eBay Listing: Entire Turnkey Vintage Indy Racing Team
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Vintage open-wheel race cars are the top dogs of the vintage racing circuit. The idea of actually owning and racing a top-notch team would be pure fantasy, right? Well, maybe not. Consider this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Victory Racing is auctioning off everything you and a group of fellow gearheads need to get started.
The package recently offered on eBay for the reasonable sum of $350,000. It includes a Dallara IR-02 Indy Car; a championship-winning Lola T97-20 Indy Lights car; a flatbed paddock tow vehicle; more than 8,000 spare parts: and a sweet hauler to get the entire team to the track. That’s an extraordinary price for an entire turnkey vintage racing team. NBCSports estimates the current total budget for a top-tier IndyCar team at $15 million, with a per car cost of $3 million.
The Dallara IR-02 Indy car is fitted with a Chevrolet Indy V8 engine, set up to run on methanol. It was campaigned by Blair Racing in the 2002 Firestone Indy Racing League season and still sports the original blue and white RayOVac livery with red accents. Alex Barron took fourth in the 2002 Indianapolis 500 in the car and was a Rookie of the Year co-winner. Barron posted a qualifying speed of 228.58 miles per hour after starting the race back in the 9th row. Later that season, he won the 2002 Firestone Indy 200 in the car at Nashville Speedway.
The 2001 Lola T97-20 Indy Lights car was campaigned by Dorricott Racing in 2001, with primary sponsorship from Hughes’ DirecPC satellite internet service. Townsend Bell won the 2001 Indy Lights Championship in the car, in his second season with the team, rolling up a half a dozen wins. The Lola comes with a set of spares that include a 4.2-liter V6 engine.
Victory Racing’s package has nearly everything you need to go racing, other than a Nomex race suit, helmet, gloves, and a proper set of racing shoes. The Dallara and Lola come complete with data acquisition systems, along with a slew of parts, a remote starter, an engine lift, and setup scales.
The 2006 Volvo 18-wheeler tows a two-deck four-car hauler that includes a workshop and crew lounge. The cab is finished in burgundy with traditional hot rod flames. The trailer is a matching burgundy and white with a diagonal black stripe.
The cars are well-maintained and are actively campaigned in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) events at Road America and other venues. Check out SVRA’s schedule of events for 2016 to envision where your team might make its inaugural race later this year.
Everything in the package is owned by New Zealander Paul Morgan and currently housed in Denver, Co. under the care of Bob Hildreth, an expert in Indy car maintenance. Hildreth was a member of Buddy Lazier's Indianapolis 500 winning team. The Dallara won its class at a recent event, finishing overall behind two F1 cars.
Jimmy Aretakis is marketing the turnkey setup for Paul Morgan/Victory Racing. “I've been in vintage racing for 24 years,” Aretakis explained. “I ran Nostalgia Racing Inc. for 10 years, a local vintage club in Colorado, and have been to most major events across the country and watched Victory Racing (Paul's team) perform at the highest, most professional level you’ll find in vintage racing.”
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