2011 IndyCar Series Silly Season...........

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Post by mlittle » Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:17 pm

Silly Season Update, 29 November 2010


CONFIRMED ENTRIES FOR 2011
--Team Penske(3): Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe
--Andretti Autosport(3): Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay
--Target/Ganassi Racing(2): Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
--FAZZT Racing(1): Alex Tagliani
--HVM Racing(1): Simona de Silvestro
--Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Justin Wilson
--Ganassi Satellite Team(2): Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball
--Sarah Fisher Racing(1): Ed Carpenter
.....total number of confirmed seats: 14

EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2011
--Conquest Racing(1): Bertrand Baguette
--A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Vitor Meira
--KV Racing Tech.(2): Takuma Sato, Paul Tracy
--Dreyer & Reinbold Racing(1): Mike Conway
.....total number of expected entries: 5

OPEN ENTRIES AT THE MOMENT
--FAZZT Racing(1)
--Conquest Racing(1)
--KV Racing(1)
--Panther Racing(1-2)
--DeFerran/Dragon Racing(1)
--Dale Coyne Racing(1-2)
--Newman/Haas Racing(1-2)
--Walker Racing(1)
--Bryan Herta Autosport(1)
--Andretti Autosport(1)
--Highcroft Racing(1)
....total number of open/uncertain 2011 entries: 10-14

.......drivers expected to change teams in 2011............
--Raphael Matos(DeFerran/Dragon Racing)
--Mario Moraes(KV Racing Technology)
--Dan Wheldon(Panther Racing)
--Alex Lloyd(Dale Coyne Racing)
--Hideki Mutoh(Newman-Haas Racing)

........additional drivers of interest looking for seats in 2011..........
--Tony Kanaan
--Jay Howard
--J.R. Hildebrand
--Ana Beatriz
--Bruno Junquiera
--Oriol Servia
--J.K. Vernay
--E.J. Viso
--Townsend Bell
--Ho-Pin Tung
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Post by mlittle » Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:50 pm

Silly Season Update, 14 December 2010


CONFIRMED ENTRIES FOR 2011
--Team Penske(3): Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe
--Andretti Autosport(3): Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay
--Target/Ganassi Racing(2): Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
--FAZZT Racing(1): Alex Tagliani
--HVM Racing(1): Simona de Silvestro
--Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Justin Wilson
--Ganassi Satellite Team(2): Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball
--Sarah Fisher Racing(1): Ed Carpenter
--Newman/Haas Racing(2): Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe
--Panther Racing(1): J.R. Hildebrand
.....total number of confirmed seats: 17

EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2011
--Conquest Racing(1): Bertrand Baguette
--A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Vitor Meira
--KV Racing Tech.(2): Takuma Sato, Paul Tracy
--Dreyer & Reinbold Racing(1): Mike Conway
.....total number of expected entries: 5

OPEN ENTRIES AT THE MOMENT
--FAZZT Racing(1)
--Conquest Racing(1)
--KV Racing(1)
--DeFerran/Dragon Racing(1)
--Dale Coyne Racing(1-2)
--Walker Racing(1)
--Bryan Herta Autosport(1)
--Andretti Autosport(1)
--Highcroft Racing(1)
....total number of open/uncertain 2011 entries: 9-10

.......drivers expected to change teams in 2011............
--Raphael Matos(DeFerran/Dragon Racing)
--Mario Moraes(KV Racing Technology)
--Alex Lloyd(Dale Coyne Racing)

........additional drivers of interest looking for seats in 2011..........
--Tony Kanaan
--Jay Howard
--Ana Beatriz
--Bruno Junquiera
--J.K. Vernay
--E.J. Viso
--Townsend Bell
--Ho-Pin Tung
--Dan Wheldon
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Kanaan, de Ferran Join Forces in 2011

Post by mlittle » Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:34 am

Image

After eight seasons with Michael Andretti's IZOD IndyCar Series team, Tony Kanaan is moving on to pair up with another longtime friend and racing competitor. DeFerran-Dragon Racing president Gil de Ferran announced during a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that the team has signed the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion to compete in the 2011 season – its third in the series.

Kanaan, who turns 36 on Dec. 31, will drive the No. 2 car with the sponsorship package to be announced in the new year. De Ferran said a second car on the grid in 2011 is possible if sponsorship can be secured. “This is a great signing and a major coup for de Ferran Dragon Racing,” said de Ferran, the 2003 Indianapolis 500 and two-time CART champion. “He is a proven champion and brings with him a great record of success on the track. Tony has consistently placed at the sharp end of the field for more than a decade and shows no signs of letting up. I am sure his contribution to the team, both in terms of speed and experience, will be invaluable to our development and future success.

“Tony’s presence is also a significant vote of confidence for our young and developing team with big ambitions. I have no doubt that he'll not only bring his speed and determination, but will help us being a major force in the series for years to come.”

Kanaan made his first start in the series in the 2002 Indianapolis 500. He joined Andretti Green Racing for the full 2003 season, providing the team its first pole start and victory in its second race. In 2004, Kanaan set an unrivaled record by became the first driver in major auto racing history to complete every lap of every race for an entire season on his way to winning the series title.

Kanaan has finished in the top six of the championship standings in each of his eight full seasons in the IZOD IndyCar Series. This past season, he recorded seven top-five finishes (including his 14th series victory, at Iowa Speedway) and 13 top 10s in 17 races. “I don't want to call Gil Santa, but this is really a great Christmas present for me,” said Kanaan, a native of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. "I am really excited to be working with de Ferran Dragon Racing ”I have a great deal of respect for (team co-owners) Steve Luczo, Jay Penske and, of course, Gil, who I have known for many years both as a driver and now as a team owner. I know that the owners have a passion for the sport and a dream of being among the best in the series and will assemble all the right skills to turn this team into something really special.

“There is no doubt we have a lot work in front of us, but the energy I’ve felt from this team for becoming a top player and winning convinced me that this is a team where I can truly contribute and make a difference through my years of experience. One thing is for sure, 2011 is going to be a great journey for us all. Every year I say the competition can't be getting tougher, but it does. Where are we right now? It's tough to say, but I've always been competitive and our goal is always to win races.”

Kanaan tested in the No. 2 car at Sebring International in mid-November to provide feedback on development items. He and team members liked what they saw in each other. "It went really well and I saw everything I wanted in a race team," Kanaan said. "Since then, we were working on the details."

Raphael Matos, the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights champion, competed in the No. 2 entry the past two seasons (12 top-10 finishes in 34 races). He had a best finish of fourth at the opener in Brazil and at Watkins Glen in 2010.
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Post by mlittle » Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:40 am

Silly Season Update, 20 December 2010


CONFIRMED ENTRIES FOR 2011
--Team Penske(3): Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe
--Andretti Autosport(3): Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay
--Target/Ganassi Racing(2): Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
--FAZZT Racing(1): Alex Tagliani
--HVM Racing(1): Simona de Silvestro
--Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Justin Wilson
--Ganassi Satellite Team(2): Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball
--Sarah Fisher Racing(1): Ed Carpenter
--Newman/Haas Racing(2): Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe
--Panther Racing(1): J.R. Hildebrand
--DeFerran/Dragon Racing(1): Tony Kanaan
.....total number of confirmed seats: 18

EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2011
--Conquest Racing(1): Bertrand Baguette
--A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Vitor Meira
--KV Racing Tech.(2): Takuma Sato, Paul Tracy
--Dreyer & Reinbold Racing(1): Mike Conway
.....total number of expected entries: 5

OPEN ENTRIES AT THE MOMENT
--FAZZT Racing(1)
--Conquest Racing(1)
--KV Racing(1)
--Dale Coyne Racing(1-2)
--Walker Racing(1)
--Bryan Herta Autosport(1)
--Andretti Autosport(1)
--Highcroft Racing(1)
....total number of open/uncertain 2011 entries: 8-9

........additional drivers of interest looking for seats in 2011..........
--Jay Howard
--Ana Beatriz
--Bruno Junquiera
--J.K. Vernay
--E.J. Viso
--Townsend Bell
--Ho-Pin Tung
--Dan Wheldon
--Mario Moraes
--Paul Tracy
--Raphael Matos
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Post by mlittle » Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:29 pm

Silly Season Update, 11 January 2011

With the season two months away, here is the updated silly season listings...........


CONFIRMED ENTRIES FOR 2011
--Team Penske(3): Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe
--Andretti Autosport(3): Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay
--Target/Ganassi Racing(2): Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
--FAZZT Racing(1): Alex Tagliani
--HVM Racing(1): Simona de Silvestro
--Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Justin Wilson
--Ganassi Satellite Team(2): Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball
--Sarah Fisher Racing(1): Ed Carpenter
--Newman/Haas Racing(2): Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe
--Panther Racing(1): J.R. Hildebrand
--DeFerran/Dragon Racing(1): Tony Kanaan
.....total number of confirmed seats: 18

EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2011
--Conquest Racing(1): Bertrand Baguette
--A.J. Foyt Racing(1): Vitor Meira
--KV Racing Tech.(2): Takuma Sato, Paul Tracy
--Dreyer & Reinbold Racing(1): Mike Conway
.....total number of expected entries: 5

OPEN ENTRIES AT THE MOMENT
--FAZZT Racing(1)
--Conquest Racing(1)
--KV Racing(1)
--Dale Coyne Racing(1-2)
--Walker Racing(1)
--Bryan Herta Autosport(1)
--Andretti Autosport(1)
--Highcroft Racing(1)
....total number of open/uncertain 2011 entries: 8-9

........additional drivers of interest looking for seats in 2011..........
--Jay Howard
--Ana Beatriz
--Bruno Junquiera
--J.K. Vernay
--E.J. Viso
--Townsend Bell
--Ho-Pin Tung
--Dan Wheldon
--Mario Moraes
--Paul Tracy
--Raphael Matos
--James Rossiter
--Katherine Legge
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Post by mlittle » Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:52 pm

Silly Season Update, 15 Feb. 2011


With about 5 weeks to go before the 2011 campaign begins, here is the latest silly season update...........


CONFIRMED ENTRIES FOR 2011
--Team Penske(3): Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe
--Andretti Autosport(4): Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Mike Conway
--Target/Ganassi Racing(2): Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti
--FAZZT Racing(1): Alex Tagliani
--HVM Racing(1): Simona de Silvestro
--Dreyer & Reinbold(1): Justin Wilson
--Ganassi Satellite Team(2): Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball
--Sarah Fisher Racing(1): Ed Carpenter
--Panther Racing(1): J.R. Hildebrand
--DeFerran/Dragon Racing(1): Tony Kanaan
--KV Racing Technology(2): E.J. Viso, Takuma Sato
--A.J. Foyt Enterprises(1): Vitor Meira
--Dale Coyne Racing(1): Sebastien Bourdais
.....total number of confirmed seats: 21

EXPECTED TO RETURN IN 2011
--Conquest Racing(1): Bertrand Baguette
--Newman/Haas Racing(2): Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe
.....total number of expected entries: 3

OPEN ENTRIES AT THE MOMENT
--FAZZT Racing(1)
--Conquest Racing(1)
--KV Racing(1)
--Dale Coyne Racing(1)
--Walker Racing(1)
--Bryan Herta Autosport(1)
--Highcroft Racing(1)
....total number of open/uncertain 2011 entries: 7

........additional drivers of interest looking for seats in 2011..........
--Jay Howard
--Ana Beatriz
--Bruno Junquiera
--J.K. Vernay
--Townsend Bell
--Ho-Pin Tung
--Dan Wheldon
--Mario Moraes
--Paul Tracy
--Raphael Matos
--Katherine Legge
--Pippa Mann
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DeFerran/Dragon Racing Ceases Operations

Post by mlittle » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:35 pm

Mod's note.............Silly Season Listings to be updated


Image
What appeared to be a promising team for 2011 came to an end this week, according to DF/D sources

----What promised to be a re-energized Indy car team is now out of business and one of the best drivers on the circuit is again looking for a ride. The de Ferran Dragon operation, which signed Tony Kanaan last December, officially closed its doors Thursday.

“We worked hard to fund this thing and tried everything we could but, at the end of the day, we just couldn’t raise enough funds to do it properly,” said Gil de Ferran, who was co-owner along with Jay Penske and Steve Luzco. It’s a shame because we kept our full crew (16 employees) through the winter, did a lot of R&D and I was confident we had a good season ahead of us.”

Founded in 2006, Luzco Dragon ran a limited schedule in 2008 before hiring Rafa Matos, who contested the full schedule in 2009 and 2010 with a best finish of fourth.

After Kanaan was cut loose by Andretti Autosport last fall, the 2004 IRL champion was approached by Panther Racing but opted to go with his fellow Brazilian. “It’s a shame because we worked really hard the past couple months to try and find funding and I had 88 meetings with people looking for sponsorship,” said Kanaan, who had two more years left on his contract with Michael Andretti but was left with little choice but to take a buyout after 7/Eleven bailed. I had never been on that side before and now I know how fortunate I’ve been all this time to have a good deal.”

The 35-year-old veteran may be able to hook up with Dale Coyne but there’s not many options remaining. “I’m available, I’m not going to give up,” he said. “I had offers to stay in Brazil and drive stock cars and Kyle Busch still wants me to drive his truck but I want to be in Indy car. I’ve still got the talent and the desire, I just need a ride.”

There had been talk that de Ferran/Dragon might run a partial schedule but the 2003 Indy 500 winner opted not to. “Believe me, we looked at every scenario available, half a season, Indy, some races near the end but I couldn’t build a case for it,” he said.

Asked if he might try to re-surface as a team owner in 2012, he replied: “Speaking personally, I love auto racing it’s always been my life and I love Indy Cars. But I’m not going to make any immediate decisions about the future.”
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Beatriz To Race For DRR in 2011

Post by mlittle » Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:57 pm

Image

----The IZOD IndyCar Series will bolster an already impressive roster of top-caliber female drivers as Brazil's Ana Beatriz was announced today as Justin Wilson's teammate for the 2011 season at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, piloting the Ipiranga-sponsored No. 24 entry at all 17 rounds.

"I'm definitely thrilled to have my deal done with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Ipiranga," said Beatriz. "It's a dream come true that this has all come together. Last year was important for me to run four races to get adjusted and for this year I feel more prepared than ever. It's great to be back at DRR, they know me already and what it takes to make me grow as a driver. I have to thank Andre, Cesario, Dennis and Robbie for making this happen and Ipiranga to trust in my career. I'm very much looking forward to the 2011 season."

Beatriz spent 2008 and 2009 training in the Firestone Indy Lights Series driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, earning two wins and finishing third in the FILS championship in her first season in the category. In 2010, the 25-year-old joined Dreyer & Reinbold for four rounds in the IndyCar Series, racing in the No. 23 Dallara-Honda for the team at São Paulo and Indianapolis. 'Bia' later took part in two additional races in DRR's No. 24 entry as a replacement for the injured Mike Conway, racing at Chicago and the Homestead-Miami season finale.

"The No. 24 car has special meaning to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and we are elated to partner with Bia and Ipiranga full-time in 2011," said DRR co-owner, Dennis Reinbold. "Bia is a true professional in and out of the car; we couldn't think of a more appropriate fit to our organization and all of our partners."

Partnered with the highly respected Wilson, Beatriz stands to learn a lot from the Briton in her first full season of IndyCar competition this year. Working in tandem, the two should impress on road and street courses while continuing to improve the team's pace on ovals.

"I'm as excited as I've ever been," said fellow DRR co-owner Robbie Buhl. "I think this is the best focus we've had in years. We've put ourselves in another great position to have two very competitive entries and we couldn't be happier. Bia is an exceptional driver and we are thrilled to have her on board with us. It's also great to have Ipiranga join us and we look forward to building our partnership with them."
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