Head Office Changes at Champ Car

[Ac.]

Robin Miller is reporting at speedtv.com that there have been some major changes at Champ Car head office.

Last Friday was bloody the Champ Car office as five people were terminated from major positions.

Those cut were:

Chris Kneifel - Competition Director
Derek Higgins - Race Control
Tom Moser - Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Wendy Gabers - Communications Director
Lee Dykstra - Technical Director

Big changes for sure. Kneifel isn't suprising after some of the problems with officiating this year, but obviously some of the others on the list just didn't fit the business plan that KK and GF have.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/indycar/14332/

[indycool]

A poster at another forum posted that six more are "out," including Clare (which we heard before) and the VP of finance/accounting. That brings the total to 11 if all is true.

[macdaddy]

Seeing Dykstra's name on that list comes as a surprise to me.
I wonder who's gonna take Kniefel's spot?

[Jordi]

I don't know why Dysktra could be a problem, seeing as there have been no problems recently with Technical stuff. But I can see why Kneifel was dropped.

[indycool]

The (apparent) news is pretty much all over and there are a lot of comments on it.

I have the same question ,macdads: Who replaces Kneifel? Every time they've tried to replace Dallenbach, the person runs into trouble with someone and is gone. It's a long list and I don't see Wally coming back again, under the circumstances.

Have heard speculation that KK may have a Cosworth guy in mind to replace Dykstra. But the "cuts" were pretty much all over the map -- several departments.

[Liz]

Wendy is Paul Gentilozzi's PR person, or she was; that signals a change in control to me which indicates that things are going to be much better organized in 2005.

I am glad to see the end of Kneifel. He was divisive and indecisive and will no doubt be happier somewhere else.

[gttouring]

it does make more sense to replace the technical guy with a man from Cosworth, he would know best about that, or maybe a 2 prong position with a man for chassis as well.
Kniefel- hmmm i have been waiting for this axe to drop...
infact i am surprised this hasn't changed earlier, still 11 people fired is a long list, what is the plan?
moser and gables
well promotions have been terrible
i have spoken with a gentleman from Derhaag motorsports over the weekend, and the spike TV deal BTW was the one the SPONSORS most approved as it would reach even non racers (unlike speed channel) and it held more appeal over a more expensive network.
that being said and wondering why go through the troubl eif the Production values were so poor for the broadcast, it turns out it is all filmed in HDTV adn broadcast through HDnet, and the signal is compressed or something and reversed to make it to digital cable, all in all it was ugly, so maybe free television time is the trade off i don't know but it would have been nice to get a constant multi media promotion going.
and Trans-Am will get a one hour special everyrace now- possibly on speed..

[indycool]

Wendy was/is a competent PR person who had worked for Gentilozzi for years. She probably just couldn't cover up all of Gentilozzi's public faux pas in a bigger media environment, which would, IMO, be an impossible task in the first place and will be for the next communications chief.

Kneifel was the choice of Wally Dallenbach, after several people had "tried out" and the brass didn't like the way they did it and called Dallenbach back from retirement several times. One of the reasons Dallenbach picked Kneifel was that he didn't NEED the money and from that aspect, could stand up to an owner-driven series in which the power structure was such that if you rubbed someone the wrong way, you were out. Again, as macdaddy first asked, who does it now?

[BootsOntheSide]

No surprise to see Kneifel go, but the other departures raise quite a few questions as to what the planned direction of the series is. Putting the technical side of things under Cosworth control makes a lot of sense, but it'll be interesting to see which other appointments and restructurings are made in the near future.

[TedN]

Back in September on Robin Miller's radio show on ESPN950, Miller said he favoured Steve Krisiloff as a possible replacement for Kneifel because:

- he is a hard-ass
- he doesn't care if anyone likes him or not
- he knows the rules
- he makes decisions

Ted

[N I Tram]

Interesting that the bulk of comments on this, and the similar IRL thread, appear to have come from one-sided people looking to score points off the series they don't like. I'm sure the changes made have been beneficial for both championships, and I'm sure neither has risked quality or safety simply to prove points or find scapegoats.

[Kicking-back]

Exactly.

Any business making management changes does it because it believes the overall result will be to improve the business.

This news has to be welcome.

[extramundane]

Originally Posted by N I Tram

Interesting that the bulk of comments on this, and the similar IRL thread, appear to have come from one-sided people looking to score points off the series they don't like. I'm sure the changes made have been beneficial for both championships, and I'm sure neither has risked quality or safety simply to prove points or find scapegoats.

I like the series quite a bit and I'm concerned about Dykstra, Higgins & Gabers (not to mention the method in which they were canned...). Moser probably needed to go, as the series hasn't had any real "sales & marketing" successes of late.

Add in the departure of David Claire, and I don't think it's beneficial to the series.

[Snrub]

Old joke, but I thought the flagman at Montreal did a fantasic job and I think he should replace Kneifel.

Actually that whole article is quiet interesting. Despite his success, Fernandez can't get sponsorship. The IRL might have made it easy for him to win, but when your sponsorship is contingent on your nationality you need to be able to reach that audience.

It also says poor Pat Patrick's IRL team is toast. Poor guy. I think most of us held no grudge against him leaving CC, so I think we can feel sorry for him.

Most importantly it says Elkhart may be back on! Please let it be true!

[jjspierx]

Originally Posted by extramundane

I like the series quite a bit and I'm concerned about Dykstra, Higgins & Gabers (not to mention the method in which they were canned...).

How exactly do you know the way in which they were let go?

[Liz]

I am not going to say anything about anyone in the other series, but I am not broken hearted when people who say "I am going where my sponsors tell me to go" lose their sponsors.

Perhaps the people who were canned (not including Kneifel who is a circus clown) were part of one clique and it was deemed best to have a complete change. But I have no idea except for the aforementioned CC and I could not begin to name their replacements except I know Andy Hall is available just now.

[indycool]

There were more than those five who are gone. Also executive assistant Barbara Tharp, VP finance and accounting Gene Cottingham, licensed product director Linda Rosenberg, legal associate Colleen Armour and human resources director Pat Herbst among them. One rumor has around 25 are no longer with the series, but that may include race weekend officials, etc.

[Ac.]

Originally Posted by indycool

One rumor has around 25 are no longer with the series, but that may include race weekend officials, etc.

I wonder what the plan is? If cost savings was the primary focus of these cuts, they would have taken place last off season. Perhaps we are going to see some of these areas such as marketing, merchandising, etc. outsourced rather than replacing these people. This might help provide better services for the same money spent.

[indycool]

Outsourcing has been said by some on another forum to be an option. There were a lot of cuts LAST year with the bankruptcy. Don't know if cost savings was a factor in any of them. Some estimate CART had 100 employees or so at the high point and OWRS is now down to around 35.

[cartpix]

Originally Posted by indycool

Outsourcing has been said by some on another forum to be an option. There were a lot of cuts LAST year with the bankruptcy. Don't know if cost savings was a factor in any of them. Some estimate CART had 100 employees or so at the high point and OWRS is now down to around 35.

Is that before or after the 25 people got cut? I would hope after, because that would leave 10.

Jeff

[indycool]

After............

[Morethebetter]

but the ones announced are certainly positions that will need to be replaced - not layoffs

[macdaddy]

Perhaps somebody was stealing toilet paper and wouldn't own up to it, and so as a last resort they had to fire everybody in the office?

[pferrf1]

Krisiloff is now at PKV with McGee.

Clare was the 'transition' man as he was Pook's right-hand. He also was the point man on South Korea.

KK stating recently that the car/engine package will stay through '06 means that they will start working opna new package by the ned of '05. He probably deems it unnecessary to have Dykstra around when you could contract him back. They still have John Anderson on staff I believe. Cosworth huys are n ot so much an answer for Dykstra as he did more thatn engines - he was a aero guy too.

Supposedly a new marketing guy has been hired already. MAybe Moser just didn't do the job. Its one of the toughest out there.

CCWS needs more than one PR person, they need a PR machine to get going - sounds liek a job for a competent sports PR firm.

[indycool]

Just as a theory, Wendy Gabers in PR was Gentilozzi's PR person for many years. Does her dismissal indicate:

1. She couldn't cover up Gentilozzi's public faux pas and ridiculous comments, or
2. Two Amigos are distancing themself from the third Amigo, or
3. Neither, or
4. Both