Brand Motorsport Joins Cart!

[SALEEN S7R]

More good news for CART with the arrival of new F3000 team Brand Motorsport, the team plans to enter CART in 2003 also. Here is the full article...http://www.crash.net/news_detail.asp...3&language_id=

[BootsOntheSide]

Sadly, it seems that these would be a rather baffling idea of a way to get preperation for an IRL effort in 2004. Brand describes itself in the article as a business rather than a racing team anyway. They would jsut be in it for the money. This isn't neccessarily the good news you've painted it as.

[SALEEN S7R]

Its still another team on the grid for 2003 even if they wont be for 2004. At the moment CART needs all the help it can get, in 2003 things should pick up and that way it wont matter if they leave or not as the saying goes "its better than a kick in the teeth."

[BootsOntheSide]

That's true, although a bit of perspective was needed. Your post makes it out to be a full-time entry from a dedicated racing team, rather than a step on a ladder.

Can't understand what they expect to learn anyway. The European CART races next year will be on road courses which IRL has none of (probably at most 2 or 3 in 2004), the cars are totally different and so is the racing style. I think there's more to this than meets the eye.

[SALEEN S7R]

Who knows, u could be right. Then again they could run a team in CART and the IRL as well as F3000. The team hasnt said that they will run in CART in 2004 but they havent said they wont either. Just trying to be positive.

[indycool]

Strange announcement...

[SALEEN S7R]

Not really, they are just trying to make a big a impression on the motorsport world as they can in their debut year, the teams is obviously a young and inspired team with a point to prove! Or so they think.

[Brian W Keske]

The way I read it, they only plan on running the yet to be announced European dates. Does anyone else read it this way?

This isn't really very positive, as they plan to skip to the IRL in 2004 anyway.

And two European races does not help fill up the grids.

[macdaddy]

Alot of $ to spend on a car and engine, only to showcase it twice and then mothball it.

[tanalised]

What a weird bunch of statements. It's unlike Crash.net to put together an article thats so disjointed. Why bother running a couple or 3 races in '03 with CART and then go to the IRL.

[norman-normal]

Hi, I'm new...welll new to this forum. I think the IRL is planing to including some road races. Ive read nothing that says so, but Tony George and GWB have more in common then never having held a real job in thier lives; one wants to distroy CART the outher wants to distroy a whole Country. Oh! did I say that? He, and team owners have had a lot of difficulty attracting drivers; the only ones who come willingly are the ones who have very little or no road racing exp.

[sgw2]

Brand says their focus with this program is the US Market. Since they are an OW shop IRL is the way to go. Only eleven of what now looks like 19 races will be in the US next year. Figure Fontana and Milwaukee ovals, plus one of four races that are CART promotions will likely fall off in 2004. That doesn't make CCWS very attractive to such a group.

My guess reading the release is they will use the CCWS races in Europe as a chance to get US contacts and perhaps find a US partner to go into the IRL with.

Not so strange afterall. CART has lost US focus, and that is what is killing them.

[cos]

From their site: "Brand Motorsports have confirmed that 2003's racing programme will include the two planned European Rounds of the 2003 CART FedEx Championship. Brand will use these European races as preparation for a full seasons campaign in the 2004 North American Indy Racing League."

Firstly: what's happened to the third planned european race?
Secondly: There ain't no FedEx CART series next year... someone at Brand needs to get their facts sorted.

[JohnSSC]

Brand needs to get more than the facts sorted! If this is a business approach then it must be from the "Planning for Failure" model. It makes absolutely no sense to get your feet wet by racing in 2 Euro races in a series that you won't be competing in the following year where the equipment is non-transferrable. What a business plan that is! I should ring them up. I've got this bridge in NYC that I can sell them - cheap!

By the way Fstolfart, TG would never have traded Sammy Sosa, so he may actually be a bit smarter than GWB! Welcome!

[SALEEN S7R]

Its not as though they dont know their stuff John. If u go to crash.net go to the F3000 section and u will find they are signing plenty of great F3000 engineers.

[JohnSSC]

No offense Saleen, but it would seem that they are going to a lot of expense to "gain experience" for those engineers running a couple of "one-off" races in equipment they can't use in the series they are planning to move to (sorry for the length of that sentence!).

Why would you go out and hire a driver, buy/lease a couple of Lolas, spare suspension bits, spare body components etc, run them twice and then move to a new series with completely different cars? I mean it would be essentially useless data that has been gathered. If they want to meet potential sponsors than pitch a tent at selected IRL events in 2003. It would have to be cheaper!

I am sure the engineeers aren't complaining as being employed is a good thing, but they (Brand) must have deep pockets.

[SALEEN S7R]

Read this www.brandcomms.com/flash/aboframe.htm I dont see there being a cash flow problem, do u? Also they havent said they wont compete in CART In 2004 so dont assume anything.

Oh and for their homepage visit www.brandmotorsport.com

[JohnSSC]

Thanks for the links!

[SALEEN S7R]

No probs.

[Snrub]

Wierd and interesting...

[SALEEN S7R]

Weird? I dont see why. The team obviously thinks its a good way to make money and race in motor sport. If they want to do it this way and build up to a F1 team, which is what it sounds like its a good base to begin a plan.

[ringo]

maybe nobody has told them that IRL and Cart are different cars

Seriously though, i would not get too worked up over such a statement, these guy know a lot more about the racing business than most of us and are proberbly just talking jiberish to get their name out there in the news

[Crash Test]

Seems like a fair investment to make for only two races, any idea where they ae getting their equipment from?

Good on em, let's hope they can be convinced to do the whole series

[Snrub]

Saleen, don't get me wrong I'm glad to see the link! As others have mentioned the costs don't seem to add up. Also, why not get IRL experience instead? Why isn't F3000 experience equally valid as CART?

Lack of US focus? Do american's ignore the international races that occur in appropriate time zones? (2 in Mexico, 3 in Canada) I'd also argue that when people say "american market," they mean Canadian market too since we're so similar and closely tied together.

[Flatspot]

Well, I'd love to see another quality entrant but I think Ringo hit it on the head. It's easy to make a statement like this right now, get some free publicity and see what boils up to the surface.

Saleen makes a good point that they haven't said they won't run in the ChampCar World Series in 2004. I beleive there are many teams, Fernandez & Rahal as examples, that are going to run both the ChampCar World Series and the IRL because they are not yet convinced of who the survivors will be. Brand could be in this boat and playing a little different strategy.

It does all seem a bit odd though. Large investment, relatively little connection to an IRL effort. Brand says two races while the rumor is there may be three yet CART only has one tentative Euro date on the calendar.

I suspect that Walker and others with unused Reynards, will be selling or willing to rent them to Brand for some one off stuff and Brand won't end up as the proud owners of obsolete equipment. That would just be too stupid.

Anyway, I wish them luck if they can make it happen!