Rising from the ashes: Saving ChampCar

[Ferrarist]

Some of you may know stories on the internet, where people tell others about their football manager games or any other. I try to do something similar, by using the good old xkoranate tool. Here, I take over ChampCar following their 2004 bankruptcy. So all you have to do is follow my story, give feedback or make suggestions about the series. And now, let the show begin:

SportIN awarded CART assets

The sport investment firm SportIN has been awarded the assets of the bankrupt CART. Judge Frank Otto accepted SportIN's bid over OWRS' and Tony George's bid. Judge Otto argued that "SportIN is likely to turn ChampCar once again into a proper business." SportIN has also agreed to cover all of CART's liabilities, therefore causing a total cost of 17 million $ for SportIN.
SportIN is headed by Jay Keegan, who originally hails from Scotland. He made his wealth from doing lucrative marketing deals for the English Premier League in North America and Asia. SportIN has looked to diversify their product line-up for a long time, and according to a spokesperson, "ChampCar is a perfect addition to our football activities."
Gerry Forsythe, whose bid has lost out, has already announced that their group will cooperate with SportIN. "To be honest, we haven't heard much from them. But these guys seem to have lots of money. Money, they're willing to put into ChampCar. Therefore, I think it's safe to say that our group will cooperate with the new owners.", explained Forsythe.
SportIN or Jay Keegan haven't made any statements about their future plans for ChampCar. But with the season starting in roughly two months time, one can expect a relatively soon announcement about the future of ChampCar.

[pycku]

My suggestion is to get an international star just as Chris Dagnal into the series

[Ferrarist]

My suggestion is to get an international star just as Chris Dagnal into the series

Sorry, but I'll only use real-life drivers .

Jay Keegan explains his "vision" for ChampCar's future

SportIN's C.E.O. Jay Keegan held a press conference today, where he explained his plans for the newly acquired ChampCar World Series. The most important points:

- ChampCar aspires to hold 19-20 races in the 2004 season.
- Most venues from 2003 will probably be back for 2004.
- The series will see further international expansion, with an additional European race being added. Britain and Germany are also confirmed as venues for 2004.
- Most team owners from 2003 are willing to compete in the 2004 ChampCar season, but some of them have to get their funding together.
- SPEED and CBS will continue to cover ChampCar for the next three seasons. Eurosport will also cover ChampCar in Europe, while other tv deals have also been made for Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania.
- In the long-term, ChampCar aspires to become an "international brand", the #2 behind Formula One.
- An entry list and schedule for 2004 will be published very shortly.

Interestingly, Keegan didn't lose many words about the IRL IndyCar Series. When asked about it, Keegan just answered "Well, they exist, and we acknowledge their existence. But for now, we want to focus on our series, on our goal to make ChampCar once more a truly global brand and series."

[dr-baker]

So will the British round be at Brands Hatch, or will it make a return to Rockingham? And the extra European round surely ought to be at Monza!

[HonoraryNortherner]

Hmm... interesting!

First of all stick with the 20 points for a winner system. The fans are familiar with it! I'd stick with Brands Hatch for Britain, but move it to the GP circuit if possible. The 3rd European round should be at Spa

[Ferrarist]

Provisional entry list for the 2004 ChampCar World Series

Forsythe Championship Racing (Lola B02/00)
#1 Paul Tracy
#3 TBA
#7 Patrick Carpentier

Newman/Haas Racing (Lola B02/00)
#2 Sebastién Bourdais
#6 Bruno Junqueira

Herdez Competition (Lola B02/00)
#4 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#55 Mario Dominguez

Walker Racing (Reynard 02i)
#5 Mario Haberfeld
#15 TBA

Rocketsports Racing (Lola B02/00)
#8 Alex Tagliani
#17 TBA

Team Rahal (Lola B02/00)
#9 Michel Jourdain Jr.
#16 Buddy Rice (part-time entry)

RuSPORT (Lola B02/00)
#10 A.J. Allmendinger

Dale Coyne Racing (Lola B02/00)
#11 Enrique Bernoldi
#19 TBA

PKV Racing (Lola B02/00)
#12 Jimmy Vasser
#21 Roberto Gonzalez

Mi-Jack Conquest Racing (Reynard 02i)
#14 Alex Sperafico
#34 Justin Wilson

Patrick Racing (Lola B02/00)
#20 Oriol Servia

Fernandez Racing (Lola B02/00)
#51 Adrian Fernandez

You're free to suggest drivers for the remaining TBA slots.

[FMecha]

Enrique Bernoldi for one of those TBA seats.

[Onxy Wrecked]

Enrique Bernoldi for one of those TBA seats.

Definitely for Coyne!

[takagi_for_the_win]

How about Mika Hakkinen and Jean Alesi making cameo appearances?

[Gerudo Dragon]

With no F1 contract for the start of 2004, Jacques Villeneuve would be an interesting candidate for one of those seats.

[pycku]

Maybe Pedro Diniz may save some team from bankruptcy?

[SeedStriker]

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, trying to rebuild his single-seater career with Forsythe

[pycku]

another idea: Bruno Senna persuades his mother to drive in Champcar.

[Ferrarist]

Enrique Bernoldi for one of those TBA seats.

Definitely for Coyne!

Since Bernoldi did Formula Nissan in 2004, I think it's safe to assume that he'd rather have done ChampCar for Dale Coyne than sticking around in feeder series any longer. I think Bernoldi to Coyne is 85% safe.

How about Mika Hakkinen and Jean Alesi making cameo appearances?

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, trying to rebuild his single-seater career with Forsythe

Hakkinen's still in retirement, while Alesi and Frentzen prefer being paid for doing DTM.

With no F1 contract for the start of 2004, Jacques Villeneuve would be an interesting candidate for one of those seats.

Villeneuve had indeed no seat in the beginning of 2004. But PKV has already both seats filled. I don't know if Villeneuve would go to Gerry Forsythe, if Craig Pollock runs a ChampCar team at the same time. I actually didn't consider that, when placing Roberto Gonzalez in the second PKV seat.

Maybe Pedro Diniz may save some team from bankruptcy?

Sorry, but Diniz was in safe retirement by then.

another idea: Bruno Senna persuades his mother to drive in Champcar.

Sorry, but Senna is way too inexperienced by this point. Although I can see him joining by 2007.

No points race at St.Petersburg in 2004

Track officials at St.Petersburg confirmed that there won't be a points race at St.Petersburg in 2004. According to them, ChampCar officials have approached them about this possibility. "They asked us to do this, because some of their teams still haven't gotten their package for 2004 together. Therefore, it would have been unfair to them, if the championship would already start in February. Not to mention that less than two weeks would have been way to short to get their act together for this year." told us a spokeperson. But the teams that have already confirmed their programs for 2004 will still be at St.Petersburg on February 22nd. They will indeed race, but it will be a non-championship race, a sort of "sneak preview" for the new season. "They [the new owners of ChampCar] have expressed that they'd like to race here in the future, but due to the unforeseen circumstances regarding ChampCar during the winter, we understood their request." explained the officials. But from 2005 on, St.Petersburg will be a regular round once again, with the regular grid of the ChampCar World Series.
The Grand Prix of St.Petersburg will be aired live on CBS, at 12pm ET. Bob Varsha and Derek Daly will call the action, with Jon Beekhuis and Calvin Fish acting as pit reporters.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I suggest Ryan Briscoe for Forsythe

[Samster]

If I were doing this I may have started from 2002 and kept the likes of Penske, Ganassi, Green etc from defecting to the IRL. Then of course have Champcar survive over Indycar in 2008.

[roblo97]

Thruxton for the uk round

[Salamander]

Thruxton for the uk round

You're joking, right?

[roblo97]

Thruxton for the uk round

You're joking, right?

No I'm not because thruxton is the fastest road course in the uk and the basic track layout hasn't changed since the 1960's and there is good spectator viewing facility's already there in the form of the huge grass banks…

[Salamander]

Thruxton for the uk round

You're joking, right?

No I'm not because thruxton is the fastest road course in the uk and the basic track layout hasn't changed since the 1960's and there is good spectator viewing facility's already there in the form of the huge grass banks…

Yeah, thanks for confirming that.

[roblo97]

No I'm not because thruxton is the fastest road course in the uk and the basic track layout hasn't changed since the 1960's and there is good spectator viewing facility's already there in the form of the huge grass banks…

Yeah, thanks for confirming that.

That thruxton is Britains answer to monza

[dr-baker]

That Thruxton is Britain's answer to Monza.

Oh come off it. ChampCar would only ever go to Brands Hatch, Rockingham or Silverstone in Britain. And only the Indy configuration at Brands for that matter...

Oh, and I've added some punctuation to your post. You're welcome.

[Salamander]

No I'm not because thruxton is the fastest road course in the uk and the basic track layout hasn't changed since the 1960's and there is good spectator viewing facility's already there in the form of the huge grass banks…

Yeah, thanks for confirming that.

That thruxton is Britains answer to monza

Except for the part where Monza is a circuit that can support things bigger than the BTCC. And has proper runoff.

[roblo97]

But if you ignore the lack of run off and the crappy facility's ( I've been there 10 times since 2005) its brilliant and the circuit would make for GREAT RACING !!

[DemocalypseNow]

But if you ignore the lack of run off and the crappy facility's ( I've been there 10 times since 2005) its brilliant and the circuit would make for GREAT RACING !!

As well as likely death! Which is always fun...

[roblo97]

It does have a Singapore sling style chicane at the end of the lap and another chicane in the 1st third of of the lap to slow the cars down

[Ataxia]

That Thruxton is Britain's answer to Monza.

Oh come off it. ChampCar would only ever go to Brands Hatch, Rockingham or Silverstone in Britain. And only the Indy configuration at Brands for that matter...

Oh, and I've added some punctuation to your post. You're welcome.

Without trying to sound facetious, it was very necessary.

Driving ChampCars at Thruxton is like BBC1's Saturday night schedule; too much Casualty. I'm here all night...

[roblo97]

That Thruxton is Britain's answer to Monza.

Oh come off it. ChampCar would only ever go to Brands Hatch, Rockingham or Silverstone in Britain. And only the Indy configuration at Brands for that matter...

Oh, and I've added some punctuation to your post. You're welcome.

Cheers for that mate, I wad typing on my ipod and the predictive text failed to spell Britain's properly is very annoying .

The point I am trying to make hear is that Thrxton is a great circuit which offers high speed thrills applenty and has more overtaking opportunities than Indy.

[dr-baker]

That Thruxton is Britain's answer to Monza.

Oh come off it. ChampCar would only ever go to Brands Hatch, Rockingham or Silverstone in Britain. And only the Indy configuration at Brands for that matter...

Oh, and I've added some punctuation to your post. You're welcome.

Cheers for that mate, I wad typing on my ipod and the predictive text failed to spell Britain's properly is very annoying .

The point I am trying to make hear is that Thrxton is a great circuit which offers high speed thrills applenty and has more overtaking opportunities than Indy.

It may be a great track (I've been there once), but until the ENTIRE infrastructure is sorted out there, ChampCar would not visit. Donnington found it hard enough for F1, a privately-owned track like Trucxton would never manage it realistically. And why would ChampCar choose Truxton when other alternatives exist?

[Salamander]

The point I am trying to make hear is that Thrxton is a great circuit which offers high speed thrills applenty and has more overtaking opportunities than Indy.

It may be a great track (I've been there once), but until the ENTIRE infrastructure is sorted out there, ChampCar would not visit. Donnington found it hard enough for F1, a privately-owned track like Trucxton would never manage it realistically. And why would ChampCar choose Truxton when other alternatives exist?

And that's before you even get into safety - if somebody goes off, it's a straight slide across the grass into a barrier. And besides, I don't know if the track can support proper slipstreaming battle, since its mostly corners.

[Ferrarist]

Bernoldi confirmed at Dale Coyne!
ChampCar stalwarts Dale Coyne Racing have announced the first of their planned two drivers. Former Formula One driver Enrique Bernoldi has been signed for the 2004 season, likely due to some Brazilian sponsors he brought into the team. "Enrique is a great addition to his team, as he has experience in top single-seater series." team principal Dale Coyne explained in the team's press release. "Furthermore, we feel that he's a bit underrated, but with ChampCars being simpler than F1, we think that Enrique can indeed shine in his new enviroment." "I'm glad that this deal has passed. ChampCar is a very strong championship, and it'll be definitely be a honour to race there." said Bernoldi, while talking to one of our reporters.
In spite of Coyne having one seat filled, the team won't compete at the St.Petersburg exhibition race. Dale Coyne said that they,"[we] will be there at St.Petersburg, but only for promotional purposes. We'd rather take our time to bundle a decent enough package."

Is Villeneuve looking to return to ChampCar?
Former Formula One, ChampCar and Indy 500 champion Jacques Villeneuve is said to be seriously considering a return to the North American racing scene. The man from Montreal is currently without a F1 seat, and is highly unlikely to get a competitive seat. Villeneuve's manager Craig Pollock runs the PKV Racing team, and wouldn't mind his client joining his team. However, PKV already have their two seats filled, with 1996 series champion Jimmy Vasser and Mexican Roberto Gonzalez.
But there are still some rides available, with Forsythe Racing having the most high profile ride available. Villeneuve already drove for Forsythe in 1994, plus it's the team that fields the current series' champion Paul Tracy. On the other hand, it remains to be seen if Gerry Forsythe really wants three Canadian drivers, not to mention two high-profile drivers, who might openly battle for the #1-spot at the team.
For now, neither Villeneuve nor team owner Gerry Forsythe have answered to these rumours.

[Ferrarist]

"Months ago, the ChampCar World Series was thought to be dead and buried. After a long series of bitter defeats, the organizers finally had to file for Chapter 11. But to the many ChampCar fans left, a wonder happened. Jay Keegan, head of the investment group SportIN, and a life long auto racing enthuasiast, seized the opportunity, and bought ChampCar. He's promised to rebuild ChampCar from the ground, but the road will be very tough. Today's race won't see the full extent of his proposed changes, but it'll provide a sneak peak at the future of ChampCar. Right here, in St.Petersburg, Florida."

"And now, CBS Sports presents...the ChampCar World Series from St.Petersburg, Florida."

"Hi everyone, I'm Bob Varsha, and welcome to the sunny city of St.Petersburg. Today's race is an unusual affair. We'll only see 17 cars on the grid, and no championship points will be awarded. But this exhibition race should still be an exciting affair. First of all, race drivers always want to win, regardless of circumstances. Second, ChampCar owner Jay Keegan has promised to reveal the full 2004 programme for ChampCar. Speaking of him, Jon Beekhuis is with him."

"Thank you Bob, I'm here with Jay Keegan, owner, and to some fans, saviour of ChampCar. Now Mr. Keegan, you promised to reveal ChampCar's way for 2004."

"That's right Jon. First of all, I'd like to thank the ChampCar fans for sticking to their series in times of trouble. Then I'd like to thank the teams, who commited themselves to ChampCar. Not to mention their sponsors, who keep funding their ChampCar ventures. A thank you also goes to the track owners, which will house the ChampCar World Series in 2004. Last but not least, we'd like to thank our TV partners CBS, SPEED and all the others that broadcast ChampCar around the globe. But without further ado, here's the series schedule for 2004:"

2004 ChampCar World Series Schedule
1. Tecate Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix (Monterrey, Mexico) – March 14th - CBS
2. Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach, California) – April 11th - CBS
3. Rockingham 500K (Rockingham, UK) – May 2nd - SPEED
4. Grand Prix of Dijon (Dijon-Prenois, France) – May 8th - SPEED
5. DHL 400 (Lausitzring, Germany) – May 22nd - CBS
6. Time Warner Cable 200 (West Allis, Wisconsin) – June 6th - CBS
7. Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland (Cleveland, Ohio) – June 12th - SPEED
8. Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland (Portland, Oregon) – June 27th - SPEED
9. Mazda Grand Prix of Monterrey (Monterrey, California) – July 4th - CBS
10. Molson Champ Car Grand Prix of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Colombia) – July 11th - SPEED
11. Molson Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) – July 25th - CBS
12. Grand Prix of Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin) – August 8th - SPEED
13. Molson Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal (Montreal, Quebec) – August 29th - CBS
14. Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver (Denver, Colorado) – September 12th - SPEED
15. Bridgestone 300 (Las Vegas, Nevada) – September 19th - CBS
16. Champ Car Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio (Lexington, Ohio) – October 10th - CBS
17. Lexmark Champ Car Grand Prix of Australia (Surfers Paradise, Australia) – October 24th - SPEED
18. Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante (Mexico City, Mexico) – November 7th - SPEED

Race distances:
Street Courses: 250 KM
Road Courses: 300 KM
Short Ovals: 250 miles
Mid Ovals: 300 miles
Long Ovals: 400 miles

Points System will stay the same as in 2003.
[...]

"Thank you gentlemen. So as you can see, the 2004 ChampCar season will lead us once again around the globe, with different types of tracks. With me now is CBS' expert for this year, Derek Daly. Derek, what do you expect from today's race?"

"Bob, some pundits called this weekend a gloryfied testing session. But in my opinion, we're going to see how the teams prepared themselves over the winter. We'll see how some of the new drivers will fare, and we'll see which drivers we can consider as favorites. Thus making this race much more exciting than a simple testing session."

"Thank you Derek. Before we start the race, here's how the field lines up today:"

Code: Select all

 1 Sebastien Bourdais    1:00.888
 2 Paul Tracy            1:00.956
 3 Bruno Junqueira       1:01.250
 4 Jimmy Vasser          1:01.466
 5 Adrian Fernandez      1:01.636
 6 Oriol Servia          1:01.834
 7 Michel Jourdain Jr.   1:02.042
 8 Patrick Carpentier    1:02.205
 9 Buddy Rice            1:02.254
10 Ryan Hunter-Reay      1:02.453
11 A.J. Allmendinger     1:02.591
12 Justin Wilson         1:02.657
13 Alex Tagliani         1:02.848
14 Mario Haberfeld       1:03.550
15 Mario Dominguez       1:03.863
16 Roberto Gonzalez      1:04.495
17 Alex Sperafico        1:05.457

...as the field heads for the green flag, and the race is under way."

"Look at Bourdais' start! He's already a couple of car lengths in front of Tracy. That start was absolutely brilliant."

"Indeed it was, and Paul Tracy is going to have to do some hard work, to get close to Bourdais. But knowing Paul Tracy, we're in for an exciting race."

[...]

"And a Forsythe car is in the wall... and it's the #1 car, that's Paul Tracy!"

"You would normally say 'unbelievable', but this is Paul Tracy, so it's definitely believable. Watch the replay, as we're in turn 10. There comes Bourdais...and there, Tracy went slightly too fast into the corner, but this was enough to end his race here.

[...]

"After 86 laps, Sebastien Bourdais takes the checkered flag, and wins this exhibition race in St.Petersburg. And he won it in a dominant fashion!"

"Absolutely. Newman/Haas Racing has once again prepared the best over the winter, and it shows right here."

Results of the ChampCar Grand Prix of St.Petersburg

Code: Select all

 1 Sebastien Bourdais      1:36:27.636
 2 Buddy Rice              1:37:07.240
 3 Patrick Carpentier           1 lap
 4 Alex Tagliani                1 lap
 5 Mario Dominguez              1 lap
 6 Adrian Fernandez             1 lap
 7 Jimmy Vasser                 1 lap
 8 Ryan Hunter-Reay             1 lap
 9 Roberto Gonzalez             1 lap
10 A.J. Allmendinger            1 lap
11 Bruno Junqueira              1 lap
12 Mario Haberfeld             2 laps
13 Justin Wilson               2 laps
Oriol Servia             DNF lap 72
Alex Sperafico           DNF lap 64
Paul Tracy               DNF lap 56
Michel Jourdain Jr.      DNF lap 21

[Ferrarist]

I'll bump this one. We still have four rides left to be filled, so feel free to make realistic suggestions. You could also help me solving the Villeneuve dilemma, since Jacques is still without a drive as of the beginning of 2004...

[FantometteBR]

No way for the Champcar early rejects (Lemarié, Camathias and others) to join?

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I suggested this a while back for Briscoe to take the vacant Forsythe seat. Also, the second Coyne car should have someone quite rejectful to maintain some connection to real life

[Ferrarist]

Jacques Villeneuve returns to ChampCar!

In a shocking move, ChampCar team owner Gerry Forsythe has announced the signing of former Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve. There have been long speculations about Villeneuve's future, but these are now over. "ChampCar is still a very strong and competitive series, and Forsythe are the reigning champions. It was almost a match made in heaven for me." Villeneuve told our site. "It's great that we've finally managed to get Jacques to join us. We really hope that all parties involved will benefit from him.", echoed Gerry Forsythe. However, Forsythe has three top drivers in their line-up, with reigning series champion Paul Tracy and Patrick Carpentier. "I don't have a problem with team mates who are equal or even stronger than me. Paul and Pat obviously know this series much better than I do by now, so I can learn much from them. I also don't need a team mate, who waves me through right before the checkered flag." answered Villeneuve, while taking an obvious pot shot at his former rival Michael Schumacher.
Villeneuve is not only the 1997 Formula One world champion, but also the 1995 IndyCar and Indy 500 champion. He's driven for BAR-Honda until last year, before he was replaced by the Japanese prodigy child of Honda, Takuma Sato. It remains to be seen, how quickly Villeneuve can get his feeling of a ChampCar back.

Dale Coyne, Walker and Rocketsports Racing fill their remaining seats

The last remaining Champ Car seats have been taken away. Dale Coyne has signed former Formula One driver Gaston Mazzacane, while Derrick Walker has given Rodolfo Lavin another chance. Rocketsports Racing has given their ride to young Nelson Philippe from France.[...]

No way for the Champcar early rejects (Lemarié, Camathias and others) to join?

I hope the likes of Mazzacane, Lavin or Philippe are enough for now .

I suggested this a while back for Briscoe to take the vacant Forsythe seat. Also, the second Coyne car should have someone quite rejectful to maintain some connection to real life

Briscoe was still a Toyota driver by then, and he's likely to do IRL races for them in the future.