The Call For More Horses

With the return of the Push-2-Pass for the remaining road and street course races being announced yesterday, the true issue is still not being resolved. After the dull race at Belle Isle, it has to be considered that the return of the system is prevent another dull show on the streets of Toronto and on two tracks that are tight and difficult to pass at, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. After great races at Barber and Long Beach, two tight tracks where passing is tough, it seemed that passing and finding places to pass were not a problem with this new car. Now, doubt seems to have set in.

The heart of the issue is the overall power of the car. The turbocharger boost levels will now be 150 kPa, instead of 155 kPa and Push-2-Pass will give the drivers a 10 kPa boost. The cry from drivers, media and fans has been to turn up the turbochargers and produce more horsepower. Frankly, who disagrees? While these engines are developing, increasing the overall boost level should be made one step at a time. More power will produce faster times and partnered with tires that fall off will create passing that we all want to see.

What started with ChampCar, then brought and modified by IndyCar, has worn out it's welcome. ChampCar gave the drivers 60 seconds of P2P for each race. If a driver used it all up in the first 5 laps, then so be it. When it was brought to IndyCar, the series gave each driver a set number of pushes a raceand each push lasted the same amount time, normally anywhere from 12-20 seconds. But the Push-2-Push moniker has been the opposite in reality. Especially since being brought to IndyCar, the system has been used more by the drivers to protect themselves from being passed, than actually making a pass.

American open-wheel racing once had cars that produced 900 horsepower that really separated the top drivers from the bottom and great racing. While not at that point yet, the series should slowly turn up the power. Starting with the beginning of next year and at some point in the middle, the series and the engine manufactures should turn up the boost levels to realistic levels that do not put too much wear on the engines. It would be greatly appreciated by all.