I am stuffed. I ate more pie this weekend than I did in the rest of the year combined. Between shoveling food down my gullet and visiting family, there was racing that took place this weekend but we will get to that in a moment. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Giving Back
If you follow IndyCar, everyone is bored. Fans are bored. Drivers are bored. Writers are bored. It's been three months since the season ended. If this was NASCAR, they'd be getting ready for their first race and if it was Formula One, we would be doing significant testing with the season opener being weeks away. IndyCar, however, is still months away from significant testing, let alone a race.
Seeing that we are in the holiday season, it is season of giving and IndyCar should take advantage and not only give back to the fans but charity. Between all the food and the constant feeling of fullness I thought about all those who weren't as fortunate to have a Thanksgiving meal. There has to be a way to make sure everyone can have a nice holiday meal regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Instead of sitting ideally by and twiddling thumbs until the American football season ends, IndyCar could use these few weeks to run a charity race or two. The series might not have as deep pockets as NASCAR or Formula One but they have the means to help those in need. Go to a track in a warmer markets, run a race and sell tickets with all proceeds going to charity. Have a raffle or auction at the race with memorabilia and other cool prizes bringing in money for a charity. Give the fans a chance to meet and get autographs from drivers. Make it a very festive atmosphere with all of it going for a good cause.
There are no motorsport series during December and it would be a great chance for exposure for the series. After next weekend, college football tampers off before bowl games begin and you could run a race on a Saturday afternoon or evening. It's not like NBCSN has a busy schedule on Saturdays. After Premier League action, there schedule is more or less lacking any substantial event that they have to cover.
Even better about a charity race is the series wouldn't need a sanctioning fee to get it done. Just rent out Phoenix or Laguna Seca for a day. It would be a great gift to IndyCar fans who want to series return to either of those tracks. The race would likely be a exhibition, meaning format doesn't matter. The format can be made up on the spot. Want to run heat races? We can run heat races. Want to have the fans determine the starting grid? Let them do it. Want to force a mandatory pit stop? That can be arranged. This charity race can be set up any way imaginable. Heck, bring in Indy Lights, Pro Mazda and U.S. F2000 or USAC to join the bill.
A race or two in December would give IndyCar fans a much needed hit after three months of withdrawal before facing another three month and if all proceeds went to charity, those in need would get a little something back as well. It's a win-win proposition in my book.
A Flaw in a World Championship
Sergey Zlobin and the #27 SMP Racing Oreca-Nissan won the LMP2 championship but I have a problem with how the FIA World Endurance Championship awards points. Zlobin got a maximum 50 points at Le Mans. He didn't win. He finished 12th in class, the last LMP2 car classified. He got maximum points because the #27 was the only finishing LMP2 car eligible for the world championship.
I understand why he got maximum points but it's misleading. Jota Sport won in LMP2 in Le Mans and I understand since they and the other ten teams that finished ahead of the #27 do not get point since they didn't enter the world championship but I don't think someone who finished 12th should be treated as if they were a winner.
In my opinion, points should be awarded according to where you finished in class, not how you finished amongst those eligible for the world championship. Therefore, Zlobin should have only gotten a point for Le Mans. It wasn't the only occasion where a team received more points than where they finished in class in the race.
At Spa, while G-Drive Racing took victory, Jota finished second ahead of the SMP Racing entries and KCMG. At Austin, Extreme Speed Motorsports finished third with G-Drive finishing fourth. At Fuji, OAK Racing rounded out the podium with both SMP Racing finishing behind the French team. ESM finished second at Shanghai ahead of the #27 and OAK Racing scored another podium at Bahrain, ahead of both the #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier and #27 SMP Racing Oreca.
Had the championship points been award for how teams finished in race not for how they finished amongst those who are eligible for the world championship, G-Drive and drivers Olivier Pla, Julien Canal and Romain Rusinov would have won the LMP2 title with 129 points to Zlobin's 89 points.
G-Drive legitimately won four races this year, the second consecutive year with such success but will get nothing for it. This shouldn't happen next year as LMP2 should have much more than four full-time entries but I still think the way points are awarded should be slightly altered in 2015.
Bombshell of the Day
Carlin Motorsport is coming to the United States, more specifically the Indy Lights Series in 2015. The team is coming off winning the GP3 title with Alex Lynn and has finished second in the GP2 championship the last two seasons.
This is a big addition for Indy Lights and could lead to expansion into the Verizon IndyCar Series. A list of drivers who have raced for Carlin in Europe include Max Chilton, Felipe Nasr, António Félix da Costa, Alex Brundle, Sebastian Vettel, Robert Wickens, Jaime Alguersuari, Jean-Éric Vergne, Kevin Magnussen, Carlos Sainz, Jr., Harry Tincknell, Daniil Kvyat, Olivier Pla, Robert Kubica, Sébastien Buemi, Brandon Hartley, Daniel Ricciardo, Marcus Ericsson and Anthony Davidson to name a few drivers.
Recent IndyCar drivers to have run with Carlin include Josef Newgarden, Charlie Kimball, Conor Daly, Will Power, Mikhail Aleshin, Takuma Sato, Carlos Huertas and Mario Moraes. Recent Indy Lights drivers Jack Harvey, Richard Antinucci and Daniel Morad all drove for Carlin as well.
It will be interesting to see who Carlin hires for their Indy Lights outfit. Does a young American get a shot? Are two of their drivers from Europe going to be coming across the pond to open seats for better talent? Does the entire program fall through at the 11th hour, leaving those who follow IndyCar and their ladder system with another crap story proving IndyCar can't have nice thing? We will have to wait and see.
Champions From the Weekend
Rubens Barrichello won the Stock Car Brasil championship with a third place finish at Curitiba. It is Rubinho's first title since winning the 1991 British Formula Three championship.
Sergey Zlobin won the FIA WEC LMP2 Drivers' Championship and SMP Racing won the teams' championship.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about what happened at Interlagos but did you know...
Daniel Serra won the Stock Car Brasil season finale from Curitiba.
Christopher Bell won Turkey Night Grand Prix from Perris Auto Speedway.
Coming Up This Weekend
V8 Supercars end their 2014 season on the streets around Sydney Olympic Park.
Asian Le Mans Series closes their season at Sepang.
The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is the final endurance race in the United States this year from Thunderhill Raceway Park in California.
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