Sean Malone
07-06-09, 04:13 PM
Q: A lot of the owners have said they want to get a new car before 2011 and they think they can't afford not to get a new car, did you get to that today and is there any indication you can go forward before then?
BRIAN BARNHART: We are not ruling out 2011 but one of the biggest challenges we face, we are down to two designs seem to be the direction we are leaning towards, and I say they are significantly different, and also they are significantly different from each other and they are also significantly different from what we currently have.
And because of that, I think the challenge with making it by 2011 is a little bit of the fear of the unknown, but also doing your due diligence with it, because it is so radically different from what has been in open-wheel racing over the evolution for the last 30 years; you have to build a prototype, you have to be able to run them. You're going to have to learn how to race those cars, and equally, if not more important, we are going to have to learn how to crash those cars.
And it's hard for me to say without getting into too much detail about it, but just the database that's been created from a safety aspect over the evolution of the current type of car, a significant portion of that doesn't apply, because of the potential new cars are so radically different.
You know, with the importance in priority on safety, I'm just not sure time will allow for the prototype to be built, tested, and then all of the work done for it to be in place. I mean, we are 17 or 18 months from January of 2011, so I'm not sure that's a comfortable time frame to be able to do what we feel needs to be done with it.
If it can, we are not ruling out 2011. Our focus is on 2012 and if we can do it quicker, then we will get it in place for 2011. And if not, it will be 2012.
:gomer:
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=335295&FS=
BRIAN BARNHART: We are not ruling out 2011 but one of the biggest challenges we face, we are down to two designs seem to be the direction we are leaning towards, and I say they are significantly different, and also they are significantly different from each other and they are also significantly different from what we currently have.
And because of that, I think the challenge with making it by 2011 is a little bit of the fear of the unknown, but also doing your due diligence with it, because it is so radically different from what has been in open-wheel racing over the evolution for the last 30 years; you have to build a prototype, you have to be able to run them. You're going to have to learn how to race those cars, and equally, if not more important, we are going to have to learn how to crash those cars.
And it's hard for me to say without getting into too much detail about it, but just the database that's been created from a safety aspect over the evolution of the current type of car, a significant portion of that doesn't apply, because of the potential new cars are so radically different.
You know, with the importance in priority on safety, I'm just not sure time will allow for the prototype to be built, tested, and then all of the work done for it to be in place. I mean, we are 17 or 18 months from January of 2011, so I'm not sure that's a comfortable time frame to be able to do what we feel needs to be done with it.
If it can, we are not ruling out 2011. Our focus is on 2012 and if we can do it quicker, then we will get it in place for 2011. And if not, it will be 2012.
:gomer:
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=335295&FS=