Jacques Villeneuve to race V8 Supercars in '09?

[Ranger]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72664

Jacques Villeneuve is being targeted for a V8 Supercar drive with Super Cheap Racing.

...

"This is real. Absolutely. He is pretty keen to do it," [team owner Paul] Morris told the Herald Sun newspaper.

"It would be the full season. Not just one race. If we can make a bit of a buzz about it then I think it can definitely happen.

Wow... wasn't expecting that!

Would be pretty cool if it happened.

[PDS]

Great news. Mind you this will be a tall order!

"We would have to write about $2 million in sponsorship so we could run the car and pay him to drive."

[Mark in Oshawa]

Funnyhow he could get 2 million in sponsors to race here and not find the money to run NASCAR.

Great to see him racing...but it sucks he isn't in North America....

[Rollo]

Terry Morris*, the team principal is mates with Barry Green, the owner of Team Green. At this time of the year anything is possible, though just on the quiet, I wouldn't be surprised if either Leanne Tander or Steve Owen got the gig, because they've both been testing that car.

Terry Morris also owns Sirromet Wines, Sirromet is TE Morris backwards.

[MotorRacingIndustry.com]

Terry Morris*, the team principal is mates with Barry Green, the owner of Team Green. At this time of the year anything is possible, though just on the quiet, I wouldn't be surprised if either Leanne Tander or Steve Owen got the gig, because they've both been testing that car.

Terry Morris also owns Sirromet Wines, Sirromet is TE Morris backwards.

I'd love to see Steve Owen in a good car. That guy can steer!

But JV would be great for the series, no doubt.

There needs to be more cars on the grid, like NASCAR! :)

[Rollo]

For there to be more cars on the grid, V8 Supercars Australia would have to approve extra licenses. That I'm sorry is not going to happen. The 17 teams aren't likely to vote for extra licenses to come into existence, and for that reason, the monster grids of 55+ cars will never happen again and we're forced to watch a paltry 34 cars go around at most.

[MotorRacingIndustry.com]

For there to be more cars on the grid, V8 Supercars Australia would have to approve extra licenses. That I'm sorry is not going to happen. The 17 teams aren't likely to vote for extra licenses to come into existence, and for that reason, the monster grids of 55+ cars will never happen again and we're forced to watch a paltry 34 cars go around at most.

yeah that's right, the current teams are protecting themselves. I can understand why they are doing it (and I would do the same thing to protect my personal/business investment), but I'm not sure it's good for the sport.

There are a lot of good drivers/teams out there that aren't getting a chance to show themselves. It would make it a lot more interesting if it had more cars/drivers.

Perhaps you could run your current 17 teams plus an additional 8 or so cars to for each round (e.g. would need to get within 107% of pole). Obviously the number of extra cars would depend on circuit capacities.

Having said all this, I think the priority should be getting costs down, so new teams can have a real chance.

[kmchow]

Funnyhow he could get 2 million in sponsors to race here and not find the money to run NASCAR.

Great to see him racing...but it sucks he isn't in North America....
From the way the press release is phrased, Paul Morris is saying he needs to find $2M to race. JV is not needing to bring the $2M though if he can contribute any money, it would be helpful.

Could JV do better in Supercar as there's no ovals in V8 Supercars as opposed to V8Supercars?

[Rollo]

Could JV do better in Supercar as there's no ovals in V8 Supercars as opposed to V8Supercars?

Could you please clarify this statement? I'm afraid that even with a fairly good grasp of the English language "as she is spoke" and even after studying grammar, linguistics and literature in university, that I simply can not make good sense from the quoted statement.

Or if you will... Come again, do what?

[kmchow]

Could you please clarify this statement? I'm afraid that even with a fairly good grasp of the English language "as she is spoke" and even after studying grammar, linguistics and literature in university, that I simply can not make good sense from the quoted statement.

Or if you will... Come again, do what?
haa,haa, to clarify. JV didn't do that well in Nascar. Was it b/c it was largely ovals? In F1, you race on street courses. If so, maybe he will do better in V8 supercars as they don't race ovals and instead on street courses.

[RJL25]

except that JV originally made a name for himself in CART, which at the time raced on alot of ovals.

JV will be in for a shock if he thinks V8's are going to be easy, there's been many a big name driver who has come out to Australia and thought FAAAAAAARK!

V8 Supercars are notoriously difficult cars to drive, combined with the very tight competition, it makes it hard for any newby, former F1 champ or not

[kmchow]

OTOH, there's also been explanations or conspiracy theories about why hotshot or big name drivers struggle in Nascar (and perhaps also in V8 Supercars?). And that is the existing drivers "gang up" or avoid letting drivers "draft properly". In other words, they treat these new big name drivers unfairly to bring them back down to earth. Do members believe in this conspiracy theory?

[Ranger]

OTOH, there's also been explanations or conspiracy theories about why hotshot or big name drivers struggle in Nascar (and perhaps also in V8 Supercars?). And that is the existing drivers "gang up" or avoid letting drivers "draft properly". In other words, they treat these new big name drivers unfairly to bring them back down to earth. Do members believe in this conspiracy theory?

It's believable for restrictor plate racing in NASCAR, where you have to be in a group of cars to get the slipstream to go fast.

It's not at all believable in V8 Supercars.

[RJL25]

V8 Supercars are just pigs to drive, thats why its hard on people who are new to it. The tyres are very low grip and they run a spooled diff which make them very hard to turn in, because both rear wheels will only ever turn at the same speed.

If you took out the spooled diff and put some proper tyres on them it would be alot easier for rookies

[Mark in Oshawa]

From the way the press release is phrased, Paul Morris is saying he needs to find $2M to race. JV is not needing to bring the $2M though if he can contribute any money, it would be helpful.

Could JV do better in Supercar as there's no ovals in V8 Supercars as opposed to V8Supercars?

I think JV will do just fine once he gets used to that particular car. He didn't do much oval racing in NASCAR as he didn't really get into many races.

Last time I looked, a former F1 world champion shouldn't be questioned on his adapting to race cars. Most of them are pretty talented lads....

[RJL25]

Mark - many a top rated driver has been made to look silly in a V8 Supercar, don't underestimate just how difficult they are to drive.

However in saying that i have no doubt JV will be competitive in his first season, and provided the equipment is up to scratch will have every chance of winning races in his second.

[F1boat]

I hoped that he'll drive in the LMS, but best luck to him in the V8 championship...

[ykiki]

My hope is that we get to see the V8's in the US at all!!! The last few years SPEED channel has shown 1-hour recaps of the races during the winter months. So far this winter, nothing.

I've written to the folks at V8 and don't get a response.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

From jayski.com


Villeneuve trying to find ride: Jacques Villeneuve appeared at the Canadian Motorsports Expo at the International Centre and spelled out just how hard it has been for him to attract enough sponsorship dollars to get his newly minted NASCAR career back on track. "It's tough going," he said. "There are still a bunch of (NASCAR) teams that are looking at getting funding for 2009 and I am spending virtually all my time trying to get (a deal) done." The frustrating thing, of course, is that Villeneuve should be able to stand before any corporation in Canada, shake hands with a few company directors and come out with a wheel barrow full of cash to back any kind of racing venture that he wanted. After all, he has one of the most recognizable names in all of sports; his late father is worshipped on two continents and he is a two-time Canadian male athlete of the year. And at 37 years old, he still is young enough to drive at least five more seasons at the top of his game in NASCAR. All this, however, amounts to a hill of beans with the auto manufacturing world in a death spiral. "I am at my core an optimist," Villeneuve said. "So I believe that even with current conditions something will happen to get me back in a race car this season." One of the options he has is to go racing V8 Super Cars in Australia, a NASCAR-style series that races stock cars on road courses. "But I doubt I will do that," he said. "My family is settled in Montreal and it wouldn't be fair to uproot them for a few months racing in Australia." Still, Villeneuve was adamant that his desire to compete in high-speed, high-level racing is as strong as it was when he won the CART championship back in 1995. Villeneuve is so focused on breaking into NASCAR that he has decided to forego another opportunity with team Peugeot to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans this spring. "Going back to Le Mans would take too much time away from pursuing NASCAR," he said.(Toronto Sun (http://www.torontosun.com/sports/othersports/2009/01/18/8060906-sun.html))(1-19-2009)

[kmchow]

I wonder how much is he asking as a salary? Do you think if he lowers his compensation package requirements that it would help him get a drive? Or has or even will he ever maybe drive for free? Just to get some more race seat time and keep his skills sharp?

[Reuben]

it would be great to see the former F1 cham in a V8SC. i really hope he does it.

[callum122]

JV would be a big draw card. It would tempt me into seeing the Perth round at Barbagallo, which is saying something as I think its an appalling circuit. C'mon the Perth street circuit already!!!

[RJL25]

dunno whats wrong with you Callum, Barbegello maybe a little circuit, but it consistantly produces some of the best racing of the series

[racer69]

Certainly more exciting racing than another street circuit would, thats the last thing we need.

[callum122]

dunno whats wrong with you Callum, Barbegello maybe a little circuit, but it consistantly produces some of the best racing of the series

I just think its a small, basic circuit. You can race go karts on it! I'd like a bigger circuit in Perth but it will never happen without government funding. In my opinion a street circuit would make V8's more accessible to the public and increase the longevity of the event.

[RJL25]

the size of the layout really doesn't make a difference. Give me a 1 minute layout that produces lots of overtaking and exciting racing over surfers paradise for example thats quite a long circuit but its nearly impossible to overtake... street circuits are very rarely any good. Adelaide is an exception, not the rule.

[callum122]

I am biased. I prefer the open circuits that F1 races at. V8's definitely need wide circuits for overtaking and Barbagallo has that. Honestly, I need to step off my high horse and accept the Barbagallo circuit for what it is. I'm not going to do that though :)

[racer69]

In my opinion a street circuit would make V8's more accessible to the public and increase the longevity of the event.

Barbagello (i still say Wanneroo ;) ) has had a round every year since 1973, VESA have tried to boot it off the calendar twice (and bully the govt into a street race) twice without a success, i think the event is safe enough.

[callum122]

Hah true. Got me there. In that case long live Barbagallo.