All I Want for Christmas Is a New Team Engineer
An auto racing email discussion list I frequent buzzed last week with word that Team Players hired a new engineer to head up the Alex Tagliani team car.
Odd, you think? Hey, it just ain't gettin' in, screwin' down your courage and turning left anymore. Having a wizard engineer ranks right up there with a talented driver if you want to put a car in the winner's circle.
Here's part of the announcement ...
ESTEEMED RACING ENGINEER TONY CICALE JOINS TEAM PLAYERS
Montreal, Jan. 3, 2001: "Five weeks after adding Bruce Ashmore to its operations as technical director, Team Player's made another major move today with the hiring of engineer Tony Cicale, who will help oversee the preparations for the car driven by Alex Tagliani."
What's really interesting, though, is Cicale engineered for Jacques Villeneuve while the F-1 star was winning the CART championship and the Indy 500.
Better yet, Cicale apparently is the guy behind Paul Tracy's revival. You've got to admit someone calmed the wild child down, and Cicale has been with him the last two seasons. All this may be good news for Tagliani and bad news for Tracy and the Green brothers.
"I'm really excited about joining a team that is determined to regain its position among the series' leaders and I'm looking forward to helping a promising driver like Alex Tagliani reach his full potential, remarked Cicale, who has contributed to the success of such stalwart drivers as Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Danny Sullivan during his career in motor sports."
Racing must be a disease. Think of A. J. Foyt refusing to believe his heart for racing had outlived his skills. Think of Darrell Waltrip, whose NASCAR Victory Tour generated more pity than decent finishes.
Is Arie Luyendyk suffering from the same sydrome? Treadway Racing announced late last week the Flying Dutchman was coming out of retirement to run the Indy 500 this year.
Friday, Jan. 5, 2001
Luyendyk Back at Indy
Brian Moore
Associate Editor
"Arie Luyendyk just couldn't resist the lure of the Indianapolis 500. Luyendyk, a two-time winner, announced today that he will come out of his two-year retirement to compete in the Indianapolis 500 for Treadway-Hubbard Racing."
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Hey, racing buffs are counting down the days until Daytona, and the CART season will begin a few weeks later in Monterey, Mexico. It's time to check out what the teams are doing.
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