two competing series over the past 12 years. With that in mind, let's get straight to the point and answer a few frequently asked questions about open-wheel racing's brave new world under the leadership of Tony George and the Indy Racing League. Question: What actually happened to create this so-called unification? Answer: On Feb. 22, the ownership group of Champ Car (chiefly Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe) reached agreement in principle with George for the IRL to acquire and/or merge key elements of the Champ Car World Series into the IndyCar Series. After the 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 20 -- which is being billed as a gala send-off for the Champ Car formula -- the Champ Car World Series will cease to exist and most if not all Champ Car teams will join the IndyCar Series. Q: Why is this unification so significant? A: Because it puts an end to a deeply damaging battle for control of American open-wheel racing that can be traced to the late 1970s. By prevailing over Champ Car, George regained the leadership position that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. (i.e. the Hulman-George family) lost in 1979 when a group of team owners formed Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and took over as the chief sanctioning body of top-level open-wheel racing in the United States. Using the Indianapolis 500 as an anchor, George established the IRL in 1994, and since 1996 operated it as a direct competitor for the open-wheel series operated by CART and later Champ Car. That created confusion and animosity within the fan base and the sponsor community and resulted in an environment in which it was impossible for both series to survive. Q: What is the fallout from the merger? A: A couple of teams probably aren't going to be able to make the transition. Suppliers like Panoz, Hewland and Carl Haas Auto will absorb financial losses. Most of Champ Car's 50 staff members lost their jobs, with the exception of a skeleton crew being kept on to run the Long Beach event. Engine supplier Cosworth USA will lay off nearly 30 people at the end of this week, and 11 of the 14 events on the Champ Car schedule are affected. Some events will go on with the scheduled support series moved up on the bill, but others, like races in Portland and Cleveland, have been canceled outright. Q: What is the IRL getting out of the deal? A: Most importantly, the addition of (probably) between eight and 12 cars to the IndyCar Series field, which could feature as many as 28 cars for the post-Indianapolis portion of the season. Although the 2008 schedule is mainly set, the IRL will gain access to additional successful Champ Car markets like Toronto in 2009. The IRL is also acquiring Champ Car's pioneering Mobile Medical Center, as well as the intellectual property of the company and historical records that date to 1909. Q: How will the race schedule be affected? A: The 16 previously announced IndyCar Series races will be run as planned. Negotiations are under way to add the Champ Car events at Edmonton, Canada, and Surfers Paradise, Australia, to the schedule. In addition, the results of the Long Beach Champ Car race will count toward the IRL championship. Preliminary discussions about broadcast plans for the additional races are under way with ESPN/ABC. Q: What about the Champ Car teams? What's in it for them? A: All nine Champ Car teams have expressed interest in competing in the unified series, and most meet guidelines George has established to receive a support package from the IRL that includes two Dallara chassis and a standard Honda engine lease program. In addition, those teams will be eligible for the IRL's TEAM program, which guarantees $1.2 million in prize money for full-time entrants. Q: What's the deal with running Long Beach as one final Champ Car race on the same weekend as the IRL race at Motegi, Japan? Surely one of those races could have been rescheduled. A: Apparently it's more difficult to do that than a layman would think. This is an awkward short-term solution and Long Beach (an event promoted by Kalkhoven and Forsythe) will be part of the regular IndyCar schedule for 2009 and beyond. Q: With the time difference between Japan and California, it's possible that a driver could compete in both races if Motegi is run on time. Will anyone attempt to do it? A: I'm sure Kalkhoven would offer a seat on his Gulfstream to any driver who wants to try. But I don't know that anyone would want to tackle 80 laps of the Long Beach street circuit while jet-lagged. NRT-LAX (Narita to Los Angeles) is a tougher flight than Indy to Charlotte. Q: Will the arrival of Champ Car teams impact the IRL championship? A: Probably not. It's unrealistic to expect Champ Car teams, no matter how experienced or successful they may be, to be able to get as much out of the IRL's Dallara-Honda package as IndyCar Series regulars. If any of the Champ Car transfers run consistently in the top 10 in the first half of the season, it could be considered a success. Top-5s would be a realistic achievement post-Indy. Q: How will the merger affect Danica Patrick's chances of winning a race? A: Because additional quality teams and drivers are coming into the series, it will make Danica's task tougher. However, if and when she does win a race, her achievement will be more significant since it will come against all of the top drivers and teams in American open-wheel racing. Q: How long will it take for the Champ Car drivers and teams to get up to speed? A: Four to eight races is an educated guess. Since ovals haven't been very common in the Champ Car series since 2002, that's where the teams and drivers will struggle the most. The IRL is partnering Champ Car teams with IRL teams (for example, KV Racing will work with Target/Ganassi Racing) to speed up the learning curve. Q: Will some of the Champ Car drivers who have little or no oval racing experience pose a hazard to the IRL regulars? A: Certainly none of them will be any more of a mobile chicane than Milka Duno was as a rookie in 2007. Yes, it will be a concern, and race officials Brian Barnhart and Tony Cotman will be monitoring their progress closely. But most of the drivers expected to compete are experienced enough to learn and adapt quickly. Q: Which Champ Car team is likely to be the most successful this year? A: The obvious answer is Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. But Justin Wilson has run only a handful of Champ Car oval races, and Graham Rahal has competed on an oval just once -- and that was in a Star Mazda car. KV Racing, the team operated by Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser, might stand the best chance if it fields cars for veterans Oriol Servia and Alex Tagliani. Q: What happens to the Champ Car Atlantic Championship? A: Kalkhoven said he and Forsythe will continue to own and operate the single-seat training formula and will run a 12-race schedule this year. Q: Will this unification help turn around open-wheel racing's decline? A: It certainly should, though IRL officials warn that there might not be an immediate effect on attendance or television ratings. But under IRL leadership, open-wheel racing has a solid foundation, and in a best-case scenario, a measurable increase in popularity and awareness this year will lead to an influx of sponsors for 2009. A continued pattern of stability and growth would in turn attract manufacturer involvement when a new chassis/engine formula is introduced in 2010. |
ForoCoches: Miembro
28-feb-2008 21:15
#9
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Forsythe team to close down By Matt Beer Thursday, February 28th 2008, 18:42 GMT  Forsythe Championship Racing have announced that they will close down after Long Beach having failed to secure funding to join the merged IRL IndyCar Series.The team closure raises questions over the future of 2003 Champ Car World Series champion Paul Tracy, who had a long-term contract with Forsythe and was expected to move across to the IRL with them. "Forsythe Championship Racing is announcing today the cessation of its racing operations," said Forsythe's VP of Operations Neil Micklewright. "After 13 years of competition in CART and the Champ Car World Series, the team has been unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to be able to compete in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 2008. "Forsythe Racing Inc., the parent company of FCR, will participate in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Champ Car finale, with drivers to be announced." The team was founded in 1995 by Gerry Forsythe after he parted company with former partner Barry Green. Forsythe enjoyed early success with the late Greg Moore and took Tracy to a dominant title in 2003. But the team struggled to attract sponsorship to replace long-time backer Player's after anti-tobacco advertising legislation forced the company to pull out before the 2004 season. Gerry Forsythe's own Indeck company had been the primary sponsor of the team's cars since 2004. The team was set to run under the Forsythe Pettit Racing banner this season after Dan Pettit - formerly Kevin Kalkhoven's partner at PKV Racing and briefly the owner of the RuSPORT team - joined forces with Forsythe over the winter. |
Primigenio
28-feb-2008 23:06
#11
Sabía que podía confiar en ti a la hora de sustituir mi antiguo hilo 
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Monte
28-feb-2008 23:16
#12
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Bien yosssi. Entonces ya esta confirmado o es lo mas probable que se compita con los IRL? |
ForoCoches: Miembro
29-feb-2008 00:16
#13
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Forsythe racing team will fold HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Open-wheel racing took a unification setback today when one of Champ Car's top teams, Forsythe Championship Racing, announced it was ceasing operations. The Indianapolis-based team owned by Champ Car co-owner Gerald Forsythe fielded Paul Tracy and David Martinez last season and was in business for 13 years. "The team has been unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to be able to compete in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 2008," said Neil Micklewright, the team's vice president of operations, in a statement released by Champ Car. The team's final race will be the Long Beach (Calif.) Grand Prix on April 20. The statement did not name drivers for the event. Forsythe's Atlantics team will continue, however, with James Hinchcliffe and David Garza driving. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...46/1247/SPORTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRL, Champ Car unification could cost George $30 million Indy Racing League chief George excited about change despite $30 million outlay HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Tony George will pay less to acquire the assets of Champ Car World Series than he offered in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2004, but his commitment to the unification of open-wheel racing still will cost him at least $30 million. The actual amount of last week's offer has not been revealed, but Indy Racing League spokesman Fred Nation said Wednesday that it was less than the $13.5 million George, IRL's founder, offered four years ago. Then, Champ Car was awarded for $3.2 million to a group led by Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, because they promised to keep the series in business. George wanted to fold it into the IRL, as he will do now. Kalkhoven and Forsythe gave up the fight Friday by signing a letter of agreement with George, and George and Kalkhoven held their first joint news conference Wednesday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The former rivals said they're doing what is best for the fans of the splintered sport. "It was just a realization that, quite honestly, open-wheel motor racing in the United States just wasn't going anywhere," said Kalkhoven, who won't have a leadership role in the new venture. "Tony held out an olive branch, and (we) decided it was the right thing to do". George, the grandson of Tony Hulman, who built Indianapolis Motor Speedway into a showcase, described unification as one of his happiest moments. "This is a very exciting day," he said. "It was just last fall, on the anniversary of my grandfather's death, that I was thinking to myself that it really had been 30 years since the sport of open-wheel racing had been truly unified." A group of car owners split Indy-car racing in 1979 by forming Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). George founded the IRL in 1996. In the new agreement, George gets all of Champ Car's assets, tangible and otherwise, including its traveling medical center, trademarks and all historical documents. None of that amounts to much in direct money. Plus, to remove confusion in the marketplace created by two series, George agreed to supply all Champ Car teams that join the IRL with two cars -- one new, one used, with an average value of $400,000 each -- as well as an engine lease that costs just under $1 million. League officials are expecting between nine and 12 cars to migrate to the IRL, including two from Kalkhoven's team, KV Racing. That means adding about $20 million to George's commitment, plus the IRL will guarantee each car $1.2 million in purse money. George and the Champ Car owners currently have only an agreement in principle; they don't yet have a contract. Nation said that is one of the many things still to be finalized since the sides announced the landmark agreement last week. "There just has not been time to do the final contract," he said. That document will become public if Champ Car files bankruptcy, which isn't a given, a series spokesman said Wednesday after the news conference. "Champ Car Inc. is still a work in progress," said David Higdon, the executive vice president of the Indianapolis-based series. "(Bankruptcy) might not be necessary. (The decision) still has to get through all the lawyers." Neither Higdon nor Nation knew of any lawsuits that might come as a result of the unification. Higdon credited George for the sense of inclusion since unification talks heated up. George has offered to add at least two Champ Car races to the IRL's 2008 schedule -- events in Edmonton, Alberta, and Surfers Paradise, Australia -- and has said the IRL will take "a cleaner sheet of paper" to sculpting the league in the future to use the best assets of both series. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...03/1247/SPORTS |
ForoCoches: Miembro
29-feb-2008 00:36
#14
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-Actualizada la parrilla INDYCAR: Tracy Out in the Market Written by: Robin Miller 02/28/2008 - 01:48 PM Indianapolis, Ind.  What now for PT? (LAT PhotoThe winningest active driver in Champ Car found out Thursday morning he no longer had a team but Paul Tracy says he’s still got the fire to run open wheel cars. “I want to be part of this new league, I want to run at Indianapolis again and I want to stay in open wheel racing,” said Tracy, who learned by a phone call that Gerry Forsythe was shutting down his team and would not be competing in the unified Indy Racing League. “This is the first time in my career I’ve not known what I’m doing and it’s pretty late in the deal to just find this out. “But I’m hoping I can still find something competitive.” The 39-year-old Canadian, easily the most recognizable and accomplished driver in Champ Car the past seven years, was in the second of a five-year contract with Forsythe, whom he joined in 2003 and captured the CART championship. “I got a call from Neil (Micklewright, president of Forsythe Racing) this morning and he said, ‘I’ve got some bad news for you,’” related Tracy from his home in Las Vegas. “Neil said he’d been trying to get a hold of my manager but he was having a colonoscopy today. That’s ironic ‘cause that’s what I feel like I got.” Late last year, Tracy had received an email that Forsythe wanted to re-negotiate his contract or terminate it but during a face-to-face meeting in December, the subject was never broached. But, as unification got closer, Tracy heard rumblings that Forsythe might not join fellow Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven in the IRL. “I kept thinking this might happen and I don’t think it’s posturing on Gerry’s part,” said Tracy, who owns 31 career victories—all in CART or Champ Car—and ran second in the disputed 2002 Indy 500. “He asked everybody to stay on board through Long Beach but I don’t know how many guys will be willing to do that. I’d like to take my engineers and a couple guys to a good IRL team because I think we can do a good job.” Forsythe, who has spent an estimated $250 million on Champ Car racing during this decade, reportedly asked IRL founder Tony George for money to remain in play and was told the IRL would be happy to help with a sponsorship search. George had made inquiries into Tracy’s availability back in January and it’s believed he still may be interested in one of North American motorsports’ most colorful characters. After 13 seasons in Champ Car, Forsythe will continue to operate its two-car Atlantic team for David Garza and James Hinchcliffe this season because it’s funded by the drivers. |
ForoCoches: Miembro
29-feb-2008 10:26
#15
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Pit Pass: Curt Cavin & Steve Ballard Champ Car's Tracy looks for IRL ride Paul Tracy, whose Champ Car team has ceased operations, is a free agent. But does the IndyCar Series have a job for him? All signs point to Tracy joining Vision Racing, where team owner Tony George has already committed at least $30 million to unify the sport. But Tracy doesn't want to drive for Vision, a second-tier team that has never won a race."He wants to drive for Penske or Ganassi, and he wants me to talk to them for him," George said Thursday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the Indy Racing League was testing. After speaking with George on Thursday, Tracy called friend Jimmy Vasser, who will field a two-car IRL team with Kevin Kalkhoven. Oriol Servia has been designated for one car, and there is talk of the team swiping Will Power and his sponsor from Walker Racing. Said Tracy: "Jimmy didn't say what he is doing with the other car, but it doesn't sound like he'll have one available." Then there's the issue of money: Tracy is believed to want at least $1 million annually in salary. "(Oval racing) is pretty dangerous, and I'm not going to drive for hamburgers and hot dogs," Tracy said. George said he wouldn't pay Tracy's salary only to have him drive for another team, but he said he'd try to find a sponsor for the team. Roger Penske's team seems an unlikely destination for Tracy, who drove there in the 1990s, but Chip Ganassi has flirted with fielding an extra car. Ganassi is already talking to George about Vision fielding a car for Indy Pro Series champ Alex Lloyd, who was signed by Ganassi. "Since Chip doesn't want to pay me to run Alex, maybe I'll just ask him to run Paul," George said with a smile. The IRL will know a potential IndyCar Series team is serious about competing when it pays the non-refundable $115,000 in participation fees and signs its one-year engine lease with Honda. Other IRL tidbits: Vasser, who won the CART title in 1996, won't return as a driver, even for the Indianapolis 500. "The last thing I need is another top-five finish," he said. George said earlier this week his ideal schedule for 2008 includes 20 races and an even mix of ovals and road/street circuits. "It's important to me to have ovals, and a good mix of ovals," he said. George spent about $10 million in the offseason to give IMS Productions the ability to televise races in high definition. Sarah Fisher has chosen No. 67 for her Indy car, a number she used racing midgets earlier in her career. Weathering the test
   Thursday, February 28, 2008 Patrick returns from illness to top second-day speed chart By Dave Lewandowski indycar.com HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Danica Patrick stepped out of her motorcoach, where she spent the better part of two days dealing with flu-like symptoms, and into the No. 7 Motorola car for the final session of an IndyCar Series Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hmm, she made up for lost time. Patrick recorded 186 laps – 14 short of a full race -- on the 1.5-mile oval and posted the quickest lap of the five-hour session of 25.0772 seconds (213.182 mph). "I was sicker than I've ever been before on a day when I had to do something," said Patrick, entering her second season with Andretti Green Racing. "I was dizzy and my head was full of pressure. I didn't feel balanced, on top of other things. For me, it would have been silly to try and push it and go out there and try and feel the edge at a place like Homestead where the grip and the intensity level is pretty high compared to the rest of the mile-and-a-halfs." The top eight cars (Patrick to teammate Tony Kanaan) were separated by one-tenth of a second. "It's kind of nice to go out there, skip a day, go out and be quickest," said Patrick, whose career-best runner-up finish at Belle Isle last season tied an IndyCar Series record for a female driver. "We were definitely struggling with the race car. Until the very end of the day we were really pushing to figure it out. We definitely didn't have it down. At the end of the day, we're all walking away pretty happy. The team did a good job of working in the off-season." Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe (25.0920 seconds; 213.056) was second-quick and Dan Wheldon (212.980) was third. Wheldon topped the two-day test with a quick lap of 25.0619 seconds (213.312) in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car. He also was quickest last year and went on to win his third consecutive race at the venue. "Judging by the test, it's gone very well," Wheldon said. "There's some room for improvement, but for our test back into the swing of things, and to be back at Homestead, I think we're in pretty good shape." A.J. Foyt IV, confirmed in the No. 2 Vision Racing car earlier in the week, was fourth on the chart (212.938 mph), and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (212.850) was fifth. "It was a great test for us and our team, and it just shows how hard our guys have been working to get ready for this test session," said Foyt, who had a career-high third place last year at Kentucky Speedway. "We'll just keep on working on it and have even a better car for the race." Sixteen drivers totaled 1,933 laps (2,463 over the two days) in the prelude to the season-opening GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 in a month. For some, such as rookie Hideki Mutoh, every stint is important in learning the nuances of the track and Dallara/Honda/Firestone package. Mutoh was sixth on the list, with his 13th of 137 laps the quickest at 212.596 mph (25.1463). "I only had two days of testing at Phoenix and one day at Sebring in the off-season (plus a half-day at Homestead in December), so I'm still working on getting to know the team, learning how to communicate with them and learning how to set up the IndyCar Series car," said Mutoh, who will drive the No. 27 car for Andretti Green Racing. "It's totally different from the Indy Pro Series car. The two days at Homestead have been good. I've gained more confidence and am more comfortable with the team."  |
ForoCoches: Miembro
29-feb-2008 12:28
#16
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Es una pena lo de Forsythe, aunque no creo que a Tracy le cueste mucho encontrar un volante, es uno de los pilotos mas populares. Tengo entendido que Forsythe era uno de los propietarios de la Champ mas hostiles a la IRL, supongo que era un trago demasiado amargo para el, y mas si tenia que poner un paston de su bolsillo. |
Brickyard
29-feb-2008 14:11
#17
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Lo que me da rabia es que yo quería ver este año la CampCar en Jerez y me voy a quedar con las ganas. Además de que una competición casi en su totalidad en ovales, pocos pilotos europeos ataerá. Además me gustaba más el nuevo coche de la Camp que ese que se usa en la IRL. |
ForoCoches: Miembro
29-feb-2008 22:19
#18
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El problema de la Champcar es que le gustaba mas a los europeos que a los americanos por lo que parece, por eso ha entrado en bancarrota. A mi la Champcar me gustaba, pero en la cultura automobilistica yankee los ovales siempre han sido muy importantes y si con un formato mas equilibrado entre los dos tipos de carreras no brillan tanto los pilotos europeos y tienen mas opciones los pilotos americanos no sera Tony George quien se queje, uno de los problemas de las carreras de monoplazas en America es que hay muchos pilotos extranjeros, frente a una NASCAR dominada totalmente por los norteamericanos. Las carreras en ovales tambien tienen su punto, se trata de mirarlas sin prejuicios, para carreras de formulas sin ovales ya estan la F1, GP2, World Series, A1GP, etc... |
La rage est énorme.
01-mar-2008 01:55
#19
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Bueno, veo que solo hay confirmada la carrera de Long Beach por parte de la antigua Champcar, y con la duda de Edmonton y Surfers Paradise. Me hubiera gustado que hubiesen mas road curses, pero me voy a conformar con mas ovales. Por cierto, la carrera de Columbus, OH es el Mid-Ohio, no? PD:Que le pasa a Forsythe?  ....espero que Paul tenga coche porque sino no será lo mismo. Paul es uno de los pocos supervivientes de la antigua CART (por no decir el unico), es un piloto emblema en el open-wheel y la competicion lo necesita.
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ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 02:26
#21
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Bueno creo que la realidad que Jerry Forsythe no le interesa poner su pasta de su sponsor Indeck en una competicion que ni mandara ni es suya una parte. A Tracy no le faltaran novias aparte tiene a su sponsor personal Monster dispuesto a poner unos 2$ millones. A mi las carreras en ovales tambien me gustan pero para mi es excesivo que la mitad de carreras sean en ovales cosa que quizas para los Americanos que es lo que mas les interesa no lo sea. Aun asi la FTG este año no podra romper contratos con algunos circuitos y habra que esperar hasta 2009 para mayor diversidad, este el calendario 2009 que se especula 1. ??? March 16 - Las Vegas, NV - street course 2. March 23 - Homestead, FL or Phoenix, AZ - oval track 3. March 30 - St.Petersburg, FL - road course 4. April 5 - Long Beach, CA - street course 5. April 18 - Motegi, Japan - oval course 6. April 26 - Kansas City, KS - oval track 7. May 30 - Indianapolis, IN - oval track 8. ??? June 7 - Milwaukee, WI 9. June 14 - Ft.Worth, TX - oval track 10. June 21 - Newton, IA - oval track 11. June 28 - Edmonton, Canada - airfield course 12. July 5 - Cleveland, OH - airfield track or Portland, OR - road course 13. July 12 - Nashville, TN - oval track or Watkins Glen, NY - road course 14. July 19 - Toronto, Canada - street course 15. August 2 - Lexington, OH - road course 16. August 16 - El  khart Lake, WI - road course or Sparta, KY - oval track 17. August 24 - Sonoma, CA - road course or Richmond, VA - oval track 18. August 31 - Belle Isle, MI - road course 19. September 6 - Joliet, IL - oval track 20. September 20 - Surfers Paradise, Australia - street course 21. October 4 - Mexico City, Mexico - road course -- Round 1: Feb. 20-22, St. Petersburg -- Kick off the open-wheel season in Florida the week after the Daytona 500. Any later than March 1, and MLB spring training becomes a factor. May be a lame-duck event if the Tampa Rays build a new stadium in downtown St. Pete. • Round 2: March 7-8, Phoenix International Raceway -- Bring back this historic and once-popular IndyCar venue, but give it only two years to prove open-wheelers can again draw a crowd in the desert. • Round 3: March 13-15, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City -- The more races that can be run in warm-weather markets prior to the Indianapolis 500, the less stacked together the summer races will be. • Round 4: March 27-28, Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- Perhaps run it as a Saturday night special. • Round 5: April 3-5, Long Beach -- Avoid conflicting with the PGA Tour's Masters Tournament to help the TV ratings, if possible. • Round 6: April 17-18, Twin Ring Motegi, Japan -- Ship the cars and equipment from Los Angeles, then give the teams a week to catch up. • Round 7: April 25-26, Kansas Speedway -- Continue oval-track buildup toward Indy. • Round 8: May 2-3, Kentucky Speedway -- More Indy buildup, at the track closest to IMS. • May 8-10, 13-15, Indy practice days -- Cut back the number of practice days to condense activity for fans and reduce costs for teams. • May 16-17, Indianapolis 500 qualifying -- Two days is plenty, even if real bumping makes a comeback. • May 22 -- Carb Day. • Round 9: May 24 -- 91st Indianapolis 500. • Round 10: May 29-30, Texas Motor Speedway -- Give Eddie Gossage the date he wants (first race after Indy) and leverage other choice dates with Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks. • Round 11: June 6-7, The Milwaukee Mile -- The next couple of years will determine whether Brew-town still wants to be an open-wheel market. • Round 12: June 19-21, Portland International Raceway -- This is a key market that NASCAR still hasn't cracked. A motivated title sponsor and a little TLC could bring the fans back to PIR. • Round 13: June 26-28, Edmonton airport circuit -- Would make economic sense to twin with Portland. • Round 14: July 3-5, Cleveland airport circuit -- Re-establish and grow this unique event with an annual Fourth of July tie-in. • Round 15: July 17-18, Richmond International Raceway -- A slightly later date more equally splits RIR's traditional pair of NASCAR races. • Round 16: July 24-26, Toronto -- It's a golden opportunity to truly recreate the Molson Indy now that the "What's a Champ Car?" confusion will be gone. • Round 17: Aug. 7-9, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course -- A Honda favorite, though the company might get more bang from its buck by sponsoring a rejuvenated Cleveland GP. • Round 18: Aug. 14-16, Road America -- America's fastest and most challenging natural terrain road course must be on the schedule. • Round 19: Sept. 5-7, Detroit Belle Isle -- How about a Labor Day weekend race run on the holiday? • Round 20: Sept. 11-12, Chicagoland Speedway -- Run the season finale Saturday night so as not to go up against the NFL on Sunday. That's a 20-race schedule that satisfies all the criteria listed above and even has room to squeeze in another race or two during the summer if absolutely necessary. Which is good because this schedule omits tracks such as Watkins Glen International and Iowa Speedway from the current IRL schedule, as well as Champ Car venues including Houston and Laguna Seca. |
Editado: 01-mar-2008 02:29 -
ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 12:38
#22
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Hola a tod@s, quería daros las gracias por toda la información que aportáis y aunque no escriba, que sepáis que os leo. Paul Tracy no tiene asiento ?  Respecto a lo de la unificación, a mi esto me parece muy precipitado, en mi opinión deberían haber seguido este año como estaban e ir preparándolo detenidamente para ya comenzar el año que viene con las cosas bien organizadas, me da que este año puede haber un poco de caos. Por otro lado estoy muy triste  porque a mi me gustaba mucho la Champ Car como estaba.Yosssi, la foto de tu lápida venía como anillo al dedo, te cuoteo en homenaje. un besazo a tod@s |
ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 14:26
#23
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En unos dias seguro que ya lo tendra los tests en principio seran los dias March 18-20 at Sebring and March 24-25 at Homestead-Miami Speedway 02/26/08 Servia testing Ganassi car Oriol Servia is testing a Ganassi Indy Car at Sebring today. We hear that one of the Indy Cars PKV Racing is getting is coming from the Ganassi team.
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ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 14:27
#24
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Veo que soy el unico al que le gusta el calendario de este año. Supongo que a partir de 2009 se incorporaran mas road curses, pero con Tony George al mando espero que al menos el 55% o 60% de las carreras sean en circuitos ovales, entre los cuales tienen que hacer lo que sea para que vuelva a estar el de Michigan. La semana que viene hay entrenamientos en Sebring en los que todavia no estaran los pilotos de la champ... |
ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 20:37
#25
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El calendario que ha puesto Yossi para el 2009 es bastante interesante, 21 carreras con la mitad ovales y el resto "ruteras", creo que ese sera el espiritu de las nuevas indy car, este año no deja de ser de transicion. Por cierto creo que este año los Dallara incorporaran el cambio de marchas en el volante para las carreras no ovales. Estaria muy bien que tambien incorporaran algunos aspectos de la Champcar para esas carreras, el P2P, los neumaticos "rojos", las lineas de trazada en las curvas estrechas para favorecer adelantamientos, salidas en parado, etc.. tampoco estaria mal un aumento de potencia de los Honda en las carreras no ovales, 650CV estan bien para un ovalo, dan de sobras para velocidades de vertigo, (mas de 370 Km/h en Indianapolis), pero para una carrera no oval subir hasta los 750CV de la Champ estaria bien. |
ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 20:49
#26
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Bourdais: merger a disaster for teams By Matt Beer Saturday, March 1st 2008, 15:31 GMT  Four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais has described the manner in which the American open-wheel series merged as "a disaster" for Champ Car teams.The Toro Rosso Formula One convert predicted that even his former outfit Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will struggle to get near the established IndyCar Series squads. The Champ Car World Series has effectively been absorbed by the Indy Racing League for 2008, with the unified championship using IRL equipment and adding three Champ Car dates to the existing IndyCar schedule. Bourdais believes the late decision to unify and the reliance on IRL equipment will severely penalise the former Champ Car teams. "We had all been waiting for it for a long time, but obviously didn't expect it 30 days before the start of a season," he told reporters after F1 testing at Jerez. "It's not a merger, it's the death of Champ Car and the IRL taking over - the schedules, cars, everything. It's the cars (the IRL teams) have been running around with for five years, so what are the Champ Car teams going to be able to do? Nothing. "They had no time to prepare over the winter, because the winter is over. It's a disaster for Champ Car teams, obviously." Bourdais said Newman/Haas' trips to the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 and 2005 demonstrated the scale of the task facing the IRL newcomers. "The cars are really, really, really hard to develop. It's all tiny little things, especially on ovals," he said. "In year one Bruno (Junqueira) my teammate, not knowing the car, was on the first row. We made a few developments over the year but obviously not much because it wasn't our car. "We showed up the next year and were 14th/15th, 2.5-3mph off the pace. Yes, we had great race car - we were running in the top five towards the end, I had a cut tyre and I crashed on the last lap, but we were in the mix in the race. "But in one year they had gained 3mph, so over five years you can imagine what has happened. "Even if they start working on the cars now, the season's going to be over by the time they start to be half-competitive." The Frenchman believes the only hope for the Champ Car teams is if the IRL rapidly adopts a new technical package. "Hopefully they will change the cars quite quickly because otherwise it's going to be a slow death for all the teams that try and make (the switch) happen," Bourdais said. "How do you find sponsors when you're running at the back? It doesn't matter if you're Newman/Haas or anybody else. "Newman/Haas is going to get it figured out somehow, but when you look at how badly Andretti-Green struggled for two years to get to Penske and Ganassi's level - and that was with their resources and four cars - I think it's a bit more complicated than people seem to think. It's horrible. "I'm even more convinced it (F1) was the right thing for me to do. I would not have been a contender in any way this year (in IndyCar)." Bourdais said he wished Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven had taken the merger decision sooner. "I have a lot of respect for Kevin, but if it was not fun for him anymore and he was sick of losing money or wasting money then I think he could have figured it out at the end of last year, not 30 days before the first race," he said. "It's very good for the sport, just it's going to cause a lot of trouble. A lot of people are going to lose jobs and it's going to take a long time to rebuild." |
ForoCoches: Miembro
01-mar-2008 20:53
#27
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Greetings from Homestead Miami Speedway and the first IndyCar Open Test of the 2008 season... (2-27-08) Good morning from HMS where we are a little less than two hours away from the Tony George/Kevin Kalkhoven press conference that should answer many, or make that some of the questions all of us have about the changing face of IndyCar Racing... As usual, as an early riser I'm one of the first at the track, too early in fact for those in the credentials office and track access, so I spent my time getting shots of some of the transporters as the rolled into the tunnel.  (2-27-08,11:00 a.m.) I guess the first thing on my agenda now that I am settled into the Media Center is a brief weather report, then I'll set out to dispel some rumors that have been running rampant on the Internet forums. Early this morning there was bright sunshine, little wind and even warmth, at least it was a beautiful start to the morning. We had our early morning deluge, the air was fresh, clean and clear, and then some ominous clouds started to build, along came the wind, but at least there is no rain for now, and I'm seeing a little sunshine too. Practice doesn't begin until 4:00, and the forecast calls for wind (typical for here at HMS) and temperatures in the 50's. Now to debunk some of the rumors.      *** (2-27-08,1:20 p.m.) The press conference has ended, if there has ever been an ICS PC better covered I can't remember it. I gave up on getting in the room early, unable to get note-taking room and also close enough to hear everything. I beat a quick retreat to the Media Center and my headphones. I expect that there will be a PC transcript available, and I'll link it here ASAP. I think that it is clear that every well-funded CCWS team/entry that commits to the NEW Indy Series will get one new Dallara, and one used one from a pool of cars managed by Brian Barnhart. What is in question is just how soon Dallara can get the new cars built, and I expect a pecking order for delivery priorities. If they follow past procedure's, Dallara would ship one car per team first, and then fill the extra orders. There are CCWS/ICS team alignments set up for tech support reasons, three that I know of are Newman/Haas/Lanigan with Rahal Letterman Racing, Team Penske with Walker Racing and the new KV Racing (Kalkhoven/Vasser) with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. I have heard that because of that alignment, PK Racing has secured two nearly new Dallara's. One interesting note from the PC is that Kevin Kalkhoven mentioned the possibility of a couple of ICS drivers returning early from Motegi and running the CCWS DP01's at Long Beach. Also, don't read anything into what CCWS events end up on this years ICS schedule having the "preferred line" going into 2009. It appears that Edmonton and Surfers Paradise will be included, but mostly because they fit closely enough into the existing schedule. One other thing Tony George mentioned I can agree with whole-heartedly, that is "that the IndyCar off-season last far too long." What I read into that is that the season will be extended past the first weekend in September.This just in... I was just handed a PR release that states that the "Cooper Tire Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda set for 35th Anniversary Season in 2008" The series will run a 12-race schedule, with dates and venues TBA... Also just in is a joint sponsorship agreement between Panther Racing and Delphi and The National Guard... This has already enabled Panther to get both wind tunnel time and 7-post shaker rig work in as well... *** Here are pictures of some of the drivers, sorry, I don't know most of the CCWS guys, so I'll skip posting the names...    *** (2-27-08,1:20 p.m.) The press conference has ended, if there has ever been an ICS PC better covered I can't remember it. I gave up on getting in the room early, unable to get note-taking room and also close enough to hear everything. I beat a quick retreat to the Media Center and my headphones. I expect that there will be a PC transcript available, and I'll link it here ASAP. I think that it is clear that every well-funded CCWS team/entry that commits to the NEW Indy Series will get one new Dallara, and one used one from a pool of cars managed by Brian Barnhart. What is in question is just how soon Dallara can get the new cars built, and I expect a pecking order for delivery priorities. If they follow past procedure's, Dallara would ship one car per team first, and then fill the extra orders. There are CCWS/ICS team alignments set up for tech support reasons, three that I know of are Newman/Haas/Lanigan with Rahal Letterman Racing, Team Penske with Walker Racing and the new KV Racing (Kalkhoven/Vasser) with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. I have heard that because of that alignment, PK Racing has secured two nearly new Dallara's. One interesting note from the PC is that Kevin Kalkhoven mentioned the possibility of a couple of ICS drivers returning early from Motegi and running the CCWS DP01's at Long Beach. Also, don't read anything into what CCWS events end up on this years ICS schedule having the "preferred line" going into 2009. It appears that Edmonton and Surfers Paradise will be included, but mostly because they fit closely enough into the existing schedule. One other thing Tony George mentioned I can agree with whole-heartedly, that is "that the IndyCar off-season last far too long." What I read into that is that the season will be extended past the first weekend in September.This just in... I was just handed a PR release that states that the "Cooper Tire Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda set for 35th Anniversary Season in 2008" The series will run a 12-race schedule, with dates and venues TBA... Also just in is a joint sponsorship agreement between Panther Racing and Delphi and The National Guard... This has already enabled Panther to get both wind tunnel time and 7-post shaker rig work in as well... *** Here are pictures of some of the drivers, sorry, I don't know most of the CCWS guys, so I'll skip posting the names... *** I'm back with some more stuff and some rather big news as well. First this, now don't warm up the black helicopters...      *** I'm doing request photo's now, there have been requests for pictures of the Vision cars (AJ Foyt IV is 5th on the speed chart), they are in satin black primer. It is dinner break time, so the cars are back in the garages. I'm holding off for a fish dinner later at a place just at the head the road down into the Keys.      ***     *** More pictures...       *** And that's a wrap...  |
Panasonic Lumix FZ8
02-mar-2008 16:21
#28
uffffff yosssi . . . . pedazo curro te has dado.  Soy de la opinion que los ovales no atraen al publico europeo y espero que esta fusion tan precipitada no salga mal, porque si no seria el fin. Tengo ganas de que empiece ya y ver que noticias nos esperan para el proximo año. Saludos a todos. Yosssi for President 
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ForoCoches: Miembro
02-mar-2008 17:54
#29
RL Media Day, Homestead Fla. 2/27/08               39 Second 1920x1080i HD Clip of the SI Shoot:    http://rapidshare.com/files/92519509...._VaCheeks_.ts |