By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Two years into his Red Bull-sponsored search for an American race driver with Formula One potential, 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan has reason to smile. Actually, two reasons.
The reasons are Scott Speed and Colin Fleming, young Californians who are proving their worth in European junior racing.
Speed this year became the first American to win a junior championship in Europe. He clinched the Formula Renault Eurocup title Sept. 4 when he and Fleming finished 1-2, respectively, at Imola, Italy, site of the San Marino Grand Prix.
They also are running a respective 1-2 in the German championship as teammates racing for the Red Bull Junior Team based in Austria.
For Sullivan, it's the first big step in the ambitious program he announced in September 2002 leading up to the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is happy over the pair's performances this season but also cautious about their Formula One prospects.
"They really had a tremendous season, both of them," Sullivan said from his home in the south of France.
"They went to China (for the first F1 race at Shanghai on Sept. 26). They ran two Renault cars out there. Red Bull did it for them, and they dominated out there. And so they've really got their act together.
"But the thing about racing is, you know, a season doesn't make a career. And so they will be pushed up to another level."
Tests are planned for both in October to determine what series they'll compete in next year. Sullivan would like to see them reach the Formula 3000 level. This was the last season of FIA International Formula 3000, as the series will change in 2005 and be called GP2. Sullivan also mentioned the Formula Renault V6 series, which is similar to F3000.
"It's one (step) down from Grand Prix," he said. "It'll depend on how they shine in that next year."
Sullivan points out that the major problem of moving an American, or any other driver, up to Formula One is that there are only 20 seats available each year. If there are no openings, then it's another season of waiting and hoping.
"Take this guy (Italian Vitantonio) Liuzzi, who won more 3000 races (seven in 2004) than anybody in the history of Formula 3000," Sullivan said, "and no one's sure he's going to get a ride because there's no place for him to go."
But Sullivan emphasized that both Speed and Fleming have benefited by racing in Europe because it is such a strong training ground for young drivers. It is so intense because many of the young drivers with potential from around the world compete in the various series.
"So their training will be good for wherever they go," he said.
"I thing you're seeing this in Patrick Long in how well he's done in Porsche sports cars. One of our guys, Paul Edwards, of last year was picked up by GM, and he did a couple of races for them this year and some testing. Hopefully, they'll want to put him in something next year."
Other Americans in this year's Red Bull program are Dominique Claessens, who raced against Speed and Fleming in Formula Renault Eurocup, and Matt Jaskol, who raced in North America in the Formula BMW USA series.
Without the Red Bull program, Sullivan is uncertain whether a Formula One door ever would have been opened for another American.
Sullivan knows. He had dreams of joining Phil Hill and Mario Andretti as the third American to win the F1 World Championship. He drove for Tyrrell in 1983 and scored top places of fifth at Monaco and seventh at South Africa. Yet the team lost its sponsor at the end of the season and had to take a pay driver for 1984.
"I was toast," Sullivan said.
Then after Sullivan won the Indy 500 in 1985, he made inquiries again about returning to F1. He found he would have had to start at the "bottom of the barrel" because he would have been 37 by the time he completed his final season with Penske Racing.
The age factor can become a problem even for Speed, 21, and Fleming, 20, Sullivan said.
Speed struggled in 2003 partially due to a stomach problem and a broken hand. After the impressive 2004 season, he still faces possibly another two similar seasons before an F1 team might give him serious consideration, and he would be 23 or 24, Sullivan said. Fleming is less experienced but a year younger.
"Everybody's looking for LeBron James," Sullivan said of the Cleveland Cavaliers teen-age sensation. "It's the way it started in tennis, and now everybody wants to find the next 21-year-old Tiger Woods. They want them all younger and younger and younger.
"So, we'll see."
Still, Sullivan praises Red Bull for providing an avenue to Formula One for young American drivers.
"Red Bull's been great to work with," he said. "And thank God they've got the vision to do that and are willing to put up the money for these kids." ***
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