Moraes joins KV Racing Technology

KV Racing Technology has announced today that Mario Moraes will drive for the team during the 2010 IZOD Indy Car Series season. He will pilot the #32 Banco Panamericano – KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone Indy Car at this weekend’s season opening Saõ Paulo Indy 300, March 13-14, on the streets of Saõ Paulo, Brazil.


Moraes will also have sponsorship from the Holiday Inn Parque Anhembi and Itatiaia Group in Saõ Paulo, joins Takuma Sato in the No. 5 KV Racing Technology Indy Car and E. J. Viso in the No. 8 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology Indy Car in a three-car effort for KVRT in Brazil.

Originally speculation suggested that Rookie James Rossiter would be behind the keyboard of the No. 32 chassis in a Team Lotus USA collaboration, which apparently either the check hasn’t cleared or this will occur sometime later this season? As recall that Rossiter was originally slated to be one half of the USF1 effort and supposedly comes complete with the necessary budget…

(Photo courtesy of KV Racing Technology)

Time running out on USF1?

Unfortunately it seems that time; money & faith are running out upon the beleaguered USF1 Team, as speculation continues to rampantly swirl over the upstart American Formula 1 Team’s impending demise…

With wild speculation covering all ranges of the map, from Chad Hurley having left the building to trying to do a deal with rivals Campos Meta and Zoran Stefanović to merge the two Operations, to Ken ‘N Pete blocking his attempts… As Stefanović now has put out another barb publicly about Dreamers at USF1 and how somebody should be in a big trouble if there’s an empty spot upon this year’s Formula 1 Grid… Can you say FIA? (OOPS! Sorry FIA, we really didn’t mean that, as Stefan GP has now posted a supposed apology…)

Meanwhile Stefan GP has also publicly stated how its bulk container has arrived in Bahrain, even giving out the DHL packaging tracking slip details and claims its ready to debut its Ahem! Completed racecar… Although claims suggest that only ONE chassis has been completed, with requisite spares desperately sparse, as there’s a bit of reluctance to press ahead without an Official entry…

And this is also the same outfit that needed to cancel its planned Test session at Portimao due to the fact that the Team has NO proper Bridgestone rubber!

Meanwhile we’re all awaiting to see what Jean Todt ‘N the FIA do over USF1’s entry now that its Technical Delegate Charlie whiting has been to Charlotte to view first hand exactly what is going on there… As in can they really build a racecar in time for Barcelona or are they simply too busy making Toasters instead?

And while USF1 has NO Driver’s to go along with its missing Type 1 Racecar’s, Stefan GP is supposedly poised to announce Jacques Villeneuve as Kazuki Nakajima’s teammate aboard their Shiny red S01’s propelled by rebadged Toyota ‘lumps… Now if somebody could just convince Bridgestone to give them a couple ‘O sets of tyres, eh? Hmm? Why does that remind me of another upstart F1 Team named Toleman and Pirelli?

Meanwhile last night on The Speed Report (TSR) Bob Varsha noted that USF1 has now asked the FIA for deferral of its 2010 F1 entry until the 2011 season and that Ken Anderson and Chad Hurley are willing to back that up with a 7-figure bond, while I certainly hope I’m NOT reading too much into this… But Varsha failed to mention his friend Peter Windsor’s name, while Dave Despain mused cryptic thoughts about how The House ‘O Windsor may not even be involved anymore? Or is this just more media mastery crafted by USF1’s Sporting Director?

So it appears to be crunch time as the F1 Circus will shortly be packing its Bags, not to mention 40’ Containers along with those all important racecar’s for shipping to Bahrain, as will it be 11, 12 or 13 Formula 1 Constructors taking part in the seasons opening Grand Prix?

MicFish ‘N Chip

Sitting down for lunch on Friday afternoon I turned on le Telescreen for a little background noise… And indeed NOISE it was, as the SPEED Channel had once again digressed into the DannaCar Network… URGH! As Kyle Petty rambled on ‘bout Lazyboy recliners and Princess not bein’ comfortable with her Steering wheel position, Blah-blah-blah…

Thus my DannaCar-intolerant thoughts were interrupted by the Talking Heads noting how Jamie ‘Mac, (McMurray) winner of this year’s DayToner Pothole 600 was sportin’ a new sponsor this week, as in those very same burnt orange arches that jumped off the Newman Haas Lanigan Racing Ship, leaving the Son ‘O Stash without an Indy Car seat… (Currently)

So I’m wunderin’ if it’s just me who finds it interesting how ‘Cheep has pilfered MicDougal’s away from rival Carl Haas… And if this will lead to seeing Graham Rahal windup at TCGR after all, Hmm? Couldn’t Chip do another “Development Driver” deal with Graham, say having him pound ‘round in a second Grand Am Riley-BMW (coincidence that his Pappy runs BMW’s ALMS GT Program, not to mention some car dealerships, eh?) and perhaps drive a third Ganassi entry at let’s see? The Brickyard, Hmm? Another RLR/Ganassi effort sponsored by Mickey D’s?

Then The Cheepster could bring him back full time in 2011, as after all ‘Cheep… Roger’s got three fulltime Open Wheel Racecarz, so DON’T you needs to up the ante? Or is it just one more sign of how ACK! That Tin Top Bomber series Down South still rules the roost…

Paging Peter Windsor - Paging Peter Windsor…

Mr. Pete Windsor the Formula 1 Circus is waiting for you… Please pick up a white courtesy phone and dial your party’s extension… There’s a Mr. Tomaso for you on line-4 and an Uncle Bernaughty for you on line-1!

Once again Paging Mr. Pete Windsor, please pick-up the nearest white courtesy phone and dial your awaiting parties extensions...

FOUR!

As I’ve been somewhat loathe to scribble about this, having first seen news towards the immanent demise of the House ‘O Windsor’s All Americana Formula 1 Team, better known as USF1 late Wednesday evening… When it was first reported that a tearful Mr. Windsor told Jose Maria Lopez that USF1 was on life support and would most likely not make the F1 Grid this season…

And while the stories continue to grow from numerous sources who I perceive as reputable, nevertheless I’ve been sitting on the story while holding out on hope of all hopes that this isn’t true, even trying to contact the Team with no success.

Rumours continue to swirl over the impending demise of USF1, claiming that the Team’s major financial backer Chad Hurley, of Youtube fame has left the project in disgust, along with Lopez having gone off to London to talk to no less then Bernard Ecclestone about resurrecting his hoped for Grand Prix career, potentially landing at the reconstituted Campos Meta 1 Team now instead?

This along with reports that the Squad’s Charlotte HQ building is up for sale, the Team has NO completed racecar and has cancelled mandatory FIA crash testing in England, all seem to imply that its increasingly likely that the Team will indeed NOT be on the grid in Bahrain in just 3-weeks time, while Stefan GP waits in the wings, now with whispers that some Kuh-Nuck named Jacques Villeneuve could be in the frame?

Here’s the story that triggered the Firestorm of reporting that USF1’s Dreams of making it in F1 will be stillborn…

Sponsorship Woes Threaten Future of U.S. Formula 1 Team

Yet apparently in full Damage Control mode, reportedly either very late last night or early this morning, Ken Anderson finally broke the deafening silence concerning the matter… As apparently in an article published in the New York Times, which must be buried rather well, since I cannot locate it! Ken publicly revealed that indeed USF1 will NOT be on the grid at the Formula One’s season opening round in Bahrain.

Anderson says USF1 to miss Bahrain, team’s future in hands of FIA

Yet Anderson’s claims that the Team wishes to miss the first four races and that its fate is simply in the hands of the FIA, doesn’t bode well for the Team, since I don’t see how the WMSC can open itself up to such a can of worms, having just clarified that ALL Teams MUST compete in ALL Grand Prix’s or face immanent sanctions, or even total exclusion…

INDYCAR: Luczo Dragon – De Ferran Motorsports Telecon

(Photo courtesy of Luczo Dragon De Ferran Motorsports)

So once again it seems somewhat Karmic, as Grizzled ‘Journo Joe Saward spoke about the need to feel positive towards the upcoming Formula 1 season and how he was growing a wee bit tired of all the negativity surrounding the “Off-season” in one of his posts this morning.

Thus opening up the No Fenders mailbag I was bowled over by the emails awaiting me… Announcing that Luczo Dragon Racing and De Ferran Motorsports had merged operations, while even better yet, Firestone Indy Lights Media Relations (PR) Guru Arni Sribhen had once again given me the opportunity to listen-in on the big teleconference this afternoon… As I must say that this news hit me like a bolt ‘O lightning! (As in GREAT NEWS!)

As after all I’m a big fan of Gil’s, having long thought he’s a “Class Act” and I’m thrilled he didn’t wind-up mergifying Operations with some Dude named Tony G, along with being very impressed by Jay Penske and Steven Luczo’s Indy Car Racing Team. As I’d pestered Indiana Bureau Chief Danny B for an LCR Cap way back in 2007 when they ran the then upstart Ryan Briscoe in the No. 12 (“Third”) Satellite Penske Racing Car, where he finished ahead of Ahem! Someone named DannaCar…

Not to mention Steve Luczo’s ties to the Pacific Northwest and the looming Triangle ‘O Death for the fast approaching 2011 Major Soccer League season…

Dragonslayers?

Yet my one ‘N only Black mark upon the LCR Team is that I CANNOT consciously root for or support any Racing Team/Driver combination that actively participates under the auspices of Military Sponsorship… And thus I cannot bring myself to cheer on ‘RAFA, (nor Dan Wheldon) even if he’s a byproduct of the Champ Car Atlantics program…

But I anxiously await the Telecon to see if any “Hard” answers will be revealed, like; will there be a second car? And will its driver be none other than Takuma Sato? Since it would seem odd that Ernesto Viso is testing with KV Racing Technology if Taku-san was going there, eh? Along with Keith Wiggins having told us that EJ “What, Me Worry?” Viso has already signed a contract with somebody. And I seem to recall that ‘Bia (Ana Beatriz) has some ties to Robert Clarke who used to work with De Ferran… And isn’t there some Sao Paolo Indy Car race just around the corner?

So I guess my lunchtime plans just changed as I await tuning into the news conference and will scribble the resta my thoughts below shortly…

Otay! So I found it to be a very entertaining Telecon, as I found all three of the new Racing Team Owner’s cast to be hilarious and much laid back… As Gil seems to be the consonant Gentleman when it comes to providing answers/sound bites to his questioner… As I just sat there laughing loudly over his reply: Do you want the short or long answer to my driving again at Indy? The short answer is NO… And the long answer is NO!

So what did we learn today? Whale Curt Cavin thinks he’ll have difficulties saying Luczo Dragon Racing De Ferran Motorsports (LCR-DFM) in a sentence, and that the Team will continue to work out of its Gasoline Alley premises over Gil’s Brownsburg Base.

The Team will focus its immediate energy on solely running a one car entity for Rafael Matos the entire season, with hopes of building to a two car stable sometime in the future – hopefully.

Also Gil can tell Rafa to Stay Calm in Portuguese way better then either Jay (Penske) or Steve (Luczo) can!

And although two key members of DFM have previously departed, I.e.; ‘ANDO, a.k.a. John Anderson and Will Phillips, Gil mentioned that 3 DFM members have been meshed into the LDR Operation and perhaps more in the future?

As to the rumours ‘bout Taku-san (Sato) joining the Team, De Ferran noted that those rumours seemed to be fueled by their past association at Honda’s Formula 1 Team and Gil and Takuma simply chatted about IndyCar Racing in general and that we should really inquire with Takuma regarding his racing future…

Jay mentioned that of course Graham Rahal would be an asset to anyone’s Racing Team, but it’s currently not in the cards so to speak… Which of course you wouldn’t expect them to tip their hands to us, would yuhs? As I don’t know the status of Graham ‘Mmm-Mmm-Good! Rahal, Mickey D’s and Newman Haas Lanigan, etc, but Luczo Dragon certainly seems to put together a good product racecar-wise, eh?

And I was glad that Gil pointed out how his managerial, nee Team Owner experience was what he liked to consider a culmination of his lifetime of experience; from his Go Karting days with his father, who just so happens to be an Engineer, to working with The Wee Scot JYS (Jackie Stewart) at Paul Stewart Racing, to Jim Hall and then The Captain, and he guesses now that there’s another Penske in the mix, i.e.; Jay…

And funniest question of the day goes to Gil being asked if Taku speaks in Portuguese to Gil, or Gil speaks Japanese to Taku-san? To which a laughing De Ferran said we speak in English, he says a few words, then I say a few words but I was laughing too hard to really hear the final answer!

So although I guess we really didn’t learn a whole lot from this Teleconference, nevertheless it’s great to have Gil De Ferran back in the Paddock fulltime with a Blue-chip Racing Organization…

And who knows what the future will bring, eh? Could we see a “One-off” second car entry for this year’s I500? With perhaps ‘Bia behind the keyboard? And I still think Takuma could show-up? As after all he was trying to get a ride with Red Bull’s little sister Scuderia Toro Rosso last year, as I’m guessing the exclusive Franks Energy Drinks deal has lapsed with the Speedway? So who knows what 2010 will bring us?

RUMOUR: Campos leaving F1, USF1 next on block?

It’s always somewhat entertaining when you read your story somewhere else on le internets after you’ve scribbled it… Which is exactly what happened after I speculated over Bruno Senna’s current plight as a Gran Primo Piloto…

As there are now rumours percolating that Adrian Campos has been forced to leave his floundering Formula 1 Team, with none other then Uncle Bernaughty scooping in along with Co-Owner Jose Ramon Carabante to takeover the Spaniard’s outfit, even going so boldly to predict it’ll become Volkswagen in 2011. Hmm? So long to those thoughts of VW in Open Wheel Racing stateside, eh? Although it would seem more logical for VolkswagenAG’s SEAT subsidiary on the Spanish Racecar’s flanks, while this would be great news for Senna, who the squad claims will honour his current contract.

The rub is now that the rogue Serbian Stefan GP outfit that reputedly Emperor Bernardo has his greasy mitts on will need to target admittance to this year’s fast approaching Formula 1 season by acquiring the American outfits grid slot; Aye Karumba! As perhaps this is part of the hold-up over Adrian Vales announcement, eh?

And by the way I forgot to mention The Glen’s, as in Watkins Glen CEO pinin’ for Bob Varsha’s Mate to come ‘N test his Racecar for “FREE!” Anytime at the fabulous road course during SPEED’s Rolex 24 coverage, although Barber Motorsports Park is supposedly the preferred venue…

RUMOUR: Senna to join USF1?

As the header of my newest category states… this is just some wild ‘ARSE rumour-mongerin’ by your Fearless No Fenders Scribe, as Grizzled ‘Journo Joe Saward likes to call those of us in the Bloggaratzi “Cut ‘N Paste” ‘Vurd Botcherer’s! Thus I can only react to the current speculation running ‘rife on le internets… (Hey! Its gotta be right if it’s on duh internets, eh?) Over Campos Meta 1’s impending demise? With wild talk of new Formula 1 Constructors being allowed to miss a maximum of 3-Races before having their FIA Dance card punched… As reputedly Dallara has pulled up stakes with Campos Meta and has allegedly signed a deal with the upstart Stefan GP? With further rumours claiming that Michael’s famous brother ‘Ralfanzo could also return to F1? Which would mean that potentially Campos Bruno Senna could be left out in the cold again? Since if this happened he’d either need to take a much unheralded Testing role, since Kazuki Nakajima’s name is being touted as ‘Juan of Stefan GP’s Drivers. Or perhaps jump ship to the only remaining seat at you guessed it! Pete windsor’s All Americana US F1 Team. Then again I’m just guessing’ here, as now I’ve run upon speculation that some Spaniard named Adrian Valles will get the seat instead. Meanwhile Adrian Campos broke his silence by telling the BBC that people are saying stupid things about his Teams shortcomings, and he hopes to have more to say on Monday…