All Change - Championship Auto Racing Teams

Auto Racing Digest, May, 2001 by Chris Dolack

Restructured teams and an expanded schedule should create a competitive environment for CART

AFTER CHIP GANASSI'S TEAM dominated the series in the late '90s with four championships among three drivers, he switched from a proven Honda-Reynard combination to a Toyota-Lola package. While that move might pay off this season, in 2000 it ultimately proved unreliable--despite Ganassi's drivers winning four races. Defending champion Juan Montoya finished only eight of the series' 20 races.

Ganassi's decision allowed all the other teams to close the gap he opened in CART. And the rest of those teams didn't waste any time. From Max Papis' victory in the opener to Gil de Ferran's win in the snow-delayed event at Nazareth that gave Roger Penske Iris 100th victory as an owner to one of the closest points battles the series will ever see, 2000 was a memorable season.

But it gets better.

Major changes at CART will make it extremely difficult for de Ferran to repeat as champion in the 2001 season. Last year, nine drivers were still in the championship hunt with three races remaining, and five were alive heading into the finale. Look for an even fighter battle this season.

To win in 2001, the champion will face the most grueling schedule in series history Before Bobby Rahal left his post as interim CEO to take over the Jaguar F1 venture, he secured a 22-race schedule. It includes events at four new CART venues: Monterrey, Mexico, site of the opener March 11; Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in May; Lausitz, Germany in September; and Corby, England later that month. Gone from CART's calendar are stops at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Gateway International Raceway outside St Louis.

An expanded schedule, though, is only a small part of the offseason change in CART After a lengthy search, Joseph Heitzler was chosen as president and chief executive officer, replacing Rahal, who took over the post when Andrew Craig resigned under pressure from the Board of Governors last summer.

Heitzler, 56, was the chief operating officer at National Mobile Television Productions, Inc., a company that provides mobile broadcasting facilities for various events--including F1 races.

"The opportunity to merge a passion for open-wheel racing with my business experience fulfills a lifelong dream," says Heitzler. "I will strive to have all of our key groups--from investors, team owners, and drivers to sponsors, track promoters, and our management staff--work as a team with the singular goal of providing an enhanced sports entertainment product to our dedicated fans."

Heitzler's background in marketing and television makes him an obvious choice to lead the series. CARTs TV deal with ABC/ESPN expires after this season and after the lucrative package NASCAR signed with Fox and NBC last year, look for the series to work out its own deal.

One issue Heitzler probably won't spend much time on initially is a reunion with Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George, who controls the Indy Racing League. Neither side seems ready to budge, especially after Ganassi put Vasser and Montoya in the Indianapolis 500 last year and dominated, with Montoya easily winning the race.

Memorial Day weekend was once again left open on the CART schedule in 2001. Ganassi is expected to return to Indianapolis, albeit without Montoya. But also look for Team Penske, whose drivers have already tested there, to try to qualify, as well as Michael Andretti, who would love clearly to finally win at the Brickyard after so many failures before the two series sprit.

The most surprising changes in offseason have been the restructuring of many top teams.

Team Penske

OK, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. As Ganassi proved last season, that's not always a popular phrase in a CART paddock. But it appears that Penske's team, with podium regulars de Ferran and Helio Castroneves, will attempt to pick up right where they left off, running out front together in search of a second consecutive championship. Although the two were often seen in the first and second positions, they turned in the most dominating performance last season at Mid-Ohio, where no one was able to keep up with them en route to a Castroneves victory and a second by de Ferran. But everyone has had a few months to close the gap.

Patrick Racing

Pat Patrick's team was the biggest surprise of 2000. Adrian Fernandez was expected to run up front--he finished second in points--but teammate Roberto Moreno pulled off a stunning pole-to-podium victory at Cleveland and actually led in points. In the offseason, Fernandez left to start his own team and Patrick tabbed Ganassi-castoff Vasser, who won at Houston, to fill his No. 1 seat. Vasser, the 1996 series champion, is eager to prove Ganassi made a poor decision in cutting him loose. Moreno is looking to build on his success that made him a title contender going into the finale.

Mo Nunn Racing

Any list of championship contenders has to include the team with a two-time champion. In the biggest signing of the offseason, Morris Nunn signed Alex Zanardi, who had departed the-series for Formula One after winning back-to-back titles in 1997 and '98. Nunn was Zanardi's chief engineer at Target/Ganassi Racing, as well as Montoya's when he won the crown in 1999. Zanardi teams with Tony Kanaan, a rising star in CART before he was injured last season, Nunn switches from Mercedes, which left CART altogether to concentrate its efforts in F1, to Honda--a powerplant Zanardi used to win 15 races and record 10 poles in 51 CART starts from 1996 through '98.