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My best guess, based on what I know (and don't) is that this is the addition to SSM/FAZZT racing team. If so, look for the team to run a second car at selected races before or after Indy. They are already set to run Tags, Howard, and Tinkerbell at Indy. They could be in the mix at Vegas with Hearn, or another driver as well.
I'm kind of getting tired of people knocking on the good people at KV Racing... last time I checked Penske's son had to close down his team and KV is looking at fielding three pretty quick cars. Yes all three of their drivers crashed a bit last year but Viso, Sato and even Moreas are deserving of rides in the in the series. Given that Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimbal both bought there rides this season I don't quiet get why people are banging on KV for doing what they have to do in order to survive.
I wonder how differently people will think about them a year from now if Sato and Viso both cash in on their potential and win a race or two this year.
1. Why? This team isn't even trying to compete. If they were, they wouldn't have these 3 slaps back in cars again in 2011.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
2. A bit? All they did last year was crash. On big ovals. On street courses. On short ovals. On road courses. They were an embarrassment. All three of them.
3. Yea, right. These 3 all should go find another series to go play in. All 3 of them suck and none ever belonged in a Indy Car. Their resumes aren't exactly chalked full of race wins and accomplishments. They only got here because of the checks they wrote. That's it.
4. How many more years does KV get to "try and survive"? When they are in the same spot next year at this time, still without any sponsorship that they went out and got on their own, do we continue to say its "OK"?
5. The only way those two could win a race in this series is if Milka takes out the other 20 professional race drivers and those two are the only ones left on the track. And even then, they might crash into each other (either on the track or on pit lane) and not see the checkards.
They have no potential to do anything.
You make a reasonable point - but there is also plenty of room for the detractors to make their point.... Viso and Sato have speed but not much discipline... I still think Viso has potential - Sato I think has been at it long enough - he'll never be a complete package... As to Scotty's point -Realistically, all of the teams are just trying to survive and always have been... Even Chip and Roger are only going to race on their own dime for a year or two at the most...Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
I do not wish to give kudos to KV Racing - they need to step up their game - but right now they are just the easiest team to bust on.....
oh, and give me a break - Kevin and Jimmy are no dummies - KK might have been foolish enough to try to save ChampCar but he wasn't stupid enough to go down with the ship....
First, let me say there are GREAT people at KV Renta-Racing. I know them extremely well and most are equally frustrated. My pointed negative comments are directed squarely at the owner, Mr. KK, not the great team of engineers and crew. They even upgraded Sr. Management, but KK refuses to spend money on any true talent behind the wheel.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
Comparing Jay Penske to KK is like comparing Cooper Manning to Steve Jobs. If Jay Penske had the resources of KK, he would have never let Will Power go! He would have gone out and signed Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy, Tony Kanaan or another proven winner instead of waiting for the biggest check to clear before "signing" any drivers.
Two years ago, while we had a rain delay, I asked all the drivers to rate their peers. Sato (was not in the series yet), Moraes, and Viso did not crack the top ten, nor should they. I'm going to say it....they are hacks with checks! Yes, Moraes and Viso have had some good events, usually on ovals. Hell, Milka had at least one good oval race, so what does that prove. But to watch KK and his $$ ignore Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, Tony Kanaan, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Paul Tracy and others who have TALENT, is a disgrace.
I don't want to call you out on this, but I think if you found your way to a race and met up with some of the team members from KV, you would find out for yourself that this is the way they feel. They are all happy to have jobs, but very disapointed in the direction the owner has gone in NOT spending money on talented drivers. They would love to have talent behind the wheel to work with, and right now they do not have that.
As for Graham and Charlie "buying" rides, you are a bit off base. The money does not come from their own pockets but from corporate investors, who have found marketable and talented drivers to help promote their respective brands. Danny Sullivan did the same to get his start, and I dont know anyone who compared him to (name any Whittington brother) or other hacks who wrote their own checks back in the day. Likewise, Graham and Charlie are far different from Vi$o, $ato and Morae$.
People (including his own employees) are banging on KK (and rightfully so) because he has the resources to hire good, if not great drivers. Even Dale Coyne with less than 1/10th the wealth of KK, hired Wilson for one year, and is looking to hire SB for another.
If $ato and Vi$o win races, I will not feely any different. The fact is any real drivers would be winning in those cars becuase of the immense talent of the engineers and crew.
Does Vasser actually do anything on that team? He seems to be doing this to colllect a paycheck.
I'm not aware of anything significant coming from him other than his twitter fight with Tracy.
I know it's always easier to spend other people's money, but the way I hear it now both Wheldon and TK are in the running for seats at KV this year.
There's a couple of scenarios that might play out as far as KV is concerned. One, they drop down to a two-car team with Sato and Viso, two, they keep the full time third car with either TK or Whledon or Moreas in the seat, and the best case scenario being four cars, TK in the third car and the fourth car a split ride with Lotus' test driver James Rossiter on road courses and Dan Wheldon doing ovals. If Moreas leaves KV he'll probably end up at the second HVM car.
Yes, I would love to see them bring in some muilti-year sponsorship deals to go along with the Lotus money, but that's a hard thing to do right now.
Bold is set-*for now....but things can and have changed!
TK fits in just about any where......
Andretti Autosport (4)
Marco
Danica
RHR
Conway
Penske Racing/Team Penske Racing (3)
Power
HCN
Briscoe
Target Chip Ganassi (2)
Dixon
Dario
Ganassi II (2)
Rahal
Kimbal
A.J. Foyt Enterprises (1)
Vitor
KVRT (2)
$ato
Vi$oThe smart money says sign TK, but then this owner is not that smart.
Panther (1)
JR Hildebrand
HVM (1 or 2)
SDS
TBD
The team might have landed a second driver. Could be a part time deal. Could be big?FAZZT/SMR (1)
TaglianiSarah Fisher Racing (1)
Carpenter-part time
Conquest (1)
TBD/Tracy
The team faces a struggle to make the grid. Depends on who can bring a check. PT's funding not as solid as thought.
Newman Haas (1)
TK/Hinch/Servia
Trying like hell to get TK and funding for a second car. Still, only one crew.
D&R (2)
Wilson
Beatriz
Dale Coyne Racing (1 or 2)
TK/SeaBass/Milka (RC/Ovals)
TBD/LloydTK for the whole year?
de Ferran Dragon Racing (0)
Done
I will tell you right now if TK or Wheldon ends up at KV I'm going to need something to sedate me at Long Beach if I get close to Vasser. They apparently stabbed PT in the back while he supposedly had $2M to bring. Why go with TK or Wheldon when neither apparently has that? That is stupid business if this is actually being considered. I don't mean that in the light of PT being that much better but you certainly aren't losing anything. In the off-season, I had hoped TK & PT would end up together there but as pointed out in several of the last few posts, KV needs step up or step down. They have one of the best staffs in the biz and they are all going to waste...apparently unhappily.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDS
The team members are still buying parts, and still looking at being at the first race...
Seems there might have been a late secret deal, part of the Team "zed" with new engineer and crew. Deferran? Ganassi?
I can not get info, and I know the several of the team members very well. All are hush hush, but "contracts went out". Could be part time, full time, who knows.
But it appears there will be one more car for the start of the season....