CC News & Rumours

[SurfaceUnits]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
Question:

How many of those cars are being paid for or have the involvement of PG, KK and/or GF???

Beyond their normal contingents in previous seasons????

Great question. I can hardly wait for the next quarterly SEC report so that we really see how terrible the situation is.

[SurfaceUnits]

By JASON VONDERSMITH Issue date: Fri, Feb 27, 2004
The Tribune

The newly named Champ Car World Series -- formerly CART -- will run at Portland International Raceway.

"I'm very excited about it," says City Commissioner Jim
Francesconi, who facilitated the return of the fledgling series.

The race, a traditional Portland Rose Festival event, will take place June 20 at PIR, with practice and qualifying sessions and support races June 18 and June 19.

One of the support races will be the Trans-Am Series, which was part of the CART events in the 1990s.

Portland promoter Mike Nealy of Global Events Group says: "We're working feverishly on the sponsorship side of things. That's where we have to concentrate our efforts." A title sponsor is being sought.

Champ Car spokesman Eric Mauk says the deal "is close."

Team owners Paul Gentilozzi, Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, collectively Open Wheel Racing Series LLC, successfully bid for CART's assets in bankruptcy court late last month. The group had promised 15 races with 18 cars on the grid to satisfy promoters, and had been asking Portland to pony up a $1 million sanctioning fee.

Nealy, who says corporate interest for the event has increased in recent weeks, did not say whether Open Wheel would waive all or part of the sanctioning fee or assume some of the promotional responsibility.

"It involved some tough negotiations, but both parties wanted this to happen," says Francesconi, who oversees Portland Parks & Recreation. "Everybody sacrificed some: the city, the private sponsor (Open Wheel), the Rose Festival and the promoter.

"This is a shot in the arm to our economy that needs it right now. It's a way to showcase Portland and market us. But we have to build on this. There's still some flaws."

[Flatspot]

For cryin' out loud SU, you keep posting answers to the questions we don't have.

[Flatspot]

and from The Oregonian Champ Car News

[Mags]

Originally posted by SurfaceUnits
By JASON VONDERSMITH Issue date: Fri, Feb 27, 2004
The Tribune

The newly named Champ Car World Series -- formerly CART -- will run at Portland International Raceway.

"I'm very excited about it," says City Commissioner Jim
Francesconi, who facilitated the return of the fledgling series.

This is GREAT news!!

But.. it's right after I am back from Le Mans - I'll be exhausted!! BUT I WILL BE THERE!!

[Muzza]

I love Portland (second most wonderful city in the United States, led by Seattle and closely followed by San Francisco), and Champ Cars need a race in the American Northwest, but Portland is an outdated track with terrible facilities and horrendous organization.

I have been to the Portland International Raceway a few times and it pales in comparison with the facilities and organization of club tracks in South America (and guys, being Brazilian I have to recognize that organization is not one of our fortés down there...).

However, as there is nothing better in the neighborhood - the closest track, the Seattle International Raceway, is in catastrophic conditions - Champ Cars needs to stick to the PIR.

One curious thing about the Portland is that the race is run in a truly minimal budget. Back in 2002 I talked to a G. I. Joe's manager (a sort of hardware store that is the race's title sponsor) and he said that the company bought the naming rights for some 40,000 dollars...

Regards,


Muzza

[Mags]

Originally posted by Muzza
I have been to the Portland International Raceway a few times and it pales in comparison with the facilities and organization of club tracks in South America (and guys, being Brazilian I have to recognize that organization is not one of our fortés down there...).

However, as there is nothing better in the neighborhood - the closest track, the Seattle International Raceway, is in catastrophic conditions - Champ Cars needs to stick to the PIR.

One curious thing about the Portland is that the race is run in a truly minimal budget. Back in 2002 I talked to a G. I. Joe's manager (a sort of hardware store that is the race's title sponsor) and he said that the company bought the naming rights for some 40,000 dollars...

It's a DIVE however - the drivers love it because they all do secret testing there SHHHHHHHH

[Dov]

From Champweb.net:

Rumor: Las Vegas Streets posted on 02-27 16:29

The latest rumor coming from Las Vegas is that it will host the season ending race in a very big way on the streets in front of the Bellagio. They are also working incredibly hard on the event in regards to a conjunction with a concert.

What is the Bellagio? Is it a Casino or a Hotel or a ???

[Mags]

Originally posted by Dov
From Champweb.net:

Rumor: Las Vegas Streets posted on 02-27 16:29

The latest rumor coming from Las Vegas is that it will host the season ending race in a very big way on the streets in front of the Bellagio. They are also working incredibly hard on the event in regards to a conjunction with a concert.

What is the Bellagio? Is it a Casino or a Hotel or a ???

It's a beautifull hotel that was supposed to be built in Vancouver, BC.

[sgw2]

http://www.bellagio.com/

All Hotels are Casinos. We are talking parking lot with a view of the side/back of the Casino. Same type of deal the USGP had in Vegas.

At least this place has a nice pool and Botanical Garden. It is also where they hold the Poker competitions.

Since my son made an All Star Basketball team, I'll check it out at the start of April, as his team will be in the State finals -qualified already- in Las Vegas (close enough to California).

[Dov]

Thanks for the info, Mags!

[Flatspot]

Well, that's a good thing and a pain at the same time. I have hotel reservations for the May dates posted on the CCWS website.

I hope they come up with an official schedule in time to take advantage of the 48 hour cancellation policy.

[indycool]

It would next-to-impossible to hold it in May, 10 weeks away. They would've had to start building the course by now.

[macdaddy]

Rocketsports has just picked up Rob Hill as a crew chief, who served in that same capacity for AmericanSpirit last year.

Do you suppose that RHR and/or Vasser might be coming along with him?

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally posted by SurfaceUnits
Great question. I can hardly wait for the next quarterly SEC report so that we really see how terrible the situation is.

We won't see an SEC quarterly report...OWRS is not a publicly-held company...

But I do think that this question is one that will have relevance in the long run...

What's the difference if you're giving money to teams to race, or you're buying the equipment for (in Emmo's case) or paying the costs for that team ot operate???

In one sense, it is the individuals, and not OWRS that is paying out the money....

But in another, these three men (PG, KK & GF) ARE the OWRS....

I just hope that they don't go down the same path that CART did in its final years...that's a big concern of mine...

If they do, we could end up in the same boat we were in thre months ago....

Nobody wants a replay of that stupid soap opera...

[Tim Northcutt]

Sorry...the "Quote" didn't pull my previos post that SurfaceUnits was responding to...

It concerned how many cars PG, KK and GF were paying for that would be racing this season....

[racinthestreets]

I believe that the three partners of OWRS know what they are doing. They need to have 18 cars and they need the exposure of the teams. If they have to prop up one or two teams somehow until those teams can find the near extinct, endangered species called sponsor dollars then that is what they should do. Having one or two teams with 3 or 4 cars is not going to be good for the series in the long run. They say they are in it for the long run, so prop up a couple of good names, help make their teams strong, and see what happens over the course of the season.

[indycool]

SurfaceUnits, Tim, here's what IS known about OWRS finances, which well could've changed by now.

In its initial 50-cent-per-share offering to buy out the stock, they agreed in that paperwork to fund OWRS to the tune of $15 million and run the series for one year.

As the 56-cent offer, the asset purchase, etc., went down, everyone forgot this. When Long Beach filed an objection with the bankruptcy court that OWRS had not been funded by the three partners' shell companies, the objection was withdrawn after the partners put $15 million in the OWRS bank. If there's a connection between $15 million back then and $15 million now, I don't know what it is.

As far as the funding of teams, no, we probably won't know, and no, there won't be any SEC filings. What we DO know is that Pook did it for around $50 million last year to have a grid and had the teams funded enough to show up by St. Pete in February. It's now March 1 and commitments aren't clear and funding is not clear....and may not be unless there are short fields and obviously funding didn't take place.

[Dov]

I didn't want to start a new thread so I decided to post this article here. http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view...id=3&nid=86387

TUESDAY 2ND MARCH 2004

By Brad Allen

Road America President and General Manager George Bruggenthies is in charge of what is arguably the finest permanent road course in North America and it gives him a chance to work with a lot of different racing organizations. Sometimes, these relationships are rewarding. Sometimes they aren't.

In 2003, Bruggenthies had to endure challenges in dealing with a sanctioning body and organization that had run into trouble. CART and Road America had there differences of opinion on payment issues and it turned into a nasty legal hassle.

CART decided to drop the Road America race from it's 2003 schedule and it looked certain that the Champ Cars would no longer be running out of “The Carousel” through “The Kink” and into “Canada Corner”.

If not for the efforts of Mario Andretti, a living legend in motorsports who intervened to save the event, there would never have been a Champ Car race in 2003. Andretti was a true hero as he pulled the two warring factions together and got both sides to work out their differences. Last years race was named after Andretti for his hard work.

Even though the 2003 race itself was a wash out with a dismal turn-out of spectators, the effort was made by both sides to work on the future, together.

Now there is a new package on the table. CART is no more and in it's place is the Open Wheel Racing Series with it's Champ Car World Series. Even though there are plenty of challenges for the new ownership group to overcome, Road America is proud to be included in the new series plans.

Crash.net contacted George Bruggenthies to find out what last year was like, what he anticipates for this year and what the track in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin would like to pursue in the future.

B.A. Road America and CART have had a long series of successful events at the track in the past but last year the event almost didn't happen and the race was, shall we say, a wash out. Can you talk about last years event and what that was like for you?

G.B. Last year's race was tough for Champ Car fans and tough for Road America. We really appreciate everyone who came to the Mario Andretti Grand Prix in '03 and supported the event. Road America and CART's management had almost reached an impasse when Mario Andretti stepped in and negotiated on behalf race fans and the legacy of open wheel racing at Elkhart Lake. Because there was so much uncertainty about whether or not the event would take place, ticket sales were down. The race lost money, as it has in recent years.Then we had wet weather. We're a road racing facility and we race rain or shine. We had CART's Chief of Safety saying that there was good, although wet, racing conditions. And there were drivers who wanted to race. CART had other drivers who didn't want to race in the rain. As a result, we spent a lot of time under yellow flags and a lot of time in the pits. It wasn't be best race we've ever had at Road America, but in spite of everything, we did have a Champ Car race here in 2003, and that may be the most important thing to remember about last year.

B.A. Mario Andretti was instrumental in saving last years Champ Car race at Road America. Can you comment on Mario and just how important he was for the race last year?

G.B. We can't say enough about how important Mario Andretti was in resolving the issues between CART and Road America in 2003. He was and is a true ambassador for open wheel race fans and for Road America. He negotiated on behalf of race fans, for Champ Car's heritage and for the race track. The community held a "Grazio Mario" party on the grounds of the Osthoff Hotel in Elkhart Lake to thank him. Mario took a big picture view and was a true statesman for racing.

B.A. What are your feelings about the new ownership group that has control of Champ Car now and how confident are you that they will move the series back to prominence?

G.B. It's going to take owners with a real passion for the sport, who will make a serious financial commitment to the series and who will work with both speed and patience to rebuild the Champ Car series. Racing is like a three-legged stool supported by fans, by sponsors/manufacturers and by teams, all of which have special needs. It's going to take ownerw with strong leadership and a vision to make this series a commercial success— in the larger context of both the entertainment and the racing industry— because the bottom line is that racing is a multi-faceted business. OWRS has big challenges on all of those fronts, and I think that if anyone can make the series successful, it is the combination of Paul Gentilozzi, Gerry Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven.

B.A. Are you talking with the Indy Racing League about a race at Road America?

G.B. Our focus is on producing a successful 2004 race season.

B.A. Have you considered having both the IRL series and Champ Cars race at Road America in the same year?

G.B. It would be possible to have both series at Road America, as have other tracks, if and when IRL goes road racing and if and when IRL wants to compete here. There are many factors involved in a putting together a race weekend, not the least of which involves finding time at Road America, which is in use almost every day between April and October. Again, our focus is on a successful 2004 race season.

B.A. If you have considered having both series, do you think the market demand in your area would allow both series races to be a success?

G.B. The components of a successful race weekend for a track includes the fans, first and foremost, and sponsors and the hospitality and attendent ancillary revenue generated. Any series that can deliver the fans and sponsors will be a success, and most of that is the reponsibility of the racing series. In other words, "market demand" is in large part a function of the racing series. We can promote anything, but if the fans and sponsors aren't interested, and aren't supporting a series, there's little that a race track can do to change that.

B.A. Are you concerned about the car count for the Champ Car series and do you think they can put on a good show?

G.B. We're following the car count, but we believe that OWRS will have a good field. These are among the best drivers in the world, so the racing will be close and exciting. Almost more important than the Champ Car racing on the track, which we know will be excellent, is the fan access to the teams. A ticket to Road America includes entry to the paddock. Seeing the teams work and activities involved in preparing race cars, plus the autograph sessions provides incredible interaction, insight and photo opportunities. That's also part of a good show. The Grand Prix at Road America, August 5-8, is a very full weekend with the Champ Car World Series, Toyota Atlantics, Formula Dodge National Series, Formula BMW and the Motorock Trans-Am Tour for the BF Goodrich Cup. We hope fans will come out and support these competitors. High speed open wheel racing is always a good show. In fact, we'll have an Historic Grand Prix Formula One race at our vintage races July 15-18, with some 30 cars that will be a great race. With the dollar down in Europe, it's a great time for European fans to come to the U.S. and we would be delighted to host a contingent of European fans at Road America.

Crash.net would like to thank George Bruggenthies and Cheryl Barnes from Road America for making this possible.

[macdaddy]

10-Tenths Exclusive!

I have been able to get my hands on pictures of the new Forsythe cars.

Very interesting - they raise some questions about what kind of development the teams can do under the current freeze. The cars, especially the front ends, look remarkably different than they did last year.

Pictured here is Paul Tracy's car. It still brandishes the number "3", but I cannot understand why it was painted on backwards!

2004 Forsythe Lola

Photo courtesy of macdaughter

[Tim Northcutt]

Thanks for posting the article, Dov....

I hope that this gives Champ Cars and Road America a new start that grows into a great, long-term relationship...

IMO, Road America is one of the Top Three road circuits in North America...

Champ Cars are great to watch there...hope it is always part of the schedule...

[Dov]

B.A. Are you talking with the Indy Racing League about a race at Road America?

G.B. Our focus is on producing a successful 2004 race season.

Hey Tim,
I wasn't too thrilled with Mr. Bruggenthies answer to that very straight forward question that Brad Allen asked him. It looks to me like he want's the IRL to replace the CCWS or he want's both series racing at his track.

[Dov]

Originally posted by Macdaddy
Very interesting - they raise some questions about what kind of development the teams can do under the current freeze. The cars, especially the front ends, look remarkably different than they did last year.

Either Paul knocked off the front wing during testing or the teams (engineers) are working on ground effects!? LOL

[indycool]

Dov, I think, at this point, any promoter wouldn't be very smart to absolutely, categorically say "the IRL will never run my race track."

[Mags]

Originally posted by indycool
Dov, I think, at this point, any promoter wouldn't be very smart to absolutely, categorically say "the IRL will never run my race track."

I just wouldn't say anything.