View Full Version : Do you guys remember John Della Pena?
Remember John Della Pena? I saw him last weekend at Homestead Miami-Speedway. He is running a couple of cars in Ferrari Challenge. One of them is for Pablo Perez, the kid that got seriously injured in the Infinity Pro-Series last year at Homestead and another one for Zak Brown (marketing guy behind Johnnie Walker McLaren deal and ex-F.Atlantic tail-ender). It's good to see Della Pena back in racing; he is a real nice guy.
He brought Ritchie Hearn into the frey, who had a bit of success for the small team. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep him, and brought in Norberto Fontana.
http://www.motorsportpedia.com/index.php/Della_Penna_Motorsports
Budweiser should have sponsored Scott Harrington.
devilmaster
03-14-08, 12:16 AM
Did he try and sell Optionetics to ya? ;)
http://www.offcamber.net/forums/showthread.php?p=50130
Winston Wolfe
03-14-08, 12:18 AM
or maybe Wittle Al.....
*hic*
- sniff -
:D
JDP was another guy like Dale COyne.... never had the jack to be a front runner, but would always try and field a team and make a run at it each year. Never a serious threat, but a field filler and participant nonetheless :thumbup:
who did Richie Hearn "Paul Tracify" going into T1 at Toronto back in the day?
that **** was funny.
Rogue Leader
03-14-08, 07:53 AM
He brought Ritchie Hearn into the frey, who had a bit of success for the small team. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep him, and brought in Norberto Fontana.
http://www.motorsportpedia.com/index.php/Della_Penna_Motorsports
That site is painful to read, some people just shouldnt be authors.....
Don Quixote
03-14-08, 09:25 AM
This thread reminds me of how evil Toyota was in having those lower tier teams develop their engine program and then jettisoning them over the side as soon as they got all the kinks work out. If there is another side to that story after all these years, I still haven't heard it. Just another example of the dysfunction that got us to where we are today. :flame:
This thread reminds me of how evil Toyota was in having those lower tier teams develop their engine program and then jettisoning them over the side as soon as they got all the kinks work out. If there is another side to that story after all these years, I still haven't heard it. Just another example of the dysfunction that got us to where we are today. :flame:
Yep. Gurney, Arciero-Wells, etc. FTRD :thumdown:
Sean O'Gorman
03-14-08, 10:34 AM
Yeah, F them for giving small teams free engines and technical support when they otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to go Champ Car racing otherwise. :saywhat:
Andrew Longman
03-14-08, 11:15 AM
Yeah, F them for giving small teams free engines and technical support when they otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to go Champ Car racing otherwise. :saywhat:
Fair point, but those running the sport should have been concerned about not creating situations where big manufacturing giveaways are the only way to compete in the first place.
I don't have ready answers but a healthy sport makes money for participants and avoids too much turnover in teams and competitors.
That said, I do know that starting a second series that banned engine leases as TG initially did was not the right answer either
Don Quixote
03-14-08, 03:19 PM
Yeah, F them for giving small teams free engines and technical support when they otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to go Champ Car racing otherwise. :saywhat: So long as everybody is looking out for numero uno, everything will be alright. Did you also like the way that they were told at the 11th hour that they were being dismissed? Business is business I guess.
Sean O'Gorman
03-14-08, 03:59 PM
Maybe someday UNICEF will start making racing engines and give them to the smaller teams for free, but until then, yes, that is pretty much how racing goes. I don't see what the big deal is.
Maybe someday UNICEF will start making racing engines and give them to the smaller teams for free, but until then, yes, that is pretty much how racing goes. I don't see what the big deal is.
Really? I didn't see Toyota pulling engines from Waltrip's team this season after being their guinea pig last season. :saywhat:
-Kevin
Yeah, F them for giving small teams free engines and technical support when they otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to go Champ Car racing otherwise. :saywhat:
What technical support? A Pep Boys cataloque and a fit-all would have far surpassed any technical support TRD offered for those lumps.
eiregosod
03-14-08, 08:58 PM
I remember John Della penna racing :)
didnt take Toyota long to win in NASCAr Cup, took them 5 years to win in CART and they never wonned in f1.
Reminds me a a great handle of someone on 7G, FanaDellaPenna
miatanut
03-14-08, 10:35 PM
This thread reminds me of how evil Toyota was in having those lower tier teams develop their engine program and then jettisoning them over the side as soon as they got all the kinks work out. If there is another side to that story after all these years, I still haven't heard it. Just another example of the dysfunction that got us to where we are today. :flame:
I couldn't BELIEVE it when they pulled that **** on Gurney. After he brought them the GTP championship! :thumdown:
miatanut
03-14-08, 10:36 PM
Reminds me a a great handle of someone on 7G, FanaDellaPenna
Not FannaDellaPenna?
Reminds me a a great handle of someone on 7G, FanaDellaPenna
I remember him. I think he posts as Elmer George now. :saywhat:
Sean O'Gorman
03-15-08, 09:55 AM
Wasn't he the Fran-Am shill?
Heeltoe
03-15-08, 04:24 PM
Speaking of FDP, just to wax nostalgic about 7G and CART, I beleive he originally was BudFan (or something similar) and asked the forum input for a new name when Bud ended JDP sponsorship (in 99?). One of the other candidates proposed for a handle was Hearniac which has always stuck with me
Jervis Tetch 1
03-16-08, 04:20 PM
Sorry, no bouquets here. Della Penna is a jerk, but I hated to see his team go under. I didn't want that, despite how I think of him.
robot9000
03-17-08, 10:12 AM
In the Oreo book about Honda's time in CART, I belive it was Toyota that started tipping the apple cart with engine subsidies and such.
IIRC, all teams payed for the engines and support. The 'good' teams just got the trick parts and such. It was Toyota that started subsidizing teams and somehow I remember Chips switch from Honda as being the tipping point to where evey team lined up with their hands out. Hasn't changed since. In the book he makes it sound like Honda really didn't want to get on that train, but they had no choice or they couldn't get the top teams.
Not that I'm shedding tears for Honda or Toyo any time soon. But they are the dealers that truned the teams into Junkies if you believe it as told by Oreo.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.