Clay Regazzoni Dies In Car Crash
Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni, who finished second to Emerson Fittipaldi in the 1974 Formula One world drivers' championship, has died in a car accident near Parma, Ansa news agency reported. The 67-year-old, whose career ended with a crash paralysing his legs, died in a three-vehicle accident on the Milan-Bologna motorway on Friday.
The driver, born in Lugano, Switzerland, competed in 132 Grands Prix between 1970 and 1980, and won five Grand Prix and five pole positions. Most of his career was with Ferrari (1970-1972) then (1974-1976) with spells at BRM (1973), Ensign-Ford (1977,1980) Shadow Ford (1978) and Williams (1979).(hindustantimes.com)
Tom German Promoted at Penske
Long-time Penske Racing engineer Tom German has been named Technical Director of Penske Racing, Inc. German, who joined Penske Racing in 1997, has been race engineer for the #6 team since 2000 when he worked with two-time CART Champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500-mile race winner Gil de Ferran. He will continue as race engineer for three-time IndyCar Series Champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500-mile race winner Sam Hornish, Jr.
As race engineer, German guided the #6 team to 16 wins, including two Indianapolis 500-mile race victories, 22 pole positions and three championships.
"I'm looking forward to continually improving our competitive position in the IndyCar Series as Technical Director of Penske Racing, Inc." said German. "I think that the 2007 season will be a challenge, but we certainly have the right people in place to meet our goals next year."(Penske PR)
Helio Castroneves To Get Married
While things on the track may have slowed down a bit for Helio Castroneves during the off-season; his life off of it has been just the opposite. This past weekend, the 31 year-old Brazilian was in his native country to announce some very important news about his personal life. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner traveled to Brazil to tell his family and friends that he is engaged to Aliette Vazquez, his girlfriend of five and a half years. A November 2007 wedding in Miami is planned.
Castroneves proposed over the Thanksgiving holiday and played it by the book the entire way. Before he popped the question to Aliette, a Miami resident, he did the right thing by making sure he had her father's blessing. Castroneves took the time to check with dad and make sure he supported the couple before proposing to the bride-to-be.
Castroneves also selected the perfect engagement ring to blend the Brazilian and American cultures. It's a tradition in Brazil to propose with a simple wedding band rather than one with diamonds as is customary in the United States. In order to create a compromise, Castroneves selected a band of diamonds and meshed the two cultures together.
"I'm so happy, I just can't put it into words," said Castroneves. "Ali has been a special part of my life for so long and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her. She's been so supportive of me on the track and I am just so excited to start our new life together."(Penske PR)
Chili Bowl Entries at 256 and Counting
Less than a month away, the anticipation continues to build with each passing day for the upcoming 21st edition of the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals, which takes place atop the ¼-mile clay oval inside the Tulsa Expo Center on January 9-13, 2007. And with the pre-entry deadline of December 15 now reached, the entry count has climbed to a staggering total of 256, with drivers from 27 different states as well as Australia represented among what already ranks among the most competitive fields in the prestigious history of Tulsa Expo Raceway's Chili Bowl Nationals.
Top drivers from all variety of motorsports disciplines will descend upon the city of Tulsa in pursuit of the coveted Golden Driller trophy, with the likes of two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley headlining a seemingly endless list of lead-footed contenders for the crown in the Midget racing spectacular. The complete list of entries for the 21st Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals is available at (Chili Bowl Entries).
Stewart, the 2002 Chili Bowl champion, is one of a half dozen past race winners already entered, with others including four-time Chili Bowl ace Sammy Swindell, two-time winners Cory Kruseman and Dan Boorse, along with 2005 winner Tracy Hines and defending Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie, who will vie to become the first back-to-back winner in event history.
McCreadie went on to win the 2006 World of Outlaws Late Model series championship, with other '06 title holders among the pre-entries including three-time Chili Bowl runner-up Danny Lasoski (National Sprint Tour), Josh Wise (USAC Sprint Cars), Jerry Coons, Jr. (USAC Midgets), Brad Kuhn (National Midget Driver of the Year/BMARA Midgets/POWRi Midgets), Dave Darland (Oval Nationals winner), Jon Stanbrough (Non-Wing Sprint Car Driver of the Year), Jesse Hockett (Sprint Bandits TNT Midwest Tour), Brady Bacon (SMRS Midgets) and Garry Lee Maier (NCRA Sprints) just to name a few.
Last January, McCreadie became the first winner in Chili Bowl history with a background outside of the open wheel Sprint Car and Midget ranks. McCreadie, a Late Model and DIRT Modified specialist, will be joined by several other Late Model hotshoes at the '07 Chili Bowl including Josh Richards and Brian Birkhofer, a past World 100 winner who is gearing up for his first Chili Bowl Nationals. The 21st Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals kicks off on Tuesday night, January 9, with the first-ever Pre-Qualifying Event, which was added to accommodate the ever bulging car count.(chilibowl.com)
IRL May Add Another Race This Year
Indy cars are on the road to helping revitalize the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. If a Dallas-based sports marketing company can coordinate the infrastructure in time, the Indy Racing League will sanction a street course race in Biloxi, Miss., next September or October. Larry Cahill, a former IRL team owner who is a partner in Marquis Sports Marketing, is so certain the race will happen, he has organized a two-car, full-season Indy-car team to boost it. "I'm an owner of that track, and that (event) will happen," he said Thursday.
Cahill Racing has signed sports car driver Milka Duno, a female from Venezuela, and is nearing a deal with sprint car driver Jeff Matrisin. IRL spokesman John Griffin confirmed the league's interest in the Biloxi project, although he said it will be a non-points race initially because of existing contracts. Seventeen races will count toward determining the 2007 championship, which concludes Sept. 9 at Chicagoland Speedway. Cahill said an oval track will be built in the region by 2009, four years after the hurricane destroyed much of the area. Biloxi's revitalization is tied to tourism. Ten casinos are now open with another under construction and at least nine more proposed.(Indy Star)
Year-End Tidbits
Danica Patrick remains one of the most-search athletes by users of the AOL Search and Lycos search engines. Patrick ranked sixth among all athletes - and most-searched female athlete - by AOL Search users and fifth among athletes by Lycos.
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IndyCar Series veterans Scott Sharp and Buddy Rice will join Brumos Racing teammates David Donohue and Darren Law for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
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Reigning Bombardier Rookie of the Year Marco Andretti turned his first laps behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car during a test for Honda on Dec. 15. Andretti turned 68 laps with a best lap of 1 minute, 21.88 seconds, though an early session transponder error credited him with quicker times set by Honda Racing F1 test driver Christian Klein. Andretti ended up 14th fastest among the drivers who tested, including two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and newcomer Lewis Hamilton for McLaren and Renault's race drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen.
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Indiana Woman Wins 2007 Indy 500 FANtasy Getaway
The 2007 Indianapolis 500 FANtasy Getaway received national attention, but the winner of the ultimate Indy VIP trip has a local connection. Edwina Caito of Greenwood, Ind., was the lucky winner in a random drawing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 FANtasy Getaway, which will include exciting behind-the-scenes access and first-class accommodations at the 91st running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" on Sunday, May 27, 2007. Caito's name was drawn randomly from a pool of more than 100,000 entries from around the United States. The irony that the winner is someone who grew up in the shadow of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has a longstanding passion for the "500" was not lost on her.
"Unbelievable," Caito said. "Being born and raised in Indy, doing something like this is an absolute dream come true. I have listened to the race my entire life. On the day of the race, there was a radio tuned to the race in every room. Growing up, we would cook out and listen to the race. It was a part of growing up, and it has always been a part of my life. To be able to experience it from this standpoint will be exciting."
Caito and a guest will get a track lap in 91st Indianapolis 500 Official Pace Vehicle during pre-race ceremonies, VIP access to the Indianapolis 500 Winner's Circle and tickets to the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration on May 28. They will also enjoy hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the Speedway and complimentary food and beverages on Race Day. As an avid Indy 500 fan, Caito said she has picked favorite drivers over the years, and she already has a favorite for her VIP experience in 2007.
"For years it was always Rick Mears, and I've always liked (A.J.) Foyt, but I have to admit I've leaned toward Danica Patrick for the past few years," she said. "It's a girl thing."
Jim Russell Racing Schools Sold
Officials from Infineon Raceway today announced the sale of the Jim Russell Racing Schools to a London-based automotive marketing group. Emotive Group, whose United States division operates the Formula BMW USA Series, has purchased the property. The school, which was founded in 1957 by British racing champion Jim Russell, was the world’s first training facility for racecar drivers and has been based at Infineon Raceway since 1996. The raceway had purchased the school in 2005.
The purchase is part of a worldwide project by Emotive Group, which will provide driver training for the champions of tomorrow. The group will bring substantial industry experience, as well as world-class marketing and advertising experience to the current Jim Russell Racing Schools business model. The school will remain based at Infineon Raceway.
Drivers who have honed their skills over the years at the Jim Russell Racing Schools include current Formula One driver Scott Speed, 1995 Indianapolis 500 champion Danny Sullivan and two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Tony Stewart, among others.
Emotive Group will unveil its plans, as well as a substantial launch, during the 2007 motor racing season. All questions for Emotive Group should be directed to info@emo.tv.
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