HVM eyes IndyCar return
01/19/13 Could this be where EJ Viso lands? Remember he wants to be a team owner and what better way than to buy into HVM Racing, which needs more funding.
01/18/13
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| Keith Wiggins |
HVM team boss Keith Wiggins told speed.com's Marshall Pruett last November that he would need vastly improved circumstances to return to IndyCar.
His wish, as he told SPEED.com on Thursday, is close to being granted.
“I would say we are having discussions with a couple of different entities on projects in IndyCar," said Wiggins. “I think it’s fair to say we’ll have an [IndyCar] entry and we are working with a couple of groups talking about doing IndyCar, and it could take a couple of different forms. We’re not sure what it will be yet."
“I’ve made it very clear in my mind that after four years of losing money, and when you’re on the treadmill constantly trying to make it work and then get spat off that treadmill like we did, the last thing you’re going to do is try to get back on the thing with another underfunded program," he added.
“We still have key people here, management, our engineer Tom Brown and a number of our former employees are nearby," he said. “And it could take on another form—a collaboration with another group. We also have to run our sports car program which is based at Silverstone (in the U.K.) so there will be a few international miles logged this year… Like a lot of deals today, things are interwoven and it’s not all clearly defined yet how it will look in the end. We still have a core group of people here and can mix and match.
“And we still have all of the equipment we need to run a car. We may sell to one of the people we are collaborating with and we still have enough chassis if someone wanted to do a standalone Indy 500 effort, we could put that together for them too."
“I’ve gone through a lot of feelings and emotions since the end of the season, and I bump into people every now and then who’ll say, ‘You always pull through Keith; if anyone can come back, it’s you’ and that kind of thing. And it sounds great and makes you feel good, but I’ve come to the realization that doing it and doing it underfunded and as one of the back teams isn’t good for one’s health or ego…
“I’ve taken the opportunity to clear the decks a bit, stand back, have a look, take a risk by branching out into sports cars but I’m not going to let myself get emotionally drawn back into IndyCar again. I’ve definitely changed after what took place last year. I want to be in racing, and if one of these deals works out it will be black and white. It will be in collaboration with someone and if it keeps our team in the series in 2013 and helps us to come back in 2014 in full strength, we will. It’s as simple as that." Speed.com