Overheard at Infineon – Sunday (Bernard’s Fishing Trip)
09/05/10 Regarding Randy Bernard's European fishing trip mentioned below – Bernard's European trip to meet with potential engine and chassis kit manufacturers caused him to miss an IndyCar race for the first time since he became its chief executive officer in February. He had planned to watch online at 1:30 a.m. local time.
He was optimistic about his meetings with groups such as Ferrari and Cosworth — visits with McLaren, Audi and Mercedes are yet to come on the trip — but cautioned that no deals are imminent.
"I've met with a lot of manufacturers, and they're all very interested," he said. "I'd love to tell you there's something to report, but there's not. But a lot of one-hour meetings have turned into five hours." Indy Star
08/25/10 Regarding this original post and the rumor of the new IndyCar doing standing starts on road and street circuits – From Tony Cotman – "yes the 2012 car will be able to accommodate standing starts should the IRL choose to adopt them."
08/22/10 A perfect day for the race in Sonoma, California and the fans responded with the largest IndyCar attendance ever at Infineon Raceway. Not only did the grandstands have more fans than ever, but the other stands around the track were noticeably up. Traffic was backed up getting to the track – it looked a little like a NASCAR weekend……Young Frenchman J.K. Vernay looks all but assured of winning the 2010 Indy Lights title and he tells us that his management team is working hard on an IndyCar ride in 2011. Randy Bernard is also working hard to make sure the Indy Lights champion has a good chance to move up to the big cars………We hear that Penske Racing has landed a 2nd primary sponsor for 2011. Verizon will be back with Power we hear and the 2nd sponsor is a previous sponsor that is returning to the series. Penske's 3rd car still needs sponsorship for next year……We hear that Simona de Silvestro will most likely be back with HVM Racing and the team hopes to run 2 cars next year…….KV Racing will probably run 4 cars again and we hear some new young guys are talking to the team as is Paul Tracy…..We hear that Andretti Autosports will be back with 4 cars as well…..Hearing that Dallara won't have the new rolling chassis until November of next year which means the teams may be forced to use the Dallara aero kit because their competitors won't have time to design a competitive aero kit, and then test it before the 2012 season begins. So IndyCar may again be a 100% Dallara-Honda series, which is what Brian Barnhart said he wanted before he was forced to open it up to competitive bidding…..Most team owners in the paddock feel Randy Bernard's trip to Europe to talk to car manufacturers about joining the series is nothing more than a fishing trip. One manufacturer we think they will visit will be Fiat to talk to them about entering the series with the Dodge brand. Dodge has ties to Roger Penske so one would hope that he has made a few calls to manufacturers to try and open up some doors for the IRL. Randy Bernard is taking Gil de Ferran with him to Europe to meet with the manufacturers. We're not sure if anyone else is going with them, but from where we stand Roger Penske should absolutely be part of that entourage. If anyone would have the ear of a car manufacturer CEO, it would be Roger Penske…….We hear that Standing Starts may be considered for IndyCar on road and street circuits after Champ Car had much success with them……Now the cars run Carbon Fiber brakes on ovals, the IRL may use them for all races after they have had a chance to test them…….Tony Cotman said the engine specifications are his No. 1 priority and will be written by October 1st. Direct injection may be allowed, but maybe not mandated…….The new transmission and differential will be supplied as part of the rolling chassis supplied by Dallara……The goal of the series is to not allow any manufacturer get too far ahead if there does end up being competition in the series……Cotman says he will pull in the experts he needs from various fields as he writes rules and oversees the development of the new car……Gil de Ferran thinks that the new IndyCar cannot be 'too' spec. Yes, a spec car saves money but he feels the new car must still be somewhat state-of-the-art/sophisticated image that holds a very high standard in the world. As long as you are inviting manufacturer competition, the manufacturer must be rewarded for their efforts. Mark C. reporting from Infineon