INDYCAR: Team Owners Vote To Keep Firestone

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Team Owners Vote To Keep Firestone

Monday's owner meeting leads to a majority vote to keep Firestone as the sole tire supplier, but will the tire giant reconsider its decision to depart in 2012?

Robin Miller | Posted March 08, 2011 Indianapolis, IN

Can IndyCar team owners keep Firestone in the picture for 2012 and beyond? (LAT)

Less than a week after Firestone announced it would no longer compete in the IZOD INDYCAR series following the 2011 season, the tire company learned it was still wanted.

By the car owners.

The result of an open forum meeting among the INDYCAR owners on Monday resulted in a near-unanimous vote to stick with Firestone – regardless of the price.

“We all want to keep running with Firestone,” said Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart. “We know those people; we trust their product and we have to save the deal.

“They are the best partner ever and we can’t afford to lose them so we’re hoping they’ll review their decision.”

Al Speyer, the executive director for motorsports for Bridgestone/Firestone, had several meetings with INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard and Terry Angstadt, the president of INDYCAR’s commercial division, but a contract extension could not be worked out.

Reached at his home in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday night, Speyer seemed surprised but flattered.

“It’s nice to hear those things but that’s about all I can say,” said Speyer. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see if they send us a proposal.”

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Bernard, who called the meeting to get feedback from the guys who spend the money, said: “The owners are concerned there isn’t enough time to find a new company to develop a tire so they want to go back and get Firestone.”

The tire lease for 2011 is expected to be in the neighborhood of $300,000 but it’s believed Firestone might charge as much as $550,000 to stick around for 2012.

It’s clear the team owners are willing to step up and swallow the extra costs if it means holding onto Firestone’s record for safety and trackside support.

Bernard has been talking with Goodyear, Hoosier and Cooper and all indicated the start-up costs would be pricey.

“Obviously, any of the options were also expensive,” said Keith Wiggins of HVM Racing. “We’ve got to be sure we can get somebody who can do the job and not cost us millions of dollars in damage.

“It’s not an easy thing to develop and who can do it?”

Since re-joining open wheel racing’s top level in 1995, Bridgestone/Firestone won 90 percent of the races in CART/IRL/Champ Car/INDYCAR and dominated so heavily that Goodyear left in 2001.

But the most impressive statistic is that Bridgestone/Firestone never had a tire failure at speed in 16 years.

“Firestone is a variable you never have to worry about,” said Dennis Reinbold of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “They don’t blow up and we all recognize the years of expertise and developing tires it took to get to this point.

“We’ve got new cars and engines in 2012 and to add a new tire is more than we’d like to try and achieve.”

Bernard plans to meet with Speyer next week at the open test at Birmingham, Ala.

READ: INDYCAR: Firestone Confirms Open-Wheel Exodus

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Robin Miller

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