420 replies to this topic

[PayasYouRace]

That doesn't sound good. Indycar really needs a strong set of feeder series in the US.

[jonpollak]

STRUGGLING FOR COVERAGE?
FED UP WITH PAY TV PRICES?
SALVATION IS AT HAND MY FINE FRIENDS

............................GET IN B4 THE RUSH..........................


.................Just give us your account number and routing info...............

Jp

[Risil]

Will there be any of those "Local SINGLE girls are waiting for YOU!!" banners included in your service? This is a deal breaker.

[Vitesse2]

Risil, on Mar 19 2013, 23:30, said:

Will there be any of those "Local SINGLE girls are waiting for YOU!!" banners included in your service? This is a deal breaker.

Kid on the right is obviously a Vettel fan.



I'm only gonna sign up if I'm guaranteed to be the millionth visitor and may already have won a prize ...

Edited by Vitesse2, 20 March 2013 - 00:18.

[Ross Stonefeld]

True story, but my dad got a Nigerian scam letter. In the regular mail. In like 1996. And neither of us had seen one before, and he actually knew some Nigerians from way back, etc.

And it was just the most wtf-amazing thing I'd come across up to that point. It was also the time where I thought "wow, race cars look fun" and here was this random pile of money about to appear...

Edited by Ross Stonefeld, 20 March 2013 - 00:24.

[Deluxx]

jonpollak, on Mar 19 2013, 19:20, said:

STRUGGLING FOR COVERAGE?
FED UP WITH PAY TV PRICES?
Jp

do you guys take check

Edited by Deluxx, 20 March 2013 - 00:29.

[Fulcrum]

HaydenFan, on Mar 19 2013, 23:39, said:

Hopefully the Indy Lights race has more than 8 starters though. While it is 8 quality rides, but... 8 cars isn't a strong number. While history in that level has seen entries this low before (9 at Milwaukee in '03 or '04), and history has shown that the series (Light and Atlantics) has never averaged more than 12-15 full time rides consistently, but 8! Not a big issue though, as 25 (at least 15 of them quality racers) is a solid grid.

Atlantic had 4 full time driver in 2005 and 8 in 2004.

[HaydenFan]

Fulcrum, on Mar 20 2013, 04:20, said:

Atlantic had 4 full time driver in 2005 and 8 in 2004.

Full time yes, but they still had 15-16 cars on the grid. I'm talking about only 8 cars on the grid. Not 8 full time drivers. Getting off topic, but what did Atlantics do for 2006? They got a new car, and got over 20 entries.

[GSiebert]

PayasYouRace, on Mar 19 2013, 22:12, said:

I completely agree. His title defence was quite a disappointment.

Penske was impossible to beat anyway that year, plus he had his mind in F1 after 4 or 5 races ... That doesn't help.

[Risil]

GSiebert, on Mar 20 2013, 12:48, said:

Penske was impossible to beat anyway that year, plus he had his mind in F1 after 4 or 5 races ... That doesn't help.

C'mon, "not being interested" ain't a valid excuse for a racing driver.

The Penskes and to a lesser extent the Reynards were too fast, but Raul Boesel and Robby Gordon had Lola-Fords and they scored better (and in Gordon's case, raced better) than Nige that year, too. On the other hand, he qualified on the front two rows at every race but two, so it's not like he wasn't trying.

Anyway. As Neil Young said, it's easy to get buried in the past when you try to make a good thing last. Here's part 1 of Marshall Pruett's season preview on Speed dot com.

Quote

There’s one major adjustment for fans, drivers, owners and team members to make, and I’m convinced it will take some time to settle in and feel comfortable.

Members of the IndyCar community have shared in a form of open-wheel Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for far too long; coming off of a brutal 2012, there’s a constant expectation for something bad to happen, fall apart, explode or spiral out of control within the series.

I can’t guarantee a few grenades won’t go off in 2013, but there’s every reason to believe normalcy will reign. I’ve spoken with enough people within the series and the paddock to know they realize that IndyCar can’t survive another year of bickering and embarrassment like 2012 produced.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I thought 2012 was a great year. But I paid attention to the racing and not the crap during the week.

[Muppetmad]

^ Agreed. It was a magnificent year of racing - the best I've seen since I started watching in 2009. The fact that this has been completely ignored is perhaps the crux of the problem.

[Deluxx]

I think people need to stop feeling they need to fix things and just polish the talent and racing that everyone loves to love. You can't just rush in and say you're going to fix everything with a new person every year and not expect fans to lose interest.

But even with all the crap that went on last year, I too just ignored it and enjoyed the racing that was supplied for us. (Besides that Belle Isle track mishap.....)

[Prost1997T]

Ross Stonefeld, on Mar 20 2013, 19:01, said:

I thought 2012 was a great year. But I paid attention to the racing and not the crap during the week.

The problem with listening to "fans" is I see a lot of "CART 2.0" pining and bile being thrown around when Indycar is discussed in most racing forums, but not much constructive criticism.

Indy Lights has indeed been decimated in the last 3 seasons, but I haven't studied it well enough to say what caused the drop in numbers.

[MattPete]

Risil, on Mar 18 2013, 18:05, said:

I'm not from the States but I can tell you that I like them equally so long as the drivers have to lift when they go around the corners.

Ovals need two things, and if they have them, they are awesome. Otherwise, they suck ass (95% of IRL races, NASCAR).

(1) "...so long as the drivers have to lift when they go around the corners"
(2) Drafting on the straight is a positive, but a negative in the corners (loss of downforce).

[HaydenFan]

Prost1997T, on Mar 20 2013, 17:43, said:

Indy Lights has indeed been decimated in the last 3 seasons, but I haven't studied it well enough to say what caused the drop in numbers.

Costs and the decade old car. Not the most professional thing to do as a series in running a car that was first designed when most of the drivers where under the age of 10. On top of that, the series is expensive. Not sure if it is due to the running of the old cars (for spares as there seems to be upwards of at least 30 chassis's seeing the height of car counts), or what. The series is similar in price to running GP3 or Euro F3, so really costs are not too big of an issue.

I just believe it's a general lack of interest. No engine backer fully behind it (although in full argument it hasn't hurt GP2/GP3), that is potential money being poured into the series. Firestone is a meaningless title sponsor. Not sure the details, but it is very fitting based on history alone. Probably a deal on tires for the series, which really isn't a major cost in this level of racing. This series is falling into the same rut that British F3 fell into. For some reason or another teams pulled out, and for a few years car counts where subsidized by the top teams rolling out a few extra chassis to fill the grid. And this year is like Brit F3 of this year. Those teams that filled the grid cut back cars (okay, Schmidt was the only one), but the small teams did not come back, and those people did fill the other 6 cars in 2012 (Schmidt ran 4 and AFS/Andretti 2).

[V3TT3L]

Helio Castroneves ‏@h3lio
Hello St Pete!

[Deluxx]

God that bridge is scary when it's windy.

It's been raining here for a few days now.. crap weather, but 60% chance of rain -after- 4pm, so we should be ok. Dunno about quali tho

[MattFoster]

last year was an awesome season so very much looking forward to this one. Will be interesting what the double header weekends will be like, and the return to Pocono.

[Andrew Hope]

http://www.indycar.c...TP-SpotterGuide

Dat spotter guide.

TK's fat woman Batmobile livery the pick of the litter for the season opener.

[jonpollak]

Simona is flying in practice .
Jp

[Risil]

jonpollak, on Mar 22 2013, 19:10, said:

Simona is flying in practice .
Jp

Hell yeah. Andretti Autosport look like they've got all their sums right, too.

Bottom half is depressingly full of Hondas. It's still early, I guess.

[packapoo]

Do you think Honda will actually turn up to race?

[jonpollak]

Friday 2nd practice session times
Jp

[HaydenFan]

jonpollak, on Mar 22 2013, 15:55, said:

Friday 2nd practice session times
Jp

Solid run by Sato. Was expecting this year to be a wash for him on the performance side. Same with Simona. I honestly was starting to think it was her rather than the car she had.

[jonpollak]

Now the press is on it too
http://www.sfgate.co...ard-4377714.php
Jp

[jonpollak]

Oh dear...
Which one of you numbskulls ratted me out?

Jp

[Ross Stonefeld]

I'm going to be like Paul and deny I know you to the authorities. Or was it Peter.

Mary maybe?

[jonpollak]

Was that a Puff the Magic Dragon denial?

Jp
PS..I didn't tweet nuthin..

[Andrew Hope]

jonpollak, on Mar 22 2013, 20:25, said:

Oh dear...
Which one of you numbskulls ratted me out?

Jp

I have saved this picture. I don't know when but I know that it will come in handy sometime this year.

[Deluxx]

I dont even.


Are you guys ready for that quali?!

[Risil]

This is on-the-edge forumming, no?

Edited by Risil, 23 March 2013 - 14:21.

[Risil]

Deluxx, on Mar 23 2013, 04:09, said:

Are you guys ready for that quali?!

Yes!

Well, no. I'm still trying to figure out what the rules are.

Like F1 there's a Q1, Q2, and Q3. Everyone gets to take part in Q1, although since Indycar road courses are so small they split it into two equal groups. Let's call them Q1(α) and Q1(β). 10 minutes each. The fastest six from 1-alpha and the fastest six from 1-beta get to take part in Q2. Everyone else drops out.

For some reason all the alpha drivers start on odd-numbered positions, and all the beta ones start on evens. This might seem unfair, as a driver with a much faster time in one segment can find him/herself well behind a slower driver in the other segment. But they were all slow, so they've forfeited their right to complain. Only Righteous Brothers (Will Power, Seb Bourdais, Dario Franchitti, etc) can do that.

Q2! This one's pretty easy; it's a throwback to a time when racing was simple and sex was complicated, or something. Ten minutes long. The fastest six go through, the slowest six go out. The Indycar website feels the need to apologise for the straightforwardness: "Cars not advancing to Segment 3 will fill positions 7-12 to be ranked in order of time."

Q3 is officially known as the Firestone Fast Six. This can be handily shortened to the acronym FFS, which is what I feel by this stage of the session. Grammar enthusiasts may like to note that meaning could be made clearer if it were called the Firestone Fastest Six.

Anyway, this is quite simple too. If you post the sixth fastest time you get to go sixth on the grid. Fifth fastest, and it's fifth for you. This exact correspondence between lap speed and resultant grid position continues right the way up to second position. According to the website:

"Firestone Fast Six shall determine the Verizon P1 Award winner and the cars starting 2-6 on the grid based on fastest lap time."

You heard it here! Only grid positions 2 to 6 follow this sensible rule!

If you post the fastest Fast Six lap speed, then you win the Verizon P1 Award, which is like a casino chip but with a Verizon logo on it. You then have to approach President of Race Operations Brian Barnhart, genuflect a lot, hand him the casino chip, and repeat the formula: "O reverend father of Race Operations, please reveal to me the way to the position that is called pole." Beaux Barfield (who sounds suspiciously like a pseudonym to me) is offstage, and mouths the next steps to Brian. Brian's face breaks into a magnanimous smile, and he hands you a signed note, granting the bearer sole access to the best position on the grid at the current venue.

That's grand. Only thing that's changed for 2013 is the rule that limited you to using one set of tyres per segment. It's gone. Now you can do whatever you like within your overall weekend allocation. Three sets of sticky tyres in Q1? Yeah, why not. Replace a set that you've gone and flat-spotted? Cool, do that.

In other qualifying news

Andretti's Carlos Munoz and Schmidt's Jack Hawksworth will line up 1 and 2 for the St Pete Indy Lights race. Here's a photo of Munoz holding a (tragi-)comically oversized novelty cheque:

[billm99uk]

V3TT3L, on Mar 21 2013, 03:27, said:

Helio Castroneves ‏@h3lio
Hello St Pete

Think yourself lucky. We've got snow this side of the pond. In March

[DanicaFan]

Go Hinch!!!

[tkulla]

Sato quickest in 3rd Practice by a couple of tenths. I'd love to see him get that first win in Indycars and it looks like the Foyt team has it together a bit this year.

[Risil]

tkulla, on Mar 23 2013, 15:26, said:

Sato quickest in 3rd Practice by a couple of tenths. I'd love to see him get that first win in Indycars and it looks like the Foyt team has it together a bit this year.

One Honda leading the session, and another two in the top 10. Sato wasn't as fast as Power's best time from Friday, but it's a big improvement.

[Deluxx]

Risil, on Mar 23 2013, 11:20, said:

If you post the fastest Fast Six lap speed, then you win the Verizon P1 Award, which is like a casino chip but with a Verizon logo on it. You then have to approach President of Race Operations Brian Barnhart, genuflect a lot, hand him the casino chip, and repeat the formula: "O reverend father of Race Operations, please reveal to me the way to the position that is called pole." Beaux Barfield (who sounds suspiciously like a pseudonym to me) is offstage, and mouths the next steps to Brian. Brian's face breaks into a magnanimous smile, and he hands you a signed note, granting the bearer sole access to the best position on the grid at the current venue.

Rofl! If only this were true... But wtf why do they have to make quali so involved. Idk, it does interest me that Indy runs a different scheme than others... A little variety never hurt; I suppose.

billm99uk, on Mar 23 2013, 11:22, said:

Think yourself lucky. We've got snow this side of the pond. In March

Eek! Well on christmas day it was so humid here the presents were sweating. Didn't feel like winter. More Like summer skipped right to spring. Quite odd.

tkulla, on Mar 23 2013, 11:26, said:

Sato quickest in 3rd Practice by a couple of tenths. I'd love to see him get that first win in Indycars and it looks like the Foyt team has it together a bit this year.

I'd like to see him do well too... He just needs to get that consistency thing down.

I was beating myself up earlier for not getting tickets for this weekend... but they would have been general admission and with the status of the weather for tomorrow being a toss up... Kind of glad I didn't. Oh well, going to be interesting to see how quali turns out.

Edited by Deluxx, 23 March 2013 - 15:53.

[billm99uk]

Nice to see Simona hasn't forgotten how to drive after her Lotus travails

[Risil]

billm99uk, on Mar 23 2013, 15:52, said:

Nice to see Simona hasn't forgotten how to drive after her Lotus travails

She's driving better than ever.

Someone made the point a few days ago that last year's Lotus teams and drivers learnt a lot about the Dallara, since they had to nail chassis setup and their driving style in order to overcome that deficiency in power.

Edited by Risil, 23 March 2013 - 15:59.

[Deluxx]

Oh yeah, forgot about her practice speed. Interested to see what she can piece together in a competitive Quali/Race situations with KV

Risil, on Mar 23 2013, 11:59, said:

Someone made the point a few days ago that last year's Lotus teams and drivers learnt a lot about the Dallara, since they had to nail chassis setup and their driving style in order to overcome that deficiency in power.

Hmm, sounds like that would happen, eh? If you had to rely on setting it up spot on to do well you would think over a year they would know what works and what doesnt. Could come in handy late in the season.



[edit: Nice article here if you guys want to know the drivers/teams for the '13 season... clicky here]

Edited by Deluxx, 23 March 2013 - 16:15.

[jonpollak]

DanicaFan, on Mar 23 2013, 16:24, said:

Go Hinch!!!

ALIVE I TELL YOU...ALIVE

Jp

[greenman]

Is the quali gonna be live anywhere? And/or streaming?

(I'm sorry for my laziness)

[HaydenFan]

greenman, on Mar 23 2013, 14:04, said:

Is the quali gonna be live anywhere? And/or streaming?

(I'm sorry for my laziness)

If you are living in the United States of American, yes, it is live on NBC Sports in 23 minutes (from when I post this). Turn the channel now to rewatch the post F1 qualifying show, or make a sandwich of get a mile or two in on the treadmill (or walk around the block if you don't own a treadmill).



Lazy... pfft, it's the internet, google searches use what? A few finger strokes? Lazy, sheesh.

[jonpollak]

greenman, on Mar 23 2013, 19:04, said:

Is the quali gonna be live anywhere? And/or streaming?

(I'm sorry for my laziness)

Pony up the $67.75...
Our service is made for YOU
Jp

[greenman]

Well I was here... seemed like it would be faster ...

But yeah, I'm not from US, so I'll just.. stick to live timing

[Deluxx]

Check your pms

[Deluxx]

Wow, first round goes by faster than you would think.

[Risil]

Two Hondas in the final segment, though not the ones you'd expect (not before practice, anyway).

Firestone Fast(est) Six
Will Power
Frickin' Sato
Simona de Silvestro
Helio Castro Neves
Hinch
Tristan Vautier

[Deluxx]

Sim is flying!!!!!