Although several teams running at Sebring featured Ford’s blue oval logo on the engine cowlings during the start of the Sebring tests, these logos were immediately replaced by Coswort decals after the surprise announcement that the Ford Motor Co. was ending its long standing association with Champ Cars…
After three decades of sponsorship, Ford claims it no longer feels that Champ Cars reflects its marketing strategies with Champ Cars decision to pull the plug on the pace car program in favor of running Paul Stoddart’s fleet of 2 seater Formula 1 chassis...
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Champ Cars goes to Europe
Although it had been speculated that Champ Cars would fill the large gap left in its 2007 calendar with a pair of races in Europe, the two events have finally been announced. And while Holland still has its race, the rumored German event has been switched to Belgium
Phoenix gets Title Sponsor
This year’s upcoming inaugural Phoenix Champ Cars race has just announced it’s new title sponsor, with First Data Corp. signing up for 3 years…
As part of a deal previously made in conjunction with the Las Vegas event, First Data Corp. will now add its name to the Phoenix street race with the event renamed The First Data Grand Prix Arizona…
As part of a deal previously made in conjunction with the Las Vegas event, First Data Corp. will now add its name to the Phoenix street race with the event renamed The First Data Grand Prix Arizona…
RuSPORT keeps Brit
The RuSPORT team has finally announced that current team leader Justin Wilson will return with title sponsor CDW for 2007…
Although RuSPORT plans to campaign a second car alongside Wilson’s #9 CDW Entries, with Briscoe jumping to the ALMS its unknown who’ll become his partner. Interestingly Mario Dominguez will test the team’s #10 entry at Sebring, yet there’s no confirmation on who’ll be driving in Las Vegas…
Although RuSPORT plans to campaign a second car alongside Wilson’s #9 CDW Entries, with Briscoe jumping to the ALMS its unknown who’ll become his partner. Interestingly Mario Dominguez will test the team’s #10 entry at Sebring, yet there’s no confirmation on who’ll be driving in Las Vegas…
PKV gets Bullish
Although it had long been rumoured that PKV would reap some of Red Bull’s millions… PKV has finally confirmed the terribly kept secret of Red Bull becoming the team’s new title sponsor…
Red Bull PkV Racing also announced Champ Car Rookie Neil Jani as the pilot of the team’s #21 entry. Jani spent 2006 as Scuderia Toro rosso’s test driver along with competing in selected A1 GP races for Team Switzerland
Red Bull PkV Racing also announced Champ Car Rookie Neil Jani as the pilot of the team’s #21 entry. Jani spent 2006 as Scuderia Toro rosso’s test driver along with competing in selected A1 GP races for Team Switzerland
Penske’s new “Aussie”
While it was hoped for that Australian Ryan Briscoe would return to Champ Cars RuSPORT team for 2007, Briscoe has signed to drive for Roger Penske instead…
Briscoe will pilot one of Penske’s two Porsche RS Spyder’s in this season’s hotly contested ALMS LMP2 category which will pit three Acura (Honda) powered teams vs. two Porsche factory backed efforts…
Briscoe will pilot one of Penske’s two Porsche RS Spyder’s in this season’s hotly contested ALMS LMP2 category which will pit three Acura (Honda) powered teams vs. two Porsche factory backed efforts…
Sebring Test Notes
Now that the first open test of 2007 has wound up at Sebring, Here’s a quick recap of the 3 day test which featured the debut of Champ Cars “Car of the Future;’ the Panoz DP-01...
Day 1:
The opening day of testing shed very little light upon team’s final driver line-up’s with the Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing team electing to sit out the seasons first test, while some of the other teams were at half strength or testing un-confirmed drivers…
Jimmy Vasser did make a surprise return to the cockpit for PKV Racing. But don’t get your hopes up, Vasser just wanted a crack at the new Panoz to help with driver development in the upcoming season… (“Yeah that’s the Ticket!” What better excuse for a team owner to come up with who’s itching to drive a Champ Car once again)
Vasser has just completed running in this year’s Rolex 24 along with several other former and current Champ Car standouts…
Having the most fun was Alex Tagliani who has a penchant for NOT liking to do seat fittings… As the Rocketsports team had to mold a fourth seat at Sebring as TAG was unhappy with the first three seats the team had made…
The Champ Car driver roster swell to a full dozen pilots present vs. the just increased total of 7 confirmed drivers for 2007…
Yet nothing seemed too different from the ending of 2006 with Sebastian Bourdais topping the time sheets aboard his Newman/Haas Panoz followed by new Red Bull PKV Racing recruit Neal Jani who was making his Champ Car debut. Jani bested “Sand Dune” Tracy and the other participants…
Day 2:
The second day of testing saw the most Champ Car participants on track for the three days of testing with 17 drivers taking part in the day’s activities…
And while the front of the grid didn’t change much with “Sea Bass” and “Sand Dune” Tracy grabbing the top two spots… The next two drivers caused a slight stir as Dale Coyne’s two “guest” testers locked up P3 & P4 with Katherine Legge leading Bruno Junqueira who’s still searching for a ride…
Day 3:
Stamping his name to not only the top of the day’s time sheet, but the fastest time overall for the three day test was currently unemployed driver Oriol Servia…
Servia whose good friends with Jimmy Vasser was given the nod to take over testing of the team’s second car as Vasser was off to Daytona for the upcoming Rolex 24…
Following Servia was Neil Jani acting as Servia’s “wingman” as PKV Racing grabbed the first two slots on the day’s time sheets, followed closely by “Sand Dune” Tracy…
And don’t you just love the Media? Watching the Speed report their announcers stated that overall there were 14 drivers taking turns behind the wheel, while earlier published results listed 17 drivers including Jimmy Vasser…
Meanwhile the Panoz DP-01’s overall performance was generally good with the exception of numerous teams repeatedly reporting troubles with the new sequential shafting’s downshifts.
Several drivers either complained of the downshifts being too slow, not working at all or of broken gearboxes. As Junqueira noted: “If your car won’t downshift then it really doesn’t matter what your lap time is…”
Hopefully we’ll have a clearer picture of the 2007 Champ Car line-up when the teams show up for he series second open test at Houston’s Motorsports Ranch in February…
Tuesday (Day 1)
1) Sebastian Bourdais (51.024 seconds/117.756 mph) 2) Neal Jani: (51.620) 3) Paul Tracy (51.70)
Wednesday (Day 2)
1) Bourdais (50.888) 2) Tracy 50.960) 3) Katherine Legge (51.060)
Thursday (Day 3)
1) Oriol Servia (50.741) 2) Jani (50.904) 3) Tracy (50.925)
Teams:
(2) Dale Coyne Racing: Bruno Junqueira, Katherine Legge
(1) Forsythe Championship Racing: P. Tracy
(2) Minardi Team USA: Robert Doornbos, Nelson Philippe
(2) Newman/Haas Racing: S. Bourdais, Graham Rahal
(2) Pacific Coast Motorsports: Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel
(3) Red Bull PKV Racing: N. Jani, Oriol Servia, Jimmy Vasser
(1) Rocketsports Racing: Alex Tagliani
(2) RuSPORT: Justin Wilson, Mario Dominguez
(2) Team Australia: Simon Pagenaud, Will Power
Day 1:
The opening day of testing shed very little light upon team’s final driver line-up’s with the Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing team electing to sit out the seasons first test, while some of the other teams were at half strength or testing un-confirmed drivers…
Jimmy Vasser did make a surprise return to the cockpit for PKV Racing. But don’t get your hopes up, Vasser just wanted a crack at the new Panoz to help with driver development in the upcoming season… (“Yeah that’s the Ticket!” What better excuse for a team owner to come up with who’s itching to drive a Champ Car once again)
Vasser has just completed running in this year’s Rolex 24 along with several other former and current Champ Car standouts…
Having the most fun was Alex Tagliani who has a penchant for NOT liking to do seat fittings… As the Rocketsports team had to mold a fourth seat at Sebring as TAG was unhappy with the first three seats the team had made…
The Champ Car driver roster swell to a full dozen pilots present vs. the just increased total of 7 confirmed drivers for 2007…
Yet nothing seemed too different from the ending of 2006 with Sebastian Bourdais topping the time sheets aboard his Newman/Haas Panoz followed by new Red Bull PKV Racing recruit Neal Jani who was making his Champ Car debut. Jani bested “Sand Dune” Tracy and the other participants…
Day 2:
The second day of testing saw the most Champ Car participants on track for the three days of testing with 17 drivers taking part in the day’s activities…
And while the front of the grid didn’t change much with “Sea Bass” and “Sand Dune” Tracy grabbing the top two spots… The next two drivers caused a slight stir as Dale Coyne’s two “guest” testers locked up P3 & P4 with Katherine Legge leading Bruno Junqueira who’s still searching for a ride…
Day 3:
Stamping his name to not only the top of the day’s time sheet, but the fastest time overall for the three day test was currently unemployed driver Oriol Servia…
Servia whose good friends with Jimmy Vasser was given the nod to take over testing of the team’s second car as Vasser was off to Daytona for the upcoming Rolex 24…
Following Servia was Neil Jani acting as Servia’s “wingman” as PKV Racing grabbed the first two slots on the day’s time sheets, followed closely by “Sand Dune” Tracy…
And don’t you just love the Media? Watching the Speed report their announcers stated that overall there were 14 drivers taking turns behind the wheel, while earlier published results listed 17 drivers including Jimmy Vasser…
Meanwhile the Panoz DP-01’s overall performance was generally good with the exception of numerous teams repeatedly reporting troubles with the new sequential shafting’s downshifts.
Several drivers either complained of the downshifts being too slow, not working at all or of broken gearboxes. As Junqueira noted: “If your car won’t downshift then it really doesn’t matter what your lap time is…”
Hopefully we’ll have a clearer picture of the 2007 Champ Car line-up when the teams show up for he series second open test at Houston’s Motorsports Ranch in February…
Tuesday (Day 1)
1) Sebastian Bourdais (51.024 seconds/117.756 mph) 2) Neal Jani: (51.620) 3) Paul Tracy (51.70)
Wednesday (Day 2)
1) Bourdais (50.888) 2) Tracy 50.960) 3) Katherine Legge (51.060)
Thursday (Day 3)
1) Oriol Servia (50.741) 2) Jani (50.904) 3) Tracy (50.925)
Teams:
(2) Dale Coyne Racing: Bruno Junqueira, Katherine Legge
(1) Forsythe Championship Racing: P. Tracy
(2) Minardi Team USA: Robert Doornbos, Nelson Philippe
(2) Newman/Haas Racing: S. Bourdais, Graham Rahal
(2) Pacific Coast Motorsports: Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel
(3) Red Bull PKV Racing: N. Jani, Oriol Servia, Jimmy Vasser
(1) Rocketsports Racing: Alex Tagliani
(2) RuSPORT: Justin Wilson, Mario Dominguez
(2) Team Australia: Simon Pagenaud, Will Power
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