Hi everyone:
Champ Car today announced the rules changes that have been done over the winter. Have a look!
"In an ongoing effort to provide the best racing and most entertainment for Champ Car fans, as well as the best competitive environment for the teams and drivers of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, the series has implemented a number of rule changes that will go into effect for the 2005 season.
The rule changes address issues both on the track and in the paddock and are designed to allow teams to invoke a wide variety of strategies in their pursuit of the checkered flag. Other changes were designed to increase activity throughout the weekend in order to give the multitudes of Champ Car fans more on-track action to watch when they come to an event.
Pit intervals and mandatory pit stops have been abolished this season, meaning that teams no longer have any directives on when they must pit and what they must do during that stop. The previous rules forced teams to pit at specified intervals and forced teams to change four tires during that stop.
“The goal is to take it out of the hands of the officials and put the onus back on the teams,” said Champ Car Vice-President of Operations Tony Cotman. “There’s definitely more than one way to win a race, and we want to leave it up to our teams to find the best way for them to get to the front.”
Rules regarding full-course caution periods have been addressed, with the pits being automatically closed during full-course yellow flag conditions. The pace car will slow the field as soon as possible once the caution flag waves, allowing the Champ Car Safety Team to address the situation. When conditions warrant, Race Control will open the pits so that all cars may pit at their discretion.
“One main point here is, once we have a full-course caution, all racing ceases,” Cotman explained. “We want to give the Safety Team every opportunity to do their job safely.”
The Friday and Saturday morning practice sessions will be shortened by 15 minutes, a move that is expected to lead to more on-track activity as teams will spend more of their morning hour on the track working on their machines. The process of determining where they sit on Pit Lane has been changed as well, with pit selection order set by the previous event’s results instead of qualifying order as it had been in the past.
“Any team can have a good day at any given time and we want to reward them when they do have a good event,” said Cotman. “Anything can happen in a race whether it be good or bad, and we want a team to get something out of it for their efforts when they do well.”
The rules concerning a wet track have been abolished as well for 2005. Previously, teams would have an unlimited number of qualifying laps if Race Control called a wet track prior to the session. Now, teams will only have 15 laps to use (for each qualifying session) regardless of track conditions. "
JHS
Monday, February 14, 2005
Friday, February 11, 2005
TONY COTMAN SPEAKS
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8687
Tony Cotman, Champ Car's new VP of Operations, was recently interviewed on the CCWS website, and I'd like to make it mandatory reading for all of you, if you haven't already. Tony and I had a long chat last week, as he did with the other members of Race Control, past and present.
What he says about communications filters down directly to you, when it comes to either making or helping us make decisions out there. The more you are informed about where, when, how and why we make calls, the better and more integrated you all will be in the process! Please have a look at the URL above. I have a really good feeling about Tony and where he is coming from...
In related news, we have filled John Anderson's vacated Director of Operations post with another Kiwi, long time member of the Champ Car family Paul "Ziggy" Harcus. He will be in charge of Tech inspection and pit lane officiating. I have known Ziggy since he was a member of the Galles-Kraco team back in the early 90's and he also spent time at PacWest with their Champ and Lights teams, as well as Carl Russo's Atlantic Team. He was recently with Kelley Racing in the IRL until they closed up shop over the winter. Through it all, he has been nothing but a pleasure to work with, and I'm thrilled to have another outstanding, honest and fair-minded ex-competitior on our side of the wall!
See you at the track!
JHS
Tony Cotman, Champ Car's new VP of Operations, was recently interviewed on the CCWS website, and I'd like to make it mandatory reading for all of you, if you haven't already. Tony and I had a long chat last week, as he did with the other members of Race Control, past and present.
What he says about communications filters down directly to you, when it comes to either making or helping us make decisions out there. The more you are informed about where, when, how and why we make calls, the better and more integrated you all will be in the process! Please have a look at the URL above. I have a really good feeling about Tony and where he is coming from...
In related news, we have filled John Anderson's vacated Director of Operations post with another Kiwi, long time member of the Champ Car family Paul "Ziggy" Harcus. He will be in charge of Tech inspection and pit lane officiating. I have known Ziggy since he was a member of the Galles-Kraco team back in the early 90's and he also spent time at PacWest with their Champ and Lights teams, as well as Carl Russo's Atlantic Team. He was recently with Kelley Racing in the IRL until they closed up shop over the winter. Through it all, he has been nothing but a pleasure to work with, and I'm thrilled to have another outstanding, honest and fair-minded ex-competitior on our side of the wall!
See you at the track!
JHS
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
THE REST OF WHAT I KNOW ABOUT 2005…
...is now a bit more than the last blog I posted! Maybe worth waiting for?
RACE CONTROL
As we got into December, the Champ Car office experienced another RIF – a “reduction in force.” Race Director Chris Kneifel , Steward Derek Higgins, and Technical Director Lee Dykstra were let go. Chris had been on the hot seat for a while (as the Race Director/Chief Steward normally is) and so had Lee, but the definition of an “RIF” comes with no detail other than it is a cost-cutting measure. Just remember, all three were employees of the company, not “contractors,” and our series owners are still GENEROUSLY footing a major part of our racing bill these days. All departments within Champ Car were subject to the RIF and a half dozen or so others were affected.
I will always be indebted to Chris for looking out for me after I was moved from the start stand. Frankly, I’m enjoying this position much better than Starter. And I will miss Derek’s knack for anticipating driver complaints, issues and questions (being a fresh former driver - he actually competed against a few of the guys in our field in 2004.) He was instrumental during racing incidents, having learned quickly how to handle and analyze race control’s replay equipment. We will continue to see Chris at our road course events as he will be kept on as our circuit construction consultant, so most of you will see him in the very same places you did last year.
Right after the new year, VP of Operations, John Lopes left his position to return to the IRL as Vice President of Andretti Green Racing. Last week, Director of Operations and Steward John Anderson also moved to Andretti Green Racing, linking back up with his former teammates when they raced in CART as Team Kool Green. Yeah sure, I know what this looks like - the nay-sayers will quickly point out that these guys have lost confidence in us and our product and are “jumping ship.” But, knowing these two personally, I know that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just trust me on it. I certainly can’t go into any details in a forum like this, and to do so would be to violate theirs and Champ Car’s privacy which I simply won’t do.
As further evidence, A former Andretti Green employee is now with us. Tony Cotman has been named VP of Operations and will handle a good portion of the duties that both of the above did. He had been team manager with Team Green and AGR for a long time and although I have never officially met him, I hear good things. Our Operations Communicator, Paul Leyton, speaking from his experiences in pit lane says: “I can be confident in saying that he always was one of the true gentlemen out there, even in a competitive moment. He understands the side of the competition that we take care of. He always showed a great deal of respect to all of the officials prior to and during events. I think he will bring a very interesting perspective to this job.”
So the dice tumble for the third straight winter. I should be talking to Tony Cotman soon about all of you and our plans for 2005. He doesn’t have a “reinvent the wheel” approach, and I anticipate Steward Beaux Barfield, Ops Com Paul Leyton, Safety Com Joanne Jensen, Data Analyst Tara Sillert, Starter JD Wilbur and myself will stay put and be ready to go, come Long Beach. Don’t know anything about a new race director yet…
TV PACKAGE
Also since I last posted, our 2005 TV Package has been finalized. Long Beach, Monterrey, and Montreal will be on NBC. Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland and Toronto will be on CBS. The balance of the events will be back on Speed TV, where they were in 2003. The TV production company will be none other than our good friends to the north Molson Entertainment, and THEY know how to cover auto racing, although I will get my first joke out of the way now, and say that in deference to them, we are abandoning all our current starting procedures and all events next year will begin from a face-off! Also our international coverage is much improved from last season and our events will once again be live in Europe which means more European drivers (AND THEIR FUNDING!) will be interested in coming over to race with us!
SPEAKING OF DRIVERS…
Today, we got another one back!! As I assured some of you toward the end of last season, 2002 Champ Cristiano da Matta is returning to the fold from F1, and has signed with PKV Racing. This news has finally given me the itch to get back to racing again, and it’s welcome. The following is a round-up of what I know, what I’ve heard, and some of the internet rumours going around about who will be driving for who in 2005:
NEWMAN/HAAS is set with Bourdais and Junqueira. If funding can be secured, they might run another car.
PKV RACING is also in with two cars for Vasser and da Matta. Rumor has it that possibly Emerson Fittipaldi may run a third car out of the shop (as he did with Conquest in 2003) with a TBD driver.
RuSPORT is set with Allmendinger and Wilson. Jourdain has gone to the NASCAR Busch series – they will race in Mexico this year…
HERDEZ is now called HVM Racing. Dominguez will drive one car in ‘05, but could be working on a deal to head to F1 with a new team in ‘06. Look for a second car with possibly another Mexican driver.
ROCKETSPORTS: Tagliani is expected to be back with a second car TBD.
COYNE RACING has signed Gaston Mazzacane back and could field a second car again for Servia.
FORSYTHE is set with Tracy and Lavin returning. Carpentier has gone to the IRL. A host of other drivers are rumoured for the vacated third seat, including Hunter-Reay, Jarek Janis (who ran with Coyne in Australia) Mathias Lauda (yes, Niki’s son) and former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. Some people have even thought they might run 4 cars if funding can be found!
MI-JACK CONQUEST most likely will run a car for Nelson Phillipe and a possible 2nd car for a driver TBD. Names that have been linked in rumours are Dutchman Bas Leinders, Ricardo Sperafico (cousin of Alex who drove for the team last year) and Matt Halliday, a Kiwi that drove for the team in Indy Lights.
WALKER RACING has tested a number of drivers this winter. We could see a return of Haberfeld and those who have tested are Valiante (who drove in Mexico City – damned well,) Andrew Ranger and Bryan Sellers from Atlantic, and Nicky Pastorelli from F3000.
OTHER DRIVERS rumoured to be working on deals are Atlantic runner-up Ryan Dalziel, David Rutledge, Timo Glock, Richard Lyons, Tarso Marques, and F3000’s Bjorn Wirdheim. We WILL have at least 18 cars on the grid for LB, my guess with the TV package we now have we will see more than that… time will tell.
"SPRING TRAINING"
Ain't gonna happen this year, at least not as on on-track activity. From what I understand, it came pretty close to happening in Las Vegas, but no dice. There will be a press and fan-related activity in Indianapolis, similar to the one that happened last year in Long Beach with all drivers in attendance. Keep an eye on www.champcarworldseries.com
* * *
THE DA MATTA ANNOUNCEMENT is yet another big boost. We are experiencing Santa Ana winds this week in Southern California, the hot dry winds that blow out of the east from the desert. Just a reminder for me of another long, hot summer heating up for all of us. I will be again joining those in white this weekend at California Speedway for a Cal Club Regional/National. Hope I don’t screw up on Comm…
JHS
RACE CONTROL
As we got into December, the Champ Car office experienced another RIF – a “reduction in force.” Race Director Chris Kneifel , Steward Derek Higgins, and Technical Director Lee Dykstra were let go. Chris had been on the hot seat for a while (as the Race Director/Chief Steward normally is) and so had Lee, but the definition of an “RIF” comes with no detail other than it is a cost-cutting measure. Just remember, all three were employees of the company, not “contractors,” and our series owners are still GENEROUSLY footing a major part of our racing bill these days. All departments within Champ Car were subject to the RIF and a half dozen or so others were affected.
I will always be indebted to Chris for looking out for me after I was moved from the start stand. Frankly, I’m enjoying this position much better than Starter. And I will miss Derek’s knack for anticipating driver complaints, issues and questions (being a fresh former driver - he actually competed against a few of the guys in our field in 2004.) He was instrumental during racing incidents, having learned quickly how to handle and analyze race control’s replay equipment. We will continue to see Chris at our road course events as he will be kept on as our circuit construction consultant, so most of you will see him in the very same places you did last year.
Right after the new year, VP of Operations, John Lopes left his position to return to the IRL as Vice President of Andretti Green Racing. Last week, Director of Operations and Steward John Anderson also moved to Andretti Green Racing, linking back up with his former teammates when they raced in CART as Team Kool Green. Yeah sure, I know what this looks like - the nay-sayers will quickly point out that these guys have lost confidence in us and our product and are “jumping ship.” But, knowing these two personally, I know that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just trust me on it. I certainly can’t go into any details in a forum like this, and to do so would be to violate theirs and Champ Car’s privacy which I simply won’t do.
As further evidence, A former Andretti Green employee is now with us. Tony Cotman has been named VP of Operations and will handle a good portion of the duties that both of the above did. He had been team manager with Team Green and AGR for a long time and although I have never officially met him, I hear good things. Our Operations Communicator, Paul Leyton, speaking from his experiences in pit lane says: “I can be confident in saying that he always was one of the true gentlemen out there, even in a competitive moment. He understands the side of the competition that we take care of. He always showed a great deal of respect to all of the officials prior to and during events. I think he will bring a very interesting perspective to this job.”
So the dice tumble for the third straight winter. I should be talking to Tony Cotman soon about all of you and our plans for 2005. He doesn’t have a “reinvent the wheel” approach, and I anticipate Steward Beaux Barfield, Ops Com Paul Leyton, Safety Com Joanne Jensen, Data Analyst Tara Sillert, Starter JD Wilbur and myself will stay put and be ready to go, come Long Beach. Don’t know anything about a new race director yet…
TV PACKAGE
Also since I last posted, our 2005 TV Package has been finalized. Long Beach, Monterrey, and Montreal will be on NBC. Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland and Toronto will be on CBS. The balance of the events will be back on Speed TV, where they were in 2003. The TV production company will be none other than our good friends to the north Molson Entertainment, and THEY know how to cover auto racing, although I will get my first joke out of the way now, and say that in deference to them, we are abandoning all our current starting procedures and all events next year will begin from a face-off! Also our international coverage is much improved from last season and our events will once again be live in Europe which means more European drivers (AND THEIR FUNDING!) will be interested in coming over to race with us!
SPEAKING OF DRIVERS…
Today, we got another one back!! As I assured some of you toward the end of last season, 2002 Champ Cristiano da Matta is returning to the fold from F1, and has signed with PKV Racing. This news has finally given me the itch to get back to racing again, and it’s welcome. The following is a round-up of what I know, what I’ve heard, and some of the internet rumours going around about who will be driving for who in 2005:
NEWMAN/HAAS is set with Bourdais and Junqueira. If funding can be secured, they might run another car.
PKV RACING is also in with two cars for Vasser and da Matta. Rumor has it that possibly Emerson Fittipaldi may run a third car out of the shop (as he did with Conquest in 2003) with a TBD driver.
RuSPORT is set with Allmendinger and Wilson. Jourdain has gone to the NASCAR Busch series – they will race in Mexico this year…
HERDEZ is now called HVM Racing. Dominguez will drive one car in ‘05, but could be working on a deal to head to F1 with a new team in ‘06. Look for a second car with possibly another Mexican driver.
ROCKETSPORTS: Tagliani is expected to be back with a second car TBD.
COYNE RACING has signed Gaston Mazzacane back and could field a second car again for Servia.
FORSYTHE is set with Tracy and Lavin returning. Carpentier has gone to the IRL. A host of other drivers are rumoured for the vacated third seat, including Hunter-Reay, Jarek Janis (who ran with Coyne in Australia) Mathias Lauda (yes, Niki’s son) and former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. Some people have even thought they might run 4 cars if funding can be found!
MI-JACK CONQUEST most likely will run a car for Nelson Phillipe and a possible 2nd car for a driver TBD. Names that have been linked in rumours are Dutchman Bas Leinders, Ricardo Sperafico (cousin of Alex who drove for the team last year) and Matt Halliday, a Kiwi that drove for the team in Indy Lights.
WALKER RACING has tested a number of drivers this winter. We could see a return of Haberfeld and those who have tested are Valiante (who drove in Mexico City – damned well,) Andrew Ranger and Bryan Sellers from Atlantic, and Nicky Pastorelli from F3000.
OTHER DRIVERS rumoured to be working on deals are Atlantic runner-up Ryan Dalziel, David Rutledge, Timo Glock, Richard Lyons, Tarso Marques, and F3000’s Bjorn Wirdheim. We WILL have at least 18 cars on the grid for LB, my guess with the TV package we now have we will see more than that… time will tell.
"SPRING TRAINING"
Ain't gonna happen this year, at least not as on on-track activity. From what I understand, it came pretty close to happening in Las Vegas, but no dice. There will be a press and fan-related activity in Indianapolis, similar to the one that happened last year in Long Beach with all drivers in attendance. Keep an eye on www.champcarworldseries.com
* * *
THE DA MATTA ANNOUNCEMENT is yet another big boost. We are experiencing Santa Ana winds this week in Southern California, the hot dry winds that blow out of the east from the desert. Just a reminder for me of another long, hot summer heating up for all of us. I will be again joining those in white this weekend at California Speedway for a Cal Club Regional/National. Hope I don’t screw up on Comm…
JHS
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
WHAT I KNOW ABOUT 2005...
Well here we are. And a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of you. I want to share with you what I have picked up about next year since the season ended. The traveling officials were summoned together in the Tech Garage in Mexico City for the “State of the Series” address and despite the fact that many aspects of the ‘05 season aren’t settled, we are still WAAY ahead of the game from last year, when a 2004 season was far from assured.
SCHEDULE
You can find the current 2005 schedule here:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/Event/EventSchedule.asp?Year=2005
14 races in all right now. 3 new venues in Edmonton, San Jose and Ansan, Korea. Edmonton will be an airport circuit (contact Ray Wintonyk for Marshal info - wintonyk@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca )
San Jose is a street circuit (Marshal Info TBD, but I would suppose SF Region will be involved) and Ansan will also be a street race in a suburb of Seoul and I dare any one of you to come!!
Unofficial talk of adding more races continues to surround two venues: Buenos Aires, a street race that is pending Government approval for a possible September date, and good old Elkhart Lake, which is currently being battered about by internet speculators as being added in May (Brrrrrr…) So we may have 14, 15 or 16, depending on how things shake out.
One very positive thing to report on the schedule and future planning for the Series is that we entertained a number of Ford Executives for both North and South America while we were in Mexico City. They all got rides in the two-seater, and I even had one alongside me in Race Control during a good portion of the race. Let’s just say that they and Ford are very happy with their involvement in our series right now, and where it’s headed. They are a big part of our plans for 2005 and beyond and I expect that a number of our future venues, both domestic and international, will reflect the markets that they are interested in. Half the races on the 2005 schedule are in the US, and half are outside. That’s the mixture we should see in the future.
SPRING TRAINING
We expect there to be a “Spring Prevue” type test sometime in February, although where isn’t finalized. I would look for a two or three day test in the Western US, but don’t hold me to anything. Could be we have Champ Cars and maybe even cars from our other support series as well. If we need Marshals, you’ll hear about it here.
TV PACKAGE
We will have network exposure again in 2005 which is great news for our sponsors. A TV package was set in October, but time since then has been spent making it better. There originally were going to be races live on CBS, but since CBS covers The Masters golf tournament on the same day as Long Beach, another network was needed for our Flagship domestic event. Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland and Toronto will be on CBS and Long Beach and Montreal are on NBC. The remainder will be on a cable network which is still being worked out. For more have a look at:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8612
ENGINES
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8570
On November 15, Champ Car Owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe purchased Cosworth from Ford Motor Company which may have been one of the most important “accomplishments” of the season regarding the sustained health of our series. As some of you know, Champ Car owns over 90 engines originally built and now serviced by Cosworth, and when Cosworth was placed on the selling block, the nay-sayers quaked. So this acquisition brings the engine program all “in-house” in a very broad way of speaking. To have a look at what Messrs. Kalkhoven and Forsythe feel the opportunities are here, follow this link to their press conference transcript:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8568
Oh well now, a ray of sun just came in the window and the driving range calls. Some of you know we have received 17 inches of rain in Southern California in 15 days, so gotta take advantage of dry weather. Look in a few days for Part 2 of “What I know about the the 2005 Season,” and I’ll get into some news on teams and drivers as well as some of the changes for Race Control headed our way…
JHS
SCHEDULE
You can find the current 2005 schedule here:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/Event/EventSchedule.asp?Year=2005
14 races in all right now. 3 new venues in Edmonton, San Jose and Ansan, Korea. Edmonton will be an airport circuit (contact Ray Wintonyk for Marshal info - wintonyk@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca )
San Jose is a street circuit (Marshal Info TBD, but I would suppose SF Region will be involved) and Ansan will also be a street race in a suburb of Seoul and I dare any one of you to come!!
Unofficial talk of adding more races continues to surround two venues: Buenos Aires, a street race that is pending Government approval for a possible September date, and good old Elkhart Lake, which is currently being battered about by internet speculators as being added in May (Brrrrrr…) So we may have 14, 15 or 16, depending on how things shake out.
One very positive thing to report on the schedule and future planning for the Series is that we entertained a number of Ford Executives for both North and South America while we were in Mexico City. They all got rides in the two-seater, and I even had one alongside me in Race Control during a good portion of the race. Let’s just say that they and Ford are very happy with their involvement in our series right now, and where it’s headed. They are a big part of our plans for 2005 and beyond and I expect that a number of our future venues, both domestic and international, will reflect the markets that they are interested in. Half the races on the 2005 schedule are in the US, and half are outside. That’s the mixture we should see in the future.
SPRING TRAINING
We expect there to be a “Spring Prevue” type test sometime in February, although where isn’t finalized. I would look for a two or three day test in the Western US, but don’t hold me to anything. Could be we have Champ Cars and maybe even cars from our other support series as well. If we need Marshals, you’ll hear about it here.
TV PACKAGE
We will have network exposure again in 2005 which is great news for our sponsors. A TV package was set in October, but time since then has been spent making it better. There originally were going to be races live on CBS, but since CBS covers The Masters golf tournament on the same day as Long Beach, another network was needed for our Flagship domestic event. Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland and Toronto will be on CBS and Long Beach and Montreal are on NBC. The remainder will be on a cable network which is still being worked out. For more have a look at:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8612
ENGINES
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8570
On November 15, Champ Car Owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe purchased Cosworth from Ford Motor Company which may have been one of the most important “accomplishments” of the season regarding the sustained health of our series. As some of you know, Champ Car owns over 90 engines originally built and now serviced by Cosworth, and when Cosworth was placed on the selling block, the nay-sayers quaked. So this acquisition brings the engine program all “in-house” in a very broad way of speaking. To have a look at what Messrs. Kalkhoven and Forsythe feel the opportunities are here, follow this link to their press conference transcript:
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=8568
Oh well now, a ray of sun just came in the window and the driving range calls. Some of you know we have received 17 inches of rain in Southern California in 15 days, so gotta take advantage of dry weather. Look in a few days for Part 2 of “What I know about the the 2005 Season,” and I’ll get into some news on teams and drivers as well as some of the changes for Race Control headed our way…
JHS
Thursday, December 30, 2004
THANKSGIVING +35
…Or, things that I am thankful for for the last half of 2004. (I got to use “for” twice in a row in that sentence.)
VANCOUVER
When last I updated, I was on my way out the door to this one, and we were a little concerned earlier about the turnout opposite the ALMS race in Portland. I’m really thankful for the turnout here, despite that, and everyone did the fine work we knew they were capable of. Irene Chambers, Pam Stec, et al did a great job calling out their troops. The brave corner crew at T12 right in front of race Control almost came to grief when Bruno’s errant Lola tried to squash them, yet they persevered. They won’t be in harm’s way in 2005… the Champ Car schedule will not visit this town next year, ending a 14 year run. Molson, Olympic Games, the tight circuit – whatever we blame the reason on, I will miss one of the most romantic cities in North America next year.
ELKHART
Another race that isn’t on the 2005 schedule…yet. I say we see what happens here, as Elkhart, with us since my second year with the series in 1982, seems always to come back despite the adversities. I’m really thankful we had nice weather for a change here, and didn’t have to sweat out another go/no go decision.
DENVER
Another very well run event, and the new promoters had the crowd WAY up this year. Race control was in an uproar all weekend, situated on the top level concourse way up in the Pepsi Center with nary a window on onto the track (we were only about ten yards from the big pit fire last year.) The “Powers That Be” in Champ Car (always read this as our three owners, GF, PG and KK) dictated we should strive for less full course yellows, no closing pits, less use of safety trucks, and possibly delayed pace car dispatches while we all waited for the leader to pit or not. The drivers got a little wound about this (as did we in RC,) and foisted upon us a new flag combo for an extra layer of warning WHERE THE INCIDENT WAS before the pace car could get anyone packed up. I want to thank all of our flaggers and Marshals at this event for humming the tune along with us as we deployed the first “Seasoned Yellow Flag” - which was a waving yellow and white at the point of the incident. It worked fine for a while until the drivers all calmed down and forgot about it, and we quietly let it slip away in Australia.
MONTREAL
I’m thankful I know a little French. Again we were pressing on with using the safety team as little as possible, now at a track that was built with that strategy in mind. And boy, did our Marshals respond here in one of the best performances I can remember in a long time! The Circuit Gilles Villenueve is pocked with safe havens, and the ASRQ gang, always eager for an intervention or two, took up the slack and SAVED THREE FULL-COURSE YELLOWS, plus one in the Atlantic Race. Outstanding, outstanding. I’m also thankful I could shanghai Patrick Carpentier to stop by and say “Bonjour” to our Marshals on his way out on Saturday. Maybe you have heard, but PC has left us for the IRL, depriving me of my “go-to guy” whenever I needed a no-bull answer, observation or opinion from a driver. It used to be Gugelmin, then de Ferran, so now I will need another. Whenever you heard me talk about “A driver suggested…” or “I’ll check with one of the drivers...,” it was PC I went to for a good look at the situation. He was rarely critical of the officiating or the flagging, so whenever he was, I listened closely. I have a replacement in mind – but that’ll be my secret for now… au revoir, Patrick.
LAGUNA SECA
Yet another “last stop” it seems. I’m really thankful for the good communications in this part of the world. It was another weekend where we had all four of our series present, and we decided Champions in three of them. They kept us damned busy, and the opening laps of the Champ Car event were furious! Yet I always knew what was going on without having to refer to any TVs. I can also say that SF region has some of the QUICKEST communicators – As some of you know, back in Cleveland we got the idea of timing our course clearances around the course to see how fast they were traveling. The folks in Cleveland set the benchmark at 701 mph, breaking the sound barrier, and then Toronto, despite its twists and turns took it up just a few mph beyond that. Elkhart Lake, with its four miles of verdant straightaways and long yards in between stations moved the record up into four digits and cleared the course at over 1100 mph. We knew they could… but Laguna Seca shone as the communicators trimmed their course check down to the absolute bone and threw it around the course at an astounding 1725 mph. That may have to stand for a while. Thanks everyone for a superb job!
LAS VEGAS
Everything about this weekend seemed unreal – a night race, on Saturday, no SCCA presence, pairing with NASCAR trucks, an after-10 PM start time, all in the steady glow of that other-worldly capital of entertainment, Las Vegas. I am very thankful for our little group of 20 or so Observers that asked to be part of the weekend, and extremely thankful they were so on the ball despite so much uncertainty over this first-time event. I had never “organized” an event “on my own” before, and I have a new appreciation for what all you Flag Chiefs deal with year-in and year out! One of the weirdest occurrences in the history of the series unfolded before us on the first yellow, and we wound up with a “false leader” when car 8 took the lead by not pitting on the mandatory pit stop window. It took us a l o o o n g time to figure out how to “get out of it” upstairs, but the valuable and confident input we were able to garner from our observers led to us getting on the right track again. Thanks also go to Cole Bosanoz, my ace 16-year-old Recorder who reminded me (just as I asked him to) to flip the light switch from yellow to green on the last restart!
AUSTRALIA
I’m thankful for a few things down under. One of them is always just to be there, fer chrissakes. Another is the responsiveness of the Aussie volunteers. I asked, and they let me, hold an “American Style” briefing on Sunday morning as their stateside counterparts are used to, as the norm there is to hold separate briefings for the “Comms,” “Flaggies,” Trackies,” & “Fire-ies.” Yes, all together the sheer number of volunteers is staggering compared to the average marshal turnout in the US, but I didn’t think it would hurt anyone to hear about just what the other specialties had to be watching out for. I’m also thankful that I am understanding “Aussie English” a bit better, and vice-versa, and that people actually read and comprehend the Flagging Guidelines! We had a typical hectic lead-up to the start of the race, and I neglected to get through the entire pre-race instructions in time. I didn’t say a damn thing about what we want when there is a no-start, and when it went down, out came single yellow flags! Good on ya all!
MEXICO CITY
What a fabulous place to end the season. I’m thankful for the passion that our Mexican Marshals have for the sport, their track, their drivers, their city and their country. Despite the fact that a portion of it winds through a ball park, this joint is as “old school” as it comes. I’m thankful for Chris Kneifel and Beaux Barfield coming up with the wild-ass idea for the Clerk of the Course to go out on the racing surface to display the checker, and thankful that I wasn’t hit for the second year in a row. When Paul Tracy was reminded in the drivers meeting about how close he came last year, he replied: “I thought it was J.D!”
I’m also very thankful to our three owners that we even had a season at all. And… thankful it’s over.
ONE OTHER THING…
I must also lay out a word of thanks to the Marshal who volunteered for the most events this year, Melissa Harrington-Bosanoz, who made it to 11 of our 14 events. Melissa was presented with the autographed checker, our highest honor, after the race in Mexico City. I think back when Gordon Ensing was the Chief Observer, the prize for Marshaling the most races was you got to cut his lawn, so a slight upgrade there!
I will be blogging more in a day or three or four about some of the other things that are happening - for us and to us - in between seasons. Please have a look next week. Happy New Year!
See you at the track!
JHS
VANCOUVER
When last I updated, I was on my way out the door to this one, and we were a little concerned earlier about the turnout opposite the ALMS race in Portland. I’m really thankful for the turnout here, despite that, and everyone did the fine work we knew they were capable of. Irene Chambers, Pam Stec, et al did a great job calling out their troops. The brave corner crew at T12 right in front of race Control almost came to grief when Bruno’s errant Lola tried to squash them, yet they persevered. They won’t be in harm’s way in 2005… the Champ Car schedule will not visit this town next year, ending a 14 year run. Molson, Olympic Games, the tight circuit – whatever we blame the reason on, I will miss one of the most romantic cities in North America next year.
ELKHART
Another race that isn’t on the 2005 schedule…yet. I say we see what happens here, as Elkhart, with us since my second year with the series in 1982, seems always to come back despite the adversities. I’m really thankful we had nice weather for a change here, and didn’t have to sweat out another go/no go decision.
DENVER
Another very well run event, and the new promoters had the crowd WAY up this year. Race control was in an uproar all weekend, situated on the top level concourse way up in the Pepsi Center with nary a window on onto the track (we were only about ten yards from the big pit fire last year.) The “Powers That Be” in Champ Car (always read this as our three owners, GF, PG and KK) dictated we should strive for less full course yellows, no closing pits, less use of safety trucks, and possibly delayed pace car dispatches while we all waited for the leader to pit or not. The drivers got a little wound about this (as did we in RC,) and foisted upon us a new flag combo for an extra layer of warning WHERE THE INCIDENT WAS before the pace car could get anyone packed up. I want to thank all of our flaggers and Marshals at this event for humming the tune along with us as we deployed the first “Seasoned Yellow Flag” - which was a waving yellow and white at the point of the incident. It worked fine for a while until the drivers all calmed down and forgot about it, and we quietly let it slip away in Australia.
MONTREAL
I’m thankful I know a little French. Again we were pressing on with using the safety team as little as possible, now at a track that was built with that strategy in mind. And boy, did our Marshals respond here in one of the best performances I can remember in a long time! The Circuit Gilles Villenueve is pocked with safe havens, and the ASRQ gang, always eager for an intervention or two, took up the slack and SAVED THREE FULL-COURSE YELLOWS, plus one in the Atlantic Race. Outstanding, outstanding. I’m also thankful I could shanghai Patrick Carpentier to stop by and say “Bonjour” to our Marshals on his way out on Saturday. Maybe you have heard, but PC has left us for the IRL, depriving me of my “go-to guy” whenever I needed a no-bull answer, observation or opinion from a driver. It used to be Gugelmin, then de Ferran, so now I will need another. Whenever you heard me talk about “A driver suggested…” or “I’ll check with one of the drivers...,” it was PC I went to for a good look at the situation. He was rarely critical of the officiating or the flagging, so whenever he was, I listened closely. I have a replacement in mind – but that’ll be my secret for now… au revoir, Patrick.
LAGUNA SECA
Yet another “last stop” it seems. I’m really thankful for the good communications in this part of the world. It was another weekend where we had all four of our series present, and we decided Champions in three of them. They kept us damned busy, and the opening laps of the Champ Car event were furious! Yet I always knew what was going on without having to refer to any TVs. I can also say that SF region has some of the QUICKEST communicators – As some of you know, back in Cleveland we got the idea of timing our course clearances around the course to see how fast they were traveling. The folks in Cleveland set the benchmark at 701 mph, breaking the sound barrier, and then Toronto, despite its twists and turns took it up just a few mph beyond that. Elkhart Lake, with its four miles of verdant straightaways and long yards in between stations moved the record up into four digits and cleared the course at over 1100 mph. We knew they could… but Laguna Seca shone as the communicators trimmed their course check down to the absolute bone and threw it around the course at an astounding 1725 mph. That may have to stand for a while. Thanks everyone for a superb job!
LAS VEGAS
Everything about this weekend seemed unreal – a night race, on Saturday, no SCCA presence, pairing with NASCAR trucks, an after-10 PM start time, all in the steady glow of that other-worldly capital of entertainment, Las Vegas. I am very thankful for our little group of 20 or so Observers that asked to be part of the weekend, and extremely thankful they were so on the ball despite so much uncertainty over this first-time event. I had never “organized” an event “on my own” before, and I have a new appreciation for what all you Flag Chiefs deal with year-in and year out! One of the weirdest occurrences in the history of the series unfolded before us on the first yellow, and we wound up with a “false leader” when car 8 took the lead by not pitting on the mandatory pit stop window. It took us a l o o o n g time to figure out how to “get out of it” upstairs, but the valuable and confident input we were able to garner from our observers led to us getting on the right track again. Thanks also go to Cole Bosanoz, my ace 16-year-old Recorder who reminded me (just as I asked him to) to flip the light switch from yellow to green on the last restart!
AUSTRALIA
I’m thankful for a few things down under. One of them is always just to be there, fer chrissakes. Another is the responsiveness of the Aussie volunteers. I asked, and they let me, hold an “American Style” briefing on Sunday morning as their stateside counterparts are used to, as the norm there is to hold separate briefings for the “Comms,” “Flaggies,” Trackies,” & “Fire-ies.” Yes, all together the sheer number of volunteers is staggering compared to the average marshal turnout in the US, but I didn’t think it would hurt anyone to hear about just what the other specialties had to be watching out for. I’m also thankful that I am understanding “Aussie English” a bit better, and vice-versa, and that people actually read and comprehend the Flagging Guidelines! We had a typical hectic lead-up to the start of the race, and I neglected to get through the entire pre-race instructions in time. I didn’t say a damn thing about what we want when there is a no-start, and when it went down, out came single yellow flags! Good on ya all!
MEXICO CITY
What a fabulous place to end the season. I’m thankful for the passion that our Mexican Marshals have for the sport, their track, their drivers, their city and their country. Despite the fact that a portion of it winds through a ball park, this joint is as “old school” as it comes. I’m thankful for Chris Kneifel and Beaux Barfield coming up with the wild-ass idea for the Clerk of the Course to go out on the racing surface to display the checker, and thankful that I wasn’t hit for the second year in a row. When Paul Tracy was reminded in the drivers meeting about how close he came last year, he replied: “I thought it was J.D!”
I’m also very thankful to our three owners that we even had a season at all. And… thankful it’s over.
ONE OTHER THING…
I must also lay out a word of thanks to the Marshal who volunteered for the most events this year, Melissa Harrington-Bosanoz, who made it to 11 of our 14 events. Melissa was presented with the autographed checker, our highest honor, after the race in Mexico City. I think back when Gordon Ensing was the Chief Observer, the prize for Marshaling the most races was you got to cut his lawn, so a slight upgrade there!
I will be blogging more in a day or three or four about some of the other things that are happening - for us and to us - in between seasons. Please have a look next week. Happy New Year!
See you at the track!
JHS
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