WTF Fontana or whereverthe hell they are.

[Ed_Severson]

No worries. Generally speaking, anything reported by Cavin should be considered fantasy until a real journalist confirms it (did I say that out loud?) but in this instance he was right. Lots of good people out of work today (and a few real jerks like me too!) ... it's a shame.

[Indy]

Dude, I'll buy you a beer. Keep your chin up.

[DagoFast]

I'm honestly sorry you're out of a job, Ed. :(

But there just isn't much demand for Onion Gum. :)

[cameraman]

Given the condition of the series I'm kind of surprised that most teams haven't done the same thing.

[pfc_m_drake]

:( Sorry to hear the bad news, Ed. Wishing you (and all of your colleagues, for that matter) better things in the very near future.

[TravelGal]

I'm really sorry to hear this, Ed. Sucks to be involved in this sport these days. Any way you look at it. :(

[Indy]

Wasn't this Anton's plan when he made the season so short, to lower costs for the teams by allowing them to lay off most of their workers for half the year? Typical anti-worker plantation mentality, which is perfect for the little brick road to oblivion. Sorry to burst your bubble, folks, but this isn't a sign they are going down, this is just the s***** way they do business.

[NismoZ]

*

[Kiwifan]

I am so sorry Ed. You have always been a good bugger on all of the forums and I thank you for that.

Good luck Ed, take care.

Rusty.

[G.]

Lots of good people out of work today (and a few real jerks like me too!) ... it's a shame.

Sorry to hear this, Ed.

Is this a seasonal thing, where you may get picked back up, or is the team ConDeNsed?

[Methanolandbrats]

Hopefully there will be a lots of jobs in GRANDALMS or wherever the hell it will be called.

[Chief]

Hopefully there will be a lots of jobs in GRANDALMS or wherever the hell it will be called.

If ALMS P1 sled was the smoking hot wife, and GramSham DP c-wagon was Erin Moran...Who they marrying? :confused:

Might determine if there's gonna be interest from the fanbase.

[Racing Truth]

So sorry, Ed.:( And the others. Panther's downsizing is no surprise, when you think about it, after DRR merged with it. One, JBarnes is an a$$:shakehead, and two, probably some "redundancies" post merger. Ganassi B is all about the 38. If it runs, maybe some rehires?

Sadly, KV is a mess, mainly b/c they're not looting, er picking up sponsors anymore.


Sorry to hear this, Ed.

Is this a seasonal thing, where you may get picked back up, or is the team ConDeNsed?

Ganassi B COULD be seasonal, but KV (w/ TK only) might merge w/ ECR or HVM.

[Elmo T]

If ALMS P1 sled was the smoking hot wife, and GramSham DP c-wagon was Erin Moran...Who they marrying?

I needed a GIS to check the current state of affairs on that one:

http://i49.tinypic.com/34do3ds.jpg

Sorry Ed - I think we are so quick to throw stones that we sometimes forget there are people and families impacted by all this BS.

That said, there are a few who need a stone to the noggin'.

[dando]

Sorry to hear, Ed. Always have enjoyed your inside perspective. Unfortunately I know many @ Rahal in the same boat. Sucks. :thumdown:

-Kevin

[manic mechanic]

Sorry to hear about this, Ed.
I know it's the life of a race crewperson/engineer, but someone (a CCWS Med staff leader) told me long ago that the EARL is famous for only picking up "paycheck" people and aren't really concerned about those who have made a career out of making racing better for all involved.

Hoping for better things for you & yours. I will PM you a suggestion. :thumbup:

Peace and a measure of happiness (everyone deserves one).

manic

[Ed_Severson]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. That's a big reason why, despite our current political differences, this is still the only racing forum I post on. You guys are the best.

To address a few of the questions raised ...

At this point, I think it's pretty unlikely that anyone let go from KV this week will be back. The team has quite the reputation for blowing things up every off-season, and they typically have used a lot of contract labor. Last winter, they decided (correctly) that was a pretty bad idea, and they needed full-time employees on a year-round basis to build some continuity. There were zero contractors there this season, but they still pulled the same stunt they always have, reducing from three cars to one.

I may be misreading this, but I think this is the first step towards Kalkhoven getting out of team ownership altogether. They have a contract to run Kanaan through 2013; otherwise I think they would have completely shut the team down this week. I suspect the rumored merger with HVM will eventually happen, and at the end of next season Kalkhoven will sell whatever he can to Keith Wiggins and he'll disappear.

What happened at Panther might be a similar situation. When their "technical partnership" with Dreyer & Reinbold was announced, D&R moved everything into Panther's shop for the remainder of the season. But, D&R had a pretty nice shop space of their own which they still retain. Panther let 22 people go, including some of John Barnes's family. D&R has released only 2 people. It would not surprise me at all if Dennis Reinbold buys out Panther and they move back into the D&R shop.

The Ganassi/B layoffs were primarily Rahal guys, as far as I'm aware. I think many of them will be back if there is a budget to run that car (and I'd be surprised if there isn't one).

In any case, two things are clear -- the off-season is too long, and the economics for the teams are not working. The biggest advantage that Penske, Andretti, and TCGR have is continuity. They keep the same people season-to-season by employing them year-round. Almost every other team lays people off because they can't afford to keep them or because they don't understand that you usually can't put a group of strangers together and win with them in the first year.

[Ed_Severson]

Other than that, it was an interesting season. Spending the year primarily working with EJ was a real learning experience. He actually drove really well the first half of the season, but we had something happen at Milwaukee that I think was the catalyst for him deciding to move on and try to start his own team. After that, our season took a pretty solid nosedive.

In his defense, I think he's a lot more capable than many people realize. He did a far better job this year of driving within his abilities and minimizing his risk-taking, but he is horribly inconsistent at some very inopportune times. He's a likeable guy ... I'd work with him again, though fundamentally he'll always struggle to compete at this level on a regular basis.

Having Rubens come aboard was pretty exciting, at first. By July, it was pretty obvious that he was struggling to cope psychologically with his new environment. There was always something holding him back, and it wasn't until the last few races of the year -- when he needed to impress somebody to get a contract for next season -- that he got on with the job. His feedback was very detailed and precise (as you'd expect) but he was too easily put off his game.

TK was great. Not necessarily as good at picking out small details as Rubens was, but much, much better at driving through an issue and getting the most out of the car. You never, ever have to wonder about his level of commitment -- he's all-in, every session. It's a shame we struggled so much in qualifying as a team. With better starting positions, TK could have easily won a few races this year. Had we gone one step taller on sixth gear, he'd have won Indy.

Lots of good memories from the season ... will miss working with most of those guys. Looking forward to kicking their asses next year!

[SteveH]

Thanks for the behind the scenes, Ed. Really hope something works out for you, the sooner the better. Good luck.

[JohnHKart]

Sorry Ed, that's terrible. As for the race , I think this one sets the all time record of attempts by me to watch it and stay awake till the end- four Mon- Thurs.

[the weebler]

Ed, you lie with dogs you wake up with fleas. FTG!!!!:rofl:

That's the forum logic I have come to believe.:shakehead:thumdown: