2004 OWRS Champ Car Line-Up ?!?!

[racinthestreets]

Time for some sleep zerO. Thanks for the update, I like your art work as well. Last time I paid attention to a Tide Car it was owned by a woman, driven by her husband, and rubbed door handles with the other cars. Now the driver is a talking mic on Fox. Thanks again.

[Marcel ten Caat]

Sorry to interrupt the party, but the images are from cart.com/Paul Laguette and serie-cart.com, so zer0 nor I can't get credit for that.

Making those images myself would cost too much time.

btw, also check out my other lineup pages on http://www.planet.nl/~f1/ (and of course the real race pictures)

[carsten66]

Around the Corner
an interesting up to date overview by Don Sklenka
_
".. The 2004 Champ Car World Series is just around the corner and the team and driver lineup is beginning to take form. Paul Gentilozzi has guaranteed 18 cars on the grid at Long Beach and we will take a look to see what it stands at right now.

Defending champions Forsythe Racing will be returning with drivers Paul Tracy and Patrick Carpentier, as well as new driver, Rodolfo Lavin. Tracy is rumored to be sponsored by a Canadian beer company which will replace Player’s on the side-pods for the 2004 season. Carpentier, on the other hand, is rumored to be sponsored by Proctor & Gamble, which could see Tide livery on his car. This is definitely an odd combination of sponsors. An interesting development is that Rodolfo Lavin will be bringing his Corona sponsorship to a third car for Forsythe Racing. An announcement is expected shortly.

Newman-Haas Racing will also return with their 2003 driver lineup of Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. Bourdais, a title contender, will probably be sponsored by Cialis (the new Viagra). Cialis is looking at having Paul Newman as one of their spokesman. Junqueira will probably be sponsored again by PacifiCare. It is interesting to see the amount of pharmaceutical companies getting involved in motorsports advertising. Is this the wave of the future?

PK Racing, which may be just Kalkhoven Racing, as Craig Pollock is said to be gone from that organization (this would also end the speculation of Jacques Villeneuve returning to the series). The team will be expanding to a two-car operation with two new drivers. Out of the team is Mika Salo, who showed stellar results last season including a podium finish in Miami. Salo is said to be looking at other teams and is “close” to signing. Into the team will be American Jimmy Vasser and Mexican Roberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez will be bringing sponsorship from Nextel (Mexico), as he did for the race in Mexico City. Vasser’s sponsor is unknown at this time, but we are told it will not be “Jimmy” like it was in ’03 for the now defunct American Spirit team. The team will be making all driver and sponsorship announcements at the March 8-9 preview in Long Beach.

Rocketsports Racing, run by OWRS co-owner Paul Gentilozzi, will also be expanding into a two-car effort. Alex Tagliani and Johnson Controls will be returning for the 2004 season. Tagliani is already being considered a title contender despite not scoring a single victory in Champ Car to date. The second seat may be assigned to young Frenchman Nelson Phillipe. Phillipe recently tested for Conquest Racing and has been linked to several teams, the latest being Rocketsports.

Herdez Competition will be staying as a two-car operation for the 2004 season, after what would have to be considered an extremely successful ’03 campaign with Mario Dominguez and Roberto Moreno. Dominguez will be returning to the team for ’04 as he will now be the team’s veteran driver. Moreno has publicly stated that he will not be returning, as he is looking for things past Champ Car racing, such as the Aussie V8 series. Coming to the team will be American star, Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won the finale in Australia for America Spirit. Hunter-Reay recently tested for Herdez Competition in Sebring and impressed the technical director, Keith Wiggins.

Fernandez Racing is 99% certain that they will once again be a two-car operation as they were in 2002, despite downsizing to one-car for 2003. Adrian Fernandez and Tecate will return as one of the combinations, as the owner/driver is also considered a title contender as it appears that his operation has settled down and gotten all of the kinks out. Joining Fernandez Racing was originally rumored to be Luis Diaz who has done a few one-offs for the team in Mexico. However, Diaz is said to be taking on a sports-car ride in the Grand Am Series for 2004. Brazilian Mario Haberfeld has been rumored to be in the second-seat, but Haberfeld tested for Conquest Racing recently where he raced for in the 2003 season.

Team Rahal is also in a similar situation as Fernandez Racing. They are guaranteeing one-car for Michel Jourdain Jr. sponsored by Gigante. However, they are still trying to secure funding for a second car. Oriol Servia has been mentioned as a possible driver. Servia, on the other hand has some funding from Catalonia, but without a race in Europe, will they be able to come up with enough funding to see Servia in the second Rahal machine? Time will tell.

“We are still trying to secure the funding for a second car for Team Rahal. However, for the time being, the Toyota Atlantic Series is the only place we have a second car as of right now,” said Brent Maurer, PR Director for Team Rahal. We will keep Rahal at one car for Long Beach, with the possibility of expanding during the season.

RuSport will be entering the Champ Car World Series for the first time with one of the world’s future stars in A.J. Allmendinger. Allmendinger, who dominated the 2003 Toyota Atlantic Championship, will be piloting a single entry by RuSport for the ’04 campaign. The sponsor is unknown, but we are told they will not have empty sidepods.

Dale Coyne Racing always seems to come through with 2-cars despite their lack of competiveness. Rumored to be Coyne’s drivers for the 2004 season are former Formula 1 drivers Tomas Enge and Gaston Mazzacane. Both are said to be bringing in a small amount of sponsorship to the team from their respective countries.

Walker Racing is actually one of the few teams that are rumored to be downsizing from their 2003 efforts. Gone will be Rodolfo Lavin and his Corona money, as well as Darren Manning and his small financial backing from RAC. NTN Bearings are still willing to provide a small amount of financial backing for Walker Racing, but will it be enough to support 1-car in the series? Michael Valiante is the leading candidate for this seat, but even he said recently that it isn’t for sure yet, and is looking at all of his options. “Where ever there is a seat available, I am working to secure it,” said Valiante in a recent interview with Motorsportok. We feel that Walker Racing will find the funding to secure at least a one-car operation for the 2004 season.

Fittipaldi Racing will no longer be considered Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing, as partner Jamie Dingman has left on what is said to be “unhappy terms.” Meanwhile, Kevin Kalkhoven has been rumored to by the remnants of the now defunct Patrick Racing team, and essentially handed them over to Fittipaldi for his team. Fittipaldi is still searching for primary sponsorships, but has the foundation in place for a two-car operation. Drivers that have been mentioned are Nelson Phillipe, Mario Haberfeld and Ricardo Zonta. However, we will stay low, and say Fittipaldi starts the season with one-car for Long Beach.

Conquest Racing has said that they will be returning for the 2004 Champ Car season, and are one of the few teams who recently tested at Sebring showing their competitiveness. Mi-Jack is said to be coming back for a one-car operation, with drivers being rumored to fill in the seat are Mario Haberfeld, who makes the most sense, and Nelson Phillipe. Both drivers tested for the team. We will mark Conquest Racing down for one-car at Long Beach, even though Eric Bachelart has said they can field two-cars if necessary..."

[Tailwind]

This on Cart.com:

FITTIPALDI LOOKS TO TEAM WITH FORMER F1 COMPETITOR MAZZACANE Former Formula 1 World Champion and 1989 Champ Car World Series titlist Emerson Fittipaldi has been in negotiations this week with Jacques Kremer—who is representing former Formula 1 driver Gaston Mazzacane—with an eye toward bringing the Argentine pilot to the Champ Car World Series for 2004.
Kremer and Fittipaldi have established the basis of a possible contract for Mazzacane, and all parties are optimistic about their possibilities for the future.

“Gaston Mazzacane is the biggest hope for Argentina in racing since (Juan Manuel) Fangio and Carlos Reutemann,” Fittipaldi said. “He would be a very good possibility for Fittipaldi Racing, and it would be fantastic to work with Gaston. I know Argentina has millions and millions of race fans, and I think it would be great for Champ Car to have him in the series. It’s going to be a great season in 2004.”

Fittipaldi, Mazzacane, and Kremer are hoping to finalize their agreement next week, and would join the Champ Car World Series beginning with the season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the weekend of April 18.

[429CJ]

Originally posted by Tailwind
This on Cart.com:

“Gaston Mazzacane is the biggest hope for Argentina in racing since (Juan Manuel) Fangio and Carlos Reutemann,” Fittipaldi said.

He can't be serious!?

[BootsOntheSide]

Well, they haven't had many other hopes, have they? But comparing Mazzacane to Fangio would be funny if it wasn't so daft.

[macdaddy]

As noted, "Argentina has millions and millions of race fans."
So it certainly can't be a bad thing for the series' fanbase!

[zerO]

Line-up update:

According to ItaliaRacing.net Brazilan Jaime Melo, ex-Formula Renault V6 driver and 2002 Euro F3000 champ, will be in Coyne's second car and CART.com is now reporting than Gaston Mazzacane is close to completing a deal with Fittipaldi Racing for a ride in Emmo's second Lola ?!

And here's how the line-up looks now:

1. FORSYTHE - Paul Tracy
2. FORSYTHE - Patrick Carpentier
3. FORSYTHE - Michael Valiante
4. NEWMAN/HAAS - Sebastien Bourdais
5. NEWMAN/HAAS - Bruno Junqueira
6. HERDEZ - Mario Dominguez
7. HERDEZ - Ryan Hunter-Reay
8. COYNE - Michael Keohane
9. COYNE - Jaime Melo
10. KALKHOVEN - Jimmy Vasser
11. KALKHOVEN - Roberto Gonzalez
12. GENTILOZZI - Alex Tagliani
13. GENTILOZZI - Nelson Philippe
14. RAHAL - Michael Jourdain
15. FERNANDEZ - Arian Fernandez
16. BACHELART - Mario Haberfeld
17. FITTIPALDI - Mika Salo
18. RUSSO - AJ Allmendinger

Possible additions:

19. WALKER - Ralph Firman or Jonathan Macri ?
20. RAHAL - Oriol Servia or Justin Wilson ?
21. FERNANDEZ - Rodolfo Lavin or Oriol Servia ?
22. FITTIPALDI - Gaston Mazzacane or Pedro Lamy ?

btw, updated picturesque version = http://www.planet.nl/~f1/cart2k4.htm - note some new paint jobs ?!

zerO

[Muzza]

Originally posted by 429CJ
He can't be serious!?

No, he can't. This is a public relations exercise.

But Argentina has a great hope for Formula 1, and his name is José Maria Lopez. He will race in Formula 3000 this year.

Take note of his name.

[BootsOntheSide]

Lavin will have a drive, no doubt about that. He has complete funding, which is what many teams need.

It's a shame that there are so many new rookies, especially as most of 2003's rookies are gone. There's a similar situation in F1 - a real lack of talent development and patience.

I know it's more down to drivers only have a certain amount of funding for ChampCars, and teams being more dependant on it now that Pookfare's gone, but it's still a pity, especially as the guys being linked to debuting this year aren't amazing, other than Allmendinger and Vailente.

[zerO]

Line-up update:

With the shocking news of Patrick Carpentier being repaced by Rodolfo Lavin and Corona $$$ at Forsythe - the picture changes a little.

And here's how the line-up looks now:

1. FORSYTHE - Paul Tracy
2. FORSYTHE - Rodolfo Lavin
3. FORSYTHE - Michael Valiante or Patrick Carpentier ?
4. NEWMAN/HAAS - Sebastien Bourdais
5. NEWMAN/HAAS - Bruno Junqueira
6. HERDEZ - Mario Dominguez
7. HERDEZ - Ryan Hunter-Reay
8. COYNE - Michael Keohane
9. COYNE - Jaime Melo
10. KALKHOVEN - Jimmy Vasser
11. KALKHOVEN - Roberto Gonzalez
12. GENTILOZZI - Alex Tagliani
13. GENTILOZZI - Nelson Philippe
14. RAHAL - Michael Jourdain
15. FERNANDEZ - Arian Fernandez
16. BACHELART - Mario Haberfeld
17. FITTIPALDI - Mika Salo
18. RUSSO - AJ Allmendinger

Possible additions:

19. WALKER - Ralph Firman or Jonathan Macri ?
20. RAHAL - Justin Wilson or Orio Servia ? 21. FERNANDEZ - Oriol Servia ?
22. FITTIPALDI - Gaston Mazzacane or Pedro Lamy ?
23. BACHELART - Townsend Bell ?

btw, updated picturesque version = http://www.planet.nl/~f1/cart2k4.htm - note some new paint jobs ?!

zerO

[racinthestreets]

Hey zerO: Does Salo already have the one Fittipaldi car? It appears from the news wires that Mazzacane is a definite, but I have not seen too much on Salo. I'm off to Long Beach to see what rumours are fact

[429CJ]

Originally posted by Muzza
But Argentina has a great hope for Formula 1, and his name is José Maria Lopez. He will race in Formula 3000 this year.

Take note of his name.

I know this man, and I am 100% more confident him being the greatest Argentinian hope of racing since Fangio and Reutemann. Mazzacane isn't even the rate of Norberto Fontana or Miguel Angel Guerra.

[Continental Op]

Too bad there will be some people who shouldn´t be there but at least it now starts to feel like we will have more than 18, or more importantly more than 19 cars. HAHAHA!

[Mike.ca]

Zero,
What is your source for Valiente to Forsythe? It seems to me that, if Forsythe was going to run a third car, it would be for Patrick - but Patrick is out. And, apart from the fact that he tested for Walker last year, is there anything else to the Macri to Walker rumour? Is there any solid proof that Walker will be racing at all this year?

[Liz]

Valiente would probably race for $8.00 per hour just to get the chance to race. That might be a consideration. And he is Canadian, which would continue a great tradition. Maybe the Corona money (and free beer) will help to pay for Valiente too.

[macdaddy]

Good post Liz, but right now I betcha Carpentier would consider racing for eight bucks too.

[macdaddy]

Proctor & Gamble is either:

- Kicking themselves in the butt.
- Designing a paint scheme with another team.

[Mags]

Nothing yet from Good Friend re Patrick. This is looking BAD.

[Mike.ca]

Originally posted by Liz
Valiente would probably race for $8.00 per hour just to get the chance to race. That might be a consideration. And he is Canadian, which would continue a great tradition. Maybe the Corona money (and free beer) will help to pay for Valiente too.

I'm sure Valiente would race for free. The problem is that team owners are looking for paying drivers.
As for saving money, Forsythe is obligated to pay Patrick's salary. The only way he can lessen his obligation to Patrick is if PC signs for another team (in any series). Then Forsythe only has to pay the difference between PC's new salary and what he would have gotten at Forsythe (some sources say $1 million). For his part, Patrick has a duty to mitigate the damages from Forsythe's breach of contract. That doesn't mean that he has to take any ride that's offered, though. Forsythe is a top team, defending champs, etc. That's where it gets interesting. Is there a comparable ride available? If not, Forsythe may be on the hook for more than just the difference in salary. Patrick could have a claim for damages if he has to take a less competitive ride. It's a mess, alright.

[macdaddy]

Yes, but Gerry's no idiot. I'm sure he's well aware of the ramifications.
As per the contract, again all we can do is speculate.
Pat says it's "set in concrete", and I've no reason to disbelieve him, but he's no lawyer either.

[zerO]

Line-up update:

This Lavin/Carpentier kaka has really thrown me for a loop... now the talk is that should Forsythe's 3rd car not materialize than Carpentier most likely will be reunited with Tagliani at Rocketsport... as for Walker - word from their camp is that Derrick is trying to put a team together for Jonathan Macri... also from the Grapevine, Tracy may wind-up having his car in Labatt Blue colors and not MCI...

So, here's how I envision the line-up:

1. FORSYTHE - Paul Tracy
2. FORSYTHE - Rodolfo Lavin
3. NEWMAN/HAAS - Sebastien Bourdais
4. NEWMAN/HAAS - Bruno Junqueira
5. HERDEZ - Mario Dominguez
6. HERDEZ - Ryan Hunter-Reay
7. COYNE - Michael Keohane
8. COYNE - Jaime Melo
9. KALKHOVEN - Jimmy Vasser
10. KALKHOVEN - Roberto Gonzalez
11. GENTILOZZI - Alex Tagliani
12. GENTILOZZI - Nelson Philippe or Patrick Carpentier ?
13. WALKER - Jonathan Macri or Michael Valiante ?
14. RAHAL - Michael Jourdain
15. FERNANDEZ - Arian Fernandez
16. BACHELART - Mario Haberfeld
17. FITTIPALDI - Mika Salo
18. RUSSO - AJ Allmendinger

Possible additions:

19. FORSYTHE - Patrick Carpentier or Michael Valiante ?
20. RAHAL - Justin Wilson or Orio Servia ?
21. FERNANDEZ - Oriol Servia ?
22. FITTIPALDI - Gaston Mazzacane or Pedro Lamy ?
23. BACHELART - Townsend Bell ?

btw, updated picturesque version = http://www.planet.nl/~f1/cart2k4.htm

zerO

[Mags]

Originally posted by zerO
Line-up update:

This Lavin/Carpentier kaka has really thrown me for a loop... now the talk is that should Forsythe's 3rd car not materialize than Carpentier most likely will be reunited with Tagliani at Rocketsport... as for Walker - word from their camp is that Derrick is trying to put a team together for Jonathan Macri... also from the Grapevine, Tracy may wind-up having his car in Labatt Blue colors and not MCI...

So, here's how I envision the line-up:

1. FORSYTHE - Paul Tracy
2. FORSYTHE - Rodolfo Lavin
3. NEWMAN/HAAS - Sebastien Bourdais
4. NEWMAN/HAAS - Bruno Junqueira
5. HERDEZ - Mario Dominguez
6. HERDEZ - Ryan Hunter-Reay
7. COYNE - Michael Keohane
8. COYNE - Jaime Melo
9. KALKHOVEN - Jimmy Vasser
10. KALKHOVEN - Roberto Gonzalez
11. GENTILOZZI - Alex Tagliani
12. GENTILOZZI - Nelson Philippe or Patrick Carpentier ?
13. WALKER - Jonathan Macri or Michael Valiante ?
14. RAHAL - Michael Jourdain
15. FERNANDEZ - Arian Fernandez
16. BACHELART - Mario Haberfeld
17. FITTIPALDI - Mika Salo
18. RUSSO - AJ Allmendinger

Possible additions:

19. FORSYTHE - Patrick Carpentier or Michael Valiante ?
20. RAHAL - Justin Wilson or Orio Servia ?
21. FERNANDEZ - Oriol Servia ?
22. FITTIPALDI - Gaston Mazzacane or Pedro Lamy ?
23. BACHELART - Townsend Bell ?

btw, updated picturesque version = http://www.planet.nl/~f1/cart2k4.htm

zerO

MCI is Patrick's PERSONAL sponser. NOT the teams.

[macdaddy]

MCI? Or P&G?

[Mags]

Originally posted by macdaddy
MCI? Or P&G?

I thought MCI!! But it's not like the guy calls me at home!!