IndyCar Silly Season

[GP Racer]

Cmon Tim, face it, I scooped you, fair and square!

I beat indycool on the other forum by about a minute to!

I'm hoping that Mo gives either Jeff Simmons a look, because he deserves one, or Roger Yasakawa. He may bring up PJ Chesson though. I hope he doesn't bring in another foreign driver really.

[Tim Northcutt]

All three are good picks, GP Racer.....

My selection order would be the way you listed them, and I'd have to flip a coin to choose between Yasakawa and Simmons....

I think Chesson needs to mature a little more....the flap he caused that upset Mo's wife, and the run-in with Rick Mears tell me that he might not be the first choice of the Nunns for the IRL seat...

Of course, Mo auditioned female drivers for the IPS series, so he might just be looking to move PJ up and have one of those women fill the IPS seat that PJ held at the end of last season...

and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on the scoop...

[GP Racer]

I saw Chesson yesterday on ESPN2, on the IRL Awards Banquet show, and he is definetly a wild child, a real x-ganes kind of guy. He said right now, he has no solid plans for next year at all, so maybe he will move up.

He's not my kind of guy, a typical young, self absorbed, full of himself, MTV kid. But maybe I'm outta touch, and this is the kind of kid the IRL needs?

As for Canada KB, I say forget it. The Canadian race fans have made it very clear that they hate everything about the IRL, and their allegiance is strictly behind OWRS. They'll probably crucify Patrick now as a trader anyway, like they've done to all of the rest, so that won't help. At least thats the way it seems on all of these boards. Am I wrong?

[Tim Northcutt]

On the Champ Car board, many OWRS fans actually understand why Patrick is making this move, and they understand that it is a business decision for him....

Many are wishing him well, and of course, they hope that he will return someday to the OWRS as a competitor...

so in all fairness to the Champ Car fans, they are not criticizing him for this decision....

[BSchneiderFan]

Carpentier has signed for Cheever, according to autosport.com.

[Tim Northcutt]

There are lots of media reports confirming this news....I happened in Indianapolis yesterday aftrnoon

[Down F0rce]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
On the Champ Car board, many OWRS fans actually understand why Patrick is making this move, and they understand that it is a business decision for him....

Many are wishing him well, and of course, they hope that he will return someday to the OWRS as a competitor...

so in all fairness to the Champ Car fans, they are not criticizing him for this decision....

Just not to confuse, GP's replay was -

Tim, your right, I probably shouldn't have said that, because I have noticed that most OWRS fans aren't persecuting Patrick like the others. I guess I've been conditioned to think that they would automatically! That board seems to have mellowed abit since the high drama of last years silly season.

It went into the rivalry thread

[GP Racer]

I simply cannot believe this immature, scolding statement by Forsythe regarding Carps IRL move -

[i]“I think it’s a shame that Pat has decided to make a move now, and frankly I don’t think this is a good career choice for him personally,” Forsythe continued. “But this is his decision. We like and respect Patrick and his family very much indeed, and all of us at the team wish Patrick, [wife] Anick and [daughter] Anais the very best of luck in the future.”

Forsythe Racing vice-president of operations Neil Micklewright added, “It’s a pity Patrick felt he had to make such an early decision - we didn’t want him to leave. He’s come a long way during his tenure with the team and we will miss him. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to him returning to Champ Car in the near future.”[i/]

The 3 amigos have to be the 3 most immature, childish, unprofessional and loose lipped series owners to ever come down the pike!

Welcome to the IRL Carp! You'll find a much more professional and courteous attitude here!

[Kicking-back]

That is totally appalling.

Forsythe should have shown a bit more class - particularly after the driver he shafted at the start of the season ended up being his top point scorer.

[Down F0rce]

Hopefully he'll get a better deal here. With a Toyota engine, Team Cheever could be quite competitive. I hope Alex Barron is his team mate though, truth be told I don't think much of Ed as a driver...

[GP Racer]

Yeah it is Alex DF. Ed is likely going to Playa Del Racing.

I agree, they should be quite a formidable team next season. For all the hoopla surrounding Scheckter being Chevy's #1 boy this season, it was the quiet and steady Barron that was Chevy's best driver by seasons end...

[Down F0rce]

Yeah, he had a quiet season really. Very consistant though.

Any word if Cheever are going to land a Toyota deal yet?

[rustyfan]

motorsport.com has posted an article about the recent IPS test of female drivers made by Kathryn Nunn. While not IndyCar, I still find it a very interesting read:

Kathryn Nunn has a very, very tough decision to make over the next few weeks as she meets with potential sponsors for her Indy Racing League Menards Infiniti Pro Series team.

After testing seven women with truly diverse skill sets over the past three days on the daunting 1.5-mile high banks of Texas Motor Speedway's oval circuit, Nunn, together with engineers Brian Welling and Jerry Gordon, and along with crew chief Butch Winkle will have to decide which one of these gals they think can win races in the increasingly competitive ladder Pro series.

Full article:

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=173237

[Down F0rce]

Some female drivers would be a boost for the MIPS.

You know whats starting to really eat me up with the Forsythe/Carpantier deal? GF decided that he was going to announce it himself. So far, I haven't seen a word of confirmation from Cheever or Patrick. GF had no right to say anything untill they had announced something.

I was considering watching some CC races next year. This is a reminded of why I stopped in the first place.

[N I Tram]

MIPS certianly needs somethign ot boost its reputation. SO far the championship has really struggled for cars, and the guys it's produced have often struggled in the big league.

The well-deserved criticism of Forsythe is strong in the Carpentier thread on the CART side - people are starting to wake up to the fact that Tony George doesn't have a monopoly on the engative character traits they like to paint him with.

[Down F0rce]

Indeed. The Three Amigos have been saying very negative things about the IRL in the past yet you don't hear Mr George saying anything about them.

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Down F0rce
Indeed. The Three Amigos have been saying very negative things about the IRL in the past yet you don't hear Mr George saying anything about them.

Nah - he just places bids on assets instead (which in hindsight was a bad move, if you ask me) or spew out tactless comments (like the one about 33 being "just a number")

Sometimes I wish TG should stick to just running the track, or at least keep in the background when it comes to the public affairs of the IRL. Sometimes clueless owners messing around too much is never a good thing. Still, at least TG hasn't been able to **** things up to the same degree Brian France has when it comes to NASCAR.

[Down F0rce]

Yeah, that perhaps wasn't the best thing to do.

EDIT - Actually, the engine assets ws a bad move. The track contrats would have made a good addition to the series.

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Down F0rce
EDIT - Actually, the engine assets ws a bad move. The track contrats would have made a good addition to the series.

Any type of bid did nothing but further damage the already sour relationship between the two camps though. Would have been better had he stayed away altogether.

[GP Racer]

Her's the official statement from Eddie Cheever, on his teams makeup and plans for next season -

Red Bull Cheever Racing Partners with Toyota in IndyCar Series

--Barron, Carpentier to Drive--

Indianapolis, IN (November 11, 2004) - Red Bull Cheever Racing announced today a partnership with Toyota Motor Sales, USA to use the Toyota engine for the IRL Indy Car Series beginning in 2005.

"We have one mission at this team, to win races," team owner Eddie Cheever Jr. said. "This partnership with Toyota is vital to achieving our goals to win races and the championship."

Red Bull Cheever Racing will field the No. 51 and 83 Toyota-powered Dallara cars next season with primary sponsorship from Red Bull.

Alex Barron, winner of two career IndyCar events, will return for his second full season with Red Bull Cheever Racing. He will partner with the team's newest addition, former CART standout Patrick Carpentier, who holds an impressive five victories in his high-speed career. In addition, both drivers have won the coveted Toyota Atlantic Championship title.

"Our driver lineup for 2005 is outstanding," said managing director Max Jones. "Both drivers are veterans with years of success under their belts in both oval and road course racing. Their combined knowledge is a breeding ground for a championship winning year."

The announcement ends a multi-year partnership with General Motors, where Red Bull Cheever Racing earned the manufacturer its best championship results in 2004, and its best Indianapolis 500 results in 1998, 2003 and 2004.

"We are proud of our history with General Motors," Cheever said. "They powered Cheever Racing to our 1998 Indy 500 win and many other great moments. While we have both chosen to pursue different plans, I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors."

Red Bull Cheever Racing, based in Indianapolis, is the brainchild of 1998 Indy 500 champion Eddie Cheever. A leader in American motorsports, the IRL IndyCar Series team is built on Cheever's experience in Formula One, sportscars and open-wheel oval racing. Corporate, technical and research and development partnerships include the world's leading energy drink Red Bull, Toyota, Dallara, Firestone and Mecachrome.

[Down F0rce]

Keep your Eyes on Team Cheever next year. Now with a Toyta powerplanet and a stronger driver line up, they are gonna go places...

[Tim Northcutt]

Indy Star reports this morning that Danica will test next week at Phoenix (we knew they would, but not exactly when) and that most of the funding for the third car is now in place...so Rahall is planning to run a 3-car team...

Also Ganassi is planning to test some drivers, including Ryan Hunter-reay (which we already heard through the rumor mill) for his 3-car effort....

So both of those teams have confirmed that they will have what will be needed in place for 3-car efforts next season...

[Down F0rce]

Great, more cars on the grid. I do wonder who else Ganassi will test, unless they have thier hearts on RHR...

[GP Racer]

Still alot of questions remain -

1-D&R wants to field 2 cars, will Gaiffone remain, and with what engines? No news at all from these guys.

2-Where will Scott Sharp wind-up?

3-Will this Playa Del Racing team happen, and will Ed Carpenter get the drive?

4-Who will drive the third cars for Cheever, Ganassi, and Rahal?

5-Will Fernandez field a third car, and who will drive it?

6-Mo Nunn is still searching for a driver. I hear that PJ Chesson wants out of his MIPS deal, because he thinks he can get an IRL drive...

7-Whats up with Panther? Will T Bell and the Menards car be back?

8-Will Access be back, and if so, with one or two cars? Who will drive? Mark Taylor remains unsigned.

9-Will AJ Foyt be back? He lost his sponsorship, and doesn't want to go road racing.

10-Is Enge signed with Patrick for next season?

Alot of loose ends need to be tied-up. I thought we would have more answers by now, but many teams havn't said boo about their plans for next season...

[Down F0rce]

Danica Patrick is a shoe-in for the third Rahal car...not heard a lot else...

I hope there are some more announcements soon...