Saturday October 14th

I gotta be honest with you folks, but I have seldom seen a weirdo time in the world of the Champ Car World Series than what we are experiencing right now. I guess ultimately its just silly season, but man is this season silly. First of, Andreas Wirth gets his wish and will pilot the number 19 in Oz. Good for him and his family. I want to see the top three Atlantic drivers from this year in Champ Car next season. Andreas Wirth is a winner, that’s the bottom line. He may not have had the kind of season this year that he did in 2005, but if you look at his overall Atlantic record, nobody deserves to be in Champ Car more than he does. He’s an aggressive driver whose only downfall right now is how hard he is on himself. I don’t know if it’s a German trait, but he strives perfection and isn’t happy unless he reaches. He’s going to learn, sooner or later, that (quote the Stones) “You can’t always get what you want” and that’s okay. But better to want perfection than settle for anything less. His biggest shortcoming could very well end up being his biggest asset. We’ll see how he pilots in Australia, going from a powerhouse Atlantic team to a small Champ Car team. I wish him the best of luck and hope he lands something full time next year.

The biggest issue, of course, is whether A.J. is leaving Champ Car for good. This story has gotten out of hand. Quotes are coming in everywhere on the forums, “he’s gone” “he’s staying” “he’s blond”. Losing A.J. would be a blow to the series, no doubt about it. He’s proven to be a great driver when given equipment and a team that suits his needs. But, if Red Bull and Toyota throw him a bunch of money, more money than he’s ever dreamed of, what is he going to say? Not just money, but going to NASCAR is pretty lucrative in many ways these days. Not to mention Toyota’s dominance in the Truck Series. If you take all that into consideration and add the fact that he’s 24, where do you think he’ll end up? My concern isn’t with the survival of the series or “losing another American”. We’ll be fine in both of those areas. We basically have two on board already for next season. And more likely to come. No, what concerns me the most is his vocalization about ovals and how much he loathes them. Or so he has stated MANY times in the past. Now he’s potentially going running on them full time. Granted, I believe his sentiment was leaned towards an open-wheel car on an oval, because that’s just plain nuts and dangerous a lot of the time. Driving those big cabs and those lower speeds certainly reduces the fear. I just hope he doesn’t get bored quickly and then question his decision later. Still, I would hate to see A.J. go because he’s a hell of a kid, a really funny guy who seems to have a genuine lust for life. The series will be fine with or without him, but as a person, the series would lose much. The whole story on how he has an agent and has rejected Forsythe’s offer is mind numbing frankly. We can only wait and see what the future holds for this kid. I hope he stays, as I am sure most of you do. One thing for sure, I certainly will not bet on him leaving until I hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. As of right now, I still think he stays in Champ Car for a while.

I want to quickly address David Philips’ recent article because I know it has drawn a lot of irk from a lot of you. I can certainly see why. A journalist paid to attend Champ Car races and write articles about the series is a dream job. A person complaining about his work area appears to be petty. If you don’t know what I am talking about, check this out: http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/33247/ and then come back to this. Was David blowing off some steam? Was he trying to get Champ Car’s attention by doing it publicly instead of privately? We don’t know the answer to those important questions. What I personally think is that David has a deadline, a quota and wrote something for the sake of writing something. Now, why chose that subject? I don’t know. I really don’t. Did he think the public would sympathize? I hope not. I can tell you from personal experience that the facilities vary from race to race, but at the end of the day, it’s a freakin’ champ car race! In Cleveland, where one can see 90 percent of the track with their ticket, my booth happened to be in the in-field, inside a truck with no windows and two television set. Was it ideal? Of course not. Was I at a champ car race? You damn right! Now, in MY case, I had a lot more restraints than David Philips and it was evident when it took TV about 5 minutes to get a replay of the Tracy-Bourdais incident while my broadcast partner Tom Michaels and I only saw the beginning of the first turn incident and we figured it was the only reason for the yellow. You can imagine our surprise when we see on the monitor a car flip over somebody else’s car 5 minutes after everybody were talking too has already seen it. But you know, you make it work. You make it fun and most importantly you deal with it. Sure, it must have sound awkward to the people in the grandstands hearing myself and Tom’s initial reaction of “oh my god, that was HUGE” five minutes after the fact. It was probably comical actually. But it’s the way it is and we dealt with it. My point here is that David’s article was pointless. Completely pointless. It was not worth writing, it was not worth printing. He didn’t even have a good anecdote (like mine. Hee) to make his point worthwhile. I like David Philips and I think he’s been good to the series. But he definitely ruffled some feathers with that article.

Alright, that’s it for now, but rest assured with OZ this week and the silly season continuing along, except MUCH more news coming out of the paddock in the coming days.

tuesday the 11th of October

Ryan Briscoe is set to join the number 10 car for the last two races of the Champ Car season. I, for one, applaud this move. You may remember some blog back I championed his cause for, what I think was at the time, the seat available at PKV. This kid is the real deal and unfortunately for him, he hasn’t had the chance to showcase his full potential recently, as he, unfortunately for him again, wasted some time in the IRL as per Toyota’s request. The only thing that came out of that stint was his familiarity with the SAFER barrier. Heck, he could become a spokesperson for it. The move at Rusport makes all the sense in the world, what with the Australian race coming up. Sure, it’s a little convenient, but it’s also smart and it’s only going to make the Australian crowd all the more enthusiastic (if that’s possible). And Mexico City will remind him of the traditional racing circuit. I tell you this; he’s in for a shell shock when his first race takes place in his native country. He’s not going to believe the atmosphere and the demand for him. I reckon (is that how the Aussies use that word) he’ll want to go nowhere after racing at home and will fight hard for a Champ Car seat next season. Which is why I think this is a good move on Rusport. My understanding (I think it was Robin who said it on windtunnel) that Dario wanted a commitment for next season and that Rusport wasn’t prepared to give him that. Great move on Rusport. Who is Dario to demand a ride next season? Granted you can’t blame him for wanting security, but its still an unusual request to make and a bit demanding if you ask me. Now, Briscoe will ride out the season and hope that he impresses enough for next year, something Dario could have done but evidently opted not too.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the 2006 Atlantic champion doesn’t get a ride in Mexico City, correct? I mean, a ride sanctioned by Champ Car, as per years past. That’s interesting, because while nothing will ever take the 2 million dollar prize money away, participating in a Champ Car event is pretty good incentive too. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if Simon and Graham both raced in the season finale to hone their skills for next season. I also read that Wirth might join the squad too. Certainly those are the choice drivers to join the series next season. Pagenaud is the Champion; Rahal has the name, so it will be up to Wirth to come up with the funding on his own to make the deal happen. I hope it does. I’m sure our Face of Champ Car hopes so too (oh no you didn’t!). hee.

I look forward to watching the broadcast on television because I really want to study the broadcast and analyzing it afterward. I have heard so many things from different people that I am curious to see if for myself. My understanding is that Beekhuis can do no wrong, but that the other guys are hit and miss with a lot of you.
I’m hoping to watch the race with a couple of diehard champ car fans (they know who they are), so we can all cheer. Actually, come to think of it, I’ll be able to be partial to a driver for the first time since Monterrey. Hmm, whom will I cheer for? I’ve got a couple of weeks to think about it….