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Corvette Paces 2008 Freedom 100 & Indy 500 Fields

Ethanol-Powered 'Gold Rush Green' Concept Changes Colors

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Gold Rush Green E-85 Z06 Concept Pacecar. Photo: AllanBrewer

The Indy Pro Series' biggest event will find a familiar face at the front of the field on Indy Carb Day (May 23rd, 2008): a Chevrolet Corvette.

The marque will make its record tenth appearance as the pace car for the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Chevrolet has provided two cars for the pacing duties in 2008. One is a black and silver Z06 convertible that bears the graphics and paint scheme of the first Corvette pacecar in 1978.

The other car is a hardtop Corvette Z06 concept vehicle, specially modified in the fuel and drivetrain controller components to operate at high speed on ethanol blend E-85 fuel.

The latter car also carries a chameleonesque paint scheme: it moves from light green to yellow to gold as ambient light and viewer perspective change.

Beneath the eye-blinking color-changing enamel lies a faintly visible checkered-flag pattern that is visible in all light conditions.

Power to Spare No Matter the Fuel

The E-85 machine continues the energy-independent theme adopted by the Indy Racing League in 2007 when its IndyCar machines raced the entire season on (near) pure ethanol-fueled V-8 racing engines.

The concept car's ethanol blend fuel is sourced primarily from corn in this country, but can be produced from multiple alternative origins including beet sugar and raw sugar cane.

Research is underway to make biomass waste, through enzymatic degradation, a complimentary source for the biodegradable fuel .

Speaking of the significance of the Corvette concept pacecar, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said, "The Corvette Z06 E85 is a high-performance example of Chevrolet's gas-friendly to gas-free initiative. It clearly demonstrates our commitment to viable fuel solutions."

The pace cars will be driven in the Indy 500 by two-time winner and former F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, himself an ethanol refinery-owner in his native Brazil.

Corvette Z06 Commemorative Pacecar. Photo: AllanBrewer

“Most of the vehicles in Brazil are powered by ethanol produced from crops grown in the country, so I understand how a domestically produced renewable fuel can help the energy solutions of a nation,” said Emmo.

30th Anniversary Commemorative 'Vette Honors 1978 Pace Car

The black and silver Z06 will be produced in limited number and available for purchase in Chevrolet showrooms. It bears the signature of Fittipaldi on both rear quarter panels.

The Z06 commemorative edition also features a striking, high-tech two-tone titanium interior layout, complete with Indy 500 logos on the seating panels.

Among its grin-provoking motoring accessories are:

•Choice of six-speed manual or six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmissions

•LS3 small block V8 with 436 horsepower

•New-for-2008 forged chrome five-spoke aluminum wheels

•Corvette Z06 rear spoiler

•Silver checkered flag graphics

•Indy 500 logo fender badges

“It’s only fitting that Corvette will be the first car to earn the distinction of having two models pace the Indianapolis 500 in the same year,” said Joie Chitwood, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief operating officer.

“Chevrolet and Corvette are a vital part of the rich history of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ and we’re honored to have a great champion of the race and of alternative fuels, Emerson Fittipaldi, as this year’s Pace Car driver.”

Wade Cunningham Tests in IndyCar with Andretti Green Racing

Veteran Pro Series Driver Shakes Down AGR Dallara/Honda

From Indy Pro Series Media Reports:

Wade Cunningham. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Wade Cunningham is the latest Indy Pro Series driver to get an opportunity to test an IndyCar Series car.

The 2005 Indy Pro Series champion joined Andretti Green Racing drivers Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Hideki Mutoh at Sebring International Raceway on Monday (December 17th).

The test was the fifth bonus test day earned by AGR in 2007 for their partnership with AFS Racing in fielding a team in the Indy Pro Series.

Long-Anticipated Ride Finally Arrives

“It was cool to drive an IndyCar Series car for the first time,” Cunningham said. “It’s something that I’ve looked forward to since I came over here in 2005."

Cunningham is a native of New Zealand, and enjoys a sizable fan-following in his home country.

"I’m very grateful to (AFS Racing owner) Gary (Peterson) and Andretti Green Racing for this opportunity," he continued.

"It was a bit difficult in the morning with the track still at 50 degrees; but after 20 laps or so, the car felt reasonably comfortable.”

Should he find his way into the IndyCar Series for the 2008 season Cunningham would be the fourth Indy Pro Series graduate to land a big-car drive in the last ninety days, joining Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Lloyd, Roth Racing's Jay Howard and AGR's Hideki Mutoh.

PJ Chesson and Leilani Munter End Year at Speedy Sebring Trial

Two Popular Drivers Take Laps at Road Course Private Test

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Leilani Munter. Photo: ShawnPayneIRL

Indy Racing League favorites PJ Chesson and Leilani Munter got in some last-minute testing with Panther Racing on Monday and Tuesday (December 17th and 18th) at Sebring International Raceway’s 3.7 mile road course in central Florida.

Both took turns piloting a bright orange and black Indy Pro Series Dallara over the 17-turn circuit, concentrating on braking, shifting and transition during the year’s final on-track session for the Indianapolis-based team.

Neither driver has committed themselves to a Panther ride for the 2008 season: in Chesson’s case for a spot aside IndyCar Series veteran Vitor Meira, and for Leilani a full schedule in the Pro Series.

“It’s always positive for us to test,” team co-owner John Barnes said. “It gives us a good chance to gauge where P.J. and Leilani are in a road course setting since neither of them has done much on non-oval tracks. Right now, all this is is an on-track evaluation.”

Back in the Saddle Again for PJ and Leilani

Chesson spent much of the 2007 IndyCar Series in a support role, putting in countless hours high in the stands spotting for Vision Racing’s AJ Foyt IV. He finally was rewarded with a seat at Marty Roth Racing for the season’s finale at Chicagoland Speedway.

Munter has a solid history in stock cars in the ARCA series, and drove twice for Sam Schmidt Motorsports last year (Kentucky and Chicagoland). She raced very competitively until an accident, spin and wing repair diminished her prospects in both events, but not before she turned heads with savvy driving and moxy in the car.

Her weakness, obviously, is on the twisties and she prepped for the test by logging some laps with the Skip Barber Racing crew over the week prior.

“It’s cool to learn something new like road course racing because I’ve been going in circles for so long,” said Leilani afterwards. “This is the only time I’ve driven an Indy Pro Series car on a road course, and the test was good because I was able to iron out some of the problems.”

“There are still a lot of little things I need to work on. The biggest step for me is going to be my footwork, because when the footwork is messy, it hurts the rest of your racing. I need to get into a go-kart and practice my shifting so I can get used to it – it’s a lot different from what I’m familiar with in a stock car.”

PJ Chesson. Photo: JimHainesIRL

“It continued to get better and better after I was able to practice for awhile,” she concluded. “I’m excited about this challenge.”

This is a Test, Only a Test

“I felt like the test went really well,” said PJ of his test session, “but there is a lot of learning to do still. But when you’ve got a good bunch of guys and good car, like they do at Panther, anything is possible.”

“I achieved more in the first test than I thought I would. Consistency is going to be the toughest thing for me. The challenge is to put in a respectable lap and then do it 20 times. But I feel like given the opportunity we’re going to get there.”

Team boss Barnes was encouraging in his remarks about the session, but stopped just short of offering either driver a job for next year.

“It was positive for us to get our Indy Pro Series team on the track before the end of the year and run around a little bit,” he said. “I really wanted to get our new Technical Director, Henri Durand, a chance to work with the IPS guys and the car to have some data to work with before we start running in 2008.”

“The test was also a good evaluation of PJ and Leilani to see where they are as far as their road course racing ability. They’ve both got work to do, but at the same time, we came away happy with what we were able to accomplish this week.”

“It gives us something to think about over the holiday break and we’ll get more serious about making decisions after the first of the year.”

Adam Andretti and FuZion AutoSports Announce Agreement

Scion of Famous American Racing Family Joins for 2008 Season

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

FuZion AutoSports’ Adam Andretti. Photo: SteveSnoddyIRL

Adam Andretti announced Monday (December 17th) that he is joining newly-formed FuZion (pronounced fu-sion) AutoSports Team for the 2008 Indy Pro Series season.

The twenty-eight year old Andretti, younger brother of popular NASCAR driver John Andretti, appeared in one race during the 2007 Indy Pro Series season, finishing the year in the cockpit of the SpeedWorks machine at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9th.

"I am very happy to finally be settled in with an Indy Pro Series team." Andretti said from his home in Brownsburg, Indiana.

"FuZion was a no-brainer for me. Even though the team is new the engineers, mechanics and management have been around the series since its inception and the ownership group is made up of true red-blooded racers!"

Principal investors in the team include David Hunt of Terre Haute, Californian Preston Countryman, and IPS familiar David McMillan.

"I recently relocated back to Brownsburg where I was raised and attended high school," said Andretti, "so everything feels like the right fit. Most of all it is an honor to drive for a well respected group of owners who have the talent needed for the team to succeed. I can't wait to start testing and get on with the season!"

The team will get its first taste of the competition at Homestead Miami Speedway on March 29th. The sixteen race season continues the following weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida for a double-header.

Champions' Chores Never End at Sam Schmidt Motorsports

The Little Racing Team That Could and Did

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Compiled in part from Indy Pro Series media reports:

Team Owner Sam Schmidt. Photo: JimHainesIRL

Dotting the west and northwestern suburbs of Indianapolis are the homes of open-wheel racing's best family names: Andretti Green, Forsythe Racing, Panther, Chip Ganassi Racing...the list goes on and on.

Nestled in this high-reving neighborhood is one name known more by the public for the tragedy that befell its owner than its on-track accomplishments, Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

Time, however, brings change and the SSM team headed by former IndyCar competitor and quadraplegia victim Sam Schmidt needs nor wants any pity.

Far from it.

Over the course of their short six year existence, the team at Sam Schmidt Motorsports has grown from fledgling racer outfit to a kick-ass juggernaut that will blow you and yours right off the track and into the sandpit runoff.

Challenge at SSM Not to Win Championships, But Keep Winning Them

The glass display cases in the small lobby at Sam Schmidt Motorsports' headquarters on the west side of Indianapolis are overflowing with trophies.

Since 2004, the team has won 22 Indy Pro Series races and its drivers have won three championships.

Walk past the displays and into the race shop and the reason for the team's success becomes evident: it's the people.

The engineers and mechanics that work tirelessly to put three or four race cars on the track each weekend have long, successful careers in motorsports.

"In a support series, one of the biggest difficulties we face each season is to develop the next champion," from an ever-changing roster of young up-and-coming drivers said Schmidt in a pre-Christmas interview.

"The drivers are rarely consistent from year to year. The only thing that is constant is our team."

"We've got the best group of people we've ever had: from a talent perspective, a morale perspective," Schmidt said.

"Everybody equally brings something to the table. They don't mess around. They do it right the first time. They're true professionals."

Job Requirements: Dedication and Sacrifice

While Schmidt provides overall guidance for the team from his home in Henderson, Nevada the day-to-day details are taken care of by team manager Chris Griffis.

"The number one asset we have is definitely our employees," said Griffis, whose career started in 1985 with Patrick Racing and includes an Indianapolis 500 championship in 1989.

"We've corralled a group of guys who are racers."

Many of those racers have known each other and worked together for years, building trust in each other and a sense of family.

Griffis and John Roof Jr., who was the chief mechanic on Alex Lloyd's 2007 championship-winning car, have been together off and on since 1991.

Chief engineer Tim Neff, the man Lloyd repeatedly identified as a lynchpin in his success, and Griffis also worked together in the 1990s.

"It's like a family here," said mechanic Mike Meyer, whose great grandfather was Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

"We all look out for each other."

An Enviable Record of Success, Forever Looking Forward

The team claimed its first championship in 2004 during its third year of operation with Thiago Medeiros at the wheel.

In 2006 SSM seated Jay Howard as he drove to the Indy Pro Series drivers' championship.

Then came Lloyd's record-shattering drive to five consecutive victories to open the 2007 campaign, and the 171-point year-end margin that established a new record for competitive domination in the series.

One of the most memorable of the many superlatives for the team came at the Chicagoland finale when teammates Logan Gomez and Lloyd crossed the finish line in an virtual dead-heat.

The photo-finish ending put 18-year old Gomez into the winner's circle with an incredible five ten-thousands of a second margin of victory.

The team already has its sights set on 2008, bringing newcomers Cole Morgan and James Davison to test as recently as October, continuing the search for the next championship trophy challenger.

Just as the paraphrased children's storybook line reminds, "We think we can" is the necessary prerequisite to "We did!"

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The 2008 Indy Pro Series season begins on March 29th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.

Alex Lloyd Named to Writers/Broadcasters All-American Team

2007 Indy Pro Series Champion Elected to Mythical Roster

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

AARWBA All-American Alex Lloyd. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL

Reigning Indy Pro Series champion Alex Lloyd has been selected to the American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association honorary "All-American Racing Team" for 2007.

The twenty-two year old racer, recently signed to the Chip Ganassi Racing Team, joins racing luminaries Jeff Gordon, Sebastian Bourdais, Tony Pedregon and others in the starting lineup.

Lloyd took the "At Large" category with a comfortable margin, finishing well ahead of the combo of Jaime Melo and Mika Salo for the prized first-team designation.

Swift Rise to the Top Marks Lloyd's Tenure in American Racing

Alex Lloyd hails from Manchester, England and came to the United States two years ago to compete in the Indy Pro Series.

In a too-brief stint in the Pro Series Lloyd racked up a record ten career victories, often driving away from the field to win in one of the world's most competitively specified racing series.

His signature success came at the wheel of the Lucas Oil/Isilon Systems Dallara driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, where he ran off a record five victories in a row to start the 2007 campaign. His record 652 championship points and margin of 171 points in the final tally are testament to how thoroughly Lloyd dominated the series in 2007.

He also became the first man ever to win on both the legendary 2.5 mile oval (2006) and the original 2.6 mile road course (2007) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway--a claim neither AJ Foyt or Michael Schumacher can make.

Team to be Feted at Indianapolis Banquet

The All-American team will be honored at the Indianapolis Hyatt on January 12th, 2008 as part of a gala evening of entertainment and press activities that culminates in a banquet and presentation of awards and team.

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The 2007 American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association All-American Team Balloting Results

FIRST TEAM
OPEN WHEEL: Sébastien Bourdais, Dario Franchitti
STOCK CAR: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson
ROAD RACING: Jon Fogarty/Alex Gurney, Scott Pruett
DRAG RACING: Tony Pedregon, Tony Schumacher
SHORT TRACK: Jerry Coons Jr., Donny Schatz
TOURING SERIES: Ron Hornaday Jr., Frank Kimmel
AT LARGE: Alex Lloyd, Jaime Melo/Mika Salo

SECOND TEAM
OPEN WHEEL: Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan
STOCK CAR: Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards
ROAD RACING: Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas, Rinaldo Capello/Allan McNish
DRAG RACING: Greg Anderson, Jeg Coughlin
SHORT TRACK: Levi Jones, Joey Saldana
TOURING SERIES: Joey Logano, Bobby Gill
AT LARGE: Frank Manzo, Randy Pobst

HONORABLE MENTION
(At least 5% of the vote)
OPEN WHEEL: none
STOCK CAR: none
ROAD RACING: Max Angelelli, Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin
DRAG RACING: Bruce Litton, Dale Creasy Jr.
SHORT TRACK: Steve Francis
TOURING SERIES: Mike David, Donny Lia, Michael McDowell
AT LARGE: Raphael Matos, Carl Renezeder

Crawford Motorsports' Marc Williams Named Junior SOY

Williams Earns Sportsman of the Year Honor in New Zealand

From Indy Pro Series meda reports:

Michael Crawford Motorsports’ Marc Williams. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Indy Pro Series driver Marc Williams was named Junior Sportsman of the Year in the Taranaki region of New Zealand.

The 18-year-old competed in six Indy Pro Series races in 2007 with Michael Crawford Motorsports, recording a best finish of eighth at Iowa despite missing the practice sessions.

Williams’ Indy Pro Series debut came in the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he finished 17th. He then went on to a ninth-place finish at Milwaukee.

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The 2008 Indy Pro Series season begins on March 29th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2.