Next generation of American CART drivers

[ghinzani]

So where does everyone think the next generation of American home bred Cart drivers will come from? F1s favourite place at the moment seems to be British f3 what with Jenson Button, Sato, Anthony Davison, Enrique Bernoldi etc In fact if you add in Coulthard, Hakkinen, Barrichello it seems that British F3 is the place to recruit fast F1 drivers at least. I have been following the series closely this year and have been to most of the races - there is one this sunday near to me at Thruxton so I will be seeing the best of the next generation again. Beleive me Sato is special, he will be good in F1. Its a shame Americas best f3 driver for years Paul Edwards has had to pull out of the series because he has run out of money - hes the highest place American in the series having led races, had pole positions and finished on the podium. I only hope the Inycar teams who are looking for new drivers next year have the foresight to test him in one of their cars. The way he has driven his f3 this year makes me beleive he is the best bet as far as the next generation of Indycar drivers goes. He stands out amongst the Americans over here in Europe - who are the standout drivers racing in the states?

[gomick]

buddy rice (age ?)....townshend bell (age ?) - i presume these blokes are in there mid 20's

havent ford signed up some young guru (bobby rahal contracted )

its a pity in one sense that nascar exists because this is where young yank talent is shining - look at kevin harvick, what a gun , ryan newman etc.....

also a pit that tony stewart never went to cart, think he is of similar pedigree to michael andretti - and michael has won 40 races

[Liz]

Please apologize to Tony Stewart for comparing him to Mikey.

Buddy Rice is the one under contract to Team Rahal.

Americans in lower formulae tend to run out of money quickly and not get sponsorship, or so I am told, because in America, racing is considered a "hobby", not a way to make a living as it is in Brazil, for example. American corporations tend to believe one should pay one's own way if participating in a hobby.

[KC]

I don't think many race fans comprehend how difficult it is for a young American driver to continue racing beyond shifter karts, dirt oval hot stocks, or sportsman club racing.

First, there is no sponsorship that will cover the expenses of one race much less a season.

A racer can find some limited sponsorship through the auto parts place he buys from but this usually is only motor oil, or maybe one pair of tires, or a few spares. Nothing that will pay for a race day. Even the guys who race in the sportsman series of NASCAR, the Winston West or Winston Late Model Series do not have sponsorship that allows them to do do nothng but race. Most of these guys are supported by their own business or a family run business. Almost all of them have a full time career besides racing.

We raced our drag boat at our home race this last weekend. We run the sportsman class consisting of boats slower than 12.0 seconds in the 1/4 mile (1370 feet). It cost us $225 to enter, plus an additional $75.00 in pit passes for the families and such. All in all, the owner/driver spent around $600 for this race and it is just 30 minutes from his home. We won the first round of eliminations but lost in the second and we were done. We won zero finishing money and no contingency payout either. We have no sponsorship. This is one of the cheapest forms of televised motorsports available. He spent over $1200 to attend the race at Waco, Texas and we were eliminated in the first pass. None of this includes the cost of boat. He has around $2500 in the used hull and jet pump, $650 for a broken 502 cu. in. Chevy V8, $300 in the engine rebuild for parts, $450 for the MSD ignition control, and around $1000 worth of safety equipment (helmet, fire suit, gloves, 200 mph life preserver). To afford this he has a good job where he works around 50 hours a week. I douby seriously we can find any sponsorship for our boat. Half of the professional teams present had none and they are guaranteed TV coverage on Speedvision. I spoke with the owner of one of the Top Alcohol Hydros over the weekend, he said it was costing him around $85,000 to contend the national tour this year. He owns the semi-truck and trailer and tools, another guy owns the boat and a third guy owns the $60,000 engine and spares. The driver is paid only his purse winnings which are zero if he gets eliminated in the first round. The team receives an appearance fee but it will not cover fuel expenses to pull to the race. They had sponsorhip from his own construction company and some minor associate sponsorship from parts supplier and marine companies.

Imagine what it is like for a racer who has no TV coverage. Who races at a track that cannot afford liability insurance for spectators and none are present because of it. Our local road course hosts two SCCA events a year and no spectators are allowed because the SCCA has been sued too many times by fans being injured while at the track. Since there are no fans present, there is no purse to win, and thus the expense is born directly by the racer. Its very easy to sink over $15,000 in a shifter kart just to race the regional division races. That does not include going to the national championships or SCCA Runoffs. I know guys personally that do this every year because they love racing. Since no one sees the races besides the other racers, no one is going to sponsor them. Even race series like CART have cars out there with no sponsorship on them. The local racers don't have a chance.

[kuchi]

Originally posted by Liz
Please apologize to Tony Stewart for comparing him to Mikey.

Good one Liz. .

I think there are a lot of good drivers in america, but there are not a lot of american Team Owners in F1. I mean look what happened to Rahal, he was busted in Jagar, so the USA guys have to stay home, and there is no much room in CART, so they have to go somewhere else, like IRL or NASCAR. But CART is full of brazilians so american dudes must be very pi**ed off.

[ghinzani]

I hear what you are saying about Brazilians - but the reason there is a proliferation of them racing is that they have been supported from an early age, invariably they have raced F3 in Europe (usually British F3 - Gugelmin, Moreno, Salles, De Ferran, Da Matta , Castro Neves, Garcia, Fittipaldi - as well as others such as Brack, Minnassian, Franchittichitty-bangbang, Fernandez, Nakano etc etc are all British F3 graduates) and then they get to a point hwere they cant get to F1 because there isnt enuff space so they go to CART - they are just products of a healthy junior racing system. And British F3 is a great breeding ground - this year Sato , Davidson, Lotterer, Courtney etc have all performed very well in F1 cars when tested by BAR and Jaguar - I bet Paul Edwards would similarily fly if he is given a chance in an F1 car or an Indycar. I know he was quicker than the regulars when he tested the Corvette last fall and he also was fatsest of all the guys DSTP tested last year in atlantics. Who is looking for new drivers in CART next year? Perhaps they should look at how Frank Williams took a flyer on Jenson Button straight out of F3 and he ended up matching and beating Ralf Schumacher by season end... or Peter Sauber taking a chance on Raikonnen - surely one of the Indycar team owners can take a calculated risk? I am telling you the worlds best young drivers are in British F3, and one of them in the form of Paul Edwards is an American.

[biznatchc]

Originally posted by Liz
Please apologize to Tony Stewart for comparing him to Mikey.

How dare you !!

I am an American, he is all we have (apart from NASCAR drivers, but that series is horrible). I'll thank you to not make fun of him next time.

If you would actually watch CART races, you'd know that he is, in reality, very good, and is the active leader in wins.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by Liz
...not a way to make a living as it is in Brazil, for example. American corporations tend to believe one should pay one's own way if participating in a hobby.

Now, this one I know very well.

Sports in general are considered a chance to escape from misery, and altough motorsports only the middle-to-high class have access to, as long as a kid seems promising, he gets sponsors and full support from the local media and related interests.

I know 3 local young promises that are fully sponsored, to be believed "the new sennas"...

Originally posted by ghinzani
I hear what you are saying about Brazilians - but the reason there is a proliferation of them racing is that they have been supported from an early age, invariably they have raced F3 in Europe (usually British F3 - Gugelmin, Moreno, Salles, De Ferran, Da Matta , Castro Neves, Garcia, Fittipaldi - as well as others such as Brack, ...

Yes. From the moment they get into the pro categories here, a career plan are set up for them (like the ones you mentioned above), usually it must be in British F3 or F3000, but mostly european racing series are desired. If look back in the past, you see many of these guys being sponsored by companies that even had no access to europeans and US markets, altough this situation had changed a lot.

[Liz]

Originally posted by biznatchc


How dare you !!

I am an American, he is all we have (apart from NASCAR drivers, but that series is horrible). I'll thank you to not make fun of him next time.

If you would actually watch CART races, you'd know that he is, in reality, very good, and is the active leader in wins.

How dare me? I have watched Mikey race since he was a sullen-faced lemon-sucking 19 year old brat standing beside his charming, personable, patient, kind and totally gentlemanly father who was also racing at that time - and I have watched Mario race since Nazareth was a Dirt Track. I have never liked Mikey and I never will. He's a whining crybaby.

I am an American living in Canada at present and I wouldn't care if Mikey was American or Chinese. I just don't like him.

Tony Stewart, on the other hand, even for a Nutbar driver is very good and I enjoyed watching him in open wheel racing. I understand he used to race in Brand X Racing many years ago and I think he could be excellent in Champ Cars.