Champ Car Musings.....
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2006 1:11 pm
If there was an interesting highlight concerning the Champ Car silly season in '05-'06, it was watching Team Australia(a/k/a Walker Racing) figure out who they would sign to drive alongside rookie Will Power. First it was Tag, then Briscoe, then Tag......you get the idea. When Ryan Briscoe turned down Team Oz's best offer, everyone(myself included) in the NA motorsports community wondered....what in the h--- is going on there? Apparently there was more to the story......
When Craig Gore signed on to assist Derrick Walker last year, it was agreed that Walker would handle the racing side of Team Australia, while Gore would handle the commercial side of the team(the assumption was that this included, to an extent, driver signings...) Now, when Briscoe, who had been with Toyota's F1 program and Chip Ganassi's IRL team, turned down an offer to drive for Team Oz, it was generally agreed that it was a boneheaded decision, especially when it was reported in some circles that Briscoe then turned around and bashed PKV Racing for declining to sign him, essentially leaving him without a ride in 2006. Now, being the cynical type at times, I wondered....there's more to this than meets the proverbial eye. There was.....
Here's what happened, according to the ChampCar paddock rumormill. After Briscoe's test with PKV Racing, the word was that PKV's principles, Kevin Kalkhoven, Dan Pettit and Jimmy Vasser, were impressed w/Briscoe's tests and were willing to sign Briscoe for the 2006 season....that is, until Gore heard about it and shot a missive over to Kalkhoven. No one knows exactly what was spoken btwn. them, but rumor has it that Gore said, in essence, that "any Australian driving in ChampCar in 2006 should be with Team Australia, or it will affect their sponsorship chances back in the land down under." Since Team Oz already had Will Power signed, this most likely was the reason Alex Tagliani was worried whether he would be back in 2006. Put simply, Gore wanted two Australians for Team Australia in 2006, and if he didn't get his two drivers, he would end his partnership w/Walker Racing and let Derrick Walker twist in the wind. Threatening this action, he figured, would force Kalkhoven's hand and allow Gore to sign Briscoe.
And, to some degree, he was right. Kalkhoven declined to sign Briscoe. Then, when Briscoe found out what had happened, he quickly turns down Gore's offer to drive for Team Oz, effectively allowing Tagliani to return in 2006. In essence, Ryan Briscoe, for what it is worth, believed that Craig Gore didn't have his best interests in mind and wasn't happy with all the political.....(you fill in the blank here.) that was going on.
My take.....Kalkhoven should, just for the heck of it, offer Briscoe a contract this year, even if it's just as a driver consultant(similar to the position Ryan Dalziel had w/the team in 2005). Then, in 2007, if it's possible, sign him to drive a third PKV car alongside Servia and Legge. It would be very interesting to see Gore's reaction.
When Craig Gore signed on to assist Derrick Walker last year, it was agreed that Walker would handle the racing side of Team Australia, while Gore would handle the commercial side of the team(the assumption was that this included, to an extent, driver signings...) Now, when Briscoe, who had been with Toyota's F1 program and Chip Ganassi's IRL team, turned down an offer to drive for Team Oz, it was generally agreed that it was a boneheaded decision, especially when it was reported in some circles that Briscoe then turned around and bashed PKV Racing for declining to sign him, essentially leaving him without a ride in 2006. Now, being the cynical type at times, I wondered....there's more to this than meets the proverbial eye. There was.....
Here's what happened, according to the ChampCar paddock rumormill. After Briscoe's test with PKV Racing, the word was that PKV's principles, Kevin Kalkhoven, Dan Pettit and Jimmy Vasser, were impressed w/Briscoe's tests and were willing to sign Briscoe for the 2006 season....that is, until Gore heard about it and shot a missive over to Kalkhoven. No one knows exactly what was spoken btwn. them, but rumor has it that Gore said, in essence, that "any Australian driving in ChampCar in 2006 should be with Team Australia, or it will affect their sponsorship chances back in the land down under." Since Team Oz already had Will Power signed, this most likely was the reason Alex Tagliani was worried whether he would be back in 2006. Put simply, Gore wanted two Australians for Team Australia in 2006, and if he didn't get his two drivers, he would end his partnership w/Walker Racing and let Derrick Walker twist in the wind. Threatening this action, he figured, would force Kalkhoven's hand and allow Gore to sign Briscoe.
And, to some degree, he was right. Kalkhoven declined to sign Briscoe. Then, when Briscoe found out what had happened, he quickly turns down Gore's offer to drive for Team Oz, effectively allowing Tagliani to return in 2006. In essence, Ryan Briscoe, for what it is worth, believed that Craig Gore didn't have his best interests in mind and wasn't happy with all the political.....(you fill in the blank here.) that was going on.
My take.....Kalkhoven should, just for the heck of it, offer Briscoe a contract this year, even if it's just as a driver consultant(similar to the position Ryan Dalziel had w/the team in 2005). Then, in 2007, if it's possible, sign him to drive a third PKV car alongside Servia and Legge. It would be very interesting to see Gore's reaction.