Newman-Wachs Racing Considering ICS in 2010

[Chamoo]

[http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...-move-up//url] indicates that Newman-Wachs is looking to move John Edwards either to GP2 or the Indycar Series in 2010.

If this comes through in favor of the IRL, it's major news.

+1 Car
+1 American
+1 Talent
+1 Youth

[DBell]

I'd like to see Edwards be able to get a GP2 ride. I think he is the most talented American to come up through the North American feeder series since AJ Almendinger. I'd love to see him get a chance to do something in OW with his talent. If he wants to get to F1, then he has to go over to Europe to do it.

[MDS]

MWR pulling stakes and moving to England? Didn't really see that happening.

I've met John Edwards a number of times, and he's been impressive both on the track and off the track. For a kid whose seen a good bit of success he has a good personality, speed and doesn't think he's God's gift to racing. I've known Eddie Wachs a while too. He's a good man who is an asset to whatever series he ends up in.

Edwards is ready, and if Wachs can find sponsorship, which I rather doubt in this economic climate, they can grown into a solid team, especially with NHL's help. Alex Lloyd and Graham Rahal at a fully-funded NHL plus NWR as a satillite team? Yeah, they'd be a force to be reconned with.

[DBell]

Depends on how it's done. They could just buy into or rent an existing team and call it whatever they want. Going over there to start a team from scratch? Don't see that happening.

That's the impression I got, that they would look to partner a current GP2 team. It's a long shot I'm sure, but I'd love to see it happen.

[bblocker68]

If they move to GP2, could that make them the farm system for USF1?? Hope they go to 2 cars and add either Summerton or Rossi.

Wait, don't they have to be a 2 car team for GP2?? I believe they have to have 2 cars for the constructor's championship.

Whatever they do, it's great news.

[Chamoo]

If they move to GP2, could that make them the farm system for USF1?? Hope they go to 2 cars and add either Summerton or Rossi.

Wait, don't they have to be a 2 car team for GP2?? I believe they have to have 2 cars for the constructor's championship.

Whatever they do, it's great news.

Yes, all GP2 teams must field two cars. However, the article made it seem as though NWR would run as a split team operation, one car being NWR and one car being who knows what.

Best case scenario is they find the money to run Edwards in the IRL, and then find some ride buyers to keep their Atlantics program going.

[DBell]

Yes, all GP2 teams must field two cars. However, the article made it seem as though NWR would run as a split team operation, one car being NWR and one car being who knows what.

Best case scenario is they find the money to run Edwards in the IRL, and then find some ride buyers to keep their Atlantics program going.

Best case scenario for who? If you mean Indycar, then yes another team would be good news. But if Edwards goal is to be an F1 driver, then not the best case scenario. I don't know what his ultimate goals are as a driver, but I'm assuming by the paths he's taken that he wants to be in F1.

[MDS]

Best case scenario for who? If you mean Indycar, then yes another team would be good news. But if Edwards goal is to be an F1 driver, then not the best case scenario. I don't know what his ultimate goals are as a driver, but I'm assuming by the paths he's taken that he wants to be in F1.

I'm not sure. I talked to him at Long Beach the year before he got the Red Bull/Forsythe ride, so that would have been 2005, when he was 15? The line he gave then was that he'd love to go to F-1, and it would mean a lot to him, and when he was with Red Bull it was a real possibility. But he, and Colin Fleming, both got dropped from Red Bull's driver development program, and he's had had to scratch pretty hard to not disappear the way Fleming did.

I talked with him briefly at Road Atlanta last month, and he said something along the lines of its very difficult to get to Formula 1 without major backing, and right now he doesn't have that, but with all the new teams next year who knows what the future will bring.

Also Alexander Rossi is the kid getting all the F-1 attention at the moment, and he still doesn't have any sort of development deal from any of the teams.

I've said it on this forum before and I'll say it again. If I had to pick one driver to build a team around it would be John Edwards.

[Chamoo]

I understand that John Edwards wanted to run F1, but sometimes you have to realize where your better options are.

Rossi or Summerton are the next Americans to enter F1 (and most likely, unfortunately, be spat out) and Edwards has no backing to push that along. Right now, he has the closest thing to backing in Eddie Wachs, why would you turn that down.

[Copse]

If they move to GP2, could that make them the farm system for USF1?? Hope they go to 2 cars and add either Summerton or Rossi.

Wait, don't they have to be a 2 car team for GP2?? I believe they have to have 2 cars for the constructor's championship.

Whatever they do, it's great news.

GP2 has a franchise system, and currently the grids are full. They can't join unless they bug/merge/partner with an existing team. And if they do, they need to, as Chamoo writes, run 2 cars. A bunch of the GP2 teams seem to be poor enough to accept any kind of deal, so finding a place should be possible.