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Written by:
Robin Miller
02/24/2007 - 07:00 PM
Indianapolis, Ind.
Paul Tracy will have a hard time contending for another Champ Car title with no teammate. (Photo courtesy Champ Car) ยป More Photos
The silence from the Champ Car office in Indianapolis isn't just deafening, it's in surround sound.
Six weeks before its season opener in Las Vegas, the series supposedly in its year of momentum is awash in questions, rumors and a serious lack of urgency, information, organization and cars.
Forget the fact only eight drivers have been confirmed for 2007, because there are more serious concerns that nobody wants to discuss.
Car count is the most critical area.
Gerald Forsythe, who co-owns the series with Kevin Kalkhoven, has vowed to run only one car this season for Paul Tracy.
RuSport, whose founder Carl Russo has sold/leased his team to Dan Pettit, maintains it hasn't given up on two cars but last week told its mechanics there was a distinct possibility of cutting back to one.
Rocketsports appears to be a one-car effort at this time, and there's even speculation that RuSport will share technical information with Paul Gentilozzi's outfit and eventually might move under one roof in Lansing, Mich.
With MiJack owner Mike Lanigan leaving longtime partner Eric Bachelart, Conquest Racing is scrambling to muster the money for one car.
If these four teams only run one car, and Newman/Haas (who still hasn't officially announced Graham Rahal), Minardi USA, Dale Coyne, Pacific Coast, PKV and Team Australia field their usual complement of two cars, that totals 16.
Or eight shy of Kalkhoven's ceiling (he said last year that no more than 24 cars would be allowed to compete) and two short of the usual grid.
As it stands today, 25 new DP01 chassis have been shipped and the Panoz people reportedly have been told to cease building because there are no more orders coming in. If there were the normal 18 cars and each had one backup, that's 36, so obviously some teams don't have a backup car.
Of course, that's because few have any seven-figure sponsors. The new car might be cheaper, but you've still got to have some cash to buy it.
Now, Kalkhoven and Forsythe swear they're not going to prop up other teams like they've done in the past, but there are some extenuating circumstances which could, or should, get the starting lineup to at least 18.
First off, Forsythe is evidently unhappy that his marketing man has yet to find a sponsor in the past three years and has threatened not to run a second car unless it's funded.
But the loyal car owner from Chicago is going be a lot more upset if Tracy doesn't contend for the championship and/or race wins and, without a good teammate, the Canadian veteran virtually has no chance against Newman/Haas. Ditto for Wilson, last year's runner-up, who could be saved by a clause in his contract (or sponsor CDW's contract) that calls for two cars and/or a teammate.
As for the drivers, we know three-time champ Sebastien Bourdais, Justin Wilson, Will Power, Tracy and rookies Neel Jani, Alex Figge, Ryan Dalziel and Simon Pagenaud have seats. We figure Alex Tagliani and young Rahal are all but confirmed, and we assume Katherine Legge will be in one of Coyne's cars and Nelson Philippe will be with somebody.
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