USF1 closed the doors without paying its employees at noon today. Ken Anderson slunk out the back door without a word to those headed for North Carolina’s unemployment office…but that could be problematical.

The staff was told this was a “furlough while a reorganization” could take place. So, don’t pay the staff? Strikes the Bear as the same kind of manure Anderson and company’s been shoveling all along. Windsor was also nowhere to be found around the Charlotte facility when the staff was given the bad news. Perhaps we’ve seen the end of both of them?

Consider this: Murphy believes that by putting its employees on “unpaid leave,” while claiming they are “technically employed” USF1 makes them unable to collect unemployment compensation from North Carolina. It also saves USF1 from being responsible for those payments. The Bear’s waiting to hear how those applications for compensation are treated.

Murphy was quiet after his comments February 23, mostly because this train was on the tracks. The short version is that Charlie would report complete disarray in Charlotte (hell, he might just have read the Bear and saved the airfare), and the FIA would pull the entry, with only a glimmer of hope that a bond might secure the team’s grid spot for 2010. Now that latter seems to be the “official story” – that the staff is only being furloughed, and will be called back. Murphy really believes that’s true – he’s got friends in Charlotte – but doesn’t believe it will work out that way.

During the Bear’s holiday from this story, he was entertained by F1 bloggers who claimed all kinds of nonsense, the best of which was that “Hurley was being blocked by Anderson.” Murphy’s just a stuffed animal, but he knows enough math to know that 1 vote doesn’t beat 4. The same bloggers cooked up a long list of “agreements” to  merge with Campos, or Stefan F1. It’s always been hard to make sense of those things. Possible? Maybe, since Campos is still looking for a way to cure its default on the Dallara. But none of it likely. Deck chairs on the Titanic.

 There’s an assumption, it seems,  that dreaming up an idea to put video on the web makes one a competent businessman. It clearly doesn’t. The principal dithered, sending his friend hither and yon when action to fix the core problem was long overdue. The time to fix this was in October, and was long since past by December. Sending poor Parris to Italy and Spain in February didn’t even have the advantage of nice Mediterranean weather – the time for that was October.

Murphy made the case for the major management change public in February, but it was already a forlorn hope. There was no Obi-Wan waiting in the wings.

 Complicating whatever comes next is that Frank Williams and his friends in the middle of the grid are as likely to invite the left-over Toyota program join them as chickens are to invite the cat into the henhouse. A little understanding of the concorde – short version again, money is distributed on the basis of the season’s total points scored – is all that’s needed to know that Stefan F1 might cost Frank tens of millions of dollars.

Fiction: Where is T-Mobile?

So far no VICI for Sebring. The so-called “T-Mobile deal,” never made much sense to stuffed animals, even if it was popular in forums as an excuse for VICI “no-shows.”  Whether or not VISI shows up, with or without T-Mobile, corporations budget for the immediately following fiscal year, normally in a cycle that begins will submissions no later than September and decisions early in the fourth quarter.

Irrelevance: Audi disses ‘the platform’

Since we’re on the subject of Sebring, Audi will test for four days immediately following the 12 Hours. Not with a ‘transition’ car, but with an R15 version that’s fully compliant with 2010 ACO rules. So the ‘blame’ (Murphy did his share) on Peugeot for blocking a transition car at Sebring seems to have been overtaken by events. The fact is that during the week when the American Le Mans Series in on the track at Sebring, a pair of fully functional, shaken-down, brand new, ready-to-race R15’s will be sitting inside a transporter nearby. Now Braselburg looks stupid, or irrelevant, or both. In any case, Audi doesn’t give a flying eff to show up for the biggest race on the ALMS schedule. Some ‘platform.’ Explain that, Braselburgers.

‘Whatever’ Department

In response to a forum assertion that a friend of the Bear’s was a “good friend” of the Braselburg boss, the Bear’s been told that “Through the 2006 season, perhaps it was ‘friendly acquaintances.’ If memory serves, the last thing Mr. Atherton said to me, at the 2006 awards banquet, was ‘Are those real, or are they just for looks, like a doorman?’ (About United States military medal miniatures properly worn on a tux lapel.) It’s been pretty much downhill since then.”

Grand Larceny: Loles

United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware has published the list of creditors of now-defunct Farnbacher Loles Partners, LLC, including dollar amounts for the ‘20 largest.’ Here are the ‘highlights’ of the 88 total unsecured creditors:

As reported here before, Pratt & Miller, $930,000. Others of note, Christian Zugel, $390,000; Dick (sic) Werner $120,500; Jon (sic) Tancredi $350,000; PMNA (whoops, they’ve done it again, does Solo Al ring a bell, guys?) $190,000; Christopher Lux $500,000, Michael Marsal, $175,000. Good grief, when would-be drivers want to go racing they park all their business sense at the door, don’t they?

Citibank is out a quarter million on a line of credit, and $120,000 on a credit card, of all things! Even the Porsche Club of America gave this turkey credit. He owes poor Marion for his meals, and Murphy’s friend Sylvia for his 2008 PR work (he could use a bit of that, now, couldn’t he? Even Sylvia, the best in the business, couldn’t do much with this crook).  The top twenty creditors sum to the far side of $4 million.

Hype: Patrón

Nineteen days to Sebring. Any sign of life from that ‘presenting sponsorship?’ The Bear’s just askin’.

 “I am Henri Zogaib and I am a Grand Am Driver”

Ponzi-perpetrator Zogaib was finally arrested the other day on fraud charges. As Murphy reported last year,  it’s believed Zogaib took  money from 19 investors with the promise of large returns. Instead, he used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. He is being held on $100,000 bail. “I have a judgment against him for more than $600,000,” former Champ Car driver and Zogaib driving partner Ryan Dalziel said, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever see any of it.”

 Zogaib’s claimed  his close friendship with an iron ore magnate would help his victims make a quick 38-percent return. Law enforcement thinks Zogaib cost his customers at least $5 million, but Dalziel said he expects the figure is closer to $30 million.

Others who invested include NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger, Samax team owner Peter Baron and fellow Grand-Am driver J.C France, son of Grand-Am founder and NASCAR executive Jim France. Zogaib co-drove with France, and with Paul Tracy, Allan McNish, Mike Rockenfeller and Lucas Luhr. He was listed as the car owner for the Michael Shank Racing Riley-Lexus.

Cutting the Cheese

The American Le Mans Series announced an “official cheese” the other day, when New York-based cheese giant Yancey’s Fancy. No word if Yancey’s will have the impact of G-Oil and Mikimoto.

Speaking of “impact,” this paragraph in AutoWeak’s on-line story about Patrón’s new ALMS “presenting sponsorship” disappeared mid-morning Tuesday:

“The ALMS did not disclose financial terms, though one source suggested the series will receive $250,000 per year paid in several annual installments. However, as with many such sponsorship agreements, its true value will be measured by the way Patron markets the series and its involvement.”

Other Bear sources said a $500,000 figure had been mentioned, but didn’t know the duration of the payments. Either way, it’s not an agreement that will directly support teams or increase purses, as does the IRL’s deal with Izod. (In fact, this season’s Sebring purse is smaller than last, while entry fees are substantially increased.)

Murphy hopes the vague references by Series officials to “agressive activation” mean we’ll see a more effective marketing program.

US F1 “In limbo” says source

Murphy’s learned that US F1 management was told as early as October the team would be hard-pressed to field a car by F1′s March 14 deadline. Ken Anderson’s continued “micro-managing the smallest of details, second guessing production and design department staffing needs, calling for endless design revisions, and simply not letting the design staff get on with the task at hand,” is a key cause, the Bear’s been told.

Some employees and managers have lost faith in Anderson’s ability to manage the company, and the team has ground to a halt with no work currently on-going. The attitude on the shop floor is said to be “listless and just short of mutiny.”

Unfortunately, potential investors may be hesitant the provide needed support absent a management change, and principal Chad Hurley has not intervened to rescue his investment.

“But because of the stubbornness of one individual, USF1 will continue in limbo until it dies,” said a source on condition of anonymity. “It has no chance while Anderson is still here. And it’s shame, the team has really come together and there’s a sense of camaraderie throughout the organization barring one person. This will be the greatest disappointments of my career if that’s the way we go down. I think some soul searching needs to be happening in the front office. Falcon 2 this is being called.”

Earlier today, Motorsport Total.com, in Germany published an extensive anonymous interview with a source inside US F1 at Charlotte that supports what Murphy has learned in every detail. Here is the Google translation.

It seems whatever future US F1 has without Mr. Anderson, it has none with him.

Petite Field
How petite will the field at Petit Le Mans be? Murphy figures it’s 29 firm, with four more possible. The “solid” LMP entries – announced and likely to show up to race (not the same thing) -  include these eleven:

Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 – 2
Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 – 2
Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a
DeFerran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a
Oreca Racing Oreca-Courage LC70 AIM
Intersport Racing Lola B07/10 AER
Drayson Racing Lola B09/60 Judd
Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek 09SH
Autocon Motorsports Lola B06/10 AER

The lone possible addition is Team LNT’s Ginetta-Zytek 09S Zytek

Five LMP2’s are likely to occupy the Road Atlanta paddock:

Dyson Lola B09/80 Mazda – 2
Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b
Cytosport Porsche RS Spyder
Van der Steur Racing Radical R9

Murphy’s unaware of any likely additions to LMP2

There are 13 GT2 entries on the list in Braselton:

Corvette Racing Corvette GT2 C6-R – 2
Primetime Racing Dodge Viper CC
Falken Racing Porsche 997 GT3 RSR
 PTG Panoz Esperante GTLM
LG Motorsports Riley Corvette Z06 GT
Robertson Ford GT40 Mk VII
Flying Lizards Porsche 997 GT3 RSR – 2
Risi Competizione Ferrari 430GT
Farnbacher Loles Porsche 997 GT3 RSR
Rahal BMW E92 M3 GT2 – 2

Among possible additions are a Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT for Tracy Krohn, a VICI Racing Porsche 997 RSR (not two), and a lone Rocket Sports Racing Jaguar XKR.  The minimum Road Atlanta grid looks like 29, the maximum 33. The Bear takes 31 in the “over-under.”

A pot of money – what are the odds?
A rumor at Mosport had a former F1 constructor fielding Audi prototypes in the American Le Mans Series next year, but Tim Cindric told a Euro mag that, “we see no business model that would allow us to return to the ALMS in the near future.” A big pot of money would solve that “business model” problem overnight, of course.

Japan
Murphy saw that the ACO doesn’t know the difference between Road Atlanta and Road America in its September 1 Asian Le Mans press release. The Bear predicted the Japan rounds would follow Shanghai into oblivion, but it seems the ACO is determined to go ahead as an undercard to round 11 of the World Touring Car Championship. Twenty-three entries. That’s after subtracting a couple (Signature and KSM) on the original entry. Only one race is mentioned – has something happened to the second Japan round? Is the putative series salvaging ¼ of its planned schedule.

DP Happenings – or not
Murphy’s exposé of rumors of DP departures in Paddock Poop 136 were not only confirmed by sources in the Mosport paddock, but at Montreal. Even motorsport.com had jumped on this bandwagon. A north Florida car dealer will concentrate on selling street cars (arguably a full-time job these days). Some think they (the car dealer) will stuff a Cayenne engine in the back of a Riley, but Murphy hears it will be someone else that does that with the former car dealer’s chassis.

Not-So-Amiable Split
The partnership stresses that the Bear told you about exploded when one team’s DP’s were withdrawn before crossing the international border. Subtract a pair of Grand Am prototypes for the rest of the season – and for next, too. No, forever, that’s certainly the end of the Brendan Griven (TWR) designed package, of which none were sold except to the US partner. So the big-time racing car builder and its oil magnate partner may be headed to court. Clearly both partners’ expectations were way out of line with reality. If this keeps up, the DP ranks will be as depleted as the ALMS prototype grid.

Stayin’ put with Vette Bodies
A Grand Am team that’s staying put will put a new body on its frame and buy another, going from one now dead “Excitement” to a pair of America’s Sports Cars. A Scot was lead driver and will stick around; with another car they’ll add another. Bet on a Dyson pilot, a long-time friend of the team’s manager, to fill that seat.

Television
The American Le Mans Series has opted to say not a word about its television ratings, even though Grand Am is perfectly willing to hype numbers hovering around .1 (that’s point one) as some great proof of popularity. So how bad could the ALMS broadcasts be? A recent network broadcast had overnights of .4 (that’s point four). That’s evidence that the Speed broadcasts are awful indeed. (Bear message to ALMS PR: If they aren’t lousy, publish them. Otherwise, “go gentle into that good night.” Thanks to Dylan Thomas.)

Quickies
A former IMSA team champion will run a more extensive Patrón Challenge program next year, perhaps supporting more than one ALMS Challenge class competitor.

Scott and Dario will help out a pair of teams (you know who) at Petit.

The English gardner will spend some time with the Poughkeepsie team in a non-driving advisory capacity.

If Grand Am does Indy, it will be in support of the Brickyard 400, not as a stand-alone event.

Versus went dark on Direct TV. Tony can’t be happy. (Nor are IRL sponsors.)

Murphy’s working on his Petit Le Mans trip plan. So should you.

Follow Murphy at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear

That frees up a couple of Porsche factory pilots. For the coming season anyway, look for them to return to an ALMS GT2. Chalk it up to loyalty, or better yet, to the on-going general upgrade of that class, with another “serious” Porsche joining Corvette and BMW. Unfortunately, that “upgrade” could easily be stopped in its tracks by the addition of a new faster and cheaper class. Faster and cheaper is a hell of a combination for anyone nutty enough to go racing without any hope of covering the costs.

Meanwhile Pratt & Miller will build a pair of Grand Am GT BMW V8-powered M6 look-alikes financed by a partner in a multi-series race team.  The other partner returns to the Prancing Horse in Europe.

The Bear does not believe that Martin and Melanie will move to GT2.

The exit of Porsche Motorsport from an “active” Grand Am GT participation – they’ll go out with a championship, anyway – will open opportunities for other marques in that series.

Murphy believes (without being told – so this is speculation, not rumor) there will be no Ferrari on an ALMS grid in 2010 until the new 458 is ready. Old, uncompetitive cars won’t be seen as a good idea, even while “marking time” for the new car.

There will be a new Florida-based team that will add to the Porsche presence in ALMS, supporting both GT Challenge Porsches and GT2. It could also field one of the new Prototype Challenge cars.

Cost savings and slumping ratings drive major television changes likely to be announced today – all Speed, all the time.

The Bear told you the R15 is likely on its way to Georgia a while back. It’s close to one of those “take to the bank” deals. Don’t look for the silver at Laguna Seca, though.

St. Petersburg will be missing from the 2010 schedule, but (surprising even to the Bear) it’s rumored that Infineon will be back. It was said at Road America that Mid-Ohio is “a question mark.” The Road America crowd looked surprisingly good to the Bear as long as he was in the camping areas. Elsewhere, parking space was pretty easy to find. The morning’s threat of rain likely discouraged a few prospective Milwaukee/Chicago day-trippers.

Murphy hears that Creation’s done for 2009. That’s no big deal to the Bear – he’s been saying that’s likely the case all-along, but to others, it might be “news.”

The Bear hopes you like the Patrón livery; you’ll likely see a lot more of it next season.

What “major new LMP effort” is to be announced on Midweek Motorsport in just a few hours? Toyota? BMW? Porsche P1? They did write “major,” right?  Solo Al? The Soup Nazi?

Murphy’s money is on the the Lord – a Drayson Lola. Hardly a “world exclusive,” then, is it? Well, technically, since MWM is the first place for the “official” announcment. For the “news,” Some mangy old brown bear already broke that story – eight days ago, here.

As a “stand alone” race, Japan won’t fly, so look for (another) complete cancellation of the Asian Le Mans Series for 2009.

Follow Murphy at http://twitter.com/Murphythebear

Alfie, the Alpine Field Mouse, resides in Switzerland. Murphy hadn’t thought much about his old friend in a long time, when along came a note. It seems ol’ Alfie’s right in the middle of the F1 tif. Actually, it was quite a bit more than just a note.

On Tuesday, June 16, the boys from FOTA (based in Geneva, where Alfie hangs out) sent along a three-page letter to Bernie and Max (that’s exactly the salutation, too, “Dear Max and Bernie,”). A nice personal touch, Murphy thinks, in the middle of a Mexican standoff (apologies to our south-of-the-boarder buddies, substitute Polish parliament, if you like). Attached to the letter was a newly revised Concorde agreement, ostensibly language proposed for the FIA, but just as easily a document on which the FOTA teams might structure their cooperation with each other in a new venture.

As usual, the media (these days the web, at hyperspeed) has been buzzing – and it really is fascinating how wrong most of that buzz is, full of words like “posturing,” and “fault.” That quite misses the point. A few out there do seem to understand that this is about governance. (Satorian, for instance, over on the ten-tenths motorsport forum.)

In that sense, this little fight is very, very relevant to sports car fans, but not for the reason you might think. If there is a break-away “F1” it won’t lead to a sports car launch by Ferrari or anyone else, but it just might begin to unravel the business model of motorsport, which nearly alone amongst professional sports maintains an administrative structure that’s a profit center in competition with its participants. American football and baseball are examples of the alternative, in which the league structures are creatures of the owners, who provide a budget for those functions but do not allow them to independently compete for funding. That doesn’t mean those “governing bodies” don’t wield a great deal of power – they do. But it’s at the leasure of owners, who cede that “self policing” function, much as that new Concorde agreement would. (The Bear won’t get into FIFA, which appears to operate much as does the FIA in regard to F1, and, not surprisingly, has been tainted by acusations of financial impropriety.)

Anyway, this has nothing to do with “cost caps,” with television coverage, or with “the fan experience.” It has to do with returning the sport to the control of its participants, while ending the “rake off” of hundreds of millions by a powerful competing entity.

Almost as an afterthought, FOTA’s letter offers to extend negotiations by pushing the deadline for setting the 2010 grid from June 19 to July 1. Murphy’s correspondents won’t make book on whether that will happen, but about this they are certain: the eight signatories of FOTA’s letter of the 16th are ready, able, and willing to launch a racing series of their own in 2010, and that includes a substantial enough “war chest” to operate through the 2010 season and beyond.

Max is sending proposals to five FOTA members he thinks are “wavering.” The Bear’s sources say that’s a mistake. Tuesday’s letter was signed – John Hankockian bold – by all eight active FOTA members, Brawn, McLaren, Toyota, Ferrari, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, and BMW Sauber.  They’re ready to go.

Lola presser

Lola announced the withdrawal of its F1 application. Lola’s press release, according to the Bear’s best sources, supports Alfie’s understanding. Lola withdrew because it has agreements with the FOTA Eight – with whom it expects to participate in 2010 – and doesn’t want to appear on the list of accepted entries that Max is likely to publish Friday.

Panoz LMP something

Well, that damn dumb idea is back again. Murphy reported on this mucking around (fiddling while Rome burns?) months ago, and thought the whole goofy idea was mercifully dead and buried (May 13th) with the virtual shutdown of Elan Motorsports Technologies. The Bear has been told this is not a “new design” to be raced by the Winchester, Virginia team, but rather the old Panoz with the roof put back on by the same guys who campaign the current Esperante. (Reynard –> Esperante GTR-1 coupe –> Panoz LMP 1 Roadster S –> Panoz LMP 1 coupe?) Those old chassis bones are getting a bit worn, aren’t they? Since EMT no longer has the capability to build a Radio Flyer, say nothing of an LMP, this is the only route available. (Or did Carl “pass” after his “due diligence?” That would hardly be an endorsement, would it?)

While the entire series is in serious financial straits, one has to be pretty clueless to take this kind of  irrelevant adventure as good news. Murphy’s asked this before: “Is this the best use of funds?”

Murmurs and Rumbles

So far it’s more a murmur than a rumble, but ALMS teams are talking about longer (not shorter, as at Road America) races. It’s pretty certain they know little about this inside the walls of the Braselton castle, they’d have to come outside and ask, right?

On the rumble side the algarve planters might not be very happy either. It seems they like their little Porsche series so much that they’re working to adopt it and find it a new home.

Another one circulating – it seems to have lept the Atlantic after fading here – is a Muscle Milk branded RS Spyder. Now the UK’s leading publisher of rumor (Murphy long since threw in the towel on keeping up with rumor mongering champ) writes that a “new” LMP2 will debut at Mid-Ohio. The Bear suggests a simple tests for such stuff. If the first race to be contested is not the next race on the schedule for a rumored entry, make its probablity 50-50; if it’s two races after the next, make it 30-70, three, 10-90 against. You get the idea.

Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood (or The Smiling Optimist). ALMS’ supremo was circulating at Le Mans with a consistant message: “the worst is behind us.” What? Meanwhile, the Don was on hand, but staying out of sight. When’s the last time that’s happened?

Did you notice that Road America’s slashed its advance raceday ticket price from $75 to $50? Sales a little slow? Wonder why the Brian Redman is cheaper, even though it’s claimed attendance is higher? Wonder who picked the “feature photo” for the Road America promotional mailer, the one that features D Sports Racers that look like Malibu Grand Prix cars? That will bring them in, won’t it? Anybody been able to find a photo of an ALMS prototype or GT car anywhere on the Road America site? (Murphy finally found an AGR Acura.) Want to know why Road America can’t draw fans? Check out their 2009 promotional video, here. Go-karts, ATV’s, golf cart scavenger hunts (?), good grief.

The Bear’s making book on when IMSA/ALMS stuff will show up on Craig’s List. It looks like they’re selling anything not nailed down. (There are some good bargains at Road Atlanta’s on line store.) Murphy hears the next thing on the way out the door will be Elan Motorsport Technologies – or what’s left of it – to a Chicago-based motorsports magnate. It depends on whether the prospective buyer can find something worth buying (the fancy name for that is “due diligence). This follows the loss of a contract that might have helped keep the doors open.

Connections

The Bear’s focus is sports car racing in general, and the American Le Mans Series in particular, but those have become inextricably intertwined with other racing, not just in North America, but worldwide. That’ particularly true with motors – and motorsports – distressed world-wide. So, until there’s a healthy, stand-alone sports car series in North America (if there ever is), the Bear recognizes that what happens in other leagues – and in the board rooms and management committees of automobile manufacturers – determines what happens – or doesn’t happen – in the American Le Mans Series.

High Finance

On the Deutsche Börse, the VOW short positions have significantly increased. The last time that happened, a scramble to cover made the Wolfsburg company the most valuable in the world – for two days, anyway – while the shorts took a big bath. Why would they do it again? Because if there is no take over by Stuttgart, then the share value of VOW declines to “fair value” – about €50 – a €150 drop. Stuttgart actually had a serious brush with death in March, when only hastily arranged loan extensions saved the iconic company. While we’re roasting “hedge funds,” and “investment bankers,” what was it that Wendelin and his band of Merry (Black Forest) Men were doing? Manipulating markets. It may not have been legal in Europe, but it sure as hell would have been in the USA (and they say we have lax regulation). There’s some speculation that Wendelin won’t be around for much longer. The Bear won’t be sorry to lose Porsche’s anti-racing chief.

Whither Wirth?

There was a protest of the Bear’s assertion that Wirth Research might launch an F1 team under the new cost-capped-F1 (now a dead letter, at least temporarily). That came from evidence submitted to the French trial court in the matter of Ferrari’s request for an injunction against proposed 2010 rules; the court was submitted a list comprised of the teams that had expressed interest in entering if the new rules came into being. A horse told a primate friend of the Bear’s that Wirth’s “potential future involvement” would be engineering, design, and manufacturing services to “another outfit.”

So why was Wirth Research named to the court? The defendants (the FIA) wouldn’t knowingly submit perjured testimony, of course. So they believed that Wirth was as “real” as the remaining names on that list, some of whom have, in fact, subsequently submitted official entries.

If we see a Wirth entry before Friday’s midnight deadline, does that make the horse wrong – or worse? What if the horse is a “stalking horse,” having agreed to make the entry for a team in which it would later be only a “junior partner?” Having a “silent partner” is a perfectly legal and logical course of action in an instance like this. Teams can always be reorganized – and their names changed – later. So Murphy wasn’t particularly surprised when he got a call the other day, the gist of which was that Wirth’s expression of interest – whether or not it leads to an actual entry – is on behalf of a USA racing megateam to whom, of course, it will subsequently offer engineering, design, and manufacturing services.

The point of Wirth’s protest was to throw cold water on speculation that its F1 move is indicative of a loss or reduction in the services dedicated to Acura. But has it? Can Wirth really carry any significant role in an F1 effort – even with a cost cap – and do justice to a major sports car program? In the LM/LMR program, BMW and Williams decided they could not. Is Wirth Research more capable than those two?

Will Max Blink?

Did FOTA? The teams propose to race in Bernie’s F1 next year with a €100 million spending cap (and a bunch of exceptions so they can spend more). That’s about as limiting as a Panoz GTLM restrictor. But their entry today before the midnight deadline is decidedly provisional, based on Max accepting the team-proposed rules. We’ll have to wait until June 10th, when entries are accepted, to find out who it was that blinked. (Beyond Frank Williams, who certainly did, and will be “odd man out” whatever the happens). Then we’ll find out who will join and who will not, and under what rules F1 will operate for until 2012. Will Max decide that he wants an F1 with Ferrari in it, or will he opt for a 12-car grid of five new teams and Frank Williams? Will there be one of those rare moment of clarity?

Roger and the Dwarves

The Bear expects that some on that long list of F1 pretenders – the ones lured by the promise of a “cheaper” version – will withdraw their applications under the FOTA-proposed rules. Raising €100 million is a whole different ball game than raising €40 million. So which of the dwarfs – including USF1, Lola, Prodrive, Campos - are likely gone? The Prodrive entry is backed by Arab money, and would – after two years or so – devolve into an Aston Martin-branded entry.  So do they go ahead? It can’t hurt that oil prices are again on the rise. A Wirth-Penske entry is similarly in question. Sure, Penske could fund – or get the funding – but the Bear suspects he’d much rather pick over the bones of Saturn.

Roger’s busy figuring out if he can buy the redundant GM division to use about half the dealers (he’ll close the rest) to sell a Samsung car. Right, Samsung. As in TV sets. Knock-offs of Nissans that are copies of Hondas that are copies of BMWs – or something like that. Will they have pixels?

Whether Wirth…

retains its sports car focus may not be the key to the ALMS prototype field, anyway. de Ferran has been negotiating to acquire the assets he needs to go IndyCar racing, and Duncan Dayton says he’s serious about an IndyCar campaign. Some seem to think that Duncan is a creature of Acura in his racing programs. Murphy suspects there’s some truth in that as far as sports car racing is concerned, but unlike XM Radio, neither Patrón nor Forbes are “house” sponsors. Duncan’s roots are in collecting and racing of historic…that’s right…F1 and Indy cars. Some have read into Dayton’s comments that he’ll wait until 2011. Murphy doesn’t draw that conclusion at all. What he takes away is that Highcroft wouldn’t expect to be competitive until new equipment in 2011 “levels the playing field,” but Duncan’s a smart cookie, smart enough to know that 2010 could be a learning year in every respect but the equipment. If Patrón – or someone else – is willing, Dayton will make the jump. Will he continue to run an ALMS program? Possible, but not probable. Add to that some background noise that Fernandez is likewise eyeing an IndyCar return, and…

Robin and Tony

The Bear’s laughing out loud (you know, lol) at the roasting Robin Miller’s getting. Murphy’s been there (where Miller is), with reports of things that happen behind closed doors. When he was reporting clues to the demise of ChampCar, of meetings to mend the split, and exploration of outsourcing strategies by ChampCar, the knives came out, and so – famously – did the “official denial.” Oddly, ChampCar prevailed on IMSA to carry its water in that instance.
Putting aside the fact that Miller’s probably right in the essential facts of the thing – that Tony’s latitude of decision authority in regard to IMS has been reduced to nil – the reaction (denial) of the usual clueless partisans is entertaining. Don’t take that badly, OW fans. Murphy thinks sports car racing needs a lot more fanatics of its own. No sport can thrive without its cohort of clueless partisans. That there isn’t one is symptomatic of sports car’s lack of relevance in the grand scheme of motorsport.

You’re about to miss the message, though. As good as Indy 2009 was – and the Bear thought it was – TV ratings fell to 3.9. What the hell were they all watching? Golf, probably – or nothing. NASCAR started later, then ended quickly in the rain, and F1 was…well, it was F1 – an acquired taste for us here in the colonies.

Once upon a time the relationship between Indy and the IRL was all one way; the former dragged along the latter. As the iconic race has slipped in the consciousness of the American sports fan, however, a more symbiotic relationship has developed; fans who follow the IRL “feed” the level of interest in its premier race, much like the effect of CART in “the old days.” So what’s the point? Versus. With the early part of the IRL season pretty much invisible, there was no “story line” being built over April and May, so Indy was pretty much on its own.

What the Tony kerfuffle is really about is creating separation between the finances of IMS (which Tony’s sisters and mother care about) and the IRL (which they do not). So what will be the effect of the loss of that ‘subsidy’ on the IRL? One Bear contact suggests that “Tony’s spanking will result in the demise of several IRL races that IMS secretly/silently subsidizes (such as St Pete). Does anyone really believe Andretti-Green is the majority promoter?”

Big questions for the Le Mans break: Will Corsa or Primetime raise the funds needed to return? If Primetime returns, will it be with the Viper, or something else? If Corsa returns, will they ever run a real hybrid?

Murphy hears Audi will return to the ALMS much sooner than anyone has anticipated. If so, will it be in time to stop Acura’s rush to the door?

Audi’s return as an entrant would be less important than its return as a series sponsor. Those have become all but extinct, according to the Bear’s sources. Layoffs have been steady in Northwest Georgia; more are imminent.

Murphy enjoyed the americanlemansfans forum when one of the sport’s iconic personalities chimed in and – because he’s not a self-promoting bloke – stayed incognito and was ignored. Truth be known, he’s just a crotchety old Chapparal mechanic who doesn’t know how to spell “brats.”

The belief that Acura is taking steps to leave the series is widespread in the paddock, but certainly not unanimous. Others think that Acura will “stay the course” for at last one more season.

Further questions about Acura’s commitment to continued development of the ARX-02a were raised when Wirth Research was named in a French court as likely to field an F1 team in 2010. (Murphy told you that a couple of Poops back.)

It seems that F1 has the same attraction to racers in Europe that NASCAR does in North America. Give just about anyone a glimmer of a possibility and they’ll throw their current program overboard for the chance to “move up.” Having thrown their hats in the ring are RLM, Lola, Prodrive, and of course Wirth, just to name a few.

The Porsche shared by Patron’s CEO was excluded from the results in the Challenge class in the desert for a ride height infraction, as was another entrant. Two other Porsches failed to complete the required laps. So only one entrant – the winner – was officially classified and able to accrue points. Sanctity of the rules, the Bear surmises. Or sanctimonious.

De Ferran Motorsports is reported to be negotiating to acquire the cars, engines, tools, transporters, and pit equipment of a part time IRL team; the sticking point has been the inclusion in the deal of an Indianapolis area shop that de Ferran doesn’t need.

Murphy got a call a few minutes ago from a friend with a contact in Monaco. F1 teams left the meeting on Flavio’s yacht with “no comment,” and Bernie saying  “More meetings”  in answer to “what next?” 

What we are hearing is there is no agreement and not likely to be one (an agreement the first of three possible scenarios).

Scenario 2 is a “breakaway F1,” and it’s easier than some might think, since A1GP, with a ready-made schedule, tracks, and infrastructure can be easily co-opted by Ferrari, Toyota, and Renault (BMW and Mercedes remain “on the fence” in the current dispute). Doing so would be no more expensive than just staying in F1 “as is.”

Scenario 3 is a Ferrari move to sports car prototypes – the so-called “nuclear option.” Those who know such things in fact do believe this is a viable course, and if it becomes one, it will be known by Le Mans…the A1GP option having been fully considered by then. They also say that Ferrari would have no problem producing a competitive – winning, even – sports car by then. Of course any such move would depend on the promise of a diesel-gasoline rule change. (If Audi thought that Ferrari and Toyota were about to join the fray, they’d not put up much fuss over further “adjustments” to diesel-gasoline equivalency.)

Toyota and Renault would follow, and at least Ferrari and Toyota would certainly contest the ALMS (as it does for Audi, it would take priority over LMS). If that were to happen, the boys in Braselton would have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in one stroke just for sitting there with a silly grin.

As it was put to the Bear, “Can you imagine Sebring debuting Ferrari and Toyota against returning Acura, Peugeot and Audi?”

It seems there’s a consensus forming about the recent IMSA divorce. No one believes the former COO’s going to sit at home twiddling his thumbs for long. There’s buzz tying the divorcee to le Rat and a soon-to-be-launched World Championship. Some say to look for NA WC rounds in 2010 (would Montreal and Indy or Road America work?) and a NA series in 2011, with someone familiar at the helm.

To be or not to be

The Bear heard Wednesday that a much anticipated entry won’t compete at Miller. He wrote it up, then spent a restless night wondering if he should include it today. He spent Thursday trying to get a clear denial or a confirmation. Neither happened. In the end, Paddock Poop is a rumor rag, and this is a rather big rumor. If true, blame a rich dilettante Frog Club’s homologation (or the absence of same) and the failure of a few sycophants to grow a pair when they need to. If the rumor of the entry’s demise is premature, then take this as an idea of the kind of stuff that flies around the series these days. Perhaps there was some truth and the locals found the courage to get out of lock-step with the French. Even the ‘traditional print’ media isn’t always a help; USA Today implies the Ginetta-Zytek 09HS won’t use the electrics in the race at Miller, after implying in an earlier paragraph of the same story it will. The Bear’s often purposely obscure, but McPaper is generally thought to be “hard news.”

The inability to get sponsorship for a hybrid prototype is troubling, isn’t it? If anything illustrates the problems of endurance racing – racing in general, actually – that does. In order to race again this season, Corsa will have to find that funding, as will Primetime,  which made this race even though up against it, and will spend the Le Mans “break” looking for the cash to continue.

A mogul, lighter fuel, and Grand Am

If it were only the hybrid that would be enough, but… Murphy was told that a certain Houston butane mogul wanted to enter something powered with lighter fuel, but the ACO told the Don they didn’t have time to evaluate an equivalency rule. So, there’s our mogul, over in Grand Am…

Not happy

The West Virginia coal-country Italian-who-made-it-big is unhappy with that same Frog club for admitting a Grand Am team to its hallowed June event. Frogs have always been suckers for a pretty face, of course, and when it was Bardot, Murphy understood. Instead, some unshaven latter-day Dr. Kildare…

Long Beach heat

The former COO took a lot of heat for the Long Beach Highcroft penalty. It was a lose-lose situation, for sure, and the kind of thing Murphy anticipated had he been asked a year ago (he wasn’t) he would have had one answer for whether the COO should become the Race Director. “Are you nuts? If you botch it, are you going to fire yourself?” Wait…

Audi

Don’t count on an Audi return for 2010. That’s thought to need a USA partner, and the partner now appears to be in no position to help.

Off to see the Wizard

So, what’s the boss doing? The Bear hears he’ll not be in the Utah high desert. One event weekend between mid-April and mid-July, and the chief isn’t on hand? The Emerald City, visiting the Wizard, perhaps? If so, what’s he asking for? And who’s the Wizard? The Peninsula is a favorite place.

No proto

Throw dirt on the Don’s prototype project. Its demise is confirmed by the departure for ‘Merry old England’ of its draftsman project manager.

Good news

Just to make sure he covers the good news, too, Murphy hears another Challenge Porsche’s signed up for the back of the ALMS grid – you probably know that by now. Peugeot is hinting it might enter Petit Le Mans, and if so, Audi will follow, but again, you probably already know that.

Honestly, other than spouting press releases, the Bear doesn’t hear many good news rumors to pass along these days. There were plenty over the past two seasons; they’ve just dried up, for now, anyway.

It’s not easy being green

So if the ALMS is the green series, it has to be aware that most of the fuel burned for its events is not on the track, but by its fans getting there and back. A friend of the Bear’s suggests a Prius Corral might be fitting in these times. The (possible) homologation woes aside, there’s whether even now the Zytek hybrid is ready to race in a hybrid mode (Murphy’s heard ‘Sparky’ never actually successfully ran that way).

If you’re going to be green (and you’re not a frog), you should have a hybrid racing entry. Murphy thinks the addition of a Prius class is the ticket. Perhaps Primetime – the Viper seems a bit of a lost cause, doesn’t it? The ACO has added its training-wheels ‘P3’ prototypes to the back of the Asian grids; ‘tack-ons’ seem to be much the rage, don’t they? If we’re going into obstacle course stuff, David Brabham’s still way good enough to be able to navigate a few Patrón Porsches. The Bear wants to see what he can do with a few Priuses in the way.