PK will have a busy month of May.

[jcollins28]

I hear it on good word that in May the IRL and CHAMP CAR will announce that they will be one in 2007. Honda and Cosworth are both in along with the Panoz DP01 chassis. Looks like you will have a lot of work do to in May Paul.

[Rodster]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

Oh please please let this be true!

[jcollins28]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

Oh please please let this be true!

From what i hear it is and no I have not been hanging out with this guy to much...

[pk500]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

I hear it on good word that in May the IRL and CHAMP CAR will announce that they will be one in 2007. Honda and Cosworth are both in along with the Panoz DP01 chassis. Looks like you will have a lot of work do to in May Paul.

JC:

I ALWAYS have a lot of work to do in May -- at least 12 hours per day for three consecutive weeks -- so this won't make much difference. It will be a press release, fact sheet, transcript, press conference and some other media materials from my end if it happens. I've heard nothing, but that also means nothing!

A unified series is best for all parties. May is magic any year, but a reunification announcement will make it even more special this year. I think everyone on both sides knows it has to happen and wants it to happen.

I guess I need to ask you to check with your source: Is the engine normally aspirated or turbocharged? Honda has done both, remember. The turbo engine sounds amazing, but I worry about the return of the pop-off valve controversies of the early 90s at the Speedway and the final years of CART earlier this decade. Panoz builds a nice chassis, so I'm glad they're sticking around. Dallara has so much business in F3 and other series worldwide that it easily can absorb the hit of losing the IRL contract, if that's indeed the case.

P.S.: Is that you with Robin in the picture? He writes a lot of sh*t about the IRL, but I like him, I really do. He's a funny guy, and he LOVES open-wheel racing more than almost anyone I know. His passion for it is incredibly deep, which forms a bond between us even if we disagree on some issues. Robin and I get on well. Plus he brings our staff hot Long's glazed donuts at the Speedway many mornings during May!

Take care,
PK

[forensicd]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

Im curious to see what will happen with all the teams in both divisions when/if they merge. We will see the smaller teams drop out? I for one would be thrilled to see it happen, as it would be great to end the split we have seen, and have full fields for all the races. Hopefully ratings as well will increase.

[Rodster]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

The turbo engine sounds amazing, but I worry about the return of the pop-off valve controversies of the early 90s at the Speedway and the final years of CART earlier this decade. Panoz builds a nice chassis, so I'm glad they're sticking around. Dallara has so much business in F3 and other series worldwide that it easily can absorb the hit of losing the IRL contract, if that's indeed the case.


PK

PK was it Michael or Mario who lost at Indy one year in the 90's while dominating 85-90% of the race only to drop out because of a pop-off valve? I hate those things.

Also PK when the merger takes place do you think the new car engines turbo or not will sound anything close to a Formula One car? I know Chris Pook was looking into making Champ Cars sound like the Formula One cars to draw a bigger crowd and more attention, because of financial problems it never happened.

[pk500]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

Also PK when the merger takes place do you think the new car engines turbo or not will sound anything close to a Formula One car? I know Chris Pook was looking into making Champ Cars sound like the Formula One cars to draw a bigger crowd and more attention, because of financial problems it never happened.

I would doubt it, even though F1 engines now are V8's like the current IndyCar Series engines.

But IndyCar Series engines have rev limits, which affect the tone and pitch of the engine. An F1 V8 engine can reach 20,000 rpm, which leads to the banshee wail. You just don't get that kind of sound out of an engine rev-limited to 10,300.

That rev limit might climb if a normally aspirated engine is used in a merged series, but not that much. Rev limits even competition and enhance engine reliability, saving money. That's not much of a concern for F1 teams; it is a huge concern for Indy-style teams.

Plus if a merged series adopts a turbo engine, then it won't sound like an F1 engine, either. I want the engine to sound like an Indy-car engine, not an F1 engine. Pook was in love with all things F1 and wanted CART to be F1 Light. I don't think anyone really wants that from a united open-wheel series in America. A nice mix of oval, street and road courses primarily at North American venues in a series with defined cost controls will build a stronger open-wheel racing in America more quickly than anything else.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

PK was it Michael or Mario who lost at Indy one year in the 90's while dominating 85-90% of the race only to drop out because of a pop-off valve? I hate those things.

Hmm ... that might have been Mario in 1987. He led 170 laps, but completed only 180 laps due to "ignition" problems. I think that might have been a pop-off valve, but my memory fails me.

People also forget that Michael Andretti led 160 laps in 1992, only to be sidelined by fuel pressure issues. That might have been pop-off valve, too -- can't remember. Michael's fastest race lap that day was 229; the next fastest was around 225, I think. He had checked out, big time. People forget Mikey's domination that day because of the closest finish ever between Little Al and Goodyear.

Take care,
PK

[forensicd]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

People also forget that Michael Andretti led 160 laps in 1992, only to be sidelined by fuel pressure issues. That might have been pop-off valve, too -- can't remember. Michael's fastest race lap that day was 229; the next fastest was around 225, I think. He had checked out, big time. People forget Mikey's domination that day because of the closest finish ever between Little Al and Goodyear.

Take care,
PK

I was at that race, great race. It was one of those finihses I will never forget. I completely forgot about Andrettis dominance in it, all i can remember about the race is scott.

[Rodster]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

Hmm ... that might have been Mario in 1987. He led 170 laps, but completed only 180 laps due to "ignition" problems. I think that might have been a pop-off valve, but my memory fails me.

People also forget that Michael Andretti led 160 laps in 1992, only to be sidelined by fuel pressure issues. That might have been pop-off valve, too -- can't remember. Michael's fastest race lap that day was 229; the next fastest was around 225, I think. He had checked out, big time. People forget Mikey's domination that day because of the closest finish ever between Little Al and Goodyear.

Take care,
PK

I think that's it. I might have got it confused with a pop-off valve. I remember the part that failed was not very expensive, that's what ABC's Paul Page kept saying. That was a shame.

[Rodster]

Re: PK will have a busy month of May.

I would doubt it, even though F1 engines now are V8's like the current IndyCar Series engines.

But IndyCar Series engines have rev limits, which affect the tone and pitch of the engine. An F1 V8 engine can reach 20,000 rpm, which leads to the banshee wail. You just don't get that kind of sound out of an engine rev-limited to 10,300.

That rev limit might climb if a normally aspirated engine is used in a merged series, but not that much. Rev limits even competition and enhance engine reliability, saving money. That's not much of a concern for F1 teams; it is a huge concern for Indy-style teams.

Plus if a merged series adopts a turbo engine, then it won't sound like an F1 engine, either. I want the engine to sound like an Indy-car engine, not an F1 engine. Pook was in love with all things F1 and wanted CART to be F1 Light. I don't think anyone really wants that from a united open-wheel series in America. A nice mix of oval, street and road courses primarily at North American venues in a series with defined cost controls will build a stronger open-wheel racing in America more quickly than anything else.

Take care,
PK

As Ed McMahon used to say. "Why Johnny I did not know that".