DeFerran Closes Shop

[dataman1]

Got a call from one of the team. They are done! Got 2 weeks pay. No other details shared. Looks like even one of Penske's sons couldn't come up with money.

[nigelred5]

so that leaves TK out of a ride?

[anthonyvop]

so that leaves TK out of a ride?

It was announced that He was without a ride days ago.

[Hoop-98]

It seems moving their TEAM money over to the next team inline (Conquest) will help them bring a popular driver back.......

[maxmach]

With all the "good" news coming out lately, the fact that PT, TK, Wheldon and others can't find a ride does not bode well. This season, esp for PT and TK is probably their last shot at Indycars........ Seems like they would be lowering their driving fees to drive.....if that would help, and if they haven't.
Oh well, we gots Tony G and Milk and Dughnuts back.......

[garyshell]

Oh well, we gots Tony G and Milk and Dughnuts back.......

What? Milka is back? Had not seen that anywhere.

Gary

[nigelred5]

It keeps getting better.....

[bugeyedgomer]

more evidence of Honda's draw down

[Chris R]

more evidence of Honda's draw down

how so? Honda funded his ALMS effort, not his Indycar effort... They backed out of ALMS last year......

[garyshell]

more evidence of Honda's draw down

I don't recall there ever being ANY link between Honda and Gil's IndyCar efforts. How'd you draw this conclusion?

Gary

[bugeyedgomer]

1) Honda funded his ALMS effort, not his Indycar effort

2) there was never ANY link between Honda and Gil\'s IndyCar efforts.

you answered your own questions

[Chris R]

Sorry, I do not see your logic... Yes, Honda withdrew from ALMS - what has that got to do with deFerran closing his Indycar team? How does that reflect poorly on Indycar? It sounds like you are trying to spell doom and gloom for Indycar and while this is not a good thing, I do not see how it means anything negative about Honda and Indycar....

[bugeyedgomer]

I didn't figure you would.

Maybe you can answer this one: why doesn't Baltimore use Indycars in its print ads?

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/BrianBrainfart/DSC_0185.jpg


I will give you an easy out:

you can use the old "Baltimore is a street race and nobody really cares what cars are there."

And maybe I can reply, "Baltimore is a street race and nobody really cares that Indycar is there."

[anthonyvop]

Sorry, I do not see your logic... Yes, Honda withdrew from ALMS - what has that got to do with deFerran closing his Indycar team? How does that reflect poorly on Indycar? It sounds like you are trying to spell doom and gloom for Indycar and while this is not a good thing, I do not see how it means anything negative about Honda and Indycar....

A team headed up by Gil DeFerran and the son of Rodger Penske with one of the Series best and more popular drivers could come up with sponsorship either here or in Brazil(Both DeFerran and Kannan are huge in Brazil) is not a negative? Just like the cancellation by Honda of the Motegi race isn't a negative either.

by some people's logic here the best thing for the ICS would be if all races were canceled and all teams closed their doors.

[garyshell]

Sorry, I do not see your logic... Yes, Honda withdrew from ALMS - what has that got to do with deFerran closing his Indycar team? How does that reflect poorly on Indycar? It sounds like you are trying to spell doom and gloom for Indycar and while this is not a good thing, I do not see how it means anything negative about Honda and Indycar....


A team headed up by Gil DeFerran and the son of Rodger Penske with one of the Series best and more popular drivers could come up with sponsorship either here or in Brazil(Both DeFerran and Kannan are huge in Brazil) is not a negative? Just like the cancellation by Honda of the Motegi race isn't a negative either.

I like how you made the sideways jump from the discussion of the link (or lack thereof) between Honda departing ALMS and how that reflected (or didn't ) on Indycar to a discussion of Gil not finding a Brazilian sponsor. (And just for the record NO ONE said losing the Motegi races was not a negative. What was said was that it was not a huge loss and didn't spell the end of the world for IndyCar, like you wanted to spin it.)


by some people's logic here the best thing for the ICS would be if all races were canceled and all teams closed their doors.

Do you use that same sort of ridiculous hyperbole in your "journalism" or just in your postings here?

Gary

[garyshell]

I didn't figure you would.

Maybe you can answer this one: why doesn't Baltimore use Indycars in its print ads?

I will give you an easy out:

you can use the old "Baltimore is a street race and nobody really cares what cars are there."

And maybe I can reply, "Baltimore is a street race and nobody really cares that Indycar is there."

Hello??? Its a freakin' bus ad publishing the fact that you will be able to take the MTA to the race. It is not an ad for or about the race. You and anthony ought to get a room. You could gloom and doom yourselves into a frenzy.

Gary

[vintage]

Rather than being anything about Honda or Brazil, it's probably more associated with Steve Luczo deciding that he's tired of paying the bills. Penske and De Ferran didn't bring anything more than their names. Gil was trying to build that into more, but failed.

[Chris R]

I think Vintage is closer to right...

Anthony, I agree, this is not a positive. It is bad for Indycar in that a quality team with growth potential cannot come up with sponsorship. It signals that the teams may be in more precarious shape than we would like. However, it does not signal anything about HONDA in particular.

As for the bus ad, sure, it would be nice if they got the right car and it does show a problem - on the bright side, at least it is not a NASCAR car and it does have an airbox.... Gary is right though, it is a bus ad not an ad FOR THE RACE..... BTW take a look at the Indiana quarter - look like an IRL car to you?? Most caricatures of an open wheel pavement car are either a modern F-1 car, a 1980's Indycar or a 1960's generic "cigar" car..... Even F-1 get mis-represented open.... NASCAR is lucky that way - the silhouette of their cars look like it did 40 years ago....

Again, I do not intend to make excuses. Those who think doom and gloom is right around the corner may very well be right - but there is no need to look for it in places where it is not......

[beachbum]

by some people's logic here the best thing for the ICS would be if all races were canceled and all teams closed their doors.And "by some people" you are referring to whom?

[TURN3]

I really don't give a rats crap about this discussion but, with regard to the bus ad, you have to know something about how these advertisements are created using graphical programs. It is stock art, period. It means nothing.

[anthonyvop]

I like how you made the sideways jump from the discussion of the link (or lack thereof) between Honda departing ALMS and how that reflected (or didn't ) on Indycar to a discussion of Gil not finding a Brazilian sponsor. (And just for the record NO ONE said losing the Motegi races was not a negative. What was said was that it was not a huge loss and didn't spell the end of the world for IndyCar, like you wanted to spin it.)



Do you use that same sort of ridiculous hyperbole in your "journalism" or just in your postings here?

Gary

All I was doing was pointing out to SOME PEOPLE here that both of those events were negatives. You can debate how negative it is but there is no denying the fact that they are NEGATIVES!!!!!!

[BDunnell]

Do you use that same sort of ridiculous hyperbole in your "journalism" or just in your postings here?

This, ironically, is what one finds in terms of journalism as the top story in the section of Tony's web site called 'The Insider':

'Gil de Ferran is looking into possible expanding his team into Indy Cars. De Ferran Motorsports currently runs an Acura LMP-1 class Acura in the American LeMans Series has stated that he is investigating a possible expansion of his organization into other series in the future.
"We are investigating growing into IndyCars," said the former Indianapolis 500 winner and 2 time Champ Car title holder. "It would make sense, because having two programs would bring economies of scale. It would also help us grow as a team in every respect. We are having a serious look at it, but we would only do it if it makes sense for us and we could put a strong team together."
No timescale has been set but word is that there is series work being done to possible have a car entered into this year’s Indy.
De Ferran currently is one of the drivers of his LMP-1 but has stated he will not drive for any potential team. "I am not looking to drive an Indycar again," he said.'

http://www.sfmreport.com/untitled1.html

[Dr. Krogshöj]

A team headed up by Gil DeFerran and the son of Rodger Penske with one of the Series best and more popular drivers could come up with sponsorship either here or in Brazil(Both DeFerran and Kannan are huge in Brazil) is not a negative? Just like the cancellation by Honda of the Motegi race isn't a negative either.

by some people's logic here the best thing for the ICS would be if all races were canceled and all teams closed their doors.

Let me help you out: he didn't say it's not negative, he asked what it has to do with Honda. You're welcome.

[nigelred5]

Hello??? Its a freakin' bus ad publishing the fact that you will be able to take the MTA to the race. It is not an ad for or about the race. You and anthony ought to get a room. You could gloom and doom yourselves into a frenzy.

Gary

It's not just Indycar that will be racing in Baltimore, so why promote one over the other? Sure, they should be calling out BOTH series, but that ad is an MTA poster promoting the MTA service, not the race.

[nigelred5]

To add to that, the ad on the advertizing boards above the riders heads which is partially visible in that picture are Advertisements for the race itself. Neither ad is promoting the series.

[Jag_Warrior]

I've always liked Gil, so I find this news to be particularly sad.

[nigelred5]

I agree.

[garyshell]

All I was doing was pointing out to SOME PEOPLE here that both of those events were negatives. You can debate how negative it is but there is no denying the fact that they are NEGATIVES!!!!!!

Oh, please spare us the spin. You were not pointing out anything to anyone. Did you see a SINGLE person here who said it was not a negative. The answer is of course, no. What you were doing from the very beginning is the same thing you always do, using hyperbole and exaggeration to make negative things into much bigger deals than they really are.

Oh wait, no, there was that one time last week where you actually said something nice about the series. (And so carefully noted so as to use it later should someone accuse you of always being negative.)

Gary

[anthonyvop]

Did you see a SINGLE person here who said it was not a negative. The answer is of course, no.


The answer is yes!!!!


I do not see how it means anything negative about Honda and Indycar....

So keep spinning.

[garyshell]

I do not see how it means anything negative about Honda and Indycar....


The answer is yes!!!!


So keep spinning.

That's all you got? Really? You are going to try to spin that comment, when it was CLEARLY saying it was not a negative about the relationship between Honda and Indycar? Note that word "AND" between the Honda and IndyCar in the original quote. It did not say "OR", now did it? Keep on trying Mr. Spinmeister.

Gary

[Chris R]

I just don't see how not seeing a link between deFerran's failure and Honda's commitment to the sport is spin..... Oranges froze out this year, so apples are going to sell poorly too??? Honda may indeed be fathering in its commitment - can't say for sure - but deFerran is NOT a sign of that..... they are two DIFFERENT issues..... I personally am not denying the negativity of deFerran's situation. I am also not necessarily saying that Honda is not drawing back (although I am not sure that they ARE) - time will tell on that issue....

[beachbum]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Was that Chicken Little or followers of open wheel?

[Hoop-98]

I wonder if ChikLilVop went over to chikwagon.com bragging before each proclamation, look how stirred up I got the gomers this time!

What a jerk, I'm in Fl this week wonder where we could have a beer?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Ah yes, I don't get online as often, but I see some things never change. The minute I read of bad news on the Indycars, I get to read Tony's take on how this is horrible..and the series is on its death bed.

Some things never change, except now he has a little echo chamber.


Honda is drawing back, but I think DeFerran and Jay Penske were doomed regardless. No sponsors means no money, and they couldn't rely on Honda money regardless. The fact is, they wanted to run a first class operation, or not at all. I am sure they could have done a Dale Coyne and let whomever showed up with money drive, but they wanted TK and a quality team to win races with.

Says a lot about integrity and the desire to compete that they chose to quit rather than limp around with one lame ride buyer after another.

The reality is, the best drivers in Indycar don't always get the ride because the economy for this sport has been so decimated by the last decade plus of stupidity that it may be years coming back.

Not sure how you fix it, but I know Tony doesn't have the answer. He just loves to come down the hill and shoot all the wounded after the battle....