From the press release:
KV Racing Technology co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser announced today that the team will campaign two cars during the 2008 IndyCar Series season.Wilson, Rahal, Perera, Power, and Seriva - that's five. Yee-haw.
"Jimmy and I are very pleased to announce a new chapter in the history of our team which will campaign a two-car effort during the 2008 IndyCar Series season," said Kalkhoven. "In conjunction with our commitment to the IndyCar Series we have re-branded the team as KV Racing Technology and agreed to a sponsorship arrangement with Aussie Vineyards Team Australia. This will allow Will Power to join teammate Oriol Servia in what I believe will be the most competitive and exciting open-wheel racing series. We want to welcome both Aussie Vineyards Team Australia and Will Power to our team and we look forward to a very successful season in 2008 and for many years to come."
KV Racing Technology is entering its sixth year of competition and its first in the IndyCar Series. Servia, who came to an agreement with the team earlier this year, will be behind the wheel of the KV Racing Technology #32 Honda/Dallara//Firestone entry while Power will pilot the KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine.
And Willpower now has Scott Sharp's #8...*sniff sniff*...I promised I wouldn't get emotional...
I still think Tracy's in a car for Homestead. That'll be six, with Dale Coyne still to be confirmed. Adding six cars, all with drivers that have shown non-backmarker levels of talents, isn't something to be sneezed at. One way or another, IndyCar was going to have 18 cars at Homestead. Now they'll have 24 or 25, which is a good-sized field. I think it was Curt Cavin who said recently that a modest growth in car count, but one that can be maintained, is better than 30 cars at Homestead, and then 19 at Milwaukee. And somehow, I still just don't see Walker and Stoddart walking away from open-wheel racing for good. It just doesn't jive. The economy is playing a dastardly trick on racing right now, but it will eventually pass. I mean, everyone's marketing budget for 2008 was (mostly) set six months ago, so it's asking a lot for a company to come up with $3-5 million on short notice, to back a team that's new to a series, when the economy is slowing. There will be more money available for 2009, and if Walker and Staddart can put cars in the field at Indy and two other races in 2008, they'll be in a position to grab some of it.
Sorry. :-( It's actually funny how much I'm gonna miss Scott Sharp, now that he's gone to ALMS.
How wild, I was listening to the radio and they were playing clips from Favre just as I clicked over here. Although I think he may have denied it already, here's to Vasser in a third at Indy.
I think the only thing that I don't like about this is what Kevin may have giveth to Walker for CCWS (Aussie Vineyards bucks), Kevin taketh from Walker so Kevin can go racing in the IRL. One hopes Walker can at least get the bucks he says Mr. Gore of Aussie Vineyards owes him.
"Sorry mate! It's not personal Derrick, It's only business."
sounds like someone (or someones) may be coming to the rescue of Walker (maybe penske didn't want to see a car he set up go to waste), AR1 is alao apparently saying minardi was simply getting out of the team but that the team is still going forward... guess we'll have to wait and see