Tweet
Taken from Miller's article, with commentary and questions....
“I’ve been keeping this thing going for the last four months because I thought we could work things out, but I finally ran out of time and money. I had to pull the plug,” said Derrick Walker, whose CART team started in 1991 with Willy T. Ribbs and actor Bill Cosby. “I dropped the bomb on my team Friday and it was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. Everybody was shocked, to say the least, because I had been optimistic we were going to get sponsorship.”
Translation- My money man (which is the only reason I actually was in business), officially crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's with another team owner (who used to be my boss in that deceased series) at the end of last week, taking my driver with him. And, since I haven't gone out and found sponsorship, myself, for a decade, I have no energy to try now, at this late date.
Speaking from Laguna Seca, Calif. where his Atlantic team is testing tomorrow, Walker was meeting Nigel Mansell on Sunday night. Mansell’s two sons, Greg and Leo, are hoping to compete in Atlantics for Walker this season. “It remains to be seen whether Nigel’s sons will continue with us because there’s a lot of uncertainty about the Atlantic series.
Translation- Since Atlantics is a feeder series to nowhere now and is on shaky ground in many ways for 2008, I don't know if Nigel will want to write the checks for his sons now afterall.
“Tony’s Leaders Circle Program ($1.2 million per car) and the free equipment is very generous, but it was still going to take $3.5 to $4 million per car for a limited program and you would need all that,” he said. “We have two IRL cars in our shop and the boys just finished up one of them and had it painted in Team Australia colors, so we were looking pretty good for the test next week at Sebring and Homestead.”
Translation- I don't have a clue how to find a sponsor on my own. And, even though Tony would be bankrolling most of my 2008 budget and we still have a few weeks until Homestead and another few months until Indy, I am already saying I am giving up. But, I do have 2 really nice chassis in my shop, and one of them is all ready to go racing, so if anyone is interested in either partnering with me or funding me or interested in making some kind of deal, my cell number is.....
“Nigel and I had talked about running one or both of his sons in Champ Car in a year or two, but I don’t know if he’s interested now that it’s the IRL,” he responded.
Translation- Nigel and his boys aren't too fired up about racing on ovals. And, Nigel ain't spending his cash, to run freakin' American ovals.
Anyway, my question is with the free chassis and free engine lease and the 1.2 million dollar payout (tire costs and other things covered in that), where are those 3.5 to 4 million buck numbers coming from? What costs so damn much, with most of that already covered? There is very little testing during the season. There are several 2 day race weekends. There are only 16-18 races on the calendar. Could someone clue me in on what would cost that much money, during a season. Maybe he is right. But that number, with all the things on the table for these owners that are basically already being handed to them on a silver platter for 08', seems a bit high to me. I thought 08' was just going to be a learning year; where most of the CC teams would be just happy to participate and try and improve during the season, in a "unified" sport? Does Walker only want to play, to compete with the big boys?
It would seem, to me, that if Dale Coyne or Marty Roth can put a full-season deal together, then Walker probably could. But, that's just me.
“I’ve been keeping this thing going for the last four months because I thought we could work things out, but I finally ran out of time and money. I had to pull the plug,” said Derrick Walker, whose CART team started in 1991 with Willy T. Ribbs and actor Bill Cosby. “I dropped the bomb on my team Friday and it was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. Everybody was shocked, to say the least, because I had been optimistic we were going to get sponsorship.”
Translation- My money man (which is the only reason I actually was in business), officially crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's with another team owner (who used to be my boss in that deceased series) at the end of last week, taking my driver with him. And, since I haven't gone out and found sponsorship, myself, for a decade, I have no energy to try now, at this late date.
Speaking from Laguna Seca, Calif. where his Atlantic team is testing tomorrow, Walker was meeting Nigel Mansell on Sunday night. Mansell’s two sons, Greg and Leo, are hoping to compete in Atlantics for Walker this season. “It remains to be seen whether Nigel’s sons will continue with us because there’s a lot of uncertainty about the Atlantic series.
Translation- Since Atlantics is a feeder series to nowhere now and is on shaky ground in many ways for 2008, I don't know if Nigel will want to write the checks for his sons now afterall.
“Tony’s Leaders Circle Program ($1.2 million per car) and the free equipment is very generous, but it was still going to take $3.5 to $4 million per car for a limited program and you would need all that,” he said. “We have two IRL cars in our shop and the boys just finished up one of them and had it painted in Team Australia colors, so we were looking pretty good for the test next week at Sebring and Homestead.”
Translation- I don't have a clue how to find a sponsor on my own. And, even though Tony would be bankrolling most of my 2008 budget and we still have a few weeks until Homestead and another few months until Indy, I am already saying I am giving up. But, I do have 2 really nice chassis in my shop, and one of them is all ready to go racing, so if anyone is interested in either partnering with me or funding me or interested in making some kind of deal, my cell number is.....
“Nigel and I had talked about running one or both of his sons in Champ Car in a year or two, but I don’t know if he’s interested now that it’s the IRL,” he responded.
Translation- Nigel and his boys aren't too fired up about racing on ovals. And, Nigel ain't spending his cash, to run freakin' American ovals.
Anyway, my question is with the free chassis and free engine lease and the 1.2 million dollar payout (tire costs and other things covered in that), where are those 3.5 to 4 million buck numbers coming from? What costs so damn much, with most of that already covered? There is very little testing during the season. There are several 2 day race weekends. There are only 16-18 races on the calendar. Could someone clue me in on what would cost that much money, during a season. Maybe he is right. But that number, with all the things on the table for these owners that are basically already being handed to them on a silver platter for 08', seems a bit high to me. I thought 08' was just going to be a learning year; where most of the CC teams would be just happy to participate and try and improve during the season, in a "unified" sport? Does Walker only want to play, to compete with the big boys?
It would seem, to me, that if Dale Coyne or Marty Roth can put a full-season deal together, then Walker probably could. But, that's just me.
Comment