2008 GP2 Champ to IndyCar?

[elis]

2005, not '95 Pantano was sixteen in 1995...

Haha, now who put that pesky 9 button right next to the 0 on my keyboard

[DanicaFan]

It will be hard for any driver outside the series to get a ride I feel. Vitor Meira will get a full time ride before this Pantano will.

[Chamoo]

It will be hard for any driver outside the series to get a ride I feel. Vitor Meira will get a full time ride before this Pantano will.

Not nessicarily. I think between Vitor and Pantano, the main race for them over the off-season is finding the most funding possible to bring to an ICS team. The only way Vitor gets in without funding most likely is at Luczo Dragon.

I wonder if DCR would consider running three cars if the money was there for it?

I also wonder what would happen to Tomas Scheckter if Vitor takes his spot?

[bblocker68]

oops, delete.

[beppe64]

Latest news from Italy said that Pantano is waiting an answer from a Formula 1 team and there is a strong possibility to be in IRL in 2009 too.

[ShiftingGears]

Pantano rumors are popping up? That means the Jos Verstappen rumors are ready to begin.

Difference being that Pantano has actually won something in open wheel racing in the last 15 years :

[Mark in Oshawa]

Another F1 wannabe coming to the IRL because he cant go to f1? I thought the IRL was about promoting North American talent?? oh right....never mind. I am sure he will do ok but it seems looking to Europe hasn't stopped in the last decade....and at some point someone should be looking at the fallacy of it from a marketing standpoint.

[F1boat]

Mark, maybe it is because american drivers prefer career in NASCAR,

[Chamoo]

Or maybe European drivers are better suited towards the new IRL schedule.

[Cart750hp]

It will be hard for any driver outside the series to get a ride I feel. Vitor Meira will get a full time ride before this Pantano will.

These first couple of years together, I agree. TG and other teams may still be looking to keep the IRL drivers due to their oval experience. Vitor alone is a very good driver.

But it's so interesting to see where this series may lead to once or if more ex-F1 or more road course drivers are coming in. You'll have the current list of drivers, add ons from F1, IPS (lite), Atlantic, former CCWS, NASCAR, ALMS, etc. So, would it be the drivers will change the course of the series or the series will change the drivers? I like both. There are tons of seats to fill in that CCWS and IRL were having a hard-time filling in when they were still two series. So, this reason alone will make you looking forward to the next year's and the year after competition.