So, perhaps you’re the head of Penske Racing? What do you do in regards to the pending “Hulio” court case? As this is the question posed by a new site in the Blogosphere, which is worth checking out just for its namesake alone: United Open-Wheel Word Butchers Association, (UOWWBA) or “U-Owoba” for short? Now all we need as Chairman Emeritus is some cat named Jeffry Olsen...
United Open-Wheel Word Butchers Association
UOWWBA Question:
As the new chairman of Penske Racing it is your job to find a replacement for Helio Castroneves. Who do you pick and why?
Obviously, having been inserted as The Captain’s new whipping boy )or gal) you’ll need a contingency plan in case your star driver has to trade in his nomex driving boots and forgoe his blue suede shoes for whatever is standard prison issue, eh?
And I’m most certain that the phone’s been ringing off the hook with drivers seeking possible employment, yet the question is do I pick a sentimental favourite or try to go with a potential future winner, as the choices abound.
Ryan Hunter-reay, Oriel Servia, Will Power and Justin Wilson would seem to be at the top of the list, and my sentimental pick would be Wilson, as the Brit is a very no nonsense type of guy, never seems to publicly bash opponents and is very quick. Yet, I think the sleeper out of this quartet is the Aussie Will Power.
Then there’s “PT, Junky and TAG” but I think they’re all probably past their prime. (Sorry guys, that always sounds bad towards drivers who are still relatively young)
Of course we could try to go a different route, like picking a Formula 1 piloto, as Sebastian Bourdais immediately comes to mind, even if the Frenchman has accomplished everything he can stateside, he’s still probably one of the best drivers out there!
Or perhaps somebody not on the radar screens, like Anthony Davidson, Neal Jani, Darren Manning, Alex Lloyd and Jay Howard.
Or how about some up ‘N comer from the Firestone Indy Lights, Atlantics Championship, Star Mazda or Formula BMW series, like Robert Wickens, James Hinchcliffe, Kevin Lacroix, the Mansell brothers, John Edwards, Dillon Battistini and Arie Luyendyk Jr. or Open Wheel Racing phenoms like Markus Niemela and Esteban Gutierrez.
And if you’re trying to stick with a Brazilian, how about Rubens Barrichello, who’s previously been rumoured to have a shot at Castroneves cockpit, or even more adventurous yet, put Ana Beatriz in the seat.
Of course this is all just conjecture, as far as I know, the seat’s still Hulio’s and it would seem a shame to shove him out prematurely, as I’m certain several of the drivers above are seeking full time employment, but I’d have to pick between Justin or Will if it was up to me, as Justin Wilson is my favourite Champ Car, OOPS! Err, Indy Car World Series driver... And its just been announced that KV Racing Technology will indeed be returning next season, which would seem to take Will Power out of the equation...
