(CRC Offline Series) 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Introduction

Welcome to Cherokee Racing Community's IndyCar Offline Canon. For those new or unfamiliar to offline series, it's comparable to B-Spec from the Gran Turismo 4 and 5 games. You have drivers, which are AI driven, to race for you for championships. Things like roleplaying and engaging in a storyline are massively encouraged, and this can have varying levels of involvement. People can run and manage teams, from car upgrades, to hunting for sponsorship funding, or hiring drivers. Likewise, people can simply be involved as a driver, and have the ability to improve their drivers through attribute points earned throughout the season.

Wiki-Style Intro: The 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series is the 43rd season of North America's premier open wheel championship, the first under the organization and promotion of Horizon Corporation due to legal disputes between sanctioning body NAMRA and the previous promotor, Citadel Promotions, the backlash of which saw the 2019 season cancelled for the first time since the championship was established in 1976. The season is highlighted by the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, which also was missed in the 2019 season for the first time since 1945 and the end of World War II. The Driver's Champion of the series will be declared the Indycar World Champion and presented the Apollo Trophy at the end of the season, a tradition dating back to the 1950s when the trophy was contested over five crown races in the United States. The defending champion, Ryan Perlstein, stepped away from racing following the 2018 season due to the cancelled 2019 season, as did the winner of the 106th Indianapolis 500, Nico Costa-Monteiro.

The 2020 season will see the return of Firestone as the series' sole tire supplier, while the chassis will be designed and manufactured by Andromeda Automotive Initiative, a subsidary of Andromeda Aeronautics, a privatized space flight company. The chassis will carry the designation CC01, marking the first year of AAI's Champ Car involvement. AAI, in its efforts with Horizon, will provide a high downforce aero kit for the vast majority of the 2020 races, as well as low downforce aero kit for races at ovals over 1.4 miles in length, the first season since 2015 to feature two different configurations.

The season saw Andrew Draco win his second Indycar World Championship over Stephanie Porter-Kelley and Sakura Ishibashi, while Sebastian Devereux won the Indianapolis 500 in his 9th attempt before retiring to focus on running Razgriz Racing. Natalia Kirichenko won the Peak Antifreeze Rookie of the Year award for the season and for the Indianapolis 500.

Spoiler: 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series Calendar

Closed Test: Sebring Test Weekend/Sebring International Raceway/January 17-19, 2020
Open Test: Las Vegas Open Test Weekend/Las Vegas Motor Speedway/February 7-9, 2020
Race 1: Fujitsu Grand Prix of Australia/Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit/70 laps/March 1, 2020
Race 2: Honda 300/Twin Ring Motegi Speedway/200 laps/March 15, 2020
Race 3: Repsol Grand Prix of Masaryk/Automotodrom Brno/60 laps/March 29, 2020
Race 4: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg/Streets of St. Petersburg/110 laps/April 12, 2020
Race 5: Coca-Cola 300/Homestead-Miami Speedway/200 laps/April 26, 2020
Race 6: 107th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race/Indianapolis Motor Speedway/200 laps/May 10, 2020
Race 7: Pennzoil 300/Texas Motor Speedway/200 laps/May 17, 2020
Race 8: DHL Grand Prix of Valkenberg/Valkenberg Naval Base Circuit/80 laps/June 7, 2020
Race 9: Allianz 300/EuroSpeedway Lausitz/148 laps/June 21, 2020
Race 10: NAPA Grand Prix of Toronto/Exhibition Place/85 laps/July 12, 2020
Race 11: General Motors Grand Prix of Detroit/Raceway on Belle Isle/70 laps/July 26, 2020
Race 12: Pepsi 500/Pocono Raceway/200 laps/August 9, 2020
Race 13: Zippo Grand Prix of Watkins Glen/Watkins Glen International/60 laps/August 23, 2020
Race 14: Quaker State 300/Kentucky Speedway/200 laps/September 6, 2020
Race 15: American Ethanol 225/Richmond International Raceway/300 laps/September 20, 2020
Race 16: PNC Bank Grand Prix of Ohio/October 4, 2020
Race 17: NOS Energy 225/New Hampshire Motor Speedway/225 laps/October 18, 2020
Race 18: Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Wisconsin/Road America/November 1, 2020
Race 19: Firestone Grand Prix of Indianapolis/Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course/85 laps/November 15, 2020
Race 20: Intel 500/Auto Club Speedway/250 laps/November 29, 2020

High Downforce Races (12 total): 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Low Downforce Races (8 total): 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 20

Spoiler: 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series Teams and Drivers

Key: Team Name-Engine Supplier
Car: Driver (Rookie if applicable)(Nationality)/High Downforce Primary Sponsor/Low Downforce Primary Sponsor

Apex Racing Team-Mercedes
#93: Cody Blackman (R)(AUS)/Rip Curl/Rip Curl
#97: Ronald Walker (NZL)/Elf/Unit
Black Rose Racing-Mercedes
#7: Jace Clarke (R)(USA)/Coca-Cola/Sonic Drive Thru
#81: Nicole Liechti (SUI)/TE Connectivity/Tissot
Cat Devil Racing-Honda
#17: Kaylee Zappa (ITA)/GoPro/GoPro
#18: Kunimitsu Kino****a (JPN)/Sony/Sony
#19: Camyron Jackson (USA)/GameStop/NTT
Cherokee GP-Alpine
#62: Keisha Fox (R)(USA)/Moxie/Moxie
#96: Alicja Kowalkiewicz (POL)/Gulf Racing Fuels/NOS Energy Drinks
Eastern Atlantic Motorsports-Honda
#28: Esther Hoffson (R)(USA)/BWT AG/VisitFlorida
#82: Patrick Marcelli (ITA)/Bose/Nikon
Escuderia Aguila-Honda (Autonomous Team)
#36: Isabel Espinoza (ARG)/SAP/Mostaza
#48: Cristine Espinoza (ARG)/Miller Lite
Highlight Racing-Mercedes (Autonomous Team)
#77: Rachel Koivuniemi (FIN)/Microsoft/Nokia
#78: Simona Leroux (SUI)/Nuclear Clean Air/Nuclear Clean Air
LM Competition-Mercedes
#32: Ray Taylor (CAN)/CN Rail/Lego
#33: Mildred Moon (R)(USA)/Michaels/Disney
#34: Gerard Perth (R)(AUS)/CN Rail/Visa
Phantom Motors-Honda
#13: Andrew Draco (USA)/Lightning Volt Energy/Lightning Volt Energy
#14: David Wessel (R)(USA)/Lightning Volt Energy/Lightning Volt Energy
Samsung Racing Team Impulse-Alpine
#2: Thomas Rogers (USA)/Samsung
#3: Sakura Ishibashi (JPN)/Samsung/Vodafone
#6: Tyler Parker (USA)/Samsung/Anthem
#79: B.K. Glover (USA)/Samsung/Service King
Striker Motorsports-Mercedes
#21: Natalia Kirichenko (R)(RUS)/VTB/Rosatom
#22: Giuliano Ansaldi (R)(ITA)/Okuma Corporation/Thrustmaster
#84: Stephanie Porter-Kelley (BIH)/Alienware/FedEx

Entry Overview
Full Time Entries: 26/26
Indy 500/Triple Crown Entries: 27/42

AT&T Champ Car World Series Supplemental Regulations​

Spoiler: Section 1. AI Driver Registration Requirements

1.1. All GTPlanet members, as well as CRC Discord members, have the ability to enter an AI driver eligible to compete in a CRC Offline Series. These AI drivers enable the ability for people to race when they otherwise cannot compete in an competitive racing series.
1.1.1. All interested participants must fill out a mandatory sheet detailing driver stats, and personal details about their driver such as hometown, nationality, date of birth, requested salary, and license status. The form provided will detail the importance of these inclusions. Link.
1.2. AI drivers must enable creativity in CRC. Parodying or trying to use a real life racing driver, living or deceased will see that attempt immediately nullified and will not be acknowledged.
1.2.1. Using celebrities, living or deceased, or fictional characters, currently being used or discontinued, will not be acknowledged or allowed by CRC.
1.2.2. AI drivers must have a realistic first and last name. Drivers must also originate from a realistic location. For example, SpongeBob Squarepants from Bikini Bottom is not acceptable.
1.3. AI drivers must have statistics entered for them to program how they behave on the race track. GTPlanet members can control how their drivers behave on track in various aspects through the attributes made available in the Driver Registration Form and through Attribute Upgrades
1.4. AI drivers can get injured or killed in crashes in CRC. In the instance that a driver is injured or killed, that AI driver's owner can make their own replacement, or another GTPlanet member can have their AI driver called in as a substitution until the original AI driver is fit enough to return to action.
1.4.1. In the instance that an injury is deemed appropriate, CRC and the GTPlanet member in question will determine in advance of the race being broadcast what those injuries may be and the time they will miss in the season.

Spoiler: Section 2. Team Registration Requirements

2.1. Much of CRC's Offline Canon revolves around teams of AI drivers. CRC members, as well as GTPlanet members may register teams, run their own drivers, or hire other GTPlanet members' AI drivers to race for them throughout the season.
2.2. Teams, like the drivers, must be unique and original. Using names of racing teams that exist in real life is prohibited. Using the names of racing teams that no longer exist is also prohibited.
2.2.1. In the instance that a team carries over it's name from 2016, if it does not conform with rule 2.2., they may continue to use that name as long as it remains unaltered.
2.2.2. Team names must be within the acceptable limits of GTPlanet's Acceptable Use Policy.
2.3. Teams must first decide on which engine supplier they will use from.
2.3.1. For the NAMRA Champ Car World Series' 2020 season, engine suppliers are Alpine, Honda, and Mercedes.
2.3.2. Firestone is the sole tire supplier of the series.
2.3.3. Sunoco is the exclusive fuel supplier of the series.
2.4. Teams must adhere to a financial plan and stay afloat and out of large debt. (See Section 5)
2.5. Teams have the ability of fielding up to 4 full time entries, pending financially being capable of supporting those entries.
2.5.1. Full time entries can be filled by a single AI driver, or up to an unlimited amount of rotational drivers, and can only have one livery.
2.6. Teams will compete for a points championship, where two of the team's cars will be designated to score points for the team at the beginning of the season.
2.7. Sister teams or developmental teams will be prohibited beginning with the 2019 calendar year.
2.8. Teams that previously competed in either the Straight Talk IndyCar Series or Vodafone IndyCar Series will be permitted to carry over up to $3,000,000 in asset funds for the 2020 season.
2.8.1. Excess money for each team will be placed into a pool for use as purse money for the Indianapolis 500, and the other two 500 mile oval races.

Spoiler: Section 3. Sponsorship System

3.1. Teams and drivers will need to appeal to sponsors in an effort to fund the start of their campaigns every season. These sponsors will provide a certain amount of funding depending on the level of exposure they are set to receive.
3.2. For the 2020 season, each team and each driver are permitted to claim up to five sponsors for exclusive use. Other teams will be unable to claim those sponsors for their own uses in the championship for the season.
3.3. Each entry a team fields may contain a primary livery sponsor, which contributes $2,000,000 per livery it is featured as the main sponsor for. (See rule 5.8)
3.4. Teams can seek to have an entitlement sponsor for the team, where the sponsor is included in the team's name in all official documentation and registration for the championship for the seasons where the deal takes place. Teams with entitlement sponsors receive an additional $1,000,000 per entered car for the season.
3.4.1. Teams with entitlement sponsors must also run the sponsor as the main sponsor for one of each car's liveries for the season.
3.5. After the 2020 season, the amount of sponsors teams and drivers will be permitted to use will begin to change based on performances from the previous season. Teams that excel during the previous season will see their available sponsorship spaces increase, while teams that find themselves with poor results will lose sponsorship spaces.

Spoiler: Section 4. Livery Guidelines

4.1. All paint schemes must first and foremost be in complience with GTPlanet's Acceptable Use Policy.
4.2. Driver surnames must be present on both sides of the cockpit, either on the foam headrest, on the side of the cockpit above the sidepod and aligned with the mirrors, or directly beneath the series logo under the roll bar.
4.3. National flags for each driver must be present on the roll hoop, on both sides, replacing the LED board.
4.4. Car numbers must be present on the nose of the car, the rear wing of the car on both end plates, and on the steering wheel inside the cockpit for identification.
4.5. A primary sponsor and up to 9 associate sponsors can be present on the car. Primary sponsors are exclusive to that driver and their team, whereas associate sponsors can be shared by any driver in the field as an associate sponsor only.
4.6. Engine logos must appear on the nose of the car and on the engine cover.
4.7. Tire manufacturer logo must appear on the nose of the car and on the sidepod facing the front wheels.
4.8. The series logo must appear on the nose of the car.
4.9. If possible, team logos must appear on the nose of the car or on the sidepod.
4.10. Tobacco, political, and pornographic sponsors are prohibited.
4.11. Alcoholic sponsorship is limited to drivers 21 years of age and older.
4.12. Engine manufacturers cannot be sponsors of any kind. They already have contingencies on the car. Pick something else.
4.13. Itashas, "MLG" cars, and any ludicrous designs also will be discarded.
4.14. All sponsors on the cars must be real life companies unless otherwise authorized.
4.14.1. Exceptions to 4.14 are limited to fictional companies accepted within the CRC Canon.
4.14.2. Approved exceptions are as follows: Poseidon Energy, Ultor Corporation
4.15. For drivers new to American open wheel racing, the roll bar of the chassis must be flourescent yellow to designate rookie status for first year drivers.
4.16. Entries competing in the full season are permitted two liveries; one livery for the high downforce aero kit, and one livery for the low downforce aero kit.
4.16.1. Entries limited to running in one of, or all three, 500 Mile Triple Crown events are limited to a single livery for the low downforce aero kit.
NOTE: Template is available using this embedded link from Mediafire.

Spoiler: Section 5. Financial System

5.1. The chassis used in the NAMRA AT&T Champ Car World Series is produced by Andromeda Automotive Initiative. The car will appropriately be cited as the Andromeda CC01.
5.1.1. The chassis will be capable of running two different aero kit designs; a high downforce, complex design for the front and rear wings, and a low downforce, speedway aero kit with a simple, minimalist front and rear wing design.
5.1.2. The cost for a single Andromeda CC01 chassis is $500,000. This does not include the series approved aero kits, internal electronics, powertrain, or other additional parts.
5.1.3. High downforce aero kits will have a cost of $100,000 per unit.
5.1.4. Low downforce aero kits will have a cost of $75,000 per unit.
5.1.5. Teams are required to have a minimum of two chassis, two sets of each aero kit required for their entries to compete in their designated events, as well as two transmissions, and electronic component sets for each chassis.
5.2. Internal electronics for the chassis have a cost of $75,000.
5.3. Each car must be equipped with a Hewland transmission with six forward gears, as well as a neutral, and reverse gear. These transmissions cost $50,000.
5.4. All teams must enter lease deals with the approved engine suppliers of the series.
5.4.1. An engine lease deal with Alpine will cost $2,000,000 per full time entry, and $500,000 for entries limited to the 500 Mile Triple Crown events.
5.4.2. An engine lease deal with Honda will cost $1,500,000 per full time entry, and $400,000 for entries limited to the 500 Mile Triple Crown events.
5.4.3. An engine lease deal with Mercedes will cost $1,000,000 per full time entry, and $250,000 for entries limited to the 500 Mile Triple Crown events.
5.5. All teams competing in any part of the 2020 season must pay $2,000,000 per entry to exclusive tire supplier, Firestone.
5.6. All teams competing in any part of the 2020 season must pay $2,000,000 per entry to exclusive fuel supplier, Sunoco, as well as an additional $50,000 per event for open access to fuel on site for all official sessions of the weekend.
5.7. Teams will be charged $500,000 at the beginning of each season for Headquarters Expenses, as well as $250,000 each active month of the season.
5.8. Each entry for the season has at least one livery in which they can have a primary sponsor, as well as up to 9 associate sponsors on the car for funding.
5.8.1. For full season entries, each entry can have two liveries, one for high downforce kit, and one for the low downforce oval events, including the Indianapolis 500.
5.8.2. A single entry can have a different primary sponsor for its two liveries, however, the associate sponsors must remain the same across both liveries.
5.8.3. A primary sponsor payout is valued at $2,000,000 per livery it is the main sponsor of at the beginning of the season.
5.8.4. Associate sponsorship payouts are valued at $400,000 each for the total entry at the beginning of the season.

Spoiler: Section 6. AI Driver Progression

6.1. Each driver competing in the series will start with a base set of attributes, which will act as a minimum level of performance for those drivers. This is set by all CRC members participating in the season.
6.2. Drivers will be able to earn attribute points, which can be assigned to improve aspects of performance for the drivers. These attributes can be earned by the driver completing certain goals or achieving certain race performance benchmarks.
6.2.1. Each pole position earned during the season is worth one attribute point.
6.2.2. Each podium finish during the season is worth one attribute point.
6.2.3. Each race win during the season is worth two attribute points.
6.2.4. Drivers that score three top ten finishes in a row will earn one attribute point.
6.2.5. Drivers that lead the most laps in a race will earn one attribute point.
6.2.6. Drivers that run the fastest lap of any road course race during the season will earn one attribute point.
6.3. Drivers are also able to lose attribute points based on negative criterias being met, such as routine underperformances, and certain failure to finish conditions.
6.3.1. Drivers will be unable to lose attribute points according to what their base stats are. Only bonus attribute points are affected by losses.
6.3.2. Crashing out of a race will result in a loss of one attribute point.
6.3.3. Failing to qualify for a race will result in a loss of two attribute points.
6.3.4. Performing poorly in qualifying (being unable to advance out of Q1) for three consecutive races will result in the loss of one attribute point.
6.3.5. Finishing outside the top 20 in three consecutive races will result in the loss of one attribute point.
6.4. CRC members will be capable of assigning free attribute points to their drivers in four race intervals. CRC will post a generalized list of drivers with excess points to be assigned, and CRC members will be able to discreetly assign them when time allows.
6.5. Drivers that race in the series for more than one season will be permitted to see a roll over of 10% of the points they have earned during the previous season for use at the beginning of the new season.

Spoiler: Section 7. Car Upgrade System

7.1. Over the course of the season, several upgrade packages will be made available for the chassis of the car. Despite these packages only becoming available after certain points of the season, they are not required to be purchased in any order.
7.2. Chassis Upgrades have to be purchased by teams for each entry they are running separately. A team running four cars in a season will have to purchase an upgrade package four times, one for each car.
7.3. Chassis Upgrade packages will be made available in four race intervals, and up to four different packages may be made available during the season.
7.3.1. Chassis Upgrade Package 1 is available after Race 4 of the season, and gives an added 10 points to both Aerodynamics and Chassis, as well as 20 points to Reliability.
7.3.2. Chassis Upgrade Package 2 is available after Race 8 of the season, and gives an added 15 points to Aerodynamics, 10 points to Chassis, and 15 points to Reliability.
7.3.3. Chassis Upgrade Package 3 is available after Race 8 of the season, and gives an added 10 points to Aerodynamics, 20 points to Chassis, and 10 points to Reliability.
7.3.4. Chassis Upgrade Package 4 is available after Race 12 of the season, and gives an added 20 points to Aerodynamics, 10 points to Chassis, and 10 points to Reliability.
7.4. Teams do not get to retain these packages for the following season, as the packages will change year to year.
7.5. In addition to Chassis Upgrades, Garage Staff and Pit Crew Staff are also able to be improved, though these packages are immediately available beginning at the first race of the season.
7.5.1. Hiring an Aerodynamics Specialist will give teams a 10 point Aerodynamics boost on all of the team's cars through the entire season for a salary cost of $200,000 per year.
7.5.2. Hiring a Chassis Specialist will give teams a 5 point Chassis boost to all of the team's cars throughout the season for a salary cost of $150,000 per year.
7.5.3. Hiring an Efficiency Specialist will give teams a 10 point Reliability boost to all of the team's cars throughout the season for a salary cost of $300,000 per year.
7.5.4. Hiring a Chief Engineer will give teams a 20 point Pit Strategy boost to all of the team's cars throughout the season for a salary cost of $500,000 per year.
7.5.5. Hiring a Pit Crew Trainer will give teams a 10 point Pit Speed and Pit Consistency boost to all of the team's cars throughout the season for a salary cost of $500,000 per year.
7.5.6. All specialists are hired on a 1-year contract by default, and may be renewed or released at the end of each race season.
7.6. Teams are limited to spending $6,000,000 per car on upgrades throughout the year, including chassis upgrade packages and staff upgrades.

AT&T Champ Car World Series Technical Regulations​

Spoiler: Section 1. Chassis Regulations

1.1. The sole chassis sanctioned for use in the NAMRA AT&T Champ Car World Series is the Andromeda CC01, built solely by Andromeda Automotive Initiative, or AAI.
1.2. AAI will build two specifications of aerodynamic kits for competitive usage during the season, a kit for high downforce configurations, and a low downforce configuration kit.
1.3. The high downforce kit will be utilized at all road courses, all street courses, and all oval events at venues under 1.400 miles in length.
1.3.1. The high downforce kit will be utilized at the following rounds of the 2020 championship: 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
1.4. The low downforce kit will be utilized at all oval venues 1.500 miles in length or longer.
1.4.1. The low downforce kit will be utilized at the following rounds of the 2020 championship: 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 20.

Spoiler: Section 2. Powertrain Regulations

2.1. Officially permitted engine suppliers are permitted to supply entries with power units that conform with the limits of the regulations.
2.2. Official Engine Manufacturers, or OEMs, are permitted to supply an engine with four, six, or eight cylinders.
2.2.1. Engines are permitted to be naturally aspirated, or complimented with up to two turbochargers. Superchargers and hybrid technology are prohibited.
2.3. OEMs are required to provide the same powertrain to all entries they are in a lease contract to supply.
2.4. OEMs are prohibited from providing updates or upgrades of their engine specifications once the season has begun, marked by the first points race for the championship season.
2.5. Recognized OEMs for the 2020 season are Alpine, Honda, and Mercedes.
2.5.1. Alpine, for the 2020 Championship Season, will be providing a v-bank 6 cylinder engine, supplemented with a single turbocharger.
2.5.2. Honda, for the 2020 Championship Season, will be providing an inline 4 cylinder engine, supplemented with two turbochargers.
2.5.3. Mercedes, for the 2020 Championship Season, will be providing a naturally aspirated v-bank 8 cylinder engine.
2.6. For detailed information regarding engine specifications, please see the inserts below:

Spoiler: Alpine

Alpine V6 (Single Turbo)
Engine Lease: $2,000,000 per full time car, $500,000 for Indy 500
Brake Horsepower: 750 BHP (Engine: 75/65)
Additional Effects: Reliability -5/-5, Pit Strategy -5/-10, Chassis +10/+10, Driver Qualifying +5/-10

Spoiler: Honda

Honda I4 (Twin Turbo)
Engine Lease: $1,500,000 per full time car, $400,000 for Indy 500
Brake Horsepower: 720 BHP (Engine: 72/62)
Additional Effects: Reliability +5/+5, Pit Strategy +10/+5, Chassis: +5/+5, Driver Consistency +5/+5

Spoiler: Mercedes

Mercedes V8 (Naturally Aspirated)
Engine Lease: $1,000,000 per full time car, $250,000 for Indy 500
Brake Horsepower: 730 BHP (Engine: 73/64)
Additional Effects: Driver Consistency -5/-5, Driver Qualifying +5/+5, Pit Strategy +5/+5

Spoiler: 2020 Podium Overviews

TBD

​

To set up driver ratings, use this link from Google Docs.
Access to car template is available through Mediafire.
Feel free to join CRC's community Discord here. Not a requirement to take part in the offline canon.
Watch Champ Car races live via Twitch, or on demand on YouTube!

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Post reserved for canon assisting information.

Spoiler: Indycar Race Winners 2015-2018

06-Jamie Ngaire-Jardine
04-Diego Jaramillo
04-Andrew Draco (2017 Champion)
03-Thomas Rogers
03-Nico Costa-Monteiro
03-Mark Santos
03-Kunimitsu Kino****a
03-Cristine Espinoza
03-Alan Herrera
02-Stephanie Porter-Kelley (2016 Champion)
02-Ray Taylor
02-Nii Aryeetey
02-Matheus Michelin
02-Kaylee Zappa
02-Jett Raven
02-Jacob Descoteau
02-Hugo Del Prete
02-Clayton Hardy
02-Behrris Windross
02-B.K. Glover
02-Alicja Kowalkiewicz
01-Victor Santos
01-Tyler Parker
01-Treven Robie
01-Steven Gnash
01-Stefan Montana
01-Sebastian Devereux
01-Sakura Ishibashi
01-Ryan Perlstein (2018 Champion)
01-Pedro Harsk
01-Nicole Liechti
01-Michael White
01-Jesus Cristobal
01-Jacob Birmingham
01-Gary Slater
01-Evangeline Porter
01-Camyron Jackson
01-Astrid Krane
01-Alex Rivera
01-Aaron van der Linden

Spoiler: Indycar Pole Sitters 2015-2018

11-Nicole Liechti
07-Jamie Ngaire-Jardine
06-Stephanie Porter-Kelley
05-Camyron Jackson
05-Andrew Draco
04-Kaylee Zappa
03-William Manor
03-Clayton Hardy
03-Alex Rivera
02-Patrick Marcelli
02-Kunimitsu Kino****a
02-Gary Slater
02-Evangeline Porter
02-Behrris Windross
02-Astrid Krane
01-Treven Robie
01-Thomas Rogers
01-Sebastian Devereux
01-Sakura Ishibashi
01-Ryan Perlstein
01-Pedro Harsk
01-Nico Costa-Monteiro
01-Jett Raven
01-Jesus Cristobal
01-Jerome Torres
01-Cristine Espinoza
01-Alicja Kowalkiewicz
01-Alan Herrera
01-Adrian Ragus
01-Aaron van der Linden

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Tagging potentially interested (or already signed up) people.
@Eh Team @Kingofweasles @amaterasu @Sakura @BKGlover @Michelin @GTRacer22 @KuniKino****a @tbwhhs @DcrRaikkonen @Leadfoot530 @FireEmblem10 @Splurge @jake2013guy @ukfan758 @Eva @nascarfan1400

 

[Kingofweasles]

I'll post an official press release as soon as possible.

 

[nascarfan1400]

Interested, just need to catch up.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Horizon Announces 2020 Season Opener

For the first time ever, America's premier open wheel championship will visit the Middle East, with the Yas Marina Circuit hosting the season opening round beginning in 2020. The top-of-the-line racing venue, located along the coastline of Abu Dhabi, has hosted the Formula One United Arab Emirates Grand Prix since 2009, in addition to sporadic endurance events.

Horizon Corporation CEO, Ben Lewis, offered his opinion on the season starting in Abu Dhabi: "There's no denying that the U.A.E. loves racing, from Yas Marina, to the Dubai Autodrome. If it goes fast, they'll enjoy it, and Champ Car is nothing but raw, unfiltered speed. It's a perfect contrast to the glitz and glamor of the track itself. We are excited to get the season underway and make a good impression to new fans and fans keen on returning."

 

[Michelin]

Interested, just need to catch up.

Same.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Kingofweasles]

Spoiler: Phantom Motors Announces New Sponsors, Drivers and Engine Partner for 2020

The following article appeared on Racing.com

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - Rich Energy, the premium British energy drink brand, will become the primary sponsor of Phantom Motors in a multi-year agreement beginning with the 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series. This will result in a livery change to incorporate the colors of Rich Energy on both cars for the entire season, a first for the team.

“We are delighted to become the official sponsor of Phantom Motors in Indycar,” said William Storey, Chief Executive Officer of Rich Energy. “Our company and this team share a synergy in our work ethos and our desire to bring something new to the table in an environment made up of established brands. We have always reveled in competition and through this distinctive association, we’re looking to further prosper and deliver an exciting concept for the promotion of Rich Energy to the consumer along the way. While American Open-Wheel Racing has gone through a turbulent time, there is a new sense of prosperity in the sport and while The Indy 500 has always been a premium product in its own right, our sponsorship with Phantom Motors will ensure that we have another prized asset on which to build our global marketing efforts.”

“Securing a partner of the caliber of Rich Energy is a milestone moment in the development of our team,” said Jean-Claude Gabriel, Owner & CEO of Phantom Motors. “We welcome their commitment to us as an organization and together, we share an ambition to advance further in our respective fields. It’s going to be exciting for us as a team to be a focal point of Rich Energy’s marketing endeavors, as we go into both new and existing consumer markets around the world in Champ Car. Much like that of Lazarus, I feel that the direction the new organizer and promoter of the AT&T Champcar World Series will take the sport of American Open-Wheel Racing back from the grave of recent history and back into the spotlight where it belongs.”

DRIVERS:

On the driver front, 2017 VRR Indycar champion Andrew Draco returns to the team and will once again use #13, while Stefan Montana has been ousted by new rookie David Wessel in car #14. "The decision to promote David to a race seat was a fairly obvious move to make" said Jean-Claude Gabriel. "No disrespect to Stefan, but when you have a car that failed to qualify for nine races and a sponsor wondering where their machine is every race weekend, it can be a real drain on the spirit of the team. Also, Stefan went through a lot emotionally and mentally off the track in 2018, so much so that I personally didn't feel comfortable asking him to come back to race for us in 2020 and speaking personally for a moment, I hope he can get to the root cause of his issues and overcome them."

Gabriel was bullish on Wessel's potential to impress, concluding "He's one of the smoothest drivers I have seen in a while. In particular, his performances in the simulator and how he was able to string laps within hundreths of each other was enough to consider him for a seat in the future. He has a lot to learn in Indycar, but I feel he has the potential to adapt to the new car quickly."

Stefan Montana and David Wessel could not be contacted for comment.

Engine Supplier:

Despite strong rumors that Phantom Motors would switch to Apline's new Twin-Turbo V6, the team has stayed put with Honda and will use their new Turbochaged Inline-Four Cylinder engine for 2020. "Despite the struggles our team had in the last half of the 2018 season, our partnership with Honda should be stronger than ever in 2020 and everyone at Phantom Motors is looking forward to the new engine powering our cars up to the front."

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Hoping to have template package available for everyone to begin using at some point next week.

 

[amaterasu]

Spoiler: Striker Motorsports Gears Up For 2020 Season

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA--One of the more prominent teams in recent Indycar history is set to continue in the Champ Car World Series in 2020, according to sources within the team. Orlando's own Striker Motorsports is said to be fielding three cars for the season, one for 2016 Indycar World Champion, Stephanie Porter-Kelley, as well as a car each for two rookies, one of which set to be Russian ace Natalia Kirichenko.

For those unfamiliar with Kirichenko, she has spent the last 6 years tied to Striker's development program as a direct protege to Porter-Kelley. Now on the verge of turning 26, one of Russia's most highly regarded driving talents now has the opportunity to make an impression in a top flight open wheel championship after years of floating in junior formulas across the globe. It is predicted that Kirichenko will be bringing a heavy amount of sponsorship from Russia with her when she debuts. Russian bank VTB, energy company Rosatom, among others, have been essential to prolonging her status in the formula racing scene.

The third car is being held as a moving chess piece according to sources within the team. Diego Jaramillo and Mohammad Ahmed are said to be certainly not returning to the team in 2020, while Jacob Descoteau stays with the team in a race engineer role. It's expected that Striker will be announcing their choice for the third option in the fall once sponsorship agreements have been finalized.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Motegi Set For Opening Oval Act In 2020

Horizon Corporation and Twin Ring Motegi have reached a deal for the next three seasons which will see the speedway portion of the venue be a part of the opening stanza of Champ Car's championship season. The deal, which specifies Motegi to be the sole Japanese event host during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons, is set to help Horizon rebuild American open-wheel racing and its reputation beyond North America. While Horizon Corporation's CEO, Ben Lewis, was not immediately available for comment on the deal, the speculation has begun to spin around another potential event. With Motegi occupying the third round of the season, and Abu Dhabi being the season opener, rumors have suggested that a race in China, Australia, or New Zealand could be the in-between event. Rumors have also indicated a potential race in Brazil being the final lead up event to the series coming to the United States with Homestead-Miami in April 2020.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Template has been made available, thanks to retouches from @RACECAR It is available here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/t2hbfdw2l62kq4x/CRC_Champ_Car_Template.rar/file

 

[Eva]

Spoiler: Black Rose Racing Officially Joins Champ Car

CINCINNATI, OHIO: One of the benchmark teams from recent Indycar memory is joining the Champ Car grid in 2020. Cincinnati-based Black Rose Racing will be putting forward two entries, the #81 fielded by the "Swiss Miss" Nicole Liechti, and the #7 fielded by American rookie, 21 year old Jace Clarke, from Cheyanne, Wyoming. The Lausanne-born Liechti has raced two years in the United States, amassing a win at Watkins Glen in 2017, as well as a staggering 11 pole positions in her two years. Swiss companies TE Connectivity and Tissot will adorn Liechti's cars for 2020, while Coca-Cola and Sonic Drive Thru, two long time sponsors of the team, will be adorning Clarke's car for his maiden top-flight championship campaign. The team will be running with Mercedes power, in line with Highlight Racing, LM Competition, and Striker Motorsports as a potential powerhouse team.

 

[tbwhhs]

This may seem like a dumb question. Did I register a driver for this series?

 

[Clayton Hardy]

This may seem like a dumb question. Did I register a driver for this series?

You have not yet.

 

[tbwhhs]

You have not yet.

Thanks

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Mid-Ohio, Cleveland Battling For Calendar Spot

As Horizon works on putting together its 2020 Champ Car calendar, a detail has emerged that is now pitting two of Ohio's historic open wheel venues against each other. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been the host of the state's lone American open wheel event since 2008, routinely selling out the event through the entire weekend. The City of Cleveland, which last held a race in 2007 at it's Burke Lakefront Airport, has approved the push to have Champ Car return to the airport, which would be converted into a temporary course using the runways of the airport as it did 12 years ago. Neither currently have contracts with Horizon, but are both pushing for one. The issue? Horizon isn't interested in having both. While Horizon is looking to have one race in Ohio, it is also looking at having a race in Michigan, possibly at the Belle Isle Park, which was last used in 2017, as well as a race in Kentucky and possibly two races in Pennsylvania, with Pocono and possibly Nazareth slotting into the fray. The Midwest has always been the heart of Indycar racing, but Horizon is looking for more than just the heart when Champ Car launches next year.

 

[amaterasu]

Spoiler: Striker Motorsports Exploring Fourth Driver Options

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA--Orlando's own Champ Car team, Striker Motorsports, is exploring the possibility of fielding four full time entries next year, according to sources from within the team. The team announced in early June that it was fielding three cars, one for Stephanie Porter-Kelley, as well as a car for her protege, Russian ace Natalia Kirichenko, and a third car which was quietly filled by Italian rookie Giuliano Ansaldi. With those three cars filled, Porter-Kelley is seeking a fourth driver to fill out the squad's 2020 armada. The same sources reporting this fourth car option have dropped a few names as potential seat fillers, several of which are proven Indycar race winners. Diego Jaramillo, who won four races with the team in 2017 and 2018, is at the top of the list. Thomas Rogers, who won three races in IndyCar, one per year from 2016 to 2018, is on that list as well. B.K. Glover, a two time Indycar race winner, and Alan Herrera, who has three Indycar race wins in his resume, also are on the short list of drivers for 2020. The seat, according to reports, requires only a marginal amount of external sponsorship funds from the driver they end up signing, making it a very lucrative target for drivers either unable to retain sponsors, or finding difficulties meeting the typical benchmark for sponsorship support, which is said to be around the $4 million range.

 

[BKGlover]

Spoiler: Striker Motorsports Exploring Fourth Driver Options

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA--Orlando's own Champ Car team, Striker Motorsports, is exploring the possibility of fielding four full time entries next year, according to sources from within the team. The team announced in early June that it was fielding three cars, one for Stephanie Porter-Kelley, as well as a car for her protege, Russian ace Natalia Kirichenko, and a third car which was quietly filled by Italian rookie Giuliano Ansaldi. With those three cars filled, Porter-Kelley is seeking a fourth driver to fill out the squad's 2020 armada. The same sources reporting this fourth car option have dropped a few names as potential seat fillers, several of which are proven Indycar race winners. Diego Jaramillo, who won four races with the team in 2017 and 2018, is at the top of the list. Thomas Rogers, who won three races in IndyCar, one per year from 2016 to 2018, is on that list as well. B.K. Glover, a two time Indycar race winner, and Alan Herrera, who has three Indycar race wins in his resume, also are on the short list of drivers for 2020. The seat, according to reports, requires only a marginal amount of external sponsorship funds from the driver they end up signing, making it a very lucrative target for drivers either unable to retain sponsors, or finding difficulties meeting the typical benchmark for sponsorship support, which is said to be around the $4 million range.

Driver registered. B.K. Glover is on the market to anyone wanting to take a flyer on him. Three potential sponsors.

 

[Formidable]

Spoiler: Eastern Atlantic Motorsports Announces Double Full Time ChampCar Effort for 2020

AVON PARK, FLORIDA: Long running, Florida-based sportscar team Eastern Atlantic Motorsports announced today their two-car full time effort in the upcoming 2020 AT&T ChampCar World Series, along with their sponsors and drivers joining them. Patrick Marcelli, the Italian former Black Rose Racing driver in the Indycar series, will be driving the #82 with Bose and Nikon as major sponsors. Esther Hoffson, the daughter of team owner Richard Hoffson, will be the other driver in the #28, with Best Water Technology AG and VisitFlorida.

"Entering into the North American open-wheel racing scene has always been on my mind since I formed the team." said Richard Hoffson in an interview with The Paddock. "With the reformation into ChampCar, we finally thought the time was right to make a move. The team is very much looking forward to this endeavor." The Eastern Atlantic Motorsports team is about to hit its 20th anniversary in 2020, with all of its history before now being in the sportscar scene. In the past decade, they've had plenty of successes in a multitude of both privateer and factory programs. Esther Hoffson has been alongside her father as a driver for the team since 2006, and has rounded up multiple championships over the course of her career. With Patrick Marcelli now having previous Indycar experience, and Esther being a capable opponent with her achievements in sportscar racing, the Eastern Atlantic Motorsport team could very well be a strong opponent for other teams to keep an eye out for.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Kentucky, Iowa Finalize Champ Car Events

Two more race dates have been sealed for the 2020 AT&T Champ Car World Series season, with the month of September being only oval events. The weekend of September 6th will see the series visit the Kentucky Speedway for a 300 mile affair. The 1.5 mile D-shaped oval has hosted a variety of Indycar events in the past, ranging from 300 miles, to 600 miles as seen in 2017. Returning again as a 300 mile race, which is the standard for tracks like Texas, Homestead, and Kentucky, track officials bargain that there's plenty of past showings for them to showcase why the track is an important fit for America's premier open wheel championship.

The second September race weekend, around the 20th, will be held by the 0.875 short oval of Iowa Speedway. Routinely a sell-out for Indycar races, it is an easy assumption that Iowa will be hosting a Saturday night race for the 26 full time Champ Car drivers when they visit. Iowa will be one of just a very small selection of oval events not over a mile in track length, which is important for how different short oval racing is compared to standard speedway affairs.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: Australia To Host Champ Car Next Year

The papers have been signed, and the deals have been finalized. Australia is getting Champ Car beginning in 2020, with a contract in place with promoter Horizon for until the end of the 2022 season. The venue, none other than the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, located 87 miles from Melbourne, the course is nestled on the southern edge of Phillip Island, overlooking the Bass Straight between it and Tasmania. The scenic location was used as a test venue, and had been considered as a replacement venue in the situation that Surfer's Paradise was unable to commit to hosting an event in 2018.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Spoiler: 2020 Champ Car Calendar Revealed In Full

Champ Car's inaugural season is set to be full of twists and turns, literally, as Horizon Corporation revealed the venues for the 2020 season. An even split of 10 ovals, 10 road courses provides the backbones of the calendar, which includes legendary locations such as Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, Montreal, and even the streets of Manhattan. The teams and drivers of the series will also have the opportunity to take part in two pre-season tests, one at Sebring International Raceway for the full time entries, and one at Las Vegas, where all entries for the Indianapolis 500 can participate.

Focusing on the road course balance of the calendar, the season will feature five natural terrain road courses with Yas Marina, Phillip Island, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course, as well as five street circuits in St. Petersburg, Valkenberg, Belle Isle, Manhattan, and Montreal. On the oval side, the variety is more expansive. Superspeedways such as Indianapolis, Pocono, and Fontana create the series' heritage-based Triple Crown, in addition to the German superspeedway of Lausitz. Short ovals of New Hampshire and Iowa bring slower paced, more strategic oval racing to the calendar, with Kentucky, Texas, Miami, and Motegi filling the inbetween of the ovals.

With the series utilizing two aero kits, the high downforce kit will be used at all of the road course races, as well as New Hampshire and Iowa, while the low downforce kits will be used at the remaining 8 oval races on the calendar.

 

[Clayton Hardy]

SERIES UPDATE: We are getting very close to getting the season started, with the calendar now confirmed, and the car set for the full season getting closer to completion. We are still looking for entries for the Indianapolis 500, as well as potentially the other Triple Crown races of Pocono and Fontana. 6 more entries would guarantee us a full 33 car grid for those races. If people are interested, there's several teams capable of either assisting in fielding those cars, or fielding them outright, so apologies in advance for the tags. @Michelin @raven214 @Suzumiya @YayoiGT2 @swiftsmith @ukfan758 @PinkKitty13 @CinnamonOD

 

[DesertPenguin]

Forgive my nativity but what is this exactly?

 

[Clayton Hardy]

Forgive my nativity but what is this exactly?

If you remember Gran Turismo 5 B-Spec, that is kinda where this gained inspiration from. You register and set up an AI driver that will run races with other AI drivers throughout the championship. Unlike GT5 B-Spec, however, you are able to interact with other drivers and teams through roleplay, as nerdy as it may sound, which in turn helps develop the storyline of the series and the canon the championship takes place in as a whole. Stories, as they progress, will help me and my other broadcast commentators further narrate the action on track. All of the races will be broadcasted, either being livestreamed on Twitch, like with the tests, or broadcasted with editing, which most of the races will be.

 

[DesertPenguin]

So what "game" do you guys use to simulate this? I was thrown off by the parts that show real money values and what not

 

[Clayton Hardy]

So what "game" do you guys use to simulate this? I was thrown off by the parts that show real money values and what not

NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is the game, using a 2019 IndyCar mod. Money values are based on race purses, sponsorships, and such, all virtual, and I am working on a couple of spreadsheets that will be really helpful for everyone wanting to see what those values turn into.

 

[swiftsmith]

@Clayton Hardy I definitely wanna get in with either my own team or someone fielding Tim Kourting as their driver. What do I need to do?