Toyota Atlantic

[Edmonton]

Since these cars need a lot more power what do you think of switching to cosworth DFVs for the series?

[Jay]

I wouldn't say they need a LOT more power, but more would be good. Last I heard, Cart was in talks with Toyota for something different when their current agreement ends. I don't think the series is really as bad as Pook and some others have made out now. Ryan Hunter-Reay (fast but not consistent in Atlantic) has been consistently faster than Jimmy Vasser this year, yet they're both down the order because of their inferior equipment. I don't think Hunter-Reay would be doing that much differently than Bourdais if they had the same equipment. And I don't think you'll find a bigger endourser of Atlantic than RHR..although he did think they needed a bit more power too. I guess what I'm getting at is, I don't think it should become North American F3000...which is what Pook hinted at.

[Edmonton]

The engine I suggested was the DFV-the engine they used in Formula1 for years-it made about 500hp in its early years and probaly would be pretty cost effective.

[Jay]

That's a little more HP than I think they're going for... Anyway, I think they're trying to work something out with Toyota first, and if that falls through they'll look elsewhere.

[DanFlag]

Is'nt there any dispute between CART and Toyota aboutt he Toyota Atlantic series?

[Jay]

Chris Pook on the subject:

We need a 475-hp car with minimal downforce and narrow tires that's hard to drive. It's got to be about set-up, and about the driver giving feedback. We don't need a mass of computer technology that sends signals back to an engineer sitting in a bus someplace. We've got to get it back to the basics.

We are still hoping that Toyota can give us the engine we want. They been very responsive so far, but it's time we moved down the road.

I think Pook is very wrong about the computers and engineering, although I'm not sure he knows any better. The series also serves as a place to train engineers, and having a few microcontrollers and sensors produce some data to be analysed to hopefully produce a better car setup IS a basic of racing at the highest levels, and something the drivers must learn to work with.

He doesn't sound like he wants to deal with Toyota much more... To be honest, as it's a spec series, I don't really care who supplies the engines for Atlantic in the future. As long as they're cost effective and have a little more power than they do now.

[JonesF1]

Sounds like Pook wants a late 60's GP car with a modern shell. Converting Atlantic into a training ground rather then a proving ground is a good idea but you have to keep the technology. A lot of young drivers fail in the big leagues or never get there because they dont know how to speak "Engineerese." Atlantic is a place where theyre supposed to learn that. Personally I'd just like to see the cars beefed up a bit more.

[gttouring]

why not pull the turbos off the V8's? and run the cars as is with the non turbo v8's you can even use Toyota Indy v8's more power but not 800hp or even 500 i am sure at 12,000rpm they can get 400+hp out of the 2.65L V8 evry one could be happy this way

[corkholio]

Pook has no clue as to what's going on outside of the business aspect of CART anyway. The way he has bashed Atlantics in public and then saying he can't do anything about it is stupid.

They ought to try and make Atlantics closer to F3000 specs. That worked pretty well for Indy Lights, at least in training future CART drivers.