German GP 2008 – A Home Run For Timo

Since the season began back in March, Timo has developed a great relationship with the team, who of course work hand in hand with him to get maximum performance from the TF108. Timo won at the circuit as recently as 2006, in his first season of GP2. He has already shown everyone at Panasonic Toyota Racing the talent which saw him crowned GP2 champion in 2007 and his ability and work rate has quickly impressed his team-mates. Image Credit: Panasonic Toyota Racing

German GP 2008 – A Home Run For Timo

Please excuse the baseball reference, but the fact that Timo Glock has had a history driving in ChampCar throughout North America it just felt appropriate.

This excerpted from Wikipedia –

In 2005, Glock shifted his racing career to the United States, racing in the Champ Car World Series with Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports team.

His best finish of the year was a second place finish at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on August 28, where he was defeated by Oriol Servia.

In the closing laps of the race Glock twice managed to retain the lead over Servia by missing the track's final chicane. As the rules require drivers who blatantly gain or retain a position by driving off the racing surface to give way, Timo was asked to move over by Champ Car officials, and let Servia take the lead. Timo obliged midway through the final lap, giving him enough time to try and take the lead back, but to no avail.

Glock went on to finish 8th in the final season points standings and win Champ Car World Series Rookie of the Year honors.
Reference Here>>

This weekend, Timo returns home for the Formula 1 German Grand Prix. Timo Glock (born March 18, 1982 in Lindenfels, Germany) considers Hockenheim a home race for him, and that means not only will he be on familiar territory, he will have plenty of familiar faces to cheer him on as he looks for another points finish. “A lot of friends are coming down and a lot of people I know,” he says. “That makes it quite a special race.”

Of course, the ambition for any racing driver is to win, so it is no surprise Hockenheim is one of Timo’s favorite tracks, with a victory and third place on his last visits, as a GP2 Series driver in 2006 and 2007, adding to an expanding collection of happy memories.

“Every time I’ve been to Hockenheim I have had really good races and I’ve won a few times,” he adds. “It’s one of the best races of the year for me, not just because it’s my local track but also because I have been strong there.”

Not only is Hockenheim a home race for Timo, it is the start of the second half of his first full season as a Formula 1 racer.

So far the balance sheet says nine races and five points, but bare statistics only tell a fraction of the story. Timo has shown strong performance since the very start of the season and only bad luck denied him points on his Panasonic Toyota Racing debut in Australia.

A points finish was also looking certain in Bahrain until gearbox gremlins struck but in Canada he got the break his consistent performances deserved, capping a battling drive with fourth place.

The fight for points is fiercer than ever this season, making it tough for a young driver to regularly finish in the top eight when he must compete against a grid filled with 10 Grand Prix winners, including his experienced and brilliantly quick team-mate Jarno Trulli.

That is a formidable challenge, but one which Timo has risen to since joining the team at the beginning of the year. Formula 1 is more complex than a driver simply sitting behind the wheel and letting his talent do the talking; much more work is required to compete at the top – and that suits Timo the “terrier”.
(ht: Toyota Motorsport GmbH)

... notes from The EDJE

Destruction Derby On The Bullring At Richmond

Kanaan kept the Honda-powered Dallara clear of multiple mishaps to claim his first victory since Belle Isle last September and his first on an oval since Kentucky in August. He held off Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who advanced 16 positions through a combination of furious driving and attrition for his fourth second place of the season, in the SunTrust Indy Challenge. Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon overtook teammate Dan Wheldon on the final lap for third. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Destruction Derby On The Bullring At Richmond

Tony Kanaan knew it would be tough to win on the Richmond International Raceway with 26 starters - half of whom were making their first appearance on the 0.75-mile oval. But this tough?

The race in Richmond was, let’s be honest … a destruction derby. The race felt as though it would run a couple of laps and have to go to yellow flag conditions (105 laps of the 300 run) to clear up yet, another car getting light in the rear (I believe the term Jaime Camara used was “neutral”), swing around, and hit the SAFER barrier.

The Fine Nine (the drivers fielded by teams transitioning into the IRL from the CCWS) did not do fine here in Richmond. The ones who finished, did well … but the rest of the T-Team field checked out early and/or often.

The three drivers who did finish the race all finished in the top ten with Oriol Servia of KV Racing Technology posting a personal best fifth out of twenty-six cars who were entered in the race.

The Fine Nine drivers checked out in the following order on this, the shortest oval the IRL competes on all season.

OUT - POS./Qual./Car# - Driver - Hometown - Car - Name – Entrant

Lap 6 - 25/26/36 - Enrique Bernoldi - Curitiba, Brazil - Sangari - Conquest Racing

Lap 8 - 24/16/8 - Will Power - Toowoomba, Australia - Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia - KV Racing Technology

Lap 78 - 23/9/18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing

Lap 131 - 18/10/16/06 - Graham Rahal - Columbus, Ohio - Hole in the Wall Camps - Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

Lap 143 - 17/19/24/19 - Mario Moraes - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Sonny's Bar-B-Q - Dale Coyne Racing

Lap 217 - 14/20/21/34 - Jaime Camara - Goiania, Brazil – Sangari - Conquest Racing

In the final laps, only twelve of the 26 cars were running on the track. As far as Rookie Of The Year honors race is concerned, Heideki Mutoh of Andretti Green Racing (out on lap 220 and finished in position 13) still leads in the points but lost a little ground back to Servia, Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (position 7) and EJ Viso of HVM Racing (position 10).

Out On Lap 78 - #18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from Indycar.com -


Kanaan Prevails
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com
Kanaan kept the No. 11 7-Eleven car clear of multiple potential mishaps to claim his first victory since Belle Isle last September and his first on an oval since Kentucky in August. The pole sitter held off Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who advanced 16 positions through furious driving and attrition for his fourth second place of the season.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon overtook teammate Dan Wheldon on the final laps for third and score valuable championship points. KV Racing Technology's Oriol Servia finished a career-best fifth on an oval.

"It was a tough night," said Dixon, who takes a 43-point lead over Castroneves into the race at Watkins Glen International on July 6. "TK definitely looked pretty strong tonight."

Wheldon is third in the standings (299 points) and Kanaan (269) is fourth.

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29, AJ's Lilly sponsored car hits the wall after his left rear tire comes in contact with John's unsponsored Roth Racing Dallara right front tire (series of four photos - #1). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The 300-lap race (lengthened 50 laps from '07) under the lights was marred by 105 caution laps. The IndyCar Series record is 116 at Nazareth Speedway in 2002.

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #2). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Andretti Green Racing's Danica Patrick finished sixth and Justin Wilson moved up 16 spots to seventh (tying his career best on an oval). Townsend Bell in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car finished eighth and Marco Andretti was ninth. Andretti completed 135 laps (many under caution) on one 22-gallon load of ethanol.
----
A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #3). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

"What a crazy race," said Wilson, who started 23rd. "There was some really good driving and some really bad driving out there. I was just trying not to get caught out and stay out of trouble and bring the car home. The McDonald's car wasn't the quickest car out there today but we managed to salvage some good points and hopefully that will help us out in the championship."
Reference Here>>

A.J. Foyt IV of Vision Racing gets taken out by Roth Racing’s John Andretti early in the race at RIR. On lap 29 (series of four photos - #4). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Final Results

Finally, next week the former ChampCar teams get some meat to chew on and they will be at full strength. Pacific Coast Motorsports will be re-joining the competition for the rest of the season. Mario Donimguez driving the Visit Mexico City Dallara will be backed by a group of PCM team members that have experience racing at Watkins Glen.

This, from a recent press release; Veterans of Champ Car and Sports Cars, PCM looks forward to their return to road courses. The historic Watkins Glen track is familiar to PCM; they raced there while competing in the Rolex Grand Am Series in 2006.

Next weekend, the T-Team Ten will be looking to score points and show that they are the measure of any driver/team combination competing in the ICS in 2008.

… notes from The EDJE

Road Runner Turbo 300 at Kansas Speedway

Dan Wheldon celebrated after winning the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Image Credit: MIKE RANSDELL The Kansas City Star

Road Runner Turbo 300 at Kansas Speedway

The race broadcast was delayed due to a playoff in the LPGA Golf event in Miami being shown on ESPN2.

The broadcast begins with the race in its second Yellow Flag caution period brought about by T-Team Will Power KV Racing Technology driver spinning and hitting the wall. Not a great start for the Round Three winner of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the last ChampCar World Series event. The two open-wheel racing series are fully united beginning with this oval race.

Simon Morely of Luczo Dragon/Symantec Racing takes a hit, and keeps on ticking.
On the second yellow flag, brought about when last week’ race winner in Long Beach, Will Power spun and tapped the wall, which sparked a round of pit stops, Tomas Scheckter - Luczo Dragon/Symantec Racing, pulled in and was having his tires changed; Marty Roth locked up his rear wheels and hit the pit crew worker, Simon Morely, working on the right front of Schsckter’s car.

Marty Roth drops out after 57 laps with balance problems (the lack of balance probably helped with his spin earlier).

T-Team driver, EJ Viso - HVM Racing, of Caracas, Venezuela started 17th and climbed to 8th on lap 63 … 7th on 65

Green flag pit stops – lap 76 Milka Duno - Dreyer & Reibold Racing, spins car in pits.

Conquest Racing has had problems all race beginning with Ernesto Bernoldi spinning in the first laps and then on lap 84 Jaime Camara pulled into the pits with a problem.

Near halfway at lap 95, Target teammates are walking away from the field in lockstep. Dixon and Weldon, running about a quarter a second apart and at least seven seconds ahead.

Viso and Scheckter collect each other while Tomas was passing along the top. EJ’s right front notched in front of Tomas’s left rear at lap 99. EJ Viso solders on after a change of flat spotted tires. Tomas Scheckter is not so lucky - OUT.

Justin Wilson benefits from the yellow flag and makes up one lap.

Vitor Miera in the Delphi/National Guard car, while pulling out of the pits, taps one of Buddy Rice’s laid out tires and bends the left front suspension – OUT.

Green, Green, Green on lap 106 – Tony Kanaan - Andretti Green Racing, and Helio Castroneves - Penske Racing, get a jump. EJ Viso – HVM Racing, is one lap down but gets an impressive run as well.

Viso begins to block Ed Carpenter around lap 110, almost catches a black flag but is contacted on the radio and reminded of the rules.

Lap 120, Newman/Haas/Flannigan Racing teammates Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson run side-by-side at 13 and 14 on the lead lap about 7 seconds behind.

The compound of the tires is the same as they used at Homestead - Hard. The temperatures at Kansas being in the high 50’s to very low 60’s are having the tires take a while longer to heat up.

Danica Patrick – Andretti Green Racing, saves her car in a three wide racing incident when she was caught on the outside of Marco Annette while he was passing Mario Moraes. Patrick slid up the track missing the wall and saves the car.

Lap 148 finds Scott Dixon – Target Chip Ganassi Racing, leading teammate Dan Weldon by less than a half a second followed by Tony Kanaan of AGR.

Green flag pit stops are anticipated in 5-6 laps. Ed Carpenter - Vision Racing, reached fourth place and pitted, Buddy Rice – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, brings out a yellow flag at lap 153 by hitting the wall. EJ Viso pulled into the wrong stall (Vision Racing) and further messed up Ed Carpenter’s pit stop.

Pits Closed, Dixon was in when the Yellow Flag came out but took fuel only, other cars pull in while the pits are closed to get a splash of fuel which is allowed.

Patrick has a poor pit stop when the right rear tire could not get remounted. The mounting studs had been worn down when the previous mounting was placed on the axel mount plate, loosely. Danica Patrick – OUT.

Ed Carpenter looses a lap after being counted for the fourth position before the fourth caution and pit mishaps. Carpenter takes the restart on lap 173 of 200 at P9. Dixon has to restart in P7 because of the in pit Yellow timing.

An interview with Patrick has her mention that the close racing with Scheckter is to be expected. Asked about the racing closeness with Tomas Scheckter and EJ Viso, Danica stated: “I always expect Scheckter to drive like that. ...

... And that Viso, I don’t know who he is even. He’s new and he’s got a pretty fast car. He’s learning the ropes of this oval racing. He almost put me in the wall at one point. I was like, ‘Look dude, you’re new. You better be nice because we all know how to handle this a little better than you do at this point.’ It’s all right. You got some newcomers and they’re going to be trying to push it. They’re not going to know how. They’re not going to know what they can and can’t do. There’s a lot of etiquette to learn in oval racing. It takes a little time. Yeah, there was close racing out there, but didn’t end up racing close at the end."

Nine cars on the lead lap of seventeen cars still on the track. Dan Weldon gets a good start. EJ Viso gets a stop and go penalty for the pitstop mishap with Carpenter.

Dixon has trouble getting around AGR/Panasonic Rookie Mutoh on lap 178.

Scott Dixon catches up to the two Penske cars and he clears them in a one lap short order. Dixon now third and behind four seconds.

With fourteen laps to go its Weldon, Kanaan at .031 behind, with Dixon about one straightaway behind.

Dixon is catching up running at 212 mph but there is not enough laps left for him to change position.

Carpenter runs out of fuel at lap 194. In and out of the pits.
Kanaan looses ground to Weldon in the next to the last lap and Dan Weldon coasts on to win.

Interviews and Reactions:

The incident on lap 153 set the table for the end of the race.

Dan Weldon becomes the first repeat winner at Kansas Speedway in the history of the track. This is also a first win for Dan Weldon after he became a married man. “This is good leading into Indianapolis”, stated Dan. The win brings him to third in points after four rounds.

Tony Kanaan complains about being held up in the final laps and wonders why that has to happen while one is racing for the win. He said, “What comes around goes around.”

EJ Viso was happy with the car and the performance in the race. “I just got confused and made a mistake”, said Viso of the pit stall mix-up with the Ed Carpenter pit on lap 153.

Scott Dixon has three strong performances in four races and gets bit again when the yellow flag flies while he is in the pits … and looses position.

Pos. - Driver - Team - Laps Completed
1. Dan Wheldon Ganassi 200
2. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 200
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi 200
4. Helio Castroneves Penske 200
5. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 200
6. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 200
7. Ryan Briscoe Penske 200
8. A.J. Foyt IV Vision 200
9. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 199
10. Ed Carpenter Vision 198
11. Oriol Servia KV 198
12. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 198
13. Jay Howard Roth 197
14. EJ Viso HVM 197
15. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne 196
16. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 195
17. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 193
18. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman 169
19. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 156
20. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold 150
21. Jaime Camara Conquest 150
22. Vitor Meira Panther 101
23. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon 96
24. Darren Manning Foyt 76
25. Enrique Bernoldi Conquest 54
26. Marty Roth Roth 41
27. Will Power KV 22
(ht: autosport.com)

The “Fine Nine” faired as follows:

Justin Wilson, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, breaks into the top ten with a P9 - 1 Lap Down

Oriol Servia, KV Racing Technology – P11 – 2 Laps Down

Graham Rahal, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing – P12 - 2 Laps Down

EJ Viso, HVM Racing – P14 – 3 Laps Down

Bruno Junqueira, Dale Coyne Racing – P15 - 4 Laps Down

Mario Moraes, Dale Coyne Racing – P17 - 7 Laps Down

Jaime Camara, Conquest Racing – P21 - 50 Laps Down

Enrique Bernoldi, Conquest Racing – P25 - 146 Laps Down

Will Power, KV Racing Technology – P27 - 178 Laps Down

Starting with the Indianapolis 500, Pacific Coast Motorsports with Mario Dominguez will become the tenth T-Team driver to join the 2008 season.

A good first truly unified race going into the month of May and the ramp-up to the INDY 500. Rookie orientation (which means most of the Fine Nine) will begin in one week and 14 cars are expected on the track.

... notes from The EDJE

Got Parts! No Sponsor! No Problem - Graham Rahal WINS

Graham Rahal takes the checker flag at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg becoming the youngest ever to win an IndyCar Series race. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney – indycar.com

Got Parts! No Sponsor! No Problem - Graham Rahal WINS

This is a great story (again, with apologies to Kenny Chesney)!

It goes from No Parts (and no race for the first race), No Sponsor (Hole In The Wall Camp is, team owner, Paul Newman's charity), to No Problem for the first win by a CCWS T-Team!

Good on Graham Rahal (and father Bobby) of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

The reason this IS a great story has to do with many reasons.

Graham Rahal came close to winning his first race at the age of 18, last year in the ChampCar World Series when he came in second place on the podium for the Grand Prix of Houston, April 22, 2007.

Rahal came back from a spinout early in the Saint Petersburg race, Sunday afternoon, to become the youngest winner in major open-wheel history. At 19 years, 93 days, Rahal broke the age record set two years ago in Sonoma, Calif., by another driver from a racing family, Marco Andretti, who was 19 years, 167 days old.

With this win, the ChampCar World Series Transition Teams crack the ice on its first win in only two races proving that the “T-Teams” ARE competitive with recognized, established leading teams in the IRL in this first season of unification. Many experts speculated that at minimum, it would take six to ten races for the CCWS T-Teams to catch on to the racing set-ups of the IRL Dallara chassis - Honda engine package. This win was not only won on a closed temporary street course (a CCWS strong point), it was won through strategy.

The driver who came in second had won the race the previous two years running … and was poised, through a strategic last pit stop where Helio Castroneves, of Team Penske, took on fuel only (no tires) and leaped forward seven spots to come in right behind Graham Rahal for the re-start. The trick in strategy at this very point, and very easy to overlook, is that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (four time CCWS Championship winning team) kept Graham Rahal out hoping that the car would have enough fuel to finish the race. The strategy gamble paid dividends in this unified 2008 IRL season by posting a first ever CCWS T-Team race win in the second of eighteen scheduled races.

Graham Rahal had help with fuel saving yellow flag laps where the racers were slowed and held behind the pace car for several laps while track crews cleaned up after cars that had collected the wall, or each, other around the track during the last stint before the checkered flag that would end the race.

In the final re-start with just a few laps left, it was feared that Castroneves, with all of his winning experience (two-time Indy 500 Champion), would be able to get the drop on the much younger, non-winning Rahal, but Graham’s age hides the fact that he comes from a grand racing DNA tradition being the son of past Three-Time CART Champion, Indy 500 Winner (both as a driver and team owner) and IRL team owner (Rahal-Letterman Racing), Bobby Rahal. Graham Rahal answered the challenge at the re-start by bringing the field up to racing speed before the first turn of the main straightaway to receive the checkered flag and resume racing. All Helio Castroneves could do is maintain position as Graham placed a little distance between them until the end of the rain-dampened race.

Some of the best news for the Indianapolis Racing League in this year of unification is how well the CCWS T-Teams did in a race venue that was completely new to most all of the teams and drivers. Five of the top ten places were occupied by T-Team drivers. P1 - Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing), P4 - EJ (Ernesto) Viso (Former Minardi Team USA – HVM Racing), P5 - Enrique Bernoldi (Conquest Racing - with consulting from Forsythe), P7 - Oriol Servia (KV Racing Technology), P8 - Will Power (KV Racing Technology). That is competitive no mater how one slices it!

The Indianapolis Racing League wants to say "Transition tag gone!" (as per an article posted at indycar.com by Dave Lewandowski) but until the IRL management shows an interest in the race weekend at Long Beach (which happens over the same weekend as the engine supplier race (Honda) held in Motegi, Japan), the ChampCar teams will always be viewed as T-Teams!

Com' On! the Long Beach Grand Prix race can not get any play as being listed as a race in the schedule at indycar.com website - No opportunity to link to event information - No ticket sales - NOTHING (as of the writing of this post). To be fair, the ChampCar site isn't much help either, although, this site at least has a link to additional information.

Heck, the race in Long Beach can not even be mentioned by the house writer in his article about Saint Petersburg ... you know, that the next race one will be able to see this race winner, Graham Rahal, compete in is LONG BEACH ... not Motegi, Japan! (please note: the possibility exists that Graham could race in Japan, catch a private jet and start the Long Beach race from the back of the field - pure speculation)

Again, Good on Graham Rahal and the ChampCar World Series Transition Teams for a great showing in the streets of Saint Petersburg, Florida before these guys give one last hurrah to the PANOZ DP01 through the streets in Long Beach.

The DP01 chassis will be featured in the final ChampCar race, and the only ChampCar race that will award IRL points toward the 2008 IRL season championship in the streets at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-20, 2008 - Long Beach, California.

See you all on Shoreline Drive!

UPDATE - 4-15-2008:

IndyCar Series News & Notes - April 14, 2008
By indycar.com

Today's IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
**One weekend, two races in two hemispheres
**Rahal's win broke three-team, 37-race streak
**Web traffic spikes at indycar.com
Reference Here>>

Two of the greatest takeaway’s of the article referenced are

1.) Rahal's win broke three-team, 37-race streak: Graham Rahal's victory in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg April 6 for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing was the first by a driver for a team other than Andretti Green Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske since Aug. 14, 2005 - a span of 37 IndyCar Series races. Fernandez Racing's Scott Sharp won the race at Kentucky Speedway in 2005 before the streak started.

Read that as T-Team success!

2.) Web traffic spikes at indycar.com: The unification of open-wheel racing under the IndyCar Series banner has already resulted in increased car counts and a renewed interest among sponsors and fans. Another sign of the growing excitement surrounding the unified IndyCar Series is the drastic increase in web traffic at the series' official Web site, http://www.indycar.com/. The site, which unveiled a new, improved design in March, has seen tremendous growth since the beginning of the year.

Read this as people wanting to get information on unification but can not get any.

This article mentions that there is a race in Long Beach … but try to get any direct information on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach from the indycar.com website.

… notes from The EDJE

IRL Churn Turns To IRL Attrition - Rahal Out

Graham Rahal, second year driver for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, on a "hot lap" during second day qualifying for the 2007 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks - The EDJE 2007

IRL Churn Turns To IRL Attrition - Graham Rahal Out

With the transition of as many as nine new drivers, most from the former and merged ChampCar World Series, an unanticipated result claims its first victim for the season opener.

One of the premiere teams to merge with the IRL, if not THE premiere team, four time series champion Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has to pull one car out of the starting line-up. Graham Rahal, son of CART Series Champion and IRL team owner Rahal/Letterman - Bobby Rahal, has withdrawn from Saturday's Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300. The NHL Racing team felt that damage sustained in a Tuesday evening testing crash at Homestead-Miami Speedway was too severe to be repaired in time for the race.

The plan is to have the car ready to debut in Round 2 in St. Petersburg, Florida next weekend.

This excerpted from Racing One -

Rahal to Miss Opener
By J.J. O'Malley - RacingOne Contributor Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - The short transition time for the former Champ Car World Series to prepare for the unified IndyCar Series opener has already taken its toll.
----
"We just don't have any parts," Rahal said. "Unfortunately, it's taken us out of it. We're just going to focus on next weekend, and that will be fine. That's what we should have done in a situation like this, and that's what we're going to do."
----
"The car bottomed and went around, and that was that," Rahal said. "That's how it goes. We were doing a good job. We were running quick and we had just passed Oriol (Servia) when it happened. Unfortunately, that's the way this kind of deal works."

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will field the No. 02 McDonald's Honda Dallara for Justin Wilson, among eight cars fielded by former Champ Car teams for the event.

Rahal's withdrawal drops the entry list to 25 for the 8 p.m. Saturday race. Practice and qualifying is set for Friday.
Reference Here>>

The Indianapolis Racing League needs to have more infrastructure support if the IRL plans to field between 25 to 30 cars for the 18 race 2008 season. It is a good thing that the Long Beach Grand Prix, which will have IRL points awarded, is running CCWS gear. With the attrition of ChampCar World Series teams actually being able to merge with the IRL … there should be plenty of PANOZ DP01 chassis' and parts to go around.

Further, Graham Rahal should be able to get back on the points track if he competes in Japan and Long Beach on the same weekend. At the very least, this would become a great open-wheel racing human interest coup!

UPDATE: Chatter from fan message boards have confirmed the following -

There has been an email confirmation issued from someone close to IRL Management that spare parts will not be readily available for new teams.

Odd that!

Maybe some concern that the CCWS guys might get up to speed a little quicker than the established guard would like them to be?

The best way to slow it down (reports showed Rahal was beginning to match some top veteran driver times before his spin ... even quicker than Servia) is to keep 'em off the track. If parts are tight, Rahal might just have company in the spectator stands before the first race even gets underway.

… notes from The EDJE

Hot Wheels, Yes, Hot Wheels Turns 40

Image Credit: Hot Wheels Collectors

Hot Wheels, Yes, Hot Wheels Turns 40

Man I feel old, at this year’s Toy Fair in New York, Hot Wheels will show off a design competition for a Hot Wheels car between real automobile designers to celebrate the fact that Mattel’s Hot Wheels will turn forty years old. Oh, and unveil the most expensive tiny toy car ever built. It kinda’ makes one wonder what do they have up their sleeve for the 50th celebration?

Hot Wheels Diamond Encrusted Car - The diamonds on the custom-made jeweled car, valued at $140,000, total more than 2,700 and weigh nearly 23 carats. The car is cast in 18-karat white gold, while the majority of the vehicle is detailed with micro pave-set brilliant blue diamonds, mimicking Hot Wheels® Spectraflame® blue paint. Under the functional hood, the engine showcases additional micro pave-set white and black diamonds. The Hot Wheels® flame logo found on the underbelly of the car is lined with white and black diamonds. Red rubies are set as the tail lights, while black diamonds and red enamel create the "Red Line®" wheels. The custom-made case that houses the jewel-encrusted vehicle also holds 40 individual white diamonds, signifying each year in the legacy of the Hot Wheels® brand. Jason Arasheben -CEO and owner of Jason of Beverly Hills and Geoff Walker -VP of Hot Wheels marketing help out at the unveiling of the One-Of-A kind Jeweled Car in New York at the Mattel Showroom. Caption Credit: Hot Wheels Collectors - Image Credit: dailystab.co

If you were in the New York area from February 17 to February 20, 2008, you would have been able to catch the showing and the competition for yourself. If you not able to have been there, viewing the photos and videos placed here at The Edge just might be the next best thing.

A road trip is planned for this summer that will begin at Mattel’s (and Hot Wheels) company headquarters, and end at Watkins Glen. There, Hot Wheels will partner with the Grand Prix Festival of Watkins Glen to participate in the annual celebratory kick-off event honoring the history of the town and race track.

Image Credit: Hot Wheels Collectors

This from a Press Release issued by General Motors - Global -

40-Year-Old Hot Wheel Speeds Up Its Appeal at Toy Fair
General Motors - Global - [21-Feb-2008]

Hot Wheels will turn 40 this year, and to commemorate its iconic anniversary, the toy’s maker hosted a makeover competition.

Automakers were asked to submit ideas combining their own brand with the toy’s motto of power, speed and performance.

With no rules, federal regulations, speed limits or limits on prices, six designers came up with a slew of ideas inspired from both childhood memories and previous collections.

Chevrolet designer Amaury Diaz Serrano came up with the Chevroletor, a vehicle inspired by Serrano’s own Hot Wheels collection and the 1957 Corvette SS. Other top designs included Ford’s Gangster Grin, the Dodge XP-07, the Honda Racer and Mitsubishi’s Double Shotz.
(ht: The News Market)

GM’s Chevroletor - Image Credit: dailystab.com

Ford’s Gangster Grin - Image Credit: dailystab.com

Honda Racer - Image Credit: dailystab.com

Dodge XP-07 - Image Credit: dailystab.com

Lotus's 40H - Image Credit: dailystab.com

And this excerpted from Hot Wheels Collectors fansite –

Hot Wheels® Designer's Challenge™

For the first time in its history, Mattel went outside of its in-house design team to seek new car designs and to honor the automotive partners that attributed to the success of Hot Wheels® cars over the years. Car designers from Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Lotus and Mitsubishi designed their version of a Hot Wheels® concept car based on the brand's attributes of speed, power, performance and attitude. Each submitted design was created in a 1:5-scale model and unveiled this past October at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas [with the finished retail 1:64-scale version to be unveiled at the New York Toy Fair]. In late March the 1:64-scale versions will be available at retailers nationwide as part of the Designer's Challenge™ product line.

"I’ve been involved in multi-million dollar concept car designs but not everyone can relate to these kinds of projects," said Amaury Diaz Serrano, creative designer, General Motors. "But, everyone can relate to a Hot Wheels. Regardless of age, race or background, everyone has fond memories of playing with them. To be able to design for Hot Wheels is the closest I will ever get to winning an Oscar."

Hot Wheels® Cross-Country Road Trip

This summer, fans across the country will be invited to celebrate the 40th anniversary as Hot Wheels® travels Highway 40 to bring together automotive enthusiasts of all ages. Kicking off at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo in mid-August, the road trip will make stops at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah; Speed, KS; Indianapolis; and Detroit, before culminating in a grand finale celebration on September 5 in Watkins Glen, NY -- home to American road racing.

At each road trip stop, Hot Wheels® will host a free event that will be open to the public. Each event will feature life-size Hot Wheels® cars, kiosks where people can create their own custom Hot Wheels® “drivers license,” family-friendly activities, and the opportunity to receive a commemorative 1:64-scale Hot Wheels® car created especially for each stop, available in limited quantities.

"40 years. Four billion cars. It is a year of exciting milestones for Hot Wheels," said Geoff Walker, vice president, Wheels Marketing, Mattel Brands. "We just can't wait to get on the road to celebrate with the millions that share the Hot Wheels passion."
Reference Here>>

... notes from The EDJE

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Steps Out, And Steps Up!

After smoking the Shootout field, Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates in a suitable fashion at Daytona International Speedway. Image Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Steps Out, And Steps Up!
(UPDATED With YouTube Video)

In the very first professional stock car race of the season, the race that acts as the opening act to a gathering of racing enthusiast on the East coast of Florida, Daytona Speed Weeks 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins pulling away from rival Tony Stewart.

The race known as the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, does not count in the 2008 points championship, allows the top NASCAR teams to tune up for the infamous season opening Daytona 500 (50th year) to be staged this next weekend, February 17, 2008.

Even though the Budweiser Shootout does not award points, it carries a sizeable purse and bragging rights. The bragging rights for Dale Earnhardt Jr. become even greater given the fact that this is the first race he has competed in after leaving the team his late father and stepmother (Teresa Earnhardt) formed and the team where he had his greatest successes – Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). Dale left when he could not secure an agreement with DEI to participate in the management of the future of the team to a greater level.

“Junior” won the race with the drafting help of teammate Jimmie Johnson … after the race's fourth and final caution, set up the green-and-white-checkered finish.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a new look in victory lane after winning the Budweiser Shootout all-star race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Image Credit: The Kansas City Star/Production Affiliate

This excerpted from The Boston Globe –

Earnhardt wins with help from new friends
By Michael Vega - Globe Staff / February 10, 2008

Looking to make a favorable first impression with his new Hendrick Motorsports team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won last night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, kicking off Speedweeks 2008 in rousing fashion by holding off runner-up Tony Stewart in a green-and-white-checkered finish.

"What a race. Good job, guys," Earnhardt hollered to his crew over the radio after he crossed the finish line to record his second Shootout triumph. "What a great racecar. This might be a [Daytona] 500 winner and you might not know it."

Car owner Rick Hendrick chimed in, "What a way to start the deal, baby."

Earnhardt made headlines in May when he announced his decision to defect from Dale Earnhardt Inc.,
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But he made an even bigger splash in June when he joined forces with the sport's most dominant team.

Last night, that union paid huge dividends for Earnhardt, who received timely drafting help from his Hendrick teammates, most notably Jimmie Johnson in the final three laps.

"I had a blast," said Earnhardt, who ended a 62-race drought that dated to his victory at Richmond two years ago. "The last few laps, I got some great help from my teammates, but I wouldn't have won the race without Jimmie pushing me. So thanks to him and [crew chief Chad Knaus] for working so hard to get [Johnson's] backup ready."
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Nine laps into the race, Earnhardt powered his way to the front with a bold inside move on the backstretch and went on to lead the remaining 11 laps before pitting for a scheduled 10-minute intermission before the resumption of racing in a final 50-lap segment.
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When racing resumed on Lap 28, Toyota driver Dave Blaney, who delivered his car manufacturer its first Cup pole victory last July at New Hampshire, went to the front. Blaney's lead was short-lived when Earnhardt moved back in front on Lap 35.

Earnhardt proceeded to joust with Stewart for the lead, but the driver of the No. 88 car got some timely help in building a commanding lead from Hendrick teammates Gordon and Mears. (Mears's car failed postrace inspection for being too low, the Associated Press reported, and NASCAR planned to look more closely at the car today.)
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Kurt Busch's brilliant save of his spinning car in Turn 3 brought out the race's fourth and final caution, setting up a green-and-white-checkered finish. After racing Stewart side-by-side, Earnhardt, with Johnson's draft support, took the lead on Lap 69.

"It's hard to beat Dale Jr.," Stewart said. "I mean, he's one of the best restrictor-plate drivers that's ever been, so he learned a lot from his dad. I'm not sure he's not better than his dad now, in all honesty. To run with him and the Hendrick guys, I thought we fought a good fight tonight."
Reference Here>>

2008 Budweiser Shootout - Finish Part 1

2008 Budweiser Shootout - Finish Part 2

... notes from The EDJE