Ferrari: Sports car racing again sometime soon?

This is the last line of the latest press release from Maranello. It was in response to the ruling in Paris this morning.

'In this situation, Ferrari will continue to compete in races of a calibre worthy of the marque, matching its level of innovation and technological research.'

Those last four words say so much. I'm not sure that a series with a spec. chassis comes under that banner, so it is hard to see them looking too hard at IndyCar - with the Ferrari brand at least.

Talk was rife, at the Spa 1000kms, about a prototype being on the drawing board at Maranello. The ALMS, LMS and Le Mans absolutely fit the bill with regards to 'innovation' and 'technical research'. The prancing horse would be welcomed back into sports car and endurance racing with open arms.

A move of this sort would see Ferrari back where they truly belong, in a disipline of the sport which they were every bit as committed to in the sixties and very early seventies (see below).

More of this please, Maranello, thank you. [img www.motortrend.com]

Alex Lloyd on Midweek Motorsport tonight.

With a ludicrous safety car situation to debate and Martin Haven to debate it, you know tonight's show will overrun. So It is very likely that you will get more than the standard 2 hours.

On the menu tonight:

A thorough look at the utter farce of a World Touring Car Championship event in Pau. Including a ludicrously heated debate over rev limiters (I kid you not).

F1 News and yet another update on who might be in and out of F1 in 2010. We also hatch our plans to enter our own F1 team for next season.

We also have a discussion on the future of De Ferran Motorsports.

We recorded the interview with Alex Lloyd last night. He was terrific, he was like an answering machine, you just ask him one question and off he goes. I was ticking the questions off as I went along seeing as he was answering them without us having to ask them. :)

Oh yes, and one more thing, Coco the dog is back.

3pm EST www.radiolemans.com, click the 'Listen Live' button. The podcast will be up shortly afterward on the site and on iTunes.

Dex

Racing Drivers: Always looking for an edge!

Check out Dario Franchitti who has clearly studied the rules and regulations of the first ever NBC 'Drinking the Milk' Championship. Or maybe he is just a cheating Scottish sod! :)

Either way, it was outstanding rule interpretation.

Sarah Fisher (adored by our own Nick Daman) on the Daily Show

The Indy drivers did their rounds of the New York media on Monday and Sarah Fisher made a rather excellent appearance on the Daily Show (see video below). What I loved about it was the incredibly natural manner Sarah has on screen, there is nothing fake about her and there is not a single thing about the chat that shouts 'Media Training!' at you. That in itself is an enormous credit to her.

She made an appearance on our radio show last year and she was no different then, in fact, I would say she is much more confident now than she was a year or so ago.

Our F1 correspondent, Nick Daman interviewed her for F1 Digital TV at the US Grand Prix a number of years ago and he manages to mention how 'lovely' she is at least once per show.

She's not in my fantasy team right now, but If I was a sponsor she would be on the top of my list as a potential endorsee.

GO SARAH! And please come back on to 'Midweek Motorsport' at www.radiolemans.com whenever you like, it will make Nick Daman a very happy man.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Sarah Fisher
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

USGPE Power Rankings - Update

There hasn't been a great deal of road racing since I kicked the rankings off a couple of weeks ago, but things got a little busier on both sides of the Atlantic over the weekend. The F1 landscape is also changing right before our eyes and the potential cost capping could see an influx of teams, many with very familiar names.

The Week 1 Rankings are here.

RIGHT NOW

1. JR Hildebrand - Firestone Indy Lights/A1GP
2009, 2 Pole Positions, 1 win (Long Beach)
Hildebrand's ranking does not change due to the fact that he has had no race activity since Kansas, so he remains number one for now, based on the potential we saw in his A1GP cameo at Brands Hatch.

2. John Edwards - Atlantic Series - NEW ENTRY
2009, (1 win)
The 2008 Star Mazda Champion has picked up where he left off at the end of last season. With a win and a second from his first two races, Edwards has burst into the rankings ahead of his more experienced series rival, Jonathan Summerton. The 18 year old from Cincinnati is benefiting from racing in series with a smaller field than in previous years but he is still beating race winning veterans at this level. Dominating this series could be precisely what is needed to make USGPE sit up and taken notice.

3. Jonathan Summerton - Firestone Indy Lights
2009, Firestone Indy Lights Points Leader, Atlantic Series
While doing double duty in the both Firestone Indy Lights and the Atlantic Series is keeping Jonathan Summerton busy, his current inability to find victory lane is not helping his cause. He is quick, consistent and reliable but he has yet to show the raw pace, this season, which will put at the front of the line for a race seat with USGPE in 2010.

4. AJ Allmendinger - NASCAR Sprint Cup:
No change is his position seeing as he hasn't lost his ability to drive on road courses simply because he has been turning left a lot recently.

5. Graham Rahal - IndyCar Series - NEW ENTRY:
I had left Rahal off the original list based on his recent radio comments about not wanting to move to F1 just to be at the back of the grid. He also suggested that as an American he was proud of the ICS and wanted to stay in the USA and make it big again. If he continues to mature at his current rate with NHLR, USGPE will not be able to avoid giving him serious consideration.

6. Ryan Hunter Reay - IndyCar Series:
Given his recent travails, RHR would find the talk of his F1 prospects are rather pleasant distraction.

7. Marco Andretti - IndyCar Series/A1GP:
There is no current change with Marco, but if he does the unthinkable and wins the Indy 500 next Sunday, the calls and questions regarding his future will start again. Right now he really is not ready for F1 and staying in the USA can only benefit him (and the IndyCar Series) in the long run.

8. Danica Patrick - IndyCar Series:
Danica has a lot on her plate right now, she has been off the pace all month at Indy in this, her contract year. Maintaining her value as a racer as opposed to as a spokes model should be her number one priority right now. A strong showing at Indianapolis will of course kickstart the F1 rumours once again.


THE FUTURE

1. Alex Rossi - International Formula Master:
2008, Formula BMW Americas Champion & FBMW World Finals Winner
Rossi could not have picked a more technical and challenging place to embark on the European chapter of his career. Pau, in southwestern France is a storied and historic venue, racing has been held on the streets there since 1901. Races 1 & 2 of the International Formula Master Series were held there last weekend as part of the support package for the World Touring Car Championship which had some pace car fun of its own.

Rossi qualified in 8th spot for race 1 and impressed onlookers with his mature performance during a 25 lap scrap for 6th spot with Harald Schlegelmilch. With almost non-stop agression from behind, he defended his position cleanly never once slamming the door in a dangerous or aggressive manner. This work took a heavy toll on his tyres and as Eurosport's Martin Haven described, 'more sideways than a sideways thing by the end, he just had nothing left to fight with, not bad for a kid who'd never seen the place before!' Rossi drifted backwards towards the end and finished out of the points, but it was clear to one and all that he is a talent and a driver to be reckoned with in this series. His fourth place finish in race 2 was testament to that ability and for him to survive such a baptism of fire can only boost his confidence as the series progresses.

2. Josef Newgarden - British Formula Ford/Formula Palmer Audi:
2009, 1 win (British Formula Ford), 2 wins (Formula Palmer Audi)
It is a desparately sad time for everyone concerned with Newgarden's British Formula Ford outfit, as team principal, Joe Tandy was tragically killed in a road accident early last week at the age of 26. As I write this, it is stil unclear as to the future of the race team. My condolences go to Joe's family and all involved in the team.

3. Gabby Chaves - Formula BMW Americas:
2009, Series Leader (2 wins)
Gaby Chaves cemented his position as a serious title contender with three podiums over the weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Two seconds and one third place were not enough for him to maintain his series lead however as young Brazilian Giancarlo Vilarinho took a clean sweep of victories. The 15-year-old Floridian is the only driver in the series to finish on the podium in every race so far this year.

4. Conor Daly - Star Mazda
Barber National Champion 2008, Currently 7th in Star Mazda standings
Noblesville's Daly had a weekend to forget at Miller Motorsport Park in Utah, in round 3 of the Star Mazda Series. Issues with set-up left him frustrated and languishing way down the grid in qualifying. The car was much better in race trim and it gave Daly the confidence to charge hard from deep in the field. 'Then the car was extremely good in the race I just got a little to ambitious and tired to make a pass and the guy came down on my front wing', Conor explained in the immediate aftermath of the race. Front wing damage forced him to visit pit lane and that effectively put an end to any chances he had at the weekend. He now lies 36 points behind the series leader, Adam Christodoulou, in 7th place. Watch out for his latest column at www.speedtv.com later this week.


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Safety Car fun in France.

While the WTCC really doesn't need the addition of any outside forces to spice up the racing, especially at a narrow street circuit like Pau, Race 2 this afternoon was significantly altered by the idiot in the safety car. Can someone please explain to the lad in the Chevy why blend lines are important!

The future of Dario's hair?

Is it me or did PR chaps and Indy make a poor decision in placing Dario directly in front of the Pagoda? Or is this actually Dario's latest style? More importantly is this what we can expect from Tony Kanaan if he does not find victory lane in the near future?

Dario sporting his latest 'do', yesterday

A brick is not just for Christmas, it's for life!

The happy hour shenanigans during practice yesterday may have inadvertently created an new merchandising phenomenon at Indianapolis.

The dislodged brick really does have huge potential as a generator or revenue, the 'pet brick' is not a new idea.

Nobody can better explain the advantages of bricks as pets than the insanely brilliant chaps from 'Father Ted', maybe the greatest and most bizarre sit com television has ever seen.

Moving on up now?

The IBJ is reporting more encouraging news this week with regards to the Versus TV audience. The .35 Pole Day rating almost matched that for the Long Beach Race. That comes out at 388,864 US households.

Even on a fledgling cable channel, the events surrounding the Indianapolis 500 continue to be an attraction—though I’m sure the Indy Racing League’s new TV partner was hoping for better. Pole Day qualifications drew a .35 Nielsen TV rating Saturday (May 9) on Versus. That means about 385,000 TV households nationwide tuned in to the cable channel broadcast. It’s not exactly a Super Bowl type rating, but it’s as good as any Indy Racing League race so far this year.

Well, actually, Pole Day drew just less than the Long Beach race (388,864 households), but better than IRL races in St. Petersburg and Kansas earlier this year. Versus’ broadcast of the second day of Indianapolis 500 qualifications on Sunday nearly did as well, with 322,000 TV households tuning in.

- www.thescore.ibj.com

That is a testament to the power of Indy and to the wisdom of not putting any live broadcasts up against play off games and/or NASCAR racing. It also means that we may have seen the last of numbers like this.

Let us hope this is an upward trend.

Time for a quick Brazilian?

Somewhere in a dust, and most certainly irony, free vault in Paris lies the International Prototype Kilogram or IPK. The IPK is made of a platinum-iridium alloy and is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units. In other words it is the mother of all kilograms, quite literally the one that all others are measured against.

Sport, irrespective of the discipline is no different, there are standard performances and performers that all others must measure up to. Michael Phelps, with his exploits in Beijing, has set his own literal 'gold standard' that will arguably never be surpassed. To break his record of eight golds, I would suggest that new pool based events would have to be created. Maybe this is a good time to revisit Jerry Seinfeld's idea of adapting the Biathlon concept (skiing and shooting) to create a '50 metre swim & strangling a guy' event?

Marshall Pruett of www.SpeedTV.com appeared on 'Midweek Motorsport' this week to deliver his usual calm and controlled perspective, that of an experienced competitor, engineer and journalist. When Marshall speaks we usually listen, except when we are shouting over one another or trying to be the first to say 'hello' to Allan McNish. When we started to talk about our standout performers from the opening weekend of qualifying, two Brazilian names kept popping up. Well in fact, three Brazilian names did but more of that in a moment.

Mario Moraes (left) taking some well deserved time off to shoot peasants, yesterday [pic: www.daylife.com]

Mario Moraes & Rafael Matos have little in common other than their country of birth. Moraes, a Sao Paulo native, is a member of the de Moraes family whose Votorantim Group is a global multi-billion dollar industrial concern active in steel, pulp and paper, chemicals and orange juice (I wouldn't recommend drinking that all in one glass). Matos, on the other hand, arrived in the USA from Belo Horizonte with $400 in his pocket and no contacts family or otherwise. Or as Pruett put it, 'Rafa is trying to put food on the table while Mario is driving to buy a bigger table'.

'The kid is amazing! When I look at him, of all the young Brazilians, he is the only one with that 'Sennaesque' intensity. If you look at the crash he had at St. Petersburg with Danica, that was Senna to a tee, his fault 100% but he got out of the car with daggers in his eyes and would not hear that it was his fault.'
- Marshall Pruett, www.speedtv.com

As effusive as I was in my praise of Matos and the Luczo Dragon team, I had no intention of using the IPS (International Prototype Senna) standard. By the way, similar to the way that the metric system replaced Imperial measures, the IPS replaced the Clark System of the previous generation. I was initially shocked that Pruett would use such terminology but as he explained his reasoning, it made perfect sense. While he is not comparing the 27 year old to the great F1 Champion in terms of ability at this point, he is suggesting that he has the potential to be 'the next great Brazilian we are going to see manifest stateside.'

Seven years the junior of Matos, Moraes has a potentially long and successful career in front of him, safe in the knowledge that he has enough backing to allow him to focus entirely on improving. That process is eased considerably once the ongoing search for backers does not have to be factored into the daily routine of the driver, one only has to look Stanton Barrett's recent tweets to perfectly demonstrate the opposite end of the spectrum. While 'ride buyer' is a phrase that is most often used in a derisory fashion, it should not be exclusively coined in the negative. Moraes has the opportunity to prove in the next ten days or so that the combination of burgeoning talent and pots of money can be an irresistible one.

While everyone hopes that the IndyCar Series can grow again with solid roots being provided by the young emerging American talent, it is important to remember that the credibility of the Championship can only be enhanced by the retention of all of its bona fide stars. These two young Brazilians have the potential to become part of the US open wheel firmament for many years to come.

Marshall Pruett & I will be blogging live today during Friday practice at Indianapolis on www.speedtv.com

Facebook: Harsh, cruel and very funny

(GMM) Nelson Piquet's famous father believes the Renault driver performed strongly at the recent Spanish grand prix.

Brazilian Piquet, 23, finished seven places behind Fernando Alonso in Barcelona, but he pointed out after the race that unlike his teammate he is not yet driving the "fully updated car".

Piquet was closer to the pace in practice and qualifying. "For the first time Nelsinho was better than Alonso," triple world champion Piquet Snr, who has attended every race so far in 2009, told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"He was missing a tenth to Fernando, but he (Piquet) was also missing the modified double diffuser, which only Alonso had. That was worth two tenths," claimed 56-year-old Piquet Snr.

Poor Nelson Piquet Jr.

Not only is his dad now doing the adult equivalent of spitting on a napkin and wiping his son's face in public, but the interweb's famous facebook is now ganging up on him in a rather amusing way.

The clock really is ticking and how long is it before young Grosjean is being an ideal team mate to Fernando Alonso i.e. not being remotely competitive at all.

Second US F1 Team more than a rumour?

The 'Midweek Motorsport' F1 Correspondent, Nick Daman, had some extremely interesting conversations in the paddock at the Spa 1000kms at the weekend. One such conversation revealed that Penske are looking seriously at the possibilty of entering F1 in the near future.

Tune in tonight at 3pm EST to find out more.

The podcast will be up at www.radiolemans.com by 6pm EST if you can't listen live.

And join in the chat and debate on the facebook group.

Dex

A 'horrible life' for Viso & Bell.

Well Herbalife seem to be hitting indy with a bang this year, they have signed a personal sponsorship deal with EJ Viso and the indy blogosphere is awash with images of the fully Herbalife sponsored Dallara for Towsend Bell. Thanks to www.mynameisirl.com for that one.

If they hadn't had such a lousy VP of Marketing and Coroporate Comms for so long, I suspect they would have been involved in racing much sooner [go to 1:10 in the video].

We are live on Wednesday

Hello All,

We're live and couldn't possibly have more to talk about this week.

F1 has gone a bit mad, Brawn keep winning and it's déjà vu for Rubens.
Nobody want's to sign on for next year and the bookies have installed USGPE as favourites for the 2010 Manufacturers title. [I may have made that bit up].

I'll be the contestant on 'Red Bullseye' and I will be helping you all celebrate 'NASCAR Day' to the fullest [I have no idea how or why]. We will have about 30 seconds of Jeff Burton telling us about how the Sprint All-Star event is a great way to celebrate the fans and is more intense than other All-Star events. [It's not of course].

We will of course look back at Indy qualifying and the Spa 1000kms. Speed TV's Marshall Pruett will also join us to talk some more IndyCar and to help us preview the next round of the ALMS in Utah.

Lots of the other usual nonsense too, 3pm EST & 8pm UK www.radiolemans.com with an encore broadcast for our US listeners at 9pm EST.

The podcast will be available on the site soon after the live broadcast.

Send any and all emails to studio@radiolemans.com

Dex

The Conor Daly Show

I work with Conor Daly on his column for Speedtv.com. While getting to know the 17 year old is extremely enjoyable, I feel somewhat guilty because I am constantly hounding him about deadlines which only adds to all of the other things he has to worry about like being a professional racing driver and full time high school student.
He has had quite a few ups and downs in the first two rounds of the season, video of which you can see here.

And if that wasn't enough to worry about, he is being beaten in the Fantasy League Standings by Peter Dempsey who is doing the same thing on the Star Mazda points table.

Another driver to bolster the grid after Indy?

I have just got off the phone with an ex CCWS driver who believes he will be on the grid from Milwaukee onwards.

I can't say any more than that now, but he is confident that the budget he has will mean he can run competitively in one of the front running teams.

Right now, that would surely put him in line for a seat at either KV, NHLR or HVM based on the fact that the 'Big 3' are at full capacity.

I will have more news as soon as I have confirmation and hopefully I will be able to announce the news along with the driver on 'Midweek Motorsport' on www.radiolemans.com in a week or two.

In broader terms this is great news for the series despite the economic downturn and the almost invisible TV numbers on Versus.

Paul Tracy is the missing link!

When Julio Franco, the veteran infielder (and I really do mean veteran, he was 49) retired from Major League Baseball in 2007, the sport lost an extraordinary link to the past.

In his rookie year Franco faced veteran pitcher Jim Katt who had, in turn, pitched against the great Ted Williams on the final day of his own rookie season of 1959.

This got me scratching my head and I decided to see how far we could go back through the history of the Indy 500 in two similar leaps.

It will not come as a shock to anyone that I started my search with Paul Tracy, now in his 41st year, who made his race debut at the Brickyard in 1992. While Al Unser Jr took the spoils that year, a certain AJ Foyt finished in 9th position. The Texan began his storied relationship with 'the 500' by finishing 16th in 1958. Two places further back that day was Wisconsin native, Paul Russo. Russo's first trip to Indy was 1940. Incidentally, Russo started second in the 1946 event which was also notable for a qualification attempt by Rudolf Carraciola.

So there you have it! In two jumps we can get from the Indianapolis 500 of 2009 to the Indianapolis 500 of 1940. Or three jumps from Tracy to Carraciola! I'm still trying to get my head around this as I type!

If anyone wants to attempt to make the fewest jumps back to the first race in 1911, please be my guest.

Wilson managing his own expectations

Marshall Pruett is blogging live again from Indianapolis.

He writes that Justin Wilson's early season speed and form do not look like being replicated at Indy:

All quiet again. Justin Wilson pulled in after several laps on his own, with a 220.023 as his best. As he predicted in his SPEEDtv.com column, expectations for impressive speeds are being kept low for Indy.

Let's hope that Wilson under promises and over delivers

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A prelude to pole day?

Good friend of Midweek Motorsport and Radio Le Mans, Marshall Pruett from www.speedtv.com, is keeping a live blog going throughout practice and qualifying. Marshall is a race engineer amongst many other things and he is a veteran of numerous Indy 500's.

On Saturday, he will be conducting what promises to be very lively chat throughout pole day and I would strongly urge you all to drop in and get involved at some point during the day.

Marshall also suggests that today, from about 5pm onwards, we will see the first simulated qualifying runs and this will give us a much clearer idea of who has the true speed and who does not.

The Fabis had the right idea

Hat tip to Midweek Motorsport Fantasy Leaguer, Jeff Ianucci at the excellent www.mynameisirl.com for reminding me of the fact that Teo Fabi bagged pole as a rookie in 1983. Doorknobs is making a bid to repeat that achievement although it is very early and I won't get remotely excited on the Dutchman's behalf.

It did get me thinking about how he made it back to the brickyard with Forsythe Racing in 1984 while racing for Brabham in Formula 1. The answer, was of course, very much like me, enormously simple - job sharing! It was a family affair too as Teo stepped out of the car for the races in Monaco and Canada to be replaced by his younger brother Corrado.Corrado was the 1982 European Formula 2 Champion was, on paper, an ideal replacement for his big bother.



Teo Fabi racing for Forsythe (right) while Corrado (left) waits in the wings wearing a hat

But how would this work for other teams and drivers? I really couldn't see Colin Chapman being too happy about Mario Andretti offering his twin bother Aldo as his replacement at Lotus in 1978, although in fairness Aldo could well have beaten most of the field that season in the all conquering Lotus 79. Or how about Roger Penske embracing Wilson Fittipaldi's substitution of Emmo during the great years in CART?

And there isn't a team manager on earth who would fall for the old Michael to Ralf Schumacher switcheroo...is there?

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US GPE - Driver Power Rankings

There is no on track action at Indy today, due to the weather, and the US GPE site is still very much 'coming soon', so I thought I would take this opportunity to start tracking and rating the potential candidates for the USGPE race seats in 2010 and beyond.

The easiest place to start is with the list that Peter Windsor himself supplied at the press launch on Speed TV earlier this season. One must presume that the young Americans furthest up the 'staircase of talent' are closer to getting their backsides in the car than those further down. So let's start at the top and work downwards.

RIGHT NOW

1. JR Hildebrand - Firestone Indy Lights/A1GP
2009, 2 Pole Positions, 1 win (Long Beach)
After a faltering start to the season at St Petersburg, Hidlebrand proved his worth with a win on the streets of Long Beach.More significantly, however, was his immediate pace and performance at Brands Hatch in the final round of the A1GP series last weekend. He qualified and finished fourth in the sprint race ahead of many of the established drivers in the series and showed a terrific ability to rapidly adapt to a new car and unfamiliar surroundings.


2. Jonathan Summerton - Firestone Indy Lights
2009, Firestone Indy Lights Points Leader
Summerton's consistency and ability to keep his nose clean has given him a 4 point lead in the Indy Lights standings but rather worryingly, we are yet to see the consistent speed needed to win in the category. It is hard to see any driver making an impression in F1 if he cannot dominate let alone win races in the junior categories. The Floridian has already had talks with USGPE and his extensive experience in Europe could well work in his favor. He is also the only US driver to have a victory in A1GP (China 2008).


3. AJ Allmendinger - NASCAR Sprint Cup:
At the time of the USGPE launch, AJ Allmendinger had a limited Sprint Cup schedule with Richard Perry Motorsports and quite a lot of free time on his year planner. 10 races into the Sprint Cup season, new sponsors, a top 30 ranking and a contract through 2010 all mean that it will be financially tough to wrestle Allmendinger away from oval racing. Can he be bought out of any contract with RPM, of course he can?
The five time winner in Champ Car has the strongest road racing resume of any American candidate, whether he has the desire to make the late switch to the pinnacle of global open wheel racing is another matter.


4. Ryan Hunter Reay - IndyCar Series:
Ryan Hunter Reay's 3 US open wheel victories have been evenly distributed across his first six seasons of racing. All of them have been earned in machinery that would never be described as absolutely 'top level'. His performance for Vision Racing at the 2009 season opener will surely have raised some eyebrows within the USGPE brain trust and for this reason alone he has to be seen as a viable not to mention experienced and capable F1 candidate.


T5. Marco Andretti - IndyCar Series/A1GP:
Despite the extraordinary selling job by Mario during the USGPE launch on Speed TV, Marco has much to prove if he is to have any future in Grand Prix racing. He has shown sporadic flashes of speed on both street circuits and road courses over the last three seasons but certainly not enough to suggest that he can compete week-in-week-out in IndyCar let alone be competitive at the next level. The AGR A1GP program was, at best, inconclusive although we saw one or two flashes of what he may be capable of. It would make a lot of sense for him to put even more effort into that series in 2009/10. Marco's F1 test with Honda may have come too early for him and at 22 years of age he certainly still has time on his side.


T5. Danica Patrick - IndyCar Series:
Danica would be number one on this list if it was merely a gauge of revenue generation, publicity and hype. There is no way by any reasonable measure that she should be considered for an F1 seat based on her resume but the commercial considerations may well be too much to resist for Peter Windsor and his marketing men. In truth she would need at least a year of testing and a season of GP2 before she could make the transition to F1. That sort of conventional wisdom, however, may not enter into the decision making process at USGPE.


THE FUTURE

1. Alex Rossi - International Formula Master:
2008, Formula BMW Americas Champion & FBMW World Finals Winner
The 17 year old Nevada City, California native is the only driver in the rankings who is guaranteed to get seat time in an F1 car this season. He will do some demo laps in the current BMW F1 car at the 2009 World Finals as part of his prize for winning the 2008 title. In conversation with Rossi earlier this season, it became obvious that F1 is his goal and his odds of making it are vastly improved by plying his trade on the circuits of Europe. International Formula Master will become GP3 in 2010 and this year's winner will get a GP2 test at the end of the season.


2. Josef Newgarden - British Formula Ford/Formula Palmer Audi:
2009, 1 win (British Formula Ford), 2 wins (Formula Palmer Audi)
In an interview on Midweek Motorsport late last year, Josef Newgarden made it very clear that like Alex Rossi, Formula 1 is his ultimate goal and he too realizes that he must perform on some of the toughest proving grounds in the sport if he is to make it to the top. A win in the 'Kent' class of the 2008 British Formula Ford Festival was not a bad way to announce those intentions. He returned to the UK earlier this year to contest the British Formula Ford Championship and took one win in the triple-header opening weekend at Oulton Park, becoming the first American to win a round of the series since Patrick Long in 2001. In an effort to accelerate his development, Newgarden is also competing in the Formula Palmer Audi Series. FPA is a 'semi-pro' mixture of young talent and highly experienced and competent amateurs racing with turbo charged Audi power plants, slicks and wings. The 18 year old, Nashville born, Newgarden won the opening two rounds of the series and leads the standings after three races. The top three in the final standings will get a Formula 2 test at the end of the season.


3. Conor Daly - Star Mazda:
2008, Barber National Champion, Currently 3rd in Star Mazda standings
Conor Daly chose to stay in the United States to take up a fully funded season of Star Mazda racing which was the prize for winning the 2008 Barber National Series. Winning the Mazda title will earn him a full season of Atlantics in 2010 which will keep him in the USA for at least one more season. His ultimate aim is to follow his father's footsteps to Europe and he has already made his mark there by winning the 2008 Walter Hayes Trophy for Formula Ford cars. His Star Mazda season has been fraught to say the least (see video below) but despite some setbacks he is sitting third in the standings.




4. Gabby Chaves - Formula BMW Americas:
2009, Series Leader (2 wins)
16 year old Chaves arguably represents the longest term prospect of the future stars. On saying that, he has certainly taken the F BMW Americas series by the scruff of the neck so far this season, finishing no worse than second in any of the four rounds so far.


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Updated Driver Values

Hello All,

You may want to check the driver value list as it is now as up to date as I can possibly make it. Alex Lloyd in his shocking pink Sam Schmidt car has been on the track as has Paul Tracy. In fact Tracy topped the time sheets in Rookie Orientation yesterday with a lap in excess of 223mph.

The first official practice, for all drivers, is this afternoon and can be followed with live video as well as Timing & Scoring below.

Cheers,


The Commish

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It's the flu that reduces congestion!

In times of media-fueled health scares I tend to follow as many of the ridiculous instructions that TV news people can offer me. So with the recent swine flu outbreak I have avoided all pork products, stopped watching GolTV, disposed of all of the Doritos in the house, refused to venture outside my front door and even resisted the temptation to post on the Adrian Fernandez fan club message boards.

Tony Teixeira, the A1 GP supremo, has taken matters slightly further by canceling the finale of the series in Mexico City. This was scheduled for Sunday May 24th, a day (and weekend) that, for many of our listeners, is one of the best of the year. The logistical farce that was the 2008/09 A1GP Series almost triumphed over itself by consistently producing some of the best road racing seen anywhere on the planet. We have not only lost the chance of an exiting season finale in Mexico but all race fans have been denied a crucial chance to fully test our love of the sport and the limits of our endurance.

That whole weekend will be as much a test of stamina for the fan as it is for the 200 plus teams taking part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours starting on Saturday, May 23rd. Thank goodness there is no live radio coverage of that event this year, otherwise I would be in danger of overdosing on 5 Hour Energy and M&M's.

Here on the East Coast, Sunday will kick off with a frantic 6am search for live online coverage of the Porsche SuperCup and GP2 from Monaco before turning on Speed TV for the Grand Prix itself. I can enjoy breakfast with the best announcing crew in all of televised racing, topped and tailed by their refreshingly brief pre and post race coverage.

Richard Philippe wearing possibly 'The Greatest Spectacles in Racing', yesterday (Photo: www.flagworld.com)

The bridge to the Indy 500 pre-race would have been nicely spanned by the A1 GP sprint from Mexico, swine flu has put an end to that option. So part two of the day's festivities will have to comprise of me shouting at ABC's abysmal 'contractual obligation' build up to the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. I wonder who Jack Arute can 'kill' during the race? Jackie Stewart or Gordon Johncock possibly or maybe he could give Chris Amon a Grand Prix win or an F1 title?

The 'Late Great Formula 1 Champion' Stirling Moss on the set of 'Al Jolson's Grand Prix Adventures' in 1955 (Photo: www.nextcar.com)

So once Dixon, Franchitti, or both, drink the milk it's on to Charlotte to watch the '43 Greatest Drivers in the World' (I do love the willful ignorance of that expression) do battle. Sprint Cup racing is rapidly losing it's appeal for all but the diehard fan. The Coca Cola 600 is the racing equivalent, right now, of 'Revenge of the Sith' or 'The Matrix Revolutions', it will be viewed by many simply to complete the full day's experience in the full knowledge that it has lost much of its luster and will inevitably end in disappointment, regret, anger and moment of realization that those last four hours can never be retrieved.

For our European stalwarts, this is a day that stretches well into Monday morning and anyone of them who makes it to Victory Lane in Charlotte deserves credit and my sympathies. I can only presume that fans in the Southern Hemisphere simply call in sick on Monday or quit their jobs on an annual basis.

So with all of that to consider we must thank A1GP for having the sense to give the true race fan a break in the action on May 24th. Even if it is only for the half an hour it takes to heat up another frozen pizza.

Quick poll - 'Edgy' & 'Fun'

These colors are orange/brown & black, they are also, apparently 'edgy' & 'fun' (photo: Indy Star)

I think the colors are really sporty and very cool. It sort of reflects how I am. Edgy and fun.

- Danica Patrick, www.indycar.com

Is Brownie Orange really 'edgy' and 'fun'?
	Yes
	Don't be feckin daft
	If Danica says so
	Yes, if you consider rust 'edgy' and 'fun'
	I've seen edgier satsumas
pollcode.com free polls

Five Star JR - Could Hildebrand be the real deal?

If it was purely based on his popularity amongst the players of this Fantasy League, JR Hildebrand would already be Firestone Indy Lights Champion for 2009. That would, of course, be a terrific position to be in as he could start his discussions for 2010 by May 1st of 2009 and he may even be able to land a drive for the 500 this season. Townsend Bell managed a similar feat in slightly less timely fashion in 2001 when he parlayed a triumphant Indy Lights campaign into a number of late season races for Pat Patrick in CART.

Sadly for the 21 year old from Sausalito, popularity amongst a disparate group of global fantasy racing fans doesn't pay the mortgage. It hasn't helped him in the standings either as his two pole positions and chart topping speed at every round has only netted one win and fourth place in the current standings. Outright pace may not be the key to winning the Firestone Indy Lights title in 2009. Consistency and that inate ability to avoid trouble will most likley be the magic combination this season. Just ask Jonathan Summerton who tops the standings without having seen victory lane this year. In terms of this Fantasy League, it means having to try and pick a single driver to give you maximum points each week is almost impossible.

Hildebrand hit the ground running at Brands Hatch last weekend.

One of the flaws of the Firestone Indy Lights Series, in some respects, is the wide open and varied nature of the competition. The almost chaotic and unbalanced qualifying system on street courses and the clear disparity between some of the teams and drivers abilities when moving from those street courses to ovals, are two reasons why we have seen no clear superstar rising from the pack at this early stage. In 2008, Dillon Battistini won four races on ovals, more than any other driver, but could only manage 6th in the overall standings. The eventual series champion, Raphael Matos never found victory lane by turning left but took the top step of the podium three times on road courses.

Pure road racing talent is something Matos has in abundance, a fact underlined by the contents of his trophy cabinet which contains the 2007 Atlantic Series Cup alongside his 2008 FILS silverware. That ability clearly attracted Luczo Dragon Racing who signed him for 2009. If the IndyCar pit lane was not aware of Hildebrand's similar prowess it will have been forced to sit up take notice by his performances last weekend in Britain. Racing at Brands Hatch in A1GP for the Andretti Green run Team USA, the Californian put in the outfit's most competitive performance of the year. It would be unfair not to acknowledge the work that Marco Andretti and his engineers have done with the team to date and this was something that Hidlebrand was very quick to point out. "Marco and the whole team have done a great job over the last few races getting the setup pretty close to where it needs to be. I get the pleasure of being able to capitalize on that a little bit", Hildebrand remarked after qualifying and finishing fourth in Sunday's opening sprint race. This is absolutely true but it also plays down the difficulty that any new driver faces coming into this series with limits on tyre useage, no testing opportunities and extremely limited track time on race weekends.

Marco Andretti has seen some of his happiest moments away from the IndyCar Series

I talked about Marco's struggles, and his enigmatic career to date, in an earlier blog entry. Hildebrand's run to third place in the opening Sprint race does put some of those prior performances by Andretti and the whole AGR team in some perspective. It also raises the question of who will be in the seat when the A1 GP Series reconvenes on the Gold Coast in October. By then, the IndyCar and Indy Lights seasons will have drawn to a close and both AGR contracted drivers may see success in A1GP as key to their future careers. Michael Andretti may have the unenviable task of chosing between the driver who may need more seat time to hone his race craft and the Indy Lights Champion on an upward career curve ready to win races for team and country.


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Mark one for BMW

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Genius!

The Southern California BMW dealers deserve a pat on the back for this one. :)