Bourdais Comments on St. Pete's

[TedN]

Link (http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/04/Sports/Hornish_no_longer_No_.shtml)


Sebastien Bourdais , winner of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in 2003 when it opened the CART season, was a spectator Sunday. An experienced road-course driver, he would have preferred to be in a car rather than the stands.

"It was a quite a good show actually," said Bourdais, a St. Petersburg resident in his third CART season. "It's just too bad there weren't 30 cars on the racetrack and we were all together. But it's going to happen sooner or later. It's just a matter of time."


I tend to agree.

Ted

[Dr. Corkski]

Except he didn't actually win that race.

[Racing Truth]

Except he didn't actually win that race.

Details...

I'll be interested to see the reaction here.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Details...

I'll be interested to see the reaction here.

http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5549

:D

[racer2c]

Details...

I'll be interested to see the reaction here.

Reaction? Furious! :flame:
:)

[spinner26]

I tend to believe that "it" is going to happen shortly?. I think it will be a series owned by the three amigo's using technology from both series and a rebirth of the Memorial Day Race. The idea of a nations cup type challenge with 20 or more races all over the world. Any takers? :confused:

[racer2c]

I tend to believe that "it" is going to happen shortly?. I think it will be a series owned by the three amigo's using technology from both series and a rebirth of the Memorial Day Race. The idea of a nations cup type challenge with 20 or more races all over the world. Any takers? :confused:

Tony may not want to run it, but he will damn sure want to own it.

[skaven]

"It was a quite a good show actually," said Bourdais, a St. Petersburg resident in his third CART season. "It's just too bad there weren't 30 cars on the racetrack and we were all together. But it's going to happen sooner or later. It's just a matter of time."


It is true that Champcar would be better with 30 cars on the track. :)

Regarding getting "all together", I assume that is merger talk and he surely knows more about the situation than we do. Penske is complaining about the cost of engines. Champcar "owns" Cosworth and can supply "cheap" engines. There seems to be impetus again for a merger of sorts, but I'll reserve my opinion until we see what the future might hold.

I'd rather .1RL die a spectacular and public death while Champcar thrives, but I might follow merged series.

[Easy]

I tend to believe that "it" is going to happen shortly?. I think it will be a series owned by the three amigo's using technology from both series and a rebirth of the Memorial Day Race. The idea of a nations cup type challenge with 20 or more races all over the world. Any takers? :confused:

Yes

A1GP (http://www.a1gp.com)

[JLMannin]

Keep in mind that Bourdais drives for the last remaining Champcar owner afflicted with indyitis. As long as TG runs IMS copr, there can never be a merger - he cannot accept not being in control.

Talk of merger only detracts from the real mission at hand - rebuilding Champcar. Kalkoven and Forsythe seem well on their way, securing Ford as a presenting sponsor for another three years and allegedly buying the rights for the LB race from Dover Entertainment.

[Andrew Longman]

Keep in mind that Bourdais drives for the last remaining Champcar owner afflicted with indyitis. As long as TG runs IMS copr, there can never be a merger - he cannot accept not being in control.

Talk of merger only detracts from the real mission at hand - rebuilding Champcar. Kalkoven and Forsythe seem well on their way, securing Ford as a presenting sponsor for another three years and allegedly buying the rights for the LB race from Dover Entertainment.

All true, but consider this...

SB also drives for a highly principled owner that is deeply interesting in preserving the sport and correcting TG wrongs.

Keep in mind too that I have some doubts that either Watkins Glen or Sonoma will have the "success" of St Pete. WG especially is very much in the middle of no where. And if Champ car can't get people to Laguna Seca I have doubts about IRL getting them to Sonoma. These road races will not be taking the racing to the people. He may be copyinig CART but he is repeating CART of a few years ago before they learned a lesson or two.

And if the IRL loses its manufacturer support, which is highly likely they will need engines. Their debate between production based versus purpose built engines is really meaningless when economics and practicalities suggest that the CCWS model of using series-owned engines is really the best alternative.

And both series are looking towards new chassis formula in the next few years.

So, if most of the IRL venues are failures, they can't get successful CCWS venues and are years behind developing successful venue of their own, and they'll need engines, it seems his own owners will be forcing him to go hat in hand to CCWS looking to adopt a common formula based largely on the existing CCWS design. And what will he have to offer? Only his I500, which so long as he sticks to that, the others will gladly take. Meanwhile, the running of the series will be left to those who know how to do it beyond Indy.

And we will have come full circle back to 1995, only much the worse for wear.

And yes, I have had my crack this morning :gomer:

But JLM you are right, none of the above can happen unless they stick matters at hand. If a merger happens it will only happen when TG ego and pocket book is so bruised and his owners leave him little choice. There is nothing CCWS can or should do to accelerate that.

[RacinM3]

Whoever owns the horsepower will win the day.

[Beevis]

WHAT? No F-SeaBass yet? you guys are slipping. . .

[RichK]

you guys

:confused:

[oddlycalm]

He may be copyinig CART but he is repeating CART of a few years ago before they learned a lesson or two. Or worse. CART backed out of Texas at the last minute, but I doubt the EARL has the stones or the integrity to admit being wrong and do the same. Watkins Glen has the potential to inflict some serious Armco syndrome on drivers on some high speed sections.

While the "big one" has been talked about since the beginning of the EARL, the fact remains it's a very real possibility. Nobody wants to see that, but the fallout would be fairly predictable if it happened at a road course at has been generally regarded as too dangerous for modern high powered formula cars.

oc

[JohnnyQ]

WHAT? No F-SeaBass yet? you guys are slipping. . .

F-Seabass. One championship and he's shooting his mouth off like JV. :)

[cart7]

All true, but consider this...

SB also drives for a highly principled owner that is deeply interesting in preserving the sport and correcting TG wrongs.

Keep in mind too that I have some doubts that either Watkins Glen or Sonoma will have the "success" of St Pete. WG especially is very much in the middle of no where. And if Champ car can't get people to Laguna Seca I have doubts about IRL getting them to Sonoma. These road races will not be taking the racing to the people. He may be copyinig CART but he is repeating CART of a few years ago before they learned a lesson or two.

And if the IRL loses its manufacturer support, which is highly likely they will need engines. Their debate between production based versus purpose built engines is really meaningless when economics and practicalities suggest that the CCWS model of using series-owned engines is really the best alternative.

And both series are looking towards new chassis formula in the next few years.

So, if most of the IRL venues are failures, they can't get successful CCWS venues and are years behind developing successful venue of their own, and they'll need engines, it seems his own owners will be forcing him to go hat in hand to CCWS looking to adopt a common formula based largely on the existing CCWS design. And what will he have to offer? Only his I500, which so long as he sticks to that, the others will gladly take. Meanwhile, the running of the series will be left to those who know how to do it beyond Indy.

And we will have come full circle back to 1995, only much the worse for wear.

And yes, I have had my crack this morning :gomer:

But JLM you are right, none of the above can happen unless they stick matters at hand. If a merger happens it will only happen when TG ego and pocket book is so bruised and his owners leave him little choice. There is nothing CCWS can or should do to accelerate that.


You're scenario is true enough. Honestly, even Cart ratings for Roads and streets never matched the ovals so the earl adding those 3 races will merely drive the overalls down even more than they already are. Consider Homestead and Phoenix combined probably averaged a .7, St. Pete will probably draw a .2 or MAYBE a .3, Motegi is on the deuce in the middle of the night, figure a .1 add Indy which may still remain at 4.0 and you've got 5 races including Indy that only average a 1.0 overall. Also consider the earls ratings always decline as the season goes on and they've got big problems. Since the attendance is flat or declining at most venues and the ratings are tanking it's going to make the manufacturers decision real easy. Why spend all that money propping up Tony's league when they're getting less than a million people per race to watch in person and on the tube?

I really think Penske is right on this, it'll be the availability of power plants that drives any kind of re-unification if there is one. Once the irl manufacturers start skipping off to Nascar or sportscars and Tony can't find anyone other than Cosworth to supply engines will Cart/CCWS fans have the leverage to get out of a merger what we deserve.