1. Will Power had this covered. He was toying with us when he let Robert Wickens lead the second segment of the race. Sacrifice the lead in the second quarter of race on the primary tires to lead at the end. He did the same thing last year with Hélio Castroneves. And now he is a three-time winner in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. We have yet to see anyone turn a Grand Prix of Indianapolis victory into a great Indianapolis 500 performance but that is bound to change. Team Penske has now won 200 IndyCar races. Power has really only one standout Indianapolis 500 and that was in 2015. It is bound to be his time.
2. Eighteenth to second. It could only be Scott Dixon. It is tough to say the start of this season has been rough but he hasn't had it easy. He has had multiple poor qualifying performances. He has had multiple breaks go against him in races. And he still gets the finishes that make up a championship season. Championships are built on top tens that end up being top fives and top fives that end up being podium finishes. Most drivers would be happy with tenth from 18th on the grid. For Dixon anything less than sixth is disappointing. Don't worry that he hasn't led a lap this year. He will be there come Sonoma.
3. Robert Wickens didn't lose this race today. It wasn't an experience thing. The team got the tire strategy wrong. The third stint on primary tires was a mistake. Mostly because a large enough gap was not made in the second stint and it wasn't for a lack of trying. He led Power by five seconds. He is knocking on the door for the championship as a rookie. He is bound to have a bad day. The poor results he has had were not of his making. We know about St. Petersburg and his gearbox let him down at Long Beach. It might come in two weeks in his first Indianapolis 500 but he is head, neck, shoulders and waist above the rest of the rookies.
4. Sébastien Bourdais finished fourth and he is also building something. For Dale Coyne Racing consistently finishing in the top five is wonderful for this team. He is staying in the conversation and every week he is a threat to win. This is the underdog story IndyCar should be promoting. I hate to say it but it should exploit the size of Dale Coyne Racing. It is a fraction of Team Penske and it is on Team Penske's heels. It is ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing, the mega organization field race winning cars in four series on two different continents. This team should win over the hearts of causal fans. It should be the plucky team everyone roots for.
5. Alexander Rossi ran out of fuel late but only lost a position, coasting to another top five finish. He might be second in the championship but he has been the best driver this year. He had the best car at St. Petersburg and Phoenix and he won Long Beach. Barber was his one off race and he was competitive today. Fortunately, he was the one Andretti car not to have mechanical gremlins bite him this weekend.
6. Hélio Castroneves finished sixth because of course he did. That is what he does even after being out of the car for the first six races of the season. He was never a threat in this race and yet he finished sixth. Put money on him to finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500... or second... or first. It will likely be one of those three.
7. James Hinchcliffe finished seventh in what is kind of a disappointing day because he could have been in the top five. However, this is best Hinchcliffe has ever been in IndyCar... and he is still being beat by his teammate. It is great to see Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have two cars consistently in competitive positions.
8. Where do we start with Simon Pagenaud? Another opening lap incident but this team he kept going. He made up some ground early after the incident and fought for an eighth place finish. He has yet to pick up a top five finish. This is only the second time in his career he has not had a top five finish within in the first five races of a season. The other year was 2013. He ended up being a title contender that year but this year feels different. He seems slightly off.
9. Another year starting outside the top ten, another year finishing inside the top ten for Graham Rahal in this race. If he could just start eighth in this race he would win it by 25 seconds. He has slightly under performed this year but when you consider where he has started in each of these five races he has over performed.
10. And Takuma Sato rounded out the top ten. I will flat out say Takuma Sato has slightly under performed through the first five races but I don't know what I should have expected from him. I didn't think he would win but his finishes have been 12th, 11th, 21st, eighth and tenth... actually Sato is performing just as I expected he would be. He could be a tad better but he is doing fine.
11. Josef Newgarden had one moment of over aggression and it cost him. He didn't have to try and pass Bourdais into turn 12. He had better tires and could have set up a move into turn one. He went from possible podium to outside the top ten and either he has the championship lead by a few points or he is second a few points behind Rossi (According to Wikipedia he leads Rossi by two points). We all make mistakes. Newgarden doesn't make many. I think he will be solid from here on out.
12. Zachary Claman De Melo deserves his own line because he finished 12th, went from 19th to 11th in the first abbreviated lap, kept in on the cusp of the top ten all race and lost a tenth place finish after needing to save fuel. Let's calm down a bit about him though. People were floored with his performance when two laps down at Barber. I don't think he is going to be contending for top five finishes this year or podium finishes but his results should improved and he looked good today.
13. Quickly through the rest of the field: Marco Andretti was off at the start after his teammate had to hurry to change an engine before the race and 13th is respectable for him. Tony Kanaan faded. I will tackle Spencer Pigot and Ed Carpenter Racing in a moment. Max Chilton did ok but it wasn't enough. I think Gabby Chaves led a lap through pit cycle and that was it. Ryan Hunter-Reay was misfiring for the final two-thirds of the race and I bet he is crossing his fingers that that was it for mechanical problems this month because he can't have a repeat of last year. Kyle Kaiser led a lap through pit cycle but that was it. Charlie Kimball had a shot at a top ten but had to make a late pit stop. Matheus Leist did nothing. Ed Jones had to stop for a puncture. Zach Veach had some mechanical issue.
14. Ok... Ed Carpenter Racing... what the fuck is going on? Who do I start with? Spencer Pigot finished 15th and add that to his finishes of 15th, 14th, 15th and 15th. He started ninth, jumped the curb in turn five and spun after contact with Sato. Before all that, Jordan King start fifth, punted Pagenaud in turn two and beached the car, putting himself a lap down and he would never recover. This team is lost. And I can't help but feel the lack of a veteran presence isn't helping. The toothpaste is out of the tube for this season and King has been quick but has had lapses cost him this year. I think this team needs to get serious and either keep King or Pigot, bring in a veteran for the #20 Chevrolet full-time and Ed Carpenter either needs to run a third car for all the oval races if he wants or limit himself to just the Indianapolis 500. This team was contending for the championship three years ago. It was not a surprise to see the team in contention for race victory. Now this team couldn't get a top ten finish if it hit them in the face.
15. You may have noticed the lack of LED panels for this race as IndyCar is working out some electrical issues with those this month. A lot of teams put the car number there in place of the LED panel. One, I think IndyCar is doing the right thing to get the LED panel corrected instead of having it possibly causing issues that ruin a team's race. Second, I want them to return. Fans love them. They love being able to follow along and the extra information it gives when it comes to pit stop times. Third, I also liked the number on the roll hoop and when you look at how microscopic the number will be on the rear wing of the low downforce aero kit it will be in a good position for the Indianapolis 500.
However, you can't have both the LED panel and the number. IndyCar needs to solve the number issue for the low downforce aero kit. You can't get away with numbers that are less than three inches in height. Find an alternative spot. On the engine cover, on the top of the side pod, on the ramp in front of the rear tire. There is plenty of unused real estate on the race car and if a sponsor isn't there now then put a number in its place so people can pick these cars out, which leads me too...
16. Team Penske! You are sponsored by Menards! Get Menards to supply red paint and black paint. Paint Newgarden's car red and Castroneves' car black. There is no reason for three cars to be identical Verizon silver with the only difference being number color and roll hoop color. Get creative. Why wouldn't a team not want its car to stand out? Be something that gets you noticed. It will get your sponsor noticed. Imagination will only help you. Three silver cars are boring and it is fucking lazy. And this is partly on IndyCar. The series shouldn't let it happen and it should encourage teams to take chances. Taking chances it what gets you noticed, not blending it.
17. I want to address the consistent theme through all of IndyCar. From Trackside to the radio broadcast to the ABC broadcast, they all do the same thing. There is this idea that the championship pauses and the Indianapolis 500 takes over from the rest of the season. If you want people who watch the Indianapolis 500 in person or on television to watch the rest of the season don't act like the Indianapolis 500 is all that matters.
Talk about the championship you twits! If all people hear is this is the biggest race of the year and people who cover the sport say the championship doesn't matter why will they bother watching Belle Isle or Texas or Road America or Portland or Sonoma? Fucking hell, how would talking about the championship during the Indianapolis 500 hurt the series? We have the Indianapolis 500 crammed down our throats for an entire month. Make room for the championship. ABC didn't even show the championship standings after today's race! It should have been talked about today. It should be talked about during qualifying. It should be talked about pre-race, during the Indianapolis 500 and after the Indianapolis 500.
There is a bigger picture. We love the Indianapolis 500. It is a great event but IndyCar shoots itself in the foot every time the championship is ignored this month.
18. To end on a brighter note, the crowd looked good today.
19. And now practice begins Tuesday. Indianapolis 500 qualifying is a week away and yet there is still so much that has yet to happen.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Morning Warm-Up: 5th Grand Prix of Indianapolis
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| Can Will Power add a third Grand Prix of Indianapolis victory to his résumé? |
Robert Wickens will start in second position in his Grand Prix of Indianapolis debut. He missed pole position by 0.0870 seconds. This is Wickens' second career front row start after he won pole position on debut at St. Petersburg. This is only the second time a Honda has started on the front row for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Jack Hawksworth started second for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis driving the #98 Honda for Bryan Herta Autosport. Wickens won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Formula BMW USA in 2006. The other two drivers on the podium that day were Stefano Coletti and Simona de Silvestro. Coletti would win the second Formula BMW USA race the next day with Wickens in second and de Silvestro in third.
Sébastien Bourdais will start the Grand Prix of Indianapolis from third position. This is Bourdais' best career start in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but he has started in the top ten in all five editions of this race. James Hinchcliffe rounds out row two. This is the first time Hinchcliffe has started a season with five consecutive top ten starts. He is looking to start a season with five consecutive top ten finishes for the first time since his sophomore season in 2012. Jordan King will start fifth in his Grand Prix of Indianapolis debut despite brake issues nearly kept him from participating in the qualifying session. This is the first time an Ed Carpenter Racing car has started in the top five for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Josef Newgarden rounded out the top six. Newgarden has never finished in the top ten in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Excluding Portland, it is the only track on the IndyCar schedule that Newgarden has not had a top ten finish.
Simon Pagenaud starts seventh, matching his career worst starting position in this race. He started seventh last year but finished fourth. Pagenaud has never finished on the podium from seventh on the grid but he has finished fourth four times in his previous eight starts from seventh on the grid. Alexander Rossi joins Pagenaud on row four. This is the second consecutive race Rossi has started in eighth position and it his career best starting position for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He finished eighth in last year's race, his career best finish in the event. Spencer Pigot will start a career best ninth. Pigot's previous career best starting position was 13th. This is the first time Ed Carpenter Racing has had two cars starting in the top ten for a road/street course since Mid-Ohio 2015. Hélio Castroneves makes his IndyCar return from tenth on the grid. It matches his worst starting position in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He finished third after starting tenth in the inaugural race.
Takuma Sato and Tony Kanaan will start on row six. This is Sato's career best starting position in this race while Kanaan will start 12th, matching his career worst finish in this race after he started 12th last year. Neither driver has led a lap nor finished in the top five for this race. Sato is responsible for the two top ten finishes A.J. Foyt Racing has had in this race. Kanaan won from 12th position in the 2013 Indianapolis 500. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti will start on an all-Andretti Autosport row seven after both drivers missed out on advancing to round two by a fraction of a second. Despite the result, this is only Hunter-Reay's third-worst and third-best qualifying effort for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Hunter-Reay won from 13th on the grid at Iowa in 2014. This is also Andretti's third-worst and third-best qualifying effort for the race. In 13 starts from 14th on the grid, Andretti has only finished in the top ten four times.
Former Carlin Indy Lights teammates Ed Jones and Max Chilton will start on row eight. These are their worst starting positions for this race. All six of Jones' top ten finishes have come after he started outside the top ten while three of Chilton's eight top ten finishes have come after he started outside the top ten. Graham Rahal will start 17th. This is Rahal's fourth start outside the top ten in the first five races of the season. Rahal has three consecutive top ten finishes in this race and he has started outside the top ten in all three races. He finished second in the 2015 race from 17th on the grid. Scott Dixon joins his former Ganassi teammate on row nine. His previous worst starting position for this race was seventh. This is the first time Dixon has started outside the top fifteen multiple times in the first five races of the season since 2013 when he started outside the top fifteen three times. He would go on to win the championship that year.
IndyCar history will be made in this race as for the first time in IndyCar history two drivers named Zach will start on the same row. Zachary Claman De Melo and Zach Veach will share row ten. Claman De Melo is looking to improve his career best finish of 17th in his fifth career start. This is the first time Claman De Melo has qualified ahead of Veach. Veach has finished ahead of Claman De Melo in all three races they have started together. In 18 starts together in Indy Lights, Veach finished ahead of Claman De Melo in 16 of 18 races. Matheus Leist makes it three consecutive rookies on the grid. The Brazilian will start 21st for the second consecutive race. The best finish for the 21st starter in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis was 13th by Carlos Muñoz in 2015. Gabby Chaves rounds out row eleven. This is Chaves' worst starting position of the season. He finished 15th and 17th in his two Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Charlie Kimball will start 23rd in the #23 Chevrolet. He finished 23rd at Barber two weeks ago after he was spun in the race by Ed Jones. This is the fourth time in five races Kimball has started outside the top twenty. Kyle Kaiser rounds out the grid in 24th. Juncos Racing has started in one of the bottom two positions in every road/street course race this season. Kimball and Kaiser started on row twelve at Long Beach.
ABC's coverage of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with green flag scheduled for 3:50 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 85 laps.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Track Walk: 5th Grand Prix of Indianapolis
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| IndyCar is back heading clockwise on Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Coverage:
Time: Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday May 12th with green flag scheduled for 3:50 p.m. ET.
TV Channel: ABC
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever will be in the booth. Jon Beekhuis and Rick DeBruhl will work pit lane.
IndyCar Weekend Schedule
Friday:
First Practice: 9:15 a.m. ET (45-minute session)
Second Practice: 12:30 p.m. ET (45-minute session)
Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. ET
Saturday:
Warm-Up: 11:15 a.m. ET (30-minute session)
Race: 3:50 p.m. ET (85 laps)
Team Penske's Shot at 200
It should come to no one's surprise that Team Penske has another milestone its plate but this one is a big one. Team Penske is already the most successful team in IndyCar history but now the team could reach the 200th victory milestone.
Josef Newgarden's Barber victory two weeks ago was the team's 199th victory and it was his second this season. Newgarden heads to the Grand Prix of Indianapolis as the championship leader on 158 points. Newgarden has been on a roll since the series was last at Indianapolis. In the last fifteen races, he has won five times, has four runner-up finishes and 13 top ten finishes. He has also led the most laps in five of the last 15 races and has five fastest laps in that time.
What stands in Newgarden's way of becoming the man responsible for Team Penske's 200th victory are the only two men to win the Grand Prix of Indianapolis: Simon Pagenaud and Will Power. Pagenaud won the inaugural edition of this race in 2014 driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports but he became the first multi-time winner of this race two years later in 2016 driving for Team Penske. Power won in 2015 and last year's victory came in a caution-free race. Both of Power's victories in this race have come from pole position while Pagenaud won from pole position in 2016.
Unsurprisingly, Power and Pagenaud are the top two drivers in laps led in the history of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis with Power having led 126 laps and Pagenaud having led 63 laps. However, when Power is off, he is off in this race with his other finishes being eighth and 19th. Pagenaud finished fourth last year but retired in the 2015 race after a gearbox failure. Power is one of five drivers to have completed every one of the 331 laps in the history of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
One of the other drivers to have completed all 331 laps in the history of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis is Hélio Castroneves and he is back in the #3 Chevrolet for this race and the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves is the only driver to have finished in the top ten in every Grand Prix of Indianapolis with his track record being third, sixth, second and fifth. Those results give Castroneves the best all-time average finish in the history of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis at 4.0. He has led 46 laps in this event, the third most all-time. Castroneves has not won on a natural-terrain road course since Barber 2010.
Can Honda Keep It Up?
Honda has not won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis since the inaugural edition with Pagenaud in 2014. Honda has led only 31 laps in the last three editions of this race and the manufacture did not lead a lap in last year's race. The good news for Honda is it enters in control of the manufactures' championship. Honda has had at least two cars on the podium in every race this season while Chevrolet has only had one car in the top five each of the last three races and its best finishing car at St. Petersburg was seventh.
Alexander Rossi is the top Honda driver in the championship and he leads Andretti Autosport into the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Rossi trails Newgarden by 13 points after four races and Rossi is coming off his worst finish of the season, an 11th at Barber. Rossi has finished tenth and eighth in his two Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts.
Rossi's teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay has had strong results in this race. He has completed all 331 laps and he picked up his second podium finish in this event last year when he finished third. His worst finish came in the second edition of this race when he finished 11th, the third-best Honda in that race out of 12. Despite never having won this race, Hunter-Reay has the second-best average finish among active drivers in this race at 6.2.
The Andretti curse seems to apply for Marco Andretti on the road course, as his four finishes in this race have been 14th, 16th, 15th and 16th and his best starting position is 11th. Zach Veach will make his Grand Prix of Indianapolis debut. Veach has made four starts on the IMS road course in Indy Lights but his best finish was fifth.
Sébastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal are tied for third in the championship on 119 points. Bourdais started seventh and finished fourth in the first two editions of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis but in the last two races he has completed a combined 23 laps and has an average finish of 23rd. Rahal has never qualified well in this race with his best starting position being 12th but he has three consecutive top ten finishes. He was runner-up to Power in 2015 and finished fourth from 24th on the grid in 2015 after he lost his qualifying time. Last year, he finished sixth after starting 20th. Despite his good results, Rahal has only led 11 laps in this race.
Rahal's teammate Takuma Sato is one of the five drivers to have completed 331 laps in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Sato finished ninth in his first two starts in this race but his best finish in the last two races was 12th last year.
Zachary Claman De Melo will drive the #19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda after Pietro Fittipaldi broke both his legs in an accident suffered at the FIA World Endurance Championship round at Spa-Francorchamps qualifying the #10 DragonSpeed BR Engineering BR1-Gibson. Claman De Melo finished second in the first Indy Lights race last year on the IMS road course but he finished outside the top ten in his other three starts on that track.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has two Canadians hoping to get the team back on the top step of the podium in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. James Hinchcliffe enters off the back of four consecutive top ten finishes and he looks to start a season with five consecutive top ten finishes for the second time in his career. He started and finished third in the 2016 Grand Prix of Indianapolis and that is his only top ten finish in the event. Robert Wickens is looking for his first ever back-to-back top ten finishes and not only he has raced on the IMS road course, albeit on a different configuration, but he won on the track in 2006 in a Formula BMW race.
Chip Ganassi Racing picked up its first podium in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis last year when Scott Dixon finished second. Dixon has completed 331 of 331 laps in four editions of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Ganassi has had at least one car finish in the top five in every Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Charlie Kimball had finished fifth in the first three editions of this race. Dixon has led only one lap in four Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts. Ed Jones started 13th and finished 19th in his Grand Prix of Indianapolis debut last year and he finished one lap down.
Who Can Turn It Around Before Indianapolis 500 Practice Begins?
This is the final race before the Indianapolis 500 and nobody wants to head into the Indianapolis 500 on a slump. This is the last chance for teams to get their heads right before a week of practice and qualifying weekend.
Ed Carpenter is responsible for Ed Carpenter Racing's only top ten finish this season and the team has not had a top ten finish on a road/street course in the last nine races. Spencer Pigot and Jordan King each have a 14th-place finish this season while Pigot has finished 15th in three races this season. King has had an accident in every third practice session this season. The good news for King is there is no third practice for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Pigot finished ninth in last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis and it was Ed Carpenter Racing's first top ten in this event.
While Tony Kanaan has finished eighth twice in the first four races, Matheus Leist is still looking for his first top ten finish of his IndyCar career. Leist has been trending in the right direction and his results have improved over each race. He has finished on the lead lap in the last two races and he finished fifth and third in the Indy Lights races last year on the IMS road course.
Harding Racing is looking for its first top ten finish on a road/street course and Gabby Chaves' best finish this season was 14th in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Chaves has made two Grand Prix of Indianapolis starts with finishes of 15th and 17th in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Chaves has never finished in the top ten on a natural-terrain road course. He finished ninth in the second Belle Isle in 2015.
Carlin has a top ten finish this season but Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton are 19th and 20th in the championship respectively. The team suffered a double retirement in the last race at Barber. The results had been improving for each driver before Barber. Kimball had finishes of 20th, 17th and tenth through the first three races while Chilton improved by one position from 19th to 18th to 17th. Kimball's run of three consecutive fifth place finishes in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis ended last year when he lost power and finished 21st. Chilton finished seventh in last year's race.
Road to Indy
All three Road to Indy series are back on track with IndyCar for the first time since the season opening weekend at St. Petersburg.
Indy Lights is back with eight cars on the entry list. Andretti Autosport's Patricio O'Ward swept the Barber weekend and he leads the championship in 110 points. O'Ward swept the Pro Mazda races on the IMS road course in 2016. Belardi Auto Racing's Santiago Urrutia trails O'Ward by 16 points. Urrutia has finished in the top five of all four races this season. Colton Herta is third in the championship on 83 points after three podium finishes through the first four races. Juncos Racing's Victor Franzoni is a point behind Herta in the championship and he swept the Pro Mazda races last year at this track.
Andretti teammates Ryan Norman and Dalton Kellett sit fifth and sixth in the championship on 67 points and 58 points respectively. Kellett has finished third in the last three races. Aaron Telitz finally completed a lap and finished fourth in the second Barber race. He has scored 51 points. Alfonso Celis, Jr. is back for his second race weekend. He finished seventh and eighth at Barber and has 27 points.
Indy Lights will race at 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday May 11th and at 1:15 p.m. ET on Saturday May 12th.
Parker Thompson took the Pro Mazda championship lead after a victory and a runner-up finish at Barber. The Canadian has 102 points and the Exclusive Autosport driver is four points ahead of Juncos Racing's Rinus VeeKay. David Malukas has two podium finishes and three consecutive top five finishes, good enough to have him third in the championship on 79 points. RP Motorsport picked up its first Pro Mazda victory in its fourth race with Harrison Scott and the British driver is two points behind Malukas.
Carlos Cunha makes it two Juncos Racing drivers in the top five of the championship with the Brazilian on 75 points after having finished third in the second race at St. Petersburg and Barber and he finished fourth in the first race at St. Petersburg. Sting Ray Robb is the top Team Pelfrey driver on 58 points with his best finish being fourth with reigning U.S. F2000 champion Oliver Askew down in seventh on 56 points with his best finish being fifth for Cape Motorsports.
The first Pro Mazda race will take place on Friday May 11th at 3:35 p.m. ET. The second race will be Saturday May 12th at 10:10 a.m. ET.
U.S. F2000 has had two months off since the series last raced. Cape Motorsports driver Kyle Kirkwood leads the championship with 48 points after finishes of first and fifth at St. Petersburg. Cape Motorsports has won six consecutive U.S. F2000 races on the IMS road course. DEForce Racing's José Sierra is second in the championship on 41 points after a second and sixth while Exclusive Autosport's Igor Fraga finished eighth and second at St. Petersburg and has 38 points.
Alexandre Baron won the second race at St. Petersburg after a retirement in race one and the Swan-RJB Motorsports driver sits on 35 points. Pabst Racing Services driver Calvin Ming rounds out the top five on 32 points with Newman Wachs Racing's Darren Keane on 31 points and Ming's teammate Lucas Kohl on 30 points. Team Pelfrey's Julien van der Watt sits on 27 points with Pabst's Kaylen Frederick on 22 points and Pelfrey's Bruna Tomaselli rounding on the top ten on 21 points.
U.S. F2000 will race at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday May 11th and 9:15 a.m. ET on Saturday May 12th.
Fast Facts
This will be the first IndyCar race on May 12th.
Two drivers have lost their lives on May 12th from accidents at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tony Bettenhausen perished in 1961 and Art Pollard in 1973.
Only three drivers have won the oval and road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Those drivers are Alex Lloyd, Jack Harvey and Dean Stoneman. All three of these drivers won on the oval and road course in Indy Lights.
Hélio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, Gabby Chaves, Ed Jones, Kyle Kaiser and Matheus Leist are the driver that could become the fourth to win on both the oval and road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Newgarden, Chaves, Jones, Kaiser and Leist could all become the first driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in IndyCar and Indy Lights.
Max Chilton will be making his 38th career start and he has yet to finish on the podium in his IndyCar career. Three drivers have scored their first career podium finish in their 38th career start (Larry Grant, James Jakes and Takuma Sato).
Spencer Pigot will be making his 27th career start and he has yet to finish on the podium in his IndyCar career. Three drivers have scored their first career podium finish in their 27th career start (Dick Rathmann, Roberto Moreno and Charlie Kimball).
The last time there was more than one driver with multiple victories entering the Indianapolis 500 was 1979 when A.J. Foyt won the first two races of the USAC season and Johnny Rutherford swept the Atlanta Twin 125s, the second round of the CART season.
The last time there was more than one driver with multiple victories entering the Indianapolis 500 in one series was 1978 when Gordon Johncock won the first and fourth rounds of the USAC season at Phoenix and Trenton while Danny Ongais won the second and third rounds of the season at Ontario and Texas World.
The average starting position for a Grand Prix of Indianapolis winner is 1.75 with a median of one.
The only time the pole-sitter did not win the Grand Prix of Indianapolis was the inaugural edition in 2014 where Simon Pagenaud won from fourth on the grid.
Will Power set the track record last year with a lap of 67.7044 seconds.
Every Grand Prix of Indianapolis has had a top ten finisher that started 20th or worse.
The average number of lead changes in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis is 8.5 with a median of nine.
Last year's Grand Prix of Indianapolis had four lead changes, the fewest in the history of the event.
The first two editions of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis had 12 lead changes and 11 lead changes respectively.
The average number of cautions in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis is 1.75 with a median of 1.5. The average number of caution laps is 7.75 with a median of six.
The Grand Prix of Indianapolis has had caution laps in the double figures twice but has also had races with two caution laps and zero caution laps.
Three out of four editions of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis have had an incident in turn one on lap one.
While Team Penske is looking for its 200th IndyCar victory, here are some of the other IndyCar milestone victories for the team:
1st: Mark Donohue, 1971 Pocono 500, Pocono Raceway, July 3rd 1971.
25th: Bobby Unser, 1980 California 500, Ontario Motor Speedway, August 31, 1980.
50th: Rick Mears, 1988 Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 29, 1988.
75th: Paul Tracy, 1993 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Dairy Mart, Burke Lakefront Airport, July 11th, 1993.
100th: Gil de Ferran, 2000 Bosch Sparks Plug Grand Prix presented by Toyota, Nazareth Raceway, May 14, 2000.
125th: Hélio Castroneves, 2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Streets of St. Petersburg, April 2, 2006.
150th: Will Power, 2010 Firestone Indy Toronto, Exhibition Place, July 18, 2010.
175th: Juan Pablo Montoya, 2015 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Streets of St. Petersburg, March 29, 2015.
Possible Milestones:
Hélio Castroneves is one top five finish away from moving into sole possession of fourth-most top five finish all-time.
Graham Rahal needs to lead 43 laps to reach the 400 laps led milestone.
Alexander Rossi needs to lead one lap to reach the 200 laps led milestone.
Predictions
Alexander Rossi makes it two victories this season and five different teams will be represented in the top five finishers. Graham Rahal does not qualify outside the top ten. At least two drivers get their first top ten finish this season. There will be more lead changes than last year's race but less than average. Robert Wickens will be the top finishing rookie. Kyle Kaiser will be the second best rookie. There will not be an incident in turn one on lap one. Sleeper: Spencer Pigot.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
2018 Supercross Season Review
The 2018 Supercross season came to a close on Saturday night and we have a new champion after a 17-round season that saw favorites fall, some miss rounds due to injuries and a few surprises along the way.
In the early days of 2018, I wrote a preview for the season and gave a brief explanation of what to expect from nearly two-dozen riders. This review will look back at a handful of riders and how wrong those expectations were. We will start with the top of the championship and work our way down.
1. Jason Anderson - #21 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Team Husqvarna FC450
Victories: 4 (Houston, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta)
Podium Finishes: 11
What did I write: "Anderson is a consistent rider but a healthy Roczen makes it significantly more difficult for Anderson to be a championship contender. It would surprise nobody if he did win a race or two and if he keeps up his form a top five championship finish seems to be a given."
How wrong was it: It wasn't wrong but it didn't anticipate Ken Roczen getting hurt again, Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac each missing a round early and Tomac continuing to find way to throw away races. Anderson didn't change his style to be champion. He made sure he got the bike home and let others faltered. The championship was his to lose before the halfway point of the season and he wasn't going to let go. After he won Atlanta Anderson pretty much knew if he kept finish third, fourth or fifth he would be champion and he did that. Daytona was an odd race and a broken wheel at Salt Lake City was his only hiccup all season and Salt Lake City wasn't on him. He didn't put a wheel wrong all season and it got him a championship.
2. Marvin Musquin - #25 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
Victories: 4 (Anaheim 1, Indianapolis, Foxborough, Salt Lake City)
Podium Finishes: 12
What did I write: "The Frenchman is one of the top championship contenders. Musquin is ready to pick up where Dungey left off and he is entering on a great wave of momentum."
How wrong was it: He was a championship contender the only problem was Anderson had enough points to burn by the time Musquin got on his championship run it was too late and on top of that he still couldn't beat Tomac on a regular basis. Musquin was lucky he had a shot at the title in the final race of the season but even in a do-or-die finale he still couldn't come out on top even when he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
3. Eli Tomac - #3 Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki KX 450F
Victories: 8 (Anaheim 2, Glendale, Arlington, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Seattle, Minneapolis, Las Vegas)
Podium Finishes: 12
What did I write: "Like Musquin, Tomac is a championship contender. If it weren't for a few poor results at the start of 2017 he would have won the championship over Dungey. If he stays on the bike, he will be in the championship discussion until the end but it won't be easy."
How wrong was it: Pretty spot on. He didn't stay on the bike and winning nearly half the races couldn't even get him second in the championship. It has to turn around eventually. No one can be this successful over the last two seasons and have no Supercross title to show for it. It would be easy to dismiss his success as Anderson not having to push and Roczen being out but Musquin had everything to gain and Tomac bested him most of the time.
4. Blake Baggett - #4 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – KTM – WPS #4 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
Victories: 0
Podium Finishes: 5
What did I write: "He did well in both championships and I think this could be the sleeper of the season. A win might be a stretch but he could have his night and he could challenge for top five in the championship."
How wrong was it: I believe I had that. He ended on a strong note with two consecutive third-place finishes and three consecutive top five finishes. He is still a step below the likes of Anderson, Musquin, Tomac and Roczen but give him another year and he could be knocking on the door.
5. Justin Brayton - #10 MotoConcepts/Honda Honda CRF 450
Victories: 1 (Daytona)
Podium Finishes: 2
What did I write: "Despite being a regular Supercross competitor since 2010, he is still looking for his first career victory. It won't happen in 2018 and I think he will struggle to even get a top five finish."
How wrong was it: Very. I did not see this coming. I also did not see the top two factory Honda riders both getting hurt in the first half of the season. Brayton, one of the most experienced riders in the series, stepped up and carried the Honda banner. He got results when Honda needed it most and salvaged a respectable season considering everything that occurred. Not only did he get his first career victory and had two podium finishes but had six top five finishes. That is over third of the season. Sure, he benefitted from a handful of riders getting hurt, but he got the results and congratulations to him.
Other Riders
Chad Reed - #22 CR22 Husqvarna FC450
Championship Finish: 13th (159 points)
Best Result: 7th (Seattle)
What did I write: "Reed is the only previous Supercross champion on the grid. However, Reed is 35 years old and turns 36 years old prior to St. Louis. It has been ten years since he won his second championship and with him on a privateer bike I don't see a third in the cards. But I wouldn't rule him out to have a stunning night and pull out a top five finish or two."
How wrong was it: Reed's first season as a privateer rider was challenging and while it was somewhat tough to watch it was also encouraging. He never was competing for victories. He didn't really have a fight for a top five finish but the results got better as the year went along. It should be noted his results did improve as more riders got hurt. I don't think he has set himself up for top five finishes and podium finishes next year but if anyone could do it as a privateer rider it would be Chad Reed.
Christian Craig - #32 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 16th (134 points)
Best Result: 4th (Daytona, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas)
What did I write: Nothing... he was not in the season preview because he was in the 250cc West series.
How wrong was it: The factory Honda team had the season from hell. Its two rider were hurt before the halfway point of the season and Craig stepped up after six rounds in the 250cc West series and had an impressive nine-race run. He opened with a fifth place finish at Atlanta and a fourth place finish at Daytona. He hit a bit of a rough patch but ended the season with a pair of fourth place finishes.
Cole Seely - #14 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 17th (124 points)
Best Result: 2nd (Anaheim 2)
What did I write: "We are pushing three years since Seely's maiden Supercross victory at Houston in April 2015. Seely has had seven podium since then. It will be hard for him to keep up with Roczen and I expect he will finish at a minimum five championship positions behind his teammate."
How wrong was it: While Ken Roczen's injury was a big blow for Honda, Seely's injury two weeks later was another punch to the gut and Seely was keeping up with his teammate. Through the first five races Seely had a podium finish, two top five finishes and four top ten finishes while Roczen had finished in the top five in all five races and had three podium finishes. Steely averaged 17.71 points per race prior to his injury.
Ken Roczen - #94 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 18th (102 points)
Best Result: 2nd (Houston, Oakland)
What did I write: "If Roczen hadn't been injured he would have been in the championship discussion and very well could have beat both Dungey and Tomac. I think we are set for a great three-way battle between Roczen, Tomac and Musquin."
How wrong was it: It is hard to say it is wrong when an injury derailed this season. Roczen did not come in and picked up where he left off. He wasn't dominating races with the rest of the field chasing him but he was in a good place considering his lay off. Considering his form, he might have been a championship contender. Throw out his San Diego race where he scored two points after his accident, Roczen was averaging 20.2 points through the first five races. If he kept up that form he would have scored 343.4 points this season. It is a shame we lost Roczen for another season and after all these bumps you have to wonder if we are ever going to see his true potential.
Conclusion
This season lacked the weekly championship battle that we had between Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac but it was still an interesting season.
There did feel like an abnormal number of injuries this season. I could be wrong or it could be more high profile riders were sidelined or it could be because injuries plagued the championship picture more than other years.
There were a handful of great races. Anderson and Roczen had a good battle at Houston. Glendale had another phenomenal race. Oakland had great main events in both the 450 class and the 250 class. Foxborough will be remembered for Musquin's move on Tomac but even before that the race was top notch.
I didn't think the Triple Crown races did much. I get the appeal of having three main events and getting the top riders on track more but I am not sure it made the racing better. It added a different element to a race where a rider could be fighting from behind and a win in the third main event might not make up for a fifth and fourth in the first two races. It isn't a bad thing to have a different format at a few rounds to spice it up and this was only one year. I think Triple Crown races should return for 2019.
Looking forward to 2019, I think Anderson could defend his title but if Tomac is going to win eight races again then Anderson is going to have to really step it up and be more aggressive. I don't think Anderson will be spotted a fistful of points by the likes of Tomac and Musquin for a second consecutive season. We don't know about Roczen but he will be back for the Motocross season. If he can survive the outdoor season without suffering an injury then that will be a big step in the right direction for him.
The Motocross season doesn't start for another ten days but it will be something worth keeping an eye on.
In the early days of 2018, I wrote a preview for the season and gave a brief explanation of what to expect from nearly two-dozen riders. This review will look back at a handful of riders and how wrong those expectations were. We will start with the top of the championship and work our way down.
1. Jason Anderson - #21 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Team Husqvarna FC450
Victories: 4 (Houston, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta)
Podium Finishes: 11
What did I write: "Anderson is a consistent rider but a healthy Roczen makes it significantly more difficult for Anderson to be a championship contender. It would surprise nobody if he did win a race or two and if he keeps up his form a top five championship finish seems to be a given."
How wrong was it: It wasn't wrong but it didn't anticipate Ken Roczen getting hurt again, Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac each missing a round early and Tomac continuing to find way to throw away races. Anderson didn't change his style to be champion. He made sure he got the bike home and let others faltered. The championship was his to lose before the halfway point of the season and he wasn't going to let go. After he won Atlanta Anderson pretty much knew if he kept finish third, fourth or fifth he would be champion and he did that. Daytona was an odd race and a broken wheel at Salt Lake City was his only hiccup all season and Salt Lake City wasn't on him. He didn't put a wheel wrong all season and it got him a championship.
2. Marvin Musquin - #25 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
Victories: 4 (Anaheim 1, Indianapolis, Foxborough, Salt Lake City)
Podium Finishes: 12
What did I write: "The Frenchman is one of the top championship contenders. Musquin is ready to pick up where Dungey left off and he is entering on a great wave of momentum."
How wrong was it: He was a championship contender the only problem was Anderson had enough points to burn by the time Musquin got on his championship run it was too late and on top of that he still couldn't beat Tomac on a regular basis. Musquin was lucky he had a shot at the title in the final race of the season but even in a do-or-die finale he still couldn't come out on top even when he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
3. Eli Tomac - #3 Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki KX 450F
Victories: 8 (Anaheim 2, Glendale, Arlington, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Seattle, Minneapolis, Las Vegas)
Podium Finishes: 12
What did I write: "Like Musquin, Tomac is a championship contender. If it weren't for a few poor results at the start of 2017 he would have won the championship over Dungey. If he stays on the bike, he will be in the championship discussion until the end but it won't be easy."
How wrong was it: Pretty spot on. He didn't stay on the bike and winning nearly half the races couldn't even get him second in the championship. It has to turn around eventually. No one can be this successful over the last two seasons and have no Supercross title to show for it. It would be easy to dismiss his success as Anderson not having to push and Roczen being out but Musquin had everything to gain and Tomac bested him most of the time.
4. Blake Baggett - #4 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC – KTM – WPS #4 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
Victories: 0
Podium Finishes: 5
What did I write: "He did well in both championships and I think this could be the sleeper of the season. A win might be a stretch but he could have his night and he could challenge for top five in the championship."
How wrong was it: I believe I had that. He ended on a strong note with two consecutive third-place finishes and three consecutive top five finishes. He is still a step below the likes of Anderson, Musquin, Tomac and Roczen but give him another year and he could be knocking on the door.
5. Justin Brayton - #10 MotoConcepts/Honda Honda CRF 450
Victories: 1 (Daytona)
Podium Finishes: 2
What did I write: "Despite being a regular Supercross competitor since 2010, he is still looking for his first career victory. It won't happen in 2018 and I think he will struggle to even get a top five finish."
How wrong was it: Very. I did not see this coming. I also did not see the top two factory Honda riders both getting hurt in the first half of the season. Brayton, one of the most experienced riders in the series, stepped up and carried the Honda banner. He got results when Honda needed it most and salvaged a respectable season considering everything that occurred. Not only did he get his first career victory and had two podium finishes but had six top five finishes. That is over third of the season. Sure, he benefitted from a handful of riders getting hurt, but he got the results and congratulations to him.
Other Riders
Chad Reed - #22 CR22 Husqvarna FC450
Championship Finish: 13th (159 points)
Best Result: 7th (Seattle)
What did I write: "Reed is the only previous Supercross champion on the grid. However, Reed is 35 years old and turns 36 years old prior to St. Louis. It has been ten years since he won his second championship and with him on a privateer bike I don't see a third in the cards. But I wouldn't rule him out to have a stunning night and pull out a top five finish or two."
How wrong was it: Reed's first season as a privateer rider was challenging and while it was somewhat tough to watch it was also encouraging. He never was competing for victories. He didn't really have a fight for a top five finish but the results got better as the year went along. It should be noted his results did improve as more riders got hurt. I don't think he has set himself up for top five finishes and podium finishes next year but if anyone could do it as a privateer rider it would be Chad Reed.
Christian Craig - #32 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 16th (134 points)
Best Result: 4th (Daytona, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas)
What did I write: Nothing... he was not in the season preview because he was in the 250cc West series.
How wrong was it: The factory Honda team had the season from hell. Its two rider were hurt before the halfway point of the season and Craig stepped up after six rounds in the 250cc West series and had an impressive nine-race run. He opened with a fifth place finish at Atlanta and a fourth place finish at Daytona. He hit a bit of a rough patch but ended the season with a pair of fourth place finishes.
Cole Seely - #14 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 17th (124 points)
Best Result: 2nd (Anaheim 2)
What did I write: "We are pushing three years since Seely's maiden Supercross victory at Houston in April 2015. Seely has had seven podium since then. It will be hard for him to keep up with Roczen and I expect he will finish at a minimum five championship positions behind his teammate."
How wrong was it: While Ken Roczen's injury was a big blow for Honda, Seely's injury two weeks later was another punch to the gut and Seely was keeping up with his teammate. Through the first five races Seely had a podium finish, two top five finishes and four top ten finishes while Roczen had finished in the top five in all five races and had three podium finishes. Steely averaged 17.71 points per race prior to his injury.
Ken Roczen - #94 Team Honda HRC Honda CRF 450
Championship Finish: 18th (102 points)
Best Result: 2nd (Houston, Oakland)
What did I write: "If Roczen hadn't been injured he would have been in the championship discussion and very well could have beat both Dungey and Tomac. I think we are set for a great three-way battle between Roczen, Tomac and Musquin."
How wrong was it: It is hard to say it is wrong when an injury derailed this season. Roczen did not come in and picked up where he left off. He wasn't dominating races with the rest of the field chasing him but he was in a good place considering his lay off. Considering his form, he might have been a championship contender. Throw out his San Diego race where he scored two points after his accident, Roczen was averaging 20.2 points through the first five races. If he kept up that form he would have scored 343.4 points this season. It is a shame we lost Roczen for another season and after all these bumps you have to wonder if we are ever going to see his true potential.
Conclusion
This season lacked the weekly championship battle that we had between Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac but it was still an interesting season.
There did feel like an abnormal number of injuries this season. I could be wrong or it could be more high profile riders were sidelined or it could be because injuries plagued the championship picture more than other years.
There were a handful of great races. Anderson and Roczen had a good battle at Houston. Glendale had another phenomenal race. Oakland had great main events in both the 450 class and the 250 class. Foxborough will be remembered for Musquin's move on Tomac but even before that the race was top notch.
I didn't think the Triple Crown races did much. I get the appeal of having three main events and getting the top riders on track more but I am not sure it made the racing better. It added a different element to a race where a rider could be fighting from behind and a win in the third main event might not make up for a fifth and fourth in the first two races. It isn't a bad thing to have a different format at a few rounds to spice it up and this was only one year. I think Triple Crown races should return for 2019.
Looking forward to 2019, I think Anderson could defend his title but if Tomac is going to win eight races again then Anderson is going to have to really step it up and be more aggressive. I don't think Anderson will be spotted a fistful of points by the likes of Tomac and Musquin for a second consecutive season. We don't know about Roczen but he will be back for the Motocross season. If he can survive the outdoor season without suffering an injury then that will be a big step in the right direction for him.
The Motocross season doesn't start for another ten days but it will be something worth keeping an eye on.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Musings From the Weekend: Four Forgotten Faces
Fernando Alonso won on his FIA World Endurance Championship debut with help from Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in the #8 Toyota. Mike Conway did give the Spaniard a good fight for the overall victory. Gustavo Menezes became the second American driver to stand on an FIA WEC overall podium but first to do it in an LMP1 car, as the #3 Rebellion with co-drivers Thomas Laurent and Mathias Beche was elevated after the #1 Rebellion was disqualified for skid wear. David Cheng was the first American to score an overall WEC podium finish as Cheng finished third at Le Mans last year in the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca. Warm wishes to Pietro Fittipaldi, who suffered a left leg fracture and right ankle fracture in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
In Las Vegas, Jason Anderson won the Supercross championship with a fifth-place finish. Mattias Ekström's DTM career came to a close as a new season opened. Team Penske is already kicking ass in May. IMSA returned to Mid-Ohio. MotoGP returned to Europe. DTM had a great moment in in-car radio and a pretty good race. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Four Forgotten Faces
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a vast history and one that is celebrated by many. We have turned knowledge about the Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 into a hobby. There is even a radio show for the history buffs (By the way, The Talk of Gasoline Alley begins tonight and the show will be on every weeknight at 8:00 p.m. ET until the Indianapolis 500 on WFNI 107.5/1070 the Fan).
However, there is a fair amount of history snobs and we are all guilty of being that guy once or twice. The Speedway has a legion whose goal is to set the record straight. How many times have you come to the defense of Johnny Aitken for being the most successful driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 15 victories?
However, while having this deep affection for history of the place and the event, fans have been telling half-truths, some for over a century.
The Borg-Warner Trophy is not only a trophy for one of the most prestigious races in the world but a monument to the past, one that continual grows each year with another driver honored with each success. There are 104 busts on the Borg-Warner Trophy, one for each winner of the previous 101 Indianapolis 500s including the two years there were co-winners (1924 and 1941) and one for Tony Hulman. There should be 108.
The history buffs know the Borg-Warner Trophy tells a lie but will not admit it. There have not been two races where multiple drivers drove the race-winning car. There have been six. Four are not etched in history. Unfortunately, those four results have become inside secrets but known by enough that they should be rightfully honored.
Ray Harroun has long been honored as the winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the one honored as a pioneer for the rearview window and he was even given a game show appearance 50 years after he won the race. His success, his place in history is not his alone. Harroun vacated the car after 70 laps and Cyrus Pastchke would drive a 32-lap stint and put the #32 Marmon Wasp into the lead after an aggressive drive put pressure on David Bruce-Brown and led to a tire failure for Bruce-Brown. Harroun would return to the car in the lead and take the car to the checkered flag and cement his place in history.
The following year, Joe Dawson would be relieved on lap 108 and Don Herr would drive his #8 National for 36 laps. Ralph DePalma dominated the race, leading 196 laps before breaking down with two laps to go. Dawson would inherit the lead and take the victory.
Tommy Milton is remembered as the first driver to win multiple Indianapolis 500s but his second victory in 1923 came after Howdy Wilcox, the 1919 winner, drove #1 Miller for 43 laps. Two years later, Peter DePaolo won the race but had to be replaced for 22 laps to get his hands bandaged. Norman Batten took over the #12 Duesenberg before DePaolo re-entered the race.
The only difference between those four races and the two where co-winners are acknowledged is who took the checkered flag. In the four races above the driver who started the race finished the race. In 1924, L.L Corum started the race in the #15 Duesenberg but Joe Boyer ran the final 78 laps. Floyd Davis started the 1941 race in the #16 Wetteroth-Offenhauser but Mauri Rose took over the car on lap 72 and took the car to victory.
All these races took place in a different era but sheering timing should not determine who is remember as a winner and who is not. Is all that is keeping Patschke, Herr and Batten from being remembered as Indianapolis 500 winner is when they stepped into the car? Had DePaolo needed his hands to be bandaged and Batten been put in the car for the final 22 laps and taken the car to the finish would he be included as an Indianapolis 500 winner?
We have always been told the race is about the car when it comes to the Indianapolis. Each car was limited to three attempts for the Indianapolis 500, not driver. The car got the position in the field, not the driver. Obviously the driver needs some type of recognition. Without the driver the car cannot win but if it is about the car then shouldn't every driver who drove it be properly acknowledged? If you drove the car you should be recognized as a winner. Without any of these four relief efforts history and whom we view as distinguishable would be different.
Wilcox has his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy for his 1919 victory but the accomplishments of Patschke, Herr and Batten have been relegated to pieces of trivia. It is unfortunate because Harroun, Dawson, Milton and DePaolo would not have their places in history if it were not for the efforts of these drivers. They should all be recognized. Patschke, Herr and Batten should all be considered Indianapolis 500 winners, Wilcox should be recognized as a two-time winner and four more busts should be added to the Borg-Warner Trophy.
People do not take change well. IndyCar fans are stubborn about change, especially about the Indianapolis 500, even if it for the better. Imagine telling them the winners of the first Indianapolis 500 were Ray Harroun AND Cyrus Patschke. Imagine adding another driver to the list of those who won multiple races.
Plenty of old white men could cry revisionist history but it would be a more accurate representation of history. The Indianapolis 500 has had a long and evolving history. It has gone from an endurance race where riding mechanics were required to a sub-three-hour sprint. Part of this race's history is driver changes, some planned, some on a whim. It should be basic knowledge for motorsports fans that these men were Indianapolis 500 winners.
The Speedway is not trying to keep these drivers a secret. There was an article dedicated to them in 2008 Indianapolis 500 program but four pages in a collectible is not good enough. Their skill and achievement deserves to be immortalized in silver and an inscription that can be read for a century.
Winners From the Weekend
You know Toyota's victory and Anderson's title but did you know...
Marc Márquez won the Spanish Grand Prix and retook the championship lead after Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa all took each other out in the same corner. Lorenzo Baldassarri won in Moto2, his first victory in a little under two years. Phillipp Öttl won the Moto3 race, his first career victory in 91 starts.
In LMP2 at the 6 Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps, the #26 G-Drive Racing Oreca of Jean-Éric Vergne, Romain Rusinov and Andrea Pizzitola took the victory. The #66 Ford GT of Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson won in GTE-Pro. The #98 Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda won in GTE-Am.
The #7 Team Penske Acura of Ricky Taylor and Hélio Castroneves won the IMSA race from Mid-Ohio, Acura's first win since returning to sports car competition. The #912 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber won in GTLM. The #14 Team 3GT Racing Lexus of Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli won in GTD, the first victory for the Lexus RCF GT3 in IMSA.
Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Cup race from Dover. Justin Allgaier won the Grand National Series race. Johnny Sauter won the Truck race.
Gary Paffett and Timo Glock split the DTM races from Hockenheim.
The #23 NISMO Nissan of Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda won the Super GT race from Fuji on Friday. The #55 ARTA BMW of Sean Walkinshaw and Shinichi Takagi won in GT300.
The #2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi of Dries Vanthoor and Will Stevens won the first Blanpcain Sprint Series race at Brand Hatch. The #17 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi of Frédéric Vervisch and Stuart Leonard won the second race.
Scott McLaughlin swept the Supercars races at Barbagallo Raceway and McLaughlin has won four consecutive races.
Eli Tomac won the Supercross season finale at Las Vegas. It was his eighth victory of the season.
Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar has its Grand Prix of Indianapolis and all three Road to Indy series will be in action.
The 24 Hours Nürburgring starts on Saturday.
The World Touring Car Cup joins the bill on the Nordschleife.
Formula One has the Spanish Grand Prix.
NASCAR will be at Kansas.
World Superbike heads to Imola.
The European Le Mans Series has its second round of the season at Monza.
Super Formula has its second round of the season at Autopolis.
In Las Vegas, Jason Anderson won the Supercross championship with a fifth-place finish. Mattias Ekström's DTM career came to a close as a new season opened. Team Penske is already kicking ass in May. IMSA returned to Mid-Ohio. MotoGP returned to Europe. DTM had a great moment in in-car radio and a pretty good race. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
Four Forgotten Faces
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a vast history and one that is celebrated by many. We have turned knowledge about the Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 into a hobby. There is even a radio show for the history buffs (By the way, The Talk of Gasoline Alley begins tonight and the show will be on every weeknight at 8:00 p.m. ET until the Indianapolis 500 on WFNI 107.5/1070 the Fan).
However, there is a fair amount of history snobs and we are all guilty of being that guy once or twice. The Speedway has a legion whose goal is to set the record straight. How many times have you come to the defense of Johnny Aitken for being the most successful driver at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 15 victories?
However, while having this deep affection for history of the place and the event, fans have been telling half-truths, some for over a century.
The Borg-Warner Trophy is not only a trophy for one of the most prestigious races in the world but a monument to the past, one that continual grows each year with another driver honored with each success. There are 104 busts on the Borg-Warner Trophy, one for each winner of the previous 101 Indianapolis 500s including the two years there were co-winners (1924 and 1941) and one for Tony Hulman. There should be 108.
The history buffs know the Borg-Warner Trophy tells a lie but will not admit it. There have not been two races where multiple drivers drove the race-winning car. There have been six. Four are not etched in history. Unfortunately, those four results have become inside secrets but known by enough that they should be rightfully honored.
Ray Harroun has long been honored as the winner of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the one honored as a pioneer for the rearview window and he was even given a game show appearance 50 years after he won the race. His success, his place in history is not his alone. Harroun vacated the car after 70 laps and Cyrus Pastchke would drive a 32-lap stint and put the #32 Marmon Wasp into the lead after an aggressive drive put pressure on David Bruce-Brown and led to a tire failure for Bruce-Brown. Harroun would return to the car in the lead and take the car to the checkered flag and cement his place in history.
The following year, Joe Dawson would be relieved on lap 108 and Don Herr would drive his #8 National for 36 laps. Ralph DePalma dominated the race, leading 196 laps before breaking down with two laps to go. Dawson would inherit the lead and take the victory.
Tommy Milton is remembered as the first driver to win multiple Indianapolis 500s but his second victory in 1923 came after Howdy Wilcox, the 1919 winner, drove #1 Miller for 43 laps. Two years later, Peter DePaolo won the race but had to be replaced for 22 laps to get his hands bandaged. Norman Batten took over the #12 Duesenberg before DePaolo re-entered the race.
The only difference between those four races and the two where co-winners are acknowledged is who took the checkered flag. In the four races above the driver who started the race finished the race. In 1924, L.L Corum started the race in the #15 Duesenberg but Joe Boyer ran the final 78 laps. Floyd Davis started the 1941 race in the #16 Wetteroth-Offenhauser but Mauri Rose took over the car on lap 72 and took the car to victory.
All these races took place in a different era but sheering timing should not determine who is remember as a winner and who is not. Is all that is keeping Patschke, Herr and Batten from being remembered as Indianapolis 500 winner is when they stepped into the car? Had DePaolo needed his hands to be bandaged and Batten been put in the car for the final 22 laps and taken the car to the finish would he be included as an Indianapolis 500 winner?
We have always been told the race is about the car when it comes to the Indianapolis. Each car was limited to three attempts for the Indianapolis 500, not driver. The car got the position in the field, not the driver. Obviously the driver needs some type of recognition. Without the driver the car cannot win but if it is about the car then shouldn't every driver who drove it be properly acknowledged? If you drove the car you should be recognized as a winner. Without any of these four relief efforts history and whom we view as distinguishable would be different.
Wilcox has his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy for his 1919 victory but the accomplishments of Patschke, Herr and Batten have been relegated to pieces of trivia. It is unfortunate because Harroun, Dawson, Milton and DePaolo would not have their places in history if it were not for the efforts of these drivers. They should all be recognized. Patschke, Herr and Batten should all be considered Indianapolis 500 winners, Wilcox should be recognized as a two-time winner and four more busts should be added to the Borg-Warner Trophy.
People do not take change well. IndyCar fans are stubborn about change, especially about the Indianapolis 500, even if it for the better. Imagine telling them the winners of the first Indianapolis 500 were Ray Harroun AND Cyrus Patschke. Imagine adding another driver to the list of those who won multiple races.
Plenty of old white men could cry revisionist history but it would be a more accurate representation of history. The Indianapolis 500 has had a long and evolving history. It has gone from an endurance race where riding mechanics were required to a sub-three-hour sprint. Part of this race's history is driver changes, some planned, some on a whim. It should be basic knowledge for motorsports fans that these men were Indianapolis 500 winners.
The Speedway is not trying to keep these drivers a secret. There was an article dedicated to them in 2008 Indianapolis 500 program but four pages in a collectible is not good enough. Their skill and achievement deserves to be immortalized in silver and an inscription that can be read for a century.
Winners From the Weekend
You know Toyota's victory and Anderson's title but did you know...
Marc Márquez won the Spanish Grand Prix and retook the championship lead after Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa all took each other out in the same corner. Lorenzo Baldassarri won in Moto2, his first victory in a little under two years. Phillipp Öttl won the Moto3 race, his first career victory in 91 starts.
In LMP2 at the 6 Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps, the #26 G-Drive Racing Oreca of Jean-Éric Vergne, Romain Rusinov and Andrea Pizzitola took the victory. The #66 Ford GT of Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla and Billy Johnson won in GTE-Pro. The #98 Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda won in GTE-Am.
The #7 Team Penske Acura of Ricky Taylor and Hélio Castroneves won the IMSA race from Mid-Ohio, Acura's first win since returning to sports car competition. The #912 Porsche of Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber won in GTLM. The #14 Team 3GT Racing Lexus of Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli won in GTD, the first victory for the Lexus RCF GT3 in IMSA.
Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Cup race from Dover. Justin Allgaier won the Grand National Series race. Johnny Sauter won the Truck race.
Gary Paffett and Timo Glock split the DTM races from Hockenheim.
The #23 NISMO Nissan of Ronnie Quintarelli and Tsugio Matsuda won the Super GT race from Fuji on Friday. The #55 ARTA BMW of Sean Walkinshaw and Shinichi Takagi won in GT300.
The #2 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi of Dries Vanthoor and Will Stevens won the first Blanpcain Sprint Series race at Brand Hatch. The #17 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi of Frédéric Vervisch and Stuart Leonard won the second race.
Scott McLaughlin swept the Supercars races at Barbagallo Raceway and McLaughlin has won four consecutive races.
Eli Tomac won the Supercross season finale at Las Vegas. It was his eighth victory of the season.
Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar has its Grand Prix of Indianapolis and all three Road to Indy series will be in action.
The 24 Hours Nürburgring starts on Saturday.
The World Touring Car Cup joins the bill on the Nordschleife.
Formula One has the Spanish Grand Prix.
NASCAR will be at Kansas.
World Superbike heads to Imola.
The European Le Mans Series has its second round of the season at Monza.
Super Formula has its second round of the season at Autopolis.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Hello Neighbor: IMSA Heads to NBC Sports
IndyCar's television deal was a big story entering 2018 and the desired outcome of NBC Sports taking over the full schedule was achieved. However, the biggest surprise in American motorsports television news was IMSA moving over to NBC Sports after a relationship with Fox Sports that dating back to the days of Speed Channel.
NBC Sports has all three major American motorsports series with NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA and, just like IndyCar, IMSA has a new neighborhood to learn. Most of what IndyCar fans need to learn is the same for IMSA and it has been covered before.
IMSA does have a few differences from IndyCar, most notably at the start and the finish of the season. The good news for IMSA and the 24 Hours of Daytona is the race falls on a light weekend for American sports. It occurs on the weekend before the Super Bowl, which is reserved for the popular but less celebrated Pro Bowl. The good news is that weekend is usually an off-weekend for the Premier League, as it is an FA Cup weekend. The only event that causes concern is the NHL All-Star Game, which has taken place on that weekend for a handful of years. NHL All-Star Skills Competition takes place on Saturday night with the NHL All-Star Game taking place on Sunday afternoon.
The season finale at Petit Le Mans is the other date to watch for. Most Saturdays in October have Premier League and the NHL season will have started by that time. The Notre Dame football season will also be in full swing and NASCAR will be competing that weekend. This year, NASCAR is at Talladega the weekend of Petit Le Mans.
The same way IndyCar's move to NBC Sports does not clear up the issues with ABC, IMSA's move does not mean all the problems fans have with Fox Sports' coverage goes away. In all likelihood the endurance races will still be split over multiple networks and from the sounds of it streaming-only could be how part of these races are shown.
It isn't practical in 2018 for an entire 10-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour race to be shown on one network. That isn't a bad thing and the good news is CNBC has been used as an overflow network for NBC Sports coverage. CNBC is in over 86.5 million homes compared to Fox Sports 2, which is only in 57.6 million homes and it is actually more than Fox Sports 1, which is in 83.4 million homes. NBCSN is in 83.6 million homes. Fans do not like having to bounce between networks but it is the reality of the situation and with the move to NBC Sports if a race does have to bounce between channels the race should be easier to find.
While endurance races might have to be split up, NBC will show three races each season. One early rumor is three hours of each the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans will be shown on NBC. This is a big gain for IMSA but I wonder if that is the best way to spend the network airtime. Those are three of the biggest events on the IMSA calendar but I have never gotten a sense over whether partial race coverage has done much for those races or the series. Yes, these are three of the crown jewels on the IMSA calendar and I am sure the series wants these races featured but what will be shown? We have seen Fox broadcast the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona but I could understand if a causal viewer flipping through the dial (because it is still 1978 and not 2018) would invest the time to watch a race that is in the first of 24 hours.
For race fans, we will watch the endurance races and we will watch as many hours as possible but for the newcomer who wants a taste, they aren't going to make the same type of investment and want immediate action and that is fine. I would argue showing three of the shorter distance races could be the way to give people a taste as it would allow them to sit down, watch pit strategy, watch driver changes and get a conclusion in a timely fashion. I think putting Long Beach, Road America and Laguna Seca on network television could be more effective for attract new viewers than parts of the endurance races.
NBC Sports has its plate full of motorsports and it is exciting but simultaneously could prove to be too much of a good things. There are some pluses. NBC Sports will be broadcasting both the IndyCar race and the IMSA race from Long Beach and that should provide for good cross-promotion of the races. The same is true for the Belle Isle weekend. The one concern is what happens when these series are all competing at the same time? IndyCar and IMSA both race on July 8th this year at Iowa and Mosport respectively. The IndyCar race is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET that day while the IMSA race will be broadcasted at 4:00 p.m. ET. How will that be handled next year? Could the IndyCar race start earlier? Could the IMSA race start later? Would one get NBCSN and the other be put on CNBC? I am sure neither wants to be seen as the playing second fiddle.
The only other occurrence of the two series competing on the same day at different venue this season is August 19th with IndyCar at Pocono at 1:30 p.m. ET and IMSA's GTLM and GTD classes competing at Virginia International Raceway at 1:00 p.m. ET. Once again, we are a year away and the schedules could come out for 2019 and there could be no conflicts between IndyCar and IMSA and we haven't even mentioned NASCAR for that matter. With all three series being on the same network I would hope NBC Sports could bring the series together and work with them to make sure conflicts were avoided. The crossover between motorsports series seems higher than between any of those three series and another sport and it would make sense not to force fans to choose one series over the other and make it possible for all races to be watched.
Overall, I was surprised by this decision. For starters, the IMSA television contract was not something that was widely talked about. People were frustrated when Fox moved races to FS2 but it kind of seemed like one of the costs of the current sports media landscape. Fox had dropped the FIA World Endurance Championship but it did not seem like Fox was diverting attention from motorsports but rather it saw a series that did not have the appeal of the American fanbase to justify the cost for those rights and let it go even if it meant saying goodbye to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With the IndyCar move fully to NBC Sports is did not seem NBC Sports would be picking up any more motorsports properties. Obviously that wasn't the case and NBC Sports not only picked up IMSA but agreed to a six-year deal ending in 2024. The IndyCar deal only goes until 2021 and the NASCAR deal goes to 2023. I could read the length of this deal as a base for how far NBC Sports wants to commit to motorsports. If the network wants to re-up with IndyCar for 2022 and beyond and with NASCAR for beyond 2023 there is already a series there to provide coverage. If IndyCar goes elsewhere in 2022 and NASCAR leaves NBC the following year then the network would still have something for one year but allows the network to easily to cut the ties if the network wants to move on from motorsports after 2024.
There is a lot of time before this deal comes to life. We will learn about broadcasters, television schedules and streaming options in due time. It seems most are viewing this deal positively and if we know NBC Sports treats motorsports with respect. Sports car fans should feel IMSA is in good hands.
NBC Sports has all three major American motorsports series with NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA and, just like IndyCar, IMSA has a new neighborhood to learn. Most of what IndyCar fans need to learn is the same for IMSA and it has been covered before.
IMSA does have a few differences from IndyCar, most notably at the start and the finish of the season. The good news for IMSA and the 24 Hours of Daytona is the race falls on a light weekend for American sports. It occurs on the weekend before the Super Bowl, which is reserved for the popular but less celebrated Pro Bowl. The good news is that weekend is usually an off-weekend for the Premier League, as it is an FA Cup weekend. The only event that causes concern is the NHL All-Star Game, which has taken place on that weekend for a handful of years. NHL All-Star Skills Competition takes place on Saturday night with the NHL All-Star Game taking place on Sunday afternoon.
The season finale at Petit Le Mans is the other date to watch for. Most Saturdays in October have Premier League and the NHL season will have started by that time. The Notre Dame football season will also be in full swing and NASCAR will be competing that weekend. This year, NASCAR is at Talladega the weekend of Petit Le Mans.
The same way IndyCar's move to NBC Sports does not clear up the issues with ABC, IMSA's move does not mean all the problems fans have with Fox Sports' coverage goes away. In all likelihood the endurance races will still be split over multiple networks and from the sounds of it streaming-only could be how part of these races are shown.
It isn't practical in 2018 for an entire 10-hour, 12-hour or 24-hour race to be shown on one network. That isn't a bad thing and the good news is CNBC has been used as an overflow network for NBC Sports coverage. CNBC is in over 86.5 million homes compared to Fox Sports 2, which is only in 57.6 million homes and it is actually more than Fox Sports 1, which is in 83.4 million homes. NBCSN is in 83.6 million homes. Fans do not like having to bounce between networks but it is the reality of the situation and with the move to NBC Sports if a race does have to bounce between channels the race should be easier to find.
While endurance races might have to be split up, NBC will show three races each season. One early rumor is three hours of each the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans will be shown on NBC. This is a big gain for IMSA but I wonder if that is the best way to spend the network airtime. Those are three of the biggest events on the IMSA calendar but I have never gotten a sense over whether partial race coverage has done much for those races or the series. Yes, these are three of the crown jewels on the IMSA calendar and I am sure the series wants these races featured but what will be shown? We have seen Fox broadcast the start of the 24 Hours of Daytona but I could understand if a causal viewer flipping through the dial (because it is still 1978 and not 2018) would invest the time to watch a race that is in the first of 24 hours.
For race fans, we will watch the endurance races and we will watch as many hours as possible but for the newcomer who wants a taste, they aren't going to make the same type of investment and want immediate action and that is fine. I would argue showing three of the shorter distance races could be the way to give people a taste as it would allow them to sit down, watch pit strategy, watch driver changes and get a conclusion in a timely fashion. I think putting Long Beach, Road America and Laguna Seca on network television could be more effective for attract new viewers than parts of the endurance races.
NBC Sports has its plate full of motorsports and it is exciting but simultaneously could prove to be too much of a good things. There are some pluses. NBC Sports will be broadcasting both the IndyCar race and the IMSA race from Long Beach and that should provide for good cross-promotion of the races. The same is true for the Belle Isle weekend. The one concern is what happens when these series are all competing at the same time? IndyCar and IMSA both race on July 8th this year at Iowa and Mosport respectively. The IndyCar race is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET that day while the IMSA race will be broadcasted at 4:00 p.m. ET. How will that be handled next year? Could the IndyCar race start earlier? Could the IMSA race start later? Would one get NBCSN and the other be put on CNBC? I am sure neither wants to be seen as the playing second fiddle.
The only other occurrence of the two series competing on the same day at different venue this season is August 19th with IndyCar at Pocono at 1:30 p.m. ET and IMSA's GTLM and GTD classes competing at Virginia International Raceway at 1:00 p.m. ET. Once again, we are a year away and the schedules could come out for 2019 and there could be no conflicts between IndyCar and IMSA and we haven't even mentioned NASCAR for that matter. With all three series being on the same network I would hope NBC Sports could bring the series together and work with them to make sure conflicts were avoided. The crossover between motorsports series seems higher than between any of those three series and another sport and it would make sense not to force fans to choose one series over the other and make it possible for all races to be watched.
Overall, I was surprised by this decision. For starters, the IMSA television contract was not something that was widely talked about. People were frustrated when Fox moved races to FS2 but it kind of seemed like one of the costs of the current sports media landscape. Fox had dropped the FIA World Endurance Championship but it did not seem like Fox was diverting attention from motorsports but rather it saw a series that did not have the appeal of the American fanbase to justify the cost for those rights and let it go even if it meant saying goodbye to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
With the IndyCar move fully to NBC Sports is did not seem NBC Sports would be picking up any more motorsports properties. Obviously that wasn't the case and NBC Sports not only picked up IMSA but agreed to a six-year deal ending in 2024. The IndyCar deal only goes until 2021 and the NASCAR deal goes to 2023. I could read the length of this deal as a base for how far NBC Sports wants to commit to motorsports. If the network wants to re-up with IndyCar for 2022 and beyond and with NASCAR for beyond 2023 there is already a series there to provide coverage. If IndyCar goes elsewhere in 2022 and NASCAR leaves NBC the following year then the network would still have something for one year but allows the network to easily to cut the ties if the network wants to move on from motorsports after 2024.
There is a lot of time before this deal comes to life. We will learn about broadcasters, television schedules and streaming options in due time. It seems most are viewing this deal positively and if we know NBC Sports treats motorsports with respect. Sports car fans should feel IMSA is in good hands.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship Season Preview
The "superseason" is upon us. The FIA World Endurance Championship transition to an autumn-to-spring schedule begins this year with an eight-race calendar spanning 13 and a half months. This year sees an expansion of the LMP1 class from five entries in 2017 to ten for this season with the influx of privateer entries. The LMP2 class sees a slight reduction, as many teams have moved up to LMP1 but the class will have more variety with the Ligier and Dallara chassis joining Oreca. BMW has entered the GTE-Pro class while the GTE-Am has nearly doubled its entries from five to nine.
Schedule
Spa-Francorchamps hosts the season opener with its traditional first Saturday in May date. The 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans will run June 16-17th before a two-month hiatus and the third round of the season at Silverstone on August 19th, a four-month shift for the British round after it was held in mid-April dating back to the days of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
There will be another two-month break before the fourth round of the season at Fuji on October 14th. The second half of the season begins a month later on November 18th in Shanghai and the Chinese round will close out the 2018 portion of the schedule.
The first race of 2019 will be the first ever 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday March 15th. The final two rounds of the season will be Spa-Francorchamps on May 4th and the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16th.
LMP1
Rebellion Racing
#1 Rebellion R13-Gibson
Drivers: André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Bruno Senna
Prologue Result: 4th
What to Expect: This car was second fastest of the non-Toyotas and only 0.010 seconds off the SMP Racing's BR1 Engineering BR1. I think this team will be on the podium frequently. It has brought together two past champions and added Senna, one of last year's Endurance Trophy for LMP2 drivers champions. This car might not be able to chase down the Toyota but it could be leading the rest of the pack.
#3 Rebellion R13-Gibson
Drivers: Thomas Laurent, Mathias Beche, Gustavo Menezes
Prologue Result: Did Not Compete
What to Expect: Laurent and Menezes have had tremendous success in LMP2 the last two seasons while Beche has been a loyal member of the Rebellion Racing following the team from LMP1 to LMP2 and back to LMP1 again. This car was not ready for the Prologue but all three drivers ran the Prologue in the #1 Rebellion R13. I think this is a big change for Laurent and Menezes and I think this team will have some growing pain.
ByKolles Racing Team
#4 ENSO CLM P1/01-Nismo
Drivers: Oliver Webb, Tom Dillmann, Dominik Kraihamer
Prologue Result: 6th
What to Expect: What was the only privateer LMP1 car for the last few years the CLM P1/01 appears to be developing into a reliable race car. However, it is behind two cars that have been developed from scratch in the last year. Dillmann ran the fastest lap in this car at the Prologue and was within a quarter second of the #17 SMP Racing BR1 Engineering BR1. The one thing this team might have over the other privateers is it has more experience with this car while all the others are still learning their respective machinery. ByKolles might get a podium or two on days of high attrition but if enough cars keep running then at best this car is looking at top five finishes.
CEFC TRSM Racing
Prologue Result: 9th
What to Expect: This car has the most inexperienced line-up in LMP1. Robertson and Roussel both make the move up from LMP2 while Stoneman has not race a prototype of any type and ran three Blancpain Endurance Series races last year in his first year transitioning from single-seater racing. Stoneman is a talented driver but this car was 1.661 seconds off the next fastest car in class. The goal for this team is to get the car to the end of every race and get all three drivers experience for the future.
#6 Ginetta G60-LT-P1-Mecachrome
Drivers: Oliver Rowland, Alex Brundle, Oliver Turvey
Prologue Result: 7th
What to Expect: This all-British line-up looks good on paper. You have two LMP2 experienced drivers in Turvey and Brundle combined with a Formula Two race winner and Williams "young driver," whatever that means. This car was just over a second off the top privateer LMP1 car. The gap isn't great but this team will have some work to do to get to the top of the privateer pile.
Toyota Gazoo Racing
#7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López
Prologue Result: 2nd
What to Expect: This feels like a two-car class with another eight entries waiting to step up and capitalize on any mistakes. This car will win a race or two but historically the #8 Toyota has been the winner. The #7 Toyota has only won three races since Toyota became a full-time competitor in 2013 compared to the #8 Toyota's nine victories in that time period including four last season. This car will win once or twice but it will still be second fiddle.
#8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers: Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso
Prologue Result: 1st
What to Expect: A championship and at least four victories. It is a high bar but this car won five races last year and the car didn't get weaker in dropping Anthony Davidson for Fernando Alonso. Buemi has been a stud and he is combined with one of the best drivers in the world in Alonso and a reliable hand in Nakajima. This car has waved the Toyota flag for half a decade and I don't see that changing now.
DragonSpeed
#10 BR Engineering BR1-Gibson
Drivers: Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman, Pietro Fittipaldi, Renger van der Zande
Prologue Result: 8th
What to Expect: This car will be interesting to watch as this is the only chassis in LMP1 used by two different teams with two different engines. Van der Zande has become a respected driver in IMSA and was the fastest driver in this car at the Prologue and he was about a second and a quarter off the fastest SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1. However, van der Zande will be in and out of the car because of his IMSA duties and Fittipaldi will fill in for the Dutchman when needed. Hanley and Hedman are both new to LMP1 and are not the most experienced prototype drivers. I think this car's success is dependent on van der Zande.
SMP Racing
#11 BR Engineering BR1-AER
Drivers: Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov, Jenson Button
Prologue Result: 3rd
What to Expect: This car was 4.372 seconds off the top Toyota at the Prologue test at Circuit Paul Ricard last month and was only 0.010 seconds faster than the Rebellion R13 that participated. Aleshin and Petrov will be on their own until Button joins them at Le Mans. Aleshin has been a quick driver in IndyCar but he showed a tendency for throwing away good results. Petrov had moderate success in the LMP2 class the last few years and he ran the team's fastest lap at the Prologue. Button will be a late addition and he did well in the Super GT season opener but it will be interesting to see if he can adapt quickly to a new situation. I think this car will be of the rest on a few occasions but it will have its off days.
#17 BR Engineering BR1-AER
Drivers: Stéphane Sarrazin, Matevos Isaakyan, Egor Orudzhev
Prologue Result: 5th
What to Expect: Sarrazin is the veteran while Isaakyan and Orudzhev both make the transition from single-seaters and a bit of LMP2. Isaakyan and Orudzhev won at Circuit Paul Ricard last year in European Le Mans Series. Sarrazin had taken a step back from full-time competition last year at Toyota. I think he will carry the team but this car will have rough days and be behind the sister car often but it will have a few good outings.
LMP2
TDS Racing
#28 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Loïc Duval, François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxivière
Prologue Result: 12th (3rd)
What to Expect: You have a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner joining Perrodo, who transitioned quite successfully to LMP2 last year, and Vaxivière also had a good debut year in LMP2. This line-up is doubling up and are running in the European Le Mans Series as well. I am not sure if there is an LMP2 trio that should know each other so well and I think this will be a title contender.
Racing Team Nederland
#29 Dallara P217-Gibson
Drivers: Giedo van der Garde, Jan Lammers, Frits van Eerd, Nyck de Vries
Prologue Result: 13th (4th)
What to Expect: Van der Garde is going to carry this team. He ran the fourth fastest lap at the Prologue but he was nearly a second and a half quicker than Lammers and another second faster than van Eerd. De Vries will replace Lammers after Le Mans and that could be the saving grace for this entry as van der Garde can't carry the load. I expect results to improve in the second half of the season.
DragonSpeed
#31 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Roberto González, Pastor Maldonado, Nathanaël Berthon, Anthony Davidson
Prologue Result: 10th (1st)
What to Expect: Maldonado was the top LMP2 driver at the Prologue. González is back for a second year in the LMP2 class. Berthon will start the season in this car before Davidson joins the team after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. LMP2 is kind of a crapshoot but the Oreca was the best LMP2 car last year and I don't see that changing in 2018. Once Davidson joins the team it will only take this car to another level.
Signatech Alpine Matmut
#36 Alpine A470-Gibson
Drivers: Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão, Pierre Thiriet
Prologue Result: 11th (2nd)
What to Expect: Signatech has been a successful team and has the LMP2 title in recent memory. Lapierre was one of those drivers and Negrão had a promising first season in prototypes last year. Thiriet won the LMP2 title in the European Le Mans Series in 2012. This will be a championship-contending team.
Jackie Chan DC Racing
#37 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Jazeman Jaafar, Weiron Tan, Nabil Jeffri, Afiq Ikhwan Yazid
Prologue Result: 15th (6th)
What to Expect: This all-Malaysian driver line-up is young with Yazid the oldest driver at 26 years old. Yazid, Jaafar and Tan all won in the Asian Le Mans Series this past season at Buriram. Jeffri will serve as a reserve driver with race participation remaining unknown. Jackie Chan DC Racing had a successful year last season but I think this line-up will be using this season more to gain experience.
#38 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry, Stéphane Richelmi
Prologue Result: 14th (5th)
What to Expect: Tung fell just short of the LMP2 title last year and Richelmi brings LMP2 championship experience to the line-up. Aubry will be splitting this season between this and the GP3 Series and he ran the final two races of the previous Asian Le Mans Series season in the LMP3 class with a victory in the finale at Sepang. This team should win a race but the title might be a bit ambitious.
Larbre Compétition
#50 Ligier JS P217-Gibson
Drivers: Erwin Creed, Romano Ricci, Julien Canal
Prologue Result: 17th (7th)
What to Expect: Creed and Ricci are both moving up from LMP3 in the European Le Mans Series and defending Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers champion Canal was a late addition after the withdrawal of Fernando Rees. I think this car will be mostly gaining experience for Creed and Ricci.
GTE-Pro
AF Corse
#51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo
Drivers: James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Daniel Serra
Prologue Result: 23rd (5th)
What to Expect: The defending champions Calado and Pier Guidi won three races last year and had seven podium finishes in nine races. AF Corse drivers have won three of five GTE championships in WEC history. I think the team will take a step back but it should be competing for race victories. Daniel Serra will be in the car at Le Mans.
#71 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo
Drivers: Sam Bird, Davide Rigon, Miguel Molina
Prologue Result: 27th (8th)
What to Expect: Bird and Rigon won two races last year and they won twice in 2016 while finishing second in the championship. These guys are good and should give the sister car a run for top AF Corse entry. However, an intra-team battle could allow others to step up and leave AF Corse in the middle of the class.
Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK
#66 Ford GT
Drivers: Stefan Mücke, Oliver Pla, Billy Johnson
Prologue Result: 20th (4th)
What to Expect: The two Fords are pretty interchangeable with less than a tenth covering the two cars and less than a second covered all five drivers that participated in the Prologue. Mücke and Pla was the top Ford in 2016 with a victory and two runner-up finishes but took a step back in 2017 with only one podium finish. This car should be a podium threat. Billy Johnson will be in the car for this year's races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.
#67 Ford GT
Drivers: Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell, Tony Kanaan
Prologue Result: 19th (3rd)
What to Expect: Priaulx and Tincknell finished third in the championship last year but didn't seem like a contender. Ford is looking to make a championship push in its third year. The team has had lulls in the middle of each of its first two seasons. I think Priaulx and Tincknell will lead the Ford team and could make a title push. Tony Kanaan will be in the car for this year's races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.
BMW Team MTEK
#81 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers: Nick Catsburg, Martin Tomczyk, Philipp Eng
Prologue Result: 34th (10th)
What to Expect: Tomczyk is a past Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion and he spent 2017 driving for BMW Team RLL in IMSA where he won a race at Laguna Seca and had four podium finishes in 11 races. Catsburg has experience in GT3 series and touring cars. This is going to be a rough year but it will not be because of the drivers. Eng will be in the car at Le Mans.
#82 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers: António Félix da Costa, Tom Blomqvist, Augusto Farfus
Prologue Result: 24th (6th)
What to Expect: For a new team and new car, this Prologue test result was a promising sign. Da Costa is an underrated driver and Blomqvist has had a good career in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. However, both these drivers lack endurance race experience and that could hold this team back. Farfus will be the third driver at Le Mans.
Porsche GT Team
#91 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Gianmaria Bruni, Richard Lietz, Frédéric Makowiecki
Prologue Result: 17th (1st)
What to Expect: The Porsches look real good and Bruni is back in the WEC and motivated. Bruni and Lietz combine for three championships in GTE out of five seasons and Lietz finished second in the championship by eight points. They were the fastest two drivers at the Prologue. I do not expect a beat down but if the #91 Porsche is leading the championship 365 days from now nobody would be surprised. Makowiecki will be the third driver at Le Mans.
#92 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor
Prologue Result: 2nd (2nd)
What to Expect: Christensen and Estre had three podium finishes last year but had four retirements. I don't expect that same level of bad luck. These drivers are capable of winning races but I think it will be very difficult to be the best Porsche in GTE-Pro let alone the best in class. Vanthoor joins this team at Le Mans.
Aston Martin Racing
#95 Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Drivers: Marco Sørensen, Nicki Thiim, Darren Turner
Prologue Result: 29th (9th)
What to Expect: Aston Martin won two races last year and in the other seven races had a combined zero podium finishes. This year comes with a new car and it will take some time for it to challenge the Porsches, Fords and Ferraris. The one comforting thing is Aston Martin does find a way to have a few good races and this line-up should have its day in the sun but not be a title contender.
#97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Drivers: Alex Lynn, Maxime Martin, Jonathan Adam
Prologue Result: 25th (7th)
What to Expect: Adam is the veteran in the team as Lynn moves over from part-time LMP2 experience and Martin joins the team from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. I think this car will be in the back half of the GTE-Pro field on a regular basis and be regularly behind the sister car.
GTE-Am
Spirit of Race
#54 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Francesco Castellacci, Giancarlo Fisichella, Thomas Flöhr
Prologue Result: 32nd (7th)
What to Expect: Castellacci and Flöhr have been running with each other for quite a while dating back to GT3 competition and last year WEC was a good year with Miguel Molina as their third driver. This year they get a superb third driver in Fisichella. Castellacci and Flöhr won at Fuji last year and had four podium finishes but the Porsches look really strong this year.
Team Project 1
#56 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey, Egidio Perfetti
Prologue Result: 28th (4th)
What to Expect: Bergmeister is one of the top Porsche GT drivers and Lindsey has had a good career competing as an amateur in the United States. They race together with Park Place Motorsports in IMSA and that familiarity should be in their favor. Perfetti is a bit of an unknown but he was on pace with Lindsey at the Prologue. This team will do well but I am not sure it will have what it takes to be a championship contender.
Clearwater Racing
#61 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Matt Griffin, Keita Sawa, Weng Sun Mok
Prologue Result: 33rd (8th)
What to Expect: Clearwater Racing did not need a year to acclimate to WEC after years of running Asian Le Mans Series last year. The team retains the same line-up from last year and this trio finished third in the championship after winning a race and having six podium finishes and finishing in the top five in all nine races. I think this year will be a little tougher and I am not sure this car will be in the championship fight.
MR Racing
#70 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Olivier Beretta, Eddie Cheever III, Motoaki Ishikawa
Prologue Result: 35th (9th)
What to Expect: Beretta is a respected veteran but there are a lot of stout professionals in this class. He and Ishikawa raced together in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year. Cheever III has been holding his own in GT3 competition and he was running a Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Spirit of Daytona at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring this year. However, I think this team's lack of experience will hold it back.
Dempsey-Proton Racing
#77 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Matt Campbell, Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer
Prologue Result: 26th (3rd)
What to Expect: Ried finished second in the championship and he is adding an extremely gifted Porsche driver in Campbell and Andlauer is a promising Porsche junior driver. Andlauer was the sixth fastest driver in class at the Prologue behind the likes of Matteo Cairoli, Ben Barker, Campbell, Alex Davison and Jörg Bergmeister. This team is the favorite for the class championship.
#88 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Khalid Al-Qubaisi, Matteo Cairoli, Giorgio Roda
Prologue Result: 21st (1st)
What to Expect: Cairoli finished second in this championship last year while Al-Qubaisi has had endurance racing success in the 24H Series and Roda moves over from the European Le Mans Series. I think the two Dempsey-Proton entries will be going head-to-head for class victories in many races this season.
Gulf Racing UK
#86 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker, Alex Davison
Prologue Result: 22nd (2nd)
What to Expect: Last year was a good one for Gulf Racing UK as the team picked up two podium finishes. Barker and Wainwright return with Davison joining after a long career in his native Australia in the Supercars series. I think this team will challenge for race victories but I am not sure it can make a title push.
TF Sport
#90 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Drivers: Euan Hankey, Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluç
Prologue Result: 30th (5th)
What to Expect: TF Sport nearly won the European Le Mans Series GTE title last year in the team's first year in the series but fell two points short. Hankey and Yoluç won a race and had five podium finishes in six races in that series with Nicki Thiim as the third driver. Hankey and Yoluç also made their Le Mans debut last year with Rob Bell and finished seventh in class. I don't think this car will be at the front of the class but it will have respectable results.
Aston Martin Racing
#98 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Drivers: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda
Prologue Result: 31st (6th)
What to Expect: This is the GTE-Am stalwart and this trio finally got its elusive class championship last year. I don't expect them to fall off but I think this year will be this team's greatest challenge yet. It could run eight successful races and that not be enough to take the title. This car will win a race or two but I am not penciling it in for the title this year.
This weekend's action begins Thursday May 3rd with two practice sessions at 6:00 a.m. ET and 10:45 a.m. ET. A third practice will be held Friday May 4th at 4:40 a.m. ET with qualifying following. The GTE qualifying will be at 8:50 a.m. ET with LMP qualifying following at 9:25 a.m. ET. The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will start at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday May 5th.
Schedule
Spa-Francorchamps hosts the season opener with its traditional first Saturday in May date. The 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans will run June 16-17th before a two-month hiatus and the third round of the season at Silverstone on August 19th, a four-month shift for the British round after it was held in mid-April dating back to the days of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
There will be another two-month break before the fourth round of the season at Fuji on October 14th. The second half of the season begins a month later on November 18th in Shanghai and the Chinese round will close out the 2018 portion of the schedule.
The first race of 2019 will be the first ever 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday March 15th. The final two rounds of the season will be Spa-Francorchamps on May 4th and the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16th.
LMP1
Rebellion Racing
#1 Rebellion R13-Gibson
Drivers: André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Bruno Senna
Prologue Result: 4th
What to Expect: This car was second fastest of the non-Toyotas and only 0.010 seconds off the SMP Racing's BR1 Engineering BR1. I think this team will be on the podium frequently. It has brought together two past champions and added Senna, one of last year's Endurance Trophy for LMP2 drivers champions. This car might not be able to chase down the Toyota but it could be leading the rest of the pack.
#3 Rebellion R13-Gibson
Drivers: Thomas Laurent, Mathias Beche, Gustavo Menezes
Prologue Result: Did Not Compete
What to Expect: Laurent and Menezes have had tremendous success in LMP2 the last two seasons while Beche has been a loyal member of the Rebellion Racing following the team from LMP1 to LMP2 and back to LMP1 again. This car was not ready for the Prologue but all three drivers ran the Prologue in the #1 Rebellion R13. I think this is a big change for Laurent and Menezes and I think this team will have some growing pain.
#4 ENSO CLM P1/01-Nismo
Drivers: Oliver Webb, Tom Dillmann, Dominik Kraihamer
Prologue Result: 6th
What to Expect: What was the only privateer LMP1 car for the last few years the CLM P1/01 appears to be developing into a reliable race car. However, it is behind two cars that have been developed from scratch in the last year. Dillmann ran the fastest lap in this car at the Prologue and was within a quarter second of the #17 SMP Racing BR1 Engineering BR1. The one thing this team might have over the other privateers is it has more experience with this car while all the others are still learning their respective machinery. ByKolles might get a podium or two on days of high attrition but if enough cars keep running then at best this car is looking at top five finishes.
CEFC TRSM Racing
#5 Ginetta G60-LT-P1-Mecachrome
Drivers: Charlie Robertson, Léo Roussel, Dean StonemanPrologue Result: 9th
What to Expect: This car has the most inexperienced line-up in LMP1. Robertson and Roussel both make the move up from LMP2 while Stoneman has not race a prototype of any type and ran three Blancpain Endurance Series races last year in his first year transitioning from single-seater racing. Stoneman is a talented driver but this car was 1.661 seconds off the next fastest car in class. The goal for this team is to get the car to the end of every race and get all three drivers experience for the future.
#6 Ginetta G60-LT-P1-Mecachrome
Drivers: Oliver Rowland, Alex Brundle, Oliver Turvey
Prologue Result: 7th
What to Expect: This all-British line-up looks good on paper. You have two LMP2 experienced drivers in Turvey and Brundle combined with a Formula Two race winner and Williams "young driver," whatever that means. This car was just over a second off the top privateer LMP1 car. The gap isn't great but this team will have some work to do to get to the top of the privateer pile.
Toyota Gazoo Racing
#7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, José María López
Prologue Result: 2nd
What to Expect: This feels like a two-car class with another eight entries waiting to step up and capitalize on any mistakes. This car will win a race or two but historically the #8 Toyota has been the winner. The #7 Toyota has only won three races since Toyota became a full-time competitor in 2013 compared to the #8 Toyota's nine victories in that time period including four last season. This car will win once or twice but it will still be second fiddle.
#8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
Drivers: Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso
Prologue Result: 1st
What to Expect: A championship and at least four victories. It is a high bar but this car won five races last year and the car didn't get weaker in dropping Anthony Davidson for Fernando Alonso. Buemi has been a stud and he is combined with one of the best drivers in the world in Alonso and a reliable hand in Nakajima. This car has waved the Toyota flag for half a decade and I don't see that changing now.
DragonSpeed
#10 BR Engineering BR1-Gibson
Drivers: Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman, Pietro Fittipaldi, Renger van der Zande
Prologue Result: 8th
What to Expect: This car will be interesting to watch as this is the only chassis in LMP1 used by two different teams with two different engines. Van der Zande has become a respected driver in IMSA and was the fastest driver in this car at the Prologue and he was about a second and a quarter off the fastest SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1. However, van der Zande will be in and out of the car because of his IMSA duties and Fittipaldi will fill in for the Dutchman when needed. Hanley and Hedman are both new to LMP1 and are not the most experienced prototype drivers. I think this car's success is dependent on van der Zande.
SMP Racing
#11 BR Engineering BR1-AER
Drivers: Mikhail Aleshin, Vitaly Petrov, Jenson Button
Prologue Result: 3rd
What to Expect: This car was 4.372 seconds off the top Toyota at the Prologue test at Circuit Paul Ricard last month and was only 0.010 seconds faster than the Rebellion R13 that participated. Aleshin and Petrov will be on their own until Button joins them at Le Mans. Aleshin has been a quick driver in IndyCar but he showed a tendency for throwing away good results. Petrov had moderate success in the LMP2 class the last few years and he ran the team's fastest lap at the Prologue. Button will be a late addition and he did well in the Super GT season opener but it will be interesting to see if he can adapt quickly to a new situation. I think this car will be of the rest on a few occasions but it will have its off days.
#17 BR Engineering BR1-AER
Drivers: Stéphane Sarrazin, Matevos Isaakyan, Egor Orudzhev
Prologue Result: 5th
What to Expect: Sarrazin is the veteran while Isaakyan and Orudzhev both make the transition from single-seaters and a bit of LMP2. Isaakyan and Orudzhev won at Circuit Paul Ricard last year in European Le Mans Series. Sarrazin had taken a step back from full-time competition last year at Toyota. I think he will carry the team but this car will have rough days and be behind the sister car often but it will have a few good outings.
LMP2
TDS Racing
#28 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Loïc Duval, François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxivière
Prologue Result: 12th (3rd)
What to Expect: You have a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner joining Perrodo, who transitioned quite successfully to LMP2 last year, and Vaxivière also had a good debut year in LMP2. This line-up is doubling up and are running in the European Le Mans Series as well. I am not sure if there is an LMP2 trio that should know each other so well and I think this will be a title contender.
Racing Team Nederland
#29 Dallara P217-Gibson
Drivers: Giedo van der Garde, Jan Lammers, Frits van Eerd, Nyck de Vries
Prologue Result: 13th (4th)
What to Expect: Van der Garde is going to carry this team. He ran the fourth fastest lap at the Prologue but he was nearly a second and a half quicker than Lammers and another second faster than van Eerd. De Vries will replace Lammers after Le Mans and that could be the saving grace for this entry as van der Garde can't carry the load. I expect results to improve in the second half of the season.
DragonSpeed
#31 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Roberto González, Pastor Maldonado, Nathanaël Berthon, Anthony Davidson
Prologue Result: 10th (1st)
What to Expect: Maldonado was the top LMP2 driver at the Prologue. González is back for a second year in the LMP2 class. Berthon will start the season in this car before Davidson joins the team after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. LMP2 is kind of a crapshoot but the Oreca was the best LMP2 car last year and I don't see that changing in 2018. Once Davidson joins the team it will only take this car to another level.
Signatech Alpine Matmut
#36 Alpine A470-Gibson
Drivers: Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão, Pierre Thiriet
Prologue Result: 11th (2nd)
What to Expect: Signatech has been a successful team and has the LMP2 title in recent memory. Lapierre was one of those drivers and Negrão had a promising first season in prototypes last year. Thiriet won the LMP2 title in the European Le Mans Series in 2012. This will be a championship-contending team.
Jackie Chan DC Racing
#37 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Jazeman Jaafar, Weiron Tan, Nabil Jeffri, Afiq Ikhwan Yazid
Prologue Result: 15th (6th)
What to Expect: This all-Malaysian driver line-up is young with Yazid the oldest driver at 26 years old. Yazid, Jaafar and Tan all won in the Asian Le Mans Series this past season at Buriram. Jeffri will serve as a reserve driver with race participation remaining unknown. Jackie Chan DC Racing had a successful year last season but I think this line-up will be using this season more to gain experience.
#38 Oreca 07-Gibson
Drivers: Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry, Stéphane Richelmi
Prologue Result: 14th (5th)
What to Expect: Tung fell just short of the LMP2 title last year and Richelmi brings LMP2 championship experience to the line-up. Aubry will be splitting this season between this and the GP3 Series and he ran the final two races of the previous Asian Le Mans Series season in the LMP3 class with a victory in the finale at Sepang. This team should win a race but the title might be a bit ambitious.
Larbre Compétition
#50 Ligier JS P217-Gibson
Drivers: Erwin Creed, Romano Ricci, Julien Canal
Prologue Result: 17th (7th)
What to Expect: Creed and Ricci are both moving up from LMP3 in the European Le Mans Series and defending Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers champion Canal was a late addition after the withdrawal of Fernando Rees. I think this car will be mostly gaining experience for Creed and Ricci.
GTE-Pro
AF Corse
#51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo
Drivers: James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Daniel Serra
Prologue Result: 23rd (5th)
What to Expect: The defending champions Calado and Pier Guidi won three races last year and had seven podium finishes in nine races. AF Corse drivers have won three of five GTE championships in WEC history. I think the team will take a step back but it should be competing for race victories. Daniel Serra will be in the car at Le Mans.
#71 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo
Drivers: Sam Bird, Davide Rigon, Miguel Molina
Prologue Result: 27th (8th)
What to Expect: Bird and Rigon won two races last year and they won twice in 2016 while finishing second in the championship. These guys are good and should give the sister car a run for top AF Corse entry. However, an intra-team battle could allow others to step up and leave AF Corse in the middle of the class.
Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK
#66 Ford GT
Drivers: Stefan Mücke, Oliver Pla, Billy Johnson
Prologue Result: 20th (4th)
What to Expect: The two Fords are pretty interchangeable with less than a tenth covering the two cars and less than a second covered all five drivers that participated in the Prologue. Mücke and Pla was the top Ford in 2016 with a victory and two runner-up finishes but took a step back in 2017 with only one podium finish. This car should be a podium threat. Billy Johnson will be in the car for this year's races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.
#67 Ford GT
Drivers: Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell, Tony Kanaan
Prologue Result: 19th (3rd)
What to Expect: Priaulx and Tincknell finished third in the championship last year but didn't seem like a contender. Ford is looking to make a championship push in its third year. The team has had lulls in the middle of each of its first two seasons. I think Priaulx and Tincknell will lead the Ford team and could make a title push. Tony Kanaan will be in the car for this year's races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.
BMW Team MTEK
#81 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers: Nick Catsburg, Martin Tomczyk, Philipp Eng
Prologue Result: 34th (10th)
What to Expect: Tomczyk is a past Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion and he spent 2017 driving for BMW Team RLL in IMSA where he won a race at Laguna Seca and had four podium finishes in 11 races. Catsburg has experience in GT3 series and touring cars. This is going to be a rough year but it will not be because of the drivers. Eng will be in the car at Le Mans.
#82 BMW M8 GTE
Drivers: António Félix da Costa, Tom Blomqvist, Augusto Farfus
Prologue Result: 24th (6th)
What to Expect: For a new team and new car, this Prologue test result was a promising sign. Da Costa is an underrated driver and Blomqvist has had a good career in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. However, both these drivers lack endurance race experience and that could hold this team back. Farfus will be the third driver at Le Mans.
Porsche GT Team
#91 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Gianmaria Bruni, Richard Lietz, Frédéric Makowiecki
Prologue Result: 17th (1st)
What to Expect: The Porsches look real good and Bruni is back in the WEC and motivated. Bruni and Lietz combine for three championships in GTE out of five seasons and Lietz finished second in the championship by eight points. They were the fastest two drivers at the Prologue. I do not expect a beat down but if the #91 Porsche is leading the championship 365 days from now nobody would be surprised. Makowiecki will be the third driver at Le Mans.
#92 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor
Prologue Result: 2nd (2nd)
What to Expect: Christensen and Estre had three podium finishes last year but had four retirements. I don't expect that same level of bad luck. These drivers are capable of winning races but I think it will be very difficult to be the best Porsche in GTE-Pro let alone the best in class. Vanthoor joins this team at Le Mans.
Aston Martin Racing
#95 Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Drivers: Marco Sørensen, Nicki Thiim, Darren Turner
Prologue Result: 29th (9th)
What to Expect: Aston Martin won two races last year and in the other seven races had a combined zero podium finishes. This year comes with a new car and it will take some time for it to challenge the Porsches, Fords and Ferraris. The one comforting thing is Aston Martin does find a way to have a few good races and this line-up should have its day in the sun but not be a title contender.
#97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Drivers: Alex Lynn, Maxime Martin, Jonathan Adam
Prologue Result: 25th (7th)
What to Expect: Adam is the veteran in the team as Lynn moves over from part-time LMP2 experience and Martin joins the team from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. I think this car will be in the back half of the GTE-Pro field on a regular basis and be regularly behind the sister car.
GTE-Am
Spirit of Race
#54 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Francesco Castellacci, Giancarlo Fisichella, Thomas Flöhr
Prologue Result: 32nd (7th)
What to Expect: Castellacci and Flöhr have been running with each other for quite a while dating back to GT3 competition and last year WEC was a good year with Miguel Molina as their third driver. This year they get a superb third driver in Fisichella. Castellacci and Flöhr won at Fuji last year and had four podium finishes but the Porsches look really strong this year.
Team Project 1
#56 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Jörg Bergmeister, Patrick Lindsey, Egidio Perfetti
Prologue Result: 28th (4th)
What to Expect: Bergmeister is one of the top Porsche GT drivers and Lindsey has had a good career competing as an amateur in the United States. They race together with Park Place Motorsports in IMSA and that familiarity should be in their favor. Perfetti is a bit of an unknown but he was on pace with Lindsey at the Prologue. This team will do well but I am not sure it will have what it takes to be a championship contender.
Clearwater Racing
#61 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Matt Griffin, Keita Sawa, Weng Sun Mok
Prologue Result: 33rd (8th)
What to Expect: Clearwater Racing did not need a year to acclimate to WEC after years of running Asian Le Mans Series last year. The team retains the same line-up from last year and this trio finished third in the championship after winning a race and having six podium finishes and finishing in the top five in all nine races. I think this year will be a little tougher and I am not sure this car will be in the championship fight.
MR Racing
#70 Ferrari 488 GTE
Drivers: Olivier Beretta, Eddie Cheever III, Motoaki Ishikawa
Prologue Result: 35th (9th)
What to Expect: Beretta is a respected veteran but there are a lot of stout professionals in this class. He and Ishikawa raced together in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year. Cheever III has been holding his own in GT3 competition and he was running a Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Spirit of Daytona at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring this year. However, I think this team's lack of experience will hold it back.
Dempsey-Proton Racing
#77 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Matt Campbell, Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer
Prologue Result: 26th (3rd)
What to Expect: Ried finished second in the championship and he is adding an extremely gifted Porsche driver in Campbell and Andlauer is a promising Porsche junior driver. Andlauer was the sixth fastest driver in class at the Prologue behind the likes of Matteo Cairoli, Ben Barker, Campbell, Alex Davison and Jörg Bergmeister. This team is the favorite for the class championship.
#88 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Khalid Al-Qubaisi, Matteo Cairoli, Giorgio Roda
Prologue Result: 21st (1st)
What to Expect: Cairoli finished second in this championship last year while Al-Qubaisi has had endurance racing success in the 24H Series and Roda moves over from the European Le Mans Series. I think the two Dempsey-Proton entries will be going head-to-head for class victories in many races this season.
Gulf Racing UK
#86 Porsche 911 RSR
Drivers: Michael Wainwright, Ben Barker, Alex Davison
Prologue Result: 22nd (2nd)
What to Expect: Last year was a good one for Gulf Racing UK as the team picked up two podium finishes. Barker and Wainwright return with Davison joining after a long career in his native Australia in the Supercars series. I think this team will challenge for race victories but I am not sure it can make a title push.
TF Sport
#90 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Drivers: Euan Hankey, Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluç
Prologue Result: 30th (5th)
What to Expect: TF Sport nearly won the European Le Mans Series GTE title last year in the team's first year in the series but fell two points short. Hankey and Yoluç won a race and had five podium finishes in six races in that series with Nicki Thiim as the third driver. Hankey and Yoluç also made their Le Mans debut last year with Rob Bell and finished seventh in class. I don't think this car will be at the front of the class but it will have respectable results.
Aston Martin Racing
#98 Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Drivers: Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda
Prologue Result: 31st (6th)
What to Expect: This is the GTE-Am stalwart and this trio finally got its elusive class championship last year. I don't expect them to fall off but I think this year will be this team's greatest challenge yet. It could run eight successful races and that not be enough to take the title. This car will win a race or two but I am not penciling it in for the title this year.
This weekend's action begins Thursday May 3rd with two practice sessions at 6:00 a.m. ET and 10:45 a.m. ET. A third practice will be held Friday May 4th at 4:40 a.m. ET with qualifying following. The GTE qualifying will be at 8:50 a.m. ET with LMP qualifying following at 9:25 a.m. ET. The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will start at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday May 5th.
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