IndyCar nearly screwed the pooch. NASCAR ran a race that didn't matter. Audi won a 24-hour endurance race. Johnny O'Connell swept the Pirelli World Challenge races from Mosport and I missed the MotoGP race from France. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
We Need to Talk About Qualifying
It wasn't pretty but it was completed. We could of had a disastrous situation where no cars got on track, fans would have wasted their time and left disappointed and angry and a TV window would have been wasted.
It sucks that IndyCar got way too conservative, forcing teams to race in their qualifying setup and decreasing the boost level from the 140 kPa originally scheduled for qualifying. There were three accidents but each driver walked away and was cleared to get back in the car immediately. IndyCar has to be proactive but this yesterday they acted too much like a first-time parent, panicking over every little thing that happens to their child. IndyCar should have been hands off. The teams and drivers are adults and they should have been treated as such. IndyCar shouldn't have forced every team to run their race setup and with 130 kPa. If a Chevrolet team wanted to run in their race setup and with lower boost, then fine but it shouldn't have impacted everyone.
We want the teams to take risks. That's why we tune in. We want to see the envelope pushed and watch a driver walk the line at over 230 MPH. If a driver blinks, then they will likely find themselves at the back. We don't want to see the drivers coddled. We want to see the drivers protected but at the same time we need to let drivers face the realities of being a driver. They know the risks that come with motorsports and the chance of death has been greatly reduced compared to 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 years ago. We have SAFER barriers, HANS devices, fire suits, chassis built to handle a crash better, better seats and seat belts. It's absolutely absurd to believe this current period is more dangerous than say the 1960s it's not. Once again, Hélio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter all walked away from their accident under their own power and were back in the car as soon as possible. Twenty years ago, those three would have probably been in worse condition.
It's time to realize we can take a few more risks. Yes, IndyCar has to work to make sure the cars don't get lifted each time they hit the wall (develop some type of safety flap). Yes, tracks across the country need to develop better catch fences. Yes, IndyCar and Formula One should look into canopies or screens around the drivers head. There are a few more steps that can be taken to make motorsports safer but realize motorsports will never be as safe as humanly possible. And it shouldn't be. There needs to be some danger in motorsports. I am not saying ban seat belts, helmets and fire suits but allow a team to walk the line and accept the consequences if things go wrong.
With that said, it's better that qualifying was completed than the series having postponed it until Carb Day.
Expanding Qualifying
Why keep qualifying to two days? We will never have two weekends of qualifying again and I am fine with that but why not start qualifying Friday afternoon? I was tweeting over the weekend that if rain postponed both qualifying days IndyCar should have embraced qualifying on Monday seeing as they would have no competition. They could have run a session from noon to 6:00 p.m. ET and owned the day. Other than West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea on NBCSN at 2:30 p.m. ET, there is nothing on Monday afternoon. No NBA playoffs, no Stanley Cup playoffs. There might be an MLB game but it wouldn't be on national TV. The whole thing could have been shown on ESPN. After all, it would be better than nine hours of SportsCenter.
But let's think this out. Why not start qualifying on Friday afternoon? Draw for qualifying on Thursday evening. Have practice from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET on Friday. Start "pole day" at 3:00 p.m. ET Friday and go until 6:00 p.m. ET. You could get it on ESPN with little-to-no competition. Continue pole day on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. Perhaps that could be split between ESPN and ABC. That's six hours of "pole day." From 1:00-6:00 p.m. ET, you have the second day of qualifying and could be broadcasted on ESPNews/ESPN3/WatchESPN. Then you can have bump day on Sunday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. ET, with the final two hours on ABC, just like it was scheduled yesterday. That would be 16 hours of qualifying over three days, more than enough. The track could then reopen at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday for practice and end at 6:00 p.m. with that just being shown online like Monday through Friday last week.
The bright side to the three days of qualifying would be allowing the teams that qualified on pole day and on the second day to practice on Saturday and/or Sunday and not have to run the Monday, post-qualifying practice session.
I am just throwing it out there. If IndyCar can get a TV time slot that stands out then it might be worth it. There will always be competition on the weekends but Friday afternoon is an open time slot. This might be a change worth doing.
Speaking of Change though...
IndyCar can't keep changing the format for Indianapolis 500 qualifying. This year the format was different because of rain and all the event that went down but IndyCar needs to stick with one way to do it and not keep playing around hoping that each change will draw new fans because those changes won't draw that many new fans, if any at all.
Look at the NASCAR All-Star Race. They changed the format so much that the race is no longer special. It's now a nuisance. They should have just stuck to one format that would stand for a long time. Instead they kept changing, hoping each change would make the event better and it just made it worse.
If anything, IndyCar should consider making qualifying more like it once was. Maybe get rid of the Fast Nine session (although that's not so bad). Maybe bring back the three attempts per car (they should absolutely do that and the should force teams to withdraw their times if they choose to make second and/or third qualifying attempt). Maybe not give away championship points for qualifying (there should be no bonus points for any race).
Change can be good but you can't just keep changing. You need to give the fans something they can easily know.
Silver Linings
Things didn't go to plan in Indianapolis 500 qualifying but there are some silver linings.
1. You know I am a proponent to IndyCar practices being shown on TV and IndyCar practice was shown on TV as was IndyCar qualifying. Yes, qualifying was moved to ESPNews but it could have been just shown online or not shown at all.
2. We did have some drama wondering if Buddy Lazier will be able to bump his way into the field. He didn't and was a mile per hour off Clauson but he got a lot closer than I thought he would. For years teams showed up to Indianapolis trying to make the race and were well off the pace. Lazier wasn't the furthest off the 33rd-fastest time and he gave it two cracks but just didn't have enough.
3. Qualifying did get it. Like I said before, IndyCar could have decided to not run and screwed out everyone in attendance and watching at home but IndyCar can't afford to screw anyone over at this point. We didn't see the qualifying runs in the 232-233 MPH range like we were hoping for but there is always next year.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Scott Dixon winning the Indianapolis 500 pole and Johnny O'Connell but did you know...
Jorge Lorenzo won the French Grand Prix, leading a Yamaha 1-2 with Valentino Rossi in second.
The #28 Audi Sport Team WRT of Christopher Mies, Edward Sandstorm, Nico Müller and Laurens Vanthoor won the 24 Hours Nürburgring.
José María López and Yvan Muller split the WTCC races on the Nordschleife.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR All-Star Race. Kasey Kahne won the Truck races from Charlotte but failed post-race tech.
Ford swept the V8 Supercars weekend at Winton. Chaz Mostert and Mark Winterbottom split the Saturday races with Winterbottom winning Sunday's race, putting him in the championship lead.
Thomas Lüthi won in Moto2 from Le Mans. Romano Fenati ended Danny Kent's winning streak in Moto3.
The #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca-Nissan of Tristan Gommendy, Ludovic Badey and Pierre Thiriet won the ELMS round from Imola. The #7 University of Bolton Ginetta-Nissan of Rob Garofell, Jens Petersen and Morten Dons won in LMP3. Ferrari swept the GT classes as the #56 AT Racing Ferrari of Alexander Talkanitsa, Jr., Alexander Talkanitsa, Jr. and Alessandro Pier Guidi won in GTE while the #62 AF Corse Ferrari of Francesco Castellacci, Thomas Flohr and Stuart Hall won in GTC.
Kurt Rezzetano and Jack Baldwin split the Pirelli World Challenge GTS races from Mosport.
Chris Buescher won the NASCAR second division race from Iowa.
Coming Up This Weekend
The greatest weekend of the motorsports year.
99th Indianapolis 500
Monaco Grand Prix
Coca-Cola 600
Formula E heads to Berlin.
Super Formula runs at Okayama.
Blancpain Endurance Series will compete at Silverstone.
World Superbike heads to the land of its rulers and Donington Park.
World Rally returns to Europe, more specifically, Portugal.
Indy Lights will run the Freedom 100 on Carb Day. The other Road to Indy series will be at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Saturday, the Day Before the 500.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Nets and Scavenger Hunts
You have probably seen Hélio Castroneves' accident from Wednesday's practice session for the Indianapolis 500. Today, Josef Newgarden went for his own wild ride. Both ended up upside down, both walked away.
When cars are going quickly as they are at Indianapolis getting airborne is an inherent risk if something goes wrong. Racer.com's Marshall Pruett wrote about why Castroneves got airborne and I recommend it. These things happen and while IndyCar should do something to prevent cars from being lifted so easily (safety flaps perhaps on the side pods?) I am not panicking about it.
However, what if it were the race and what if some debris been flung off Castroneves' car while in the air, that is going to land somewhere and there are thousands of spectators sitting between turns one and two who could be in danger. As I watch practice and I look at the catch fence, I wonder if a net could be attached to the top of the catch fence and to the top of the grandstands that why it prevents objects from getting into the crowd, somewhat like a backstop in baseball. The only difference is it would have to be strong enough to catch a tire and the suspension parts that could be still connected which weigh much more than a baseball and will likely be traveling much faster than a foul ball.
Will it be in the way of spectators' view? Yes. Will it make it unbearable to watch a race through it? Hopefully not. Will it hurt TV camera angles? Maybe but those can be fixed. Is it worth doing? Yes. You can't have spectators getting hurt. If spectators get hurt or possibly worse in this day in age at the Indianapolis 500, it would be a deathblow for IndyCar. The Indianapolis 500 is the only time IndyCar gets national attention for a race and the series and the track cannot afford a spectator injury or death from debris becoming the headline story.
Adding another layer of protection such as a backstop over the grandstands isn't the end of the world. It is something we can get use to. Nothing can be done for this year but for 2016, perhaps it is possible.
Scavenger Hunt
Watching practice and to no surprise, there are very few people at the track on a Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. I get it. People work. You can't take a day off to go to the track and not everyone can go to the track after work. People have families they have to get home to. They have to make dinner, get kids to baseball, softball and/or soccer practice and then the kids have homework. Listen, I get it. If you can make a practice session fit into your schedule, fantastic. If you can't no big deal because I am in the same boat as you are.
However, what if we made it worth going to Indianapolis 500 practice. What if a fan could turn a $15 loss into a six-figure gain? What if the Indianapolis Motor Speedway turned into a daily scavenger hunt on practice days with a six-figure prize? Have a golden ticket, golden-checkered flag, whatever it the track wants hidden somewhere on the track property that is accessible to fan and the person who can find it and return to pagoda wins the prize. I was thinking $500,000 of course to get a prize of that size, the Speedway would need to find a sponsor who would be willing to participate and fund such an endeavor. Maybe to make it worth it to a sponsor have silver tickets, silver checkered flags, whatever around the track that get fans other prizes such as free products from said sponsor, t-shirts, maybe a pair of race tickets or a chance to meet an IndyCar driver.
Why a scavenger hunt? First off, if the prize is larger enough, you will get people through the door, which means more revenue for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Second, it gets people engaged with the track and potentially with IndyCar. People who may never have been to the track before could get to experience it first hand and while they look for a golden ticket/golden-checkered flag/whatever, they get to watch cars go by on track and could potentially decide to return for the race or for qualifying. Third, it's something to promote. I hate to say this but practice isn't sexy and it is tough to get people to go to practice (and I know you are thinking about Allen Iverson's famous press conference so here you go). However, promoting a scavenger hunt with a six-figure prize, is a much more interesting draw.
When cars are going quickly as they are at Indianapolis getting airborne is an inherent risk if something goes wrong. Racer.com's Marshall Pruett wrote about why Castroneves got airborne and I recommend it. These things happen and while IndyCar should do something to prevent cars from being lifted so easily (safety flaps perhaps on the side pods?) I am not panicking about it.
However, what if it were the race and what if some debris been flung off Castroneves' car while in the air, that is going to land somewhere and there are thousands of spectators sitting between turns one and two who could be in danger. As I watch practice and I look at the catch fence, I wonder if a net could be attached to the top of the catch fence and to the top of the grandstands that why it prevents objects from getting into the crowd, somewhat like a backstop in baseball. The only difference is it would have to be strong enough to catch a tire and the suspension parts that could be still connected which weigh much more than a baseball and will likely be traveling much faster than a foul ball.
Will it be in the way of spectators' view? Yes. Will it make it unbearable to watch a race through it? Hopefully not. Will it hurt TV camera angles? Maybe but those can be fixed. Is it worth doing? Yes. You can't have spectators getting hurt. If spectators get hurt or possibly worse in this day in age at the Indianapolis 500, it would be a deathblow for IndyCar. The Indianapolis 500 is the only time IndyCar gets national attention for a race and the series and the track cannot afford a spectator injury or death from debris becoming the headline story.
Adding another layer of protection such as a backstop over the grandstands isn't the end of the world. It is something we can get use to. Nothing can be done for this year but for 2016, perhaps it is possible.
Scavenger Hunt
Watching practice and to no surprise, there are very few people at the track on a Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. I get it. People work. You can't take a day off to go to the track and not everyone can go to the track after work. People have families they have to get home to. They have to make dinner, get kids to baseball, softball and/or soccer practice and then the kids have homework. Listen, I get it. If you can make a practice session fit into your schedule, fantastic. If you can't no big deal because I am in the same boat as you are.
However, what if we made it worth going to Indianapolis 500 practice. What if a fan could turn a $15 loss into a six-figure gain? What if the Indianapolis Motor Speedway turned into a daily scavenger hunt on practice days with a six-figure prize? Have a golden ticket, golden-checkered flag, whatever it the track wants hidden somewhere on the track property that is accessible to fan and the person who can find it and return to pagoda wins the prize. I was thinking $500,000 of course to get a prize of that size, the Speedway would need to find a sponsor who would be willing to participate and fund such an endeavor. Maybe to make it worth it to a sponsor have silver tickets, silver checkered flags, whatever around the track that get fans other prizes such as free products from said sponsor, t-shirts, maybe a pair of race tickets or a chance to meet an IndyCar driver.
Why a scavenger hunt? First off, if the prize is larger enough, you will get people through the door, which means more revenue for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Second, it gets people engaged with the track and potentially with IndyCar. People who may never have been to the track before could get to experience it first hand and while they look for a golden ticket/golden-checkered flag/whatever, they get to watch cars go by on track and could potentially decide to return for the race or for qualifying. Third, it's something to promote. I hate to say this but practice isn't sexy and it is tough to get people to go to practice (and I know you are thinking about Allen Iverson's famous press conference so here you go). However, promoting a scavenger hunt with a six-figure prize, is a much more interesting draw.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Musings From the Weekend: She Said What?
Some fans invaded the track in IndyCar, the other Mercedes won in Formula One, rain continues to stalk NASCAR, Bruno Senna got airborne at Monaco and the British continue to their reign in World Superbike. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
She Said What?
Mari Hulman George was a very lucky lady on Saturday. She was lucky Simona de Silvestro, Pippa Mann and/or Katherine Legge were not in the 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Why was she lucky? She said "Gentleman... Start your engines."
For a second, it appeared she thought she made a mistake and forgot there was a female driver on the grid but she didn't. To be honest, I have gotten so use to hearing "Drivers start your engines" or "Ladies and gentleman start your engines" that it caught me off guard. She wasn't wrong with what she said but I have been wondering for sometime if it is still acceptable to say "gentleman start your engines" even if the entire field is comprised of gentlemen?
I am far from being sensitive or political correct and I don't think what Mari Hulman George said was wrong. I don't think "drivers start your engines" has to become the universal command to start engines regardless if the field is entirely male or entirely female or co-ed. Mari Hulman George is in the clear and I am sure she will nail the command to start engines for the Indianapolis 500.
So We're Going to Act Like it Didn't Happen?
A few people noticed after the Grand Prix of Indianapolis the lack of fanfare after Will Power's victory.
I think Stephanie Wallcraft, Toronto Star contributor, Racing North editor and formerly of More Front Wing fame, said it best.
It felt like Will Power and Team Penske didn't want to celebrate. Everyone wants to win the Indianapolis 500 in two weeks but Power and Penske may never win another race (that is very unlikely but could still happen) and that's how they choose to celebrate. At the same time, that's how IMS choose to celebrate. The Speedway wants a second race but they want to set it in it's place as being clearly less special than the Indianapolis 500 and to draw that line in the sand, they choose to do next to nothing. The winner of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis doesn't get milk to drink, a wreath place around their neck or kiss the bricks and they shouldn't get those things. It is already different from the Indianapolis 500 but it shouldn't be different with a victory celebration that was on par with a funeral procession in terms of excitement.
The Grand Prix of Indianapolis will always be second fiddle to the Indianapolis 500 but it shouldn't be treated as if winning it is a kiss of death. Celebrate it. You don't have to go over the top but you should still celebrate the victory. If IndyCar and the Speedway want this event to succeed, they need to at least show that winning it matters. It's the not Indianapolis 500 but it's still a race that counts toward the IndyCar championship. If you don't want to use the actual victory lane, set-up a make shift victory lane with the empty pit stalls at the north end of the pit lane. Just do it better in 2016.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Will Power and Nico Rosberg but did you know...
Sébastien Buemi became the all-time leader in Formula E victories after winning at Monaco.
Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR race at Kansas after a lengthy rain-delay.
Jack Harvey and Sean Rayhall split the Indy Lights races on the IMS road course. Weiron Tan, Timothé Buret and Santiago Urrutia split the Pro Mazda races. Nico Jamin swept the U.S. F2000 races.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Alex Lynn won the GP2 races from Barcelona. Esteban Ocon and Marvin Kirchhöfer split the opening round of the GP3 season.
Jonathan Rea swept the World Superbike weekend at Imola. He has won four consecutive races and eight of ten this season. Kenan Sofuoglu won his third consecutive World Supersport race.
Laurens Vanthoor and Robin Fjirns swept the Blancpain Sprint Series races at Brands Hatch in the #1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT.
Matt Crafton won the NASCAR Truck race at Kansas.
Coming Up This Weekend
Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
24 Hours Nürburgring.
The WTCC will run two races around the Nordschleife.
MotoGP run the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Pirelli World Challenges heads north to Mosport.
NASCAR runs their All-Star Race.
V8 Supercars are at Winton.
European Le Mans Series head to Imola a week after World Superbike.
She Said What?
Mari Hulman George was a very lucky lady on Saturday. She was lucky Simona de Silvestro, Pippa Mann and/or Katherine Legge were not in the 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Why was she lucky? She said "Gentleman... Start your engines."
For a second, it appeared she thought she made a mistake and forgot there was a female driver on the grid but she didn't. To be honest, I have gotten so use to hearing "Drivers start your engines" or "Ladies and gentleman start your engines" that it caught me off guard. She wasn't wrong with what she said but I have been wondering for sometime if it is still acceptable to say "gentleman start your engines" even if the entire field is comprised of gentlemen?
I am far from being sensitive or political correct and I don't think what Mari Hulman George said was wrong. I don't think "drivers start your engines" has to become the universal command to start engines regardless if the field is entirely male or entirely female or co-ed. Mari Hulman George is in the clear and I am sure she will nail the command to start engines for the Indianapolis 500.
So We're Going to Act Like it Didn't Happen?
A few people noticed after the Grand Prix of Indianapolis the lack of fanfare after Will Power's victory.
I think Stephanie Wallcraft, Toronto Star contributor, Racing North editor and formerly of More Front Wing fame, said it best.
Power stops on pit lane? No victory circle, no fanfare. Didn't realize this was a support series race...
— Stephanie Wallcraft (@99forever) May 9, 2015
It kind of felt like when the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence C. Campbell Bowl are presented to the conference champions heading to the Stanley Cup Final. The superstition has been a team shouldn't touch those trophies or else they won't win the Stanley Cup. Some choose to embrace, touch and lift the trophies, others stay as far away as possible.It felt like Will Power and Team Penske didn't want to celebrate. Everyone wants to win the Indianapolis 500 in two weeks but Power and Penske may never win another race (that is very unlikely but could still happen) and that's how they choose to celebrate. At the same time, that's how IMS choose to celebrate. The Speedway wants a second race but they want to set it in it's place as being clearly less special than the Indianapolis 500 and to draw that line in the sand, they choose to do next to nothing. The winner of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis doesn't get milk to drink, a wreath place around their neck or kiss the bricks and they shouldn't get those things. It is already different from the Indianapolis 500 but it shouldn't be different with a victory celebration that was on par with a funeral procession in terms of excitement.
The Grand Prix of Indianapolis will always be second fiddle to the Indianapolis 500 but it shouldn't be treated as if winning it is a kiss of death. Celebrate it. You don't have to go over the top but you should still celebrate the victory. If IndyCar and the Speedway want this event to succeed, they need to at least show that winning it matters. It's the not Indianapolis 500 but it's still a race that counts toward the IndyCar championship. If you don't want to use the actual victory lane, set-up a make shift victory lane with the empty pit stalls at the north end of the pit lane. Just do it better in 2016.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Will Power and Nico Rosberg but did you know...
Sébastien Buemi became the all-time leader in Formula E victories after winning at Monaco.
Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR race at Kansas after a lengthy rain-delay.
Jack Harvey and Sean Rayhall split the Indy Lights races on the IMS road course. Weiron Tan, Timothé Buret and Santiago Urrutia split the Pro Mazda races. Nico Jamin swept the U.S. F2000 races.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Alex Lynn won the GP2 races from Barcelona. Esteban Ocon and Marvin Kirchhöfer split the opening round of the GP3 season.
Jonathan Rea swept the World Superbike weekend at Imola. He has won four consecutive races and eight of ten this season. Kenan Sofuoglu won his third consecutive World Supersport race.
Laurens Vanthoor and Robin Fjirns swept the Blancpain Sprint Series races at Brands Hatch in the #1 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT.
Matt Crafton won the NASCAR Truck race at Kansas.
Coming Up This Weekend
Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
24 Hours Nürburgring.
The WTCC will run two races around the Nordschleife.
MotoGP run the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
Pirelli World Challenges heads north to Mosport.
NASCAR runs their All-Star Race.
V8 Supercars are at Winton.
European Le Mans Series head to Imola a week after World Superbike.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
First Impressions: 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis
1. Will Power kept his nose clean and won from pole position. It is his 25th career victory, his 13th from pole position. He just dominated this one. He had the best car all weekend, what else can you say? He is the fifth different winner in the first five races. That's not bad. Remember, the last two seasons to feature five winner from the first five races saw Scott Dixon win the sixth race and then win the title.
2. Second consecutive race Graham Rahal finished second and second consecutive race Rahal probably wishes was two laps longer. Rahal has been the best Honda up to this point. I am sure he isn't the only one who hopes Honda designed the better oval aero kit but he has some momentum on his side heading into Indianapolis 500 practice.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third. This has been a really consistent season for him and he holds the championship lead heading into the Indianapolis 500. Fun fact about Montoya, he has won 13 races on 13 different tracks. Just remember that.
4. For the second consecutive year Sébastien Bourdais started seventh in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and finished fourth. He was giving Montoya a run for his money late. If only Bourdais could out qualify the Penske drivers. Then he might find himself in better contention for a victory.
5. Charlie Kimball finished fifth and was barely mentioned all day, mostly because it was an ABC race but we will get on that later. Good day for Kimball. He needed it.
6. Hélio Castroneves finished sixth in his 300th start but he took out Scott Dixon on turn one, lap one and wasn't penalized. We've seen plenty of drivers penalized for contact from behind this season and Castroneves' bump on Dixon was much worse than what Stefano Coletti did on James Jakes at Barber and Coletti got a penalty. Where is the consistency?
7. Tony Kanaan came home in seventh. He wasn't a factor at all today but kept his nose clean and it paid off with a top ten.
8. Stefano Coletti scores his first top ten of his IndyCar career. He has shown he has the speed but this was his first race where he didn't make a mistake or get caught up in something. Good for him.
9. Takuma Sato finished ninth from 22nd on the grid. This is one of the two to three great races we get each year from Sato.
10. Despite being bulldozed by Castroneves in turn one, lap one, Scott Dixon finished tenth. Imagine the type of race we could have seen if Dixon got a chance to fight with Power straight up from second on the grid?
11. Just to quickly wrap this up: Ryan Hunter-Reay finished 11th in what was a disastrous weekend for Andretti Autosport and not just in IndyCar (see Formula E results from Monaco earlier today). James Hinchcliffe got the best fuel mileage out there and came home 12th with fastest lap. This is the second consecutive race in which a Honda car scored fastest lap. Carlos Muñoz in 13th, Luca Filippi 14th, Gabby Chaves 15th. Chaves led a lap today during a pit cycle, the first lap led of his IndyCar career.
12. ABC did a crap job and it's not Allen Bestwick. Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear say the same things over and over and over again. And it's as if they don't watch the race. They missed Rahal passing Montoya and Bourdais during pit stops and they didn't mention it until about three laps and a commercial break after the fact. They were saying Hinchcliffe should let Power pass when Hinchcliffe was leading do to the pit cycle and Power was in second. The broadcast is a very rehearsed. Bestwick mentioned that this wasn't Coletti's first race at the Speedway and then Goodyear chimed in with the fact Coletti won a Formula BMW race at IMS. These three should be locked into a room and be forced to watch the NBCSN broadcasts. The NBCSN races are organic. Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy just let the race flow. And when Steve Matchett stepped in at Barber, it was as if Matchett was a full-time IndyCar analyst. Do Cheever and Goodyear watch the races outside the races ABC cover? Because it seems like they don't.
13. And the start! What a crap start. It was single-file well before start-finish. I shouldn't be surprised considering Brian Barnhart is back in charge. Was he really the only option on this planet to be race director? There was no one else?
14. Another one in the books and now we can focus on the Indianapolis 500. Enjoy the day off tomorrow. I know I need it.
2. Second consecutive race Graham Rahal finished second and second consecutive race Rahal probably wishes was two laps longer. Rahal has been the best Honda up to this point. I am sure he isn't the only one who hopes Honda designed the better oval aero kit but he has some momentum on his side heading into Indianapolis 500 practice.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third. This has been a really consistent season for him and he holds the championship lead heading into the Indianapolis 500. Fun fact about Montoya, he has won 13 races on 13 different tracks. Just remember that.
4. For the second consecutive year Sébastien Bourdais started seventh in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and finished fourth. He was giving Montoya a run for his money late. If only Bourdais could out qualify the Penske drivers. Then he might find himself in better contention for a victory.
5. Charlie Kimball finished fifth and was barely mentioned all day, mostly because it was an ABC race but we will get on that later. Good day for Kimball. He needed it.
6. Hélio Castroneves finished sixth in his 300th start but he took out Scott Dixon on turn one, lap one and wasn't penalized. We've seen plenty of drivers penalized for contact from behind this season and Castroneves' bump on Dixon was much worse than what Stefano Coletti did on James Jakes at Barber and Coletti got a penalty. Where is the consistency?
7. Tony Kanaan came home in seventh. He wasn't a factor at all today but kept his nose clean and it paid off with a top ten.
8. Stefano Coletti scores his first top ten of his IndyCar career. He has shown he has the speed but this was his first race where he didn't make a mistake or get caught up in something. Good for him.
9. Takuma Sato finished ninth from 22nd on the grid. This is one of the two to three great races we get each year from Sato.
10. Despite being bulldozed by Castroneves in turn one, lap one, Scott Dixon finished tenth. Imagine the type of race we could have seen if Dixon got a chance to fight with Power straight up from second on the grid?
11. Just to quickly wrap this up: Ryan Hunter-Reay finished 11th in what was a disastrous weekend for Andretti Autosport and not just in IndyCar (see Formula E results from Monaco earlier today). James Hinchcliffe got the best fuel mileage out there and came home 12th with fastest lap. This is the second consecutive race in which a Honda car scored fastest lap. Carlos Muñoz in 13th, Luca Filippi 14th, Gabby Chaves 15th. Chaves led a lap today during a pit cycle, the first lap led of his IndyCar career.
12. ABC did a crap job and it's not Allen Bestwick. Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear say the same things over and over and over again. And it's as if they don't watch the race. They missed Rahal passing Montoya and Bourdais during pit stops and they didn't mention it until about three laps and a commercial break after the fact. They were saying Hinchcliffe should let Power pass when Hinchcliffe was leading do to the pit cycle and Power was in second. The broadcast is a very rehearsed. Bestwick mentioned that this wasn't Coletti's first race at the Speedway and then Goodyear chimed in with the fact Coletti won a Formula BMW race at IMS. These three should be locked into a room and be forced to watch the NBCSN broadcasts. The NBCSN races are organic. Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy just let the race flow. And when Steve Matchett stepped in at Barber, it was as if Matchett was a full-time IndyCar analyst. Do Cheever and Goodyear watch the races outside the races ABC cover? Because it seems like they don't.
13. And the start! What a crap start. It was single-file well before start-finish. I shouldn't be surprised considering Brian Barnhart is back in charge. Was he really the only option on this planet to be race director? There was no one else?
14. Another one in the books and now we can focus on the Indianapolis 500. Enjoy the day off tomorrow. I know I need it.
Morning Warm-Up: 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis
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| Will Power led Chevrolet dominance in Grand Prix of Indianapolis qualifying |
This is the first race of the 2015 season where Team Penske did not sweep the front row. However, All four Penske drivers start in the top five. Hélio Castroneves will start third in his 300th IndyCar start. The Brazilian has won from third on the gird four times, including his first career victory at Belle Isle on June 18, 2000. Juan Pablo Montoya starts fourth. Every Grand Prix of Indianapolis has been won from fourth position. Last year, Montoya finished a lap down after contact with Graham Rahal on a restart. Simon Pagenaud rounds out the top five. The Frenchman won last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis leading six laps including the final five. Tony Kanaan starts sixth.
Sébastien Bourdais starts seventh. He started seventh in last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis and finished fourth. Sebastián Saavedra starts eighth. This is the Colombians fifth top ten start on a road course in his career. He failed to complete a lap last year after stalling from pole position and being hit by Carlos Muñoz and Mikhail Aleshin. Luca Filippi starts ninth. This is Filippi's third start from ninth position this season. Stefano Coletti rounds out the top ten. It is Coletti's first career top ten start and the best starting position for a Monegasques driver in IndyCar history. The previous best was Louis Chiron, who started 14th in the 1929 Indianapolis 500.
Jack Hawksworth is the top Honda in 11th. Last year, Hawksworth led a race-high 31 laps before finishing seventh. The winner of the most recent IndyCar race, Josef Newgarden starts 12th. Newgarden is in the #21 Chevrolet for both Indianapolis races as he is sponsored by Century 21 for both. James Hinchcliffe starts from 13th. He won from 16th at NOLA. Charlie Kimball and J.R. Hildebrand round out the top fifteen. All 13 Chevrolets are starting in the top fifteen, leaving Honda with the final ten positions on the grid.
Gabby Chaves starts 16th, a career best for the Colombian. Chaves started 17th in the previous there races. Graham Rahal starts 17th with former Newman-Haas teammate Justin Wilson joining him on row nine. Ryan Hunter-Reay starts 19th. He won last year's Indianapolis 500 from 19th on the grid and finished fifth in the last race at Barber from 18th on the grid. James Jakes rounds out the top twenty.
Carlos Muñoz and Takuma Sato start on row eleven with Carlos Huertas and Marco Andretti on row twelve. Francesco Dracone rounds out the field in 25th.
ABC's coverage of the 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
It Came To Me In The Shower
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| Why a shake up at A.J. Foyt Racing could be for the better of IndyCar |
The bottom five teams I thought could be split many different ways. I had KV sixth because they have Sébastien Boudais, won a race last year, won the Indianapolis 500 two years ago but haven't accomplished as much as they could have considering who the team owners are and the amount they have invested into the team. I had Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing next despite a disappointing 2014 season, ahead of A.J. Foyt Racing because while Foyt's team has shown speed, especially in qualifying, they rarely get the results that match their speed. Bryan Herta Autosport and Dale Coyne Racing round out the rankings. Herta does well for a single car team but aren't setting the world on fire and Coyne could be much, much higher but look at the crappy drivers they "hire" and you can see why they are at the bottom.
I thought long and hard about Foyt and about Takuma Sato. This is Sato's sixth season in IndyCar and he is the same driver he was ten years ago when he drove for BAR-Honda in Formula One. He is fast but will find a way to have his race end in a retirement and fail to get the result that lives up to his qualifying pace. The most podiums he has scored in a season in his IndyCar career is two. The most top fives he has scored in a season is three. The days of hoping he will hone in his mistakes are over. Sato is 38 years old. He is never going to hone in those mistakes. He deserves a spot in IndyCar because he catches lightning in a bottle two or three times a year and even though it seems he is a brush with the barriers waiting to happen, he runs at a competitive pace at majority of the races.
And as I stood in the shower, it hit me.
A.J. Foyt Racing should trade Takuma Sato to Dale Coyne Racing and Honda should step up to fund it.
Why?
1. Coyne would get at least one competitive driver.
2. Foyt will now be able to hire a driver who is more likely to bring the car home in one piece and compete for victories.
3. The Sato-to-Coyne deal gets Honda one more competent on the grid and seeing as how Chevrolet has the top five active drivers in victories, Honda needs that driver to take the fight to Chevrolet.
4. It improves the quality of the IndyCar grid.
Sato would make Coyne competitive. Instead of having both Coyne cars starting on the final two rows and multiple seconds off the pace of the leaders, Sato gives Coyne a shot to make it to the second round of qualifying on the road and street courses and gives Coyne a shot at finishing in the top ten.
With Sato at Coyne, the #14 Foyt seat is now open for a contender Honda desperately needs. Justin Wilson, Ryan Briscoe, Conor Daly and Simona de Silvestro are the first four names that come to mind that could get the best out of the #14 Honda. I think Wilson and Briscoe are the better two options because they have loads of IndyCar experience and they could definitely help Jack Hawksworth. I am not sure Daly or de Silvestro could take that senior teammate role to Hawksworth. In fact, Hawksworth has more starts than Daly and that would be a big shift in that team as the sophomore driver would become the leader and I bet he wasn't expecting that role when he signed on. De Silvestro has more experience than Hawksworth but, outside of her two races at Andretti earlier this year, she only worked with a teammate for one season and that was with Tony Kanaan at KV and she has been out of a car for the better part of year.
Any of the four drivers listed above would be an upgrade for the IndyCar grid. If it reduces Coyne to just one car being shared by a rotation of below-average drivers, than that is a big plus for IndyCar and for Honda as it adds another weapon to their arsenal. Honda needs more experience. Honda might have 11-12 cars on the grid each week but this season, with the drivers Coyne has been fielding they are giving Chevrolet two less cars to worry about beating them on the race track.
It's a little too late to do this for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Coyne has been rumored to be hiring the likes of James Davison, Katherine Legge or Vitor Meira for the Indianapolis 500. However, it would be an interesting story post-Indianapolis and heading to Belle Isle and the halfway point of the 2015 season.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Track Walk: 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis
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| This year marks the 2nd Grand Prix of Indianapolis |
Coverage
TV Channel: ABC
Time: Coverage begins Saturday May 9th at 3:30 p.m. ET. Green flag will be at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever are in the booth. Rick DeBruhl, Jon Beekhuis and Dr. Jerry Punch will work the pit lane.
Four Winners From Four Races
For the second consecutive year there have been four different winners in the first four races. Juan Pablo Montoya, James Hinchcliffe, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden have won the first four races this year. Last year, Will Power, Mike Conway, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Simon Pagenaud won the first four races, with Hunter-Reay winning the fifth race, the Indianapolis 500. This year however, the addition of NOLA, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis is the fifth round of the season.
The last time the first five races were won by five different driver was 2008 when Scott Dixon won at Homestead, Graham Rahal won at St. Petersburg, Danica Patrick won at Motegi, Will Power won at Long Beach and Dan Wheldon won at Kansas. Dixon won the sixth round of the 2008 season, which was the Indianapolis 500. Prior to 2008, the most recent year to feature five different winner in the first five race was 2003 where Dixon won at Homestead, Tony Kanaan won at Phoenix, Scott Sharp won at Motegi, Gil de Ferran won the Indianapolis 500 and Al Unser, Jr. won at Texas. Dixon won the sixth round of 2003 at Pikes Peak.
The Championship
One-quarter of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship is in the book and here are how things stand: Juan Pablo Montoya leads the championship with 136 points, three points ahead of Penske teammate Hélio Castroneves. Race winners Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden are third and fourth in the championship, trailing the Colombian by 13 and 17 points respectively. Defending champion Will Power rounds out the top five in the championship, 24 back of Montoya.
NOLA winner James Hinchcliffe is two points behind Power, sixth in the championship. Tony Kanaan is tied with Hinchcliffe in the championship but the Canadian holds the tiebreaker. Runner-up at the most recent race at Barber, Graham Rahal is eighth on 103 points. Frenchmen Simon Pagenaud and Sébastien Bourdais round out the top ten in the championship on 96 and 91 points respectively.
Three Andretti Autosport drivers are 11th through 13th with Carlos Muñoz leading the way on 84 points. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti are tied on 81 points with Hunter-Reay holding the tiebreaker. Remember Hunter-Reay was penalized three points after NOLA for an accident involving Pagenaud and Bourdais. Luca Filippi and James Jakes round out the top fifteen on 69 and 62 points respectively.
Entry List Growth
Twenty-five cars have entered the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Notable additions include J.R. Hildebrand, who will drive the #6 Preferred Freezer Chevrolet for CFH Racing. Hildebrand is also scheduled to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. This will be Hildebrand's first road course race since Sonoma 2013 driving for Bryan Herta Autosport. He started 18th and finished 16th in that race at his home track.
Another driver scheduled to run both Indianapolis races and will be making their 2015 IndyCar debut is Justin Wilson. The Sheffield-native will drive the #25 Andretti Autosport Honda in both races. Wilson finished 11th in last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Sebastián Saavedra will return in the #8 AFS Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. Saavedra started on pole position for last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis but stalled on the start and was hit from behind by Carlos Muñoz and Mikhail Aleshin. Saavedra finished tenth in his first start for Ganassi at Long Beach last month.
Carlos Huertas returns to the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda after missing the last two rounds. Francesco Dracone will be in the#19 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing. They will be making their third and fifth starts this season.
Road to Indy
All three Road to Indy series join IndyCar on the IMS road course.
A dozen drivers are entered in Indy Lights. Spencer Pigot took the championship leader after sweeping the Barber weekend. He has 132 points and holds a seven-point lead over Ed Jones, who won the first three races of the season. Jack Harvey is 20 points behind Pigot in third. Max Chilton trails Pigot by 48 points with Félix Serralés rounding out the top five, 54 points back.
R.C. Enerson is three points back of Serralés. Scott Anderson and Juan Piedrahita are tied on 67 points with Kyle Kaiser two points behind them. Ethan Ringel rounds out the top ten with 59 points, three ahead of Shelby Blackstock. Sean Rayhall returns for his second consecutive round after making his debut at Barber. Rayhall scored fastest lap in Barber 1.
Last year, Matthew Brabham and Luiz Razia each scored their first Indy Lights victories as they split the races on the IMS road course. This year's Indy Lights races will take place on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET and Saturday at 1:25 p.m. ET.
Pro Mazda will run three races at they will make-up the cancelled second race from NOLA. Neil Alberico holds the championship lead 130 points, eight ahead of Santiago Urrutia. Alberico has won three of five races with Urrutia has one victory. Pato O'Ward is third on 77 points with Florian Latorre three points behind O'Ward and Timothé Buret a point behind his fellow Frenchman Latorre in fifth.
Weiron Tan is sixth in the championship on 71 points and won at Barber. Tan is tied with Garett Grist. Jose Gutierrez sits on 66 points with Will Owen on 65. Owen won on the IMS road course last year in U.S. F2000. Canadians Daniel Burkett and Dalton Kellett are tied for tenth with 63 points.
Last year, Scott Hargrove swept the Pro Mazda races on the IMS road course. Hargrove will return to Pro Mazda competition this weekend he #19 JDC Motorsports entry. Besides Hargrove, twenty-one cars are already entered for this round with the notable addition being Victor Franzoni with M1 Racing. Franzoni won at NOLA in U.S. F2000 and is currently fifth in the U.S. F2000 championship. This is the only Pro Mazrda round Franzoni is schedule to contest.
Pro Mazda will be the lone race on Thursday and will close the day at 5:55 p.m. ET. On Friday, Pro Mazda will run at 2:00 p.m. and the Saturday race will take place at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Seventeen cars are entered for the U.S. F2000 round. Jake Eidson leads the championship with 152 points. Edison swept the St. Petersburg weekend but has finished third in all four races since. Eleven points back is Nico Jamin, who has won at NOLA and Barber. Aaron Telitz is 21 points back and won at Barber last week. Australian Anthony Martin round out the top five, 48 back of Eidson.
Last year, Will Owen and Adrian Starrantino split the U.S. F2000 races. This year's U.S. F2000 races are scheduled for Friday at 1:00 p.m. ET and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Fun Facts
Should he take the green flag, Hélio Castroneves will become the seventh driver in IndyCar history to make 300 career starts. For more on the 300 starts club, read this article.
Simon Pagenaud is the only driver to win the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Every winner of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis has started fourth on the grid.
Honda has won every Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
The only driver to have won on both the oval and road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Alex Lloyd. Lloyd won the Liberty Challenge in 2006 and the Freedom 100 in 2007.
Juan Pablo Montoya, Hélio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Gabby Chaves and Ryan Hunter-Reay look to join Lloyd as winner on both the oval and road course.
Marco Andretti could become the first driver to win in both Indy Lights and IndyCar on the IMS road course. He won the inaugural Liberty Challenge in 2005.
Stefano Coletti won on the IMS road course in 2006 driving in Formula BMW as a support race to the United States Grand Prix.
Sébastien Bourdais won the inaugural IMSA race on the IMS road course with co-driver Alex Popow in 2012.
Jack Hawksworth won the Prototype Challenge class in the IMSA race held on the IMS road course last July. Hawksworth led the most laps in last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis, leading 31 of 82 laps.
The IMS road course track record is a 1:09.6716 set by Simon Pagenaud in round one, group one last year. Rain started to fall prior to the start of round two in qualifying last year in qualifying. Scott Dixon set fastest lap in the race with a 1:10.4062.
Josef Newgarden is coming off his maiden IndyCar victory at Barber Motorsports Park. Thirty-three times in IndyCar has a driver scored their first two victories in consecutive starts. The most recent driver to do it was A.J. Allmendinger in 2006 when he actually scored his first three victories in three consecutive races at Portland, Cleveland and Toronto.
A.J. Allmendinger is one of seven drivers to win their first three races in three consecutive starts. The others are Louis Chevrolet (1905: Morris Park 1, Empire City, Burnots Island), Gaston Chevrolet (1919 Sheepshead Bay 5, Uniontown 7, Sheepshead Bay 6), Kelly Pettilo (1934 Mines Field, 1935 Indianapolis 500, St. Paul), Wally Dallenbach (1973 Milwaukee 2, Ontario Heat 1, Ontario), Kenny Bräck (1998 Charlotte, Pikes Peak International Raceway, Atlanta) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1999 Long Beach, Nazareth, Rio de Janeiro).
The only driver to score their first four victories in four consecutive starts is Al Rogers, whose only starts were in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Rogers won four consecutive Pikes Peak Hill Climbs from 1948-1951.
This will be the first IndyCar race to ever take place on May 9th.
Jim Hickman, the 1982 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, was born on May 9th. Hickman died on August 1, 1982 from injuries suffered in an accident during practice at Milwaukee. He would have turned 72 years old this Saturday.
I gave you one answer. Can you name the drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year?
Possible Milestones at Barber:
Marco Andretti needs to lead 70 laps to join the 1,000 laps led club.
James Hinchcliffe needs to lead 80 laps to reach the 500 laps led milestone.
Takuma Sato needs to lead ten laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Simon Pagenaud needs to lead 15 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone.
Graham Rahal needs to lead 33 laps to reach the 200 laps led milestone.
Sébastien Bourdais needs one podium to reach 50 career IndyCar podiums.
Predictions
It's going to be a wet race but not as wet as NOLA and Honda gets their second victory of the season and we will have five different winners from the first five races. Ryan Hunter-Reay wins. A rookie finishes in the top ten. A driver that wasn't at Barber finishes in the top ten. A new track record will be set in qualifying. A driver that starts in the top six does not finish in the top fifteen. Sleeper: Luca Filippi.
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