Champ Car
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| Champ Car | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Auto racing |
| Founded | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country |  Worldwide |
| Current champions |  Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing |
| Official website | www.champcarworldseries.com |
Champ Car, an abbreviation of "Championship Car", has been the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades. It is also commonly used to refer to the Champ Car World Series, an international open-wheel championship based largely in North America and formerly known as Championship Auto Racing Teams, or CART. Under the CART organization the series was officially known as the CART PPG IndyCar World Series and later, the CART FedEx Championship Series.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1909 the American Automobile Association (AAA) established the national driving championship and became the first sanctioning body for auto racing in the United States. In 1956, the United States Automobile Club (USAC) was founded to take over sanctioning from the AAA, which ceased sanctioning auto racing in the general outrage over motor racing safety that followed the 1955 Le Mans disaster. USAC controlled the championship until 1979. In that year, CART began operating its own competing series, which quickly became dominant.
The split away from USAC in 1979 was spurred by a group of activist car owners who had grown disenchanted with what they saw as an inept sanctioning body. Complaining of poor promotion and small purses, this group coalesced around Dan Gurney, who, in early 1978, wrote what came to be known as the "Gurney White Paper", the blueprint for an organization called Championship Auto Racing Teams. Gurney took his inspiration from the improvements Bernie Ecclestone had forced on Formula 1 with his creation of the Formula One Constructors Association. The white paper called for the owners to form CART as an advocacy group to promote USAC's national championship, doing the job where the sanctioning body wouldn't. The group would also work to negotiate television rights and race purses, and ideally hold seats on USAC's governing body. Gurney, joined by other leading team owners including Roger Penske and Pat Patrick, took their demands to USAC's board and the proposal was rejected.
USAC's rejection of the proposal led to the three owners to form a new series (CART) under the principles laid out in the Gurney White Paper. The new series quickly gained the support of the majority of team and track owners, with the only notable holdout being A.J. Foyt. CART's inaugural season was held in 1979.
The newness of the organization, however, prevented it from being recognized by ACCUS, the United States representative to the FIA. An arrangement was reached with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) were the SCCA would act as the sanctioning body for the new series. This would allow the events to be listed on the International Motorsports Calendar.
[edit] Immediate Consequence of the Split
With the exception of Foyt's team, the more established teams joined CART. This meant that the front and mid-pack teams would be racing in the new CART series. Of the 20 races held that year, 13 were part of the 1979 CART Championship. Of the 10 tracks to host races, 5 would host CART events exclusively and 1, Ontario Motor Speedway would host races from both series.
[edit] Middle Years of CART
CART, like its predecessor USAC, was dominated by North American drivers until the 1990s. Many road-racing stars, including Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, and Danny Sullivan found success in the then-PPG IndyCar World Series. After former F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi won the series title in 1989, additional drivers from South America and Europe joined the series.
After British driving star Nigel Mansell's successful battle with Emerson Fittipaldi for the 1993 World Championship, a lot of people interpreted his victory as evidence of the superiority of non-US drivers. This, combined with CART's move to include more road racing on the schedule, led to a split of the series after the 1995 season due to a dispute between egos at CART and Tony George, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. George went on to form a new racing series, the Indy Racing League (IRL), which initially included an all-oval schedule, all races on US soil, and mostly American drivers.
George used the Indianapolis 500 as his trump card when he all but shut-out non IRL regulars by guaranteeing the bulk of the grid to full season IRL teams, leaving only a handful of grid positions available to CART regulars. In addition, the IRL had adopted a car formula very different than CART, requiring any CART team to purchase different cars if they wanted the chance to qualify for the Indy 500.
Unfortunately, American open wheel racing has never been as popular as it was in the early 90's and as of this time, no solution to the spiraling plung is on the horizon.
[edit] Later years of original series name
In the early years of the split, CART seemed to be dominant. It controlled most of the races and most of the "name" drivers, while George's primary asset was Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its 500. The first IRL schedule consisted of only four races, including the 500, and many of the drivers were relative unknowns. In 1996 CART attempted to create a rival showcase event, the U.S. 500, at Michigan International Speedway on the same day as the Indy 500. After this first event, the track was unavailable on Memorial Day Weekend and the event was moved to July. It was discontinued after 1999.
Over the next several years, many of CART's high-profile sponsors apparently wanted their cars participating in the Indy 500, so many of the CART teams jumped ship and headed for the IRL. Rahal Racing, Ganassi Racing even Penske Racing eventually found their way to the IRL. Ironically, as noted above, Roger Penske was on of the leaders of the split from USAC only years earlier and now was abandoning the series that he helped create. Michael Andretti, who had been a successful CART driver and fan favorite, formed his own team and also moved to the IRL.
Several teams stayed with CART and later the Champ Car series, most notably Newman - Haas Racing. The powerful and well-funded team owned by actor Paul Newman and Illinois businessman Carl Haas was adament on its loyalty to the series and its direction. (attributed to many articles found at cart.com -- 1996-2003).
In 2000, Bobby Rahal (facts in evidence from cart.com 2000-2003) stepped in as interim president of CART and designated the Vanderbilt Cup as the series championship trophy.
That year, Gil de Ferran of Penske Racing set the world closed-course speed record at Fontana in his Marlboro Team Penske Honda - turbocharged INDY engine at 241.428 mph while qualifying for the season ending million-dollar (pursed to the winner) Marlboro 500. (facts in evidence from cart.com 2000 / Autocourse - the season in review published in 2000 (hardback) / penske.com / honda.com / californiaspeedway.com track records 2000.
It is claimed that the engine was producing nearly 1000 hp in qualifying trim {facts in evidence from the airing on espn2 attributed to Disney and the current (at that time) commentators Paul Page, Parker Johnstone, Jan Beekhuis, and Garry Gerould as well as interviews with Honda Performance Development's Robert Clarke (trackside) and Roger Penske at both the track and in later interviews on the feat starting November 2000 - cited at american honda's racing achievements at honda.com and penske.com year 2000} and despite the considerable drag on the car (inherent of the mandated Hanford MkII rear wing used in CART on the superspeedways at that time) the feat was accomplished on the first lap of record in qualifying.
[edit] Demise of Original Name
CART declared bankruptcy during the 2003 off season and the assets of CART were liquidated. Tony George made a bid for certain assets of the company, while a trio of CART owners (Gerald Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, and Kevin Kalkhoven) also made a bid, calling their group the Open Wheel Racing Series (OWRS). George's offer was to purchase only select company assets which would have effectively ended the CART run. If George's bid (which was actually higher than the OWRS bid) had been successful, many vendors that were still owed money by CART, would have not been paid. In the end, a judge ruled that the OWRS group should be the purchaser of CART, which ensured a 25th anniversary season in 2004, running as Champ Car.
[edit] The Champ Car name
In 2004, Champ Car replaced CART as the sanctioning body of the racing series that has been promoted as Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. This name was adopted after FedEx dropped their title sponsorship of the CART series following the 2002 season.
In 2007, with the withdrawal of Bridgestone and Ford Motor Company as presenting sponsors, the official name of the top-tier series promoted by Champ Car is now simply the Champ Car World Series.
[edit] Specifications
- Engine Displacement: 2.65L (162in³) DOHC V8
- Gearbox: 7 Speed Semi-automatic transmission (Must have reverse)
- Weight: Aproximately 714.4kg (1575lbs.)
- Power Output: 540-597kw (725-800hp)
- Fuel: Methanol
- Fuel Capacity: 132 Liters (35 U.S. Gallons)
- Fuel Delivery: Fuel injection
- Aspiration: Turbocharged
- Manifold Presure: 1.4 Bar (41.5InHg) with out "Power to Pass" 1.5 Bar (44in.Hg) [1]
- Length: 4.8m (190 inches)
- Width: 2m (78.5 inches)
- Wheelbase: 3.1m (122.75 inches)
[edit] Comparison with Formula One
A Champ Car is a single-seat (commonly called open-wheel) racing car. For much of their history Champ Cars have been similar to Formula One cars, although there have traditionally been several key differences between the two.
Over the years, Champ Cars race schedule included high speed oval tracks. The increased stress and speed of these tracks mean that the cars tended to be heavier and have longer wheelbases than F1 cars (increasing stability but decreasing agility). In 2007, there will be no oval tracks on the schedule.
When the weight of the driver is factored in, a Champ Car weighs over 30% more than a Formula One Car. The minimum weight for a Champ Car is adjusted from 1575 lbs based on the weight of the driver compared to the field average; with the driver included, all cars have a minimum weight of 1741 lbs. A Champ Car piloted by 195 lb Paul Tracy (the heaviest driver in the series and 29 lbs heavier than the field average) must weight at least 1546 lbs when empty. The minimum weight of a Formula One Car, including the driver, is 605 kg (1334 lbs). This difference of 407 lbs (184.6 kg) is just over 30% of the F1 car's weight.
Since the late 1960s Champ Cars have used turbocharged engines. Turbos were banned in Formula One on safety grounds in 1989. For some periods of their history, notably in the early 1970s and late 1990s, turbocharging gave Champ Cars up to 300 horsepower (220 kW) more than F1 cars, in the 70s cars had in excess of 1000 hp. Recently in 1999/2000 the Champ Cars approached 1000 horsepower (750 kW) before regulations on turbo boost were tightened. The current generation of cars are now about equal in power to F1 cars at approximately 750 horsepower (since F1 switched to smaller engines for the 2006 season), with the turbo used mainly to improve the spectacle rather than lap-times with the so-called 'power-to-pass' or 'push-to-pass' system giving drivers an increased amount of power for a limited duration during the race. Another reason for retaining the turbocharger is the muffling effect it has on the exhaust note helps keep the cars inside noise-limits, particularly at the many city street races on the schedule.
Champ Cars use methanol for fuel rather than gasoline, and refuelling has always been permitted during the race. This is a legacy of a crash at the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which a crash involving cars filled with more than 75 US gallons (285 L) of gasoline killed (Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs). Until 1994, when refuelling was re-introduced to F1, the coupling for the refuelling hose was a notable difference between Champ Cars and Formula cars.
Champ Cars continue to have sculpted undersides to create ground effect. This innovation was originally created in Formula One by Lotus in 1978, and was immediately used on the Chaparral Champ Car in 1979. F1 banned sculpted undersides in a bid to lower cornering speeds for 1983. In an effort to create better passing opportunities, the new spec Champ Car chassis being introduced in 2007 will generate nearly 50% of the total downforce of the car with sculpted underside tunnels versus the front and rear wings. This will reduce turbulent air behind the cars, enabling easier overtaking.
While F1 use grooved tires to limit performance, Champ Cars remain using tread-less "slick" racing tires. To make races more unpredictable, drivers are permitted to use one set of higher performance softer compound "alternate" tires. Informally called "reds", as these tires are made visible to the spectators by their red sidewalls.
Unlike in F1, Champ Car teams are not obliged to construct their own chassis, and in recent times have tended to buy chassis constructed by independent suppliers such as Lola, Swift, Reynard, March and Dan Gurney's Eagle. The most notable exception was Penske Racing, although they also bought other cars when their own chassis was uncompetitive. Starting in 2007, Champ Car will feature only a single, "spec" chassis, the DP-01, created by Elan Technologies, a racing equipiment manufacturer owned by Don Panoz. The spec chassis was introduced to reduce costs for race teams, however Champ Car had essentially been a spec series since 2004, with all teams favoring the Lola chassis.
The Formula One Car is a more expensive and technology-centric platform than a Champ Car. This was even the case during the CART PPG era during the mid to late 1990s. At this time global engine manufacturers Toyota, Honda, Mercedes and Ford vied for dominance. Since Champ Car's restructuring, a desire to keep costs down and the existence of one engine manufacturer has helped to create a series with far more parity than its European-based cousin. For instance, a competitive Champ Car team like Newman-Haas Racing team operates on approximately US$20 Million per season, while McLaren F1 team operates on US$400 Million.[2]
[edit] Direct comparison
In recent years it has been possible to compare the respective performance of the two series.
The performance superiority of the Formula One machines were first demonstrated in 1989 when Champ Car began to race on a street circuit in Detroit that had served as the Grand Prix of the United States just one year prior. There was no big discrepancy in lap times on this occasion, but this was partly due to a tight second gear chicane that was removed from the circuit for the Champ Car series.
Since 1978 Formula One has made an annual visit to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Champ Car added this circuit to their tour in 2002, making a direct comparison possible.
During the inaugural Champ Car visit in 2002. Former Champ Car Champion Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole position in the Formula One race with a lap time of 1:12.836. Several weeks later, Cristiano Da Matta won the pole position in the Champ Car race with a lap time of 1:18.959.
In 2006, the latest and currently last time both series raced on the same track, Formula One was 5 to 7 seconds faster then Champ Car. The pole position in formula 1 was taken by Fernando Alonso in a time of 1:14.942, while Sébastien Bourdais took the pole in 1:20.005 in Champ Car. The fastest lap in the Formula 1 race was 1:15.841 by Kimi Räikkönen, while Sébastien Bourdais' fastest lap was 1:22.325 in the Champ Car race.
[edit] 2007 Champ Car Season
In 2007 Champ Car will undergo some major changes.
The opening race of the season will be changed from the Long Beach Grand Prix to Las Vegas for the first running of the Vegas Grand Prix. The Long Beach Grand Prix will be the second race of the season, followed by the Grand Prix of Houston. Also, the entire schedule will be held on road and street courses, and the events will be timed races instead of races for a set number of laps. The full 2007 schedule was announced Wednesday, September 27, 2006.
Champ Car officials confirmed that Panoz will be the sole chassis supplier for Champ Car for three years beginning in 2007. The Panoz DP01 will be built by sister company Elan Motorsports Technologies and will be powered by a turbo-charged Cosworth engine. The new formula is expected to significantly lower the costs of competing in the series, which in turn is expected to increase car counts for the 2007 Champ Car season.
ESPN has announced a new, multiyear agreement that will mark the return of the Champ Car World Series to the network in 2007.[3]
At present there is also some chatter regarding the reunification of Champ Car with its rival series, the IndyCar Series. It is hoped by many open-wheel racing fans that this merger of the two struggling series (in respect of field sizes and television ratings) will secure the future of open-wheel racing in North America, whose racing landscape is currently ruled by the massively popular and more financially stable NASCAR. Moreover, the open-wheel series are no longer looked at as the top feeder to Formula One as they once were. A merger for the 2007 season will not happen; however, there is still speculation both sides will hopefully look again for future opportunities to resolve outstanding differences. Champ Car moving to the same network as the IndyCar Series could help to this end.
On January 16, 2007, Champ Car announced their return to Europe, for the first time since 2003, with races scheduled for September 2, 2007 at the TT Circuit Assen in Holland, and September 9, 2007 at the historic Zolder circuit in Belgium[1].
On January 23, 2007, Champ Car unveiled its new logo for the Champ Car World Series and the Atlantic Series. According to its website[4], it is a sleeker design with the new Panoz DP01 chassis on the right with an emphasis on a chicane-style layout, representing the street track racing that dominates Champ Car.
[edit] Champions
[edit] By Team
| Team | Championships | Last |
|---|---|---|
| Penske Racing | 9 | 2001 |
| Newman/Haas Racing | 7 | 2006 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 4 | 1999 |
| Truesports | 2 | 1986 |
| Chaparral Racing | 1 | 1980 |
| Galles-Kraco Racing | 1 | 1990 |
| Team Green Racing | 1 | 1995 |
| Rahal/Hogan | 1 | 1992 |
| Patrick Racing | 1 | 1989 |
| Player's/Forsythe Racing | 1 | 2003 |
[edit] Rookies of the Year
[edit] CART Rookies of the Year: (1979 to 2003)
- 1979 -
Bill Alsup - 1980 - Dennis Firestone
- 1981 - Bob Lazier
- 1982 - Bobby Rahal
- 1983 -
Teo Fabi - 1984 -
Roberto Guerrero - 1985 -
Arie Luyendyk - 1986 - Dominic Dobson
- 1987 - Fabrizio Barbazza
- 1988 -
John Jones - 1989 -
Bernard Jourdain - 1990 - Eddie Cheever
- 1991 - Jeff Andretti
- 1992 -
Stefan Johansson - 1993 -
Nigel Mansell - 1994 - Jacques Villeneuve
- 1995 -
Gil de Ferran - 1996 - Alex Zanardi
- 1997 - Patrick Carpentier
- 1998 - Tony Kanaan
- 1999 - Juan Pablo Montoya
- 2000 - Kenny Bräck
- 2001 -
Scott Dixon - 2002 - Mario Dominguez
- 2003 - Sébastien Bourdais
[edit] Champ Car World Series Rookies of the Year: (2004 to present)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Champ Car World Series Seasons |
|---|
| 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 |
| 2007 Champ Car World Series | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/H/L | Forsythe | Minardi | Australia | PKV | RSPORTS | Coyne | PCM | Conquest | |
| 1 Bourdais 2 Rahal |
3 Tracy 7 Dominguez |
4 Clarke 14 Doornbos |
5 Power 15 Pagenaud |
21 Jani 22 Gommendy |
8 Tagliani 9 Wilson |
11 Legge 19 Junqueira |
28 Dalziel 29 Figge |
42 Halliday | |
| Las Vegas - Long Beach - Houston - Portland - Cleveland - Mont-Tremblant - Toronto - Edmonton - San Jose - Road America - Assen - Zolder - Surfers Paradise - Zhuhai - Mexico City - Phoenix | |||||||||
