2012 IndyCar silly season

[cos]

Sato confirmed at RLLR.

[Yannick]

With so many road and street races on the schedule, I'm surprised nobody has signed Bruno Junqueira yet. He is a good allrounder and should be a safe bet on the ovals, too.

I'm also not surprised to see so many oval specialists still without rides: Alex Lloyd, Buddy Rice, Tomas Scheckter, Townsend Bell, ...

Watching this from afar, I wonder if they should better look for rides in more oval centric series this year.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Yannick

With so many road and street races on the schedule, I'm surprised nobody has signed Bruno Junqueira yet. He is a good allrounder and should be a safe bet on the ovals, too.

I'm also not surprised to see so many oval specialists still without rides: Alex Lloyd, Buddy Rice, Tomas Scheckter, Townsend Bell, ...

Watching this from afar, I wonder if they should better look for rides in more oval centric series this year.

They don't have big enough checks to bring to the table to get a seat.

Sad, but it is the reality of this series these days.

[aneesh99]

Originally Posted by cos

Sato confirmed at RLLR.

Nice to see Sato back again, hopefully he can put in some decent results like the beginning of last year!

Is this now a trend we'll continue to see, with the guys bringing a massive cheque with them getting drives with the others being left out (Lloyd, Scheckter etc)?

[Yannick]

Watching things unravel from afar, it is no surprise to me that most of the drivers still without rides are oval specialists such as Buddy Rice, Tomas Scheckter, Alex Lloyd, Townsend Bell, and some more.

Yet, I find it strange that no team has seriously considered hiring Bruno Junqueira. I guess he is the best allrounder currently available. (I'm not counting Paul Tracy since he is already linked to at least one team). And hiring allrounders or road course specialists for the full season is definitely the way to go this time around because of the relative lack of ovals.
In fact, I would not be surprised if the oval specialists were seeking for rides elsewhere.

The current crop of ride buyers is clearly a sign of the overall economical situation which enables people with money to do so much more than say like before the financial crisis of 2008. This trend is clearly evident in Formula 1, too. I guess we will see how things develop but surely, Milka Duno will not return.

[Jacques Rabbit]

Junqueira wants to get paid. He raced for free for quite a few years and got to a point where he needed money again. He was getting paid last year in ALMS, though Jaguar's future in that series is in doubt.

Current rides that are definitely paying:
#2 Team Penske
#3 Team Penske
#4 Panther Racing (well, they say they pay but then the money doesn't show up)
#8 Dragon Racing (I don't know this as fact, but Bourdais requires compensation)
#9 Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 Chip Ganassi Racing
#12 Team Penske
#19 Dale Coyne Racing (seriously; I know this for a fact)

A few others might pay (I know Foyt has in the past, but Conway's a ride-buyer).

Teams have looked at Junqueira. Foyt did, but Honda wanted Conway and Conway brought money that could help with a second, part-time entry. Apparently Andretti Autosport also did, but they needed money.

[Jacques Rabbit]

A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Honda)
14. Mike Conway (ABC Supply Co)
Still working on a second car; could be a part-time effort with Bertrand Baguette. Have also heard Bryan Clauson running all the ovals with this team.

Andretti Autosport (Chevrolet)
26. Marco Andretti (RC Cola)
27. James Hinchcliffe (GoDaddy.com)
28. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Sun Drop/DHL)
Fourth car not likely.

Bryan Herta Autosport (Lotus)
x. Alex Tagliani (Barracuda Networks)
Second car for Indy. Bryan Clauson, Townsend Bell, and Buddy Rice all mentioned; Bryan Herta would consider doing it himself as well.

Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)
9. Scott Dixon (Target)
10. Dario Franchitti (Target)
38. Graham Rahal (Service Central)
83. Charlie Kimball (Novo Nordisk)

Conquest Racing
They insist their LMP2 effort is in addition to their IndyCar one, but I'm less than convinced. Ride-buyers like Gustavo Yacamán etc. will flock to this ride if it exists; could easily be a rotation of many. With doubts over Lotus' ability to field more engines than they've already confirmed, this entry is very much in doubt.

Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
18. James Jakes (Acorn Stairlifts)
19. Justin Wilson (Boy Scouts of America - which is not actually a sponsor, but rather a tax write-off for Mr. Coyne)
Earliest Coyne has ever gotten his driver lineup settled, though Jakes is not formally confirmed.

Dragon Racing (Lotus)
6. Katherine Legge (TrueCar)
8. Sébastien Bourdais (???)
Microsoft and McAfee branding on the cars to some extent.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Lotus)
22. Oriol ServiÃ* (???)
Robin Miller suggests there will not be a second car, while a Lotus rep suggests they have seven drivers, no Americans, and three women. The third woman would either be Ana Beatriz or Pippa Mann driving for D&RR; Mann still says she has nothing solid, so it's reasonable to assume that if there is a second car here, it's Beatriz.

Ed Carpenter Racing
20. Ed Carpenter (Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka)
Could have a second car for Indy, but so could anyone else if they had the right ridebuyer. Combined effort with Tony George's Vision Racing and Derrick Walker's team. Despite the new green and gold colors, they seem more related to golf than to Lotus, as Lotus confirmed they will not have any American drivers next year. I have no idea where this team will get an engine with Lotus deciding to stop at seven and Chevrolet/Honda at capacity.

HVM Racing (Lotus)
78. Simona de Silvestro (Entergy Nuclear)
No second car. Jean Alesi still plans to run Indy with Lotus, but their engine program is in a bit of a mess right now as they are cutting back testing and capping their engine supply. No supplier has said anything about extra engines for Indy.

KV Racing Technology (Chevrolet)
11. Tony Kanaan (GEICO)
x. E.J. Viso (CITGO/PDVSA)
Rubens Barrichello and Esteban Guerrieri are the two major candidates for the 5 car. Vitor Meira may still have a shot.

MSR Indy
60. Paul Tracy (ARMA Energy)
They are waiting to get engine confirmation before they can fully confirm everything. Tracy does not need a Honda engine, but they would get extra funding if he had one.

Panther Racing (Chevrolet)
4. J.R. Hildebrand (National Guard)
Second car for, you guessed it, Indianapolis, or perhaps even more.

Team Penske (Chevrolet)
2. Ryan Briscoe (IZOD, Guidepoint, etc.)
3. Hélio Castroneves (Shell V-Power, Guidepoint, SKF, etc.)
12. Will Power (Verizon Wireless)

RLL Racing (Honda)
15. Takuma Sato (Interush)
Second car confirmed in the Sato announcement. Drivers up in the air.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports (Honda)
77. Simon Pagenaud (Bowers & Wilkins)
May run a second car of rotating drivers, at least part-time, but they could do that under the AFS Racing banner.

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
67. Josef Newgarden (???)
Had an event at Walgreens, but that has been very quiet now. No engine, and like many other teams, not much hope with Lotus not wanting to add more cars and Honda/Chevrolet really filled.

[Yannick]

Jacques, thank you for explaining to me the Junqueira situation. Don't know what happened to me when I said the exact same thing twice in the past 2 postings I made. Well, I guess I should take some time off.

I guess at one point or the other, there will be consolidation effects because of a lack of available engines. Imagine partnerships like EC Racing/Vision/Walker/Panther, turning the #44 into a #20 like it has happened before. Or maybe a Fisher-Hartman/Schmidt/AFS, turning the #99 into the #67? Schmidt has had such partnerships all through past season.

[NaBUru38]

Esteban Guerrieri wants to drive this car.

[NaBUru38]

Esteban Guerrieri wants to drive this car.

[madman16]

For whatever reason there always seems to be negative talk when it comes to indycar, well here's my view

1. I for one am looking forward to the new season, new cars and engine comp (i've heard that there's a variety of sounds between the 3 which is good)

2. The cars i will admit don't look the greatest but like anything they grow on you..eg. When the new F1 regs came out i thought they looked crap compared to the old "low rear wing" cars. Now to me the old ones look crap compared to the new.

3. There is a chance you only have to put up with it for one season if they make their own aero kits.

4. Car count is higher than expected

5. They say attendance and viewer numbers are up (how true i don't know). I know the numbers are crap in comparison to other sports but up is still up and cause for optimism.

6. I would like to see them go back to the cart style calender that really had a good mix of all track config. (Only gripe)

So i say bring on 2012 and beyond and lets hope for some great racing

[madman16]

For whatever reason there always seems to be negative talk when it comes to indycar, well here's my view

1. I for one am looking forward to the new season, new cars and engine comp (i've heard that there's a variety of sounds between the 3 which is good)

2. The cars i will admit don't look the greatest but like anything they grow on you..eg. When the new F1 regs came out i thought they looked crap compared to the old "low rear wing" cars. Now to me the old ones look crap compared to the new.

3. There is a chance you only have to put up with it for one season if they make their own aero kits.

4. Car count is higher than expected

5. They say attendance and viewer numbers are up (how true i don't know). I know the numbers are crap in comparison to other sports but up is still up and cause for optimism.

6. I would like to see them go back to the cart style calender that really had a good mix of all track config. (Only gripe)

So i say bring on 2012 and beyond and lets hope for some great racing

[W.A Trichlorostyrene]

Originally Posted by madman16

For whatever reason there always seems to be negative talk when it comes to indycar, well here's my view

1. I for one am looking forward to the new season, new cars and engine comp (i've heard that there's a variety of sounds between the 3 which is good)

2. The cars i will admit don't look the greatest but like anything they grow on you..eg. When the new F1 regs came out i thought they looked crap compared to the old "low rear wing" cars. Now to me the old ones look crap compared to the new.

3. There is a chance you only have to put up with it for one season if they make their own aero kits.

4. Car count is higher than expected

5. They say attendance and viewer numbers are up (how true i don't know). I know the numbers are crap in comparison to other sports but up is still up and cause for optimism.

6. I would like to see them go back to the cart style calender that really had a good mix of all track config. (Only gripe)

So i say bring on 2012 and beyond and lets hope for some great racing

Agreed. Although there are a few points that bothers me a bit(lack of ovals, lack of transparency concerning engine deals), I am very enthusiastic about the new season to come too.

Don't worry, you're not alone to enjoy today's AOWR. The "doom and gloom" crowd isn't necessary the majority - they're just the loudest

[Down F0rce]

Ed Carpenter Racing will be making an announcement at the State of IndyCar later today. Hopefully an engine deal?

[NaBUru38]

It's Chevrolet

So there will be more than 11 Bowties: 3 Penske, 3 Andretti, 3 KV, 1 Panther and 1 Carpenter; KV has to announce its third driver.

Honda has 9 entries confirmed: 4 Ganassi, 2 Rahal, 1 Foyt, 1 Schmidt and 1 Dale Coyne. Schmidt and Dale Coyne have second entries to be confirmed, and Rahal must announce its second driver.

Lotus has confirmed 6 entries: 2 Dragon, 1 Dreyer & Reinbold, 1 Herta, 1 HVM and 1 Michael Shank; the latter didn't announce its driver.

Sarah Fisher Hartman hasn't confirmed their engine.

So that's 27 confirmed entries, 24 drivers confirmed and 3 to be confirmed. Then there are at least 2 entries to be confirmed.

It's quite a healthy grid, don't you think?

- o -

Vitor Meira has confirmed that he will race at the Stock Car Brasil, but he may still race at São Paulo and/or Indianapolis.

[pach233]

Good to see Carpenter confirm his full season engine deal. Hopefully Sarah Fisher can confirm an engine for Newgarden soon.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

For me that makes 10 Chevys on the grid, and the talk of going beyond 10 engines each seems to have gone a bit quiet? Makes you wonder where KV's 3rd engine is going to come from. 8 Hondas with two left to fight over - one if RLR has dibs on the other one. Coyne vs Fisher vs Sam Schmidt for last Honda? And how many engines will Lotus have ready for St Pete, enough to get more takers?

[Down F0rce]

Another test for Rubens:

http://www.indystar.com/article/2012...107/120213035/

[cos]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

For me that makes 10 Chevys on the grid, and the talk of going beyond 10 engines each seems to have gone a bit quiet? Makes you wonder where KV's 3rd engine is going to come from. 8 Hondas with two left to fight over - one if RLR has dibs on the other one. Coyne vs Fisher vs Sam Schmidt for last Honda? And how many engines will Lotus have ready for St Pete, enough to get more takers?

Looks like the big two will be going over the 10 'limit': Chevy now have 11 (3xPenske, 3xAA, 3xKV,1xPanther, 1xECR) and Honda are up to 10 (4xGanassi, 2xRLL*, 2xDCR, 1xSSM, 1xFoyt).
Lotus should have five or six for St Pete (depending if MSR get their team budget together).

* - 2nd RLL car looks to be going to Luca Fillipi, possible 3rd for blast-from-the-past Michel Jourdain too.

[NaBUru38]

I'm worried about Esteban Guerrieri, Rubens Barrichello and KV. Might KV have four cars, or more importantly, four engines? Guerrieri is still looking for sponsors.

[Hawkwood]

Apparently it's confirmed on Fox Sports Brazil that Rubens is confirmed for 2012.
http://www.foxsports.com.br/speed/23...equipe-da-indy
I say 'apparently' because I don't understand what this says, but someone on another forum has said it's a confirmation.
Anyone back that up?

[NaBUru38]

"Assina" means "signs". The article says the deal is confirmed.

Fox Sports Brasil was launched last week, and took over Speed. There is a fierce war between Fox and Globo. The new channel will broadcast the Libertadores, Sudamericana, English Premier League and Italian Serie A football tournaments, Nascar Cup / Nationwide / Trucks, and ATP tennis.

[daallo]

Originally Posted by cos

* - 2nd RLL car looks to be going to Luca Fillipi, possible 3rd for blast-from-the-past Michel Jourdain too.

It would be great to have Michel, he is a former title contender and Indy definitely needs the Mexican market that Champ Car could effectively exploit.

[nickyf1]

What ever happened to Mario Dominguez?

[captain crunch]

If my memory serves, Dominguez did a few FIA GT races in a Saleen a few years ago, but i haven't heard anything since.