Juan Pablo will be back

[Sepa]

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 McLaren driver'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 Nextel Cup as of next year - and autosport.com understands that it is a long term one.
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 recruiting the Colombian, 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 No. 42 car from the start of next season.
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 was presented to him last month. "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."

skraceno: Montoya je potpisao za Chip Ganassi Racing, vozit ce NASCAR sljedece sezone

[Acidofil]

woooohoooooooooooo moram satelitsku osposobit!!!!

[JoZ@]

Acidofil kaže:

woooohoooooooooooo moram satelitsku osposobit!!!!

koje godine

[Acidofil]

JoZ@ kaže:

koje godine

vidichesh ti, kad digitalija zapjeva kod mene, bush i ti dosho gleat malog kolumbijca kak se razbija po ovalu

[JoZ@]

Acidofil kaže:

vidichesh ti, kad digitalija zapjeva kod mene, bush i ti dosho gleat malog kolumbijca kak se razbija po ovalu

vidi moje pitanje iznad

[Ludi]

Ne mogu vjerovat! I to baš u NASCAR, najgluplje automobilističko natjecanje na svijetu. Bolje da je došo vozit karting u Špansko....

[Manuel Rui Costa]

Sepa kaže:

skraceno: Montoya je potpisao za Chip Ganassi Racing, vozit ce NASCAR sljedece sezone

[j.a.]

ja se nadam da se neće vratit
uskoro (za 1,2 do 3 sezone) bi trebalo otić dost ljudi iz f1: Montoya,Villeneuve,Coulthard,uskoro i Schumi,pa možda i Barichello, a ima ih koji se nisu iskazali pa bi u idućih nekoliko sezone mogli letit. MOžda bi se trebao otvorit topic o tome ko bi u budućnosti mogao osvojit naslov prvaka. bit će dost njih, osim Alonsa, Raikkonena, Rosberga, Liuzzi-a, doće i onaj Hamilton, Kubica, Kovalainen i ostale nade koje će tek doć u f1 (navodno je sennin nećak brz i prognozira mu se ulazak u f1 kad vozački sazrije).

[Damson]

Super, izbacite Montoyu al dovedite jos kojeg robota u F1...

[gabal]

Šteta, stvarno šteta što ga više nećemo vidjeti u F1...

[talos]

baš super....končano je i taj dan došao da Montoya ode

[Feuerfuchs]

Doista je dosao, od danas Montoya vise ne vozi za McLaren Mercedes, mjesto drugog vozaca preuzima Pedro de la Rosa.

[gabal]

Ide u Miami pripremati se za NASCAR sezonu a i žena će mu uskoro ponovo roditi...

[j.a.]

Pedro de la rosa će sad pokazati da može i umije!

[Manuel Rui Costa]

Jebemu Montoya mislio sam da cemo se sad malo nauzivat tvojih ludorija do kraja sezone .. sad kad te boli kurac ..

[Sepa]

ovo ozbiljno dovodi u pitanje moj odlazak u monzu ove godine
mamicu im njihovu, krvi cu im se napiti a ronu cu zabiti glavu u beton ak ga slucajno sretnem negdje

[miST]

Sepa kaže:

mamicu im njihovu, krvi cu im se napiti a ronu cu zabiti glavu u beton ak ga slucajno sretnem negdje

Možeš jednom i za mene

[gabal]

Mislim da su Hamiltonu šanse da dogodine završi u McLarenu naglo jaaaaaako porasle...

[Semiflexible]

Evo, Schumi je kriv i za ovo

Latest News
Blame Schumi for Montoya's exit
Tuesday July 11 2006

Juan Pablo Montoya's defection from F1 to NASCAR has been blamed on...Michael Schumacher.

According to paddock gossip, the driver market has been stalled by Schumi's dithering over a new Ferrari contract. While the German ponders whether or not to prolong his F1 career, the market has effectively been closed. Although Fernando Alonso has already signed a deal with McLaren, Kimi Raikkonen, Montoya's former McLaren team-mate, is believed to be waiting on Schumi's decision before he himself decides whether to join Ferrari or Renault, or even remain at McLaren.

In turn, the likes of Red Bull, Toyota and BMW-Sauber have delayed the finalisation of their 2007 driver-up while the top end of the market puts its various houses in order.

Peeved at no longer being regarded as a top-tier driver in F1, and living up to his reputation for hot-headed impetuosity, Montoya duly decided to move to NASCAR.

[Semiflexible]

A jos dva luzera smjeraju slicno ..

Another F1 refugee might slip down the NASCAR escape-hatch, according to reports.

Barely a day after Juan Pablo Montoya announced his decision to swap Grand Prix racing for the world of oval-based tin-tops, it has emerged that fellow former Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve's recent comments about NASCAR might also be kosher.

NASCAR team Roush Racing's president Geoff Smith told the US media that representatives for the BMW Sauber racer have made 'probing' enquiries, while another former World Champion, DTM runner Mika Hakkinen, attended a recent race in the States.


"I just feel it in the air," Smith was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated. "They're poking around."

35-year-old Villeneuve, meanwhile, told the Toronto Sun News: "Going to NASCAR might not be such a bad career move. I would not consider it a step down."

Source GMM
CAPSIS International