There was a lot of news this month with IndyCar, Formula One, NASCAR, MotoGP, Formula E and World Superbike all in action. IndyCar looks toward the month of May. Formula One is heading into its European portion of the season. Formula E is already in its European portion of the season. NASCAR has gone to the historic tracks of Bristol, Richmond and Talladega. MotoGP came to the United States and now heads to Spain. World Superbike has a new villain. It is great! There is plenty on the plate each weekend and sometime too much to digest. With all the action, we got a lot of headlines.
Once again, this is just for fun. In case you are new, this is my gut reaction to headlines without reading the article. Of course, the gripes I have may be answered in the article.
We are going IndyCar heavy this month and that is where we will start.
In Dixon's eyes, starting second is just one spot from first
Isn't second just one spot from first to every driver?
I know Dixon is a pretty optimistic guy and he will take a second starting position because he knows how to position himself to take the lead through pit strategy if needed but I don't think any other driver looks at second and thinks he or she is a million miles from first and it will not be possible to obtain.
I am sure most drivers prefer to start first over second but I am sure every driver has the same viewpoint as second on the grid.
NTT IndyCar Series driver Max Chilton: Not interested to returning to F1 as a backmarker
To be fair, no F1 backmarking team is interested in having Chilton back.
Yes, that is a shot at Chilton because his IndyCar results over the last year and a quarter have been terrible, but I am not sure anyone was all that interested in bringing Chilton back. I don't think any team in Formula One is looking at any IndyCar drivers. Chilton would bring money and that would be enticing to a few teams (Williams).
I am not sure what Formula One team could sweep a top tier IndyCar driver away from the series. You would think any Formula One team would be an upgrade but does running at the back outrank winning races in IndyCar? No driver is going to Williams. Racing Point is wishy-washy. Red Bull doesn't hire drivers and I am sure most don't want to get caught in that mess. Mercedes is not going to come calling. Ferrari is not going to come calling. Is Haas worth it? Is Renault worth it? Alfa Romeo is Ferrari's reserve team. Does anyone want to take a chance on McLaren?
There are really only three teams worth listening to: Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. I think you may take a shot on Alfa Romeo or Toro Rosso because one or two excellent seasons at those teams could lead to a promotion and you may take a look at McLaren if it got itself in an encouraging situation.
Howard drops 2019 Indy 500 bid
Did Jay Howard drop the bid or did the IndyCar grid drop its interest in Jay Howard?
Howard was fortunate to get a shot the last two years after being out of a car for so long. He brought some money and it ran its course. I am not sure how likely he was going to get a ride this year. The number of interested drivers has only increased and the talent of those drivers has increased as well. Think that Carlos Muñoz has completed all 200 miles in each of his six Indianapolis 500 starts and he has five top ten finishes and he likely will not be at Indianapolis this year. Gabby Chaves has been a consistent driver over his IndyCar career and has not torn up a lot of equipment and he will be on the sidelines.
Howard's time may have just expired.
Focus still on February for international expansion - Miles
We have been waiting for February international expansion under Mark Miles since day one in 2013 and it has yet to come. I am not holding out any hope of it coming in the next two or three years.
I am not sure IndyCar needs to go after international races in February. The series has done well in the Mark Miles-era and a lot of people want another IndyCar race or two and a lot of people want to return to Australia and Japan and an international sanctioning fee could be a big coup for the series but I think the series is in a good place.
Another year of chasing international races and coming up with nothing is not a good look. It harps back to the Terry Angstadt-era when it seemed like every year he threw out two or three international races and none of them happened. Angstadt was talking about races in Dubai and Mexico City before it was cool.
I think IndyCar should be happy with what is has got and if an international race happens then great, if the next race to join the schedule is a domestic event then just as good but I think it would be fine to go silent when it comes to flyaway races in February.
IndyCar says third engine manufacture is 'a necessity'
IndyCar has been doing well with two manufactures for nearly seven seasons and for five of the six seasons before that the series had one manufacture. Twelve of the last 13 seasons have had fewer than three manufactures. A third engine manufacture is not a necessity but it would be damn good for the series and provide some relief.
INDYCAR leaders see new manufactures coming soon, one way or another
What does that mean? Mind you that this article came from IndyCar's own website, i.e. state media.
Does this mean IndyCar is willing to relax the new engine manufactures from 2.4 L V6 to allow something larger or smaller or with more or fewer cylinders? Will IndyCar allow more in-season development? What does IndyCar know?
Add to that the recent Porsche news and though that might not come to fruition IndyCar is really pushing for that third manufacture and it cannot afford to not add to its current crop of engine suppliers. We will have to wait and see but the deadline for committing to a 2022 engine program is approaching.
On to Formula One!
Will F1 make it to a 2000th world championship race?
Yeah, probably.
Let's not get too philosophical here. Formula One isn't going away. It might be crazy to think Formula One will be around for the next century but it has already been here for 70 years, the Indianapolis 500 dates back 108 years and barring another world war, climate change completely fucking up the Earth or a dictatorship succeeding in world domination Formula One will be around.
Another way to look at it is when the 2019 season ends Formula One will have had 1,018 races, 982 races from the 2000th race. If Formula One averages 20 races a season it will take 49.1 seasons to reach the 2000th race, meaning the 2000th race would be the second round of the 2069 season. If Formula One averages 22 races a season it will take 44.636 seasons to reach 2000th, meaning the 14th round of the 2,064 season. Those years sounds far away but consider we are closer to either of those years than the first Formula One race in 1950.
The 2000th race will be here before you know it.
Monza needs €60 million "urgently" for track renovation?
This seems like a familiar song.
Monza is in trouble. Monza is going to lose the Italian Grand Prix. Monza needs money. Monza remains on the calendar.
Maybe this is the time the FIA is serious and it is ready to pull the Italian Grand Prix from Monza or worst of all pull the Italian Grand Prix entirely from the schedule. That is a lot of money and Monza isn't that badly out of shape. It has paved over a lot or run-off area and the garages are relatively modern. Could the grandstands be updated? Probably but it gets the job done in holding the crowd.
I am not sure where you get €60 million in an urgent manner. I guess sheiks but I am not sure any of them are interested in propping up Monza. After all, if they were going to spend €60 million to help some Italians they would just spending €1 billion, build a racetrack in their own country and attract a grand prix that will have at most 15,000 spectators.
I have a hunch Monza will be fine.
Räikkönen: Drain cover incident made F1 look like "amateurs"
Don't you worry Kimi Räikkönen, IndyCar has had plenty of amateur moments.
Remember the train tracks at San Jose? Or at Baltimore?
Remember the bumps at Houston and the makeshift chicane installed for a practice day?
Remember the standing starts where Sebastian Saavedra couldn't figure it out and then he ended up on pole position for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis because of a dry-to-wet qualifying session only for him to stall and be clobbered from behind?
Remember the indecision over going green in the first Toronto race in 2014 in the wet?
Remember when Brian Barnhart decided to let a race go green at Loudon when everyone else saw it was raining?
Formula One is just fine.
Formula E had a doozy of a headline.
Saudi 'Christmas Race' Possible for Season Six Opener
I am not sure about a Christmas race and I wonder how much push back this will get.
The last thing the teams will want is to be working days before Christmas and then have to rush home to be with family or worst of all, having torn up equipment that has to be addressed immediately, which means spending Christmas in a shop.
I am all for December races for Formula E. It is a gap in the schedule and the series should take advantage of it but it doesn't have to race days before Christmas. The weekend before that would be fine. I even proposed a New Year's race similar to Formula One and the early years of the South African Grand Prix but give the teams Christmas.
We got one NASCAR-related article.
CRANDALL: When 15th is as good as a win
When you only need 15th to clinch a championship, not when one of Richard Childress' grandsons is having a day better than 24th.
Time for some bike stuff.
Can Rossi pull off his own Tiger Woods moment?
The Tiger Woods comparisons were a nuisance this month.
For starters, let's not act like Tiger Woods had overcome something great. Yes, he had back injuries but this all stems from an extramarital affair. Coming back from getting caught isn't something to celebrate. He thought he was invisible and caught with his pants down. He then had over a decade of mediocrity and then won another major tournament. Whoop-dee-doo.
Oh, and all you punks who think you are hot shit for pointing out Alex Zanardi coming back from losing his legs or Niki Lauda returning after nearly burning to death, you don't get a medal. We get it. All comebacks are different and of different magnitudes. These comebacks do not disqualify all other trials of adversity athletes from other sports face.
Bautista's dominance a "disaster" for WSBK - Rea
Oh the irony.
And we end on a whimper.
Rosberg turned down DTM wildcard chance
What a buzzkill.
This is what Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters needs and what else is Nico Rosberg doing? He is another boat thinking he is fighting for a greater cause and is hawking Formula E. Be a race car driver. Go run a DTM race. It might be tough. All these drivers have far more seat time but get out there.
Rosberg would stand to gain respect if he accepted the offer and not turned it down. Who cares if he doesn't score points. Making the effort is all that matters. You got to take a chance but Rosberg is more concerned with protecting his pride and let everyone remember him as a world champion. He is a bit clever. He knows a lackadaisical weekend in the DTM will only fuel people who will point out that he won the world championship but couldn't beat the likes of Jamie Green, Marco Wittmann, Timo Glock, Bruno Spengler or Nico Müller.
It is a bit disappointing Rosberg is that concerned with protecting his ego.
That is enough for April. It ends with a rain shower where I sit. The showers are supposed to bring the flowers of May. Life is sprouting on the trees and soon we will have cars on track at Spa-Francorchamps, Monaco and Indianapolis. This is not a bad time of the year.
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