IndyCar Silly Season Thread

[gomick]

Originally Posted by Mystery

What you mean the race in which she was given a fuel strategy and won with that?

Plenty of drivers have won on fuel strategy - poor danica, we should leave her alone

[ozrevhead]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

Always first, there will be no 3rd car for Penske if Helio comes back if he is cleared from the trial. Will Power will be out and Helio in. Penske made that clear back when they announced him replacing Helio temporarily.

Well if thats the case wher is Will going to end up???

So we have lost our race, 3/4 of our coverage and probally one of our drivers too

Nice!

[madman16]

Originally Posted by ozrevhead

Well if thats the case wher is Will going to end up???

So we have lost our race, 3/4 of our coverage and probally one of our drivers too

If Helio returns unfortunately Will will return to being the test/reserve driver for team Penske. As a fellow Aussie mate all we can (hope) for is the he is found guilty.

[ozrevhead]

Originally Posted by madman16

If Helio returns unfortunately Will will return to being the test/reserve driver for team Penske. As a fellow Aussie mate all we can (hope) for is the he is found guilty.

he deserves so much more then being a freeking test driver

[madman16]

yes, but unfortunately that's what we are stuck with at the moment

[Mystery]

He could be relegated from being in the top team just before the start of one season, through winning a race with the team in a new series and still ending up with Coyne. At least Power stands a better than even chance at being paid with Penske - not sure Wilson will have the same privilege. Hope i'm wrong though.

[the.cosmic.pope]

Originally Posted by ozrevhead

he deserves so much more then being a freeking test driver

At least he'd have a job. Others drivers who deserve seats can't get them either. That is the nature of the sport at these times.

[D.R.T.]

Robin Miller said Wilson will be paid a salary at Coyne however it wont be what he was earning at NHL or Rusport obviously.

[Down F0rce]

Gil de Ferran is looking to bring his team to the IRL, purely as an owner and not as a driver. They could get started at Indy this year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73717

[D.R.T.]

I would be extremely surprised if this happened in the short term. Long term most definitely, however with so many teams struggling the chances of a new team starting up and sticking around would be long odds.

[Tim Northcutt]

HVM has cancelled its participation in the Barber Test March 22 and 23 in order to (according to their press release) "use the coming days to prepare a second car for Ryan Hunter-Reay so that they can run two cars at a site to be announced later"

The site will probably be Sebring, and although they do not have a deal for RHR yet, they are working hard to secure funding for him....

Could be interesting....

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

I would be extremely surprised if this happened in the short term. Long term most definitely, however with so many teams struggling the chances of a new team starting up and sticking around would be long odds.

Looking at his sportscar program, I'm fairly confident Honda would be helping foot the bill if such an Indycar team came to be.

[madman16]

Hope to see Hunter-Reay with a drive for the season. Good enough not to be left out and the series needs another fast American

[D.R.T.]

I think its fair to say that RHR will be in a ride this season. The IRL will not let him not have a ride and HVM will be the destination

[Tim Northcutt]

Since IZOD has that deal with the IRL and RHR is featured in their TV ads, somebody better make something happen or it will be an embarrassment for the League and the Sponsor to feature a driver that doesn't even have a ride this year.

[Alwaysfirst]

RHR still looking very likely for HVM...

other rumours are that Sato will be at Indy at the very least for De Ferran, possibly with Pagenaud as well & that Highcroft will bring Scott Sharp & Patron back to the IRL. Acura is cutting its losses in the ALMS as they will be the only manufacturer in LMP1 so they're planning on bringing their teams to the IRL instead, possibly with continuing Honda support...

Rubicon isn't looking so great though & the rumour is that Rice is out, the money is gone & that it will be an Indy only entry for Scheckter...

[Taprobane]

Just got this off the Indycar website, good too see they have a good grasp of Mike's career...

● Champion of British Formula 3 Renault with Fortec Motorsports.
● Recorded 17 podium finishes, including eight victories. Also posted nine pole starts.
● Finalist for McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award.

2003
● Finished fourth in British Formula 3 Renault standings with Fortec Motorsports; highest placing rookie.
● Recorded four podium finishes, including victory at Snetterton.
● Finished second in British Formula 3 Renault Winter Series with victories at Donington Park and Brands Hatch in four races. Also posted two pole starts.

[gomick]

And what is British Formula 3 Renault?

[Taprobane]

Not sure if that rhetorical but if not then it's a non-existant championship...

It also says on there about Danica Patrick "At 16, she left home for England, where raced in some of the most difficult junior series in the world" - didn't know Formula Ford was so highly rated, I'm surprised more people don't jump stright to F1 from it...

[Knowlesy]

Well, she made them look difficult.

[DanicaFan]

Good news!! It appears Milka Duno's funding didnt go as planned and she is without a ride this year at the moment. Doornbos is still in.

[madman16]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan

Good news!! It appears Milka Duno's funding didnt go as planned and she is without a ride this year at the moment. Doornbos is still in.

How is that good news????????????

I know she is not well liked and clearly not as talented as most/all of her fellow racers but in a series that is struggling for sponsors/drivers/teams etc i fail to see how that is good news. Truly Ignorant.

While you're at it lets hope Danica's funding falls through as well

[Alwaysfirst]

I'd rather have her out there than not...I'd still be surprised if she doesn't at least do a part-time season. The biggest funding deal may have fallen through but that still leaves her with more money than most of the grid.

Here's a list of possible entries. Some of these will be Indy only & some may not even make that but I would expect to see most of these at Indy, even if its not with the actual drivers I've listed (for the one-off teams that is)

Penske-Ryan Briscoe
Penske-Will Power
Ganassi-Scott Dixon
Ganassi-Dario Franchitti
Andretti-Green-Tony Kanaan
Andretti-Green-Danica Patrick
Andretti-Green-Marco Andretti
Andretti-Green-Hideki Mutoh
Andretti-Green-Franck Montagny?
Newman/Haas-Graham Rahal
Newman/Haas-Robert Doornbos
Newman/Haas-Milka Duno
Panther-Dan Wheldon
Panther-Giorgio Pantano or Anthony Davidson or Oriol Servia or ?
KV Racing-Mario Moraes
KV Racing-Paul Tracy or Oriol Servia or John Andretti or ?
Luczo Dragon-Rafael Matos
HVM-EJ Viso
HVM-Ryan Hunter-Reay
Foyt-Vitor Meira
Foyt-AJ Foyt IV
Coyne-Justin Wilson
Coyne-Bruno Junqueira
Vision-Ed Carpenter
Dreyer & Reinbold-Mike Conway
Dreyer & Reinbold-Townsend Bell?
Dreyer & Reinbold-Roger Yasukawa?
Conquest-Alex Tagliani
Conquest-Jaime Camara
De Ferran-Takuma Sato
De Ferran-Simon Pagenaud?
Fisher-Sarah Fisher
Team 3G-Stanton Barrett
Curb/Agajanian-Jacques Lazier or Buddy Rice or Max Papis or Oriol Servia or Dan Clarke or John Andretti or ?
Apex Racing-Davey Hamilton
Highcroft-Scott Sharp
Rubicon-Tomas Scheckter or Buddy Rice or ?
Rubicon-John Andretti or ?
Hemelgarn-Johnson-Buddy Lazier or ?
Sam Schmidt/Ganassi-Alex Lloyd
Sam Schmidt/Cheever-Richard Antinucci
Walker-Oriol Servia or Tomas Scheckter or ?
Rahal/Letterman-Buddy Rice or Tomas Scheckter or Oriol Servia or Dan Clarke or John Andretti or ?
Herta-Bryan Herta?
Top Cover-Andrew Prendeville or Paul Tracy or ?

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by madman16

How is that good news????????????

I know she is not well liked and clearly not as talented as most/all of her fellow racers but in a series that is struggling for sponsors/drivers/teams etc i fail to see how that is good news. Truly Ignorant.

While you're at it lets hope Danica's funding falls through as well

Because she doesnt belong on the track. She is a hazard. She's just a field filler and a backmarker with no hopes of ever being on a podium. Now if she were good, then I would be upset but with her skills, its not a loss to the IRL, sorry to say. How many times must I say it..

There are better drivers out there that deserve a ride before she does. I just wish the sponsorship was there for them.

And no, Danica's funds wont run dry. She is a great driver and has talent.

[madman16]

I can think of a bunch of drivers that i would rather see with the motorola money too. It's just the facts of the current climate.

You're right, in a perfect world Duno wouldn't be there but at the moment any driver with any money is welcome as far as i'm concerned.

Sorry Danica fan but now there is more road coarses in the series your beloved Danica is a top 12 at best