RM's Champ Car News & Notes full of goodies

[rabbit]

Link (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/19815/)

High (and low) lights:

...SPEEDTV.com has learned that because of a number of issues, including non-payment of the sanction fee, the road race in Ansan next month has been scratched.

...

Honda's Robert Clarke told people he went to Las Vegas to talk with Kevin Kalkhoven about reunification but SPEEDTV.com has learned that his real purpose was to pitch Champ Car on using Honda engines in 2007.

"We listened to him (Clarke) and threw out some ideas but our concerns are cost containment and parity," said Cotman. "We've got a good thing going right now because everybody has the same power."

...

GOSSIP AND FACTS

• Carl Haas admitted that he and Paul Newman would run a third car in 2006 if the funding can be secured. The question is, would it be for Oriol Servia or 2002 CART champ Cristiano da Matta joining Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira?
• Chip Ganassi has told people he's considering running some selected American races in Champ Car next year. His partner, Target, isn't too enamored with the IRL's '06 schedule and Champ Car is adding Houston to go with Long Beach, Cleveland, San Jose, Portland, Las Vegas and Milwaukee -- with Philadelphia also a distinct possibility. Ganassi still owns a Lola, which Derek Daly had been using as a showcar for his driving school in Vegas before it was loaded up and sent back to the Target/Ganassi shop in Indianapolis.
• If Jimmy Vasser retires and da Matta moves on, PKV Racing could be looking for two new drivers in '06 and the leading candidates are Patrick Carpentier, Ryan Dalziel and Darren Manning.
• Champ Car wants to return to Las Vegas with a street race in the old downtown section for 2006.

[Kiwifan]

Thanks for the link, rabbit. Interesting times..... ;)

Rusty.

[coolhand]

I Don't think that RC was there to pitch the NA V8 to KK. CART and now CCWS has never expressed interest in that spec for 3-4 years now. Especially now tha KK can really pic any eninge he wants.

Clarke would know that, so i believe it was just somthing to let chew on while they were discussing somthing else. Possibly just to pull leverage with the IRL like so many others have done or entertain moving over here in 2007.

p.s anyone notice how chip wins a race when all these rumors are swirlling about him leaving?

[spinner26]

p.s anyone notice how chip wins a race when all these rumors are swirlling about him leaving?

Well, I posted elsewhere that in speaking with my father yesterday regarding the IRL race, he pointed out that he thought it was a fix because Dixon qualified so well AND his mother was there. Coincidence, luck or fix? It is the IRL ya know. ;)

[FTG]

Clarke would know that, so i believe it was just somthing to let chew on while they were discussing somthing else. Possibly just to pull leverage with the IRL like so many others have done or entertain moving over here in 2007.


I agree. I don't know what Honda's plans are, but I'm sure they do.

[RHR_Fan]

If Jimmy is done after this season, Ryan Dalziel better get his ride.

~Nicole

[devilmaster]

Well, I posted elsewhere that in speaking with my father yesterday regarding the IRL race, he pointed out that he thought it was a fix because Dixon qualified so well AND his mother was there. Coincidence, luck or fix? It is the IRL ya know. ;)

I thought it was interesting. And i'm laying my money right now on Danica having the perfect car for Fontana..... everything else is decided, might as well let her get the win....

[Cam]

I thought it was interesting. And i'm laying my money right now on Danica having the perfect car for Fontana..... everything else is decided, might as well let her get the win....

Cool another lyric reference op! :D

It’s up to you not to heed the call-up
I don’t wanna die!
It’s up to you not to hear the call-up
I don’t wanna kill! :gomer:

[rabbit]

More Robin Miller from champcarworldseries.com (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=9706):


On Saturday, Phillips and I traded notes about Chip Ganassi. Since Davey was Chip's first PR man in the early '80s, he still chats with his fellow Pittsburgh resident. And ever since Ganassi asked me to make fun of him at the annual Christmas party, we've traded insults.

But Chip clearly wasn't in a joking manner when we talked. He wasn't happy about the IRL's 2006 sked and he told David he was tired of going to Methodist Hospital to visit his drivers. He mentioned getting a couple Lolas and running some of Champ Car's races in America in 2006 and since he still owns one and is having it brought back to Indy, it's fair to assume that he's serious. I can tell you that Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon are hoping he is.

[trish]

It's nice to know that at least one of the owners over there cares about their drivers. That is if he really did say that and is really going to do something about it.

[NismoZ]

No kidding, 80% of those guys wish they could make the same kind of money racing in ChampCar and most of them have said as much. Manning and Briscoe on road courses in Cosworth Lolas would make this fan happy regardless of any anti-Ganassi feelings. We need the talant, the sponsorship, the publicity it would create and the "push" it might give for others to take a similar route.

[dando]

I thought it was interesting. And i'm laying my money right now on Danica having the perfect car for Fontana..... everything else is decided, might as well let her get the win....
You know, I think they've tried to give her the call, but she keeps screwing it up....stalls in the pits, misses gear/breaks tranny, etc. She may well get the call in Fontucky, but can she close the deal?

-Kevin

[G.]

"Will this be the race that she finally turns the trick"?

[dando]

I Don't think that RC was there to pitch the NA V8 to KK. CART and now CCWS has never expressed interest in that spec for 3-4 years now. Especially now tha KK can really pic any eninge he wants.

Clarke would know that, so i believe it was just somthing to let chew on while they were discussing somthing else. Possibly just to pull leverage with the IRL like so many others have done or entertain moving over here in 2007.

p.s anyone notice how chip wins a race when all these rumors are swirlling about him leaving?
IMHO, Clarke is trying to find a place to race in '07 since the EARL may be condensed to just Indy by then. :gomer:

-Kevin

[Steve99]

Carl Haas admitted that he and Paul Newman would run a third car in 2006 if the funding can be secured.
If the funding can be secured I'm going to run 3 cars next year. Heck, if I get enought funding I may run 6.

[RacinM3]

I wouldn't give Honda the time of day. I'm sure KK is astute enough to know they are not the long term solution with their main rival headed for NASCAR.

Now, if Honda wants to provide motors at their expense or a minimal cost to the teams (i.e. MUCH less than the current $750,000/year lease rate) then maybe they could be looked at as a short-term option.

But short-term options are dangerous in that they leave CC vulnerable when they disappear.

So, basically...F-Honda.

[mueber]

I marvel at the total self absorption that Clarke and Honda exhibit. They are so insensitive to the fans that they just don't understand the damage they have done.

[FTG]

It's nice to know that at least one of the owners over there cares about their drivers.

He didn't start caring until the yen dried up.

[FTG]

If the funding can be secured I'm going to run 3 cars next year.

Yeah, but a lot more potential sponsors will take a phone call from Paul Newman than from you.

[Wally]

My inoculations are not up to date so I can't go there. :gomer:
But I am curious as to how the boot lickers are spinning Clarkies obvious little pop in?

[Cam]

My inoculations are not up to date so I can't go there. :gomer:
But I am curious as to how the boot lickers are spinning Clarkies obvious little pop in?

Da Nile aint just a river in Egypt.... :p

[NismoZ]

I often get things wrong but if Robert Clarke comes to talk to KK there is only ONE thing he's asking about...building a ChampCar engine. He wouldn't have the GUTS to ask KK and co. to match up with what Honda is now producing! Most of you hate Honda for a bunch of really good reasons, but I think they want to compete with and beat Cosworth in ChampCar starting with the '07 season. (Unification can simply bypass FTG and his blurry Vision and grab a name manufacturer, with strict controls, a few excellent teams and drivers and we're BAAACK!) They may have trashed their old CART motors but how hard would it be to make another batch? (Or, how difficult would it be to have COSWORTH do it!?) If they trust Ilmor to make them now, my guess is Clarke would be glad to pay Cosworth to put the Honda name on a few Champcar engines. Heck, Chevy can be free to win the Indy 500 then because Penske/Ilmor can run the whole show over there! There is no better way for Honda to compete on an equal basis with say FORD (?) than to run 2-4 ChampCar teams. If I was Chip Ganassi I'd grab Clarke's ear on THAT one! I cringe when I think who the other 2-3 teams might be, but hey, that's racing! Yep, he's challenging KK to back up his "It's good for business" statement. How can Kalkhoven turn down an offer to build equal engines for Ford AND Honda as paying customers?...but under HIS rules... because he's the MAN! Best team and driver wins! Think we'll see a Panoz/Honda in '07? :D

[oddlycalm]

Clarke should have thought about who he was crawling in bed with before he went to the EARL. Now CCWS is supposed to care that Honda has nobody to compete with unless they want to put pushrod V8's in pig iron pokers? Imagine, that big ol' budget and no place to spend it. :laugh: When it gets to be fall-on-sword-time let me know so I can crack a cold beer and watch.

As for Ganassi, he knew full well what an insect TG is before he took Toyoda's money and went there. Those team owners had the world by the tail in CART if they had just run it responsibly, yet all they could think of to do with it was exploit the situation for their own profit, burn it to the ground and leave the stockholders and creditors holding the bag and the loyal fans and drivers in a lurch. I think the arrogant creeps were actually surprised that the majority of the fans they showed no respect for didn't follow them mindlessly. I imagine the chronic lack of race attendence, and the sponsor hassles that go with that, has been plenty sobering and with GM and Toyoda leaving I'm surprised that it's taken the buzzerds this long to look for a new carcass to pick... :shakehead


oc

[oddlycalm]

"Will this be the race that she finally turns the trick"? Now there's a strategy to boost ratings, but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you see on Disney channels... Todd can hope though. :laugh:

oc

[oddlycalm]

Sam and Danica almost touch. Sam probably not happy since Danica is a couple laps down and Hornish is racing for a top five. Now there's a nice bit of understatement.... :D I'm guessing the time to act racey is before you hit the kill switch on track, cause a FCY and lose a couple laps.

Nobody ever mentions that she (like Hornish at Infineon) doesn't pull off the track in a safe zone even though she has all the time in the world to do so :laugh: Just park it on the track and wait for a tow. Unbelievable. I guess it's gonna take quattro or special Ed to come motoring around a corner in a daze and T bone a parked car before Brainfart figures out that parking on the race track isn't the right thing to do and starts handing out Princess Penalties. Do they think the grass will melt the tires... :confused:

oc

[Jervis Tetch 1]

Now there's a nice bit of understatement.... :D I'm guessing the time to act racey is before you hit the kill switch on track, cause a FCY and lose a couple laps.

Nobody ever mentions that she (like Hornish at Infineon) doesn't pull off the track in a safe zone even though she has all the time in the world to do so :laugh: Just park it on the track and wait for a tow. Unbelievable. I guess it's gonna take quattro or special Ed to come motoring around a corner in a daze and T bone a parked car before Brainfart figures out that parking on the race track isn't the right thing to do and starts handing out Princess Penalties. Do they think the grass will melt the tires... :confused:

ocSam wasn't racing for a top five finish, he was trying to get his butt in the top 10.

Well mission accomplished, but he finished 7th and would have been 10th had Helio not been an idiot and had Patreek not had gearbox issues. In fact, had Wreckter not had problems, he would have beaten Sam. Sam wasn't racy at all. He only passed Danica once and owed his three lead laps to Penske strategy and the leaders pitting. Even Kosuke passed him! :rofl:

[Ronbo]

I often get things wrong but if Robert Clarke comes to talk to KK there is only ONE thing he's asking about...building a ChampCar engine. He wouldn't have the GUTS to ask KK and co. to match up with what Honda is now producing! Most of you hate Honda for a bunch of really good reasons, but I think they want to compete with and beat Cosworth in ChampCar starting with the '07 season. (Unification can simply bypass FTG and his blurry Vision and grab a name manufacturer, with strict controls, a few excellent teams and drivers and we're BAAACK!) They may have trashed their old CART motors but how hard would it be to make another batch? (Or, how difficult would it be to have COSWORTH do it!?) If they trust Ilmor to make them now, my guess is Clarke would be glad to pay Cosworth to put the Honda name on a few Champcar engines. Heck, Chevy can be free to win the Indy 500 then because Penske/Ilmor can run the whole show over there! There is no better way for Honda to compete on an equal basis with say FORD (?) than to run 2-4 ChampCar teams. If I was Chip Ganassi I'd grab Clarke's ear on THAT one! I cringe when I think who the other 2-3 teams might be, but hey, that's racing! Yep, he's challenging KK to back up his "It's good for business" statement. How can Kalkhoven turn down an offer to build equal engines for Ford AND Honda as paying customers?...but under HIS rules... because he's the MAN! Best team and driver wins! Think we'll see a Panoz/Honda in '07? :D

The article says that honda has built a new motor, for the erl that may or may not be in compliance with the erls new specs. The reason that Clarke was in Vegas, I believe, was to pitch their new motor. They are in the business of selling motors.
No thanks!..

Here is your parting gift, and thanks for playing!!

[NismoZ]

Oh man...someone else who believes what they read! :rolleyes: I prefer more creative scenerios. (hope he was politely shown the door, however :) )

[NismoZ]

Huh, even David Phillips is writing today on SpeedNews about Ford and Honda possibly competing in ChampCar. Does he get a prize, too? :p

[Sean O'Gorman]

bump

If this were to have happened (not saying it should've), where would that have left IRL right now?

[dando]

bump

If this were to have happened (not saying it should've), where would that have left IRL right now?
SOL, w/o a pot to piss in, up a crick w/o a paddle...but considering the Honda statement in the Others thread, it ain't gonna happen.

-Kevin

[Insomniac]

bump

If this were to have happened (not saying it should've), where would that have left IRL right now?

Resurrecting this thread from the dead...

If ChampCar swithced to N/A engines, they'd suck. That's all I have to say.