Champ Car - Ford: Version 2.0

The loss of Ford in Champ Car is an interesting development. After reading some of press releases again I was thinking that Champ Car drank Paul Stoddart's Koolaid. Basically CC decided to use Stoddart's old Minardi F1 two-seater cars for the pace car rides. So Ford apparently didn't think there was much left for them to contribute to the series besides the engine. So they pulled the plug. So from that perspective it seems that CC shot themselves in the foot.

A little farther back, however, CC announced two new races in Europe and one in China. Their first time back to the old country since 2003 and their first ever in China. You would think this would be a good thing, marking a healthy expansion of the series. Ford's racing director didn't see it that way. "If I had wanted to back an international series," says Ford Racing director Dan Davis, "it wouldn’t have been Champ Car." This comment was made before the announcement of the pace car switch. In all fairness to Ford the changing scope of CC is something to consider when evaluating where your supporting dollars go. Car companies don't market the same cars all around the world. It wouldn't really make sense to be running pace cars that are models that are not available in the region you are racing in. So would Ford have to develop another set of pace cars for China and Europe? And would their European base have to pony up dollars to promote an American based race series?

Perhaps the rumored Asian manufacturer finds Champ Car more in alignment with their international racing effort than Ford. Both Toyota and Honda have a major presence in F1. In the Americas Honda in supplying the IRL and Toyota is developing their NAPCAR program. Mazda has a large presence in the US in their Star Mazda series, Champ Car Atlantic Series and Mazda MX-5 Cup series. Hyundai has been racing in the World Rally Championship but doesn't have other significant racing efforts. I still hope it's Mazda... Or Cadillac...