MotoGP was back in action in the Czech Republic a week after competing at Indianapolis. There was a first-time winner at Brno. The golden rule of do unto others as you would want have them do unto you should be applied more in motorsports. Toyota had a good weekend in Michigan. It was more of meet the new boss, same as the old boss at the Knoxville Nationals. Other than that, there was not much motorsports action to talk about from this weekend. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
I Don't Have Any Answers
If you are a moderate IndyCar, you know about the lawsuit filed by former Andretti Sports Marketing employees John Lopes and Starke Taylor against Andretti Autosport, in which Lopes and Taylor claim the championship winning team is near insolvent.
If losing Fontana was a gut punch, this news was a sucker punch from behind that no one saw coming.
The lawsuit claims that Andretti Autosport is "$7 million in debt and has less than $2 million in unencumbered assets." While some point out that Lopes and Taylor were both fired and might be filing this lawsuit out of spite towards Michael Andretti, it can't all be false. Could it be somewhat exaggerated? Absolutely. Could Andretti Autosport not be in debt and are just breaking even? Possibly. We don't know. I certain don't know but Lopes and Taylor are more likely to know due to their association with Andretti.
Michael Andretti gave a quote to the Indianapolis Business Journal's Anthony Schoettle stating, "Neither Lopes nor Taylor are owners of Andretti Autosport, and as such they do not have access to the financial information concerning Andretti Autosport." Lopes and Taylor might not be owners of the race team but that doesn't mean there was no possible way they could have found out Andretti Autosport's financial record. Perhaps they found out after meeting with Andretti and Andretti left something up on his computer monitor that was viewable or he left a document on his desk that could easily be read or they heard an angry conversation Andretti was having on the telephone while sitting outside his office or they had lunch with another important figure at Andretti Autosport and they spilled the beans. Or they went the dirty and illegal route and hired hackers to get Andretti's financial records. There are plenty of ways Lopes and Taylor could have found out the information.
However, these issues Andretti Autosport are having, if you have been following IndyCar for a while are not surprising. But what is surprising is these are claims against one of the top teams in IndyCar. These claims wouldn't be shocking if they were against Bryan Herta Autosport or Dale Coyne Racing but since it is happening to one of the IndyCar teams that are at the top of the mountain, it just leaves an uneasy feeling that no team in IndyCar is safe.
And I don't have any answers how to fix it. I think I have more questions than answers. For starters, how could things have not improved since reunification? It appears everything was better when there were two series as there were more total cars, more races and more chassis and just as many engines as we have now.
Second, why has Andretti just let companies get away with sponsoring his cars without paying (Suretone, which sponsored Kurt Busch in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and United Fiber and Data) especially if those account for $5-7 million of the alleged debt? To be fair, Andretti might be pursuing legal action against those companies but over a year has passed since the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and it's been nearly a year since the last time UFD appeared on a car. You would have thought we would have heard something by now if Andretti was pursuing legal action.
Third, how can this be prevented? Or another way to word it, how can IndyCar become more desirable? If a company such as UFD can put its logo on a car for a year and get away with not paying for it, than why should a big corporation that IndyCar really needs, such as Apple or Coca-Cola, feel like they should have to pay to be on a car? Let's be clear, the likelihood of a team joining IndyCar in the next three years is next to zero as there are probably teams hearing this news and are thinking, "if one of the top IndyCar teams are in this much trouble, why should I expect it to go better for me?"
And this isn't Mark Miles fault. I will rip Mark Miles for screwing over Fontana and for his stupid rules such as 9.3.8 but this type of issue has been following IndyCar for multiple administrations. From the originally television deal with Versus (now known as NBCSN) that took IndyCar season's from a mainstream television networks such as ESPN and ABC to a station that was on the outer edge of the television solar system with an occasional appearance on ABC to remind everyone that the series still existed or to the ICONIC committee that introduced a new chassis but has been a costly endeavor for the teams, IndyCar's problems have been rolling in like a Tsunami wave on the coast since reunification and it has just been building and building and now the wave is towering over the series and all involved like a tourist standing in front of the Empire States Building. The only question now is when is it going to crash and how much destruction will it cause?
To be fair, some good has come out of the things that have hurt the series. The move to what is now NBCSN got IndyCar a professional announce team, something that ABC didn't have until Allen Bestwick joined the booth and even then, Bestwick is the only one-third of the announce team. Two-thirds of the problem is still there. It has also put IndyCar squarely in the home for motorsports in the United States with NASCAR and Formula One as roommates and ratings are slightly up but still have a very long way to go. The ICONIC committee did produce a new chassis, initially had IndyCar at three engine manufactures but is now at two and we are in the first year of aero kits and while they have been costly, the competition on-track is just as competitive as when the DW-12 was first introduced and the addition of aero kits has opened the door for more companies to get involved than when IndyCar was truly a spec series.
I guess if I had to take a crack at an answer for IndyCar is keep things stable. I think that's why people were so upset after the announcement Fontana would not be returning. Not only was a great race lost but it's another year where the series can't keep a schedule together for consecutive years. It's why people are frustrated when the news that Derrick Walker was resigning. It's another upper management change at IndyCar and they feel like they come yearly. It's difficult for the series to move forward when it is constantly looking in the mirror and trying to rearrange the things it sees in their reflection.
While concerned, there is part of me that those it will be all right. IndyCar has stubbed its toes so many times but always finds a way to keep going. It is tiring to see and hear these problems continue to pop up around the series and at times it is hard to not let the politics get in the way of what is really good racing but ultimately, there is very little I or any other fan can do. Whether we like it or not, if we choose to tag along and be passengers all we can do is watch. To get involved and try to steer the ship in right direction costs more than any passenger can spend. Whether we like it or not, the wheel is in the hands of a few individuals. Let's just hope they all turn in the same direction.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Jorge Lorenzo but did you know...
Donny Schatz won the 55th Knoxville Nationals. It is Schatz's ninth Knoxville Nationals victory and fifth consecutive.
Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan.
Johann Zarco won in Moto2 from Brno, extending his championship lead. It's Zarco's fourth victory of 2015. Niccolò Antonelli won in Moto3, his first career victory.
Regan Smith won the NASCAR Grand National Series race at Mid-Ohio. Kyle Busch won at Michigan, his second consecutive Truck series victory.
Coming Up This Weekend
The second round of Astor Cup August is at Pocono for the final leg of the IndyCar Triple Crown.
Formula One returns from summer break at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix.
NASCAR will run under the lights at Bristol.
Pirelli World Challenges heads to Miller Motorsports Park for the final time.
V8 Supercars will be at Sydney Motorsports Park.
Virginia International Raceway plays hosts to the IMSA GTLM and GTD classes.
WRC hits the tarmac for Rally Deutschland.
Super Formula heads to Twin Ring Motegi.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Fontana Gut Punch
IndyCar will not return to Fontana in 2016. Graham Rahal's victory comes ten years after Dario Franchitti won on the 2-mile oval and the Scotsman's victory was the last time IndyCar went to the track before a seven-year hiatus. Now, who knows if IndyCar will ever return to the Southern California oval.
It's a shame because Fontana is the race that will be remembered the most when someone says, "2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season" (unless things go batshit crazy in the final two weeks, which is possible). Record amount of lead changes, controversy and danger. What else could you ask for? Whether the race left you with the hair on the back of your neck standing because of the thrill or because of fear, it is the race that we will not be able to forget. It got people's attention, got IndyCar a very nice TV audience and was the start for an upward swing in IndyCar TV ratings this summer. Attendance was awful but that is what is expected when you hold a race in a desert at the beginning of summer. Satan himself wouldn't have sat in the grandstand for that race because it was so hot.
But Fontana has drawn decent crowds for IndyCar in recent years. Just look back to 2013 when the race was the season finale in October. This looks a lot better than this. Fontana drew a nice crowd in 2013 because it wasn't in heat-stroke inducing conditions. It's not that people weren't interested in seeing IndyCar at Fontana, it's just hard to get people to sit in mid-90º F heat when the race could be watched from a couch in the breeze of air conditioning.
It's disappointing that IndyCar took a race that was growing and was a decent season finale and moved it all around the calendar in hopes that ending the season by Labor Day weekend would be some monumental swing in the right direction for IndyCar's popularity. Fontana wanted to return to autumn in 2016 but the track and IndyCar couldn't come to an agreement.
The 2016 season appeared to be a real chance for IndyCar growth. Road America was added. St. Petersburg will be a little earlier, Phoenix is making a red-zone drive and is right at the goal line of returning and a street race around Boston has been added. But with Road America likely canceling out the inevitable loss of New Orleans and Phoenix substituting for Fontana, it appears to be only a +1 gain instead of a potential +3. Of course, that +1 could be knocked down to zero or worse if Milwaukee and/or Pocono do not return.
It's a little disappointing losing NOLA because we never got to see how the track would have raced in dry conditions and it may have been a good venue and 2016 and 2017 might have seen growth in event and it could have become a nice little market for IndyCar. Losing Fontana is terrible. As said before, it was the race of 2015. It was apart of the Triple Crown. It was promising after it's return in 2012 and now it's gone. While the possible addition of Phoenix tentatively keeps the amount of IndyCar oval races at six, it would have been great for IndyCar to see that number increase to seven. The Triple Crown likely won't return in 2016 but there is always 2017 and hopefully Fontana and/or Michigan could return.
I have to question Mark Miles a little bit. While Road America and Boston have returned and potentially Phoenix could return under his watch, the race of the year is disappearing and a few other venues could also be walking out the door. And the loss of Fontana makes it appear Boston will be the season finale on Labor Day weekend, just like Miles has always wanted. I just can't see Fontana returning or any race happening after Labor Day as long as Miles is in charge. The series has said it is looking to expanding the season passed Labor Day but Miles also said there would be international races at the beginning of the season and guess what has yet to happen?
Miles appears so set in what he wants that he is willing to let a race go. Sure, the series said they couldn't fine the right start time for the race for the East Coast audience but I think that is a hurdle that could have been overcome. Fontana should have been run on a Saturday night with a NASCAR Xfinity Series race as a lead-in in 2016. See how easy that was?
To me, I think Miles saw Fontana as a problem because it wanted to end after Labor Day and the start time excuse is just a way to kill the race, even though it was good for IndyCar. It's like if someone was overweight and decided the best way to lose weight were to have their kidneys, liver, spleen and colon removed. Miles may get to accomplish his goal but at what coast to IndyCar?
While the 2016 IndyCar schedule could still see +1 growth, the potential of losing Milwaukee and/or Pocono still exists and even if Laguna Seca (which I don't think will happen but not because of IndyCar. Laguna Seca has their own problems to work out) or Homestead get added, it would be a net gain of zero, which seems to be all IndyCar can ever manage as IndyCar has yet to retain every race from one season to the next since the 2007 IRL season, which saw all 14 races from 2006 return as well as the additions of Iowa, Mid-Ohio and Belle Isle. Think about that. Not once since reunification has IndyCar been able to keep one calendar together for consecutive years.
And if 2016 sees a net loss from 2015, then I think will join Mr. Ricciardo in looking for some bricks and taking a plunge in the St. Lawrence River. We could jump in holding hands. Doesn't that sound beautiful?
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
What Does Kyle Busch's Success Say About The Chase Format
I am not surprised Kyle Busch won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race after returning from his injuries suffered in February at Daytona. I am not surprised Kyle Busch is in the top thirty of points and likely will be in the Chase this autumn. I am not surprised Kyle Busch has been the best driver since the start of summer because Kyle Busch has been the only driver with something to race for.
When Kyle Busch made his first start of 2015 at the Coca-Cola 600, he entered 179 points out of 30th position with 15 races remaining before the start of the Chase. He had a goal set that he had to reach if he wanted a shot at the championship in 2015. Winning a single race was the easy part but it was the 179-point mountain that was standing in his way.
While Kyle Busch had a lofty goal, the other drivers had a much easier goal: Win a single race. NASCAR's standard of being Chase eligible is a bar set very low. Win a race and be in the top 30 of points. To give you an idea of how easy it is to be in the top 30 in points, last year only five driver (Michael Annett, David Ragan, Cole Whitt, Reed Sorenson and Alex Bowman) started the first 26 races and were not in the top 30 in points. The year before that, only two drivers (David Reutimann and Travis Kvapil) started the first 26 races and were not in the top 30. The average finishes of those five drivers over the first 26 races were 28.69 (Annett), 29.5 (Ragan), 29.88 (Whitt), 30.5 (Sorenson), 32.07 (Bowman), 30.46 (Reutimann), and 30.65 (Kvapil). The average points total for 30th in points since the points system changed in 2011 was 420.75. To score that over 15 races, a driver would need to score 28.05 points a race or average a finish just under 16th. Kyle Busch's average finish in the 11 races before the Chase since becoming a full-time driver in 2005 is 14.44.
This season, the only drivers to have started the first 22 races and are not in the Top 30 are Whitt (31st), David Gilliland (32nd) and Annett (35th). Between those three drivers, none of them have a top ten finish, the best finish among those three drivers is 11th by Gilliland at the Daytona 500, the best finish among those three drivers at a non-restrictor plate racetrack is 18th by Gilliland at Bristol and the three drivers have combined for five top 20 finishes this season.
For all the drivers who had made the first 11 races while Kyle Busch was on the sidelines, staying in the top 30 was very obtainable because all a driver needs to do is start every race, meaning all they really need to focus on is competing for victories. For the top drivers, who are averaging around a 15th place finish and have yet to win, they know there will be at least one spot available for a driver who has not won a race as the likelihood of their being 16 or more different winners in the first 26 races is slim. For Kyle Busch, all he would need to do would be to win a race and then be average. The top 30 wasn't a guarantee for Busch to achieve but it was doable and the quickest way for him to do it would be to score maximum points as many times as possible.
While NASCAR believes the new Chase format emphasizes winning, it really emphasizes winning one race. Busch has had an incentive to win as many races as possible as it would increase his likelihood of making it into the top 30. There is no incentive for Martin Truex, Jr. or Carl Edwards to win as many races as possible. Sure, each victory earns a driver three bonus points for the start of the Chase but three retirements in the first round of the Chase and all those bonus points won't be enough to keep a driver's championship hopes alive.
If the bar to make the Chase based on victories were the top 12 with a maximum of 12 drivers making the Chase, then the drivers would have more incentive, as the bar would be much higher. Right now, Carl Edwards sits 15th in points and is locked into the Chase. If the bar were the top 12, he would have to step up his game but with this system he could finish last in the next four races and still be in the Chase.
By emphasizing winning one race, NASCAR has deemphasized being the best week in and week out. Once a driver wins, the goal is to remain in the top 30, which isn't that hard. Once a team wins a race, they can afford to have a handful of poor races as they are pretty much locked into the Chase.
Not to take anything away from Kyle Busch's recent accomplishments because winning three consecutive races and four in five isn't something a driver does every season. It is impressive but Kyle Busch is doing it because of how high the bar is for him while drivers such as Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have been set in the Chase before Busch even returned to competition. This spell of dominance won't matter once the Chase begins.
To compare it to another sport, it's like the Ottawa Senators this spring, who won 16 of their final 22 games and snuck into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after it looked like they didn't have a shot at the postseason at the start of March. Compare that to the Detroit Red Wings, who won just nine of their final 22 games and were still a better seed than Ottawa. Ottawa had to play lights out while Detroit had some wiggle room.
If NASCAR made points difficult to come by or adopted a system such as the 9-6-4-3-2-1 system that Formula One used for 30 seasons, then perhaps competition would be at its highest level each and every week and drivers wouldn't settle for an 18th-place finish when things weren't going their way and perhaps Kyle Busch wouldn't have four victories since returning to competition. For the last few months Kyle Busch and the rest of the NASCAR have been on different playing fields, not necessarily because Busch has been running so well but because he has had to run this well while other top teams have already been waiting for months for the Chase to begin.
When Kyle Busch made his first start of 2015 at the Coca-Cola 600, he entered 179 points out of 30th position with 15 races remaining before the start of the Chase. He had a goal set that he had to reach if he wanted a shot at the championship in 2015. Winning a single race was the easy part but it was the 179-point mountain that was standing in his way.
While Kyle Busch had a lofty goal, the other drivers had a much easier goal: Win a single race. NASCAR's standard of being Chase eligible is a bar set very low. Win a race and be in the top 30 of points. To give you an idea of how easy it is to be in the top 30 in points, last year only five driver (Michael Annett, David Ragan, Cole Whitt, Reed Sorenson and Alex Bowman) started the first 26 races and were not in the top 30 in points. The year before that, only two drivers (David Reutimann and Travis Kvapil) started the first 26 races and were not in the top 30. The average finishes of those five drivers over the first 26 races were 28.69 (Annett), 29.5 (Ragan), 29.88 (Whitt), 30.5 (Sorenson), 32.07 (Bowman), 30.46 (Reutimann), and 30.65 (Kvapil). The average points total for 30th in points since the points system changed in 2011 was 420.75. To score that over 15 races, a driver would need to score 28.05 points a race or average a finish just under 16th. Kyle Busch's average finish in the 11 races before the Chase since becoming a full-time driver in 2005 is 14.44.
This season, the only drivers to have started the first 22 races and are not in the Top 30 are Whitt (31st), David Gilliland (32nd) and Annett (35th). Between those three drivers, none of them have a top ten finish, the best finish among those three drivers is 11th by Gilliland at the Daytona 500, the best finish among those three drivers at a non-restrictor plate racetrack is 18th by Gilliland at Bristol and the three drivers have combined for five top 20 finishes this season.
For all the drivers who had made the first 11 races while Kyle Busch was on the sidelines, staying in the top 30 was very obtainable because all a driver needs to do is start every race, meaning all they really need to focus on is competing for victories. For the top drivers, who are averaging around a 15th place finish and have yet to win, they know there will be at least one spot available for a driver who has not won a race as the likelihood of their being 16 or more different winners in the first 26 races is slim. For Kyle Busch, all he would need to do would be to win a race and then be average. The top 30 wasn't a guarantee for Busch to achieve but it was doable and the quickest way for him to do it would be to score maximum points as many times as possible.
While NASCAR believes the new Chase format emphasizes winning, it really emphasizes winning one race. Busch has had an incentive to win as many races as possible as it would increase his likelihood of making it into the top 30. There is no incentive for Martin Truex, Jr. or Carl Edwards to win as many races as possible. Sure, each victory earns a driver three bonus points for the start of the Chase but three retirements in the first round of the Chase and all those bonus points won't be enough to keep a driver's championship hopes alive.
If the bar to make the Chase based on victories were the top 12 with a maximum of 12 drivers making the Chase, then the drivers would have more incentive, as the bar would be much higher. Right now, Carl Edwards sits 15th in points and is locked into the Chase. If the bar were the top 12, he would have to step up his game but with this system he could finish last in the next four races and still be in the Chase.
By emphasizing winning one race, NASCAR has deemphasized being the best week in and week out. Once a driver wins, the goal is to remain in the top 30, which isn't that hard. Once a team wins a race, they can afford to have a handful of poor races as they are pretty much locked into the Chase.
Not to take anything away from Kyle Busch's recent accomplishments because winning three consecutive races and four in five isn't something a driver does every season. It is impressive but Kyle Busch is doing it because of how high the bar is for him while drivers such as Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have been set in the Chase before Busch even returned to competition. This spell of dominance won't matter once the Chase begins.
To compare it to another sport, it's like the Ottawa Senators this spring, who won 16 of their final 22 games and snuck into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after it looked like they didn't have a shot at the postseason at the start of March. Compare that to the Detroit Red Wings, who won just nine of their final 22 games and were still a better seed than Ottawa. Ottawa had to play lights out while Detroit had some wiggle room.
If NASCAR made points difficult to come by or adopted a system such as the 9-6-4-3-2-1 system that Formula One used for 30 seasons, then perhaps competition would be at its highest level each and every week and drivers wouldn't settle for an 18th-place finish when things weren't going their way and perhaps Kyle Busch wouldn't have four victories since returning to competition. For the last few months Kyle Busch and the rest of the NASCAR have been on different playing fields, not necessarily because Busch has been running so well but because he has had to run this well while other top teams have already been waiting for months for the Chase to begin.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Musings From the Weekend: 2016 IndyCar Schedule
Marc Márquez continue to win in the United States. NASCAR continues to show that "track limits" is not a phrase that is in their vocabulary. Conor Daly blew it. IMSA got a new title sponsor. IndyCar added a big race to their schedule. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
2016 IndyCar Schedule
The pieces are falling in place for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule and for the first time since reunification things are looking up. Road America is back after being announced on Saturday morning, which might have been the most positive morning in IndyCar history. Add on top of all that the fact that Road America and Milwaukee may be able to co-exist on the IndyCar schedule. While the ball is rolling in the right direction, let's take a moment to breathe and not greedy. Road America is a massive coup for IndyCar after nearly a decade since the top open-wheel series in North America thundered through Canada Corner. If that were the only addition to the 2016 IndyCar schedule than I would consider it a win (barring all the current races on the schedule remain).
However, more tracks are in play for joining the 2016 IndyCar schedule. Mexico City, Phoenix, Homestead, Richmond, maybe even Laguna Seca. For a series that two months ago didn't have any tracks lining-up to join, there appear to be a few at the door at least interested in having a conversation.
Let's start with the confirmed races.
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 17: Long Beach
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 26: Road America
September 4: Boston
St. Petersburg is moving up because Easter is March 27th and Sebring is March 19th. So right now there is a month between St. Petersburg and Long Beach. It would make sense for IndyCar's next race to be the weekend of April 2-3. Could that be where Homestead or Phoenix fall into the schedule? Both Homestead and Phoenix were traditionally held in late-March, early-April. Could both come back? I doubt both happen but one would be nice. The other question is if Homestead or Phoenix return, would they be Saturday night races or Sunday afternoon? Both have lights. IndyCar has never had a night race at Phoenix but had a few at Homestead.
The only problem with the weekend of April 2-3 is that is the same weekend as the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournaments and the men's semifinals are held on Saturday night, which would be massive competition. Perhaps a Sunday afternoon race would be better but then you run the risk of going head-to-head with NASCAR, which would be at Martinsville. However, if Phoenix were to fall that weekend, the IndyCar race wouldn't start simultaneously with the NASCAR race.
Long Beach has there date and it appears Barber is set follow and close out the month of April. There would then be two week before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. After this year, I would let the teams have those weeks off, as it appears they would be set for another five races in five-week stretch if Texas were to be the week after Belle Isle on June 11th. Then there would have to be a week off between Texas and Road America, which would be nice because June 19th is the 24 Hours of Le Mans and I am sure a few IndyCar drivers would love to give a go.
Here is what March-June could look like next year:
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 3: Homestead/Phoenix
April 17: Long Beach
April 24: Barber
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 11: Texas
June 26: Road America
Nine races over 16 weeks. That sounds much better than this year. The second half is where things start to get tricky though.
This year, IndyCar went to Milwaukee and Iowa on back-to-back weeks, back-to-back short track in the middle of the month and it was great. However, Toronto is going to move back to July after being pushed up to June in 2015 due to the Pan American Games. I think, for the sake of date equity (Mark Miles' favorite phrase), Milwaukee and Iowa should retain the same dates next year. If that were to be the case, then Milwaukee would be July 10th and Iowa would be July 16th. Where would Toronto fall? It could go July 3rd but that would create a four-week stretch of races. It could go July 24th but that would create a three-week stretch of races and would fall on Brickyard 400 weekend and IndyCar traditionally doesn't like to schedule a race the same weekend as a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Speedway could work to flip the Brickyard 400 with the second NASCAR weekend at Pocono but that would create the same problem we had this year with the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race and the Pocono NASCAR race: Someone is going to CNBC and it's IndyCar. Now, that didn't turn out to be so bad as the IndyCar race was broadcasted on NBCSN right after the Pocono NASCAR race and the ratings were the best IndyCar has ever had on NBCSN.
So if the Brickyard can be flipped with Pocono, Toronto on July 24th wouldn't be so bad. If the Brickyard can't be flipped then perhaps July 3rd would be the better date because it could be on NBCSN as NASCAR will be back to running on Saturday night at Daytona. July 24th makes more sense for Toronto as it would also give it a little space from the IMSA weekend at Mosport, which is scheduled for July 10th. It would be a four-week stretch of races but then IndyCar could have two weeks off before heading into August... which is a whole other stratosphere for headaches.
Next year is the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and NBC will be swamped and it's not just NBC and NBCSN! Every single NBC property will be swamped. Let's not forget that NBC already has NASCAR and the Premier League (although that contract is up and NBC, Fox and ESPN are likely all bidding on the rights which just signed a 6-year extension to remain on NBC) along with IndyCar. Now add three weeks of non-stop sports from the mainstream staples of basketball, soccer, tennis and golf to swimming and track and field to fencing, archery, rowing and table tennis. And even better, is the 2016 Summer Olympics are in Rio de Janeiro, which is only an hour ahead of Eastern Time. Want to be smothered to death with sports; NBC will have you covered next August.
Four years ago, Mid-Ohio was shown on ABC and that's probably still possible but what about Pocono (which I pray returns in 2016)? If Pocono does return and has the same weekend as this year, it would be the same Sunday as the final day of the Olympics. Could Pocono be shown on ABC? Could ABC's schedule be the two Indianapolis races, Belle Isle, Mid-Ohio and Pocono? That would make the most sense because unless NBC creates an NBCSN2, I just can't see how the hell IndyCar can be on an NBC property from August 5-August 21.
If Sonoma remains at the end of August (which it should because Mark Miles love date equity, which is why Milwaukee and Fontana have been in three different months the last three year) then there would be three weeks of IndyCar action from Pocono-to-Sonoma-to-Boston on Labor Day weekend. I would assume the week after Boston would be a week off as that is the final race before NASCAR's Chase on Saturday night and the first Sunday of the NFL season is the next day.
Ending the season gets just a little trickier. Fontana wants to be later in the year. Is the weekend of September 17-18 late enough? I don't think so. The Road to Indy series and Pirelli World Challenge end their seasons at Laguna Seca this year. Could IndyCar squeeze their way into a Laguna Seca weekend next year on September 17-18? And if they do, would they race on Saturday September 17 or Sunday September 18? Part of me thinks Saturday would be a better date because IndyCar would avoid racing on an NFL Sunday and would avoid racing on the same day as the start of NASCAR's Chase in Chicago. Racing on Saturday could have a NASCAR Xfinity Series race as a lead-in and you'd be against college football but it's September college football. College football doesn't start getting good until the third weekend in October.
If Fontana does return and if Fontana is the season finale, would it be the Saturday after Laguna Seca? It can't be two weeks after Laguna Seca as Petit Le Mans is that Saturday and the top open-wheel series in North America and the top sports car series in North America should not have their season finales going head-to-head. Three weeks after Laguna Seca would be the Saturday night NASCAR race at Charlotte. Fontana could be the following Sunday afternoon but three weeks between the final two races could be too much. I think it makes the most sense to have Fontana be the Saturday after Laguna Seca as the teams would already be in California and an NASCAR Xfinity Series race could be a lead-in.
Here is what the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule could look like:
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 3: Homestead/Phoenix
April 17: Long Beach
April 24: Barber
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 11: Texas
June 26: Road America
July 3: Toronto (If the Brickyard 400 can't be flipped with NASCAR at Pocono)
July 10: Milwaukee
July 16: Iowa
July 24: Toronto (If the Brickyard 400 can be flipped with NASCAR at Pocono)
August 7: Mid-Ohio
August 21: Pocono
August 28: Sonoma
September 4: Boston
September 17: Laguna Seca
September 24: Fontana
Then there is the chance Mexico City starts the season on February 28th but I am a little more hesitant to add that because Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has been linked to a Formula E race and I am not sure the track would add both series and have the races a month apart. I wouldn't mind if IndyCar returned to Mexico but IndyCar lacks Mexican drivers and they would need to one or two to help draw a crowd.
But even without Mexico City, IndyCar could be looking at a 19-race schedule from the middle of March until late-September. There could be seven ovals, six road courses and five street circuits. IndyCar would lose NOLA but it would pick up Road America and if IndyCar adds two from Phoenix, Homestead and Laguna Seca, the series could be looking at the best IndyCar schedule this millennium.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about what happened at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but did you know....
Joey Logano swept the NASCAR weekend at Watkins Glen winning in Cup and the Grand National series. He is the first driver to accomplish that feat at Watkins Glen.
The #31 Action Express Corvette DP of Dane Cameron and Eric Curran won the IMSA race at Road America. Bruno Junqueira and Chris Cumming in the #11 RSR Racing Oreca won in PC after Conor Daly spun while leading on the final lap. The #911 Porsche of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won in GTLM, their second consecutive victory. Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen won in GTD in the #33 Riley Viper.
The #25 D'station ADVAN Nissan GT-R of Daiki Sasaki and Michael Krumm won the Super GT race from Fuji. It is Sasaki's first career Super GT victory and Krumm's first Super GT victory since July 18, 2004 at Tokachi International Speedway. The #55 ARTA Honda CR-Z of Shinichi Takagi and Takashi Kobayashi won in the GT300 class.
Coming Up This Weekend
The 55th Knoxville Nationals.
NASCAR will be in Michigan.
The Grand National Series will be at Mid-Ohio.
MotoGP heads to Brno, Czech Republic.
2016 IndyCar Schedule
The pieces are falling in place for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule and for the first time since reunification things are looking up. Road America is back after being announced on Saturday morning, which might have been the most positive morning in IndyCar history. Add on top of all that the fact that Road America and Milwaukee may be able to co-exist on the IndyCar schedule. While the ball is rolling in the right direction, let's take a moment to breathe and not greedy. Road America is a massive coup for IndyCar after nearly a decade since the top open-wheel series in North America thundered through Canada Corner. If that were the only addition to the 2016 IndyCar schedule than I would consider it a win (barring all the current races on the schedule remain).
However, more tracks are in play for joining the 2016 IndyCar schedule. Mexico City, Phoenix, Homestead, Richmond, maybe even Laguna Seca. For a series that two months ago didn't have any tracks lining-up to join, there appear to be a few at the door at least interested in having a conversation.
Let's start with the confirmed races.
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 17: Long Beach
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 26: Road America
September 4: Boston
St. Petersburg is moving up because Easter is March 27th and Sebring is March 19th. So right now there is a month between St. Petersburg and Long Beach. It would make sense for IndyCar's next race to be the weekend of April 2-3. Could that be where Homestead or Phoenix fall into the schedule? Both Homestead and Phoenix were traditionally held in late-March, early-April. Could both come back? I doubt both happen but one would be nice. The other question is if Homestead or Phoenix return, would they be Saturday night races or Sunday afternoon? Both have lights. IndyCar has never had a night race at Phoenix but had a few at Homestead.
The only problem with the weekend of April 2-3 is that is the same weekend as the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournaments and the men's semifinals are held on Saturday night, which would be massive competition. Perhaps a Sunday afternoon race would be better but then you run the risk of going head-to-head with NASCAR, which would be at Martinsville. However, if Phoenix were to fall that weekend, the IndyCar race wouldn't start simultaneously with the NASCAR race.
Long Beach has there date and it appears Barber is set follow and close out the month of April. There would then be two week before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. After this year, I would let the teams have those weeks off, as it appears they would be set for another five races in five-week stretch if Texas were to be the week after Belle Isle on June 11th. Then there would have to be a week off between Texas and Road America, which would be nice because June 19th is the 24 Hours of Le Mans and I am sure a few IndyCar drivers would love to give a go.
Here is what March-June could look like next year:
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 3: Homestead/Phoenix
April 17: Long Beach
April 24: Barber
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 11: Texas
June 26: Road America
Nine races over 16 weeks. That sounds much better than this year. The second half is where things start to get tricky though.
This year, IndyCar went to Milwaukee and Iowa on back-to-back weeks, back-to-back short track in the middle of the month and it was great. However, Toronto is going to move back to July after being pushed up to June in 2015 due to the Pan American Games. I think, for the sake of date equity (Mark Miles' favorite phrase), Milwaukee and Iowa should retain the same dates next year. If that were to be the case, then Milwaukee would be July 10th and Iowa would be July 16th. Where would Toronto fall? It could go July 3rd but that would create a four-week stretch of races. It could go July 24th but that would create a three-week stretch of races and would fall on Brickyard 400 weekend and IndyCar traditionally doesn't like to schedule a race the same weekend as a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Speedway could work to flip the Brickyard 400 with the second NASCAR weekend at Pocono but that would create the same problem we had this year with the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race and the Pocono NASCAR race: Someone is going to CNBC and it's IndyCar. Now, that didn't turn out to be so bad as the IndyCar race was broadcasted on NBCSN right after the Pocono NASCAR race and the ratings were the best IndyCar has ever had on NBCSN.
So if the Brickyard can be flipped with Pocono, Toronto on July 24th wouldn't be so bad. If the Brickyard can't be flipped then perhaps July 3rd would be the better date because it could be on NBCSN as NASCAR will be back to running on Saturday night at Daytona. July 24th makes more sense for Toronto as it would also give it a little space from the IMSA weekend at Mosport, which is scheduled for July 10th. It would be a four-week stretch of races but then IndyCar could have two weeks off before heading into August... which is a whole other stratosphere for headaches.
Next year is the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and NBC will be swamped and it's not just NBC and NBCSN! Every single NBC property will be swamped. Let's not forget that NBC already has NASCAR and the Premier League (
Four years ago, Mid-Ohio was shown on ABC and that's probably still possible but what about Pocono (which I pray returns in 2016)? If Pocono does return and has the same weekend as this year, it would be the same Sunday as the final day of the Olympics. Could Pocono be shown on ABC? Could ABC's schedule be the two Indianapolis races, Belle Isle, Mid-Ohio and Pocono? That would make the most sense because unless NBC creates an NBCSN2, I just can't see how the hell IndyCar can be on an NBC property from August 5-August 21.
If Sonoma remains at the end of August (which it should because Mark Miles love date equity, which is why Milwaukee and Fontana have been in three different months the last three year) then there would be three weeks of IndyCar action from Pocono-to-Sonoma-to-Boston on Labor Day weekend. I would assume the week after Boston would be a week off as that is the final race before NASCAR's Chase on Saturday night and the first Sunday of the NFL season is the next day.
Ending the season gets just a little trickier. Fontana wants to be later in the year. Is the weekend of September 17-18 late enough? I don't think so. The Road to Indy series and Pirelli World Challenge end their seasons at Laguna Seca this year. Could IndyCar squeeze their way into a Laguna Seca weekend next year on September 17-18? And if they do, would they race on Saturday September 17 or Sunday September 18? Part of me thinks Saturday would be a better date because IndyCar would avoid racing on an NFL Sunday and would avoid racing on the same day as the start of NASCAR's Chase in Chicago. Racing on Saturday could have a NASCAR Xfinity Series race as a lead-in and you'd be against college football but it's September college football. College football doesn't start getting good until the third weekend in October.
If Fontana does return and if Fontana is the season finale, would it be the Saturday after Laguna Seca? It can't be two weeks after Laguna Seca as Petit Le Mans is that Saturday and the top open-wheel series in North America and the top sports car series in North America should not have their season finales going head-to-head. Three weeks after Laguna Seca would be the Saturday night NASCAR race at Charlotte. Fontana could be the following Sunday afternoon but three weeks between the final two races could be too much. I think it makes the most sense to have Fontana be the Saturday after Laguna Seca as the teams would already be in California and an NASCAR Xfinity Series race could be a lead-in.
Here is what the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule could look like:
March 13: St. Petersburg
April 3: Homestead/Phoenix
April 17: Long Beach
April 24: Barber
May 14: Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 29: Indianapolis 500
June 4-5: Belle Isle
June 11: Texas
June 26: Road America
July 3: Toronto (If the Brickyard 400 can't be flipped with NASCAR at Pocono)
July 10: Milwaukee
July 16: Iowa
July 24: Toronto (If the Brickyard 400 can be flipped with NASCAR at Pocono)
August 7: Mid-Ohio
August 21: Pocono
August 28: Sonoma
September 4: Boston
September 17: Laguna Seca
September 24: Fontana
Then there is the chance Mexico City starts the season on February 28th but I am a little more hesitant to add that because Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has been linked to a Formula E race and I am not sure the track would add both series and have the races a month apart. I wouldn't mind if IndyCar returned to Mexico but IndyCar lacks Mexican drivers and they would need to one or two to help draw a crowd.
But even without Mexico City, IndyCar could be looking at a 19-race schedule from the middle of March until late-September. There could be seven ovals, six road courses and five street circuits. IndyCar would lose NOLA but it would pick up Road America and if IndyCar adds two from Phoenix, Homestead and Laguna Seca, the series could be looking at the best IndyCar schedule this millennium.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about what happened at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but did you know....
Joey Logano swept the NASCAR weekend at Watkins Glen winning in Cup and the Grand National series. He is the first driver to accomplish that feat at Watkins Glen.
The #31 Action Express Corvette DP of Dane Cameron and Eric Curran won the IMSA race at Road America. Bruno Junqueira and Chris Cumming in the #11 RSR Racing Oreca won in PC after Conor Daly spun while leading on the final lap. The #911 Porsche of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won in GTLM, their second consecutive victory. Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen won in GTD in the #33 Riley Viper.
The #25 D'station ADVAN Nissan GT-R of Daiki Sasaki and Michael Krumm won the Super GT race from Fuji. It is Sasaki's first career Super GT victory and Krumm's first Super GT victory since July 18, 2004 at Tokachi International Speedway. The #55 ARTA Honda CR-Z of Shinichi Takagi and Takashi Kobayashi won in the GT300 class.
Coming Up This Weekend
The 55th Knoxville Nationals.
NASCAR will be in Michigan.
The Grand National Series will be at Mid-Ohio.
MotoGP heads to Brno, Czech Republic.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Marc Márquez Wins 2015 Indianapolis Grand Prix
For the ninth straight time, Marc Márquez has won in the United States. The Spaniard passed Jorge Lorenzo with three laps to go to pick up his third victory of 2015 and fifth consecutive victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Márquez has won every MotoGP race he has started in the United States. Márquez's victory is Honda's sixth consecutive Indianapolis Grand Prix victory. Márquez has five podium finishes this season.
Lorenzo came home in second, 0.688 seconds behind Márquez. It is Lorenzo's first runner-up finish of 2015 as he has four victories and a third. Lorenzo has four consecutive podiums at Indianapolis and seven in eight starts. His worst Indianapolis finish is fourth. Valentino Rossi had a hard fought battle with Dani Pedrosa for third and nipped the Spaniard by just under two-tenths of a second for the final podium spot. Rossi's podium streak is extending to 14 consecutive races dating back to last year's Japanese Grand Prix. It is the first time Rossi has had consecutive podiums at Indianapolis.
Andrea Iannone finished fifth with the Tech3 Yamahas of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaró in sixth and seventh respectively. Smith has finished every race this season between fifth and eighth as he has finished sixth on five occasions. Seventh is Pol Espargaró worst career finish at Indianapolis. Cal Crutchlow finished eighth for the second consecutive year at Indianapolis with Andrea Dovizioso in ninth despite falling from tenth to 20th on the opening lap of the race. Danilo Petrucci rounded out the top ten. This is Petrucci first time scoring points at Indianapolis.
Suzuki's Maverick Viñales finished 11th. Yonny Hernández was 12th with Scott Redding and Aleix Espargaró in 13th and 14th respectively. Héctor Barberá rounded out the points as Nicky Hayden missed out on a championship point by just under a second. Hayden has finished 16th in three consecutive races. It is the first time Barberá has finished in the points at Indianapolis since his first MotoGP start at the track in 2010.
Valentino Rossi keeps his championship lead as the Italian has 195 points. Jorge Lorenzo is nine points behind his Yamaha teammate. Marc Márquez jumps up to third in the championship and trails Rossi by 56 points. Andrea Iannone is 66 points back of his fellow countryman. Bradley Smith rounds out the top five, 98 points back.
In Moto2, Álex Rins won from pole position as the Spaniard picked up his first career Moto2 victory. Runs held off Moto2 championship leader Johann Zarco by 0.482 seconds for the victory. This is Rins' second career victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he won the 2013 Moto3 race from the Speedway. Italian Franco Morbidelli rounded out the podium, 0.888 seconds back of Rins. It is Morbidelli's first career podium in 31 career Moto2 starts.
Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter finished fourth from 11th on the grid. Defending Moto2 champion Tito Rabat rounded out the top five with another Swiss rider, Thomas Lüthi following him in sixth. Axel Pons scores a career best finish by coming home in seventh. His previous best was eighth at Barcelona last year. Belgian Xaiver Siméon finished eighth with Takaaki Nakagami in ninth. Álex Márquez, younger brother of Marc Márquez rounded out the top ten.
Malaysian rider Azlan Shah finished 11th. It's Shah's second finish in the points this year. He finished 15th at Mugello. Two-time winner this year Jonas Folger was 12th. Anthony West was 13th with Marcel Schrötter and Robin Mulhauser rounding out the points. It is Mulhauser's first career finish in the points. His previous best was 17th at Valencia last year.
Johann Zarco retains his Moto2 championship lead as he exits Indianapolis with 199 points. Álex Rins moves up to second in the championship with his victory as he trails the Frenchman by 71 points. Tito Rabat is three points behind Rins in third. Thomas Lüthi jumps up to fourth in the championship, as he is 90 points behind Zarco. Sam Lowes retired in today's race and dropped to fifth in the championship, 92 points back of Zarco.
There was a first-time winner in Moto3 as Belgian rider Livio Loi took victory by over 38 seconds over British rider John McPhee in race that started in damp conditions. German Phillip Öttl rounded out the podium. Loi's previous best career finish in 33 Moto3 starts was fourth in Argentina last year. His best finish this season entering Indianapolis was 12th in Argentina. McPhee and Öttl both scored their first career podiums as well. McPhee's best career finish was fourth in Japan last year and Öttl's was sixth at Aragón in 2013. Loi won from 26th on the grid, while McPhee start 18th and Öttl went from 34th, last on the grid to third.
Romano Fenati finished fourth while Isaac Viñales was the top Spaniard in fifth. Spaniards had won all seven previous Moto3/125cc races at Indianapolis entering this race. Enea Bastianini finished sixth with fellow Italian Niccolò Antonelli following him in seventh. South African Brad Binder finished eight ahead of Spaniards Jorge Navarro and Jorge Martin.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo was 11th with Karel Hanika in 12th. Andrea Locatelli, Jules Danilo and Miguel Oliveira rounded out the points. Moto3 championship leader Danny Kent failed to score points as he finished a lap down in 21st. Kent's previous worst finish this season was fourth at Le Mans. The British rider had scored points in 19 consecutive races with last year's race at Barcelona being one of only two occasions he failed to score points in 2014.
Danny Kent's championship lead shrinks to 56 points over Enea Bastianini and 78 points over Romano Fenati. Miguel Oliveira is 87 points back with Efrén Vazquez rounding out the top five, 94 points back after Vazquez retired from today's race.
All three series will be on track next week in Brno, Czech Republic. Last year, Dani Pedrosa ended Marc Márquez's ten-race winning streak as Márquez finished fourth. In Moto2, Tito Rabat won and Aleix Masbou scored his first career victory in Moto3.
Lorenzo came home in second, 0.688 seconds behind Márquez. It is Lorenzo's first runner-up finish of 2015 as he has four victories and a third. Lorenzo has four consecutive podiums at Indianapolis and seven in eight starts. His worst Indianapolis finish is fourth. Valentino Rossi had a hard fought battle with Dani Pedrosa for third and nipped the Spaniard by just under two-tenths of a second for the final podium spot. Rossi's podium streak is extending to 14 consecutive races dating back to last year's Japanese Grand Prix. It is the first time Rossi has had consecutive podiums at Indianapolis.
Andrea Iannone finished fifth with the Tech3 Yamahas of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaró in sixth and seventh respectively. Smith has finished every race this season between fifth and eighth as he has finished sixth on five occasions. Seventh is Pol Espargaró worst career finish at Indianapolis. Cal Crutchlow finished eighth for the second consecutive year at Indianapolis with Andrea Dovizioso in ninth despite falling from tenth to 20th on the opening lap of the race. Danilo Petrucci rounded out the top ten. This is Petrucci first time scoring points at Indianapolis.
Suzuki's Maverick Viñales finished 11th. Yonny Hernández was 12th with Scott Redding and Aleix Espargaró in 13th and 14th respectively. Héctor Barberá rounded out the points as Nicky Hayden missed out on a championship point by just under a second. Hayden has finished 16th in three consecutive races. It is the first time Barberá has finished in the points at Indianapolis since his first MotoGP start at the track in 2010.
Valentino Rossi keeps his championship lead as the Italian has 195 points. Jorge Lorenzo is nine points behind his Yamaha teammate. Marc Márquez jumps up to third in the championship and trails Rossi by 56 points. Andrea Iannone is 66 points back of his fellow countryman. Bradley Smith rounds out the top five, 98 points back.
In Moto2, Álex Rins won from pole position as the Spaniard picked up his first career Moto2 victory. Runs held off Moto2 championship leader Johann Zarco by 0.482 seconds for the victory. This is Rins' second career victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he won the 2013 Moto3 race from the Speedway. Italian Franco Morbidelli rounded out the podium, 0.888 seconds back of Rins. It is Morbidelli's first career podium in 31 career Moto2 starts.
Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter finished fourth from 11th on the grid. Defending Moto2 champion Tito Rabat rounded out the top five with another Swiss rider, Thomas Lüthi following him in sixth. Axel Pons scores a career best finish by coming home in seventh. His previous best was eighth at Barcelona last year. Belgian Xaiver Siméon finished eighth with Takaaki Nakagami in ninth. Álex Márquez, younger brother of Marc Márquez rounded out the top ten.
Malaysian rider Azlan Shah finished 11th. It's Shah's second finish in the points this year. He finished 15th at Mugello. Two-time winner this year Jonas Folger was 12th. Anthony West was 13th with Marcel Schrötter and Robin Mulhauser rounding out the points. It is Mulhauser's first career finish in the points. His previous best was 17th at Valencia last year.
Johann Zarco retains his Moto2 championship lead as he exits Indianapolis with 199 points. Álex Rins moves up to second in the championship with his victory as he trails the Frenchman by 71 points. Tito Rabat is three points behind Rins in third. Thomas Lüthi jumps up to fourth in the championship, as he is 90 points behind Zarco. Sam Lowes retired in today's race and dropped to fifth in the championship, 92 points back of Zarco.
There was a first-time winner in Moto3 as Belgian rider Livio Loi took victory by over 38 seconds over British rider John McPhee in race that started in damp conditions. German Phillip Öttl rounded out the podium. Loi's previous best career finish in 33 Moto3 starts was fourth in Argentina last year. His best finish this season entering Indianapolis was 12th in Argentina. McPhee and Öttl both scored their first career podiums as well. McPhee's best career finish was fourth in Japan last year and Öttl's was sixth at Aragón in 2013. Loi won from 26th on the grid, while McPhee start 18th and Öttl went from 34th, last on the grid to third.
Romano Fenati finished fourth while Isaac Viñales was the top Spaniard in fifth. Spaniards had won all seven previous Moto3/125cc races at Indianapolis entering this race. Enea Bastianini finished sixth with fellow Italian Niccolò Antonelli following him in seventh. South African Brad Binder finished eight ahead of Spaniards Jorge Navarro and Jorge Martin.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo was 11th with Karel Hanika in 12th. Andrea Locatelli, Jules Danilo and Miguel Oliveira rounded out the points. Moto3 championship leader Danny Kent failed to score points as he finished a lap down in 21st. Kent's previous worst finish this season was fourth at Le Mans. The British rider had scored points in 19 consecutive races with last year's race at Barcelona being one of only two occasions he failed to score points in 2014.
Danny Kent's championship lead shrinks to 56 points over Enea Bastianini and 78 points over Romano Fenati. Miguel Oliveira is 87 points back with Efrén Vazquez rounding out the top five, 94 points back after Vazquez retired from today's race.
All three series will be on track next week in Brno, Czech Republic. Last year, Dani Pedrosa ended Marc Márquez's ten-race winning streak as Márquez finished fourth. In Moto2, Tito Rabat won and Aleix Masbou scored his first career victory in Moto3.
Friday, August 7, 2015
A Quadrennial Discussion: Motorsports in the Olympics
Every four years as the Summer Olympic Games approach the same question is brought up: Why aren't motorsports in the Summer Olympics?
To state it plain and simple, motorsports aren't in the Summer Olympics because they just don't belong. They just don't belong aside sports of track and field, rowing, water polo, soccer, archery and basketball. That isn't a bad thing. That doesn't mean motorsports aren't special or those who compete are motorsports aren't athletes. Motorsports just doesn't fit within the framework of the Olympic Games.
Although it appears the FIA is going try and throw a Hail Mary and pitch Formula E to become apart of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Formula E has already planned a demonstration run through the streets of Tokyo on August 21-23.
For starters, where would the event take place? Formula E runs on street courses in city centers but is it going to be possible to shut down city streets when a city of millions is hosting hundreds of thousands of guests who probably need to get across the city to get to another venue for another sporting event.
A permanent circuit would be ideal in that streets would not have to be closed and grandstands wouldn't need to be constructed. Taking Tokyo as the example, the Tsukuba Circuit is an hour and a half from Tokyo, Fuji Speedway is just under two hours away, Twin Ring Motegi is just over two hours away and Suzuka is over four hours away. The only issue is if Formula E would be the series of choice then the circuit needs to be shorter in length, although by 2020 the technology might be developed enough that an hour race could take place on a larger circuit with elevation changes. Tsukuba is two miles in length. Fuji only has only one configuration and is nearly three miles in length. Motegi has a few configurations including the East Circuit, which is just over two miles, the West Circuit that is under a mile in length and of course there is the 1.5-mile oval. Along with the full Suzuka Circuit is Suzuka's East Circuit, which famously hosted NASCAR's exhibition races nearly two decades ago, and is under a mile and a half in length.
Motorsports are diverse. As much as it might make sense to have Formula E be the series of choice it would only provide a sliver of what motorsports are and who competes. While you would cover single-seaters with Formula E, you would leave out those who compete in sports cars, touring cars, rally cars and so on. The other problem with using one series as the format of choice for the Olympics would be getting enough cars for each country that can field a participant. Formula E had 20 cars compete in each race but if you take the car swap out of it, there would be 40 cars available and while that sounds like enough to have 40 countries compete, Olympic sports rarely have one competitor representing a country in an event. There isn't one American going for gold in the 100-meter dash; there are four.
Then there comes the issue of gender representatives and this is the issue everyone seems to overlook when it comes to motorsports in the Olympics. Every Summer Olympic sports, except equestrian, has a competition for each men and women and while it seems many do not support the idea of a motorsports series strictly for women, could motorsports join equestrian as the only two sports that are co-ed competitions? The difference between equestrian and motorsports is the amount of competitors in equestrian are closer to 50-50 between men and women than in motorsports. It would be very likely that if motorsports were to become an Olympic sport and if each country would be allowed only one competitor than there would zero women competing in motorsports and that wouldn't be a good thing.
I do think including motorsports in the Olympics and running separate men's and women's competitions has the potential of creating more interest from teams, manufactures and sponsors in giving women more opportunities in existing series. If women had their own competition in the Olympic than seat time year-in and year-out would be beneficial as those who are competing yearly would be favorites to take gold in the Olympics. Sponsors would hopefully realize that if you want a woman from your country to take Olympic gold than you have to support them every single year in whatever series they are competing in.
While motorsports won't be in the Olympics in 2020 and probably won't be in the 2024 games either, let's fancy what it could potentially look like. I wouldn't have just one competition. I would have an open-wheel class with Formula E, a sports car class with Porsche Carrera Cup cars and a touring car class with Renault Clio Cup cars with each class having a men's and women's competition.
I would have the first Saturday and Sunday be for the open wheel class and touring car class. Let's say 40 countries compete. I would have a qualifying session, which would split the field into two heats of 20. The top six from each heat would advance to the final. The remaining 28 teams would then be split again into two fields of 14 with the top three from each advancing to round out the final with 18 countries. The preliminary races for each class could be on Saturday with the finals on Sunday.
The following weekend would feature the sports car class with the same format. On the second Sunday though, after the sports car class final, which would occur around brunch time, I would have a 6-hour endurance race using the Porsche Carrera Cup cars to close out the competition with all the countries competing. Each team would feature one male drive and one female driver.
The Olympics don't need motorsports and motorsports don't need the Olympics. While it would be nice, with all the conflicts of interests between sanctioning bodies and manufactures and sponsors, including motorsports into the Summer Olympic Games would be a bigger headache than it is worth. If there is one thing motorsports doesn't need is another headache.
To state it plain and simple, motorsports aren't in the Summer Olympics because they just don't belong. They just don't belong aside sports of track and field, rowing, water polo, soccer, archery and basketball. That isn't a bad thing. That doesn't mean motorsports aren't special or those who compete are motorsports aren't athletes. Motorsports just doesn't fit within the framework of the Olympic Games.
Although it appears the FIA is going try and throw a Hail Mary and pitch Formula E to become apart of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Formula E has already planned a demonstration run through the streets of Tokyo on August 21-23.
For starters, where would the event take place? Formula E runs on street courses in city centers but is it going to be possible to shut down city streets when a city of millions is hosting hundreds of thousands of guests who probably need to get across the city to get to another venue for another sporting event.
A permanent circuit would be ideal in that streets would not have to be closed and grandstands wouldn't need to be constructed. Taking Tokyo as the example, the Tsukuba Circuit is an hour and a half from Tokyo, Fuji Speedway is just under two hours away, Twin Ring Motegi is just over two hours away and Suzuka is over four hours away. The only issue is if Formula E would be the series of choice then the circuit needs to be shorter in length, although by 2020 the technology might be developed enough that an hour race could take place on a larger circuit with elevation changes. Tsukuba is two miles in length. Fuji only has only one configuration and is nearly three miles in length. Motegi has a few configurations including the East Circuit, which is just over two miles, the West Circuit that is under a mile in length and of course there is the 1.5-mile oval. Along with the full Suzuka Circuit is Suzuka's East Circuit, which famously hosted NASCAR's exhibition races nearly two decades ago, and is under a mile and a half in length.
Motorsports are diverse. As much as it might make sense to have Formula E be the series of choice it would only provide a sliver of what motorsports are and who competes. While you would cover single-seaters with Formula E, you would leave out those who compete in sports cars, touring cars, rally cars and so on. The other problem with using one series as the format of choice for the Olympics would be getting enough cars for each country that can field a participant. Formula E had 20 cars compete in each race but if you take the car swap out of it, there would be 40 cars available and while that sounds like enough to have 40 countries compete, Olympic sports rarely have one competitor representing a country in an event. There isn't one American going for gold in the 100-meter dash; there are four.
Then there comes the issue of gender representatives and this is the issue everyone seems to overlook when it comes to motorsports in the Olympics. Every Summer Olympic sports, except equestrian, has a competition for each men and women and while it seems many do not support the idea of a motorsports series strictly for women, could motorsports join equestrian as the only two sports that are co-ed competitions? The difference between equestrian and motorsports is the amount of competitors in equestrian are closer to 50-50 between men and women than in motorsports. It would be very likely that if motorsports were to become an Olympic sport and if each country would be allowed only one competitor than there would zero women competing in motorsports and that wouldn't be a good thing.
I do think including motorsports in the Olympics and running separate men's and women's competitions has the potential of creating more interest from teams, manufactures and sponsors in giving women more opportunities in existing series. If women had their own competition in the Olympic than seat time year-in and year-out would be beneficial as those who are competing yearly would be favorites to take gold in the Olympics. Sponsors would hopefully realize that if you want a woman from your country to take Olympic gold than you have to support them every single year in whatever series they are competing in.
While motorsports won't be in the Olympics in 2020 and probably won't be in the 2024 games either, let's fancy what it could potentially look like. I wouldn't have just one competition. I would have an open-wheel class with Formula E, a sports car class with Porsche Carrera Cup cars and a touring car class with Renault Clio Cup cars with each class having a men's and women's competition.
I would have the first Saturday and Sunday be for the open wheel class and touring car class. Let's say 40 countries compete. I would have a qualifying session, which would split the field into two heats of 20. The top six from each heat would advance to the final. The remaining 28 teams would then be split again into two fields of 14 with the top three from each advancing to round out the final with 18 countries. The preliminary races for each class could be on Saturday with the finals on Sunday.
The following weekend would feature the sports car class with the same format. On the second Sunday though, after the sports car class final, which would occur around brunch time, I would have a 6-hour endurance race using the Porsche Carrera Cup cars to close out the competition with all the countries competing. Each team would feature one male drive and one female driver.
The Olympics don't need motorsports and motorsports don't need the Olympics. While it would be nice, with all the conflicts of interests between sanctioning bodies and manufactures and sponsors, including motorsports into the Summer Olympic Games would be a bigger headache than it is worth. If there is one thing motorsports doesn't need is another headache.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
2015 Indianapolis Grand Prix Preview
After a month off for a summer break, MotoGP and the entire Grand Prix Motorcycle tour returns to the United States and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for eighth edition of the Indianapolis Grand Prix. Defending world champion Marc Márquez has four victories at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with each victory coming in the last four years. Honda has won the last five Indianapolis Grands Prix after Yamaha won the first two.
MotoGP
Valentino Rossi, the inaugural winner of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, leads the world championship standings with 179 points. The Italian has won three of nine races this year and he has finished every race on the podium. Despite winning the inaugural MotoGP race at Indianapolis, Rossi has struggled at Indianapolis having failed to make it back to the podium until last year when he finished third. Rossi's Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo is second in the championship, 13 points back. Lorenzo won four consecutive races (Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona) but has only one other podium this season. Lorenzo won the 2009 Indianapolis Grand Prix and has six podiums in seven starts at Indianapolis.
Ducati rider Andrea Iannone finds himself third in the championship, 61 points back of his fellow countryman. Iannone finished second at Mugello after starting on pole position and he finished third at the season opener at Qatar. His worst finish this season is sixth but his track record at Indianapolis is poor. In seven starts, he has three retirements and his best finish was fourth in Moto2 in 2010. In Iannone's two MotoGP starts at Indianapolis he has finished 11th and retired. Ducati has never won at Indianapolis.
Marc Márquez has won every MotoGP race he has entered in the United States with three victories at Circuit of the Americas, two at Indianapolis and one at Laguna Seca. Márquez also won his two Moto2 starts at Indianapolis. The defending world champion has had a difficult title defense. He retired in Argentina after leading majority of that race after he made contact with Rossi with two to go. He retired at Mugello and retired after three laps at Barcelona. The last two rounds have gone much more in Márquez's favor. At Assen, Márquez gave Rossi a run for his money and nearly pulled off a last-lap pass for the victory but came home second. At the Sachsenring, Márquez won from pole position. The Spaniard trails Rossi by 65 points with nine races remaining.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso and Tech3 Yamaha's Bradley Smith are tied for fifth in the championship on 87 points with Dovizioso owning the tiebreaker with three runner-up finishes while Smith's best finish is fifth. Dovizioso's finished in the top five in his first five Indianapolis appearances but his last two races have been his worst. The Italian has retired from three of the last four races with his lone finish in that timespan being 12th at Assen. Smith's worst finish in 2015 is eighth. His best Indianapolis finish is second in 125cc in 2009.
Dani Pedrosa has 67 points from six starts as he missed three of the first four races after having surgery on his arm. Pedrosa finished second to Márquez in German. Pedrosa has two victories and four podiums at Indianapolis. A point behind Pedrosa is LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow. The British rider's best finish this season is third at Argentina but he has retired from three races this year. Crutchlow's best finish at Indianapolis is fifth.
Spaniards Pol Espargaró for Tech3 and Suzuki's Maverick Viñales round out the top ten with 64 and 57 points respectively. Pol won the 2009 125cc race at Indianapolis and has five podiums at the track. Viñales is the top rookie in MotoGP and has three podiums in four starts at Indianapolis but has yet to stand on the top step of the podium. Pramac Racing Ducati's Danilio Petrucci has finished in the points in every race and is 11th on 51 points. However, Petrucci has never finished in the points at Indianapolis. Suzuki's Aleix Espargaró rounds out the top twelve on 44 points and he won pole position at Barcelona.
Nicky Hayden will be riding an Open class Aspar Honda. The 2006 world champion has eight points this season with his best finish being 11th at Le Mans. That was his last finish in the points. Hayden has finished 16th, on the cusp of points, in the last two races. Hayden missed last year's Indianapolis Grand Prix due to injury. The Kentucky Kid has scored points in every Indianapolis race has started.
Moto2
Frenchman Johann Zarco leads the Moto2 championship with the same amount points that Rossi has in MotoGP, 179. Zarco has three victories this year and has finished on the podium in every race but the season opener at Qatar, where he finished eighth. Zarco has not had great results at Indianapolis. His best finish is fifth but he has finished outside the top ten on three occasions.
Defending Moto2 champion Esteve Rabat trails Zarco by 65 points. Rabat won at Mugello and has five podiums this year but he retired in the most recent race in Germany. Rabat won the 2013 Moto2 race at Indianapolis. British rider Sam Lowes is 72 points behind Zarco. Lowes won in Austin earlier this year. He finished 24th in his Indianapolis debut last year. Rookie Álex Rins is 76 points back of Zarco and he has four podiums but has yet to score a victory. Rins won the 2013 Moto3 race at Indianapolis. Swiss rider Thomas Lüthi rounds out the top five, 80 behind Zarco. Lüthi won at Le Mans but his only other podium this season was a third at Qatar. His best finish at Indianapolis is fifth.
Belgian Xaiver Siméon is sixth on 84 points and his coming off his first career win in Moto2 at the Sachsenring. He also finished second at Qatar. German Jonas Folger won at Qatar and Jerez and is seven points behind Siméon. Folger's two victories are his only podium this year and his next best finish is seventh. Folger finished third at Indianapolis in the 2009 Moto3 race. Franco Morbidelli is eighth on 62 points. Mika Kallio and Julián Simón round out the top ten, each tied on 47 points. Kallio won last year's Moto2 race at Indianapolis but his best finish in 2015 is fourth. Simón has two podiums at Indianapolis with second in the 2010 Moto2 race being his best finish.
Before Kallio's victory, Spaniards had won the last four Moto2 races at Indianapolis. Marco Simoncelli won the inaugural Moto2/250cc race at Indianapolis in 2009. The 2008 race was cancelled due to Hurricane Ike.
Moto3
British rider Danny Kent has won five of nine races this year, including the most recent round in Germany and leads the Moto3 championship with 190 points. Kent has finished on the podium in all but one race this year and his worst finish was fourth at Le Mans. Kent has made four starts at Indianapolis with his best finish being 12th.
Sixty-six points behind Kent is Enea Bastianini. The Italian has four podiums this year but has yet to score a victory. The 17-year old has yet to win in Moto3 in 27 starts. He has five runner-up finishes in his career. Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira is 88 points behind Kent despite having won two races this year. Oliveira did not start in Germany and he also failed to score points in the first two rounds of the season.
Romano Fenati is 91 points back of Kent and won at Le Mans. Fenati finished second in last year's Moto3 race at Indianapolis. Efrén Vázquez won last year's Moto3 race at Indianapolis. It was his first career grand prix victory. He now finds himself fifth in the Moto3 championship, trailing his teammate Kent by 94 points. Vázquez has four podiums this year and is coming off a runner-up finish in German.
South African Brad Binder trails Kent by 115 points. His best finish this season was a third in Argentina. The top rookie in Moto3 is 16-year old Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who is a point behind Binder. Quartararo has two runner-up finishes this year and he started on pole for his home race at Le Mans. Isaac Viñales, older brother of Maverick Viñales, has 64 points and his best finish this year was third in Argentina. Isaac has yet to win in 64 Moto3/125cc starts and has had two runner-up finishes.
Italians Niccolò Antonelli and Francesco Bagnaia round out the top ten with 60 and 55 points respectively. Antonelli's best finish this year is fourth while Bagnaia finished third at Le Mans. Rookie Jorge Navarro has 54 points in 11th. Twelfth is Aleix Masbou, who won the season opener in Qatar but his next best finish this season was eighth in Germany.
All seven Moto3/125cc races at Indianapolis have been won by Spaniards.
Predictions
Marc Márquez continues his winning streak in the United States. Valentino Rossi does not finish on the podium. Nicky Hayden finishes in the points. Álex Rins gets his first career Moto2 victory. The Moto3 winner will not be a Spaniard. At least one race is decided by less than a tenth of a second.
The Moto3 race will be at 11:00 a.m. ET with the Moto2 race at 12:20 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast all three races from Indianapolis. The Moto3 race will be shown tape-delayed at noon ET with Moto2 following, also tape-delayed at 1:00 p.m. ET. The MotoGP Indianapolis Grand Prix will be broadcasted live at 2:00 p.m. ET.
MotoGP
Valentino Rossi, the inaugural winner of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, leads the world championship standings with 179 points. The Italian has won three of nine races this year and he has finished every race on the podium. Despite winning the inaugural MotoGP race at Indianapolis, Rossi has struggled at Indianapolis having failed to make it back to the podium until last year when he finished third. Rossi's Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo is second in the championship, 13 points back. Lorenzo won four consecutive races (Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello, Barcelona) but has only one other podium this season. Lorenzo won the 2009 Indianapolis Grand Prix and has six podiums in seven starts at Indianapolis.
Ducati rider Andrea Iannone finds himself third in the championship, 61 points back of his fellow countryman. Iannone finished second at Mugello after starting on pole position and he finished third at the season opener at Qatar. His worst finish this season is sixth but his track record at Indianapolis is poor. In seven starts, he has three retirements and his best finish was fourth in Moto2 in 2010. In Iannone's two MotoGP starts at Indianapolis he has finished 11th and retired. Ducati has never won at Indianapolis.
Marc Márquez has won every MotoGP race he has entered in the United States with three victories at Circuit of the Americas, two at Indianapolis and one at Laguna Seca. Márquez also won his two Moto2 starts at Indianapolis. The defending world champion has had a difficult title defense. He retired in Argentina after leading majority of that race after he made contact with Rossi with two to go. He retired at Mugello and retired after three laps at Barcelona. The last two rounds have gone much more in Márquez's favor. At Assen, Márquez gave Rossi a run for his money and nearly pulled off a last-lap pass for the victory but came home second. At the Sachsenring, Márquez won from pole position. The Spaniard trails Rossi by 65 points with nine races remaining.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso and Tech3 Yamaha's Bradley Smith are tied for fifth in the championship on 87 points with Dovizioso owning the tiebreaker with three runner-up finishes while Smith's best finish is fifth. Dovizioso's finished in the top five in his first five Indianapolis appearances but his last two races have been his worst. The Italian has retired from three of the last four races with his lone finish in that timespan being 12th at Assen. Smith's worst finish in 2015 is eighth. His best Indianapolis finish is second in 125cc in 2009.
Dani Pedrosa has 67 points from six starts as he missed three of the first four races after having surgery on his arm. Pedrosa finished second to Márquez in German. Pedrosa has two victories and four podiums at Indianapolis. A point behind Pedrosa is LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow. The British rider's best finish this season is third at Argentina but he has retired from three races this year. Crutchlow's best finish at Indianapolis is fifth.
Spaniards Pol Espargaró for Tech3 and Suzuki's Maverick Viñales round out the top ten with 64 and 57 points respectively. Pol won the 2009 125cc race at Indianapolis and has five podiums at the track. Viñales is the top rookie in MotoGP and has three podiums in four starts at Indianapolis but has yet to stand on the top step of the podium. Pramac Racing Ducati's Danilio Petrucci has finished in the points in every race and is 11th on 51 points. However, Petrucci has never finished in the points at Indianapolis. Suzuki's Aleix Espargaró rounds out the top twelve on 44 points and he won pole position at Barcelona.
Nicky Hayden will be riding an Open class Aspar Honda. The 2006 world champion has eight points this season with his best finish being 11th at Le Mans. That was his last finish in the points. Hayden has finished 16th, on the cusp of points, in the last two races. Hayden missed last year's Indianapolis Grand Prix due to injury. The Kentucky Kid has scored points in every Indianapolis race has started.
Moto2
Frenchman Johann Zarco leads the Moto2 championship with the same amount points that Rossi has in MotoGP, 179. Zarco has three victories this year and has finished on the podium in every race but the season opener at Qatar, where he finished eighth. Zarco has not had great results at Indianapolis. His best finish is fifth but he has finished outside the top ten on three occasions.
Defending Moto2 champion Esteve Rabat trails Zarco by 65 points. Rabat won at Mugello and has five podiums this year but he retired in the most recent race in Germany. Rabat won the 2013 Moto2 race at Indianapolis. British rider Sam Lowes is 72 points behind Zarco. Lowes won in Austin earlier this year. He finished 24th in his Indianapolis debut last year. Rookie Álex Rins is 76 points back of Zarco and he has four podiums but has yet to score a victory. Rins won the 2013 Moto3 race at Indianapolis. Swiss rider Thomas Lüthi rounds out the top five, 80 behind Zarco. Lüthi won at Le Mans but his only other podium this season was a third at Qatar. His best finish at Indianapolis is fifth.
Belgian Xaiver Siméon is sixth on 84 points and his coming off his first career win in Moto2 at the Sachsenring. He also finished second at Qatar. German Jonas Folger won at Qatar and Jerez and is seven points behind Siméon. Folger's two victories are his only podium this year and his next best finish is seventh. Folger finished third at Indianapolis in the 2009 Moto3 race. Franco Morbidelli is eighth on 62 points. Mika Kallio and Julián Simón round out the top ten, each tied on 47 points. Kallio won last year's Moto2 race at Indianapolis but his best finish in 2015 is fourth. Simón has two podiums at Indianapolis with second in the 2010 Moto2 race being his best finish.
Before Kallio's victory, Spaniards had won the last four Moto2 races at Indianapolis. Marco Simoncelli won the inaugural Moto2/250cc race at Indianapolis in 2009. The 2008 race was cancelled due to Hurricane Ike.
Moto3
British rider Danny Kent has won five of nine races this year, including the most recent round in Germany and leads the Moto3 championship with 190 points. Kent has finished on the podium in all but one race this year and his worst finish was fourth at Le Mans. Kent has made four starts at Indianapolis with his best finish being 12th.
Sixty-six points behind Kent is Enea Bastianini. The Italian has four podiums this year but has yet to score a victory. The 17-year old has yet to win in Moto3 in 27 starts. He has five runner-up finishes in his career. Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira is 88 points behind Kent despite having won two races this year. Oliveira did not start in Germany and he also failed to score points in the first two rounds of the season.
Romano Fenati is 91 points back of Kent and won at Le Mans. Fenati finished second in last year's Moto3 race at Indianapolis. Efrén Vázquez won last year's Moto3 race at Indianapolis. It was his first career grand prix victory. He now finds himself fifth in the Moto3 championship, trailing his teammate Kent by 94 points. Vázquez has four podiums this year and is coming off a runner-up finish in German.
South African Brad Binder trails Kent by 115 points. His best finish this season was a third in Argentina. The top rookie in Moto3 is 16-year old Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who is a point behind Binder. Quartararo has two runner-up finishes this year and he started on pole for his home race at Le Mans. Isaac Viñales, older brother of Maverick Viñales, has 64 points and his best finish this year was third in Argentina. Isaac has yet to win in 64 Moto3/125cc starts and has had two runner-up finishes.
Italians Niccolò Antonelli and Francesco Bagnaia round out the top ten with 60 and 55 points respectively. Antonelli's best finish this year is fourth while Bagnaia finished third at Le Mans. Rookie Jorge Navarro has 54 points in 11th. Twelfth is Aleix Masbou, who won the season opener in Qatar but his next best finish this season was eighth in Germany.
All seven Moto3/125cc races at Indianapolis have been won by Spaniards.
Predictions
Marc Márquez continues his winning streak in the United States. Valentino Rossi does not finish on the podium. Nicky Hayden finishes in the points. Álex Rins gets his first career Moto2 victory. The Moto3 winner will not be a Spaniard. At least one race is decided by less than a tenth of a second.
The Moto3 race will be at 11:00 a.m. ET with the Moto2 race at 12:20 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast all three races from Indianapolis. The Moto3 race will be shown tape-delayed at noon ET with Moto2 following, also tape-delayed at 1:00 p.m. ET. The MotoGP Indianapolis Grand Prix will be broadcasted live at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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