1059 replies to this topic

[paulb]

You had better bought more than a single bottle cuz I'm gonna drink at Leist 1

 

Jp

Ab-sato-lutely!

[jonpollak]

I'm lamenting the demise of Marsh's right now...

 

Alas, can't find me ne  Hinchtown Hammer Down.

[maximilian]

Instead of the mostly pointless running of 10-33 on Sunday before the Fast 9, might as well extend Bump Day for a second day and run it again - cars who are comfy with their speed/position can sit it out, and those who wish to improve can give it a shot.  So if someone gets bumped Saturday, they can try to bump back in Sunday.  Didn't we used to have a system where both days' speeds counted previously?

[Dmitriy_Guller]

Instead of the mostly pointless running of 10-33 on Sunday before the Fast 9, might as well extend Bump Day for a second day and run it again - cars who are comfy with their speed/position can sit it out, and those who wish to improve can give it a shot.  So if someone gets bumped Saturday, they can try to bump back in Sunday.  Didn't we used to have a system where both days' speeds counted previously?

Yeah, I think having Bump Day on day 1 is definitely a problem.  The old system where the field was determined progressively from the top rather than progressively from the bottom was more fair.  This year anyone could've ended up not qualifying if they had a catastrophic mishap during their run.  I agree that Indy bumping beng able to affect anyone is a plus, but being bumped has to be a result of continuing inability to find pace, not just having a bad day.  When the likes of Rahal, Unser, and Fittipaldi were bumped, they were bumped after sucking for the entire month straight, they weren't bumped because they blew the engine once at the most inopportune time.

[loki]

Instead of the mostly pointless running of 10-33 on Sunday before the Fast 9, might as well extend Bump Day for a second day and run it again - cars who are comfy with their speed/position can sit it out, and those who wish to improve can give it a shot.  So if someone gets bumped Saturday, they can try to bump back in Sunday.  Didn't we used to have a system where both days' speeds counted previously?

 

Nope.  Bumping is bumping.  You need to be in the 33 fastest at the time of qualifying or you don't get in the race.  As others have noted Rahal or the Penske cars not making it in the modern era was far more surprising than an SPM car with a popular driver not making it.  They made a few bad calls and it cost them getting into the race.

[SlipLtd]

Simple:

- move the Indy GP to the first weekend of May
- qualify on the two following weekends
- race on the last Sunday of the month

[Peat]

The Reddit rumour mill is saying that SPM & Leena Gade have parted company. 

If true, it's unfortunate timing that is bound to attract speculation. 

EDIT: Confirmed: https://www.motorspo...-races-1040946/

Edited by Peat, 24 May 2018 - 07:59.

[LeClerc]

The Reddit rumour mill is saying that SPM & Leena Gade have parted company. 

If true, it's unfortunate timing that is bound to attract speculation. 

 

https://www.autospor...ts-with-schmidt

 

It seems to be a fact.

[Peat]

For the record, I don't think this is the much speculated scapegoat situation. 

I recall a RACER video at the beginning of the month with Katie Hargitt launching a 'women in motorsport' scholarship. Gades' absence from the mentor list had me wondering if things weren't working out at SPM as she would have been an obvious fit.

As much as I love IndyCar, it was probably a bit of a rinkydink culture shock coming from the works Audi/Bentley programs. 

[juicy sushi]

I don't know about rinkydink, but the way the culture has become very efficient/ultra-competitive may have been different from a well-resourced factory environment where alternatives were available.  It's too bad it didn't work out, but at least they've made the choice early, and maturely.