'05 Silly Season

[Fiorentina 1]

Prost, why would Prost start a Champ Car team? Condor is a long shot as well, especially with the listed drivers, who have no money! 90% of the rides are based on drivers bringing money.

[Dov]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
Tomas Enge is listed as a possible driver for Dale Coyne and for Leberle...

He will be driving for Patrick racing in the final two events of the 2004 season in place of Jacques Lazier, and the word on the street is that he will also occupy that seat for 2005....

Boy oh boy, Enge must have done a lot more drugs then I originally thought.

[Muzza]

Short snippets:

- The split between John Menard and Eddie Cheever was very sour. Don't expect those two to work together again.

- Liuzzi has been contacted by Alfa Romeo to race in the ETCC.

- the likelihood of Alain Prost starting a Champ Car team is, in my opinion, of less than 5%. Frankly I am being optimist by quoting this number. A friend of mine talked to Alain last year in one of the rounds of the Andros Trophy (in Crans-Montana) and the three-time World Champions stressed that he would never go back to the position of team owner or team manager, and that he is happy doing eventual outings as a ice racing driver. Prost has said the same time and again.

- Condor does not have the structure to run a Champ Car team and seems very unlikely to be able to raise it. Sierra Sierra and Lynx would be better calls, but both teams are reluctant to move up the ladder (they have been courted by OWRS, and one way or another politely declined).

- as it stands to day, the chances of Émerson Fittipaldi fielding a Champ Car are very slim. This has not even been a recent consideration to him.

- some Brazilian pundits believe that Newman/Hass will run to cars at Champ Car for Cristiano da Matta and Sébastien Bourdais (who is believed to remain in the series for another year even if he wins the championship) and that Bruno Junqueira is the one moving to the IRL.

Regards,


Muzza

[Kicking-back]

That's a very unfair shot there, Dov.

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Muzza
- Liuzzi has been contacted by Alfa Romeo to race in the ETCC.

Just a small note, but I assume it would be next years WTCC that they have talked about (seeing as the ETCC will make way for the WTCC next year).

[BootsOntheSide]

Another very small correction Muzza - Prost won the F1 title 4 times.

There's no guarantee that Patrick will stll be running a team next year, and Enge isn't automatically favourite for the drive unless he does a great job in the final 2 races this year, so he's still a 'maybe' for ChampCars.

[Muzza]

To Rusty,

Yes, I should have made a remark about that! I just quoted what I read - when, in fact, Liuzzi would race in the WTCC next year. Thanks.

To Boots,

Thanks - and my apologies to Alain...

Regards,


Muzza

[indycool]

That list is an untypical list of silly season "maybes." Usually, a few seem solid by now but there are many, many questions about which teams will even answer the bell. In additions to Muzza's comments, Forsythe is likely to cut to two cars with the loss of Carpentier. He reportedly told his crews at Portland that there'd be no race bonuses this year. As posted earlier, don't think Gentilozzi has a sponsor for either car yet. Awful lot of "pay drivers" to find.

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by Muzza

- Condor does not have the structure to run a Champ Car team and seems very unlikely to be able to raise it. Sierra Sierra and Lynx would be better calls, but both teams are reluctant to move up the ladder (they have been courted by OWRS, and one way or another politely declined).

Sadly, 2004 was Lynx Racing's last season in Atlantics. I have heard nothing about what they plan on doing in the future if anything.

[Muzza]

Yes, JJ - Lynx may even close the shop, what would be awful. I have been a long time fan of the girls. I really really hope they can put some package together.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
If you link every driver there is to every team there is, it means whenever any deal happens you can say "just as I predicted"!

The continuing presence of Chris Dyson / Dyson Racing on this list, after I corrected the person who generates it quite some time ago, rather sours it for me.

[Kicking-back]

Interestingly, the originator of the list no longer feels the need to post it here himself!

[Dov]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Interestingly, the originator of the list no longer feels the need to post it here himself!

That's because zerO was banned from 10TENTHS.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
There's no guarantee that Patrick will stll be running a team next year, and Enge isn't automatically favourite for the drive unless he does a great job in the final 2 races this year, so he's still a 'maybe' for ChampCars.

That is true, Boots....

But when this was announced a couple of weeks ago, it was noted that Enge is bringing about $2.5 million in sponsors & cash to the seat...which is the figure Patrick feels he'll need to run next year...

So unless Enge decides to take his marbles elsewhere, he'll probably be in that seat with Partick Racing in 2005....

After all, it sure doesn't look like anyone from OWRS has been pounding on his door to get him involved as their driver, now has it???

Guess he's going to where a seat is available...

[Tim Northcutt]

NOTE:

Rob Dyson was on "Windtunnel" last night, and Dave asked him about Chris and the Toyota Atlantic race they did, and if there was a possible look at their racing in an open-wheel series more often or full-time...

Rob said that Chris wanted to broaden his experiences, and thus ran the Atlantic race...

But hteir focus is still sportscars, and he didn't see that focus changing....

So a Dyson team in OWRS seems to be a longshot....at least as far as Rob Dyson is concerned....

THeir plans for 2005 are to run a full ALMS campaign with the same principal drivers and the same Lola chassis they already have...

[Dov]

Update:

Latest from the Grapevine is that David Besnard will be in a 19th car at Surfers Paradise courtesy of Walker Racing sponsored by Caltex/Havoline and again at Mexico City Walker's car #15 will be entered thanks to the Mexican branch of MasterCard with either Homero Richards or Rafael Martinez driving ?!

Here's how the line-up scenario for next year looks like now:

1. NEWMAN/HAAS - #1 - Sebastien Bourdais
2. NEWMAN/HAAS - #2 - Cristiano DaMatta or Giorgio Pantano or Vitantonio Liuzzi
3. NEWMAN/HAAS - #6 - Bruno Junqueira
4. FORSYTHE - #3 - Paul Tracy
5. FORSYTHE - #7 - Rodolfo Lavin or Rafael Martinez or Luis Diaz or Homero Richards
6. WALKER - #5 - Mario Haberfeld
7. WALKER - #15 - Michael Valiante or Jonathan Macri or Rafael Martinez or Homero Richards or Brian Sellers
8. WIGGINS - #4 - Ryan Hunter-Reay
9. WIGGINS - #55 - Mario Dominguez
10. COYNE - #11 - Oriol Servia or Michael Keohane or Tomas Enge or Jon Fogarty
11. COYNE - #19 - Gaston Mazzacane or Jaime Melo or Ralph Firman or Andrew Ranger
12. BACHELART - #14 - Nelson Philippe or Ricardo Sperafico or Memo Gidley or Bas Leinders
13. BACHELART - #34 - Justin Wilson
14. KALKHOVEN - #12 - Jimmy Vasser or Cristiano DaMatta
15. KALKHOVEN - #21 - Roberto Gonzalez or Rafael Martinez or Homero Richards or Rodolfo Lavin
16. GENTILOZZI - #8 - Alex Tagliani
17. GENTILOZZI - #17 - Guy Smith or Michael Valiante or Memo Gidley or Giorgio Pantano or Vitantonio Liuzzi
18. RUSSO - #9 - Michel Jourdain
19. RUSSO - #10 - AJ Allmendinger

Possible new entries in 2005:

20. BACHELART - #24 - Bas Leinders or Memo Gidley or Ricardo Sperafico
21. FITTIPALDI - #20 - Ricardo Sperafico or Alex Sperafico or Jaime Melo or Ricardo Zonta or JP.DeOliveira or Tiago Monteiro or Gaston Mazzacane
22. KALKHOVEN - #22 - Christian Murchison or Josh Hunt or David Besnard
23. LEBERLE - #33 - Ralph Firman or Giorgio Pantano or Jos Verstappen or Bas Leinders or Tomas Enge or Vitantonio Liuzzi
24. MENARD - #18 - Memo Gidley or Jeff Simmons or Mark Taylor or Jon Fogarty

Longshot entries for 2005:

SIERRA - Andrew Ranger or Ryan Dalziel or Jon Fogarty
NUNN - Felipe Giaffone or Alex Barron
JENSEN - David Sterckx or Adam Pecorari
PROST - Nicolas Prost and/or Jonathan Cochet
HEMELGARN - Townsend Bell or Jaime Melo
CONDOR - Jon Fogarty and/or Marc Hynes or Brian Sellers
DYSON - Gunnar Jeannette or Chris Dyson

btw, for an updated picturesque version of the current line-up and the next year's possibilities -> go to www.champcarfan.com and click on the "Line-Up" thingy ?!

[marcus]

be great if all those names on the list were next year wouldnt it ?

[paul-collins]

Again with the Dyson!

Dov, tell ZerO to axe that.

[Tim Northcutt]

Agreed, paul-collins....

Dyson was very matter-of-fact about what their plans are next year...

Champ Cars is not even in left field.....

It is standing outside the ballpark trying to buy a ticket from a scalper....

If Chris Dyson runs anything in open-wheel next year, it might be a spin in a Toyota Atlantic (since he has a chassis) but it is only to give him a broader background to develop his racing skills...

Sportscars are still, and will remain, their focus for 2005....

[indycool]

Pretty aggressive list of possibilities. Think some of the "possible new entries" belong in the "longshot" category. It'll be interesting to follow how it all shakes out.

[Tim Northcutt]

BTW....


In the other Series, Dreyer & Rheinbold is going to expand to a two-car team in the IRL next year...

Giaffone is the lead driver in that effort, and will reamin in that seat....

So any team listings with him as a drvier can be scratched...

He's not going anywhere....

[indycool]

No, Tim, don't think he is......Nunn's not going anywhere, either.

[Tim Northcutt]

Mo Nunn might be another matter....noit sure if he'll be in either series though...

He's had a tough year....and has said that it is "not fun anymore"

[Dov]

Originally posted by paul-collins
Again with the Dyson!

Dov, tell ZerO to axe that.

Give me one good reason? :confused:

[indycool]

True with Nunn, but think that team will eventually continue. Agree with paul-collins on Dyson. No chance for him to move.