For 2011, It's Still A Chip On Penske's Shoulder In The IRL

Target Chip Ganassi IndyCar Championship Series transporter fleet as it sits proudly in the paddock at the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

For 2011, It's Still A Chip On Penske's Shoulder In The IRL

Now that open wheel motorsports racing fans have been treated to what could happen when competing factions join and meld together for the last three years, what do they have to look forward to for the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Championship Series 2011 season? Well, more of the same.

Cream always rises to the top, gold dents when one bites into it, angry jihadist Muslims always find a way to put a damper on everyone's party, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West ... just as teams fielded by Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske will always dominate the racing action on oval, street and road courses in premiere American open wheel automobile racing.

Many had hopes that the union of ChampCar and IndyCar 2008 would deliver a chance at diversity where more teams and drivers would have a better shot at creating racing history, but alas ... this hope was as ill fated as Tony George holding down every major executive position in the IRL including running the track the series was named after.

Having the gravitas of this dueling giant pair of immovable forces, when one looks at the path they cut really isn't so bad once one looks at the quality of the results. Just look at the incredible 2010 run a former ChampCar budding star, Will Power, had with Roger Penske just to be reeled in by one of the best racing pairings in modern open wheel racing of Dario Franchitti driving for Chip Ganassi.

In 2011, if past behavior is the best predictor of future results ... we all be uttering "Three-Peat" at seasons end.

Team Penske drivers Ryan Briscoe (P5), Helio Castroneves (P4), and Will Power (P1) as they field questions in the post Firestone Fast Six qualifying press conference. While no Target Chip Ganassi drivers made the "Fast Six" in qualifications, in the race Scott Dixon (qualified in P8) registered a P4, right behind Will Power's P3 ... the only Penske driver to finish in the top six positions. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from SPEED CHANNEL -

INDYCAR: Penske’s Thorn
Looking back on these past 42 years, several people have tried to draft Penske into the fast lane, but there has only been one constant thorn in The Captain’s side.
Robin Miller | Posted December 29, 2010 Indianapolis, IN

Roger Penske began fielding cars at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 and during this time span The Captain has amassed 153 wins, 12 championships and made a record 15 trips to Victory Lane at Indianapolis.

He also built a template for success and re-shaped the business model for motorsports.

Looking back on these past 42 years, several people have tried to draft Penske into the fast lane. Bobby Hillin and Rick Galles damn near went bust trying to keep up with R.P. in CART and billionaire John Menard threw good money after bad trying to catch The Captain at 16th & Georgetown.
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But, throughout CART’s heydays, The Split and unification; during the engine, car and tire wars; from taking a chance on equipment to being stuck with spec racing, there has only been one constant thorn in The Captain’s side.

That would our boy Chip Ganassi.

And while there’s no denying the Chipster can be a pain in the ass to a lot of people on any given day, he’s accomplished what nobody else has been able to pull off.

His IndyCar team has pulled alongside of Penske’s.

In a horse racing form, they would be coupled: 1 and 1A.

Since 1994, the year Target/Ganassi Racing scored its initial victory, it’s almost a dead heat.

Chip’s drivers have 79 wins, seven championships and three baby Borgs from winning Indianapolis.

Team Penske’s stats are 73 victories, four titles and five Indy 500s.

Ganassi and Target have been partners since 1990, while The Captain had Marlboro for the better part of 20 years.

Helio Castroneves returns for his 12th year with R.P. and Scott Dixon is back in the saddle for his ninth consecutive season at Ganassi’s.

Tim Lombardi, Tom Wertz, Clive Howell and Rick Rinaman are lifers at Penske just like Ricky Davis, Barry Wanser, Julian Robertson, Scott Harner and Mike Hull for Ganassi as both organizations breed loyalty.

If a driver is hired at either place, winning is the only option.

“I don’t know that Chip’s goal was to be like Roger but, let’s face it, Roger is the model for success in this business,” said Hull, the managing director who joined Ganassi in 1992.

“Chip is fueled by the passion of winning and the passion of having comparison. Both of them are from the same competitive mold.”
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There is no denying that The Captain is one of the smartest people on this planet and his work ethic is second to none. He builds up companies, resuscitates others and knows how to keep customers and sponsors satisfied. Racing is how he unwinds.

Ganassi lives and breathes motorsports, from his IndyCar and Grand-Am headquarters in Indy to his NASCAR shop in Charlotte. Pittsburgh is his home but racing is his family.

“The biggest difference between them is that Roger runs his empire from Monday through Thursday and follows his passion from Friday to Sunday,” continued Hull. “Chip is focused on racing from Monday to Sunday.

“I always hear that Chip gives us the resources to succeed but the resource is the mindset and culture we’ve been fortunate enough to develop. Chip is all about building for tomorrow and the future. It’s all about staying power.”

Staying up front with Penske has proved to be almost impossible during the past four decades. But he can’t shake Ganassi.

Nothing better illustrates this like 2010. At Indy, Castroneves and Will Power qualified 1-2 but the Ganassi team never concerned themselves with qualifying, and Franchitti totally dominated the race. Power was the class of the IndyCar season but lost the title in the finale when Dario and Dixon delivered a psychological blow in qualifying before sealing the deal in the race.

It was the second straight season that a Ganassi driver (Franchitti) had overtaken a Penske driver in the last race to win the championship.

While many have grown tired of the same two teams winning everything, and nothing is going to change drastically until those new cars/engines arrive in 2012, Ganassi and Penske have evolved into one of the best rivalries in sports.

Make no mistake: The Captain still casts a long shadow but the ‘ol Chipster is standing right in it.
Reference Here>>

Look for just more of the same in 2011 - but does anyone think it will be different in 2012 with the new choices in chassis, aero body forms, engine, and tire combinations? My bet would be on hearing "Four-Peat" at the awards dinner by the end of the year.

... notes from The EDJE

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 ... And Beyond – Competing Interests

The Red Bull arch adorns a whoop-d-whoo section of the Motocross challenge part of the nearly seven mile course laid out by the Catalina Island Company for the event. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 ... And Beyond – Competing Interests  

Against all odds and the thinking of many pundits residing on the island as well as the mainland, by all accounts the new era of the Catalina Grand Prix was a resounding success.

About one month or so before the event was scheduled to take place, things were looking a little dodgy, in that, the course was laid and conservationists that stand at the gate of all that happens on the interior of the island sighted about three Island Gray Foxes and at about the same time, Red Bull decided to step up and become the cornerstone sponsor lending invaluable visibility to the venue and additional importance of the agreed to event.

Local turnout was fantastic with the most common form of transportation being gas-powered golf carts. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Estimates on the influx of tourists place the two-wheel racing lovin’ crowd at around 20,000 racers, family, spectators, press and organizers. From the looks of all of the primary transportation golf carts with canvas and custom rims parked at the bottom of the rise along the East side of hole number 6 (or 7), the residents loved dropping in on all of the action as well.

There were around 800 racers entered to participate in 12 races spread over two days of costal Southern California late fall weather. As is the custom, many of the dirt motorcycle clubs throughout Southern California assisted the Avalon Fire Department in the race course management of this AMA sanctioned event.

Catalina Grand Prix action with the iconic Casino in the background. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from Cycle News –

Norman Caps Off Catalina GP With Pro Win
Kendal Norman races to victory
By Ryan Sanders - December 06, 2010 - 11:04 AM

Seventy class championships were up for grabs over the weekend, including the premier class - the Pro race, which marked the final event of what was a very successful weekend of racing. And that race belonged to JCR Honda rider Kendal Norman.

The racing action got underway Sunday morning with the Heavyweight event, and FMF/KTM rider Kurt Caselli rode off to victory but not before a tussle with Norman. At one point, the two riders locked handlebars with Norman getting the raw end of the deal.
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[Catalina local, Mini-class rider/winner, Tucker] Larriew had the crowd in awe as he cleared some of the large doubles and triples on his Kawasaki KX85 that some of the A-class riders would not dare.
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Overall, the return of the Catalina Grand Prix was well-received by city officials and the local residents, but no decision has been yet been made as to if the event will return next year.

Reference Here

From France, this 1968 Triumph and rider just made it from LAX to the Fright Line at the harbor under the wire to have the bike shipped for the event. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

The event, in its first year of a new era approach, attracted people from all over the United States. One racer flew in to LAX from France with his 1968 Triumph (pictured above) and he barely made the equipment container shipping cut-off to Santa Catalina. His participation made this restart and first event of the new era one of international participation and reach. If this is the first of a decades long tradition, the event would become as internationally famed as the Isle of Man TT races, even though they would be completely different style events. The international draw however would create a tourist following for the rest of the year from Europeans visiting Southern California in a big way. Heck, they would love to visit the track site, take in a round of golf, and photograph a few Buffalo along the way.

The aftermath glow on the island and from the people who worked the services that support its industry was palpable yet guarded. They were all wondering just how much free range space does a little fox require in order to exist … and does this free range include the Catalina Grand Prix and possibly the town of Avalon itself?

Let us all be honest about this subject on the protection of a species … any species that chooses to scavenge for food from humans on an island that has maybe only 5% (and this might be a stretch) of its restricted land mass inhabited by the only species that can think and act on issues as protection – should have its competing interests curtailed.

Under the current logic that is raising concern … what would happen if ten or twenty gray foxes were sighted when the small area of mostly clear land was sculpted and made suitable for motorcycle competition … would the inhabitants of Avalon be asked to move out as long as they would just leave their food behind? The solution could be as simple as gathering up all of the “left over” food from eateries trash and deposit it on the uninhabited areas of the island to allow the population of gray foxes to expand (possibly at the expense of the indigenous Buffalo – not indigenous? Oh, sorry).

Image Credit: Michael Mandzak (2010)

This excerpted and edited from Wikipedia –

Introduced diseases or parasites can devastate Island Fox populations. Because the Island Fox is isolated, it has no immunity to parasites and diseases brought in from the mainland and are especially vulnerable to those the Domestic Dog may carry. A canine distemper outbreak in 1998 killed approximately 90% of Santa Catalina Island's fox population.^[10] (It is difficult to vaccinate against or treat foxes for parasites and disease in the wild.)

Diminished food supply and general degradation of the habitat due to introduced mammal species, including feral cats, pigs, sheep, goats, and American Bison, the latter having been introduced to Catalina Island in the 1920s by a Hollywood film crew shooting a Western,^[13] also has had a negative effect on fox populations.

Reference Here

So, it appears that in this Competing Interests set of circumstances, protect the fox while allowing life on the Island to continue or remove all that threaten the Island Gray Fox beyond just a few Golden Eagles.

A trap out on the track at the top of hole 6 (or 7). Is this a Gray Fox trap? Maybe this is a good omen. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

A balance can be achieved if one wanted to become a bit more focused on species protection options (through trap, relocate, and impound programs), yet protect some of the interests that have been already established for the betterment of all concerned.

It strikes this author that pet dogs and Buffalo are greater threats to the gray fox than a limited annual event (limited to Avalon and its existing infrastructure) that uses existing rights of way and brings additional tourist attention for the good of the residents and support businesses that enjoy the tourist income-based life that Avalon and the chaparral island ecosystem can provide.

… notes from The EDJE



TAGS: AMA, Avalon, Competition, Endangered Species Act, Red Bull, Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010, The EDJE

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - Race #1 Start

Motorcycles power through the air in the Motocross section with the iconic Avalon Casino in the background [ctrl-click photo to launch video of the start of the first AMA sanctioned race on Santa Catalina island since 1958]. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - Race #1 Start

Race 1 - 8:15, December 4, 2010 - Classic Skill A & B - Vintage Skill A & B - Evolution Skill A & B - Premier LWT Skill A & B - Premier 500 Skill A & B - Premier Open Twins Skill A & B.

Event Photo Slideshow Found Here>>

For eight years from 1951 to 1958, an international competition event that started as a way to promote and sell motorcycles evolved into a small tradition where the greatest motorcycle racers of the day would make the then spring time seaborne trip to the Island, that featured a Casino and was once the spring training ground of the Chicago Cubs, to break in their equipment for the upcoming AMA points paying season in the "Grand National" circuit. This event became known as the Catalina Grand Prix.

Welcome to a new era which starts out December 4-5, 2010, as the Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: AMA, Avalon, Red Bull, Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010, The EDJE

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - From Long Beach To Avalon

Traveling in to Avalon from Long Beach to experience the Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010. [ctrl-click image to launch video slideshow of the trip]. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - From Long Beach to Avalon

The crowd gathered to board the Catalina Express for a first in a lifetime chance to restart a grand tradition - serious motorcycle competition on roads that snake around the chaparral covered hills that surround the romantic village of Avalon on Catalina Island.

For eight years from 1951 to 1957, a competition event that started as a way to promote and sell motorcycles evolved into a small tradition where the greatest motorcycle racers of the day would make the then spring time seaborne trip to the Island that featured a Casino and was once the spring training ground of the Chicago Cubs to break in their equipment for the upcoming AMA points paying season in the "Grand National" circuit. This event became known as the Catalina Grand Prix.

Today, December 3, 2010, all of the competitors, spectators with a room (booked months in advance), and press traveled on the Catalina Express to get settled in before two days of competition that will be held in 12 races, 800 riders, and nearly seven miles of paved, dirt, and motocross prepared sections of Island racetrack!

Welcome to a new era which starts out December 4-5, 2010, as the Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010.

... notes from The EDJE

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - Pre-Event Update

This December, the stars will align for the rebirth of one of California’s most historic motorcycle races – the Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix. The famed race, which was held between 1951 and 1958, brought thousands of spectators and hundreds of riders to Catalina Island, helping establish it as the bustling tourist destination it is today. Caption & Image Credit: Red Bull USA

Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 - Pre-Event Update

The Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 is a closed-course motorcycle racing event sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Association.

Due to lax technical inspection, the 1950s era races were considered a “proving ground” for various types of suspensions, engine and frame modifications and special tunings. The Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix 2010 will follow its 1950s open class tradition by providing races for a wide variety of engine displacement and skill levels.

The field is expected to include almost 800 riders who registered prior to the October 7 deadline. There will be 12 races over the two days with an average of 80 riders per race. The Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix will be AMA sanctioned and all AMA rules will be followed.

The event is free to the public, and no tickets are required. All participants, spectators, and Press are expected to drop by the Hotel Metropole for check in, race registration, general event information/updates, food, and drinks.

Image Credit: Catalina Grand Prix 2010

The event is held over a three day period starting on Friday December 3, 2010 with a moderately priced charity golf tournament to benefit the AMA Legal Defense Fund and Riders Helping Riders. Green Fees are only $30.00 per player with Club Rentals at $11.00 a set and Golf Carts at $10.00 per player. To participate, please call 310-510-0530 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 310-510-0530 end_of_the_skype_highlighting for a tee time (if available) - all participants must mention that they are"with the Catalina Grand Prix".

Friday night is the official Red Bull Party to kick things off before competition begins. - details can be found at the Hotel Metropole! Updated information found at Dirt Bike Magazine>>

The racing event will be held over two days on December 4-5, 2010, and be held on an approximate 7 mile course. The course will include natural, graded, and paved terrain that includes a Motocross section (80% dirt, 20% paved). Grandstands are available for spectators and they will be located at the Start/Finish line and the Motocross section.

“I’m stoked to be part of this historic race,” said four-time Baja 1000 winner and 2010 AMA National Hare & Hound champion, Kendall Norman. “I’ve heard so much about it - the pioneers of the sport racing their old-school bikes in one of the most unique locations imaginable. It’s great that we’ll finish off the season with what’s sure to be one of the most fun races of the year.”

Both motocross superstars and emerging talents will vie for top honors as they blast into the hills surrounding the main port town of Avalon. Riders will look to join Bud Ekins (the stuntman who performed the famous fence jump in “The Great Escape” for Steve McQueen) and Bob Sangren (the race’s only two-time winner) as champion of the island spectacle. Sangren will also be returning to the island to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2010 race.

Riders are considered finishers provided they make 50% of their class leader's laps and receive the checkered flag. Due to circumstances on the island, there will be no practice and all motorcycles will be impounded, except for the actual race. All roads on the island are private and permission has been granted for their use for the actual race only. During the race, all participants must stay on the marked course. Any motorcycle used otherwise, will be impounded and the rider will be disqualified and prosecuted with no refund of race fees. All tuning and testing must have been done before your motorcycle is shipped, as such activity will not be allowed on the island.

Image Credit: Catalina Grand Prix 2010

Let the races begin - SCHEDULE:

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010

7:30 Opening Ceremony

Race 1 8:15 $250

Classic Skill A & B
Vintage Skill A & B
Evolution Skill A & B
Premier LWT Skill A & B
Premier 500 Skill A & B
Premier Open Twins Skill A & B

Race 2 9:30 $250

Magnum 50+ LWT Skill B
Magnum 50+ HWT Skill B

Race 3 10:45 $250

Magnum 50+ LWT Skill A
Magnum 50+ HWT Skill A

Race 4 12:00 $250

Senior 40+ LWT Skill B
Senior 40+ HWT Skill B

Race 5 1:15 $250

Senior 40+ LWT Skill A
Senior 40+ HWT Skill A

Race 6 2:30 $250

Veteran 30+ LWT Skill A & B
Veteran 30+ HWT Skill A & B

Saturday night at the Casino, a special Casino movie will be shown at 8:00 PM with special guest appearance from Nitro Circus! Updated information found at Dirt Bike Magazine>>

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2010

Race 7 8:00 $250

HWT Skill B

Race 8 9:15 $250

HWT Skill A

Race 9 10:30 $250

125cc Skill A & B
250cc Skill A & B

Race 10 11:45 $250

Mini Skill A & B
Women Skill A & B
60+ Skill A & B
70+ Skill A & B

Race 11 1:00 $150

Super Mini Skill A & B
Youth Mini Skill A & B
Junior Mini Skill A & B
Micro Mini Skill A & B

Race 12 1:45 $300 GPR Pro Race $5,000 purse

Pro 18+
Pro 30+
Pro 40+

For racers and fans staying over on Sunday, December 5th, join the locals for the annual Shop At Home Night. The holiday festivities kick off with a tree lighting ceremony on the Wrigley Stage on the waterfront in Avalon. Santa Claus arrives by fire truck and strolling carolers will be serenading the shoppers. Participating store will be staying open late, many offering refreshments and holiday treats in addition to bargain prices.

Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Wayne Griffin also invites guests to enjoy the Tour Of Lights to drop off a new unwrapped toy for the Toys 4 Tots program for the local children. Get your treasure card stamped and enter to win reservations for two to the 2010 New Year's Eve Gala on the Island.

Again, the event is free to the public, and no tickets are required. All event information, updates, and check in happen at the Hotel Metropole.

... notes from The EDJE

Motor Trend Green, Rush Limbaugh, And A Nielsen Reality

Ford named The Automotive Green Marketer of the Year by Nielsen at LA Auto Show 2010 - Nielsen research found • 85% of consumers said they recalled seeing a ‘green’ auto ad recently and, on average across the 23 brands measured, 67% of consumers said they had a more positive opinion of green marketing after seeing the ad. • Further to that, 41% of consumers said the ad increased their consideration to buy the featured vehicle. • Green auto ads resonated better than the average auto ad with 12% higher Message Recall, the percentage in which a viewer can recall an ad, the brand or vehicle featured in the ad, and the green message conveyed. • Among nearly 60,000 social media messages analyzed for auto brands, consumers view their green auto marketing efforts in a favorable light with 12 times more positive “buzz” than negative [ctrl-click image to launch YouTube of announcement]. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Motor Trend Green, Rush Limbaugh, And A Nielsen Reality

This last week during Press Days at the 2010 LA Auto Show, General Motors was doing its best to place its best foot forward and some in the automotive press were more than willing to play along. On the very same day that Motor Trend Magazine announced that it was awarding the Motor Trend Car of the Year 2010 to the Chevrolet Volt ... General Motors placed stock on the open market for people to buy (Initial Purchase Offer - IPO).

This honor by Motor Trend has been cherished by almost every manufacturer throughout the years but this year seemed unusual ... even by Rush Limbaugh.

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Motor Trend magazine has fired back, slamming Rush Limbaugh for his ill-informed critique of the Motor Trend Car of the year for 2010 the Chevy Volt by General Motors (GM).

• Chevy Volt, Motor Trend Car of the Year 2010
• Chevy Volt Ushers In GM Comeback

Talk show host, Rush Limbaugh has been on a few rants against GM's Chevy Volt, saying,

Of all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year? Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold [and] the Volt is the Car of the Year.

Source: mediaite.com

That prompted this charged, and somewhat petty response from Motor Trend Magazine, editor Todd Lassa:

So, Mr. Limbaugh; you didn’t enjoy your drive of our 2011 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt? Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person?

Source: blogs.motortrend.com

The Motor Trend blog continued its trenchant, and unprofessional take down of Rush Limbaugh's disagreements against the Chevy Volt, ending with this nasty left hook:

I’m sure GM would be happy to lend you one for the weekend. Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix.

Source: blogs.motortrend.com

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

I (as both the LA Motor Culture Examiner and the LA Conservative Examiner) have some of the same troubles with the Volt being named car of the year by Motor Trend Magazine when the General Motors plan is to produce ONLY 10,000 of these citizen owned/Government owned white elephants that require an even bigger giveaway of our tax dollars ($7,500 incentive discount from the $41,000 list price) just to try to shove them, dare I say, down our throats?!

They should be selling this car as a car that has a 300 mile range on current infrastructure fuel with a pure electric power extension of maybe 40 miles.

The Volt was also named Green Car of the year all on the same day that GM issued its IPO stock offer. We call this monetizing our tax dollar debt. I already have money in GM, why would I wish to invest more money in this joke of a Government and Union owned enterprise when there are choices that I CAN make to invest in companies, green companies that are owned by people who actually have a connection to what they make?

Ford was named as the first ever Automotive Green Marketer of the Year by Nielsen ... now there IS a company that has a legacy to its product that one could invest in without having to look over one's shoulder!

This is what the press release had to say about Ford:

Ford has built significant awareness over the past year around their hybrid vehicles and fuel-efficient cars with key campaigns for Fiesta and Fusion Hybrid, as well as their Drive One 2.0 brand ads featuring hybrids and miles-per-gallon (MPG) related ads. In addition, Ford’s official sponsorship of Fox’s reality show American Idol, which put specific emphasis on the hybrid offerings, has helped drive increased awareness of their green message among millions of people every week. Last season, American Idol’s popular Ford Music Video Challenge, in which exclusive Ford music videos aired each week, featured the Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid, successfully grabbing the attention of consumers. Meanwhile, the company continued to break ground in social media with the launch of new apps aimed at expanding its reach to a new class of prospective car-buyers.

“The Automotive Green Marketer of the Year award is not just about great creative, although we all know that’s a crucial element of any effective ad campaign,” said Lois Miller, President, Nielsen Automotive. “However, this is bigger than one creative. This award is for the auto marketer who was most effective at leveraging its brand to further the ‘green’ movement and create positive awareness for all the auto industry is doing to drive fuel-efficiency and eco-friendly practices. This was best exemplified by Ford.”

Basically, this is where the rubber meets the ol' green road ... Ford's contribution takes into account REALITY! ... something Todd Lassa and Motor Trend may have lost touch with a few egos (and possible political campaign contributions) ago.

... notes from The EDJE

LA Auto Show 2010 - Lotus Enters Into A New Era Agreement With The IRL

The competition language just increased with the signing of an agreement to have Group Lotus/Lotus Motorsport supply engines and body aerodynamic parts to teams competing in the IndyCar Series starting in 2012. Pictured from left to right: Famed Indianapolis driver, Parnelli Jones, Randy Bernard, CEO of the Indy Racing League, Dany Bahar, CEO of Lotus Motorsport and Group Lotus. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

LA Auto Show 2010 - Lotus Enters Into A New Era Agreement With The IRL

On Thursday, November 18, 2010, the second day of the LA Auto Show Press Days held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Group Lotus announced an agreement with Randy Bernard, CEO of the Indy Racing League, to supply engines and aero body kits for the IZOD IndyCar Series beginning with the 2012 season.

The deal that was put together by Dany Bahar, CEO of Lotus Motorsport, is for a duration of five years and has Lotus also creating a motorsport facility in Indianapolis that will give the company a base in the thick of the action for this unified, exciting, and adrenalin filled race series and make them easy to find by potential IndyCar engine and aero body kit customers.

This announcement closes out a great week for Randy Bernard, Brian Barnhart - President, Operations & Competition, and the future fortunes of the Indy Racing League for the level of competition on many levels starting in 2012. Lotus joins Chevrolet (USA), which also announced an agreement this week, and Honda (Japan) the current and exclusive engine supplier, making available a choice of three manufacturers engines to run in this new and unified era. The IndyCar Series is no longer a "Spec-Series" anymore!

Randy Bernard said: “Lotus is a renowned name in racing, with a long association with some of the greatest names of motorsports. We’re honored Lotus has chosen to serve as an engine manufacturer for the first time.” Randy shared that the number one concern of the fans after unification was that American open wheel racing did not take the easy route and become a pure specification series where every car was basically the same and all had parts and engines supplied from the same factory.

The speculation is that since Kevin Kalkhoven is the team owner of the car driven by Takuma Sato, and sponsored by Lotus, also owns Cosworth - this Lotus engine just might be produced by the Cosworth organization and have a Lotus name be placed on it which will give Lotus the instant "gravitas" and history of Cosworth ... and why not?!

The Lotus IndyCar engine will follow the agreed rules, namely 2.4 litre, up to 6 cylinders and turbo charged and producing between 550 and 700 horsepower to suit the diverse set of tracks on which the IZOD IndyCar Series competes. All engines will run on E85 with additional details on the fuel platform to be announced at a later date.

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus said: “Lotus is unique in the automotive world, no other car company has been more successful in such a wide variety of motorsports discipline, whether it is Le Mans, World Rally, Sportscars, F1 - of course, and IndyCar. This year we teamed up with KV Racing for IndyCar and we will significantly increase our participation next year. However in 2012 IndyCar competitors will have the exciting opportunity to choose an IndyCar with a Lotus engine and aero body kit, immediately become part of a legacy that is Lotus: one of the most innovative and successful sports and racing car brands in the world.” Dany also let loose during the announcement that Lotus would like to make its own chassis and offer this up to other teams as well - ummmmm, interesting.

Lotus announces an agreement to supply engines and aero body parts to the IndyCar Series beginning 2012. Pictured from left to right: Famed Indianapolis driver, Parnelli Jones, Randy Bernard, CEO of the Indy Racing League, Dany Bahar, CEO of Lotus Motorsport and Group Lotus, Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Motorsport, and Brian Barnhart, President, Operations & Competition of the Indy Racing League. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

The announcement in the booth and on the show floor of this 2010 LA Auto Show helped to lend an excitement to their proceedings. Rand Bernard, Brian Barnhart, and Dany Bahar were joined at the podium set up next to Takuma Sato's IndyCar by none other than the person who first drove and won in a Lotus at Indianapolis ... Parnelli Jones. New traditions do not get any better than when one reaches back and brings some of the original traditions forward to form the traditions of this new era.

Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Motorsport said: “The history and DNA of Lotus is all about extracting the most performance out of a car in return for maximum efficiency and we are delighted to offer our engine and aero body kit to the 2012 IndyCar series.

Long live the IndyCar Series and its agreement with Group Lotus and Lotus Motorsport - may it spur others to step up and compete in this series at every level.

... notes from The EDJE