329 replies to this topic

[djparky]

well done Hinch

[nosecone]

great job Hinch!!!
also RHR not sure if the traffic harmed or helped him
and TK also not bad.


Will Power and Dario Franchiti disappointed. What happened apart from running a Honda?

8 cars from the top 10 are powered by chevy

[PayasYouRace]

I wonder if RHR could have won if he hadn't knocked his nose off.

[Risil]

I wonder if RHR could have won if he hadn't knocked his nose off.

Definitely. Glad to see that convoluted qualifying system meant something.

[PayasYouRace]

Definitely. Glad to see that convoluted qualifying system meant something.

Hey, it gave Helio the 9 points he needs to lead the championship

[Risil]

I have a feeling this season's going to be like CART 1997, with RHR as Zanardi and Castroneves as De Ferran. Barring something sustainedly unusual the points standings are a race for second.

Edited by Risil, 23 June 2013 - 21:07.

[PayasYouRace]

CART 1997 was pretty unusual though. de Ferran was in the hunt due to consistency and didn't take a single win. Then on the other hand you had Tracy doing a win or bust kinda thing, but like Hinch this year too.

[Andrew Hope]

Who is doing the thread for Pocono?

[Risil]

Who is doing the thread for Pocono?

Me! I will do some research, I don't know anything about Pocono. Apparently it's like Nazareth on steroids?

[PayasYouRace]

Me! I will do some research, I don't know anything about Pocono. Apparently it's like Nazareth on steroids?

Or possibly Indy with a corner chopped off.

[Andrew Hope]

Pocono is a track that you love when you're a kid and hate when you're an adult thanks to it being the easiest track to draw and the hardest one to stay awake for a whole race on.

[Risil]

Great! I think in the 80s the walls were made out of metal and when someone crashed they dislodged big red rustclouds. We're getting somewhere!

Edited by Risil, 23 June 2013 - 21:31.

[teejay]

Geez Andretti have been strong.

Will must be in the best mood ever after that one.

[SonJR]

Quick race, great performance by the Andretti guys. Nice win for Hinch and gotta love RHR coming back through the field. Andretti really seem to have grabbed the season by the b***s. The slump Ganassi seems to be in is kinda baffling though.

[expert]

Dixon's engine surging and hitting the limiter apparently - why he suddenly dropped back late race. WTF

As a long term fan I never thought it would seem like a smart move to get away from Ganassi, but these endless problems are getting ridiculous. Although to be fair it seems be mostly Honda related. (in this case certainly)


* he just signed a new contract anyway so moot point. How long is Ganassi's contract with Honda?

[billm99uk]

Me! I will do some research, I don't know anything about Pocono. Apparently it's like Nazareth on steroids?

It rhymes with Sunoco?

[HaydenFan]

I have a feeling this season's going to be like CART 1997, with RHR as Zanardi and Castroneves as De Ferran. Barring something sustainedly unusual the points standings are a race for second.

CART 1997 was pretty unusual though. de Ferran was in the hunt due to consistency and didn't take a single win. Then on the other hand you had Tracy doing a win or bust kinda thing, but like Hinch this year too.

2001 was the year I was thinking of this season reminding me of. Nobody really wants to look quicker than anyone else. You had the veterans just miles quicker than everyone else with the occasional young driver that you think just look like they are the best things ever ('01 had Dixon, '13 has Conway, Pagenaud).

Me! I will do some research, I don't know anything about Pocono. Apparently it's like Nazareth on steroids?

Thank you. I thought about it, and was going to throw my hat into the ring, but Pocono being new, I thought it'd be a bad idea.

* he just signed a new contract anyway so moot point. How long is Ganassi's contract with Honda?

On top of me just thinking Ganassi is having that engine related issue, they will bounce back, plus I don't see Scott going anywhere. Look at Kanaan. Took 3 year to get back into a form where he was competitive on consistent basis. I don't think many want to do that, because I don't see top teams picking up drivers who leave other top teams. And I don't see Ganassi leaving Honda. The money involved, and previous history means he is probably getting a discount, and are Honda's main team in the series so the new parts probably trickle to them first.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Penske's on a Chevrolet and they're not cleaning up either. I think it's more than just engines. Because Ganassi isn't even the best Honda team most weekends.

Though I think the Andretti performance this year tends to skew how we guage the other cars. They really have their **** together this year, and the only real change I see is bringing in Craig Hampson as engineer.

[Deluxx]

Just finished watching... did you guys see that kamikaze run Sato did down to pitlane?

And wow, that was pretty good. Wtf @ Dario this race... Simona too. Bloody hell.

Lol'd @ the team yelling at hinch to save the engine as his burning out in circles

[Prost1997T]

Penske's on a Chevrolet and they're not cleaning up either. I think it's more than just engines. Because Ganassi isn't even the best Honda team most weekends.

Though I think the Andretti performance this year tends to skew how we guage the other cars. They really have their **** together this year, and the only real change I see is bringing in Craig Hampson as engineer.

According to Michael, their key to success has been excellent chemistry between drivers and the technical side of the team: http://www.indycar.c...oming-on-strong

Having the only 4-car team gives them a lot of data to work with as well.

[greenman]

Despite what Emma Dixon has to say about it, it's hard to blame Honda for all the Ganassi troubles, when you consider smaller teams with Hondas have been more competitive at most races - think Coyne in Detroit, Foyt with Sato on several occasions, Rahal yesterday... Rahal should be disappointed with 5th yesterday, he seemed to be the only non-Andretti to be on pace for win.

As for AA dominance, I also think it has something to do with being the only 4-car team.

Edited by greenman, 24 June 2013 - 16:07.

[expert]

Dixon was competitive yesterday and would have finished top 5 had it not been for the late engine issue. I don't think there was a fundamental pace issue with number 9. (I think the lead Andretti's were a class above again though)

What's going on with Dario though I have no idea. That seems to go beyond just the car or engine, he's all at sea. But with him a bit lost it's certainly not going to help against Andretti with 3 drivers at the top of their game contributing to setup solutions.

[greenman]

BTW have we heard about what was going on with Power yesterday? After that first stint (where he held his high position) he just kinda dropped off. He was multiple laps down at the end.

[Risil]

Thank you. I thought about it, and was going to throw my hat into the ring, but Pocono being new, I thought it'd be a bad idea.

Hm. We've got to get you in somewhere. Andrew Hope's a Kraft dinner eating Canuck so he's doing Toronto, but make sure you volunteer for one of the August races.

As for Power, he says the car was having bad oversteer "pretty much from the start of the race". I think after he nearly crashed it about a third of the way in, he turned down the intensity and drove for a finish.

Edited by Risil, 24 June 2013 - 17:51.

[jonpollak]

agreed..I WANT A HAYDENFAN OP and I want it soon.

PS..These are troubling times in the Kingdom
Jp

[prommer]

Re: Honda

I read too much IndyCar material, so I honestly can't remember where I read it, but I know I read that the manufacturers would be able to re-commit to a different engine spec at the end of the season, and at that point Honda will change to the twin-turbo engine model that Chevy has been using. So next year, things could be very different.

[OvDrone]

Second race I lost this year, FFS man, get it to-ge-ther.

All hail Our Bro Lord Hinch.



And... will we ever see a Power win? Please

[HaydenFan]

Re: Honda

I read too much IndyCar material, so I honestly can't remember where I read it, but I know I read that the manufacturers would be able to re-commit to a different engine spec at the end of the season, and at that point Honda will change to the twin-turbo engine model that Chevy has been using. So next year, things could be very different.

There were talks (mostly during their struggles at Indy) of them making that switch this year. But if they did that, will it set them back further (at least for year 1)? But I am glad they are not claiming they will bail if the series doesn't make concessions for them.

[Lemnpiper]

Dixon was competitive yesterday and would have finished top 5 had it not been for the late engine issue. I don't think there was a fundamental pace issue with number 9. (I think the lead Andretti's were a class above again though)

What's going on with Dario though I have no idea. That seems to go beyond just the car or engine, he's all at sea. But with him a bit lost it's certainly not going to help against Andretti with 3 drivers at the top of their game contributing to setup solutions.

Could it be the separation and potential divorce from Ashley could be a distraction , and Dario 's mindset isnt where it should be?

Combined with Dixon also struggling a bit and team Andretti extra good this year, Dario truely seems to be having a sub par year . Has anyone atttending a race this year had any contact with Dario (autograph session, etc) and can report if they noticed any difference from prior meetings.




Paul

[Ross Stonefeld]

He'as had two poles this year. Ganassi just seems off most of the time, and Dario's doing much better than last year (with the exception of the Indy 500).