Eurointernational Eyes Partial Champ Car Schedule in '06

[luke]

The Eurointernational squad’s return to Champ Car competition should happen on a limited, 10-race schedule next year, team owner Antonio Ferrari admitted to Autosport-Atlas.

Ferrari aims at entering a single car for the 2006 season, sporting the team’s traditional blue and silver colors, ahead of a full-time, two-car effort in ‘07, when the Champ Car World Series is set to debut a new technical package with a smaller, lighter chassis.

"I feel that now are the technical and financial conditions to bring back Eurointernational Team in Champ Car," said Ferrari, who captained the underfunded Euromotorsport operation in the CART IndyCar scene in the early-to-mid ’90s.

Link

[macdaddy]

Excellent news!

They claim to already have the equipment - hope it's a Lola.

[luke]

It is always great to see teams comming back instead of teams leaving lately. There is also other possible other teams.

[BSchneiderFan]

There's a new chassis for 2007, isn't there?

[macdaddy]

BSchneiderFan... Yes, there is.
The article says that the team plans to expand to two cars, and run the entire schedule, when the new chassis are available.

[Kicking-back]

And apparently some visuals of that new chassis will be made public in the next couple of weeks

[Alex K]

Where is EuroInternational money coming from : I am still pessimist in EI to CC topic.

[BootsOntheSide]

It would be good newsif it does happen, but I tend to only believe these things once the car actually turns a wheel on a Friday in practice. Many people who've sounded this confident about a fortchcoming entry ahve been merely blowing smoke.

[luke]

Maybe, but they sound sorted out already, not waiting untill the Thursday in before Long Beach in April to make it official or whatever.

[f1manoz]

I think this could be one of a few new teams to hone their skills before the new rules package in 2007. I think that could potentially bring in new teams and drivers.

[Omega99]

But why run only 10 races? There's probably only going to be 14-16 next year at most. Maybe just the US races?

[Ac.]

As a supporter of CC I would really like to see some new teams enter the series, preferrably ones that could step up and provide some competition to at least the middle tier teams.

Yet my business mind wonders what new team would invest the capital into a team in order to run the 2006 season, when 2007 will see a new technical package released?

I think we can draw a parallel to the Atlantic series here. Over the past several years the number of teams in the series dropped, and complaints of high costs and a dead end for champions were heard regularly. Then this summer, a new technical package was introduced featuring lower costs, along with new incentives for the winning driver. The result has been an resurgence of intrest, and solid orders for the new chassis.

For Champ Car, it looks as if we will get a closer look at the new tech rules in the coming weeks, and I am anticipating a package that will improve racing, and control costs, but I don't think we will see new teams rushing in just yet. I'd put my money on fall 2006 to see some new team joining the series.

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by Omega99

But why run only 10 races? There's probably only going to be 14-16 next year at most. Maybe just the US races?

They won't be doing any oval rounds, which accounts for 1 or 2, and probably not Australia/Korea either.

[okeefe]

YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!! You have my full attention here now-please keep me posted!!!!!!!!!