So How Many Cars? Long Beach

[JohnHKart]

10? 5? What do I have to look forward to that weekend. I'm going to at least Friday and maybe the race, although I'll skip the race if it's a 2005 US GP.

John

[dando]

10? 5? What do I have to look forward to that weekend. I'm going to at least Friday and maybe the race, although I'll skip the race if it's a 2005 US GP.

John


I just can't see more than 10...12 would be a reach. FCR and Walker are out and Minardi is down to 1 car, so that's 5 off a 16 car grid already. '05 USGP redux. :(

-Kevin

[trish]

I thought Forsythe promised 5 cars.

[dando]

I thought Forsythe promised 5 cars.

Was that before or after the pulled the plug? Last I saw was they closed shop and kept only the @lantics crew + some key personnel from the CCWS program. Got me. I really haven't followed the post-mortem CCWS news recently.

EDIT: FCR's site sez they will close up AFTER Long Beach, but there is no mention of car count or drivers.

http://www.forsythe-racing.com/?PageID=35&NewsID=209

-Kevin

[trish]

I was wrong. He didn't say five, he said three or more. And this was after ceasing operations.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/forsythe-championship-racing-ceases-operations/

[extramundane]

Forsythe said 3, and the Wiggins article said 3 Minardi-branded cars would run LB. Those are the only confirmations I've seen so far.

[Car-B-Q]

Maybe Jos can finally get his shot at running in CC...

[TravelGal]

Calling Boris Said, calling Boris Said. He races anything any time anywhere but I don't think he's fully booked this season yet, is he?

[RHR_Fan]

What's 'king Hiro up to these days?

[Insomniac]

I wonder how the CC teams in IRL will do it? It seems like they aren't going to have that much bigger of a grid. Will all CC teams be required to run LB? Will the IRL run Motegi with 12-14 cars (or whatever the IRL teams car count is)?

[TravelGal]

Will all CC teams be required to run LB? Will the IRL run Motegi with 12-14 cars (or whatever the IRL teams car count is)?

Only the ones that want IRL points.

Never thought about the latter.

What a shame -- and without the 'e' also.

[Insomniac]

Only the ones that want IRL points.

Never thought about the latter.

What a shame -- and without the 'e' also.

What I meant was that I could see a situation where the car count would be so low that teams could have a choice between what race to run. The problem is that there will be teams that have both equipment. And there will definitely be more teams with IRL equipment than CC equipment.

I also wonder how the fact that this is it for the DP01 plays into it. Is there any value left in it? Is it acceptable to just run it and junk it if it's damaged and can't be used as a show car? If so, then they might as well use spares and fill the field up. I'm sure there are plenty of drivers who would drive for nothing to next-to-nothing.

Could they make it a legends race? Get lots of names from the past to fill in those seats?

[extramundane]

What I meant was that I could see a situation where the car count would be so low that teams could have a choice between what race to run. The problem is that there will be teams that have both equipment. And there will definitely be more teams with IRL equipment than CC equipment.

I read something about Sarah Fisher's new team being drafted into service @ Motegi, so that makes me think there's a potential for a short(er) field there. If I'm a former CC team, I'd certainly run LB in equipment I know rather than haul my crap across the world, but that's just me.


I also wonder how the fact that this is it for the DP01 plays into it. Is there any value left in it? Is it acceptable to just run it and junk it if it's damaged and can't be used as a show car? If so, then they might as well use spares and fill the field up. I'm sure there are plenty of drivers who would drive for nothing to next-to-nothing.

Could they make it a legends race? Get lots of names from the past to fill in those seats?

"Mulsanne Mike", a Panoz employee, confirmed that the DP01 shares very little with the Superleague car, and I can't imagine there's much of a market for showcars, what with old Panoz IRL and Lola/Reynard chassis pretty abundant. That and the supposed 3 cars each from Forsythe & Minardi pretty much seals the deal to me that they're running all out, and if it breaks or wrecks, so be it.

Driver-wise, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Vassers and Morenos, as well as Atlantic drivers and maybe even some of the non-factory ALMS folks. It's a s****ty circumstance, but if done right, it could be one of the best CC races in a long time.

The odds of it being done right, though...

[Fio1]

I'm sure Gentilozzi will run Bernoldi and probably someone else. I'm also sure Pacific Coast racing will show up with Figge at least. Also, Newman-Haas will more then likely show up as well. Think about it; go for the win in Long Beach or mess around in 15th place in Japan? I think it's a no-brainer for Newman-Haas. At least they have the whole month of May to get the IRL slug sorted.

[Wheel-Nut]

I hope someone shows up with F T G on the side pods. :laugh:

[SteveH]

I hope someone shows up with F T G on the side pods. :laugh:


Think INDECK :D

[Al Czervik]

Think INDECK :D

Forsythe Trucking Group???

[miatanut]

Forsythe Trucking Group???

Forsythe Technology Group.

That would be a hoot! They could put the other letters in tiny print you could only see up close when the car was stopped. :rofl:

[Michaelhatesfans]

The point is, how many cars will the IRL allow to be shipped to Japan? Even if you've got IRL equipment, if the IRL turns you away at the airport, you may as well run Long Beach. Or not at all.

[TravelGal]

The way I got it, if you wanted to run in the IRL, you HAD to Long Beach. Doesn't matter that you've already got your Dallara. You are REQUIRED to run Long Beach to keep it from dying completely this year,which would have meant the city would not renew the contract the IRL wants so badly. As there is discussion, apparently that changed.

[SteveH]

The way I got it, if you wanted to run in the IRL, you HAD to Long Beach. Doesn't matter that you've already got your Dallara. You are REQUIRED to run Long Beach to keep it from dying completely this year,which would have meant the city would not renew the contract the IRL wants so badly. As there is discussion, apparently that changed.

That's what I understood also.

[JLMannin]

What's 'king Hiro up to these days?

Or Dennis Vitolo, or Frank Freon?

[Fio1]

I guess Rocketsport won't be there with Bernoldi, as he has signed with Conquest....

[formulaben]

Forsythe Technology Group.

That would be a hoot! They could put the other letters in tiny print you could only see up close when the car was stopped. :rofl:

:rofl:

[Insomniac]

The way I got it, if you wanted to run in the IRL, you HAD to Long Beach. Doesn't matter that you've already got your Dallara. You are REQUIRED to run Long Beach to keep it from dying completely this year,which would have meant the city would not renew the contract the IRL wants so badly. As there is discussion, apparently that changed.

I just wonder what happens when there are only 22 cars at Homestead. Do they just run 12-14 cars at Motegi? No one will be one-offing that. Honda already refused to move the date, are they going to like that?

[Fio1]

Motegi will have one off's like Roger Yasukawa in the Beck and Sarah Fisher in her car.

This is turning into a big cluster f***. I don't know what's worse the fiasco of 1996 or this?

[extramundane]

nm

[Racing Truth]

I just wonder what happens when there are only 22 cars at Homestead. Do they just run 12-14 cars at Motegi? No one will be one-offing that. Honda already refused to move the date, are they going to like that?

Well, as of now, 26 for Homestead, so...

[Insomniac]

Well, as of now, 26 for Homestead, so...

What's the CC/IRL split?

[dando]

What's the CC/IRL split?

16 EARL/10 CCWS according to this list:

http://offcamber.net/forums/showpost.php?p=226701&postcount=1

-Kevin

[SurfaceUnits]

WHat is tHe CARt/IRl/CHampcar strret race looser split?:gomer:

[Insomniac]

16 EARL/10 CCWS according to this list:

http://offcamber.net/forums/showpost.php?p=226701&postcount=1

-Kevin

That's not so bad then. 16 to Motegi and CC needs 6 more (or maybe 8 for the contract) for LB.

[dando]

That's not so bad then. 16 to Motegi and CC needs 6 more (or maybe 8 for the contract) for LB.

PCM, Rocketsportsucks, and Walker are MIA from the list...the count for LBGP prolly depends on how many extras FCR, KV, or NHL run (those being the teams most likely to run an extra car or two). I still think this is going to look more like the '05 USGP than a LBGP. :irked:

-Kevin

[formulaben]

Scrap the entire thing and make it a "legends" race.

[Insomniac]

PCM, Rocketsportsucks, and Walker are MIA from the list...the count for LBGP prolly depends on how many extras FCR, KV, or NHL run (those being the teams most likely to run an extra car or two). I still think this is going to look more like the '05 USGP than a LBGP. :irked:

-Kevin

Given who is involved, anything is possible. I imagine they'll meet the absolute minimum required though. Sadly, they probably think they can put on whatever show, as long as there is one, and all will be OK.

I figure een though TG wanted it, if all he cares about is Indy, he isn't that vested in LB. But for ut to be one of the few they will honor, and the only one to have a competing IRL race, he must care a fair amount. I believe KK and GF own LB, so they probably want the even to succeed and continue into the future.

[trish]

Jimmy Vasser just said that he will race in the last Champ Car LBGP.

[stroker]

the fact that LB just extended the contract is much more interesting, although I'm looking forward to yelling "JEEMY!" one more time.

:D

[SteveH]

I hope we see the return of the Jimmy car. :D

He drove the hell out of it at MO. :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

the fact that LB just extended the contract is much more interesting I figured that one was a foregone conclusion when the CCWS absorption happened. TG would have had to know that was in the bag. Nice that they waited a tasteful amount of time before announcing it...:gomer:

I applaud Jimmy in the car, assuming he can fit in the car.... Any of you seen him lately?

oc

[TravelGal]

Actually, I thought he was looking pretty trim again in that picture at Sebring with Linda Lou in Wood-eye's blog.

Yeah, if Jimmy's driving I'll be there. I said they would have to do some extraordinary things to get me to attend the race itself but it is starting to sound like they are trying to do that and I feel myself being inexorably sucked in to attending.

[trish]

Jimmy said there may be some other surprises, as far as drivers, too.

[chop456]

I hope we see the return of the Jimmy car. :D

He drove the hell out of it at MO. :thumbup:

Homina.

That reminds me - I still owe Don Q. a beer. :D

[Don Quixote]

only one???

[raceface]

Jimmy said there may be some other surprises, as far as drivers, too.


Perhaps Cristiano DaMatta?:eek:

[Insomniac]

Jimmy said there may be some other surprises, as far as drivers, too.

Zanardi and hand controls? How much would it cost to put Michael Schumacher in a DP01?

[Don Quixote]

How much would it cost to put Michael Schumacher in a DP01?
I bet you could get him to race if you gave him the State of California (minus the govt debt). :D

[Fio1]

I had a feeling Jimmy V would be back for a one-off. I think you will see Roberto Moreno there as well.

It would be great if someone could convince ($$$$) Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi to race as well! :D

[cameraman]

It would be great if someone could convince ($$$$) Nigel Mansell to race as well! :D

I don't know if they could get the required chassis modifications done in time...

http://homepage.mac.com/datkinso/.Pictures/DP01.jpg

[extramundane]

I don't know if they could get the required chassis modifications done in time...

He could always sit sideways in the 2-seater. Not sure where his ego would go, though...

[Michaelhatesfans]

Jimmy said there may be some other surprises, as far as drivers, too.

"Guess who is going to race today?"

"I give up."

"Here he is!"

"Who's that?"

"Surprise!"

:shakehead

[Fio1]

I vote for Andrea Montermini and Mimmo Schiaterella!

[SurfaceUnits]

"Guess who is going to race today?"

"I give up."

"Here he is!"

"Who's that?"

"Surprise!"

:shakeheadit doesn't matter, won't sell anymore tickets; won't generate anymore interest

[Michaelhatesfans]

Aside from how many start, I wonder how many will finish? You're going to have a grid full of people with no seat time and/or they haven't been in a car in years. You can kind of get away with that in a Toyota celebrity race. Full blown open wheel cars on a street circuit, that's another matter. I sincerely hope that no one is seriously injured in this absurd act of contract fulfilment.