2004 Champ Car season: Difference between revisions
GreenC bot (talk | contribs) Rescued 3 archive links. Wayback Medic 2.5 |
mNo edit summary |
||
(48 intermediate revisions by 20 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Sports season}} |
|||
{{American Championship Car season |
{{American Championship Car season |
||
|year = 2004 |
|year = 2004 |
||
|series = Champ Car |
|series = Champ Car |
||
|series_name = [[Bridgestone]] Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by [[Ford]] |
|series_name = [[Bridgestone]] Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] |
||
|series_logo = |
|series_logo = Champ Car simplified logo (2003-2008).svg |
||
|races = 14 |
|races = 14 |
||
|start_date = April 18 |
|start_date = April 18 |
||
Line 11: | Line 12: | ||
|manufacturer_champ = |
|manufacturer_champ = |
||
|rookie_of_year = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] |
|rookie_of_year = {{Flagicon|United States}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] |
||
|pole_positions = {{Flagicon|France}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]] |
|||
|nations_cup = {{Flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]] |
|nations_cup = {{Flagicon|Canada}} [[Canada]] |
||
|previous = [[2003 CART season|2003]] (CART) |
|previous = [[2003 CART season|2003]] (CART) |
||
|next = [[2005 Champ Car season|2005]] |
|next = [[2005 Champ Car season|2005]] |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''2004 Champ Car World Series''' season was the |
The '''2004 Champ Car World Series''' season was the 26th overall season in the [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]]/[[Champ Car]] genealogy, and the first under the ownership of Open-Wheel Racing Series (OWRS) as the [[Champ Car World Series]]. It began on April 18, 2004, and ended on November 7 after 14 races. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as '''Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford'''. The Drivers' Champion was [[Sébastien Bourdais]]. The Rookie of the Year was [[A. J. Allmendinger]]. |
||
The open-wheel racing organization Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. had operated until [[2003 CART season|2003]]. After that year's season, CART declared bankruptcy and was liquidated in an [[Indianapolis]] courtroom in January 2004. Three team owners who had participated in the CART series, [[Gerald Forsythe]], [[Kevin Kalkhoven]], and [[Paul Gentilozzi]], purchased CART's liquidated assets and resurrected it as Open Wheel Racing Series for the 2004 season. |
|||
The open-wheel racing organization Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. had operated until [[2003 CART season|2003]]. After that year's season, CART declared bankruptcy and was liquidated in an [[Indianapolis]] courtroom in January 2004. Three team owners who had participated in the CART series, [[Gerald Forsythe]], [[Kevin Kalkhoven]], and [[Paul Gentilozzi]], purchased CART's liquidated assets and resurrected it as Open-Wheel Racing Series for the 2004 season. |
|||
[[File:Bourdais.jpg|thumb|Frenchman [[Sébastien Bourdais]] would win his first of four consecutive drivers' title driving for [[Newman/Haas Racing|Newman-Haas Racing]]]] |
|||
Champ Car races were broadcast on [[Spike TV]].<ref>[http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2004/03/Issue-119/Sports-Media/The-First-Network-For-OWRS-Champ-Car-On-Spike-TV.aspx The First Network For OWRS: Champ Car On Spike TV] - Sports Business Daily, 11 March 2004</ref> Also, high-definition live broadcasts were on [[HDNet]]. |
Champ Car races were broadcast on [[Spike TV]].<ref>[http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2004/03/Issue-119/Sports-Media/The-First-Network-For-OWRS-Champ-Car-On-Spike-TV.aspx The First Network For OWRS: Champ Car On Spike TV] - Sports Business Daily, 11 March 2004</ref> Also, high-definition live broadcasts were on [[HDNet]]. |
||
== Drivers and teams == |
== Drivers and teams == |
||
The [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-[[Cosworth]] XFE, a 2.65 liter [[turbocharger|turbo]] [[V8 engine|V8]] engine remained the exclusive power plant for the reorganized Champ Car series. |
The [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-[[Cosworth]] XFE, a 2.65 liter [[turbocharger|turbo]] [[V8 engine|V8]] engine remained the exclusive power plant for the reorganized Champ Car series. [[Bridgestone]] remained the exclusive tire supplier as well. They also continued the marketing agreement that branded the series ''Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford''. The following [[List of Champ Car teams|teams]] and [[List of Champ Car drivers|drivers]] competed in the 2004 Champ Car season. |
||
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
||
Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
!Primary Sponsors |
!Primary Sponsors |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=3|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Forsythe/Pettit Racing|Forsythe Championship Racing]] |
|rowspan=3 nowrap|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Forsythe/Pettit Racing|Forsythe Championship Racing]] |
||
|rowspan=3|[[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] B02/00 |
|rowspan=3 nowrap|[[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] B02/00 |
||
|1 |
|1 |
||
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Paul Tracy]] |
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Paul Tracy]] |
||
Line 74: | Line 74: | ||
|All |
|All |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
| rowspan="3" |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
||
|[[Reynard Motorsport|Reynard]] 02I |
| rowspan="3" |[[Reynard Motorsport|Reynard]] 02I |
||
|5 |
|5 |
||
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[ |
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Mário Haberfeld]] |
||
|All |
|All |
||
|[[Cummins]] |
|[[Cummins]] |
||
|- |
|||
| rowspan="2" |15 |
|||
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[David Besnard]] |
|||
|13 |
|||
|[[WPS Racing|Wright-Patton-Shakespeare]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Michael Valiante]] |
|||
|14 |
|||
|[[Wildlife Conservation Network]] |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=4|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rocketsports Racing]] |
|rowspan=4|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rocketsports Racing]] |
||
Line 90: | Line 99: | ||
|rowspan=3|17 |
|rowspan=3|17 |
||
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nelson Philippe]] |
|{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nelson Philippe]] |
||
|1–5 |
|||
|1-5 |
|||
|rowspan=3|[[LeasePlan]] <small>{{Tooltip|6|1-6}}</small><br>[[U.S. Air Force Reserve]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|7}}</small><br>[[Rocketsports Racing]] <small>{{Tooltip|4|8-11}}</small><br>Microchip <small>{{Tooltip|2|12, 14}}</small><br>[[Swift Leisure]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|13}}</small> |
|rowspan=3|[[LeasePlan]] <small>{{Tooltip|6|1-6}}</small><br>[[U.S. Air Force Reserve]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|7}}</small><br>[[Rocketsports Racing]] <small>{{Tooltip|4|8-11}}</small><br>Microchip <small>{{Tooltip|2|12, 14}}</small><br>[[Swift Leisure]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|13}}</small> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Memo Gidley]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Memo Gidley]] |
||
|6–7 |
|||
|6-7 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] |
|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] |
||
|8–14 |
|||
|8-14 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|USA}} [[RuSPORT]] |
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|USA}} [[RuSPORT]] |
||
|rowspan=2|Lola B02/00 |
|rowspan=2|Lola B02/00 |
||
|9 |
|9 |
||
|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Michel Jourdain |
|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Michel Jourdain Jr.]] |
||
|All |
|All |
||
|[[Supermercados Gigante|Gigante]] |
|[[Supermercados Gigante|Gigante]] |
||
Line 109: | Line 118: | ||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] |
||
|All |
|All |
||
|[[BG Group|BG Products]] <small>{{Tooltip|5|1-5}}</small><br>[[Western Union]] <small>{{Tooltip|8|6-7, 9-14}}</small><br>[[Lance Armstrong Foundation]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|8}}</small> |
|nowrap|[[BG Group|BG Products]] <small>{{Tooltip|5|1-5}}</small><br>[[Western Union]] <small>{{Tooltip|8|6-7, 9-14}}</small><br>[[Lance Armstrong Foundation]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|8}}</small> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|USA}} [[KV Racing Technology|PKV Racing]] |
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|USA}} [[KV Racing Technology|PKV Racing]] |
||
Line 127: | Line 136: | ||
|rowspan=3|14 |
|rowspan=3|14 |
||
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Alex Sperafico]] |
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Alex Sperafico]] |
||
|1–8 |
|||
|1-8 |
|||
|rowspan=3|[[Mike Lanigan|Mi-Jack]] <small>{{Tooltip|12|1-6, 8-13}}</small><br>TSI <small>{{Tooltip|1|7}}</small><br>[[Scotiabank|Scotiabank Inverlat]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|14}}</small> |
|rowspan=3|[[Mike Lanigan|Mi-Jack]] <small>{{Tooltip|12|1-6, 8-13}}</small><br>TSI <small>{{Tooltip|1|7}}</small><br>[[Scotiabank|Scotiabank Inverlat]] <small>{{Tooltip|1|14}}</small> |
||
|- |
|- |
||
Line 134: | Line 143: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=2|Lola B02/00 |
|rowspan=2|Lola B02/00 |
||
|10–14 |
|||
|10-14 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan=2|34 |
|rowspan=2|34 |
||
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] |
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] |
||
| |
|1–2, 4–14 |
||
|rowspan=2|[[Mike Lanigan|Mi-Jack]] |
|rowspan=2|[[Mike Lanigan|Mi-Jack]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
Line 153: | Line 162: | ||
|rowspan=3|19 |
|rowspan=3|19 |
||
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Tarso Marques]] |
|{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Tarso Marques]] |
||
| |
|1–2, 14 |
||
|rowspan=3|[[American Medical Response]] |
|rowspan=3|[[American Medical Response]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Gastón Mazzacane]] |
|nowrap|{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Gastón Mazzacane]] |
||
|3–12 |
|||
|3-12 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] |
|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] |
||
|13 |
|13 |
||
|- |
|||
!colspan=6| Part Time Entries |
|||
|- |
|||
|rowspan=2|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
|||
|rowspan=2|[[Reynard Motorsport|Reynard]] 02I |
|||
|rowspan=2|15 |
|||
|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[David Besnard]] |
|||
|13 |
|||
|[[WPS Racing|Wright-Patton-Shakespeare]] |
|||
|- |
|||
|{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Michael Valiante]] |
|||
|14 |
|||
|[[Wildlife Conservation Network]] |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|} |
|} |
||
===From CART to Champ Car=== |
===From CART to Champ Car=== |
||
On January 28, 2004, the assets of the bankrupt Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (CART) were awarded to Open-Wheel Racing Series, LLC, over a bid from [[Indy Racing League]] owner [[Tony George]] as the judge decided that OWRS's bid would allow CART's debt holders a better chance at recouping their money.<ref name="OWRS awarded CART assets">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=144777&FS=INDYCAR|title =OWRS awarded CART assets|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-01-28|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044916/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=144777&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> Despite this victory, the OWRS partners [[Kevin Kalkhoven]], [[Gerald Forsythe]], and [[Paul Gentilozzi]], would still have to work hard to ensure the 18 racecars they promised would be on track for the scheduled [[Grand Prix of Long Beach]] on April 18. Two CART teams founded in 2003, American Spirit Team Johansson and Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing, would not race in 2004, while [[U. E. Patrick]], one of the original founders of CART, sold off his CART team assets before starting a short-lived IRL effort.<ref name="Patrick Racing, Unser Jr to debut at Indy500">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148385&FS=INDYCAR|title =Patrick Racing, Unser Jr to debut at Indy500|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-21|access-date =2010-07-04|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607134015/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148385&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
|||
===Long Beach Season Premiere and its aftermath=== |
===Long Beach Season Premiere and its aftermath=== |
||
On March 9 a "Season Premiere" promotional event was held in [[Long Beach, California]], announcing 12 confirmed drivers and a 16 race schedule.<ref name="Out of the woodwork in Long Beach">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147287&FS=INDYCAR|title =Out of the woodwork in Long Beach|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-09| |
On March 9 a "Season Premiere" promotional event was held in [[Long Beach, California]], announcing 12 confirmed drivers and a 16 race schedule.<ref name="Out of the woodwork in Long Beach">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147287&FS=INDYCAR|title =Out of the woodwork in Long Beach|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-09|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044927/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147287&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> However, just two days later on March 11, [[Adrián Fernández]] threw the plans for the season into serious doubt by announcing the one car team he had presented at Long Beach would not compete in the Champ Car series. He instead expanded his Indy Racing League team to two cars (even though the IRL season had already seen its first race).<ref name="Fernandez moves to the IndyCar Series">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147517&FS=INDYCAR|title =Fernandez moves to the IndyCar Series|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-11|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045019/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147517&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> Another blow came a week later on March 18 when [[Bobby Rahal]], onetime CEO of CART and 3 time series champion and who also presented a one car team in Long Beach, announced he would not compete in CART and would also run a two car IRL team like Fernández.<ref name="Two Rahal cars for IndyCar Series">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148025&FS=INDYCAR|title =Two Rahal cars for IndyCar Series|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-18|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045051/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148025&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
===Champ Car makes it to Long Beach=== |
===Champ Car makes it to Long Beach=== |
||
Momentum for Champ Car began to turn in the aftermath of Rahal's exit when his driver, [[Michel Jourdain |
Momentum for Champ Car began to turn in the aftermath of Rahal's exit when his driver, [[Michel Jourdain Jr.]], announced that he and his sponsor, the Mexican supermarket [[Supermercados Gigante|Gigante]] would not follow Rahal to the IRL.<ref name="Jourdain leaves Team Rahal">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148055&FS=INDYCAR|title =Jourdain leaves Team Rahal|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-18|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045122/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148055&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> Jourdain ended up driving for the new [[RuSPORT]] team, partnering with rookie [[A. J. Allmendinger]].<ref name="Jourdain joins RuSPORT for 2004">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=149239&FS=INDYCAR|title =Jourdain joins RuSPORT for 2004|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-31|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044800/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=149239&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> On March 20, [[HVM Racing|Herdez Competition]] announced that [[Ryan Hunter-Reay]] would race a 2nd car for them.<ref name="Herdez adds Hunter-Reay to second car">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148225&FS=INDYCAR|title =Herdez adds Hunter-Reay to second car|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-20|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044627/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148225&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> On March 24 Gerald Forsythe expanded his team from two cars to three, providing a seat for [[Patrick Carpentier]].<ref name="Forsythe commits to three cars">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148629&FS=INDYCAR|title =Forsythe commits to three cars|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-20|access-date =2010-06-20}}{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Conquest Racing]] announced a two car team featuring ex-[[Formula One]] driver [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] on March 25,<ref name="Justin Wilson to pilot Conquest Racing Lola">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148736&FS=INDYCAR|title =Justin Wilson to pilot Conquest Racing Lola|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-25|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044840/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=148736&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> with [[Alex Sperafico]] filling the second seat two days later.<ref name="Sperafico joins Wilson at Conquest">{{cite news|url =https://www.crash.net/indycar/news/19841/1/sperafico-joins-wilson-at-conquest|title =Sperafico joins Wilson at Conquest|publisher =crash.net|date = 2004-03-27|access-date =2019-03-12}}</ref> [[Walker Racing]]'s one car team announced on April 8 proved to be the final piece of the puzzle to get to the 18 car field promised by the Champ Car partners in January.<ref name="Walker Racing will compete in 2004">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=149863&FS=INDYCAR|title =Walker Racing will compete in 2004|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-04-08|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044742/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=149863&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> Although his participation with two cars was already known, [[Dale Coyne Racing|Dale Coyne]] waited until just before practice began for the [[Grand Prix of Long Beach]] to announce that his drivers would be Champ Car veterans [[Oriol Servià]] and [[Tarso Marques]].<ref name="Marques, Servia secure rides with Coyne Racing">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=150405&FS=INDYCAR|title =Marques, Servia secure rides with Coyne Racing|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-04-16|access-date =2010-06-20|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607044852/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=150405&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
===Mid-season changes=== |
===Mid-season changes=== |
||
* [[Formula One|F1]] |
* Ex [[Formula One|F1]] Driver [[Gastón Mazzacane]] replaced [[Tarso Marques]] at [[Dale Coyne Racing]] beginning with the race in [[2004 Time Warner Cable Road Runner 250|Milwaukee]]. |
||
* [[Rocketsports Racing]] swapped out rookie driver [[Nelson Philippe]] for Champ Car veteran [[Memo Gidley]] after "contractual issues" at [[2004 Molson Indy Toronto|Toronto]].<ref name="Gidley To Drive For Rocketsports">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=159537&FS=INDYCAR|title =Memo Gidley To Drive For Rocketsports Racing In Toronto|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-07-09| |
* [[Rocketsports Racing]] swapped out rookie driver [[Nelson Philippe]] for Champ Car veteran [[Memo Gidley]] after "contractual issues" at [[2004 Molson Indy Toronto|Toronto]].<ref name="Gidley To Drive For Rocketsports">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=159537&FS=INDYCAR|title =Memo Gidley To Drive For Rocketsports Racing In Toronto|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-07-09|access-date =2008-05-11|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160629/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=159537&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-06|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
* Rocketsports changed drivers again for the [[2004 Grand Prix of Road America|Road America]] round, bringing in [[Indy Lights]] and sports car veteran [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] to replace Memo Gidley.<ref name="Rocketsports signs Guy Smith">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=162264&FS=INDYCAR|title =Rocketsports signs Guy Smith|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-08-03| |
* Rocketsports changed drivers again for the [[2004 Grand Prix of Road America|Road America]] round, bringing in [[Indy Lights]] and sports car veteran [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] to replace Memo Gidley.<ref name="Rocketsports signs Guy Smith">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=162264&FS=INDYCAR|title =Rocketsports signs Guy Smith|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-08-03|access-date =2008-05-11|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160748/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=162264&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-06|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
* [[Conquest Racing|Mi-Jack Conquest Racing]] brought in Nelson Philippe to take the place of [[Alex Sperafico]] beginning with the [[2004 Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver|Denver]] round. |
* [[Conquest Racing|Mi-Jack Conquest Racing]] brought in Nelson Philippe to take the place of [[Alex Sperafico]] beginning with the [[2004 Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver|Denver]] round. |
||
* Mi-Jack Conquest's #14 team began racing a [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] chassis beginning in [[2004 Molson Indy Montreal|Montreal]]. |
* Mi-Jack Conquest's #14 team began racing a [[Lola Racing Cars|Lola]] chassis beginning in [[2004 Molson Indy Montreal|Montreal]]. |
||
* [[Walker Racing]] brought out a second car for the final two rounds of the season. |
* [[Walker Racing]] brought out a second car for the final two rounds of the season. Australian [[David Besnard]] drove the car at [[2004 Lexmark Indy 300|Surfer's Paradise]]. [[Atlantic Championship|Toyota Atlantic]] veteran [[Michael Valiante]] took over the drive at [[2004 Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate|Mexico City]].<ref name="Walker Racing enters second car in Australia">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=171636&FS=INDYCAR|title =Walker Racing enters second car in Australia|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-10-18|access-date =2008-05-11|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160545/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=171636&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-06|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
* Dale Coyne Racing replaced Gastón Mazzacane with [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] for the race at Surfer's Paradise.<ref name="Jaroslav Janis gets ride with Coyne">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=171869&FS=INDYCAR|title =Jaroslav Janis gets ride with Coyne|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-10-21| |
* Dale Coyne Racing replaced Gastón Mazzacane with [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] for the race at Surfer's Paradise.<ref name="Jaroslav Janis gets ride with Coyne">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=171869&FS=INDYCAR|title =Jaroslav Janis gets ride with Coyne|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-10-21|access-date =2008-05-11|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160905/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=171869&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-06|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
* Tarso Marques returned to Dale Coyne Racing for the final race of the season at Mexico City.<ref name="Marques returns with Coyne for Mexico City">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=172868&FS=INDYCAR|title =Marques returns with Coyne for Mexico City|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-11-04| |
* Tarso Marques returned to Dale Coyne Racing for the final race of the season at Mexico City.<ref name="Marques returns with Coyne for Mexico City">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=172868&FS=INDYCAR|title =Marques returns with Coyne for Mexico City|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-11-04|access-date =2008-05-11|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110606160835/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=172868&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-06|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
== |
=== Rule changes === |
||
*The mandatory pit window rule from the previous two seasons was eliminated. At early races, teams were given a mandatory number of green flag pit stops but this was also dropped after the first two races of the season. However, the rule was re-instituted for the Las Vegas round to eliminate a possible fuel economy race with no push to pass. |
|||
*For non-oval track races, Bridgestone introduced two types of tires, both of which had to be used unless wet weather tires were used: A primary black-walled tire and a secondary red-walled option tire. The option tire was a softer, faster tire but less durable than the primary tire. |
|||
*For non-oval track races, Ford-Cosworth introduced the "push to pass" button, giving each driver an additional 50 horsepower for 60 seconds per race. The driver activated the function with a green button on the steering wheel, the boost would continue until the driver took his foot off the throttle for 1 second or time ran out. |
|||
== Season summary == |
|||
=== Schedule === |
|||
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
||
|- |
|||
!Rnd |
|||
!Race Name |
|||
!Circuit |
|||
!City/Location |
|||
!Date |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! Rnd |
|||
!1 |
|||
! Race Name |
|||
|{{flagicon|US}} [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach]] |
|||
! Circuit |
|||
|[[Long Beach, California|Streets of Long Beach]] '''(S)''' |
|||
! City/Location |
|||
|[[Long Beach, California]] |
|||
! Date |
|||
|April 18 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 1 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Long Beach, California|Streets of Long Beach]] |
|||
|[[Fundidora Park]] '''(S)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Long Beach, California]] |
||
| April 18 |
|||
|May 23 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 2 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Fundidora Park]] |
|||
|[[Milwaukee Mile]] '''(O)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Monterrey]], [[Mexico]] |
||
| May 23 |
|||
|June 5 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 3 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|US}} [[ABC Supply Wisconsin 250|The Time Warner Cable Roadrunner 250]] |
||
| {{color box|transparent|O|border=silver}} [[Milwaukee Mile]] |
|||
|[[Portland International Raceway]] '''(R)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[West Allis, Wisconsin]] |
||
|June |
| June 5 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 4 |
||
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of |
| {{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Portland|Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Portland International Raceway]] |
|||
|[[Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport]] '''(S)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Portland, Oregon]] |
||
| June 20 |
|||
|July 3 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 5 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|U.S. Bank Presents the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland]] |
||
|nowrap| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport]] |
|||
|[[Exhibition Place]] '''(S)''' |
|||
| [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]] |
|||
|[[Toronto]], [[Canada]] |
|||
|July |
| July 3 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 6 |
||
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Molson Indy |
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Honda Indy Toronto|Molson Indy Toronto]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Exhibition Place]] |
|||
|Streets of Vancouver '''(S)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Toronto]], [[Canada]] |
||
|July |
| July 11 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 7 |
||
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Molson Indy Vancouver]] |
|||
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Kohler Grand Prix|Grand Prix of Road America Presented by the Chicago Tribune]] |
|||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Concord Pacific Place]] |
|||
|[[Road America]] '''(R)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Vancouver]], [[Canada]] |
||
| July 25 |
|||
|August 8 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 8 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
|nowrap| {{flagicon|United States}} [[Kohler Grand Prix|Grand Prix of Road America Presented by the Chicago Tribune]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Road America]] |
|||
|Streets of Denver '''(S)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin]] |
||
|August |
| August 8 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 9 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|US}} [[Grand Prix of Denver|Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Denver Civic Center]] |
|||
|[[Circuit Gilles Villeneuve]] '''(R)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Denver, Colorado]] |
||
|August |
| August 15 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 10 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Grand Prix of Montreal|Molson Indy Montreal]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Circuit Gilles Villeneuve]] |
|||
|[[WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca|Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]] '''(R)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] |
||
| August 29 |
|||
|September 12 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 11 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|United States}} [[Monterey Grand Prix|Bridgestone Grand Prix of Monterey]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca|Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]] |
|||
|[[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]] '''(O)''' |
|||
|[[ |
| [[Monterey, California]] |
||
|September |
| September 12 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 12 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[IZOD IndyCar World Championships|Bridgestone 400 Presented by Corona]] |
||
| {{color box|transparent|O|border=silver}} [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]] |
|||
|[[Surfers Paradise Street Circuit]] '''(S)''' |
|||
| [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] |
|||
|[[Surfers Paradise, Queensland|Surfers Paradise]], [[Australia]] |
|||
|nowrap| September 25 |
|||
|October 24 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
! |
! 13 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Gold Coast Indy 300|Lexmark Indy 300]] |
||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Surfers Paradise Street Circuit]] |
|||
|[[Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez]] '''(R)''' |
|||
|nowrap| [[Surfers Paradise, Queensland|Surfers Paradise]], [[Australia]] |
|||
|[[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]] |
|||
| October 24 |
|||
|November 7 |
|||
|- |
|||
! 14 |
|||
| {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Gran Premio Tecate|Gran Premio Telmex-Tecate Presented by Banamex]] |
|||
| {{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} [[Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez]] |
|||
| [[Mexico City]], [[Mexico]] |
|||
| November 7 |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
{{color box|transparent|O|border=silver}} Oval/Speedway<br> |
|||
'''(R)''' Dedicated road course, '''(O)''' Oval/Speedway, '''(S)''' Temporary street circuit |
|||
{{color box|lightblue|R|border=silver}} Road/Street course<br> |
|||
The initial schedule announced by Champ Car at the Long Beach Season Premiere event included 16 races.<ref name="The 2004 schedule is more complete">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147277&FS=INDYCAR|title =The 2004 schedule is more complete|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-08| |
The initial schedule announced by Champ Car at the Long Beach Season Premiere event included 16 races.<ref name="The 2004 schedule is more complete">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147277&FS=INDYCAR|title =The 2004 schedule is more complete|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-03-08|access-date =2010-07-05|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607144756/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=147277&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> One event that didn't make the final schedule was a race on a street circuit in [[Seoul|Seoul, South Korea]] on October 17, a week before the Surfers Paradise race, but the race was cancelled on September 24 because of "environmental issues",<ref name="Seoul Off">{{cite news|url =https://www.espn.com/racing/news/story?id=1887662|title =Three events remaining in season|publisher =[[ESPN]]|date =2004-09-24|access-date =2019-08-05}}</ref> two months after reports that government approval for a race near [[Seoul World Cup Stadium]] could not be arranged in time.<ref name="Seoul Stadium">{{cite news|url =https://autoweek.com/article/car-news/flash-weeks-late-racing-motorsports-news-briefs-no-seoul-champ-car-four-door-sports|title =No Seoul for Champ Cars|publisher =AutoWeek|date =2004-07-25|access-date =2019-08-05}}</ref> The second was a "TBA" event that was scheduled to take place somewhere in the United States after the [[2004 Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate|Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate]] in Mexico City and never materialized. A second TBA event on the initial schedule became the [[2004 Bridgestone 400|Bridgestone 400]] on September 25 at the [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]], which was announced on July 7.<ref name="Champ Car to run at Las Vegas">{{cite news|url =http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=159310&FS=INDYCAR|title =Champ Car to run at Las Vegas|publisher =motorsport.com|date =2004-07-07|access-date =2010-07-05|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110607144810/http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=159310&FS=INDYCAR|archive-date =2011-06-07|url-status =dead}}</ref> |
||
== Season summary == |
|||
=== Race results === |
=== Race results === |
||
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: |
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
||
|- |
|- |
||
!Rnd |
!Rnd |
||
Line 305: | Line 306: | ||
![[Pole position]] |
![[Pole position]] |
||
![[Fastest lap]] |
![[Fastest lap]] |
||
! |
!Led most laps |
||
!Winning driver |
!Winning driver |
||
!Winning team |
!Winning team |
||
Line 311: | Line 312: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!1 |
!1 |
||
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach]] |
|nowrap|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach]] |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Bruno Junqueira]] |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Bruno Junqueira]] |
||
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]] |
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Sébastien Bourdais]] |
||
Line 347: | Line 348: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!5 |
!5 |
||
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|U.S. Bank Presents |
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|U.S. Bank Presents the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland]] |
||
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Paul Tracy]] |
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Paul Tracy]] |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Bruno Junqueira]] |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Bruno Junqueira]] |
||
Line 553: | Line 554: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!6 |
!6 |
||
|{{flagicon|US}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] {{color box|yellow|RY|border= |
|nowrap|{{flagicon|US}} [[A. J. Allmendinger]] {{color box|yellow|RY|border=silver}} |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|17 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|17 |
||
Line 643: | Line 644: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!11 |
!11 |
||
|{{flagicon|UK}} [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|UK}} [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
||
Line 661: | Line 662: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!12 |
!12 |
||
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Michel Jourdain |
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Michel Jourdain Jr.]] |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|11 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|11 |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|11 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|11 |
||
Line 679: | Line 680: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!13 |
!13 |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[ |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Mário Haberfeld]] |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|9 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|9 |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|15 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|15 |
||
Line 715: | Line 716: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!15 |
!15 |
||
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Roberto González Valdez|Roberto González]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Roberto González Valdez|Roberto González]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|14 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|14 |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|9 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|9 |
||
Line 733: | Line 734: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!16 |
!16 |
||
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Nelson Philippe]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Nelson Philippe]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|13 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|13 |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|10 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|10 |
||
Line 751: | Line 752: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!17 |
!17 |
||
|{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Gastón Mazzacane]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Gastón Mazzacane]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}}}} |
||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
Line 758: | Line 759: | ||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
||
|style="background:# |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|15 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|15 |
||
Line 769: | Line 770: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!18 |
!18 |
||
|{{flagicon|UK}} [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|UK}} [[Guy Smith (racing driver)|Guy Smith]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
Line 787: | Line 788: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!19 |
!19 |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Alex Sperafico]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Alex Sperafico]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|17 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|17 |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|16 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|16 |
||
Line 805: | Line 806: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!20 |
!20 |
||
|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[David Besnard]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|Australia}} [[David Besnard]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
Line 859: | Line 860: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!23 |
!23 |
||
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Michael Valiante]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Michael Valiante]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
Line 877: | Line 878: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!24 |
!24 |
||
|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] {{color box|orange|R|border= |
|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Jarek Janiš]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
| |
| |
||
| |
| |
||
Line 971: | Line 972: | ||
|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Led most race laps |
|style="background:#F2F2F2;" align=center|Led most race laps |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|style="text-align:center" colspan=2|{{color box|yellow|RY|border= |
|style="text-align:center" colspan=2|{{color box|yellow|RY|border=silver}} Rookie of the Year |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|style="text-align:center" colspan=2|{{color box|orange|R|border= |
|style="text-align:center" colspan=2|{{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} Rookie |
||
|} |
|} |
||
|} |
|} |
||
|} |
|} |
||
=== |
=== Nations' Cup === |
||
* Top result per race counts towards the |
* Top result per race counts towards the Nations' Cup |
||
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;" |
||
Line 1,136: | Line 1,137: | ||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|12 |
||
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" align=center|6 |
||
|style="background:# |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
||
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
|style="background:#efcfff;" align=center|18 |
||
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|15 |
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" align=center|15 |
||
Line 1,201: | Line 1,202: | ||
|} |
|} |
||
===[[Chassis]] |
===[[Chassis]] Constructors' Cup === |
||
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;; text-align:center;" |
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;; text-align:center;" |
||
Line 1,370: | Line 1,371: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!12 |
!12 |
||
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Michel Jourdain |
|{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Michel Jourdain Jr.|Jourdain Jr.]] |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[RuSPORT]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[RuSPORT]] |
||
|align="center"|14 |
|align="center"|14 |
||
Line 1,382: | Line 1,383: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!13 |
!13 |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[ |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Mário Haberfeld|Haberfeld]] |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|14 |
|align="center"|14 |
||
Line 1,430: | Line 1,431: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!17 |
!17 |
||
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Gastón Mazzacane|Mazzacane]] |
|{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Gastón Mazzacane|Mazzacane]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dale Coyne Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dale Coyne Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|10 |
|align="center"|10 |
||
Line 1,454: | Line 1,455: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!19 |
!19 |
||
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Alex Sperafico|Sperafico]] |
|{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Alex Sperafico|Sperafico]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mi-Jack Conquest Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Mi-Jack Conquest Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|8 |
|align="center"|8 |
||
Line 1,478: | Line 1,479: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!21 |
!21 |
||
|{{flagicon| |
|{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Memo Gidley|Gidley]] |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rocketsports Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Rocketsports Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|2 |
|align="center"|2 |
||
Line 1,502: | Line 1,503: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!23 |
!23 |
||
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Michael Valiante|Valiante]] |
|{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Michael Valiante|Valiante]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Walker Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|1 |
|align="center"|1 |
||
Line 1,514: | Line 1,515: | ||
|- |
|- |
||
!24 |
!24 |
||
|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Janiš]] |
|{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Jaroslav Janiš|Janiš]] {{color box|orange|R|border=silver}} |
||
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dale Coyne Racing]] |
|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dale Coyne Racing]] |
||
|align="center"|1 |
|align="center"|1 |
||
Line 1,530: | Line 1,531: | ||
==References== |
==References== |
||
* {{cite web|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/5-2004/ |title=Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford 2004 |author=Åberg, Andreas |publisher=Driver Database | |
* {{cite web|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/5-2004/ |title=Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford 2004 |author=Åberg, Andreas |publisher=Driver Database |access-date=2009-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005040646/http://www.driverdb.com/standings/5-2004/ |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=live }} |
||
* {{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2004.htm |title=2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford |publisher=Champ Car Stats | |
* {{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2004.htm |title=2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford |publisher=Champ Car Stats |access-date=2009-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122000223/http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2004.htm |archive-date=2008-11-22 |url-status=live }} |
||
* {{cite web |url=http://www.champcar.ws/Results/Standings.asp?Year=2004 |title=Standings after Mexico City |publisher=Champ Car World Series | |
* {{cite web |url=http://www.champcar.ws/Results/Standings.asp?Year=2004 |title=Standings after Mexico City |publisher=Champ Car World Series |access-date=2009-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022080420/http://www.champcar.ws/Results/Standings.asp?Year=2004 |archive-date=2008-10-22 |url-status=dead }} |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
Line 1,547: | Line 1,548: | ||
[[Category:2004 in American motorsport|Champ Car]] |
[[Category:2004 in American motorsport|Champ Car]] |
||
[[Category:2004 in Champ Car|2004 in Champ Car]] |
[[Category:2004 in Champ Car|2004 in Champ Car]] |
||
[[Category:2004 in formula racing|Champ Car]] |
Latest revision as of 17:45, 13 December 2024
2004 Champ Car season | |
---|---|
Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford | |
Season | |
Races | 14 |
Start date | April 18 |
End date | November 7 |
Awards | |
Drivers' champion | Sébastien Bourdais |
Constructors' Cup | Lola |
Nations' Cup | Canada |
Rookie of the Year | A. J. Allmendinger |
The 2004 Champ Car World Series season was the 26th overall season in the CART/Champ Car genealogy, and the first under the ownership of Open-Wheel Racing Series (OWRS) as the Champ Car World Series. It began on April 18, 2004, and ended on November 7 after 14 races. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The Drivers' Champion was Sébastien Bourdais. The Rookie of the Year was A. J. Allmendinger.
The open-wheel racing organization Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. had operated until 2003. After that year's season, CART declared bankruptcy and was liquidated in an Indianapolis courtroom in January 2004. Three team owners who had participated in the CART series, Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, and Paul Gentilozzi, purchased CART's liquidated assets and resurrected it as Open-Wheel Racing Series for the 2004 season.
Champ Car races were broadcast on Spike TV.[1] Also, high-definition live broadcasts were on HDNet.
Drivers and teams
[edit]The Ford-Cosworth XFE, a 2.65 liter turbo V8 engine remained the exclusive power plant for the reorganized Champ Car series. Bridgestone remained the exclusive tire supplier as well. They also continued the marketing agreement that branded the series Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The following teams and drivers competed in the 2004 Champ Car season.
From CART to Champ Car
[edit]On January 28, 2004, the assets of the bankrupt Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (CART) were awarded to Open-Wheel Racing Series, LLC, over a bid from Indy Racing League owner Tony George as the judge decided that OWRS's bid would allow CART's debt holders a better chance at recouping their money.[2] Despite this victory, the OWRS partners Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe, and Paul Gentilozzi, would still have to work hard to ensure the 18 racecars they promised would be on track for the scheduled Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18. Two CART teams founded in 2003, American Spirit Team Johansson and Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing, would not race in 2004, while U. E. Patrick, one of the original founders of CART, sold off his CART team assets before starting a short-lived IRL effort.[3]
Long Beach Season Premiere and its aftermath
[edit]On March 9 a "Season Premiere" promotional event was held in Long Beach, California, announcing 12 confirmed drivers and a 16 race schedule.[4] However, just two days later on March 11, Adrián Fernández threw the plans for the season into serious doubt by announcing the one car team he had presented at Long Beach would not compete in the Champ Car series. He instead expanded his Indy Racing League team to two cars (even though the IRL season had already seen its first race).[5] Another blow came a week later on March 18 when Bobby Rahal, onetime CEO of CART and 3 time series champion and who also presented a one car team in Long Beach, announced he would not compete in CART and would also run a two car IRL team like Fernández.[6]
Champ Car makes it to Long Beach
[edit]Momentum for Champ Car began to turn in the aftermath of Rahal's exit when his driver, Michel Jourdain Jr., announced that he and his sponsor, the Mexican supermarket Gigante would not follow Rahal to the IRL.[7] Jourdain ended up driving for the new RuSPORT team, partnering with rookie A. J. Allmendinger.[8] On March 20, Herdez Competition announced that Ryan Hunter-Reay would race a 2nd car for them.[9] On March 24 Gerald Forsythe expanded his team from two cars to three, providing a seat for Patrick Carpentier.[10] Conquest Racing announced a two car team featuring ex-Formula One driver Justin Wilson on March 25,[11] with Alex Sperafico filling the second seat two days later.[12] Walker Racing's one car team announced on April 8 proved to be the final piece of the puzzle to get to the 18 car field promised by the Champ Car partners in January.[13] Although his participation with two cars was already known, Dale Coyne waited until just before practice began for the Grand Prix of Long Beach to announce that his drivers would be Champ Car veterans Oriol Servià and Tarso Marques.[14]
Mid-season changes
[edit]- Ex F1 Driver Gastón Mazzacane replaced Tarso Marques at Dale Coyne Racing beginning with the race in Milwaukee.
- Rocketsports Racing swapped out rookie driver Nelson Philippe for Champ Car veteran Memo Gidley after "contractual issues" at Toronto.[15]
- Rocketsports changed drivers again for the Road America round, bringing in Indy Lights and sports car veteran Guy Smith to replace Memo Gidley.[16]
- Mi-Jack Conquest Racing brought in Nelson Philippe to take the place of Alex Sperafico beginning with the Denver round.
- Mi-Jack Conquest's #14 team began racing a Lola chassis beginning in Montreal.
- Walker Racing brought out a second car for the final two rounds of the season. Australian David Besnard drove the car at Surfer's Paradise. Toyota Atlantic veteran Michael Valiante took over the drive at Mexico City.[17]
- Dale Coyne Racing replaced Gastón Mazzacane with Jarek Janiš for the race at Surfer's Paradise.[18]
- Tarso Marques returned to Dale Coyne Racing for the final race of the season at Mexico City.[19]
Rule changes
[edit]- The mandatory pit window rule from the previous two seasons was eliminated. At early races, teams were given a mandatory number of green flag pit stops but this was also dropped after the first two races of the season. However, the rule was re-instituted for the Las Vegas round to eliminate a possible fuel economy race with no push to pass.
- For non-oval track races, Bridgestone introduced two types of tires, both of which had to be used unless wet weather tires were used: A primary black-walled tire and a secondary red-walled option tire. The option tire was a softer, faster tire but less durable than the primary tire.
- For non-oval track races, Ford-Cosworth introduced the "push to pass" button, giving each driver an additional 50 horsepower for 60 seconds per race. The driver activated the function with a green button on the steering wheel, the boost would continue until the driver took his foot off the throttle for 1 second or time ran out.
Season summary
[edit]Schedule
[edit] O Oval/Speedway
R Road/Street course
The initial schedule announced by Champ Car at the Long Beach Season Premiere event included 16 races.[20] One event that didn't make the final schedule was a race on a street circuit in Seoul, South Korea on October 17, a week before the Surfers Paradise race, but the race was cancelled on September 24 because of "environmental issues",[21] two months after reports that government approval for a race near Seoul World Cup Stadium could not be arranged in time.[22] The second was a "TBA" event that was scheduled to take place somewhere in the United States after the Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate in Mexico City and never materialized. A second TBA event on the initial schedule became the Bridgestone 400 on September 25 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which was announced on July 7.[23]
Race results
[edit]Final driver standings
[edit]
|
|
Nations' Cup
[edit]- Top result per race counts towards the Nations' Cup
Pos | Country | LBH | MTY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | VAN | ROA | DEN | MTL | LAG | LAS | SUR | MEX | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Canada | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 380 |
2 | France | 3 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 358 |
3 | Brazil | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 352 |
4 | United States | 7 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 310 |
5 | Mexico | 5 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 295 |
6 | Spain | 15 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 195 |
7 | England | 6 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 195 |
8 | Argentina | 16 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 73 | ||||
9 | Australia | 7 | 17 | |||||||||||||
10 | Czech Republic | 18 | 3 | |||||||||||||
Pos | Country | LBH | MTY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | VAN | ROA | DEN | MTL | LAG | LAS | SUR | MEX | Pts |
Pos | Chassis | Pts |
---|---|---|
1 | Lola | 462 |
2 | Reynard | 168 |
Pos | Chassis | Pts |
Driver breakdown
[edit]Pos | Driver | Team | Entries | Wins | Podiums | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bourdais | Newman-Haas Racing | 14 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 506 | 369 |
2 | Junqueira | Newman-Haas Racing | 14 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 123 | 341 |
3 | Carpentier | Forsythe Championship Racing | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 66 | 266 |
4 | Tracy | Forsythe Championship Racing | 14 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 286 | 254 |
5 | Domínguez | Herdez Competition | 14 | -- | 3 | 6 | 11 | -- | 10 | 244 |
6 | Allmendinger | RuSPORT | 14 | -- | 2 | 5 | 9 | -- | 16 | 229 |
7 | Tagliani | Rocketsports Racing | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -- | 29 | 218 |
8 | Vasser | PKV Racing | 14 | -- | 1 | 5 | 9 | -- | 5 | 201 |
9 | Hunter-Reay | Herdez Competition | 14 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 250 | 199 |
10 | Servià | Dale Coyne Racing | 14 | -- | 1 | 2 | 8 | -- | 6 | 199 |
11 | Wilson | Mi-Jack Conquest Racing | 14 | -- | -- | 2 | 8 | -- | 1 | 188 |
12 | Jourdain Jr. | RuSPORT | 14 | -- | 2 | 3 | 6 | -- | 13 | 185 |
13 | Haberfeld | Walker Racing | 14 | -- | -- | 1 | 7 | -- | -- | 157 |
14 | Lavín | Forsythe Championship Racing | 14 | -- | 1 | 2 | 5 | -- | 3 | 156 |
15 | Roberto González | PKV Racing | 14 | -- | -- | -- | 5 | -- | -- | 136 |
16 | Philippe | Rocketsports Racing Mi-Jack Conquest Racing |
11 | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | 89 |
17 | Mazzacane R | Dale Coyne Racing | 10 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 73 |
18 | Smith | Rocketsports Racing | 7 | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | 53 |
19 | Sperafico R | Mi-Jack Conquest Racing | 8 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 47 |
20 | Besnard | Walker Racing | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 18 |
21 | Gidley | Rocketsports Racing | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15 |
22 | Marques | Dale Coyne Racing | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 9 |
23 | Valiante R | Walker Racing | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 |
24 | Janiš R | Dale Coyne Racing | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ The First Network For OWRS: Champ Car On Spike TV - Sports Business Daily, 11 March 2004
- ^ "OWRS awarded CART assets". motorsport.com. 2004-01-28. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Patrick Racing, Unser Jr to debut at Indy500". motorsport.com. 2004-03-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ "Out of the woodwork in Long Beach". motorsport.com. 2004-03-09. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Fernandez moves to the IndyCar Series". motorsport.com. 2004-03-11. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Two Rahal cars for IndyCar Series". motorsport.com. 2004-03-18. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Jourdain leaves Team Rahal". motorsport.com. 2004-03-18. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Jourdain joins RuSPORT for 2004". motorsport.com. 2004-03-31. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Herdez adds Hunter-Reay to second car". motorsport.com. 2004-03-20. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Forsythe commits to three cars". motorsport.com. 2004-03-20. Retrieved 2010-06-20.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Justin Wilson to pilot Conquest Racing Lola". motorsport.com. 2004-03-25. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Sperafico joins Wilson at Conquest". crash.net. 2004-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
- ^ "Walker Racing will compete in 2004". motorsport.com. 2004-04-08. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Marques, Servia secure rides with Coyne Racing". motorsport.com. 2004-04-16. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Memo Gidley To Drive For Rocketsports Racing In Toronto". motorsport.com. 2004-07-09. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Rocketsports signs Guy Smith". motorsport.com. 2004-08-03. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Walker Racing enters second car in Australia". motorsport.com. 2004-10-18. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Jaroslav Janis gets ride with Coyne". motorsport.com. 2004-10-21. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Marques returns with Coyne for Mexico City". motorsport.com. 2004-11-04. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "The 2004 schedule is more complete". motorsport.com. 2004-03-08. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ^ "Three events remaining in season". ESPN. 2004-09-24. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ^ "No Seoul for Champ Cars". AutoWeek. 2004-07-25. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ^ "Champ Car to run at Las Vegas". motorsport.com. 2004-07-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
References
[edit]- Åberg, Andreas. "Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford 2004". Driver Database. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- "2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- "Standings after Mexico City". Champ Car World Series. Archived from the original on 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2009-05-19.