If Simona can do it, why can't Graham, Buddy, PT, and J.R. ???

[ChicagocrewIRL]

OK, here it is the start of a brand new season and we have the same old problem of talented drivers sitting on the sidelines while no talent hacks with personal sponsors have coveted IICS drives.

But then along comes Simona de Silvestro, AKA Swiss Miss, who basically burst upon the open wheel scene with a hugely impressive run in the 2009 Atlantics with 4 dominant wins, 4 pole positions, and 9 podium finishes. Clearly she is no hack. Clearly she has the proven talent to compete and to position herself as one of the up and coming stars of IndyCar, very similar to Graham's pre IICS resume'.

But unlike Graham, Simona has managed to land a ride, all be it not a top tier ride, with Keith Wiggins and HVM Racing. With the backing of Stargate Worlds game software company, she is poised to compete, and compete well, in the 2010 IICS Championship. She proved this in her first outing by leading 5 laps and holding off 2 time IndyCar Champion, Dario Franchitti during those laps. She competed well until rear suspension problems forced her to the back of the pack.

So the question is why can someone like Simona de Silvestro land a funded IICS ride while equally talented drivers like Hildebrand, Edwards, Rice, Rahal, Tracy, etc sit on the sidelines ?

From what I have been able to research, Simona brings the backing of Stargate Worlds, a computer gaming program still in its developmental stages. It's unclear how much money Stargate Worlds brings to the table because, reportedly, their Atlantics involvement provided no up front cash to the 2 car team of Muniz and de Silvestro. However, Stargate Worlds two main developers, Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne are avid open wheel racing enthusiasts who may be bringing personal funds to the HVM/Stargate Worlds effort.

This is what Graham et, al need to find. They need to present their cases to companies and individuals who have the same passion for autosport that the Stargate Worlds principals posses. They are out there.

It's no longer just a matter of being a talented driver, it comes down to being marketable as well. And I think all it will take for these drivers to come up with funding is a lot of legwork and networking by themselves and their management teams.

Let's do a quick breakdown of each driver and how their ride is funded. (speculation)

Andretti Motorsport

Tony Kanaan - funded with team sponsors, limited personal sponsors
Marco Andretti - funded with team sponsors, family ties
Danica Patrick - funded with team sponsors, massive personal sponsors
Ryan Hunter-Reay - funded with limited personal sponsors

Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Dario Franchitti - funded with team sponsors
Scott Dixon - funded with team sponsors

Team Penske

Helio Castroneves - funded with team sponsors
Ryan Briscoe - funded with team sponsors
Will Power - funded with team sponsors

KV Racing

Mario Moraes - funded with family funds (RIDE BUYER)
E.J. Viso - funded by Venezuelan Petroleum and family (RIDE BUYER with some talent)
Takuma Sato - funded by Honda (RIDE BUYER with talent (??))

Conquest Racing

Mario Romancini - unknown funding

Dale Coyne Racing

Alex Lloyd - funded with team sponsors
Milka Duno - funded by Venezuelan oil money (RIDE BUYER with absolutely no talent)

de Ferran/Luczo Dragon Racing

Raphael Matos - funded by team sponsors

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Ana Beatriz - funded by team sponsors, personal sponsors
Mike Conway - funded by team sponsors
Justin Wilson - funded by team sponsors, personal sponsors

FAZZT Race Team

Alex Tagliani - funded by team and personal sponsors

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

Hideki Mutoh - funded by personal sponsors (RIDE BUYER with limited talent)

Panther Racing

Dan Wheldon - funded by team sponsors

Sarah Fisher Racing

Sarah Fisher - funded by team and personal sponsors
Jay Howard - funded by team and personal sponsors
Graham Rahal - funded by team sponsors (limited)

Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing

Simona de Silvestro - funded by team and personal sponsors

If anyone has actual facts that refute my speculations on how these drivers and teams are funded, please feel free to add them to the discussion.

[I am evil Homer]

Hunger? Passion? Lack of chip on her shoulders making her a more attractive/viable proposition for teams

Seems to me there's too many drivers thinking they have a right to be on the grid in a top line car, when to date they've shown little to justify it.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I think you hit the nail on the head... the culture of entitlement

[Scotty G.]

1.So the question is why can someone like Simona de Silvestro land a funded IICS ride while equally talented drivers like Hildebrand, Edwards, Rice, Rahal, Tracy, etc sit on the sidelines ?

2. This is what Graham et, al need to find.

3. Mario Romancini - unknown funding

Alex Lloyd - funded with team sponsors

Mike Conway - funded by team sponsors

Jay Howard - funded by team and personal sponsors



1 Those other driver don't have breasts? ;) And they don't have someone to buy their way into the series? Or they have the goofy notion that they should actually be paid to do their job, because of what they have actually ACCOMPLISHED in Indy Cars (at least in PT, Rahal and Rice's cases)?

2. No, they need to find actual PROFESSIONAL owners that will HIRE people on merit and find money for THEIR teams. They need Indy Cars to do a complete 180, and reverse this ridiculous "sit on their ass and wait for the drivers to fund the teams" mentality that has killed the sport the past 20 years.

3. Romancini wrote a big check. NO WAY, he is in that car without one. Lloyd has money too. That is ALWAYS what Coyne looks for and why he is in the Boy Scouts of AMERICA (which is giving DCR very little real money) car. Conway's parents continue to "help" him play race driver. Howard is paying his way. Without his money, no way anyone hires him.

[MDS]

Just FYI, Conway is paying for his ride, as is Simona de Selvestro, and Mario Romancini, Helio and Ryan are being funded by Roger more than sponsors

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Just FYI, Conway is paying for his ride, as is Simona de Selvestro, and Mario Romancini, Helio and Ryan are being funded by Roger more than sponsors

Please give us more details about Conway and Simona. How are they paying for their rides and how do you know this. And please don't say it's common knowledge. LOL

[vintage]

I would guess Simona/personal backers are paying most if not all of the money. I believe the developer of the Stargate Worlds games is in bankruptcy. I really doubt they're putting up multiple millions to fund her ride.

[MDS]

Please give us more details about Conway and Simona. How are they paying for their rides and how do you know this. And please don't say it's common knowledge. LOL

Simona because Stargate Worlds is in bankruptcy and even before that they mentioned in an interview you can find in on the web somewhere that they weren't directly paying for it themselves. She's probably not paying for it herself, but as I understand it she has backers who are paying her way.

Conway isn't paying full freight because DR&R has some sponsorship, but he's not getting paid to drive either. As far as specifics all I can tell you is that people inside the sport have told called Conway a mid-pack ride buyer and I believe they would know, so I accept that.

[anthonyvop]

Simona is a great talent and has demonstrated it in numerous occasions.

She has brought personal sponsorship.
B.R.M watches has been backing her for awhile
http://www.racewatches.com/Racewatches-BRM.html

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Simona is a great talent and has demonstrated it in numerous occasions.

She has brought personal sponsorship.
B.R.M watches has been backing her for awhile
http://www.racewatches.com/Racewatches-BRM.html

I think hell just froze over. I actually agree with you.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think hell just froze over. I actually agree with you.
It wont kill you...and you will disagree with him again....


I think the team owners can dig for sponsors all they want, but the business has been bassackwards for so long that team owners have a tough time getting a hearing. Some drivers are better shopping for sponsors than others, simple as that, and it shows in who gets rides.

THen you look at PT, and wonder what the deal is. We know he will play the dancing pony thing and do the sponsor obligations, no one who drives for Penske doesn't learn that. WE know he had some limited sponsors with him for years, but I do think the current state of the IRL has pretty much dictated that most of the sponsors come throught the drivers, and some drivers just don't do this game well. Not sure why, and wont be so stupid as to say the team owners don't care. I believe they do. I look at AJ Foyt who employs a Brazilian instead of an American because he wants to win, and that is the best driver he will get. It is still based on talent in many instances......even if there is a "Ride Buy".

[Chris R]

Somebody mentioned Sneva - I remember back in the early 80's - probably 1982 - right before we won the 500 - I met Tom Sneva at the Deptford, NJ K-Mart - he was doing a personal appearance and had a car there - it was a hybrid show car of a March 81c and a Phoenix - I know because I asked him and he told me that they pieced it together for show... He took me over to the car - asked if I wanted to sit in it and took time to have a picture taken etc... I was a 12 year old kid and he made a great impression. Here was a guy who drove in the Indy 500 and he was at the Deptford K-Mart talking to a 12 year old kid - that is how it is done and that is one of the things that made me a fan.....

The other thing I suspect many of these younger guys don't do is answer mail (perhaps I am wrong)... Also in the early 80's I wrote to almost all of the active drivers requesting autographs. To almost a person they sent back nicely autographed pictures and I have several nice handwritten letters and several nicely typed personal letters ... These people - both active and retired at the time, took time and they created value for the sport and their sponsors they took a kid with a budding interest in the sport and made me a lifelong fan who to this day thinks of the companies who sponsored them when I buy products.... I am not at all confident the guys and gals today would take the same time - and therefore they are not giving themselves the value they need to attract sponsors.....

[Chris R]

Mark bring up a good point - sometimes it is easier for a driver to sell themselves than it is for a team or series to sell itself.... and really the folks who have the drive to win will probably do what it takes to win both on and off the track - it is a little different than slinging around a car on the dirt tracks - but it is still paying your dues on the road to Indy.... as long as they get enough seat time to be competent drivers than I do not see a problem..... Ultimately the face for the sponsor is the driver, not the team......

[Jag_Warrior]

Ultimately the face for the sponsor is the driver, not the team......

Excellent point! I think we sometimes forget that. Except for very well known teams (Ferrari, etc.), it's probably the driver that matters the most.

[vintage]

I think I have a general understanding of the way it works, it just seems odd to me that a guy like Jimmy Vasser, who was a champion driver and hopefully has some presence, who owns the team with KK, who is a rich guy with connections in the tech world, can't land their own sponsors. They are the guys who know the most about how the business side works, should be able to discuss the benefits to a sponsor, and should also be able to build some rapport with the potential sponsor.

If they can't do it, it seems a stretch to think that Buddy, J.R. etc. aren't making enough effort - I think the real reason is that it's damn difficult for the driver to sell the deal when the owner can't.

[DBell]

I think I have a general understanding of the way it works, it just seems odd to me that a guy like Jimmy Vasser, who was a champion driver and hopefully has some presence, who owns the team with KK, who is a rich guy with connections in the tech world, can't land their own sponsors. They are the guys who know the most about how the business side works, should be able to discuss the benefits to a sponsor, and should also be able to build some rapport with the potential sponsor.

If they can't do it, it seems a stretch to think that Buddy, J.R. etc. aren't making enough effort - I think the real reason is that it's damn difficult for the driver to sell the deal when the owner can't.

Excellent points in this post. I agree completely. I said this in another thread, but I remember PT talking about Monster last year. He said that when Monster talked with the teams and crunched the numbers they were given, they came back to PT and said the teams were asking for 3-4 times the value of exposure they would get. The reason why teams and drivers can't find sponsors is the exposure value doesn't come close to the money the teams need to operate. Until TV ratings come back to respectable, then this won't change.

[anthonyvop]

Excellent points in this post. I agree completely. I said this in another thread, but I remember PT talking about Monster last year. He said that when Monster talked with the teams and crunched the numbers they were given, they came back to PT and said the teams were asking for 3-4 times the value of exposure they would get. The reason why teams and drivers can't find sponsors is the exposure value doesn't come close to the money the teams need to operate. Until TV ratings come back to respectable, then this won't change.


It is a vicious circle.

[EagleEye]

OK, here it is the start of a brand new season and we have the same old problem of talented drivers sitting on the sidelines while no talent hacks with personal sponsors have coveted IICS drives.

But then along comes Simona de Silvestro, AKA Swiss Miss, who basically burst upon the open wheel scene with a hugely impressive run in the 2009 Atlantics with 4 dominant wins, 4 pole positions, and 9 podium finishes. Clearly she is no hack. Clearly she has the proven talent to compete and to position herself as one of the up and coming stars of IndyCar, very similar to Graham's pre IICS resume'.

But unlike Graham, Simona has managed to land a ride, all be it not a top tier ride, with Keith Wiggins and HVM Racing. With the backing of Stargate Worlds game software company, she is poised to compete, and compete well, in the 2010 IICS Championship. She proved this in her first outing by leading 5 laps and holding off 2 time IndyCar Champion, Dario Franchitti during those laps. She competed well until rear suspension problems forced her to the back of the pack.

So the question is why can someone like Simona de Silvestro land a funded IICS ride while equally talented drivers like Hildebrand, Edwards, Rice, Rahal, Tracy, etc sit on the sidelines ?

From what I have been able to research, Simona brings the backing of Stargate Worlds, a computer gaming program still in its developmental stages. It's unclear how much money Stargate Worlds brings to the table because, reportedly, their Atlantics involvement provided no up front cash to the 2 car team of Muniz and de Silvestro. However, Stargate Worlds two main developers, Imran Safiulla and Shane Seneviratne are avid open wheel racing enthusiasts who may be bringing personal funds to the HVM/Stargate Worlds effort.

This is what Graham et, al need to find. They need to present their cases to companies and individuals who have the same passion for autosport that the Stargate Worlds principals posses. They are out there.

It's no longer just a matter of being a talented driver, it comes down to being marketable as well. And I think all it will take for these drivers to come up with funding is a lot of legwork and networking by themselves and their management teams.

Let's do a quick breakdown of each driver and how their ride is funded. (speculation)

Andretti Motorsport

Tony Kanaan - funded with team sponsors, limited personal sponsors
Marco Andretti - funded with team sponsors, family ties
Danica Patrick - funded with team sponsors, massive personal sponsors
Ryan Hunter-Reay - funded with limited personal sponsors

Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Dario Franchitti - funded with team sponsors
Scott Dixon - funded with team sponsors

Team Penske

Helio Castroneves - funded with team sponsors
Ryan Briscoe - funded with team sponsors
Will Power - funded with team sponsors

KV Racing

Mario Moraes - funded with family funds (RIDE BUYER)
E.J. Viso - funded by Venezuelan Petroleum and family (RIDE BUYER with some talent)
Takuma Sato - funded by Honda (RIDE BUYER with talent (??))

Conquest Racing

Mario Romancini - unknown funding

Dale Coyne Racing

Alex Lloyd - funded with team sponsors
Milka Duno - funded by Venezuelan oil money (RIDE BUYER with absolutely no talent)

de Ferran/Luczo Dragon Racing

Raphael Matos - funded by team sponsors

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Ana Beatriz - funded by team sponsors, personal sponsors
Mike Conway - funded by team sponsors
Justin Wilson - funded by team sponsors, personal sponsors

FAZZT Race Team

Alex Tagliani - funded by team and personal sponsors

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

Hideki Mutoh - funded by personal sponsors (RIDE BUYER with limited talent)

Panther Racing

Dan Wheldon - funded by team sponsors

Sarah Fisher Racing

Sarah Fisher - funded by team and personal sponsors
Jay Howard - funded by team and personal sponsors
Graham Rahal - funded by team sponsors (limited)

Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing

Simona de Silvestro - funded by team and personal sponsors

If anyone has actual facts that refute my speculations on how these drivers and teams are funded, please feel free to add them to the discussion.

One of the best posts, ever. Spot on.

The average race car fan has been viewed as being dumb enough to buy into cheering for anyone driving one of these cars. And looking at some of the gleeful posts about Moraes "signing" with KVRT-Rent-A-Ride Corp, and other ride byer "signings" as being good I can see why the series views the fans that way. In turth, it is just the opposite.

Most race fans are much smarter than that. Again, if Milka Dunno used Citgo money to pay to be the QB of an NFL team, the backlash would be huge, rating would go down. Remember the last NFL stike, and the scab games? Well we just got done with a ten year strike, where we were supposed to believe that Team Cheever, Foyt Enterprises, Jonathon Byrd Racing and Hemelgarn Racing would have won the Indy 500 from 1996-1999 even if the CART teams had been there. Many of us (raises hadn) called BS on that, and the proof is that a former CART team has won every 500 since they started going back (Save for Robby G's last lap gas shortage).

CART was dumb enough to ignore the fans, and the IRL is headed along the same path. I remember several fan votes back in the day, stickers on CART offices, asking, begging for Memo Gidley to be in a car. He was at the top on four-five surveys to get a full-time ride, that included off season testing. The last result was one drive going to Darren Manning with backing from the series, and Guy Smith buying a ride out from under Memo at Rocketsports. Smith was the same one Memo had destroyed on the track in testing at Walker before Memo got his first break.

Now, we have several Indylites and Atlantic champions sitting in the wings, looking for rides in other series. AJ Almendinger is in NASCAR, for crying out loud. Edwards, JRH, Giebler, and more should be driving in this series.

I understand the money issues here first hand. And the ratings remain so low, that even with the DTV/Versus situation being resolved, the spokesman for Versus did not mention the Indy Racing Serice in the announcement. They said it was good for the NHL (National Hockey League, not Newman Haas Lanigan) and the UFC. The IRL is not anywhere near the top of Versus's radar.

But, unless the product is changed (and Bernard gets it!~) there will still be issues. I do note care weather they race a Dallara, Lola, Delta Wing, or a wheel barrow. Unless we get professional PAID drivers, who have EARNED the right to drive at this level, the series will continue its downward, money loosing trend.

Even CART had the nads to pull a drivers license and I can think of at least one driver, maybe two who should never be alllowed to sit, let alone race, in one of these cars.

[anthonyvop]

One of the best posts, ever. Spot on.

The average race car fan has been viewed as being dumb enough to buy into cheering for anyone driving one of these cars. And looking at some of the gleeful posts about Moraes "signing" with KVRT-Rent-A-Ride Corp, and other ride byer "signings" as being good I can see why the series views the fans that way. In turth, it is just the opposite.

Most race fans are much smarter than that. Again, if Milka Dunno used Citgo money to pay to be the QB of an NFL team, the backlash would be huge, rating would go down. Remember the last NFL stike, and the scab games? Well we just got done with a ten year strike, where we were supposed to believe that Team Cheever, Foyt Enterprises, Jonathon Byrd Racing and Hemelgarn Racing would have won the Indy 500 from 1996-1999 even if the CART teams had been there. Many of us (raises hadn) called BS on that, and the proof is that a former CART team has won every 500 since they started going back (Save for Robby G's last lap gas shortage).

CART was dumb enough to ignore the fans, and the IRL is headed along the same path. I remember several fan votes back in the day, stickers on CART offices, asking, begging for Memo Gidley to be in a car. He was at the top on four-five surveys to get a full-time ride, that included off season testing. The last result was one drive going to Darren Manning with backing from the series, and Guy Smith buying a ride out from under Memo at Rocketsports. Smith was the same one Memo had destroyed on the track in testing at Walker before Memo got his first break.

Now, we have several Indylites and Atlantic champions sitting in the wings, looking for rides in other series. AJ Almendinger is in NASCAR, for crying out loud. Edwards, JRH, Giebler, and more should be driving in this series.

I understand the money issues here first hand. And the ratings remain so low, that even with the DTV/Versus situation being resolved, the spokesman for Versus did not mention the Indy Racing Serice in the announcement. They said it was good for the NHL (National Hockey League, not Newman Haas Lanigan) and the UFC. The IRL is not anywhere near the top of Versus's radar.

But, unless the product is changed (and Bernard gets it!~) there will still be issues. I do note care weather they race a Dallara, Lola, Delta Wing, or a wheel barrow. Unless we get professional PAID drivers, who have EARNED the right to drive at this level, the series will continue its downward, money loosing trend.

Even CART had the nads to pull a drivers license and I can think of at least one driver, maybe two who should never be alllowed to sit, let alone race, in one of these cars.

Finally some words of reason.

As of today all the changes that the ICS is talking about won't happen until 2012 at the earliest. Those changes are a new chassis and a New engine package.
This year the only changes are a tittle sponsor (a good thing) and 2 new races One, in Brazil that was exciting but terrible TV. The other will be at Barber were passing will be a non-entity. Their most famous driver made headlines for driving in another series. Other less famous but still somewhat recognizable drivers had to form their own team just to race. Another name driver & an American had to scramble to sign a deal with a backmarker. 2 drivers are sponsored by a government not very popular among a large group of Americans. Last year every race but one was won by to 2 well funded teams and this year started the same way. It might expand to 3 teams with Andretti Racing but, again, it is a well funded team.

Everything else is the same. TV, while on a new network, is still broadcasted the same way with the same old announcers. It is not a marquee series on the network.

They have a viable product but it needs changes and they need them now. 2 years is a long time to go to maintain the status quo.

[Lousada]

They made 2010 and did it with more than 20 cars at every race (probably) and they got a new title sponsor. That's a lot better than I expected a few months ago.
Yet, according to the Indiana Business Journal the IRL lost over 20 million dollars last year. All the races except Indy and the street races lost money for them. I wonder how long this situation will last :bandit:

[anthonyvop]

They made 2010 and did it with more than 20 cars at every race (probably) and they got a new title sponsor. That's a lot better than I expected a few months ago.
Yet, according to the Indiana Business Journal the IRL lost over 20 million dollars last year. All the races except Indy and the street races lost money for them. I wonder how long this situation will last :bandit:

Something has got to give.

[Lousada]

How did they lose money? Aren't all those races promoted by someone else? The promoter may have lost money, but the IRL should have at least broken even given sanction fees, etc. less their (the IRL's) costs to show up for those races.

I don't know the precise calculation. But there is at least 20 times 1 million TEAM fees. There is the TV productions which is a couple of million. A large part of the ABC money goes to IMS as tv-rights for the 500. There is Indy Lights which apparently is a big drag. Last year there were still subsidies to some teams. The article also mentioned Belskus has axed literally millions in useless overhead the past winter.
With IZOD, Brazil and the cost cutting, the article thought the loss would be less than 15 million this year.

Of course, it was all "sources close to the IRL said" so who knows what is fact or fiction.

[NickFalzone]

The question I have is, can this "new" IRL still lose $10-15 mill a year, and be considered a "success" by IMS? I think it might, because they make so much off of Indy, and this series is crucial IMO to keeping the 500 a major event.

[Lousada]

The question I have is, can this "new" IRL still lose $10-15 mill a year, and be considered a "success" by IMS? I think it might, because they make so much off of Indy, and this series is crucial IMO to keeping the 500 a major event.

If the new car is really half the price as the current car, they could slash TEAM payments in half. That would cut costs more than anything else. Only question is if they can make it until then.

[Mark in Oshawa]

This issue of the 500 drawing the TV money off to support the IRL is one thing, but the cost of a money losing Indy Lights series NEVER made sense to me. It was one of the few ideas Tony George had from the world go ( the old Infiniti Pro Series was the same thing, different sponsor) that told me he was bent on just replacing CART, not creating something worthy of all the rhetoric. IT has always been a money loser, and it was so stupid to keep around when SCCA was running the Formula Atlantics right up to 2001 or so. It would have been a far better business model to keep the Atlantics around with some sort of deal with SCCA pro racing. Instead, Tony, being the control freak had to have yet another series catering to up and coming drivers.

The whole political scene of OW racing was made far worse by fracturing the sport at the top and in the ladder series, and if the IRL cant make money now, it is the fault of the people from start to finish in all the organizations that messed up the picture.

[Lousada]

Are there team fees this year? Thought that had ended.
I never heard anything about that?? It was specficly said that IZOD would contribute 100.000 per car to TEAM this year.



Once again, I though Verses was doing, or at least paying for, the production. Sure you're not thinking of CC when they were , for all practical purposes, the production company and the show's sponsors?
You're right about the ABC money. They don't know about. or even want to know about anything but Indy.
IMS productions is still doing all the tv-broadcasts. The 4 million from Versus should cover this, yes.



How much can Indy Lights cost? Promoters probably pay some nominal sanction fee to get another show on the card , just to fill the empty space between the IRL sessions on track. There are entry fees from the teams as well. Expenses are minimal. Many of the staff do double duty for both series each weekend. Payouts are pretty minimal too.
Total payouts for Indy Lights are 4 million. You do the math...



This is this year. Those have supposedly ended.

And I said they lost over 20 million last year so I was talking about last year.

[anthonyvop]

If the new car is really half the price as the current car, they could slash TEAM payments in half. That would cut costs more than anything else. Only question is if they can make it until then.

Not necessarily.
The cost of the car is only a small percentage of the teams budget. Actually a new car might actually raise the teams budget the first year.
Spare parts, dampers, springs, suspension parts even the steering wheel and mirrors all would have to be replaced.
Even the graphics package would have to re-done.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Not necessarily.
The cost of the car is only a small percentage of the teams budget. Actually a new car might actually raise the teams budget the first year.
Spare parts, dampers, springs, suspension parts even the steering wheel and mirrors all would have to be replaced.
Even the graphics package would have to re-done.

True...a stock of spare Dallara parts in most garages makes running the Dallara's cheaper...but if the series is to go anywhere, someone needs to find more money for everyone because a new car is in the cards. It HAS to be....

[Lousada]

Not necessarily.
The cost of the car is only a small percentage of the teams budget. Actually a new car might actually raise the teams budget the first year.
Spare parts, dampers, springs, suspension parts even the steering wheel and mirrors all would have to be replaced.
Even the graphics package would have to re-done.

Supposedly the running costs should be lower and the replacement parts should be cheaper.
But as long as the return on investment is not there all this doesn't matter anyway.

[garyshell]

Supposedly the running costs should be lower and the replacement parts should be cheaper.
But as long as the return on investment is not there all this doesn't matter anyway.


Cheaper yes, but a team still has to by a lot of spare parts right out of the gate.

Gary

[Mark in Oshawa]

Supposedly the running costs should be lower and the replacement parts should be cheaper.
But as long as the return on investment is not there all this doesn't matter anyway.

That was the theory CCWS used with the DP-01...and I think it wasn't proven in time because the car was mothballed. So it is ...just a theory really...

[e2mtt]

Back on to the topic of ride buying & team vs. driver sponsors... I have no problem at all with ride buying, from this perspective: If a driver finds & lands the sponsor, I see no reason why the sponsor can't be loyal to the driver.

How much money does it cost to be a primary sponsor of an Indycar? How much money would a driver have to bring?

[vintage]

Cost? Say 7 million for Andretti, maybe 4.5 for KV, down to 3 or 3.5 for someone lesser - that's what I hear. Maybe 2.5 for 3G??

[beachbum]

According to a twitter comment by PT, those numbers are about right as he claims to need about 5-8 million for a season. As he put it, the problem is the current marketing value is under 2 million in the US and even less in Canada.

He also claimed Monster is out as they blew their budget on Schumacher.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Beachbum....You are correct. PT needs more money than the marketplace sees worthy of putting up to put a driver in the car.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-rahal-returns-to-nhl/

Not sure when and if this will be confirmed, but as the article says, it's looking good ! :) :) :) :)