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There seems to be plenty of doom and gloom in this topic but there are some positives in the future of Champ Car and possibly some misconceptions can be drawn from Robin Millers article.
Firstly he is right about the 2007 crop of Rookie drivers. These were possibly the best bunch of Rookies for years and the good thing is that a lot of European (and other non US) drivers really do want to race in Champ Car and see it as an alternative to the sometimes impossible dream of F1.
Which brings me to the subject of the 2007 Schedule. Yes it was a joke but the positive that should come out of it is that perhaps Champ Car have learnt something from it and the 2008 Schedule looks far more sensible. The trick now will be to see it (the schedule) happen as scheduled.
Tying in with the fact that Open Wheel Racing in the US is in disarray and also with the interest from European drivers is the increase in European races, a good thing, but perhaps four should be the maximum.
Also with Bourdais at last scoring a long deserved F1 ride it may be that Champ Car can still be a gateway to F1 as well as a home for F1 refugees.
I think the perception that the Panoz is hard to work on is a bit of a misconception. Talking to a friend of mine, who is long term Champ Car mechanic with several Teams, he did nothing but sing the praises of the car. Perhaps it has some shortcomings but overall it is good for the Series, particularly in the area of costs which will become even more advantageous as the initial cost of the chassis is defrayed over the next couple of seasons.
Also I am not sure that the driver musical chairs is such a bad thing, as long as the main championship contenders stay put does it really matter. Sometimes it is good to see a driver, even a pay one, get an opportunity to strut his stuff at a higher level. David Martinez wasn't exactly disgraced in his couple of outings!
As for the TV, yes it is not good and whether US race fans care or not I do not know but I sure would like to let US Networks and Champ Car themselves know the the rest of the world wants to see Champ Car on TV and goodness knows why ESPN in Australia dont show it.
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