Formula BMW to support 15 CART events?

[Lola_B70]

I just read in the Dec. issue of Racecar Engineering that BMW is adding the US to it's list to host the entry level Formula BMW series next season. It says it will run the series in support of 15 CART events.
The chassis will be to the F3 standards and run a 140 horsepower BMW 1200cc engine.
They launched Formula BMW at the US GP event. Penske was present.
Apparently someone at BMW has faith in Champcar. I would
be so excited to see a support race series such as this one on a CART weekend.
Let's hope so. What do you think?

[Ziggy]

I hope they are interested in Turbo Motors. Then I hope Porsche Audi gets jealous of the press generated.

Ziggy

[nrc]

If BMW is spending some money to make it happen that's a good thing. But where does this fit in with Barber Dodge, which has really been coming along as a first class feeder series.

[Jag_Warrior]

Originally posted by nrc
If BMW is spending some money to make it happen that's a good thing. But where does this fit in with Barber Dodge, which has really been coming along as a first class feeder series.

Formula BMW is described as a class for the beginner... someone just out of go-karts.

The baby steps of the ladder are well covered. The big gap between Toyo Atlantic and Champ cars is still there - isn't that the main problem with the current feeder system? IMO there's too much overlap at the bottom of the ladder.

[JoeBob]

There's always a lot more overlap at the bottom than at the top, you can't identify and develop talent without that.

Same as any other sport. How many Junior High Football teams are there in the US? How many High School? How many college? How many NFL teams?

Thats how it works, each time you try to move up, there are fewer opportunities available. If there were the same number of opportunities at every level, anybody could make it to the top.

[Tall1]

I can't help but feel that BMW's new involvement with OWRS is just the beginning of bigger & better things to come from them - like being an engine supplier. If so, I look for Audi or one of its subs to jump on board too.

[Lizzerd]

"The BMW Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

[Sean O'Gorman]

Originally posted by Tall1
I can't help but feel that BMW's new involvement with OWRS is just the beginning of bigger & better things to come from them - like being an engine supplier. If so, I look for Audi or one of its subs to jump on board too.

Whoa, you are getting way ahead of yourself. BMW's involvement at this point is to make a profit by selling BMW race cars. I wouldn't read too much more into it, as a ladder series doesn't carry much in the way of advertising value.

[pchall]

Originally posted by SOG35
I wouldn't read too much more into it, as a ladder series doesn't carry much in the way of advertising value.

Toyota has gotten a lot of mileage out of their involvement with Atlantics. They even had a national tv ad pre and post split for a few years.

[Peter Olivola]

It isn't the Toyota Atlantic series that's gotten them the mileage. It's their use of it in their paid advertising and then only to a very small audience. Those ads seldom, if ever, ran in prime time on "broadcast" channels. They were pretty much limited to their package of promotions associated with the other motorsports involvement.


Originally posted by pchall
Toyota has gotten a lot of mileage out of their involvement with Atlantics. They even had a national tv ad pre and post split for a few years.

[pchall]

Originally posted by Peter Olivola
It isn't the Toyota Atlantic series that's gotten them the mileage. It's their use of it in their paid advertising and then only to a very small audience...

LOL. Cutting the semantics rather fine here, aren't you? I thought that the deep structure was very clear...

[RichK]

Originally posted by pchall
LOL. Cutting the semantics rather fine here, aren't you?

Laughing Out Loud? Hardly, I was merely chuckling at a lower noise level than "out loud".

[rabbit]

Originally posted by RichK
Laughing Out Loud? Hardly, I was merely chuckling at a lower noise level than "out loud". But it was audible, no? Therefore it would be, by definition, "out loud."

[pchall]

Originally posted by rabbit
But it was audible, no? Therefore it would be, by definition, "out loud."

Stop that, Rabbit!

You only need to practice your semantically based arguments if you are paying ONU 20K a year to become a lawyer or a journo or a linguistics prof or some other worthless profession... ;)

[Jag_Warrior]

Originally posted by JoeBob
There's always a lot more overlap at the bottom than at the top, you can't identify and develop talent without that.

Same as any other sport. How many Junior High Football teams are there in the US? How many High School? How many college? How many NFL teams?

Thats how it works, each time you try to move up, there are fewer opportunities available. If there were the same number of opportunities at every level, anybody could make it to the top.

I'm speaking about the CART ladder, not the various worldwide ladder series. The jump from Toyota Atlantic to Champ cars seems a helluva lot longer than the one from F3000 to F1. With the loss of IndyLights, I think CART's ladder is now missing a step. Using your sports analogy, imagine if the kids in your state suddenly lost their opportunity to play college football and had to go straight from high/prep school to the NFL. There would always be that exceptional talent that would rise to the top. But the rest could either expect to be passed over... or get their young butts kicked. NFL teams would likely choose kids from states that had college programs. IMO, CART needs something closer to F3000.

BTW, I also hope this is the beginning of greater BMW involvement in American formula car racing. A Ford, BMW and Audi matchup would work just fine with me. :)

[Peter Olivola]

I'm sure no one wants this to degenerate into an anti-semantic argument.


Originally posted by pchall
LOL. Cutting the semantics rather fine here, aren't you? I thought that the deep structure was very clear...

[pchall]

I didn't want it to end with a stupid pun, either.

You sliced too fine where fine was not needed.

[Peter Olivola]

I guess some people are just born straight-men. :D


Originally posted by pchall
I didn't want it to end with a stupid pun, either.

You sliced too fine where fine was not needed.