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Written by:
Robin Miller
07/16/2008 - 08:00 AM
Indianapolis, Ind.
The Vasser-Ganassi connection seems to have helped KV to get a hold of the Dallaras quickly. (LAT Photo) ยป More Photos
Hello open wheel types and thanks for all your questions. I intend to answer your questions every week during the season, so just e-mail them to openwheelmailbag@gmail.com. Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.
~Robin Miller
Q: Which one of the new teams/drivers do you feel is making the most progress with the car? And is the teaming assignments with the existing IndyCar teams still ongoing or did that come to an end once the competition started heating up?
Keith, Houston
RM: It seems like KV Racing benefited the most with the "partnerships" because of the Vasser-Ganassi connection, hiring Dave Higuera and they seem to have a handle on the Dallara most weekends. Ditto for Newman/Haas/Lanigan, who wisely hired Mitch Davis after Indy. Not sure the "partnerships" are much more than lip service in the rest of the paddock. I mean, do you really think Roger Penske's team would help Derrick Walker if he had a car?
Q: Has a plan been solidified yet to stay with a single engine manufacturer/chassis or is the competition going to allow for an engine spec that would permit multiple manufacturers to compete in the series that is to say might we see Honda, Cosworth, Chevy etc offering up a spec engine for the series? If I recollect that is how it used to be, correct? Might we also see a gamut of chassis types e.g. Dallara, Panoz, Lola or will we be stuck with a single chassis design?
Rob W., Reston, VA
RM: Sadly Rob we will be stuck with only one chassis (Dallara) because Brian Barnhart tells people it's going to help control the costs. Really? I guess that's why today's IRL budgets to run up front are $8 million. If the IRL rulebook wasn't so open, maybe costs could be contained but right now it's out of control and Dallara is making a killing on parts. Having Lola and Panoz build cars would be productive as well as competitive, just like having multiple engine manufacturers. Who knows if anybody will step up to challenge Honda but there seems to be interest from several companies, so let's hope so.
Q: A couple of nights ago I was watching the SPEED Report and you said Indy would be heading down to Australia for a non-points race this year? It's not on their schedule at Indycar.com so I was wondering if the event was going to be covered by ESPN or SPEED? And when the event was going to take place?
Mark Vukovich
RM: It hasn't "officially" been added for 2008 but it appears it's definitely going to happen on Oct. 26. Not sure about TV, so stay tuned on that front. It will be an exhibition this year and, if a suitable date can be reached, a full-bore points race in 2009.
Q: I have noticed in the last few races that Danica seems to go backwards on the restarts. There have been at least two occasions when she appeared to find some speed only when she was in danger of being lapped. It looks to me that she's a decent driver, but can't seem to dial in a bad car during the race and does not push herself in a car she is uncomfortable with. I wonder if a new engineer would help?
Mark Hamilton, Winter Park, Fla.
RM: Up until last Saturday night she had been struggling mightily on restarts but Nashville was by far her best race of the season. She was aggressive on restarts, made a couple of attempts to take the lead before being blocked and should have had a podium except for the rain.
Q: The Chipster announcing he's shutting his #40 NASCAR effort down (officially for lack of sponsorship – realistically for lack of results). In what bizarro-world universe was one of the best road racers, Dario Franchitti, living in last year where he said to himself, "Hey, what's the best way to polish my racing legacy as an Indy 500 winner... leave all forms
Xman, Richmond, Va.
RM: I think many of us shared your feeling – why would a finesse driver head for tin tops and corn dogs? You hit it right about AGR – following that B.S. at Sonoma last year he was FINISHED with those boys in any series. But Honda made Dario a rich man and I'm sure they would have tried to find him an ALMS ride with somebody else. That's where he belongs and I imagine that's where he'll end up. Unless, of course, he gets that call from ARCA.
Q: With the unification of Champ Cars and IRL, how come there is no unification of Indy Lights and Atlantic? What is the purpose of continuing with Atlantic when there aren't Champ Cars anymore? Do people think that James Hinchcliffe is going to stay in the Atlantics? These kids are not learning anything useful to be able to drive normally aspirated IndyCars. They will be as behind as the Champ Car guys this year.
Albert E. Mark, Plainsboro, NJ
RM: It doesn't look like there will be a home for Atlantics in the IRL, which is a shame because of the long tradition and the fact Atlantics have cranked out a helluva lot of talented drivers, while the current version of Indy Lights hasn't been much of an education based on the past champions. Atlantics and Lights co-existed in CART just fine and both were paths to the top, but it appears those days are over. If the Atlantics were to continue, yes, its drivers would have a steeper learning curve on ovals but I'd venture to say they'd be just fine on the road courses and street circuits. Raphael Matos has won in both series but he got his education in Atlantics.
Q: As a lifelong CART/Champ Car fan, I believe that unification is the best thing for open-wheel racing in this country. While I get excited about the future of the sport, the new chassis design in 2011, the possibility of new engine manufacturer's, the addition of great racetracks like Elkhart Lake and Laguna and even the possibility of a return to turbos, nobody ever discusses the most important ingredient in the mix: the drivers. Open wheel racing in America has to become THE series everyone wants to be in and not just a launching pad for careers in NASCAR and Formula 1. I was a Rick Mears fan for 14 years (as well as a Danny Sullivan fan) because I could be year after year. I get tired of hearing about Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti hoping to go to Formula 1 some day. These drivers have to stay here and build a fan base in this country. I believe this is a major reason for the success of NASCAR. Fans get to cheer for their favorite driver year after year. The cars and tracks will come and go like they have been for years. But open-wheel racing in this country has to stop being a revolving door for drivers just passing thru.
Todd Broeker
RM: I will file your email under "Preaching to the Choir." Absolutely, the only chance to get open wheel back in the public's eye is to groom young American drivers and keep them. Champ Car turned its back on Buddy Rice, Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty, Casey Mears, Al Unser III and, eventually, Ryan Hunter-Reay. It needs Rahal and Andretti to stay (they will) and flourish (they will) as well as Danica, Hunter-Reay, little Foyt and even Ed Carpenter. Preferably with the same team and number.
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