IRL Pro FF2000 series

[Bob Wright]

Pocono-completely trimmed out- no diffuser, single small upper rear wing element, front winglets only. NHIS was with full wing package, but trimmed flat and no diffuser.

[Tom Valet]

IIRC -the fastest F2000 on record was Larry Vatri in a DB6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (using a Haniford rear wing) with a 156 mph LAP in a draft.

Some of these speed claims seem way high.

We bought Larry Vatri's DB-6 and converted it to FF two years ago. The 156 average lap speed at Atlanta referenced by Bob is real. Larry showed us the result sheets from his days in the old Pro F2000 series. The Swift was in fact so fast that the VD guys lobbied for and obtained a rule that he had to run a "special" rear wing to slow him down.

Larry also told us that running on the ovals at those speeds in the Swift was insane and he doesnt know how he survived it. He had saved up in his attic many of the bits and pieces from his wrecks, and there were many of those.

Tom

PS, just for fun, here's a picture of Larry's Swift after we took it home:

[jim morgan]

What can be prettier than an old Swift in FC trim? If only they were still competitive.

[CSHAW]

In road race setup, how fast do the FC car get to go at Gateway on an SCCA weekend? Has that been a concern? A lot of road courses share segments of large ovals.

[mark defer]

a few years ago at the winter national at homestead, bill jordan and i were hitting 150+ right before the turn in for t1 in our pintos.
larry vatri. there's a blast from the past.
last time i raced against larry at mid ohio [about 93/94] he ran over the front wing of my reynard backing into his grid spot. as i recall, he just laughed. i wasn't amused.

mark d

[Bob Wright]

yea, as I recall, Jorden couldn't get his car to turn in at all in T1 lap after lap after lap. He finally gave up and put the wings back on and was relegated to 150 mph sub-sonic speeds after that

It was fast, though, wasn't it....

[Richard Learned]

At Gateway the entrance to turns 3 & 4 comes immediately after you leave the infield portion of the road course and you are still coming up to speed thru the "oval". Speed coming thru and out of the "oval" is only in the 115 to 120 range in most FC's and g's are in the 1.7 to 1.8 range before you're unwinding for the straight. The turn just never really becomes a "turn". I suppose a guy could get "bumped" in there if passing high but I started racing in a tee shirt and open face helment so my frame of reference for racing on ovals might not match up with some of the younger fellas. Compared to what I have raced in over the years, I feel like I'm in an absolute tank in a well constructed and maintained SCCA FC spec'd car. Would it hurt if you hit the wall on an oval, hell yes it hurts and I've got the knees to prove it from other forms of motorsport. But, if I had the financing to run an FC on an oval as is with the IRL, you betcha. Everyone's mileage may vary here of course, but sometimes you just find yourself in situations that are far from ideal on the racetrack...any racetrack. I'll play golf when I get old, or at east older than the 62 years I have in now. In the meantime I'll try real hard to keep my car under control and away from everybody else's cars, seems like that's racing to me. Get rid of that silly 6 inch spacing, put some panels around my feet and knees and throw the flag...come on IRL.

Richard L

[mark defer]

richard,
my memories are similar.
i started on ovals in '72 wearing blue jeans, tee shirts, tennis shoes, and a $15 kmart helmet.
haven't been on an oval since '91? at nazereth in a super vee. would love to do a few more before hanging it up.

mark d

[Richard Learned]

Mark,
I can remember on oval I was on (dirt) that when you came out of two there was an area to the outside of two where the track owner parked his tractor, I mean like a farm tractor with a disc or springtooth atttached he used to dig up and resurface the track between race weekends. Now, you made damn sure you didn't let it get too high coming out of that one 'cause that tractor and attaching hardware was not going to move if you hit it. I think back (I was in my teens) and now it's just flat scary. I'm so old I ask myself when thinking about the "safety" issues, "what would Vukovich have done"...ninety nine times out of a hundred it's crawl in the car and drive it...be careful, watch what you're doing, concentrate...but just go drive the darned thing.

I guess the most surprising questions I've had to answer to some of the younger fellas is..."who is Vukovich?"

Richard L

[jim morgan]

a few years ago at the winter national at homestead, bill jordan and i were hitting 150+ right before the turn in for t1 in our pintos.

mark d

I think I was at that race....

[mark defer]

richard,
never did it in the dirt. my experiences were always 1/4 - 1/2 mile asphalt bullrings. i remember at barberton speedway here in akron when a stocker went over the T3/T4 wall. there was a hill there with trees and after he went over the wall he traveled down thru the trees. when we got to him there were birds all over the ground that had gotten knocked out of their nests. my attitude has always been like yours. when in doubt, just drive the damn thing. it's caused me problems working with some of the engineers on our team cause i don't give them much feedback. i usually say it's fine, i'll just drive it.
you're dead on though. i feel many times safer in any of the formula cars i've driven compared to the stockers i started in. especially considering half the guys i drove stockers against were drunk. like you said, our perspective is different because of where we started.
yeh vuky. never saw the him drive [i'm not that old], but i saw his kid and grandson drive several times.

mark d

[Richard Learned]

Mark,
Oh yea, the drunk guys, geez could they be aggressive, I guess that would be the way to put it. Those boys did teach me how to watch the other drivers around me and adjust accordingly, made me a better racer but not necessarily a better racing driver. And I gotta admit it, I'm that old, Vuky was my hero. Ok, I guess I'd better let the string get back to what it started out to be.

RL

[Matt M.]

would love to do a few more before hanging it up.

mark d

Mark - I think what you need is a "midget".........

[jim morgan]

Mark,
Now I don't feel so bad forgetting to hook your HANS at the "Drivers without Cars weekend"

[mark defer]

hell jim,

i forget to hook the damn thing up 1/2 the time.
hey, give my best to the lad. i'll be pulling for you guys next week.

mark d

[Paddy O'Brien]

If any of you formula car heros want to try a midget, let me know as I am a part owner of USAC Focus midget that we will be testing in a couple of weeks at Paragon Indiana which is a fast 3/8 mile banked dirt track. We can also easily arrange test days at paved Speedrome and MtLawn. Car is also avaliable for rent at the remaining races on the Focus schedule at Grundy and Anderson, both fast paved ovals. Looking for drivers for next season. Cost depends on track, travel and number of drivers, but figure $300-500 per driver for test days and $1000-1200 for races with good but not new tires, you keep your prize money, yes thats right, prize money! BTW over a decade ago I tested a full midget at Indy Raceway Park oval and then a couple of weeks later raced a F2000 on the same track. My lap times were similar in both cars but the midget was way faster on the straight but needed some brake in the corners, the f2000 was flat out everywhere with corner speed maybe 20mph faster than the midget, so when the f2000 hits the wall it is a much bigger hit. The heck with safety, a formula car is easy to write off on an oval crash a midget can almost always be fixed quickly and cheaply. Many of you guys ran the USAC F2000 series in the mid 1990's, do you recall that oval race car counts were less than half of the road course events? Do you remember why? Call Brooks 317-388-9846 if you want to try a proper oval track open wheeler.

[jim morgan]

Mark,
I assume the DEFER TIRE contingency award is still in place?

[Camadella]

Mark,
I assume the DEFER TIRE contingency award is still in place?

What do you get for a win?

A used Honda Civic tire and a bag of peanuts?

[greg pizzo]

WOW that brings back some memories !! when I was really small I got to meet Bill Vuckovich II.........He drove the "Sugar Ripe Special" at INDY .... based in San Jose CA ... the owner was Jerry O'connel a college buddy of MY dad......got to go to the race car shop more than a few times and watch them build it from scratch ... Offy powered !!
and then later in life 20's met Billy the kid III ........
A good friend of mine raced a Midget on the west coast ....
THE COPPERWORLD CLASSIC ... (back when it was a USAC show.. ) was HIS Indy 500 ... we went 3-5 times with Randy and his Dad and his Dad's friends ... ONE of which was Billy Vuckovich III .... HE was AMAZING !!! on the big 1 mile Oval of Phoenix !!! in a SUPER MODIFIED !! really was somethin special ..

Really miss those kinds of shows... Really hard to find out here on the west coast .. kind stopped going to the Copper World when it got swallowed up by IRL ...not the same show at all...

certainlly running on an oval is alot different than a road course but still alot of fun once you get over the first hard hit ... Im really amazed at really how strong these cars are ... hit the wall HARD at Phoenix in an RF95 ... busted up alot of parts but basically the car was okay .... raced the next day .. missed one damaged part or we would have done okay ...on big oval .. (BIGGER THAN A MILE) ... might be pretty boring dont know ... definitly a learned skill .. but a good differrent challenge ...

would I again ???.... you bet ........

[220mph]

well said. Obviously there is still a large amount of support for the current F2000 Series, as is apparent on this forum, and the car counts will likely be strong again next year. Its a solid series that provides club racers and people looking for an entry level pro series a place to race with good track time at excellent tracks. That being said, most of the opinions expressed on this forum come from a certain demographic of the series that maybe doesn't represent everyone involved. I agree with Matt and JS in that i would welcome more events with IndyCar and if that meant a few ovals, it would probably be good experience looking towards the future. No doubt the F2000 Championship Series has a balancing act to do when it comes to appealing to both the club and master guys and the younger kids who are looking to move up. They do a good job with it but from my perspective there are things that would make the series more appealing to the younger talent.

What would these things be... more high profile events, a slightly more professional atmosphere, more recognition and rewards. Things that would be accomplished with an association with Indy Car. Obviously all of these things would make entry fees more expensive and from the masters and club guys perspective, probably wouldn't be worth it and they will continue to support the current series.

The years when Dan ran the series were the years where the series had the highest car counts ever. Obviously he did something right. Hopefully this series happens and the drivers that would have looked at something like BMW in the past will find this to be the new stepping stone and realize how great the F2000 formula is. This would probably not even hurt the current series that bad and instead they could shift their focus even more so to the club and masters guys, who they seem to favor, and for good reason as they make up a large bulk of the series.

There is likely room for both of these series and if there isn't...too bad. It's a business like anything else and competition is what drives products to improve. The F2000 Championship Series has a strong product in place and with the association with USF1 they are even more solidly positioning themselves to be part of the open wheel ladder system. It's amazing to me how much complaining there is about something that doesn't even exist yet and that people have no idea what the details are. Maybe the series isn't for you but that doesn't mean it is a TRAVESTY! and the worst thing to ever happen!

Relatively affordable high profile series, proven management, filing a void, associated with IndyCar, taking a formula that everyone loves, increasing professionalism...doesn't sound like the worst thing ever.

Thanks to Mike, Bob, Al and Dan for putting their time, money and effort into racing series that probably wont make them rich and that they are likely doing for the love of the sport.

Chris

Excellent comments Chris ... but what would you know about it ... <grin>

Seriously, the USFF2000 Pro Series years were some of the most successful around for ladder series in the US ... the list of alumni that progressed to top tier series and the quality of that talent was at it highest

Ovals were run quite successfully in the cars of the 1990's - and today's cars are much safer yet ... there WERE some injuries on ovals ... but so too were there serious injuries o road courses as well ...

Some or even many drivers may wisely choose not to do the ovals - and there are a number of places for them to race ... there new series will have little impact on them - but it WILL provide a career path for today's talents ... like Chris ... to have a pro option to move up

If anyone can make it work it is Dan Anderson and his gang ... I would bet pretty highly that there is considerable support behind this for them to get involved again as well ...

[Chas Shaffer]

Did anyone else get the press release on Dan's new series? Thoughts? I ran his series back in 1999 and had a great time but boy was it ever expensive. Interesting that FC cars are legal in 2010 but nothing more mentioned. I suspect a new car is coming.


Looks like their site isn't ready yet. http://www.f2000.com/

[Stan Clayton]

Interesting that FC cars are legal in 2010 but nothing more mentioned. I suspect a new car is coming.

How 'bout fessin' up, Dan...are rumors of a *gasp* non-Ford *gasp* engine true, and will you seek SCCA homologation in FC?

Inquiring minds want to know...

[Chas Shaffer]

How 'bout fessin' up, Dan...are rumors of a *gasp* non-Ford *gasp* engine true, and will you seek SCCA homologation in FC?

Inquiring minds want to know...

non-ford? hmm I figured since SCCA wouldn't let them run their own intake he took his ball and created his own game for it. I didn't consider a different car engine but I guess with all the honda involvement in "grass roots" anything is possible. I sort of thought if Dan went off to do his own thing it would be an F1000 effort, not an F2000.

I'm curious to see how this works out. Perhaps a place for the FBMW kids to go play. I don't see them stealing many drivers away from the east coast series but that's probably not their target. I would think they are focused more on the karting kids coming up through the ranks vs the east coast series focus on more experienced guys. I guess we have our own version of the IRL/Champcar split.

I sure hope we aren't headed for another parity debate in FC. We don't need yet another option, we barely survived the aluminum head and zetec introduction

[brent_borland]

non-ford? hmm I figured since SCCA wouldn't let them run their own intake he took his ball and created his own game for it. I didn't consider a different car engine but I guess with all the honda involvement in "grass roots" anything is possible. I sort of thought if Dan went off to do his own thing it would be an F1000 effort, not an F2000.

I'm curious to see how this works out. Perhaps a place for the FBMW kids to go play. I don't see them stealing many drivers away from the east coast series but that's probably not their target. I would think they are focused more on the karting kids coming up through the ranks vs the east coast series focus on more experienced guys. I guess we have our own version of the IRL/Champcar split.

I sure hope we aren't headed for another parity debate in FC. We don't need yet another option, we barely survived the aluminum head and zetec introduction

Well said, sir!

[Stan Clayton]

...?

[Chas Shaffer]

slow day at work.....


I should mention I ran Dan's Yokohama USF2000 series in 1999 (in ACC). It was extremely professional, well attended and resulted in some of my fondest racing memories.

[DFR Dave Freitas]

An IRL sanctioned F2000 series...did I miss something or isn't this a huge deal?

Congrats to Andersen for getting it done, and now maybe we give him some time to work out the details.



---------------------------------
Dave Freitas
www.davefreitasracing.com

[Dan Andersen]

I have visited ths thread over the past month or so, and felt it was best not to say anything until I announced what we would be doing. Now that we have released that first announcement, let me address some things that have been posted. As to the IRL, they do indeed want a ladder that includes some ovals, but at no time have they ever asked for, or demanded, any specific number. In fact, we will be doing two ovals in 2010, both under one mile in length, and that is likely the number we will do each year. In the 1990's my series did close to 40 oval races, on tracks varying from .5 to 1.5 miles in length, and yes, there were crashes, but the one serious injury that occurred (Disney, Thiago Bezzera) was a relatively mild hit that resulted in a head injury due mainly to head movement that today is solved via the HANS device. Back then, we did not have HANS, the seats were not today's proper bead seat, there were no SAFER barriers, no cockpit helmet surrounds, and many cars didn't even have anti-intrusion suspension components. The speeds on the type of short ovals we will be running in this series is approvximately 115-120 MPH, somewhat less than many road courses such as Road America. As you all should know, racing is not without risks, and drivers have sustained serious injuries over the years on road courses as well as on ovals. However, anyone who says a tube frame car should not run at these speeds on ovals is, in my opinion, not fully informed. For the speeds we will be running, these cars are completely appropriate and safe, especially with the enhancements we have (and will have) by next season. A tub car would be a safer driver module if we were racing at much higher speeds, but at these speeds, the tube frame is as safe, and possibly safer than a tub.
This new series is designed to be a proper training ground for many types of drivers, some of whom will be career-minded young guns. We will run on all types of venues, and we will design our rules package to control the costs as much as is possible and thereby control the teams who seem willing to spend whatever it takes to win. We will accept entries for 2010 from all FC legal cars, and we will announce soon what the restrictions will be for 2011, so teams can see where we are headed with this series. There will not be a new spec car for 2010 or 2011, nor do I see us moving away from the tube frame design anytime soon. We will move slowly and deliberately to allow teams to function and survive, allow drivers to race for a reasonable budget, and provide the most complete combination of training, racing, and promotion to better enable those who want to advance in open wheel racing to do so. We will reign in the rules for 2011 as the current rules would be exploited hugely by some pro teams, and the budgets would rise to unreasonablae levels. When my team ran F2000 in 2008, we ran "box-stock" Van Diemens without any of the aero updates that are out there, but if the competition forced us to, we would have had to spend the dollars to try everything for the sake of our customers. That's what I saw happen in the USF2000 series in the 1990's, and I won't let it happen again.
For some reason, some people keep bringing up the Elan intake situation, which always confuses me because my only participation in that was as a potential customer IF Elan got it approved. I had no other interest, nor was I involved in any way with the submission process to SCCA. Based on the facts I was aware of at the time, I did feel that Elan was unfairly treated, but it was their fight, not mine.
As to engines, the current Zetec engine will be legal, and we may be introducing an alternate engine as well. Those with Zetecs need not worry, but if and when we announce that alternate, it will come with sizeable rewards for those utilizing it, and that partnership will benefit everyone.
We will be announcing our tire partner next week, followed by other announcements in the weeks to come (including the 2010 schedule, which is nearly done). I believe many of you will find the events we will appear on to be interesting and exciting.
The bottom line here is that I am attempting to put together a program that will do what my series did in the 1990's, train drivers for Indy, and we will be the first step on the road to Indy Ladder. It's not a series for everyone, and I have no ax to grind with anyone who prefers to race where they are currently racing. Each of you will decide what is in your best interests, as you should do. There is no reason for ill will or vitriol, and it is my hope that there may be ways that my new series and the existing F2000 series on both coasts can work together in some ways. I am always available by email or phone, as many of you know who have communicated with me over these past few months, and if there are further questions, just ask. Our series office can field many of those questions as well, just call Michelle Kish at 941-723-3900. I can be emailed at dandersen@andersencompanies.com.
Thank you for allowing me to explain.

[HazelNut]

I have visited ths thread over the past month or so, and felt it was best not to say anything until I announced what we would be doing. Now that we have released that first announcement, let me address some things that have been posted. As to the IRL, they do indeed want a ladder that includes some ovals, but at no time have they ever asked for, or demanded, any specific number. In fact, we will be doing two ovals in 2010, both under one mile in length, and that is likely the number we will do each year. In the 1990's my series did close to 40 oval races, on tracks varying from .5 to 1.5 miles in length, and yes, there were crashes, but the one serious injury that occurred (Disney, Thiago Bezzera) was a relatively mild hit that resulted in a head injury due mainly to head movement that today is solved via the HANS device. Back then, we did not have HANS, the seats were not today's proper bead seat, there were no SAFER barriers, no cockpit helmet surrounds, and many cars didn't even have anti-intrusion suspension components. The speeds on the type of short ovals we will be running in this series is approvximately 115-120 MPH, somewhat less than many road courses such as Road America. As you all should know, racing is not without risks, and drivers have sustained serious injuries over the years on road courses as well as on ovals. However, anyone who says a tube frame car should not run at these speeds on ovals is, in my opinion, not fully informed. For the speeds we will be running, these cars are completely appropriate and safe, especially with the enhancements we have (and will have) by next season. A tub car would be a safer driver module if we were racing at much higher speeds, but at these speeds, the tube frame is as safe, and possibly safer than a tub.
This new series is designed to be a proper training ground for many types of drivers, some of whom will be career-minded young guns. We will run on all types of venues, and we will design our rules package to control the costs as much as is possible and thereby control the teams who seem willing to spend whatever it takes to win. We will accept entries for 2010 from all FC legal cars, and we will announce soon what the restrictions will be for 2011, so teams can see where we are headed with this series. There will not be a new spec car for 2010 or 2011, nor do I see us moving away from the tube frame design anytime soon. We will move slowly and deliberately to allow teams to function and survive, allow drivers to race for a reasonable budget, and provide the most complete combination of training, racing, and promotion to better enable those who want to advance in open wheel racing to do so. We will reign in the rules for 2011 as the current rules would be exploited hugely by some pro teams, and the budgets would rise to unreasonablae levels. When my team ran F2000 in 2008, we ran "box-stock" Van Diemens without any of the aero updates that are out there, but if the competition forced us to, we would have had to spend the dollars to try everything for the sake of our customers. That's what I saw happen in the USF2000 series in the 1990's, and I won't let it happen again.
For some reason, some people keep bringing up the Elan intake situation, which always confuses me because my only participation in that was as a potential customer IF Elan got it approved. I had no other interest, nor was I involved in any way with the submission process to SCCA. Based on the facts I was aware of at the time, I did feel that Elan was unfairly treated, but it was their fight, not mine.
As to engines, the current Zetec engine will be legal, and we may be introducing an alternate engine as well. Those with Zetecs need not worry, but if and when we announce that alternate, it will come with sizeable rewards for those utilizing it, and that partnership will benefit everyone.
We will be announcing our tire partner next week, followed by other announcements in the weeks to come (including the 2010 schedule, which is nearly done). I believe many of you will find the events we will appear on to be interesting and exciting.
The bottom line here is that I am attempting to put together a program that will do what my series did in the 1990's, train drivers for Indy, and we will be the first step on the road to Indy Ladder. It's not a series for everyone, and I have no ax to grind with anyone who prefers to race where they are currently racing. Each of you will decide what is in your best interests, as you should do. There is no reason for ill will or vitriol, and it is my hope that there may be ways that my new series and the existing F2000 series on both coasts can work together in some ways. I am always available by email or phone, as many of you know who have communicated with me over these past few months, and if there are further questions, just ask. Our series office can field many of those questions as well, just call Michelle Kish at 941-723-3900. I can be emailed at dandersen@andersencompanies.com.
Thank you for allowing me to explain.

has it entered into your thinking that PERHAPS you're creating a champ car / IRL split at this level. The 2000s proved how well that one worked out for the top level of the sport. Maybe it's not such a great idea down here. no?

In the meantime I say we all just go and buy miatas, like we all secretly want to!!!!!!!!!

[greg pizzo]

DAN
well done !! thanks !! eager to hear the details

the few races I got to do with you all in 2004 and before were the BEST !!! .. John ... hope you are there in your usual tough but fair officiating capacity !!

good memories !!

looking forward to hear all the deails !

sure like another crack at the Phoenix Mile !!

[lil_fatboy]

There is no reason for ill will or vitriol, and it is my hope that there may be ways that my new series and the existing F2000 series on both coasts can work together in some ways. Definition: VITRIOL 1. bitter criticism: extreme bitterness and hatred toward somebody or something, or an expression of this feeling in speech or writing. Had to look that one up!!!!!!!! Bring back Foschi for TECH Series Uniforms----Black Dickies, of course.</p>

[Bumpdraft]

I to fear a lower league version of the IRL/Champcar split. There seems to be plenty of room for the 2 current series that have pretty much stayed on their own sides of the Mississippi, but a 3rd series to? In my mind, the budgets for the "regional" travel is good at this level. It's going to be the higher budget teams that can traverse the country. The 2 IRL short ovals are on the East coast, but where will you have to travel for the road courses? Only time will tell.

Bumpdraft

[CSHAW]

The more venues , the better! Bring on the new venues to use these types of cars. Let the most popular ones thrive and grow. If it is attractive to racers, they will come. If the result is existing venues fizzling out, then so be it.

I can only hope that "SPEC" is considered a swear word in this new evolved series. I also hope that it is not a series that make use of a monopolistic supplier philosophy either. Neither of those aspects are attractive to me as a potential team owner or supplier..

No problem with tube frame chassis either, but please do not restrict the paneling inside or outside, or the adhesive, or number or spacing of the fasteners. I would like to see less threads devoted to sympathy for injured drivers due to these type of imposed construction limitations.

[Mark_Silverberg]

I to fear a lower league version of the IRL/Champcar split. There seems to be plenty of room for the 2 current series that have pretty much stayed on their own sides of the Mississippi, but a 3rd series to? In my mind, the budgets for the "regional" travel is good at this level. It's going to be the higher budget teams that can traverse the country. The 2 IRL short ovals are on the East coast, but where will you have to travel for the road courses? Only time will tell.

Bumpdraft

I guess Iowa Speedway could be considered to be on the "East Coast" - of the south skunk river that is!.

[Douglas Kniffin]

I see very little conflict between the two series as they present two entirely different packages and prospective markets unlike the IRL/Champcar which were splitting the same entrants. I'm going to guess that there are maybe 5 cars in the current series which would seriously consider running in the new series on a full on basis. Both series should be winners with an enhanced FC image in the world.

I'm excited to see the cars on ovals again!

[Chas Shaffer]

I have visited ths thread over the past month or so, and felt it was best not to say anything until I announced what we would be doing. Now that we have released that first announcement, let me address some things that have been posted. As to the IRL, they do indeed want a ladder that includes some ovals, but at no time have they ever asked for, or demanded, any specific number. In fact, we will be doing two ovals in 2010, both under one mile in length, and that is likely the number we will do each year. In the 1990's my series did close to 40 oval races, on tracks varying from .5 to 1.5 miles in length, and yes, there were crashes, but the one serious injury that occurred (Disney, Thiago Bezzera) was a relatively mild hit that resulted in a head injury due mainly to head movement that today is solved via the HANS device. Back then, we did not have HANS, the seats were not today's proper bead seat, there were no SAFER barriers, no cockpit helmet surrounds, and many cars didn't even have anti-intrusion suspension components. The speeds on the type of short ovals we will be running in this series is approvximately 115-120 MPH, somewhat less than many road courses such as Road America. As you all should know, racing is not without risks, and drivers have sustained serious injuries over the years on road courses as well as on ovals. However, anyone who says a tube frame car should not run at these speeds on ovals is, in my opinion, not fully informed. For the speeds we will be running, these cars are completely appropriate and safe, especially with the enhancements we have (and will have) by next season. A tub car would be a safer driver module if we were racing at much higher speeds, but at these speeds, the tube frame is as safe, and possibly safer than a tub.
This new series is designed to be a proper training ground for many types of drivers, some of whom will be career-minded young guns. We will run on all types of venues, and we will design our rules package to control the costs as much as is possible and thereby control the teams who seem willing to spend whatever it takes to win. We will accept entries for 2010 from all FC legal cars, and we will announce soon what the restrictions will be for 2011, so teams can see where we are headed with this series. There will not be a new spec car for 2010 or 2011, nor do I see us moving away from the tube frame design anytime soon. We will move slowly and deliberately to allow teams to function and survive, allow drivers to race for a reasonable budget, and provide the most complete combination of training, racing, and promotion to better enable those who want to advance in open wheel racing to do so. We will reign in the rules for 2011 as the current rules would be exploited hugely by some pro teams, and the budgets would rise to unreasonablae levels. When my team ran F2000 in 2008, we ran "box-stock" Van Diemens without any of the aero updates that are out there, but if the competition forced us to, we would have had to spend the dollars to try everything for the sake of our customers. That's what I saw happen in the USF2000 series in the 1990's, and I won't let it happen again.
For some reason, some people keep bringing up the Elan intake situation, which always confuses me because my only participation in that was as a potential customer IF Elan got it approved. I had no other interest, nor was I involved in any way with the submission process to SCCA. Based on the facts I was aware of at the time, I did feel that Elan was unfairly treated, but it was their fight, not mine.
As to engines, the current Zetec engine will be legal, and we may be introducing an alternate engine as well. Those with Zetecs need not worry, but if and when we announce that alternate, it will come with sizeable rewards for those utilizing it, and that partnership will benefit everyone.
We will be announcing our tire partner next week, followed by other announcements in the weeks to come (including the 2010 schedule, which is nearly done). I believe many of you will find the events we will appear on to be interesting and exciting.
The bottom line here is that I am attempting to put together a program that will do what my series did in the 1990's, train drivers for Indy, and we will be the first step on the road to Indy Ladder. It's not a series for everyone, and I have no ax to grind with anyone who prefers to race where they are currently racing. Each of you will decide what is in your best interests, as you should do. There is no reason for ill will or vitriol, and it is my hope that there may be ways that my new series and the existing F2000 series on both coasts can work together in some ways. I am always available by email or phone, as many of you know who have communicated with me over these past few months, and if there are further questions, just ask. Our series office can field many of those questions as well, just call Michelle Kish at 941-723-3900. I can be emailed at dandersen@andersencompanies.com.
Thank you for allowing me to explain.

Congratulations Dan and thanks for the info. As previously stated I truly enjoyed running your series in the 90's and can't wait to see if I can make it work going forward. I suspect your series will be attractive to sponsors and I hope you'll have the same marketing support you had back in the 90's that helped many of us gain the sponsorship needed to race. I'm really looking forward to your detailed announcement about venue, partners, etc. I believe in competition both on the track and in business so I view this as a good thing.

Everyone has their thoughts of what is good and what is bad, I'm no different. For my own selfish reason of wanting to see the club stay strong I hope you stay close to the SCCA FC rules of today (your old F2000 rules) reintroducing the supply of new chassis's to club racers. What many people don't know or may have forgotten is that your old series supplied the majority of chassis's in Club FC today. Every season there was a steady stream of one year old chassis's from the early 90's through 2001 which grew FC in club racing tremendously. It would be great to see that happen again. It also allowed guys like me to take our FC cars and race on a big stage in a very professional series which was attractive to sponsors while racing in big event weekends with TV coverage. I don't think I ever finished a race on the lead lap and it was still one of the highlights of my racing career. Being on track with Wheldon, Justice, Dismore and others helped me to grow quickly as a driver and being around teams like DSTP, Primus, Cape, Key, Richard Morgan and others taught me a lot about preparing cars and being a team owner.

[brent_borland]

I have visited ths thread over the past month or so, and felt it was best not to say anything until I announced what we would be doing. Now that we have released that first announcement, let me address some things that have been posted. As to the IRL, they do indeed want a ladder that includes some ovals, but at no time have they ever asked for, or demanded, any specific number. In fact, we will be doing two ovals in 2010, both under one mile in length, and that is likely the number we will do each year. In the 1990's my series did close to 40 oval races, on tracks varying from .5 to 1.5 miles in length, and yes, there were crashes, but the one serious injury that occurred (Disney, Thiago Bezzera) was a relatively mild hit that resulted in a head injury due mainly to head movement that today is solved via the HANS device. Back then, we did not have HANS, the seats were not today's proper bead seat, there were no SAFER barriers, no cockpit helmet surrounds, and many cars didn't even have anti-intrusion suspension components. The speeds on the type of short ovals we will be running in this series is approvximately 115-120 MPH, somewhat less than many road courses such as Road America. As you all should know, racing is not without risks, and drivers have sustained serious injuries over the years on road courses as well as on ovals. However, anyone who says a tube frame car should not run at these speeds on ovals is, in my opinion, not fully informed. For the speeds we will be running, these cars are completely appropriate and safe, especially with the enhancements we have (and will have) by next season. A tub car would be a safer driver module if we were racing at much higher speeds, but at these speeds, the tube frame is as safe, and possibly safer than a tub.
This new series is designed to be a proper training ground for many types of drivers, some of whom will be career-minded young guns. We will run on all types of venues, and we will design our rules package to control the costs as much as is possible and thereby control the teams who seem willing to spend whatever it takes to win. We will accept entries for 2010 from all FC legal cars, and we will announce soon what the restrictions will be for 2011, so teams can see where we are headed with this series. There will not be a new spec car for 2010 or 2011, nor do I see us moving away from the tube frame design anytime soon. We will move slowly and deliberately to allow teams to function and survive, allow drivers to race for a reasonable budget, and provide the most complete combination of training, racing, and promotion to better enable those who want to advance in open wheel racing to do so. We will reign in the rules for 2011 as the current rules would be exploited hugely by some pro teams, and the budgets would rise to unreasonablae levels. When my team ran F2000 in 2008, we ran "box-stock" Van Diemens without any of the aero updates that are out there, but if the competition forced us to, we would have had to spend the dollars to try everything for the sake of our customers. That's what I saw happen in the USF2000 series in the 1990's, and I won't let it happen again.
For some reason, some people keep bringing up the Elan intake situation, which always confuses me because my only participation in that was as a potential customer IF Elan got it approved. I had no other interest, nor was I involved in any way with the submission process to SCCA. Based on the facts I was aware of at the time, I did feel that Elan was unfairly treated, but it was their fight, not mine.
As to engines, the current Zetec engine will be legal, and we may be introducing an alternate engine as well. Those with Zetecs need not worry, but if and when we announce that alternate, it will come with sizeable rewards for those utilizing it, and that partnership will benefit everyone.
We will be announcing our tire partner next week, followed by other announcements in the weeks to come (including the 2010 schedule, which is nearly done). I believe many of you will find the events we will appear on to be interesting and exciting.
The bottom line here is that I am attempting to put together a program that will do what my series did in the 1990's, train drivers for Indy, and we will be the first step on the road to Indy Ladder. It's not a series for everyone, and I have no ax to grind with anyone who prefers to race where they are currently racing. Each of you will decide what is in your best interests, as you should do. There is no reason for ill will or vitriol, and it is my hope that there may be ways that my new series and the existing F2000 series on both coasts can work together in some ways. I am always available by email or phone, as many of you know who have communicated with me over these past few months, and if there are further questions, just ask. Our series office can field many of those questions as well, just call Michelle Kish at 941-723-3900. I can be emailed at dandersen@andersencompanies.com.
Thank you for allowing me to explain.

Dan, or anyone else for that matter, could you please give me one example in the last 13 years of American motorsports where the creation of a competing series positively affected the health of that sport? It seems to me that no matter how you look at this you will be dividing the existing available pool of teams, cars, drivers, sponsors, tracks, etc and forcing them to make a choice of one series or another whether that is on a race by race basis or a season long basis.

[Franklin Futrelle]

man up and race. im glad to see ovals back. last time i checked irl cars doing backflips into the catch fence wasnt that safe either. maybe this will weed out some of the wealthy but not so talented. danger is one things that makes the ovals interesting, same with the kink at road america, mosport, etc.

i hope they run richmond, that would be awesome.

[Dan Andersen]

Dan, or anyone else for that matter, could you please give me one example in the last 13 years of American motorsports where the creation of a competing series positively affected the health of that sport? It seems to me that no matter how you look at this you will be dividing the existing available pool of teams, cars, drivers, sponsors, tracks, etc and forcing them to make a choice of one series or another whether that is on a race by race basis or a season long basis.

In the 1990's, we started with the USAC F2000 series at the same time as SCCA started with their American Continental Championship for F2000 cars. After two years of having both series, the ACC was folded into ours. The Hooters F2000 Championship then started up offering huge prize money, and after two years they folded their tents. In 2005 I think, while the Cooper F2000 series (the successor to my series) was still operating, the F2000 Championship Series started up and drivers had a choice where to race. The Cooper series folded a year later. Seems to me the marketplace will decide how many series it wants to support, and which ones will survive. My series is offering something quite different than what is currently available in the other programs, and time will tell if what we are offering is what indeed the marketplace wants. This is how the open market and free enterprise works. I don't see any reason why all three F2000 series can't thrive, and as a further example, in the 1990's, our series did not take cars away from FC club racing, it actually grew their club fields by a lot. More interest in F2000 can increase the overall number of teams, cars and drivers, it doesn't have to be a flat figure of cars divided by more choices. Just my views...

[mark defer]

i actually could see all three series surviving at the same time. i would speculate that most of the "older" guys like me would tend to stay with the current east coast series, and that dan's series would attract mostly youngsters attracted by the IRL affiliation. and i believe that many of those youngsters would have never driven a f2000 before, but rather karts, midgets, etc.
my only comment is that if that's the case, somebody better start building some cars.......quick.
thinking about it though, if st clair takes on some young hotshoe that wants to do dan's series, i might not have a choice where i race. oh well, like i said, i'm all ready to do a couple of ovals again.

mark d