Cavin Driver Rumors

[Scotty G.]

From Friday Indy Star pit-pass:

1. Rahal still has no contract offer from NHL. Still might end up there, but obviously Rahal brings no sponsor and his car now has no sponsor, so....

2. deFerren wants Rahal. Is half-way there with funding to get him. But half-way is still a LONG way away and he doesn't seem to have many team members left. Ganassi still in the mix too, but with Chip's disdain for American drivers, its probably a long-shot.

3. Wilson rumored to be going to D&R. Sounds like a lateral step. Maybe D&R offered to actually pay him something.

4. Coyne likely to run 2 cars. As usual, its anyone's guess who will drive them.

5. Bachelart had Junquiera and Van Heylen at the Driver's Meetings as they try and put something together.

6. Simona the Swiss Miss needs some Lights races and a IRL oval test to get OK'd to race in Indy Cars. I'd say we see her early in the season in Lights and she makes her IRL debut at Kansas (to get her ready for the Indy 500). Maybe she does the rest of the season after Indy if all goes well?


Seems to be a ton of uncertainity with most teams. Cavin reported tonight that he thought Luzco-Dragon was closer to becoming a "selected races" 1 car team this year then possibly being full-time. If Jay Penske can't find money, that's not a good sign. There are pretty strong rumors Vision will only run the ovals (at the very most) this year. Hunter-Reay still only has a half-season deal. KV has gone VERY silent, with rumors of Moraes's family fortune drying up and Tracy still trying to scrape together enough money to do 3 or 4 races.

There certainly are some good signs. FAZZT seems to be the real deal (although being aligned with Freudenburg is scary) and they look good for 2 cars at a few races this year. There are several "Indy-only" teams forming or trying to form (the one week schedule and cheaper engine deals are helping this cause). Most if not all of the teams that raced at Indy last year, should be back in some form.

But there are still a TON of pieces of the puzzle left to be filled. And some big pieces, at that. Good thing the first race isn't until mid March.

[Chamoo]

6. Simona the Swiss Miss needs some Lights races and a IRL oval test to get OK'd to race in Indy Cars. I'd say we see her early in the season in Lights and she makes her IRL debut at Kansas (to get her ready for the Indy 500). Maybe she does the rest of the season after Indy if all goes well?

This is wrong. Simona should be allowed from the start. She has more experience in feeder series then most of the 2008 rookies who never touched an oval prior to Homestead testing and race.

[drewdawg727]

I just dont really understand how we go from all these "confirmed" and "probable" driver selections, and it seems that all we see in that first post is "uncertainty" and "select races". This series is looking to become not much about a championship anymore, and a matter of who can run the most races...

[Scotty G.]

This is wrong. Simona should be allowed from the start. She has more experience in feeder series then most of the 2008 rookies who never touched an oval prior to Homestead testing and race.

No oval experience, no dice.

Should have been the same criteria from day 1 with the Moraes's, Conway's and Viso's of the world. Would have been much safer and not torn up millions of dollars worth of equipment, while they learned what the heck they were doing (a few still need to keep "learning").

This is supposed to be a top tier, professional racing series. The Indy 500, should not be for "novices" who have barely ever been in a oval race in their life. It cheapens the event.

Simona might be talented. But if she wanted to run in a oval racing series with the Indy 500 as its marquis event, she should have not raced in Atlantics last year.

And if Team Stargate truly wants to run a car, then pick another qualified, expereinced driver. Lord knows, there are a ton of them out there. Or can't they "pick" another driver? :

[Chamoo]

I disagree Scott. This car doesn't take the skill to run on ovals they used to. A qualified road course racer can step into the Dallara and pilot it around an oval. These cars are so glued to the track now that experience on an oval is not nearly as important as it used to be.

Did Robert Doornbos run FIL last season? He ran alright and was not a danger on the track.

There were many more dangerous situations before the merger then afterwards, and I recall many more scary looking accidents a few years before the merger then afterwards. Could it be that the talent level of the drivers came up with the inclusion of Champ Car drivers?

As for Team Stargate Worlds, the IRL should not be telling them who they can and cannot run. Unless the IRL wants to fund their full season, they have no right in who should be running their car.

To end, I'll throw out a few names.

Marty Roth
Stanton Barrett
Milka Duno
Dr. Jack Miller

[garyshell]

Unless the IRL wants to fund their full season, they have no right in who should be running their car.

To end, I'll throw out a few names.

Marty Roth
Stanton Barrett
Milka Duno
Dr. Jack Miller

God forbid, it should appear that I am siding with Scott, but I don't think you could be any more wrong. The IRL should be vetting who is allowed to race, the names you mentioned notwithstanding. The last thing we need is some rich kid walking in buying a ride and going out on the track and killing himself or someone else.

Now, I am NOT suggesting that you have to have prior oval experience. But you should have to pass a rigorous test.

Gary

[NickFalzone]

I'm apathetic to 99% of Scott's comments on the IRL, but I do agree with him & Barnhart on requiring drivers to prove their ability on ovals before letting them race in the series. Duno, Roth, etc. all had oval-testing time prior to getting their IRL license. If Stargate World's wants their racer to drive on more than the roads and streets, they need to do this (fairly minimal) oval testing before entering her into oval races. It's not only for her safety, but for the safety of the rest of the field. The fact that the ex-CC drivers have done ok on the ovals may well be a testament to their skill, it may also simply be LUCK that they have not gotten into huge wrecks. Rahal's had a few rough ones, so had Moraes, and some of the others. I can assure you that if one of these drivers had gotten seriously hurt on an oval in their first season, they would be all sorts of negative comments toward Barnhart about the fairly minimal requirements to be an IRL oval racer. So it goes both ways.

[Hoop-98]

Two things. The fact that at the high banked tracks the cars have way too much stuck is well understood.

That has nothing to do with Indianapolis however, the cars can trim all they want there.

On the high banks, the loss of downforce associated with traffic and following passing is a major learning curve.

rh

[Scotty G.]

I disagree Scott. This car doesn't take the skill to run on ovals they used to. A qualified road course racer can step into the Dallara and pilot it around an oval. These cars are so glued to the track now that experience on an oval is not nearly as important as it used to be.

I agree that at places like Kansas, Texas and Kentucky, it doesn't take a ton of skill or experience to get into a car and be able to get up to speed in a hurry. But to RACE them at those places, with 25 other cars on the track, is a whole different ballgame. Remember the comments from the oval novices like Viso and Doornbos when they first got into a Indy Car on a oval. "It looks a whole lot easier on TV" was one that I remember. And Indy is a whole nother' ballgame altogether then the above places. We all saw what Mario Moraes looked like in 2008, when Coyne left him out to lead the field late in the race. Talk about being out of his element. It was a minor miracle he didn't hit the wall or someone else. He had no clue what he was doing. He seems to have learned with experience and seat-time though (although many drivers are still scared being around him on the track), but it still took time.

Did Robert Doornbos run FIL last season? He ran alright and was not a danger on the track.

He arguably should have. He never impressed anyone on a oval all year. He crashed 3 times at Indy last May. He ran himself out of money with NHL because of all the crash damage. He could have used oval experience, no matter how many F1 or Champ Car races he was in.

Could it be that the talent level of the drivers came up with the inclusion of Champ Car drivers?

Maybe, but probably not. The oval experience level has sure gone down and coincidently, the oval racing/action has gone down too. When you are "learning on the fly", you are more conservative (or at least should be). Either that, or you hit the wall really hard once, and you suddenly "get" more conservative.

As for Team Stargate Worlds, the IRL should not be telling them who they can and cannot run.

Why not? Its their series. If they don't think a driver is fit or qualified to race in its top series, they have every right to refuse someone. NASCAR does it all of the time. Better drivers then Simona have been told to come back later or "go get some experience" in previous years in this sport. I disagreed last fall, when Bailey refused some drivers in the Lights season finale (its a feeder series, for crying out loud). But for Indy Car and more specifically the Indy 500, you better come with oval experience and a talent-level that justifies you being a part of the event. At 110 MPH on a road course, you make a inexperienced mistake and likely end up in a gravel trap. At 230 MPH on a oval, you make a oval racing inexperience mistake and you can end up on a stretcher headed for the hospital.

To end, I'll throw out a few names.

Marty Roth
Stanton Barrett
Milka Duno
Dr. Jack Miller

Like him or not, Roth had many oval races under his belt (in both incarnations of Indy Lights) before he ever stepped foot in a IRL car. Even then, he was CLOSELY monitored and many testing miles were required for him to ever get OK'd to run at Indy (or anywhere else in the league). Even after he had qualified for a Indy 500, he was still CLOSELY monitored the next year at Indy during practice as well.

Barrett ran NASCAR for years and ran in a few Daytona 500's. No need to put him in this list. He proved competent and safe last year, in a s-box for a car.

I'll give you Duno and Miller. Duno was still required to get hundreds of miles of testing in on a oval, before she was OK'd. Short fields were why she was really needed. 20 years ago, she would have never gotten a OK and would have stayed in the safe confines of sports car racing, where she belongs. Miller was terrible, but did have some oval racing experience in Indy Lights. He was finally bad enough in Indy Car, for Barnhart to basically pull his license and tell him to take an early retirement.


Hey, Simona might be the "real deal". But there are tons of guys and gals out there, who RIGHT NOW, are better equipped to run a Indy Car on a oval, then her. Stargate, if they are a true racing organization, should hire a driver early in the season and then turn the car over to Simona at some point. No one is saying their team is not welcome. Plenty of worthy oval-experienced drivers out there that should be looked at. Or are they just a "ride-buyers" team, that only functions because of the check the driver brings?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Scott, I am going to defer to you on this one as far as the standards for ovals, I cant say I disagree with what you have said on this one.

Except this: Where did you get the idea Chip doesn't like American drivers? Isn't that like being a self loathing Jew?

C' mon...Cavin I know didn't say something like that, so don't get all this stuff from Cavin's column and then toss in THAT. Ganassi likes drivers that WIN and have talent. He had Micheal Andretti as a driver once....so he doesn't HATE American drivers. The reason he hasn't hired any is because when the seats were open, none of the choices were as good as the guys he hired. I am sure if Sam Hornish was a free agent, he might have made a go at him.....

This anti-foreign kick you have is nauseating and silly.....

The reason so many Europeans and Brazilians are in this sport is because they need jobs, and they have sponsors that will pay to get them rides. The fact remains tho, most of them have the talent to have those rides, because I wouldn't want to tell Tony Kanaan, Helio or a Robert Doornbos they are talentless boobs who got a ride through their sponsors only.

Talent rises to the top with Roger Penske and Chip. The fact neither team has any Americans on them in the elite roles just proves how many Americans have given up on the climb up the OW ladder and ran off to race NASCAR. THAT is just following the money son.....because in NASCAR drivers get PAID to race, and in the IRL the last few years, all but a few PAID to race...