Racers To Watch At COTA During The Pirelli World Challenge

Pirelli World Challenge cars start their race at the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - going into Turn 1 without incident. Image Credit Myles Regan (2014)

Racers To Watch At COTA During The Pirelli World Challenge

When one turns their attention to the season opener of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) of full-bodied race cars to be held this weekend at Circuit Of The Americas (COTA), one will find an almost confusing array of cars and classes to follow.

Seven different classes of competition include:

GT/GTA (2 Classes) - Cars permitted are typically sold in the market as “sports” cars, “sport touring” cars, or performance versions of “luxury” cars. Class allows FIA GT3 homologated cars. GTA driver classification for professional drivers that do not make their
primarily living from racing.

GT Cup - Spec class featuring Porsche 991 Cup Cars that will run as part of the overall GT Class races, with a separate victory circle presentation alongside that of the GT/GTA class winners.

GTS - Cars permitted in GTS are typically marketed as “sports cars”, “sport touring cars” or performance versions of “luxury” cars but at a lower permissible preparation level than GT.

TC - Power output up to 300hp. Weight varies depending on the power output of the individual drivetrain configurations. Front wheel, rear wheel, and all wheel drive configurations are permitted.

TCA - Power output up to 220HP.Touring Car A is an evolution of the current TC class specifications. It is developed to minimize the build cost of the TC platform.

TCB - Power output up to 125HP Smaller cars with small, efficient, naturally aspirated motors. Modifications are limited to manufacturer specified performance spring and shocks to keep overall cost down.
[ht: PWC]

Large car counts and multiple races within a race are what bring fans to the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) racing series. Many different engine notes and design shapes are only some of the dynamics of the PWC. Image Credit: PWC

In an age of nearly spec/formula racing and single classes going head-to-head on an American race track, the number of classification of cars racing together head-to-head at the same time in the PWC has one wishing for the bring what you got racing of the INDY 500 of the historic past. The series has something to hold for almost anyone who loves a good contest.

First up, let's look at a group of competitors who are driving one of the lagest auto marks represented in the field ... MAZDA! These cars may be smaller and in classifications that do not receive the main focus of a lot of fans, having ten hammer-and-tong competitors will add to one's race following pleasure.

Adam Poland won twice with his EASTEX Motorsports Mazda MX-5 in 2014, finishing third in the TC Championship. Image Credit: Mazda Motorsport (2015)

This excerpted and edited from Mazda Motorsport -  

Mazda Motorsports: 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Preview

One of the great showcases for the quality, durability, and reliability of Mazda cars, and the skills of Mazda racers, is the Pirelli World Challenge. 

This year, ten Mazda racers will be taking the green flag for the three-day, three-race weekend beginning Friday, March 6, at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

Mazda racers compete in three of the seven classes in the field. 

The Mazda MX-5 will go head-to-head with Porsche, Honda, Nissan, Volvo, VW, and Ford in the Touring Car (TC) class.  In the Touring Car “A” (TCA) class, for cars with fewer modifications, the Mazda RX-8 will compete with Honda and Kia.  In Touring Car “B-Spec” (TCB), it will be the nimble Mazda2 up against the Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, and Fiat 500.

Mazda Entries for this weekend - Car#/Class/Driver/Team/Car/From/Sponsors:

#9 (TCB) Chris Holter Breathless Performance Mazda2
Rochester, New York Fuel Clothing / Spy Optics / Go Puck

#17 (TC) Randy Hale Hale Motorsports Mazda MX-5
Haddam, CT TransAero / Hale Propeller

#22 (TCA) Kevin Anderson Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX-8
Huntington Station, New York TechSportRacing.com

#23 (TCA) Robby Foley (R) Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX-8
Randolph, New York TechSportRacing.com

#33 (TC) Adam Poland EASTEX Motorsports Mazda MX-5
Mount Vernon, Texas Texas Track Works / Majestic Pet Products

#50 (TC) Dinah Weisberg (R) BERG Racing Mazda MX-5
Webster, New York REDCOM Laboratories /Color Track / Red Line

#55 (TCB) James Wilson Black Armor Helmets Mazda2
Kyle, Texas Black Armor Helmets

#64 (TC) Austin Snader Snader Racing Mazda MX-5
Sealy, Texas Event Fresh / SR Enterprises / MAZDASPEED

#95 (TCB) Steve Taake Daylight Motorsports Mazda2
Houston, Texas Black Armor Helmets / MAZDASPEED

#98 (TC) Ernie Francis Jr. Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5
Davie, Florida Time4Learning

“It’s great to see so many strong Mazda teams ready for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge.  Mazda has a long history in the series, and we look to our current racers to add their names alongside past race winners and champions like Randy Pobst, Jeff Altenberg, and Michael Cooper.  Having the season conclude at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in September will make this a special season for us,” noted John Doonan, director of motorsports, Mazda North American Operations.
[Reference Here]

Porsche cars are well represented in the field as well, with cars racing in five of the seven classes - GT (1 - GT3), GTA (1 - GT3), GT Cup (all Porsche GT3 - 10 cars), GTS (3 - Cayman/Cayman S), TC (4 - Cayman).

Michael Lewis as he sits on top of the Effort Racing tools while waiting for the next test session in his GT3 Porsche. Image Credit: Michael Lewis' Facebook

This excerpted and edited from Sportscar 365 -  

Lewis: “There’s More Raw Speed to Unleash Here”

One of the young rising stars to watch in this weekend’s Nissan Grand Prix of Texas, as well as the rest of the Pirelli World Challenge season, is 24-year-old Californian Michael Lewis of EFFORT Racing.

Lewis moves up from the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA, where he finished a very close third [entering the last race weekend at P1] in the championship a year ago.

While Lewis might be somewhat of an unknown quantity and a first-year driver in PWC, he has worked several years to achieve the position he has now, taking over the No. 41 Porsche 911 GT3 R that Michael Mills took to the 2014 GTA title.

An open-wheel prospect who achieved success and race wins overseas in Formula 3 through 2013, Lewis had a sports car opportunity come up when he was one of four drivers invited to Porsche’s Young Driver Academy at the end of 2013.

That opened the door for a switch, one that Lewis seized following the two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park.

Effort Racing prepared GT3 Porsche taking Turn 5 at the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks: (2014)

“Moving into sports cars was pretty seamless,” Lewis told Sportscar365. “It all came together through the Porsche Young Driver Academy, the precursor to the Young Driver Program we’re involved in now.
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Lewis entered with Competition Motorsports in the 2014 season and immediately inserted himself into title contention with a sweep of the weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May, his second weekend in the series.

He added two more wins at Road America and Circuit of the Americas, but was caught out in the season finale at Road Atlanta, spinning out on a wet track just past the start of the race.

While he lost the title, he gained a wealth of experience racing against Colin Thompson, Sloan Urry, Christina Nielsen and Angel Benitez Jr. for the title. Interestingly, all but Benitez have PWC programs lined up for this season.

“One thing I think helped me was in learning consistency,” Lewis explained. “We were always in the top five, so to get a big points gap was very hard. You always had to finish in the top three to get any kind of gap.”
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As Lewis now steps into the GT3-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R for 2015, based on the 997 rather than the 991, he described some of the differences between two similar but still different Porsche chassis he raced a year ago.

“The biggest things from the GT3 R to Cup car R are we have ABS on our car, traction control, more aero, and more power,” Lewis said.

“The pedal feels physically different. You’re able to click through traction control like you are on a video game! There’s more raw speed to unleash here.”

Lewis won a shootout for EFFORT Racing’s second seat alongside Ryan Dalziel over the winter, and has prepared for the season in tests at Sebring and MSR Houston.
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Lewis already said he was soaking up information from Dalziel like a sponge.

“He has incredible composure and is very calm under fire,” Lewis said. “He flies in late from Sebring last night, comes here and goes fast no problem.”

As one of the younger drivers in GTA, compared to a nonprofessional driver who only races part-time that make up the bulk of the 21-car class, Lewis has the potential to advance into GT with one overall podium finish or two overall top-fives.

“It’d be awesome to start off winning, but right now we just need to do our job and stay clean,” Lewis said. “This class has some really good drivers and it’s all a big unknown.

“But hopefully we stay in this area for years to come.”
[Reference Here]

The GT Class, however, will get most of the attention because of the diversity of auto marks and drivers that fill this field.
 

Colorado based team K-PAX #6 McLaren as it negotiates Turn 6 at the 40th Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

This excerpted and edited from the Pirelli World Challenge -

Pirelli World Challenge Kicks Off 2015 Season at the Circuit of The Americas

The Circuit of the Americas is the site of the 2015 season opener for the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. The series’ 26th season kicks off at the 20-turn, 3.4 mile permanent road course, with action across all seven series divisions. Over 100 cars are entered for the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas brought to you by Motul.

A host of familiar names are joined by a wealth of talented newcomers, either in the form of new drivers, teams, manufacturers or cars. The continued integration of FIA GT3-spec cars in GT has provided continued manufacturer and team growth for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season.
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The series last visited COTA in 2013 running the modified 2.3-mile National Circuit course and the track proved to be the perfect site for some exciting races and this year’s rounds should be no different with the move to the full track. 

Pirelli World Challenge GT: O’Connell Leads a Deep, Talented Field - Johnny O’Connell repeated as the Pirelli World Challenge 2014 GT champion after a dramatic victory weekend in last year’s season finale at Miller Motorsports Park. He’ll begin the quest for his fourth title in a row at a track where he won the Round 1 race to open up the 2013 season. A wrinkle for O’Connell, of Flowery Branch, GA., is that he returns to defend his championship in the new No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R.

Teammate Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, FL., returns in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. Pilgrim finished fourth overall in the 2014 GT Drivers’ Championship, helping Cadillac to its third straight Manufacturers’ Championship.

Mike Skeen, of Charlotte, NC, will lead CRP Racing’s effort in the No. 2 Hawk Performance Audi R8 ultra. Skeen pushed O’Connell hard in the battle for the GT Championship last year ultimately finishing second overall with three wins on the season (Rounds 7 and 8 at Road America, and Round 13 at Sonoma).

Team Dyson Bentleys nose to nose. Image Credit: Team Dyson Racing

Bentley Team Dyson Racing returns with veteran sportscar racer Butch Leitzinger, of Rebersburg, PA and teammate Chris Dyson, of Pleasant Valley, NY, piloting two Bentley Continental GT3s. Leitzinger, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Bentley/Breitling/Mobil1 Bentley Continental GT3 closed out 2014 with four top five finishes including standing on the podium twice with two thirds. Dyson will pilot the No. 16 Bentley/Breitling/Mobil1 Bentley Continental GT3. After their initial season that was essentially a development year, the team looks to challenge for wins and championships in 2015.

EFFORT Racing returns to challenge for the GT title with standout racer Ryan Dalziel of Windermere, FL., piloting the No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3R. Dalziel won back-to-back Round 11 and 12 races at Mid-Ohio last year after joining the team at the mid-point of the 2014 season.

K-PAX Racing returns with two McLaren 650S GT3s with Kevin Estre, of Locmau, Austria in the No. 9 machine and Robert Thorne, of Littleton, CO, in the No. 6 car. The team debuted the McLaren 12C GT3 in the series in 2014 and after a hard luck season Thorne won the final race at Miller. Now partnered with Flying Lizard Motorsports the team looks to continue that momentum into 2015.

R. Ferri Motorsport returns with the No. 61 Ferrari of Ontario/Toronto/Alberta Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, driven by former F1 pilot and GT sportscar veteran Olivier Beretta of Monte Carlo.

The most successful driver in series history, seven-time Drivers’ Champion Peter Cunningham, returns in the Acura TLX-GT prepared by his RealTime Racing operation. The Milwaukee native, who will drive the No. 42 RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD Acura TLX-GT, started three races in 2014 to develop the all new and only all-wheel drive platform in the series. Cunningham owns almost every statistical record in the series and looks to add to it in 2015. Ryan Eversley, of Atlanta, GA, joins the team to run the second Acura TLX-GT and will pilot the No. 43 RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD car.

One of the biggest pieces of off-season news came from Nissan Motorsports and the announcement of its partnership with Always Evolving (AE) to campaign two GT Academy-NISMO Nissan GT-R GT3 racing cars in Pirelli World Challenge. Australian open wheel and GT star James Davison will pilot the No. 33 AE/ReplayXD/NISSAN NISMO GT-R GT3.

Prototype and GT racing veteran Guy Cosmo, of Palm Beach Garden, FL, makes his first start in Pirelli World Challenge. He will pilot the No. 23 Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery Centers M1 Racing LLC Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Nicky Catsburg, of Voorthuizen, Gelderland, makes his first Pirelli World Challenge start in the No. 25 Blancpain Racing Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2. The 26-year-old Dutch driver has signed on for the full season of Pirelli World Challenge.

Scuderia Corsa brings two Ferrari 458 GT3 Italias with Mike Hedlund, and Duncan Ende piloting the cars. Hedlund, of Woodside, CA, will pilot the No. 65 machine, while Ende, of Los Angeles, CA, will pilot the No. 64 Merchant Services LTD/Linospresso USA car.

Series veteran GMG Racing’s James Sofronas, of Pound Ridge, NY, returns in the No. 14 GMG Racing/Spyder/Mobil 1 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Sofronas has over 170 Pirelli World Challenge starts and won the Round 2 race at COTA back in 2013. Sofronas’ teammate Madison Snow, of Provo, UT, will pilot the No. 21 Audi R8 LMS Ultra Audi R8 ultra.

Rounding out the GT field is three-time World Challenge Drivers’ Champion Lou Gigliotti, of Plano, TX, in the No. 28 LG Motorsports Aston Martin GT3 V12.
[Reference Here]

The Pirelli World Challenge series has the 6th most popular motorsports Facebook page in the world. MotoGP (7.7 Million), NASCAR (4.4 Million likes), F1 (3.2 million), Formula Drift (2 million), WRC (1.7 Million), Pirelli World Challenge (612,000) V8 Supercars (560,000), TORC (374,000),
Indycar (237,000), United Sportscar Series (104,211).

Facebook likes have increased by over 20% year over year and the engagement/interaction level of our fans on the page has quintupled. The page has over 610,000 Likes and during our Barber race weekend, We had a peak of over 179,000 people that were directly engaged with our posts.

The 2015 Pirelli Wold Challenge (TC/TCA/TCB) Race Schedule:

March 6-8     Circuit of The Americas                  Austin, Texas              

May 15-17    Canadian Tire Motorsport Park       Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada              

June 26-28    Road America                                Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin           

Aug 14-16     Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course           Lexington, Ohio           

Aug 21-23     Miller Motorsports Park                  Tooele, Utah               

Sept 11-13    Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca        Monterey, California

Each event is a triple-header, with three races per weekend, for an 18-race season.

Nissan NISMO GT-R GT3 as it comes through the back series of curves at COTA. Image Credit: David Yowe (2015)

Event/Circuit:
Circuit of the Americas, 20-turn, 3.4 mile permanent road course

Qualifying (Saturday, March 7, 2015):
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM PWC - GTS Qualifying
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM PWC - GT - GTA - GT Cup Qualifying
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM PWC - TC - TCA - TCB Qualifying/Race #1

Race Lengths:

50 minutes (GT/GTA/GT Cup and GTS)
40 minutes (TC/TCA/TCB)

Race Times/Live Internet Telecasts (on www.world-challengeTV.com):

Saturday, March 7:

• Pre-Race Show: 10:05-10:20 / TC Race 1: 10:30am-11am
• GTS Race 1: 12:40-1:40pm
• GT Race 1: 2:50-3:50pm
• TC Race 2: 4:20-5:10pm
Sunday, March 8:
• Pre-Race Show: 10:10-10:25 / GTS Race 2: 10:35am-11:25am
• GT Race 2: 1:50pm-2:50pm
• TC Race 3: 3:25pm-4:05pm

** Times listed above are CDT **

Television (on CBS Sports Network):

Saturday, March 14, 11 AM Eastern: GT/GTA, GT Cup presented by MOMO, and GTS

Wednesday, March 18, 8 PM Eastern: TC, TCA, TCB.

... notes from The EDJE

Douglas Magnon Passed Away Quickly Leaving The Motor Culture Community To Mourn

Doug Magnon had a passion for collecting, preserving, creating, serving, and spending a lot of time with like-minded people. Here's Doug with a gathering of his famous Maserati cars. Image Credit: IL TRIDENTE magazine

Douglas Magnon Passed Away Quickly Leaving The Motor Culture Community To Mourn

Douglas (Doug) Magnon began to feel very weak in December and was finally convinced to see a doctor (Doug did not like visiting doctors - ever) at the behest of close friends.

He found the news to be very disturbing but as Doug was prone to do, he took matters into his own hands and set in motion the necessary acts that would allow the wake he would leave to be taken care of in a proper manner.

Today it was officially announced in the following press release that Douglas Magnon is no longer alive as of Wednesday, February 4, 2015.

A show of the latest Moto Guzzi motorcycles at the seventh annual Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance in Palm Springs (2-23-2014). Doug Magnon was both excited and in his element to be able to bring these quality Italian 2-wheel machines to Southern California. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

Official Statement from the Magnon Family:

Riverside Businessman and Philanthropist Doug Magnon Passes Away - Business and Racing Community Mourn.  Celebration of Life Scheduled for February 15.

Douglas Magnon of Riverside California, 55, passed away Wednesday, February 4, 2015, surrounded by family and close friends, after a short but brave battle with cancer.

Magnon, president of the Magnon Companies, a regional commercial real estate developer, was also the founder and principal of the Riverside International Automotive Museum (RIAM) owner of Magnone Trattoria, partner in the Newport Italian motorcycle dealership and a trustee board member of the University of California Riverside.

Doug was a man of many passions.  He loved food, cooking and Italian culture, which twice led to ventures into the restaurant business.  His namesake restaurant, Magnone Trattoria, continues to serve Doug's own recipes on Spruce Street in Riverside.  He was frequently found in the kitchen preparing his beloved dishes and sharing his favorite wines and cheeses.

It was his passion for motor racing, and growing up attending races at the legendary Riverside International Raceway that led to the founding of the Riverside International Automotive Museum (RIAM) with his father Raymond.  Many Southern California racing fans lamented the demise of the famed circuit in 1988.  The museum was established from that memory and received immediate support form the greater racing community.  Gala events such as "Legends of Riverside" gave fans the opportunity to rub shoulders with racing greats including Dan Gurney, Bobby Unser, Carroll Shelby and Bob Bondurant and relive moments that made Southern California one of the hubs of racing culture.

Doug Magnon, Peter Bryant, Bill Losee, Tony Adamowicz (L-R) discussing Eagle car set up strategy at Road America in 2008. Doug was able to bring winning attention to vintage Formula 5000 race cars through the driving of Tony ("A2Z") Adamowicz. Image Credit: Bob Pengraph (2008)

RIAM has grown to be one of the most important racing collections in North America.  Its unmatched archive of materials and historic documents is rivaled only by the Watkins Glen Research Center, the Wally Parks NHRA Museum and the Indianapolis Raceway Museum. The curated collection of cars include several important Dan Gurney Eagle Indy Cars and the world's largest vertical collection of Maseratis.  RIAM regularly participated in historic racing events claiming four national Formula 5000 championships with driver Tony "a2z" Adamowicz and chief mechanic Bill Losee.  The racing community has truly lost one of its greatest stewards of history.

Geoff Zimmerman created this video at Watkins Glen and it has accounting of some of the early trauma we had with the race rediness of the Eagle. Submitted By: Tony "A2Z" Adamowicz

In partnership with close friend Paul Kinsella, Magnon Founded Newport Italian, a Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilla motorcycle dealership in 2013.  Almost immediately, the dealership has become one of the most successful stores for those brands in the United States.  The secret to this midas touch has been the customer care and high-profile events for the cherished owners of the Italian marques.

Beyond his accomplishments, Doug touched many lives with his generous heart and love of people. So many have come forward with stories of his kindness and camaraderie. His passions, natural charm and zest for life made him special to everyone he met. His legacy will live on in the hearts of those who knew him, and his business and philanthropic ventures.

Magnon was a graduate of Riverside Polytechnic High School in 1978 and a former film student at University of Southern California (USC).

Doug is survived by his wife, Evonne Magnon (Barsakis), His father Raymond Magnon (Kelly), his mother Elaine Taber (Clare), his sisters Deanna Magnon Wagner (Dennis), Cheryl Cliff (Paul) and Patti Oldham (Tom), brother Ryan Magnon (Rona) and, his many loving nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Doug's life is planned at the Riverside International Automotive Museum on Saturday February 15, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.. The Magnon family requests charitable donations to the Riverside International Automotive Museum and the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.
ENDS

The outpouring of memories continue to fill many a  Facebook page with videos and photos - many surrounding events held at the Riverside International Automotive Museum, car shows, and historical motor car races.

Long be the memory and continuation of the life sharing put forward by Doug Magnon.

... notes from The EDJE

Gabby Chaves Joins Bryan Herta Autosport's 2015 VICS Season

Gabby Chaves is surfin' on up to the Verizon IndyCar Series for 2015 - here Gabby accepts his 2nd place trophy for the 2014 IndyLights Lefty's Kids Club 100 at Auto Club Speedway. Image Credit: Chris Jones via Mazda Road To Indy

Gabby Chaves Joins Bryan Herta Autosport's 2015 VICS Season

Yesterday, the Verizon IndyCar Series held a joint teleconference call interview with Bryan Herta, owner of  Bryan Herta Autosport IndyCar race team and race car driver Gabby Chaves.

Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) is keen on bringing along talented and accomplished drivers who are working their way up through Mazda supported IndyCar Ladder series when looking for the most talented driver to drive their car for the season.

Last year, BHA tapped 2012 Star Mazda series champion and IndyLights standout Jack Hawksworth with some success, especially at the series' premiere venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Speedway's road course, series rookie Jack Hawksworth, who had earned his first front-row start, led a field-high 31 laps and finished seventh. British born Hawksworth finished in the points ahead of such recognizably named drivers as Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal.

This year, BHA decided to go to this well again with its signing of 2014 IndyLights champion and past Star Mazda series standout, Colombian born Gabby Chaves to a full season in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

One of Bryan Herta's immortal moments as a driver came in 1996 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when Alex Zanardi decided, on the last lap, that the only way he was going to win a race the two drivers were contesting was to cut the driving line through the last half of the infamous "Corkscrew" chicane turn. No one on the conference call was willing to bring this up in light of the announcement that Brian Barnhart was once again named Director of Race Control which would have changed the very nature of the conversation. Brian Barnhart believes that judgements on what a proper driving line is should be made, and penalties enforced, on a road or street course ... but this is another discussion having nothing to do with a season driver announcement.

What should be noted though, Bryan Herta Autosport won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon. It is with this background the following teleconference call was held by the Verizon IndyCar Series, with several media writers including The EDJE on the line, with Bryan Herta, owner of  Bryan Herta Autosport IndyCar race team and 2015 team race car driver Gabby Chaves.

<<< Audio podcast of conference call with Bryan Herta and Gabby Chaves >>>

 

Current IndyLights champion, 21 year-old Gabby Chaves, relaxes between sessions. Image Credit: IndyCar

 TRANSCRIPT

THE MODERATOR:  Welcome, everyone, to today's IndyCar conference call.

Yesterday morning Bryan Herta Autosport announced that 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Gabby Chavez will pilot its No. 98 Honda for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. 

We're pleased to be joined today by Bryan Herta and his new driver Gabby Chavez. 
Bryan, give us a little insight on how this agreement came about and what sort of impression you have of Gabby and your experience with him thus far. 

BRYAN HERTA:  I mean, obviously the impression was good.  It really started with some conversations a few months back and evolved to agreeing to go do a test at Sebring in December to get to know each other.  I'd say that went really well on and off the track.  Gabby was highly recommended.  Obviously his credentials in Indy Lights speak for themselves. 

For us, we've seen from recent past that the guys who have been coming out of Indy Lights into IndyCar have been doing a great job.  We had a good experience with Jack Hawksworth coming out of Indy Lights.  Gabby was obviously right from day one a very competitive driver.  It was just a case of how can we put a deal together. 

We worked very hard to get everything together and we're pleased to go racing together this season. 

THE MODERATOR:  You mentioned last year you ran another Indy Lights graduate Jack Hawksworth.  As a former driver, is it becoming more and more important for you to support the up-and-coming talent in the series? 

BRYAN HERTA:  I think it's important for the series.  As a team owner, I have to take a narrower view.  Frankly, it just comes down to getting the very best guy in our car that we can get. 

I'm very pleased with where we ended up this year.  I believe Gabby is going to do some great things this year in the car and I believe he's a guy that we want to try and hang on to and keep on the team for several years to come. 

I think we can build together and we can grow together. 

THE MODERATOR:  As I mentioned earlier, Gabby Chavez is the 2014 Indy Lights champion which he won with four victories. 

Gabby, congratulations to you.  I know you were working hard to secure a ride for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  How much of a relief is it for you to have that deal come together with a team like Bryan Herta Autosport? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  The relief is only temporary because as soon as the deal is done you have to get your head down and start focusing on what's next. 

As soon as the deal was announced, I was very happy.  It's been a long journey to get to where I am.

We've had a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard times.  This is only just the first victory we can get out of it. 

Now it's time to get back to work and really looking forward to enjoying a great season. 

THE MODERATOR:  Gabby, I know you haven't been on track all too much, but from the experience you've had so far, how much of what you learned in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system have you been able to apply and what adjustments have you had to make? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Oh, everything that I've learned so far in the last three years in the Mazda Road to Indy and the last two years in Indy Lights I've been able to apply to the IndyCar Series.  Especially when it comes down to the first race on the ovals, the whole oval schedule that we have, I think that's where it's going to make a bigger difference. 

I'm really happy.  I think the ladder series is how it should be and it's preparing the drivers, as Bryan said, not only Jack Hawksworth showing some amazing speed, but Carlos Muñoz having demonstrated the quality of drivers that we're feeding into IndyCar is very high. 

THE MODERATOR:  We'll open it up for questions. 

Q.    Bryan, not only have you signed Gabby but you made an engineering addition with John Dick coming onboard.  What do you hope to achieve with him and how do you think he and Gabby will have the chance to work together?

BRYAN HERTA:  John was with us at the Sebring test.  He and Gabby worked together there.  I've known him for many years.  I never worked physically with John when I was driving.  He's a guy I have a lot of respect for. 

When we were looking for that right combination for Gabby, we had kind of an opportunity signing the driver first and making sure that we're building a group of people around him that fits. 

Gabby had a good experience working with John.  Frankly for me, we wanted to pair a lot of experience around Gabby, and John certainly fits the bill for that.  He's been around a long time.  He's been in IndyCar for a long time.  His experience will definitely be a great benefit to Gabby as he's learning this year. 

Q.    Gabby, you're going to be a rookie in a year where aero kits are coming into the season.  What do you make of the opportunity to help develop the car with something that is going to be new for everybody throughout the year? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Yeah, I think it's a great opportunity.  I mean, not only for that, but for myself as a driver to really develop and enhance my skills at developing the car. 

I think it's going to be a great challenge.  Like I said before, it's going to be harder than ever before.

Like I said, I'm just ready for the challenge and I'm excited to get going. 

Q (The EDJE).    Gabby, you've been part of a class of upcoming drivers that have had flashes of brilliance along the way.

Reviewing your history with Star Pro Mazda, a couple that come to mind is Sage Karam and Zach Veach.  How does it feel to come up with a full season Verizon IndyCar Series ride before Sage and Zach? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I mean, I don't ever try to take anything away from anyone.  But I guess before Zach, you'd like to see Sage have a ride as well.  He's a deserving champion, as I am.  But essentially we want to have all these guys get a ride, not only Zach, not only Sage, we want to have all the young drivers that are eventually going to be the future stars of the sport get a ride.

It's a difficult question to answer.  Mainly I like to be happy for what I have accomplished.  I have a great team behind me working very hard to make this happen as well as working with Bryan's team. 
I think we're just happy that we made it happen on our side. 

Q (The EDJE).    How did you enjoy driving in the Rolex 24? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I mean, it's a great experience.

It was my second year driving for the same team.  It's always a great experience.  It's something very different that I'm not used to driver changes, long three-hour stints.  It is a very unique experience that definitely broadens I guess my professional career. 

Q (The EDJE).    After coming from Indy Lights, are you looking forward to competing again in 20-plus car fields? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Yeah, absolutely.  I mean, it's definitely a big challenge stepping up.  Obviously every time you step up, drivers just get better and better.  It's going to be a big challenge. 

I think with Indy Lights, you can't take too much into consideration the car count, even though it is slow and it's growing thankfully, because when you look at how guys like Jack Hawksworth impressed everyone, and everybody thought he would be a nobody last season, he impressed everyone, as well as Carlos Muñoz in his rookie Indy 500 and his rookie year.  You can't look too much into the car count when you have to look at the quality of the drivers. 

Q (The EDJE).    Bryan, do you have plans to be adding any more drivers this season?  Seems a lot of teams have a strategy to have many drivers because that allows to have more testing time with the aerodynamic kits. 

BRYAN HERTA:  Well, we are going to run a second car at the Speedway this year, which will be a first for us, running two cars.

I think as long as that goes well, we want to make sure we keep the focus on Gabby and his program this year, that we're doing everything we need to do for him. 

But we do want to grow the program.  We would like to be a two-car team sooner than later.  I think we're open to the idea of doing more races later in the year as we work towards hopefully a full two-car program next year. 

Q (The EDJE).    How is the change with finding out about Brazil in such a sudden fashion, how has that affected your plans going forward?

BRYAN HERTA:  It really hasn't affected us too much.

If anything, frankly, it helps us a little bit from the planning standpoint just because you'd like to have your deals done a little earlier than January, but this is the timing we had to deal with.  We got everything done.  We've got a little more time to get prepared, do a little more testing prior to the first race at St. Pete. 

Logistically it's great for us.  Competitively obviously we're racers and we want to do as many races as we can.  But we understand the reasons for the change. 

Q (The EDJE).    Being a car owner, I assume it's always better to maybe have the same set schedule in terms of numbers of races.  If they were to add another race, where would you most likely like to have it?  Long Beach, Detroit? 

BRYAN HERTA:  I mean, if it were up to me, I'd love to see us go to new markets.

As a racer, Road America is such a great track.  Love to be there.  I always enjoyed racing in Portland.  There's certainly places that we can do a lot of good. 

Circuit of America, I was there for the F1 race.  Beautiful, beautiful facility.  Would love to see us go there as well. 

Q (The EDJE).    I saw the PR release saying the March 8th date that would make sense going with the PWC, coinciding with that, since so many of the other races have that as a complementary series, that's not going to happen, sadly.

What else are you looking forward to this season? 

BRYAN HERTA:  In terms of other races, adding races, we're trying to keep our heads down, keep focused on building our team.

What I'm excited about is a little bit of a fresh start for us this year, having Gabby in.  He's very enthusiastic.  He's been in the shop almost every single day since we signed the contract, which is great.  Really just focus on building our program and continue to evolve and achieve more and more results on the track. 

Q.    Gabby, Carlos Muñoz has admitted that Juan Pablo Montoya is his role model.  Who do you consider to be your racing role model? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  That's a difficult question.  I mean, I've had various role models throughout different stages of my life, even before I was racing.  I loved watching racing.  Especially at those times, when I was eight, nine, ten years old, I would get up every morning at 4 or 5 in the morning to watch the Formula One races where Juan Pablo Montoya was racing.  I followed his career closely.

As I started building my career, you started almost picking role models for who you wanted to be almost at that time. 

As I started racing in Europe, I would take a few guys there that I'd like to follow kind of their footsteps.  Then I came back to the States.  I really enjoyed my time here and realized this is where I want to be.  I started out in the Pro Mazda Series, then two seasons in Indy Lights. 

At that time it's almost like you're getting so close to the guys, the IndyCar guys, that you almost want to pick a role model, but you don't want to get too involved with that admiration because sooner or later if you achieve your goals, you're going to have to go head-to-head against them. 

Q.    As a rookie this year, you're about to embark on some new races, courses.  What race or track are you looking most forward to in this 2015 season? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I guess I could break it down into two categories.  I really look forward every year to racing at Long Beach.  It's one of my favorite street courses.  So that's definitely my favorite there.  I really want to experience that in an IndyCar. 

Then also you can never leave behind or forget about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  It's incredible.  To experience that first in Indy Lights, getting close to 200 miles an hour, then to make a jump to being over 240 miles an hour, to me that's what I'm looking most forward to this year. 

Q.    Bryan, with the cancellation in Brazil, is there any indication from IndyCar that they're going to try to speed up the delivery of aero kits to the teams?

BRYAN HERTA:  Frankly, even though it happened suddenly, I think IndyCar has done a really good job internally of communicating with the teams what they're doing, what they're trying to do.

Obviously it's all a little bit fluid still in a lot of areas. 

But I don't believe that aero kits are going to become available any sooner, frankly because everybody's production is based on that March 1st date, and I don't think there's an ability to make any additional parts sooner. 

Q.    Have you been able to see any sketches of Honda's kit compared to Chevy's as far as the differences in how the cars are going to look?

BRYAN HERTA:  I've seen some sketches, but we haven't seen any of the actual production parts.  I haven't seen any drawings of the Chevy aero kit.  I only saw the spy photos of Penske's car when they ran at Circuit of the Americas.  I am sure they have evolved a lot since then. 

It's a real point of entry.  I think we're all very curious and looking forward to seeing the cars turn up at Barber for spring training and see what we got. 

Q.    Gabby, could you comment on the importance of the scholarship prize that you were awarded with your championship last year with Indy Lights, and also the just the preparation that your years in the Road to Indy has provided you to make this step up to the IndyCar Series. 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I think the scholarship prize, it almost makes the deal happen sometimes.  I mean, I think it's great that they're giving the champion sort of a head start into their IndyCar career.

Without the scholarship, it would have been very hard to make a deal happen anywhere.  So I'm very happy.  I'm very grateful that that program exists. 

I think it's not only in Indy Lights but the whole Mazda Road to Indy is coming along very strong.

Ever since my first year in Pro Mazda in 2012, you know, just started building on that, getting myself familiarized with the tracks, with the people, the whole atmosphere.  Everything is different. 
So just to be able to work from those years of experience just makes my transition to IndyCar that much easier. 

Q.    As the reigning Indy Lights champion, talk about your optimism of the direction of the Indy Lights Series.  And Bryan, do you plan to be involved again at any point? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I'm very happy with what's happening right now with Indy Lights and the new car.  I think that's something that the series needed, and definitely is attracting a lot of attention, even new teams from overseas, new drivers, drivers that have competed in Formula One before, now coming over to Indy Lights.  I think that's great for the series.  I think it's great for IndyCar as well because it's going to expand that feeder system.  I'm very pleased that's going in a positive direction. 

BRYAN HERTA:  From a team standpoint, I think we're very open to coming back.  We started our team in the Indy Lights Series.  We wouldn't even exist without it as a team.  I believe in the importance of it, what it does for the development of drivers.  I really think that the new car is a huge plus for the series. 

From our standpoint, we feel like we needed to take a step back from it so we could really focus on making a step forward in the IndyCar program this year.  But I would love to see us come back into Indy Lights again at some point in the future. 

THE MODERATOR:  Seeing we have no further questions, we'll thank our guests for their time and wrap up today's IndyCar conference call. 
(ht: FastScripts by ASAP Sports)

... notes from The EDJE

IndyCar Off To A Shaky Start For 2015

Philip Lane ‏@Re1axinmood - According to reports Brazil is cancelled - @IndyCar could at least update the website. Do they know something we don't?

IndyCar Off To A Shaky Start For 2015

This last full week of January 2015 saw more damaging action in American Open Wheel Racing off the track in two days than most can remember here in the 2010's ... maybe longer.

On Wednesday, January 28, it was announced that the committee approach that was implemented last year, which effectively diluted the strong influence of Race Director Beaux Barfirld and prompted the aforementioned Mr. Barfield to resign before the end of the 2014 season and accept a Race Director position at IMSA's Tudor United Sports Car Championship, will remain in place with the once replaced Tony George confidant Brian Barnhart as Race Director.

On Thursday, January 29, a shorter season designed to avoid, at all costs, at having IndyCar races being run during American professional football games was made a little shorter with the announcement of the first race of the season set to be run March 8th, 2015, was being cancelled by the race promoter due to track improvement delays and a change of government in Sao Paulo Brazil.

In order of actual damage to the sport of American Open Wheel Racing at the highest professional levels, the second announcement was the greater threat, but the image of IndyCar and its professional stability has taken a perceivable step backwards.

Races scheduled and cancelled at the last minute tends to speak for itself as it relates to the decision-making powers of upper-management. Stable venues are everywhere and having races run on a consistent basis year-in-year-out helps to build an audience and tradition.

Sadly, losing Brazil is just another in a long line of situations that have trashed the year-in-year-out paradigm momentum that has proven to work but is shunned by IndyCar management throughout the years.

Further, the re-appointment of, the once replaced, Brian Barnhart as Director of Race Control, when this country has about 330,000,000 (that's 330 million, or 1/3 of a billion) additional human beings living here, shows a complete lack of evolution that would be critical to building and sustaining a sport at its highest professional standards.

Lastly, the elephant that still sits in the room (because very little allowable on-track testing has taken place) - the addition of add-on aerodynamic body parts (aero-kits) to the tested and appreciated Dallara DW12 platform which has proven itself to be the only durable element in American Open Wheel Racing.

Presentation given during the the season 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series finale held at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California by engineers at Honda Racing HPD transport. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

This was to be the year of differentiation through the addition of aero-kits but the actual process has this competitive factor potentially diluted and equalized. All parts have to be manufactured exclusively by Dallara with the majority of the parts already deemed as standard. If the parts are standard to all cars, and manufactured by a single source, secrecy and variance are placed at a minimum. The jury has not even been formed on this season element.

On Brian Barnhart:

Second-year steward system to support race director Brian Barnhart. Image & Caption Credit: IndyCar via Twitter

This excerpted and edited from Oilpressure - 

Brian’s Song: The Return & Other Tidbits
By: George Phillips

Since the news broke less than forty-eight hours ago that Brian Barnhart would be named as Race Director for the Verizon IndyCar Series, there has been nothing but hand-wringing on social media for the past two days.

Wednesday morning – John Oreovicz, of ESPN, tweeted out a tease that Wednesday afternoon, IndyCar fans would be told news that would make us think it was either April Fool’s Day or Groundhog Day. I had no idea what it was. I surmised that either the aero kits were going to be delayed or else the opening race at Brasilia had been cancelled.
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An hour or so after the teasing tweet, Curt Cavin broke the news about Barnhart. I’ve been on Twitter since 2009, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a (bleep)-storm as I saw that day. The Legions of the Miserable were out in force. One thing was apparent – IndyCar fans are still very passionate; even in January.

I will admit, my initial reaction was not much different from those I was reading – it just wasn’t as strong. I wasn’t horrified like some, but I wasn’t particularly overjoyed either. Like everyone, I’ve taken my share of shots at Barnhart – some cheaper than others. Let’s face it – he’s a very easy target.

Most people associate Barnhart with a quick trigger for penalties and a very rigid and inflexible stance. He’s been given nicknames like The Iron Hand of Justice and TGBB (The Great Brian Barnhart). Those detractors are not incorrect in that association, but my bad taste comes from a slightly different direction.

Lately, I’ve referred to this current administration as returning to the “bunker mentality” of the Tony George administration. That is what I most associate Barnhart with – that bunker mentality. In the Tony George regime, my perception was that Barnhart was Tony George’s right-hand man and that he really enjoyed being that close to the throne. The two of them pretty much made all decisions, and if no one liked it – tough! To me, it seemed that their viewpoint was “this would be a great series, if we didn’t have all these fans we had to deal with”.
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When Tony George was ousted in 2009 and subsequently replaced by Randy Bernard in 2010, Brian Barnhart was operating alone without his main supporter. I am not a psychologist, so I don’t know if George’s absence exacerbated Barnhart’s behavior – but it sure seemed that Barnhart’s race officiating became a lot more visible…and more horrendous.

To make things worse, the more Barnhart was criticized – the more he dug in. His word was final, and he knew it. If anyone questioned his calls, his resolve strengthened and he turned a deaf ear to the criticism. Fans, owners and even drivers were scoffed at. They knew nothing and should not even be listened to – at least that was my perception.

After the debacle at New Hampshire in 2011, it was reported that Randy Bernard had fired Barnhart during the offseason. As it turned out, that wasn’t quite true. He was removed as Director of Race Control, but was still head of Racing Operations. Last year, he was in the rotation to serve as one of three stewards at IndyCar races.
---
[Barnhart's] new title effectively makes him Chief Steward of the total three stewards at any given race. It’s unclear to me if he is one vote of three or the deciding vote. Whatever the case, he no longer has the last word. That now belongs to Derrick Walker, his boss.
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Once the penalty has been enforced, they can’t really give the positions lost back to the driver. I suppose that remains to be seen.
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I believe in second chances and all, but I also think that it’s pretty tough to change your core personality. To quote coach Bill Parcells – “You are what you are”.
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The other night on Trackside, Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee made it a point to mention that even though this is not popular with fans, no one in the paddock is complaining. Barnhart is well-respected there – which is where it counts. I always questioned the integrity of a Chief Steward that had a Twitter account and wanted to be popular.
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So while I think it’s tough to change your core personality, it can be controlled with hard work and discipline. People do learn from their mistakes. Over time, it becomes easier to control your emotions and resist your natural instinct.
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Now that Barnhart has returned and we lost the Brazil race, I’m hoping the aero kits are still on deck for St. Petersburg. Stay tuned.
[Reference Here]

Beaux Barfield steps aside as he sends off Justin Wilson for his MAVTV qualifying run during the season 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series finale held at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

And this excerpted and edited from Racer - 

PRUETT: Holding judgment on Brian Barnhart
For Racer - Viewpoints: Marshall Pruett

I was hoping for Unicorn Jesus. Instead, according to the Internet, we got Osama bin Hitler.

Before we fall into familiar, time-honored roles of painting Brian Barnhart as evil incarnate—the fire-breathing hellspawn sent to earth to destroy IndyCar from high atop the Race Control tower, let’s steer the conversation in a direction that involves fewer pentagrams and scribblings of 666.

The lows from Barnhart’s tenure as IndyCar’s Race director are well known. From holding an oval race in the rain at Loudon to assigning penalties based on his ability to read minds and judge the intent of the offending driver, Barnhart’s mistakes—and limitations—have been the source of countless columns.

In the three years since Barnhart was taken off the frontline, he was retooled as a steward serving the Race Director, and by all accounts, his experience and attention to detail impressed everyone involved. Call it a private, internal career and image makeover, and with those inside IndyCar experiencing the best side of Barnhart, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see him elevated to his former position.
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Do I believe, on a personal level, that he has been unfairly targeted and blamed for many things that weren’t his fault? Absolutely.
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If the best referee is one who acts in the best interest of the game and rules fairly once all the facts are known, you’re left with two more examples of how not to referee. You have the guy who swallows the whistle and calls nothing or, in the case of Barnhart through 2011, the ref who carries a few extra whistles in his pocket because they explode from over-use.

That’s Barnhart’s reputation as Race Director. Penalties, penalties, and more penalties, no matter how small the crime, and to compound the problem, his past body of work involved attempts to judge the mindset of the drivers who ran afoul of his sensibilities.

The classic case was at Long Beach in 2011 when numerous drivers spun cars from behind in the hairpin leading onto the front straight, but only some were penalized due to the Race Director’s amazing ability to divine intent from genuine error.
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This little walk down memory lane wasn’t to rehash Barnhart’s checkered past in Race Control, but rather, to illustrate the clear and easily defined pros and cons associated with IndyCar’s new chief steward. Applauded for his body of work from 2012-2014, and worrisome in the latter stages of his first go-round in the position through 2011.

It leads me to one conclusion: IndyCar knows exactly who and what they are getting, and if Barnhart is at the center of more controversy due to his trigger-happy shortcomings, blame the series.
----
Simply put: This dog has a history of biting, yet its owners are confident he’s been rehabilitated and no longer needs a muzzle. If they’re wrong and the paddock ends up with more puncture wounds, don’t get mad at the dog for the owner’s bad judgment.
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IndyCar president of competition Derrick Walker knows Barnhart, spent time on the receiving end of Good Brian and Bad Brian as an entrant, and will play an active part in making sure Race Control is a more balanced officiating environment than the one Barnhart previously led.

If I’m wrong, and IndyCar’s officiating safeguards aren’t properly implemented, stockpile all the holy water and crosses you can find.
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Until we get to the point where Barnhart has done something new to warrant a digital lynching, it might be worth putting your faith in Walker to place his new Race Director in a position to succeed.​
[Reference Here]

What is the definition of … INSANITY?

We all will be treated to MORE WILLFUL EGO from Race Control as opposed to less.

So, so stupid this IndyCar Series decision is:

A definite step backwards!

Lack of evolution and competitive maturity of the IndyCar sport – I contend, the only real aerodynamic effect that will matter in this 2015 season will be the HOT AIR of penalties emanating from the Race Control tower … not the monolithic nature found in the DW12 aero-kits manufactured exclusively by Dallara, the requested kits by Chevy and Honda (also manufactured exclusively by Dallara), and lastly, the team modified suggestions that are then fed and discussed with Chevy and Honda (also manufactured exclusively by Dallara)!

The Utah Data Center is one of the U.S. Defense Department’s largest ongoing construction projects in the continental United States. This Intelligence Community facility will host the power, space, cooling, and communications needed to support specialized computing. The center sits on approximately 247 acres, includes 1.2 million square feet of enclosed space, and is completing acceptance testing. Image Credit: TechCrunch via popularresistance.org

Anyone have an “in” at the NSA?

The depth of the point being made centers around the minor variances in the nature of the aero-kits (the vast majority of the aero-kits will be standard and dictated by Dallara as per Honda engineers during the VICS finale at ACS). More races will be decided by Race Control with this latest appointment (based upon a well known history) than will be decided by the potential and perceived advantages provided through variances of the added aero-kits.

As seen on Facebook - a short dialog between one fan to another:

Laura Malone‎ to Beaux Barfield
· Des Moines, IA ·
As IndyCar goes absolutely nuts over the new race director AND has its first race for 2015 canceled, I can only imagine that you are smoking a cigar and laughing and laughing and laughing (you will be missed!)

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Beaux Barfield to Laura Malone
· Houston, TX ·
I love IndyCar. And I have a lot of friends there whom I wish all the best. But none of what's happening is dire - sad and frustrating - but not dire. I am comfortable with the decisions I have made. And yes, I am smoking a cigar

    ** Erin Campbell - Said perfectly, babe.
 
... notes from The EDJE
 

Camaro/GM and John Force Racing Are The Forces To Watch In 2015

John Force's new 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car. Image Credit: Jerry Bonkowski post on MotorsportsTalk.nbcsports.com

Camaro/GM and John Force Racing Are The Forces To Watch In 2015

Congrats to GM, Chevy and JFR for putting together what many of us thought, and even more of us had hoped for. A deal between Chevy and JFR. 

This falls under the category as a "No Brainer" for both Companies. We all knew Dodge and Toyota were out there in NHRA TF Racing, but we were pretty sure, they had enough Teams already. 

With GM now having the best Hi-Performance Brands of a Production Car line-up of any American make, (Chevy SS, Camaro, Corvette, Caddy ATS-V and CTS-V) it makes sense for the best names in American Performance, and one of the best known names in the NHRA to join “Forces”.

It will be fun to be able to drive some of my GM and Chevy Automobiles to Force Family gatherings from now on. Something I wouldn't have done out of respect before.

Editor's Note: Dicken Wear, Editor-in-Chief. “The Motorsports Report”.

NHRA (Updated): After nearly 20 years away, John Force Racing returns to Chevrolet/GM in 2015

Jerry Bonkowski Jan 15, 2015, 1:33 PM EST 
5 Comments (Reposted with permission by: Jerry Bonkowski)

After months of rumors and speculation about which car manufacturer he’ll represent, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force has made it official.

Force announced Thursday in a teleconference that after nearly 20 years with Ford as the manufacturer of record on his Funny Car and those of daughter Courtney and son-in-law Robert Hight, John Force Racing has now switched affiliations and will return to Chevrolet, where the winning-est driver in drag racing history began his professional career more than 30 years ago.

“We signed the deal right before Christmas,” Force said. “That was the biggest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.”

Force, his daughter and Hight will drive Chevrolet Camaro Funny Cars in the 24-race 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Force’s other daughter, Brittany, will also carry Chevy sponsorship on her Top Fuel dragster. 

“I get the opportunity to go back to my roots,” Force said. “It’s personal for me. I got my first (NHRA) win with Chevrolet, my first championship with NHRA and six (championships) overall with GM. 

“People wanted to know ‘where’s he going with the manufacturer?’ Everybody told me they wanted me to stay with Detroit. GM was where I wanted to land. 

“At the end of the day, if you don’t have a manufacturer, you’re in big trouble. … It’s a change and change is good. I’m ready to go drag racing. It’s an exciting time.”

With no other Chevrolet-branded Nitro Funny Cars in the sport, John Force Racing will essentially have the Chevy brand exclusively all to itself.

“That was it,” Force said when asked by MotorSportsTalk. “That was key with my past with GM. We got an exclusive. … We’re just getting started. This whole thing, you don’t do all this change overnight. We’re going to hit the track running.  
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“We’re going to have our first test at Phoenix next Monday. I have great financial backing with GM. … We have an exclusive and that makes it great. Ain’t nobody that loves drag racing more than I do. I feel like a little kid, I feel like I’m 16 all over again. But in that race car, I’m 21 again and I’m a bad hombre when you put me in a firesuit.” The agreement between JFR and Chevrolet is a multi-year deal.

“It’s a big day for the sport,” NHRA president Tom Compton said. “Welcome back, GM. We’re really proud to work for you.” Ford announced near the end of the 2013 season that 2014 would be its last with Force, choosing to allocate resources in another direction in its motorsports program in 2015. Ford followed Castrol Oil, which had sponsored Force for the last 30 years, in leaving the Force camp at the end of the 2014 season to go in another direction.

“I was in trouble and dancing like a mad man (for funding),” Force said. “We did approach others in the industry, but my heart’s with Detroit. My company is called ‘John Force, American Made.’ It’s where I needed to land. My other partner (Ford) was great, but this is a new relationship.”

Initial reports had John Force Racing potentially signing with Dodge to represent its HellCat R/T Challenger or Charger. There were also reports that Force was also talking with Toyota.  

However, Force rival Don Schumacher Racing has four drivers (Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Tommy Johnson Jr. and defending 2014 Funny Car champ Matt Hagan) that will drive 2015 Dodge Charger R/Ts, but they won’t be the more vaunted HellCat. The HellCat is the most powerful stock street car built in the U.S., with 707 horsepower under the hood. 

At the present time, no NHRA Funny Car team has affiliated with the HellCat. Despite all the rumors and media reports, Force surprised those on the conference call when he said, “I never had a conversation with Dodge.”

Toyota, meanwhile, has Alexis DeJoria, Cruz Pedregon, Chad Head, Del Worsham and Tony Pedregon in its own Funny Car lineup. “My conversation with Toyota, we had a brief conversation, but nothing in writing or on the table,” Force said. “This is where I wanted to land. I’m back to my roots, back to where I started. This is an easy transition for us.”

Chevrolet won 11 major championships in five different forms of motorsport in 2014 (including Erica Enders-Stevens winning the NHRA Pro Stock championship) and looks to have Force to win a record 17th Funny Car championship in 2015. 

“We need John Force Racing, every person in the organization, to focus and win races and championships for us,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet Vice President for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “We’re excited about getting to the race track, John, and welcome home.”

NOTES: Because a new primary sponsorship will likely not be announced until after the season begins, Brittany Force and her Top Fuel dragster program could potentially miss the season-opening Winternationals (Feb. 5-8) at Pomona, Calif., and perhaps the next few races before an anticipated new primary sponsorship begins at the March race in Gainesville, Fla.
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Follow me on Twitter: @JerryBonkowski
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Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Camaro, Force, John Force, John Force Racing

Reposted with permission: Dicken Wear for The Motorsports Report.