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View Full Version : 'Dinger is officially a Champcar driver!


dreamracer
02-19-04, 04:52 PM
:thumbup: :thumbup:


http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=7525
G.
02-19-04, 05:02 PM
:thumbup:
“I’d never driven a race car before in my life, and I just got finished with a three-day school at Skip Barber, and then they threw me in a Champ Car. I felt the horsepower and I felt the excitement, and even though it was in a parking lot around a rinky-dink cone track that they’d set up, it was absolutely amazing. I fully set my goals on Champ Car racing.” :eek:
Railbird
02-19-04, 05:13 PM
cool
rabbit
02-19-04, 05:23 PM
very cool :thumbup:
KLang
02-19-04, 05:25 PM
:thumbup:

Another piece falls into place.
Chaos
02-19-04, 05:29 PM
good news :)

hopefully, this a small step in getting the minor league system back into shape.
ferrarigod
02-19-04, 05:32 PM
woops, my mistake :thumdown:
ferrarigod
02-19-04, 05:33 PM
Maybe I didn't read it close enough, but did it say which team??? It talked about Russo saying A.J. would go to the next level, but it never said he would be. Maybe I just missed it, but if I didn't does anybody know?

this is excellent news though, another driver brought up through the ladder, very good :thumbup:
KLang
02-19-04, 05:39 PM
Maybe I didn't read it close enough, but did it say which team???

RuSPORT moving up.
Don Quixote
02-19-04, 05:40 PM
AJ is a poster boy for what is, or can be right in open wheel racing. He got where he is by his talent, and now he has a chance to prove himself in the big leagues. I hope he gets some Joe Tanto guidance along the way.
GOFAST1
02-19-04, 05:45 PM
Great news !!! :)
Robstar
02-19-04, 06:09 PM
Wohoo ! :cool: :thumbup:

So what does that make the confirmed/official car count thus far ?
Wabbit
02-19-04, 08:09 PM
Wohoo ! :cool: :thumbup:

So what does that make the confirmed/official car count thus far ?

1?

Sorry, just don't remember any "official" announcements.
Robstar
02-19-04, 08:13 PM
1?

Sorry, just don't remember any "official" announcements.

Good call... ;)
Racing Truth
02-19-04, 08:53 PM
Expected, but great news regardless. :thumbup:

Man, I can't wait to watch this kid. :cool:
RTKar
02-19-04, 09:07 PM
Damn foreign ride buyers :gomer:
Railbird
02-19-04, 09:24 PM
I would like to see a good mentor/teammate employed as well.
SID
02-19-04, 10:51 PM
Gee, I wonder who might fit that bill perfectly? I'll bet even a pineapple would know the answer to that one....
Robstar
02-19-04, 11:06 PM
Gee, I wonder who might fit that bill perfectly? I'll bet even a pineapple would know the answer to that one....

bugger...
I'm a pineapple... :confused:
Insomniac
02-20-04, 09:56 AM
Maybe I didn't read it close enough, but did it say which team??? It talked about Russo saying A.J. would go to the next level, but it never said he would be. Maybe I just missed it, but if I didn't does anybody know?

this is excellent news though, another driver brought up through the ladder, very good :thumbup:

RuSport has him locked up in a long term deal, I can't remember the length, but it was a few years.
Insomniac
02-20-04, 09:56 AM
I would like to see a good mentor/teammate employed as well.

PT has been a mentor to him for some time now.
bigdcart
02-20-04, 10:25 AM
AJ is a poster boy for what is, or can be right in open wheel racing. He got where he is by his talent, and now he has a chance to prove himself in the big leagues.
Amean to that bother. AJ will be the most talked about rookie in the world in 2004 and he's racing a ChampCar.
skaven
02-23-04, 12:01 AM
“We’ve heard over the past how many years, ‘you need to come from Europe to win the championship,’” Allmendinger said. “That’s a load of crap. You just need to have the right talent and the right team to win the championship. I’m going to take pride in that, too. I’m going to try to erase all those doubts that people have."

Awesome ! ! !

I wish AJ and RHR much success this year. The connection to the ladder series needs to be, uh... reconnected. And having these young red bloods on the track (and hopefully doing well) will help us re-connect to the more casual American fan. I do think the difficulties caused by a lack of Americans has often been overstated in the past. But starting over like we are, these guys could be huge.

For me though, it's more of a case of finding drivers to root for after the recent defections. And I like these two new guys plenty. :)
nrc
02-23-04, 12:13 AM
Great, great news. It's a shame Townsend Bell isn't still around. We'd have quite a crop of young Americans forming.
nz_climber
02-23-04, 03:13 PM
GO AJ :thumbup:
911
02-24-04, 09:42 AM
:thumbup:
“I’d never driven a race car before in my life, and I just got finished with a three-day school at Skip Barber, and then they threw me in a Champ Car. I felt the horsepower and I felt the excitement, and even though it was in a parking lot around a rinky-dink cone track that they’d set up, it was absolutely amazing. I fully set my goals on Champ Car racing.” :eek:

AJ got his first crack at a CHAMP CAR test drive in the first CART Stars of Tomorrow program. He, along with 4 other top karters, were selected to take part in this reward program. They drove Max Papis' car in a parking lot at Fontana, I believe, in 2001, or early 2002.

I first saw AJ drive karts in April, 2002, at a race at the Willow Springs karting track. He was driving for Paul Tracy. Excellent race and AJ finished 2nd that day, but he had been battling for the lead all race long. I wish him the best in 2004.

911