Overheard in St. Petersburg

UPDATE #2 AR1.com reported this below back in March during the St. Petersburg race, so this is really old news, but Autosport did get wind of it and report today that Lotus Motorsport boss Claudio Berro said Engine Developments was its first choice, and that the company has been working on the project since January. "We needed a partner and we are very happy with Judd," Berro said. "We didn't want to work with a big company like Cosworth, because everyone would call our engine a Cosworth and not a Lotus."

03/26/11 We spoke to Randy Bernard regarding how engine manufacturers will be married to teams next year and he told AR1.com that no decision has been made. "We have talked about a lot of different scenarios." He did reiterate that if you bring a manufacturer to the game (example Penske and Chevy) then you will get that manufacturer.

03/25/11 We spoke to Conor Daly who was 2nd quick in the first Indy Lights practice on Friday. His plan is to run five Indy Lights races and a full GP3 season. After that? He does not know as he needs sponsorship…….We spoke to a Lotus representative here in St. Pete and he confirmed our earlier rumor that Lotus has contracted with John Judd for their 2012 IndyCar engine. He claims Lotus is doing the design and using the design and manufacturing equipment at John Judd. He also told us another group in Lotus is working on their body kit. They hope to have their engine designed by September with testing to begin soon thereafter……As for Cosworth, we heard from yet another source that they are in talks with another car manufacturer who are considering an IndyCar engine for 2013.

And staying on the subject of engines, rumor has it that each manufacturer (Honda, Chevy and Lotus) will be allowed to pick one team, presumably a top team. After that the teams will be in charge as they will choose the engine manufacturer, with pick order based on their finish in the 2011 Indy 500. We hear the entire process must be done by November in order to have time for testing before the 2012 season.

Sebastien Bourdais has words with IndyCar official Kevin Blanch after session 2

No one was happier in the paddock Friday than Sebastien Bourdais' father. When Bourdais popped up 8th on the charts on his final lap his father leaped three feet in the air and ran to the fence holding up eight fingers and shouting something in French……..Ran into Dan Partel in the paddock, who coincidently went to the same Rutgers University as I did. While in school in the mid-60s, Partel, originally from Hoboken, NJ, studied Agriculture, was captain of the Light football team and played Rugby. Although still trying to get the Delta Wing project off the ground, Partel is currently writing a book on his 25 years in racing. Mark C. reporting from St. Petersburg, Florida