Today's IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series headlines
1. Drivers return to roots at karting event
2. Patrick appears in Jay-Z video
3. Rahal Letterman hires new technical director
4. Hornish cheers on Tigers
5. In Review: Bobby Wilson
1. Drivers return to roots at karting event: When the inaugural
endurance karting event at New Castle Motorsports Park took place in
2004, track owner Mark Dismore never envisioned how large it would
become. That year, 30 entries took the green flag for the race.
This year's edition saw 80 entries and a 56-kart starting field for the
200-lap contest on Oct. 15.
"I guess word traveled from year to year that people were having a good
time," said Dismore, a former IndyCar Series driver. "The 56 cars that
were on track had some great drivers. Hopefully, next year we'll have an
even bigger and better event."
Eight representatives from the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series were
on hand to take part in the event, including last year's winner Dan
Wheldon. The 2005 IndyCar Series champion was again paired with Mark
Dismore Jr.
Their thoughts of being back-to-back winners were foiled in the early
going when their Comet Kart Sales-sponsored machine experienced brake
problems, putting them several laps behind.
Despite the mechanical troubles, Wheldon was delighted to return to his
racing roots.
"It's always good to come out and do things like this," the Target Chip
Ganassi Racing driver said. "This is how I started my racing career, so
it's good to be out here with people who aspire to be in the IndyCar
Series. You can even learn a thing or two by being out here and running
against these guys because a lot of them do this all the time. The
Dismores are great people, and they were actually the ones that took me
to my first Indianapolis 500."
Reigning Indy Pro Series champion Jay Howard and his No. 0 Screaming
Talent team finished 13th -- the highest of IndyCar Series and Indy
Pro Series drivers. Like Wheldon's, Howard's kart was strong in the
beginning, but a miscue in the pits cost the team a shot at the victory.
"We were leading in the first stint and came in for a pit and were
docked a position for a fueling infraction," Howard said. "We went back
out and during my second stint the exhaust broke, so I had to come back
to the pits. It was really fast out there though and it was a lot fun
and a great workout."
IndyCar Series veteran Sarah Fisher was also on hand, teaming with
Katherine Legge for this year's event. They finished 22nd after a chain
came loose from the kart, forcing a string of unscheduled pit stops. For
Fisher, it marked the beginning of what is shaping up to be a hectic
off-season.
"I'm going to do some Skip Barber off-season training to prepare for
road course racing," Fisher said. "I have been helping Kyle O'Gara with
some karting races as well. We're going to go run an endurance race in
Norway, which I'm looking forward to. On top of all this, I'm also going
to school so all of this is keeping me plenty busy."
Also participating were the IndyCar Series' Tomas Scheckter, Jeff
Simmons and Scott Dixon as well as Indy Pro Series drivers Veronica
McCann and Arie Luyendyk Jr.
"It's good to be out here," Scheckter said. "With everyone like Dan
(Wheldon) and Scott (Dixon), plus all of the kids that race this event,
it makes it very special. We all grew up doing this, and we're all still
very competitive. Sometimes we don't like getting beat by a 15-year-old
kid, but that happens. We've made about 10 unscheduled pit stops, but
this a great event, and I have to thank the entire Dismore family for
putting this on."
The RH Racing entry of Ricky Rudd and Paulie Harraka won the race, which
was taped for broadcast on Speed.
"We have a former Brickyard 400 winner that won here today and last year
we had an Indy 500 winner (Wheldon)," Mark Dismore said. "We are going
to put a trophy on permanent display in the lobby, which will list all
of the previous winners of this event."
2. Patrick appears in Jay-Z video: Was that Danica Patrick driving a
sports car at breakneck speed on the treacherous roads above Monaco?
The IndyCar Series driver makes an appearance in a video for the
new Jay-Z single "Show Me What You Got." The opening scene of the
four-minute James Bond-inspired video shows Patrick racing against
Jay-Z. The video, directed by F. Gary Gray, premiered Oct. 16 on MTV and
is also featured in a new ad campaign for Budweiser Select.
"Show Me What You Got" marks Jay-Z's first single from "Kingdom Come,"
his comeback CD scheduled to be available Nov. 23.
"Getting a chance to appear in the new Jay-Z video was a pretty cool
opportunity," Patrick said. "I have been a big Jay-Z fan for a long time
and to be part of his comeback video is a thrill."
3. Rahal Letterman hires new technical director joins: Jay O'Connell
has joined Rahal Letterman Racing as Technical Director. O'Connell will
oversee all aspects of RLR's engineering department and programs.
"Jay is someone I have known and respected for a longtime," said team
co-owner Bobby Rahal. "His track record of success is well documented,
and I felt a chance to bring someone of his experience and stature into
our team was an opportunity to significantly strengthen our operation. I
think the addition of Jay to our engineering staff will prove to be one
of our most beneficial moves of the off season."
O'Connell brings a wealth of engineering experience in and out of
motorsports to the team. He has worked on multiple projects with the
Ford Motor Company, most recently as a SVT Chief Vehicle Engineer where
he oversaw 25 engineers working on the 2007 Shelby GT500 and the 2006
Ford GT.
"I am really excited to work with Bobby again and leverage my background
in open wheel and sports car racing," O'Connell said. "I am looking
forward to leading the talented group of engineers at Rahal Letterman
Racing to become an even more engineering driven organization."
O'Connell has previously worked with Jaguar Racing Formula 1 as Research
and Development Department Manager and was the Ford Racing CART Program
Manager from 1998-2001. He has significant sports car experience most
recently having redesigned the Panoz LMGT2 chassis, which won the 12
Hours of Sebring.
"The level of competition in the IndyCar Series has been raised to
a high level," said Scott Roembke, chief operating officer of Rahal
Letterman Racing. "Our foremost priority in this off season is to
increase our competitiveness. The addition of Jay to our current
engineering staff is a big step towards meeting our goals."
4. Hornish cheers on Tigers: IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr.
threw out the ceremonial first pitch before New York Mets, Chicago Cubs
and Cincinnati Reds games this year. But the Napoleon, Ohio, resident is
a Detroit Tigers fan.
So the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion is pumped about the Tigers
reaching the World Series for the first time since 1984 -- when Hornish
was 5 years old and Kirk Gibson was the hobbled hero of Detroit's
championship run.
Hornish and his wife Crystal watched from a Penske Corp. suite at
Comerica Park as the Tigers clinch the American League Division Series
against the New York Yankees.
"It was really exciting to watch the Tigers clinch the series," he said.
"I've never seen a crowd cheer so much during every single pitch. Every
strike was like they won the game and every ball was like they lost. It
was an electric atmosphere at Comerica Park."
Hornish isn't the only Penske driver rooting on the Tigers. Helio
Castroneves is close friends with Tiger catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez,
who makes his offseason home in Miami.
5. In Review: Bobby Wilson: (Note: This is part of a series reviewing
the season of the top drivers in the Indy Pro Series in 2006.) Bobby
Wilson, No. 24 Ocala Gran Prix/Kenn Hardley Racing
Noteworthy: One of four drivers who was eligible for the championship
entering the season's final race. Finished the season as one of three
drivers with 11 top-10 finishes and 11 races running at the finish.
Competed with Michael Crawford Motorsports in the first three races
before joining Kenn Hardley Racing.
In his own words
Season overall: "I am very happy to be a part of Kenn Hardley Racing.
I feel I worked very hard during the season, being very consistent in
the top 10 and gaining respect from my team and my competitors. It was
a goal of mine to finish every race, and bring the car home without a
scratch, and I was very close to accomplishing that. I had finished
every race up until Chicago, so that was a huge disappointment, since
I was taken out there. Overall, I am very fortunate to be a part of
this series with my sponsor Ocala Gran Prix and Kenn Hardley Racing
behind me. I can only hope for better results in the future. I know I am
dedicated to winning the championship, and the team has the same goal.
I can't wait for next season, and to hopefully make the step to the
IndyCar Series."
Season highlights: "The highlight has to be Watkins Glen. We got all
the possible points that we could, and I was excited to be in the chase
for the championship. I love racing in the rain, it suits my driving
style well. We were really clicking as a team in only our second race
together. I was very happy to get my first pole/win, and I can't wait
for more to come."
Season lowlights: "The lowlight of the season has to start at Nashville.
We had just changed engines, and we weren't as fast as we had been in
any test. I struggled with that for five races."
-credit: irl
