View Full Version : KK now owns Cosworth?
Saw this on the other site.
According to the latest issue of NSSN:
Cosworth Finds New Life Under Kalkhoven
MEXICO CITY -- Twenty-two months ago, Kevin Kalkhoven was a restless venture capitalist with no previous involvement in professional auto racing. Now the Australia native is on the verge of becoming one of the most powerful men in the sport. National Speed Sport News has learned that Kalkhoven has completed an agreement to purchase engine builder and developer Cosworth Racing from Ford Motor Company. Kalkhoven was scheduled fly to England Tuesday to meet with Cosworth's 550 employees at the company's Northampton headquarters early on the morning of Nov. 11 to inform them of the new ownership.
Anyone have any other news, I can't find any.
I read (I think Robin Miller wrote it) that if KK does buy Cosworth, he'll honor the IRL contract for 2005.
Chiphead_Dave
11-10-04, 05:58 PM
I read (I think Robin Miller wrote it) that if KK does buy Cosworth, he'll honor the IRL contract for 2005.
I am of 3 minds about this.
1. Honor the contract but make darn sure the engine
wins to show TG and his cool-aid drinkers how it is done.
2. Honor the contract but ship lumps of iron. Call
it the TG ass-spincter special.
3. Break the contract at any cost.
Michaelhatesfans
11-10-04, 06:10 PM
I read (I think Robin Miller wrote it) that if KK does buy Cosworth, he'll honor the IRL contract for 2005.
But that was for the work Cosworth was doing with Chevy, and Chevy has since announced that they are leaving, so the IRL contract is probably redundant anyway.
Andrew Longman
11-10-04, 06:17 PM
I am of 3 minds about this.
1. Honor the contract but make darn sure the engine
wins to show TG and his cool-aid drinkers how it is done.
2. Honor the contract but ship lumps of iron. Call
it the TG ass-spincter special.
3. Break the contract at any cost.
3. If you don't honor it you lose revenue, incur legal costs, and damage relationships that you might want later
2. If you build crap, fewer teams will buy the engine, costing revenue, but also costing less to build, and Chevy will sure not reverse their decision to leave. But you also hurt Cosworths reputation, even if it is badged a Chevy.
1. If you take on H and T, you spend more, but so do they, thus the ROI grows even worse for them. But the racing product becomes better because the competition is better. Maybe a few more people actually start to watch that crap. A few wins and maybe Chevy stays, which also might make T and H stay.
I'd pick #2. Do the honorable thing but don't try too hard. Its least likely to create unintended consequenses. Politely decline to renew the contract in 06. Walk away with your dignity and reputaion intact.
Audi_A4
11-10-04, 06:25 PM
I read (I think Robin Miller wrote it) that if KK does buy Cosworth, he'll honor the IRL contract for 2005.
and rebadge the engine the CRAPWAGON 2000
and rebadge the engine the CRAPWAGON 2000
I like the way you think. YOU'RE HIRED!
and rebadge the engine the CRAPWAGON 2000
THAT is a great idea.
It would be great if that name beat T&H. But it will only exist if GM pays for it so it will be called a Chevy. And it will be a loser because the engine is only one part of the equation. I bet only a fraction of the Yen goes towards the engine. The rest goes for wind tunnel testing, hiring the best engineers, computer simulations, etc, etc.
I'm a little concerned about KK buying Cosworth. Is it to be one ChampCar engine forever?
Despain said that originally KK was supposed to be in Windbag for the annoucement on Wednesday. Evidently it got pushed back because Ford was busy working out the Jaguar deal.
KK now owns Cosworth?
I am hearing this is a done deal....... announcement is imminent. :thumbup:
RacinM3
11-10-04, 08:14 PM
Wow, the possibilities are quite broad.
I'm a little concerned about KK buying Cosworth. Is it to be one ChampCar engine forever?
Not necessarily. Just because he owns Cosworth doesn't mean other mfr's won't be invited to play.
It does give Champ Car an edge in that they have a plan to fall back on, and to make them immune to the effects of the engine manufacturer's notorious "dark sides".
TG wishes he owned a top-flight engine builder right about now.
TG wishes he owned a top-flight engine builder right about now.Instead of being pwnd by a couple top-flight Japanese engine builders.
I hear that it is almost a done deal for Tony George to acquire the remaining assets of Meyer & Drake Engineering. The search for original drawings and the casting patterns for the 161ci Offenhauser will start immediately after the signing of the papers.
I hear that it is almost a done deal for Tony George to acquire the remaining assets of Meyer & Drake Engineering. The search for original drawings and the casting patterns for the 161ci Offenhauser will start immediately after the signing of the papers.
Not so fast. According to my sources TG is trying to extract the Tony Tax from Leo Goosen's estate and that's the holdup right now.
In the mean time, come what may the CCWS will always have an engine supplier.
I'm a little concerned about KK buying Cosworth. Is it to be one ChampCar engine forever?
If necessary. But it might also provide a mechanism to extend the cost controls of the current rules across multiple suppliers. Every manufacturer could be required to sell engines to Champ car. Champ car wouldl then have them maintained by Cosworth and make them available to teams at a specified price.
RacinM3
11-11-04, 12:44 AM
Honestly if true I think this is the most important development in a long, long time.
Michaelhatesfans
11-11-04, 03:08 AM
Hey, at least if Cosworth will be the sole engine supplier, that means we don't have to worry about traction control raising it's ugly head again for a while. :thumbup:
oddlycalm
11-11-04, 05:27 AM
This is huge. Cosworth doesn't come up for sale every day. If you want to put yourself in the middle of the racing world with a single purchase and this is the one you want to buy. :thumbup:
Now if they would just buy up a few great road courses... ;)
BTW, the racing engine bidness must be doing pretty well because the guys at racing valve maker Del West Engineering told me they just ordered a bunch of very expensive new machines, and those guys are as tight with a buck as anyone I do business with.
oc
Paul Stoddart has been quoted at the Autosport site saying Minardi will run in 2005 with Cosworth engines and indicated that the sale of Cosworth is agreed upon. He didn't name the buyer, though.
It would be great if that name beat T&H. But it will only exist if GM pays for it so it will be called a Chevy. And it will be a loser because the engine is only one part of the equation. I bet only a fraction of the Yen goes towards the engine. The rest goes for wind tunnel testing, hiring the best engineers, computer simulations, etc, etc.
I'm a little concerned about KK buying Cosworth. Is it to be one ChampCar engine forever?
I’m wondering the same thing, because this sounds so much like one of those conflicts-of-interest for which CART was soooooo well known.
I really like Kalkhoven, but then, I used to like a lot of people who let greed get ahead of wisdom. Let’s hope Kalkhoven has what it takes.
4wheeldrifter
11-11-04, 08:58 AM
I hear that it is almost a done deal for Tony George to acquire the remaining assets of Meyer & Drake Engineering. The search for original drawings and the casting patterns for the 161ci Offenhauser will start immediately after the signing of the papers.
THAT would actually only make their "series" more interesting. Of course, how could it not?
Insomniac
11-11-04, 11:38 AM
He should honor the contract, but if he can, charge full price. He should do what Toyota wanted ChampCar to do. Pay full cost to prop up their IRL business. Let them prop up (however little) Cpsworth. Also, the engineers should be allowed to work as hard as they want to compete and build good engines. It's in the best interest for the entire company.
Anything that causes a meltdown on TF must, by definition, be good for CCWS. The Lemmings are trying to spin this into a bad thing for us so that's all I need to know as far as how good this really is.
Ozarkian
11-11-04, 01:24 PM
Anything that causes a meltdown on TF must, by definition, be good for CCWS. The Lemmings are trying to spin this into a bad thing for us so that's all I need to know as far as how good this really is.
Yep. The "Gomers'-Panties-In-A-Bunch" gauge is a really good indicator.
Things must be interesting over at 16th & Georgetown knowing that they are dealing with real businessmen who are used to winning.
Don Quixote
11-11-04, 02:08 PM
Said lemmings that are over there spinning this as bad news for CCWS, have to be on the IRL payroll.
I'm hoping that KK has some creative ideas about how to use Cosworth. One way, especially if they don't wind up doing an F1 engine, would be to split them up into three teams and let each choose a different production-based engine to adapt and develop - with the mfgr championship monies going directly to the people who did the work.
They could enforce team budgets because Cosworth would control the purse strings. If there's a dominant engine, the manufacturer of it would want to advertise that. If they're all roughly equal, all the manufacturers would consider buying ads.
Cosworth could even productionize some of the modifications for the aftermarket and we could buy some of the same Cosworth-branded technology for our cars.
oddlycalm
11-11-04, 06:56 PM
BTW, isn't the Cosworth supply agreement with GM, not the EARL? I suspect there's not much to fulfilling the rest of the commitment with GM leaving. Anybody know for certain?
My understanding was the Cosworth had the engine finished, so when an opportunity to sell some came along, they took it. I never had the impression development was ongoing, and the results would indicate that the Cosworth has been static while others, notably Honda, have continued to develop their engines. Then again, all I have is broad impressions because I don't pay any closer attention to the EARL than that. What I can say for certain is that for a company with 675 employees, the GM/EARL business is a very small part of the picture.
oc
Insomniac
11-11-04, 07:32 PM
BTW, isn't the Cosworth supply agreement with GM, not the EARL? I suspect there's not much to fulfilling the rest of the commitment with GM leaving. Anybody know for certain?
My understanding was the Cosworth had the engine finished, so when an opportunity to sell some came along, they took it. I never had the impression development was ongoing, and the results would indicate that the Cosworth has been static while others, notably Honda, have continued to develop their engines. Then again, all I have is broad impressions because I don't pay any closer attention to the EARL than that. What I can say for certain is that for a company with 675 employees, the GM/EARL business is a very small part of the picture.
oc
That was the 3.5L. But then they switched to the 3.0L and I'm sure since T&H are developing engines, Cosworth was to the extent Chevy was paying them. Which probably explains why the Chevy sucked last year. Chevy wasn't putting any money into it. Now we all know why.
Chevy wasn't putting any money into it. Now we all know why.
(gomer alert! gomer alert!)
Making a crapwagon go fast is kinda like french-kissing your sister. Kinda fun, but not much point to it.
:gomer: :gomer:
(gomer alert! gomer alert!)
Making a crapwagon go fast is kinda like french-kissing your sister. Kinda fun, but not much point to it.
:gomer: :gomer:
If you find that fun I know JUST the state for you :p
If you find that fun I know JUST the state for you :pReally? What state does your sister live in? :p
:eek:
Thanks for the analogy.... I think...
Really? What state does your sister live in? :p
touche :D
Mark521
11-14-04, 07:27 PM
I have lifted this from the Ten Tenths forum (posted by The Snout):
MEDIA TELECONFERENCE ALERT
The following alert is to inform the media of a teleconference with Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven concerning the status of Cosworth Racing
What: Media teleconference concerning the impending sale of Cosworth Racing
Who: Champ Car World Series and PKV Racing co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven
When: Monday, November 15. 12 p.m. Eastern. The teleconference will run no longer than one hour.
How: Media should dial 1-800-795-1259 to participate. International media are requested to dial 1-785-832-1508. When prompted for a password, use 7MEDIA
There will be an audio-quality replay of this teleconference available through November 22. The call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-938-0996. International callers dial 402-220-1540
http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=61360&perpage=15&pagenumber=9
Sorry for the interruption ;)
On SPEED News, Robin Miller (from England) said that KK and Forsythe will be the buyers. They're buying the whole deal, not just the ChampCar part.
KK is meeting with Eddie Jordan tonight to try to extend the Jordan/Cosworth deal.
Wait. We were assured that Forsythe and Kalkhoven would never be able to afford to keep Champ Car alive past this season. Yet somehow they have money left over to buy Cosworth. I guess someone needs to rework their spreadsheet on Kevin and Gerry's net worth. :)
KK is meeting with Eddie Jordan tonight to try to extend the Jordan/Cosworth deal.
Cool stuff! I thought EJ had a done deal with Yoda tho? :saywhat:
Also, KK is scheduled to be on Windbag on Thursday night.
KK is meeting with Eddie Jordan tonight to try to extend the Jordan/Cosworth deal.
It makes sense try and keep Eddie with the Cosworth program, since it would spread the development costs across the budgets of three teams -- Red Bull, Minardi, and Jordan.
Railbird
11-15-04, 08:56 AM
update (http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=31571)
AR1 is reporting that the deal happened today (Monday, 11/15/04). Forsythe and Kalkhoven are 50/50 partners with Kalkhoven running the company.
To say this is huge is an understatement.
George
Now that we're back - where were we? Oh yeah, I'm "fairly certain" KK and GF now own Cosworth lock, stock and barrel. :D
Don't forget, KK on Windbag Thursday.
Mike Kellner
11-17-04, 01:28 PM
Hey, many of the greatest eras in racing were effectivly single engine. When all the top teams can get a good, equal motor, it brings the field together. Without the car manufacturer's involved, the cost of poker goes down, and more teams can afford to be players. It eleminates the danger of one company spending cubic money to drive everyone else out, and then bailing at the next down cycle. Remember IMSA.
Plus, if T & H suddenly sprout 358 CID pushrod V8s for their Camrays & Accords, or should I say to go along with their Camray & Accord headlight & grille stickers, and bail for NASCAB, then Cosworth is the only company manufacturing IRL motors. Even if nothing comes of it, it will be a delicious moment. My guess is, Tony will switch to 358 CID V8s before he uses ChampCar motors.
FWIW, the Offy jokes are so funny, they could come true. Turbo Offys, then they need Watson Roadsters to put them in. Forward into the past.
mk
My guess is, Tony will switch to 358 CID V8s before he uses ChampCar motors.
Bingo. Of course they will be in front of the drivers. :D
Hard Driver
11-17-04, 03:00 PM
Overcharge Tony to give Champcar free engines. :thumbup: That way Champcar can still get Indy 500 Money.
Now I just wonder if Cosworth is going to renew their contract with Champcar. ;)
No really, the question is is Ford going to still badge the engines?
Mike Kellner
11-17-04, 03:10 PM
If Cosworth becomes the only available supplier of CrapMotors, give them some fitting name, and requre that they not be renamed in the contract. Several ideas...
ChampCar V8
CART V8
US 500 V8
Whine and Cheese V8
Foreign Built V8
Islamic Jihad V8
CrapWagon V8
:laugh: :gomer: :laugh: :gomer:
mk
Winston Wolfe
11-17-04, 03:32 PM
If Cosworth becomes the only available supplier of CrapMotors, give them some fitting name, and requre that they not be renamed in the contract. Several ideas...
ChampCar V8
CART V8
US 500 V8
Whine and Cheese V8
Foreign Built V8
Islamic Jihad V8
CrapWagon V8
mk
nothing but great ideas coming out of the bunker !!!! :rofl:
Kellner, where ya been ???
Mike Kellner
11-18-04, 12:48 PM
Kellner, where ya been ???
Busy; hard at work in the Bunker, building web sites. I'll be around next season.
Getting back OT. If H & T leave, I really do think we'll see a pushrod V8 formula in the IRL before we'd see a Cosworth sole source motor. For years, I have said that the way to reconnect Indy with sprint cars is to go to a short stroke sprint car motor, and rules that mandate a no wing roadster. It would be unique, the fans would love it, and it would fufill the original vision better than any other choice.
mk
Hard Driver
11-18-04, 12:51 PM
Kellner, where ya been ???
Busy; hard at work in the Bunker, building web sites. I'll be around next season.
Getting back OT. If H & T leave, I really do think we'll see a pushrod V8 formula in the IRL before we'd see a Cosworth sole source motor. For years, I have said that the way to reconnect Indy with sprint cars is to go to a short stroke sprint car motor, and rules that mandate a no wing roadster. It would be unique, the fans would love it, and it would fufill the original vision better than any other choice.
mk
Vision #1 is long dead. That is now a last resort if Vision #156,349 fails.
Siver Crown cars filling the field at Indy. I want to see Defender spin those ratings!
RacinM3
11-18-04, 02:36 PM
For years, I have said that the way to reconnect Indy with sprint cars is to go to a short stroke sprint car motor, and rules that mandate a no wing roadster. It would be unique, the fans would love it, and it would fufill the original vision better than any other choice.
Great ideas, for the fans, and the sport. Funny thing is, they've now lined the IRL with teams, owners, drivers, and manufacturers (for now) that would not want any part of it. The fans want wingless sprint cars, and the owners are about to go road racing!
This "league" could not be going in a worse direction, it's already 100% counter to what it's fans want to see, and it just plain already pissed the rest of us off to the point where we'll never support it no matter what.
GOOD WORK! :thumbup: :rolleyes:
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