Autosport.com
By Jonathan Noble Sunday, July 9th 2006, 14:35 GMT
Juan Pablo Montoya has decided to turn his back on Formula One at the end of the season and will make a switch to NASCAR next year, autosport.com can reveal.
The Colombian's future has been the subject of intense speculation for months, as it appeared his options to remain in grand prix racing were narrowing, but Montoya has now inked a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in the Nextel Cup. autosport.com understands that it is a long term deal.
Montoya enjoyed a successful relationship with Ganassi when he captured the 1999 CART championship and the 2000 Indianapolis 500 crown.
Recently Ganassi said he would be interested in re-recruiting the driver, but it had been thought that this was for his Indy Racing League outfit.
However, sources close to Montoya have revealed that talks between the driver and his former team boss have focused on a move to NASCAR, with Chip Ganassi Racing having been looking for a replacement for Casey Mears.
Those talks have culminated this weekend in a deal being signed, with Montoya taking over the number 42 car from the start of next season. On Saturday night, Mears captured his first Busch victory in the car at Chicagoland.
Although Montoya has never raced a NASCAR, he did spend some time behind the wheel of Jeff Gordon's Monte Carlo during a promotional activity at Indianapolis in June 2003.
Sources close to Montoya have indicated that Montoya became excited by the option of NASCAR when it became offered to him. "He's just glad to be going back home," said one source.
Montoya said recently that he was far from concerned about his future in motor racing - and admitted that 'anything was possible' in terms of where he would be racing.
"Well I am quite relaxed," said Montoya when asked about his feelings on getting a deal for next year. "I am looking at my options and we will see what happens. I am not too worried about anything. Nothing is sure but I am pretty happy."
When asked if he was confident he would remain in F1, Montoya said: "I don't know. I am looking at all my options and we will see what happens.
"I am not too worried about it. I am trying to put myself in the best position of where I am going to be happiest."
Ganassi was unavailable for comment about the deal, but speaking recently he said that his target for Mears' replacement would be in simply signing the fastest guy possible.
"You have to take the best guy that is available to you, whoever he is, wherever he is, whatever he is," he said. "There are a lot of teams looking for drivers.
"Am I happy about this? No. Am I happy to be in this situation? No. Is it a disaster? No, it's not a disaster, either. It's just part of the business."
Single seater drivers have had mixed success in making the switch to NASCAR. Former Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser competed in a few Busch Series races before calling it quits, as did Paul Tracy who subsequently signed a five-year contract extension to remain in single seaters. Michel Jourdain Jr. left Champ Car for NASCAR but failed to make an impact in Busch or the Truck Series.
The one exception to the rule is former IRL champion Tony Stewart, who has two Nextel Cup championships to his name and shares the same kind of aggression on the track that is a hallmark of Montoya.
Only last weekend, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve said that he would consider a switch to NASCAR once his F1 career was over.
"Going to NASCAR might not be such a bad career move because it's the most exciting race series in the U.S. and it's a very different discipline to F1," he told The Red Bulletin. "I would not consider it a step down. Would I consider a move to stock cars? I would."
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Juan Pablo Montoya correrá la próxima temporada las serie NASCAR
Juan Pablo Montoya, cuyo contrato con al escudería McLaren-Mercedes para competir en el Campeonato del Mundo de Fórmula Uno finaliza con la presente temporada, ha decidido competir el próximo año en la serie estadounidense NASCAR, según informa autosport.com
Montoya se ha comprometido con Chip Ganassi, con el que ya compitió en la CART, en la que logró el título en 1999 y la victoria en las 500 millas de Indianápolis en 2000, y ahora lo hará la NASCAR, que se disputa con coches de turismo de gran cilindrada.
El piloto colombiano, que actualmente ocupa la sexta posición en el mundial de Fórmula Uno con 26 puntos, 42 menos que el líder Fernando Alonso, había declarado recientemente que no estaba preocupado por su futuro.
Por último según fuentes próximas al piloto, éste se muestra encantado de "volver a casa".
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Yo lo que no he entendido nunca es el cambio de Montoya desde que está en Mclaren...
Siempre lo he tenido por un piloto con mucho arrojo y muy bueno en los adelantamientos,cuando estabas viendo una carrera siempre esperabas "el momento de Juancho",pero desde entonces ha dado un cambio brutal.Parecía un corredor distinto.
Supongo que sus malos resultados con McLaren tampoco le han ayudado lo más mínimo a que algún equipo se fijara en él para la próxima temporada...
Una lástima
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La F1 eliminará los pilotos de 'los viernes'
Los pilotos del viernes no harán falta en 2007, ya que la comisión de F1 ha propuesto abolir la utilización de un tercer coche en los grandes premios para final de año.
En un documento que subraya los cambios en la normativa deportiva, la FIA decía que la modificación eliminaría la posibilidad de que ciertos equipos rodaran el viernes con un tercer coche.
Solo los seis últimos equipos de la clasificación de constructores del año anterior pueden rodar con un coche 'de viernes' pero en ocasiones equipos grandes como McLaren y Honda han explotado legalmente esa norma.
La comisión de F1 también modificará el actual formato de calificación. Los cambios tendrán efecto a partir de Magny Cours si el Consejo Mundial lo aprueba con una votación vía fax.
Se quitarán cinco minutos de la última tanda, ya que la FIA explicaba que las vueltas para quemar combustible no tienen ningún efecto en las posiciones de parrilla.
Otro pequeño cambio es que en las dos primeras tandas un piloto podrá terminar su vuelta ya empezada después de que termine el tiempo. Por razones de sencillez, la FIA dijo que el cambio 'garantizará que cada uno de los tres periodos de calificación termine de la misma forma'.
En 2007, se propone que Bridgestone solo puede ofrecer dos especificaciones de neumáticos para toda la parrilla. Anteriormente, los proveedores podían preparar dos especificaciones para cada equipo.
La razón es 'garantizar que estén disponibles neumáticos idénticos para todos los equipos en cada prueba'.
F1live.com