V8 SLEUTH continues its expansion with confirmation it has reached agreement with a noted, long-time American-based motorsport media identity to acquire a significant holding of records relating to CART and Champ Car chassis histories.
Jeremy Shaw, best known to Australian fans for his CART and Champ Car TV commentary and as the long-time editor of the Autocourse Indy/Champ Car Yearbook, has agreed terms to sell his self-compiled master list of chassis to V8 Sleuth parent company, AN1 Media, thus creating the ‘Indy Sleuth’ spin-off brand.
An English native but based in the United States since the mid 1980s, Shaw worked in the CART/Champ Car paddock through the 1990s and into the 2000s during an amazing era in the sport’s history.
Compiling his information first-hand, on-site with physical inspections of chassis and discussions with crew chiefs and drivers at a range of venues around the world, allowed Shaw’s information bank to become the ‘go-to’ for Champ Car racing of the era.
His specific chassis history files cover CART and Champ Car from 1997 through to the Long Beach 2008 farewell of the category as it then merged into the Indy Racing League, now INDYCAR to re-unify American open wheeler racing.
Among the hundreds of chassis history within the information are the racing histories of chassis constructed by Lola, Reynard, Penske, Eagle, Swift and, for the 2007 season and 2008 Long Beach one-off, Panoz, with its DP01 chassis.
Teams that raced in this era include Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Team Penske, Newman-Haas Racing, Team Green, Team Rahal and many, many more. All of the cars presented by these teams at all races in this era are covered within Shaw’s records.
Importantly, the records also include those of the chassis used at the annual Gold Coast race at Surfers Paradise in those years and distinguish between primary and spare chassis at various events.
“This is hugely exciting and something Jeremy and I have been speaking about for a few years,” says V8 Sleuth MD Aaron Noonan.
“Leigh Diffey connected us a few years ago and Jeremy and I actually did this deal earlier this year and we’ve slowly but surely been transferring the information in between our various racing commitments.
“This is just the start of what we’re dubbing Indy Sleuth. It will sit as a brand within the V8 Sleuth online family, and we’ll continue to expand and add to it with chassis histories pre and post the era that Jeremy’s material covers.”
Shaw, who will continue to consult to the Sleuth team on CART and Champ Car era information and data, is thrilled to see his work acquired by a passionate and motivated organisation.
“I was lucky enough to be intimately involved in CART/Champ Car/INDYCAR during an unforgettable era and I have always been interested in the statistical side of the sport,” says Shaw.
“V8 Sleuth is a wonderful resource that has attracted a tremendously wide following. I’m absolutely delighted that someone as accomplished as Aaron has taken on this project and is looking to share my passion.”
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