Happy Birthday, Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti turned 67 today. Perhaps the greatest American racecar driver of all time, Mario has won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the IndyCar championship and the Formula One championship.

Cars and Liquor Team up Again

Cabo Wabo joins A.J. Foyt Racing as associate sponsor: Sammy Hagar is a legend in the world of rock 'n roll. Now he is joining auto racing legend A.J. Foyt.

Hagar's Cabo Wabo Enterprises has signed as an associate sponsor of A.J. Foyt's IndyCar Series team for the 2007 season. It is the first time in Foyt's storied career that a liquor company has been associated with his Indy car team.

"I'm happy to have Sammy Hagar and his company involved with our team," said Foyt, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary in Indy car racing. "Cabo Wabo is a premium tequila, and I think our race fans will show their appreciation in a responsible way. Our team will help promote responsible drinking which creates a win-win for everyone. And there's nothing I like more than winning."

Hagar's sponsorship of the No. 14 IndyCar Series entry isn't his only involvement with the IndyCar Series or Indy Pro Series. Hagar also is co-owner of Team KMA's Indy Pro Series car driven by Robbie Pecorari.

"To be given the opportunity to be a part of such a great sport, and to do it along side A.J. Foyt's team is such an honor," Hagar said. "The fans, the team, the races, they all represent the best of what motorsports has to offer. We're looking forward to a great season."

source: press release

Formula One Quote-Of-The-Day

Nelson Piquet Jr. talking about Lewis Hamilton:

"He's a good driver. The only difficult thing for him is that he's going to learn all the circuits again and having a very strong driver [Fernando Alonso] next to him. For sure he's going to do well, maybe not in the first year because it's very very difficult, but he's definitely a good driver."

source: F1GrandPrix.it

Open-Wheel Driver Results from NASCAR's Daytona 500

Here at Grand Prix Champ, it disappoints us when talented open-wheel drivers head to the big money of NASCAR. While we don't typically report on NASCAR, we thought you might like to know how some former open wheel drivers fared in today's Daytona 500.

Former Champ Car driver, Robby Gordon, finished 15th, the highest on a disappointing day among the open wheel veterans.

Recent Formula One export, Juan Pablo Montoya, finished 19th after struggling with handling throughout the day.

Former Indy Racing League champ Tony Stewart finished last, in 43rd position, after crashing just past the three-quarter mark. He did, however, lead 35 laps. I know he is far more famous as a NASCAR driver, but in my heart he is still open-wheel.

One last note... Tony Stewart earned over $334,000 for finishing last.

McLaren sponsor Santander to back Bruno Senna in GP2

The Spanish bank, a McLaren Mercedes sponsor, is rumored to be ready to sponsor Brazilian Bruno Senna, the nephew of Formula One's three time world champion Ayrton Senna. Senna will be sponsored through Santander's Brazilian arm, 'Banco Santander do Brasil'. Ayrton Senna was a national hero in Brazil and was elevated to legendary status following his on-track death in 1994

Santander is also expected to announce that it will purchase naming rights for July's British Grand Prix.

United Arab Emirates to host Formula One Grand Prix in 2009

USA Today is reporting that Formula One has announced a race in Abu Dubai in 2009.

"Abu Dhabi's hospitality, the genuine warmth of its people and ever increasing number of world class facilities, will ensure that its round of the FIA Formula One World Championship is a wonderful addition to the Formula One calendar," Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone said. He made his remarks at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Formula One Festival.

Read the full story: Abu Dhabi to host Formula One Grand Prix in 2009

It’s Official: Lenovo To Sponsor Williams Formula One Team

Lenovo CEO, William Amelio, was in Raleigh, North Carolina Thursday and announced that Lenovo will sponsor Williams in the upcoming Formula One season. While rumors have been circulating for quite a while, until Friday's announcement Lenovo had not committed publicly.

Lenovo is the world's third-largest computer manufacturer. They replace Hewlett-Packard, a rival, as one of the primary sponsors on the Williams F1 team.

Williams will be sponsored overall by AT&T.

Read the full story as reported by WRAL in North Carolina. -- It’s Official: Lenovo To Sponsor Williams Formula One Team

Champ Car Cancels the Denver Street Course Event

The Champ Car World Series announced today that they will cancel the event scheduled for August 15 in Denver. Champ Car cited scheduling conflicts with surrounding facilities as the primary reason for canceling the event. The street course event had surrounded the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver for the past five seasons.

The likelihood is strong that the event will not be held next year either, because Denver is playing host to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

This announcement reduces the schedule of events to 16 races this season.

Daytona Open Test Kicks Off 2007 IndyCar Series Season

Tony Kanaan was the fastest driver in preseason testing at the Daytona road course. Seventeen drivers participated and fastmachines.com publish the results.

Marco Andretti focuses on IndyCar

Floridatoday.com ran a terrific story about Marco Andretti. I'm really starting to like this kid. His talent lives up to the hype, which is difficult to do when your last name is Andretti. Furthermore, he's confident without appearing cocky. I'm looking forward to watching him race this season.

The story reported that he got a test drive in a Formula One car and posted a respectable time. But it is for now he's completely dedicated to Indycar.

Read the full story about Marco Andretti.

Super Aguri to unveil car one week before opener

Super Aguri will unveil their 2007 car less than a week before the start of the new Formula One season in Australia on March 18.

The Honda-backed team, whose drivers are Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson, said that the SA07 would be launched in Tokyo on March 12.

The new car could be a controversial one, with some rivals such as Spyker and Williams already preparing for protests should it bear too close a resemblance to last year's race-winning Honda. Formula One rules say teams must design and build their own chassis.

Source: Reuters

Spyker Formula One Test and Reserve Drivers

Spyker F1 announces their Formula One test and reserve drivers for the 2007 season.

Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy joins the team from GP2 and the A1GP series. In 2005 Fairuz stepped up to GP2 and now makes his F1 debut as a test and Friday driver with Spyker in 2007.

Giedo Van Der Garde, 22 year old from the Netherlands, is graduating to Formula 1 from the highly competitive Euro F3 series in which he won two races in 2006 for the ASM team. Giedo joins Spyker F1 as a test and Friday driver.

Adrian Valles and Markus Winkelhock will be test and development drivers.

Visit the official Spyker F1 website.

Welcome to Grand Prix Champ

Welcome to Grand Prix Champ, your source for Formula One, Champ Car World Series, and IndyCar news and insights. Each day will bring you breaking news from the world of open wheel racing, with a distinctly American slant.

Grand Prix Champ is dedicated to Americans who love true auto racing. We will bring you links to news from around the world, and give you our take on the events that impact race drivers, racing teams, and even auto racing sponsors.

Best of all, Grand Prix Champ is an interactive environment for auto racing fans. Your comments are welcome, and are also invited to participate in by sending full articles. If you'd like to be a writer for Grand Prix Champ, e-mail editor@grandprixchamp.com and request our guest writers' guidelines.