572 replies to this topic

[Muppetmad]

Rejoice! After three years of hard work and extortionate tuition fees, I have a piece of paper which tells me I am qualified to do something. Maybe. To celebrate, I have commandeered OP duties for this race because nobody else spoke loudly enough to stop me. It’s the American way, right? This OP will follow Shary Bobbins’ philosophy very closely indeed. Or maybe only in a half-arsed way – but can you do a half-arsed job of doing a half-arsed job? This is getting too meta for me!

 

I digress. So, what are we up to this weekend? Right. This video I’ve made (clearly from scratch) might be helpful…

 

Karen Gillan in Star Wars… now there’s a thought!

 

Title standings

1. Simon Pagenaud – 484

2. Will Power – 426

3. Helio Castroneves – 373

 

We are back once again at Pocono. To be serious for a moment, as we approach the one year anniversary of last year’s race, my thoughts are strongly with Justin Wilson. I saw him take a gutsy podium in the first ever IndyCar race I watched (pictured below; prizes for those who can name the year), and had me as a fan ever since. My hope is that we have a safe race here for everyone (as we all hope for every race).

 

 

Track map

 

Yup, it’s still a triangle.

 

 

Schedule (all times ET/BST – because the British have it too hard in today’s world)

 

Saturday 20^th

Practice 1 – 9am/2pm

Qualifying – 1:30pm/6:30pm

Practice 2 – 5pm/10pm

 

*Monday 22nd* <-------- NOTE THE CHANGE

Race (or Poco-go – because Risil won’t object to the blatant plagiarism) – 12n/5pm

 

Closing thoughts

So, that’s all the information I think you’ll need – let me know if I’ve failed epically and forgotten anything. Otherwise, I hope I've done Shary Bobbins proud. Here’s hoping for a great race with lots of Karen Gillan gifs and typical IndyCar confusion!

Edited by Muppetmad, 21 August 2016 - 19:33.

[teejay]

Justin

 

Hoping for a good one.

[Vitesse2]

Are there any Pokemon in Pocono?

[Prost1997T]

The fox mascot might count.

[Afterburner]

The video you made (clearly from scratch) was genius. We've had a Star Trek and now Star Wars parody for Indycar--which scif-fi series do we do next? Lost in Space?

Great work. My thoughts are also with Justin; have my tribute shirt on right now actually.

[PayasYouRace]

The video you made (clearly from scratch) was genius. We've had a Star Trek and now Star Wars parody for Indycar--which scif-fi series do we do next? Lost in Space?

 

Yeah, I wonder what other sci-fi series we can do...

 

[paulb]

Congrats Muppetmad on the piece of paper that says you can do something!! I hope you get to do what you want.

 

Great video and I rolled at the Simpson's life hack.

 

May the Gillian Force (The Karen?) be with IndyCar at Pocono.

[Dangerpaws]

Posted for future use....

 

Edited by Dangerpaws, 19 August 2016 - 12:53.

[Lotus72b]

Well I was at the test. I missed the first hour because of traffic problems on the PA Turnpike after an accident during rush hour. When got there, got my stopwatch & was timing the cars. Honda might have shot to win this race. They were doing 41seconds and that’s an average of 216mph. Then after lunch my camera stops working. So I had to use my camera phone and my I-Pod Touch to pictures or videos. It was okay, but I rather use my camera. I brought a new camera last week and tested it. So far, so good, no problems with the new camera. I just hope weather is good on Sunday and safe a race.

 

[Lotus72b]

Here's a couple of more pictures I took during the test.

 

 

 

 

Hope everybody likes the pictures.

[Afterburner]

Thanks for the pictures. Always love seeing trackside stuff.

[prommer]

Lotus, will you be at the race?  What do you think the attendance is going to be like?

[jonpollak]

DangerPaws... You have wonderful taste in music.

Jp

[Lotus72b]

Lotus, will you be at the race?  What do you think the attendance is going to be like?

I'll be there on Sunday. I got a Pit Pass for Saturday & Sunday. On Saturday I'll be in the pits & and garage area getting close up shots with the drivers and cars. Now Sunday I got Grandstand seats, but before the race I'll be pits. Then thirty minutes before the start. I take my seat and ready myself for the race. I think the crowd will be the same as last year, but tons of promotion for this race sine the test and the extension for this race for two years. So I might be a good walk up crowd on Sunday. 

[Dangerpaws]

DangerPaws... You have wonderful taste in music.

Jp

 

Thanks!  Glad you noticed my avatar.

[king_crud]

Are there any Pokemon in Pocono?

I think they're in Kokomo

[Afterburner]

Be honest: if there were a 'Pocono: Go!' app for Indycars we'd all be playing it.

[Dangerpaws]

Thinking of Justin this weekend.

Here's a picture I took of him at The Milwaukee Mile, 2015.

 

 

[pingu666]

thinking of justin too

[kevinracefan]

prizes for naming the year??

 

the surf board says 2009..

[Muppetmad]

prizes for naming the year??

 

the surf board says 2009..

Well, that shows how observant I am. Thanks for pointing that out 

[Spillage]

Rejoice! After three years of hard work and extortionate tuition fees, I have a piece of paper which tells me I am qualified to do something. Maybe.

Congratulations! Enjoy it while it lasts. I graduated last year, and this year they sent me a piece of paper which tells me I am £48,000 in debt. If I had that kind of money I'd have bought an Indycar ride years ago...

[jonpollak]

OT..... But




Saw this here in Chigago today.

!!!
Jp

[SKL]

I love Indycar  ( basically CART etc from way back), but those pix just remind how UGLY those cars are, especially when RACER magazine has a spread on "greatest cars" and shows Greg Moore in a shot from the late '90's...

 

Still bummed about JW as well...  have a great picture of my son with him at Iowa Speedway a few years ago.  They were discussing how someone their height fits in a formula car...

[jonpollak]

http://us.hola.com/a...ntrevista-hola/

 

Jp

[sidewinder26]

Justin was the man.

 

@SKL Cars are ugly but they are very well presented and beautifully prepped. They will change them in 2018. I keep hoping they give a call to Adrian Newey and Red Bull to come up with the concept.

 

Looking forward to Pocono.

[swintex]

OT..... But




Saw this here in Chigago today.

!!!
Jp

Lynsey de Paul, or Robert Wyatt?

 

I'll take Wyatt

 

R

[loki]

Lynsey de Paul, or Robert Wyatt?

 

I'll take Wyatt

 

R

 Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg...

[Muppetmad]

Congratulations! Enjoy it while it lasts. I graduated last year, and this year they sent me a piece of paper which tells me I am £48,000 in debt. If I had that kind of money I'd have bought an Indycar ride years ago...

Thanks! I'll doubtless be getting that same piece of paper next year. Until then, I will enjoy living in blissful ignorance of my financial situation 

[swintex]

 Michael Schenker and Phil Mogg...

Oh, OK

 

I never quite got UFO, Sabbath on the other hand… and I do mean early 70s here.

 

I think I'll stick with Wyatt if you don't mind.

[Prost1997T]

Stream is up for today's track activity, starting in 75 minutes:

 

[fridge46]

Dilemma: IndyCar or Robot Wars

 

Solution: Pray to the weather gods to delay the start by exactly 1 hour.

 

Plan B: Record Robot Wars.

[Branislav]

Title standings

1. Simon Pagenaud – 484

2. Will Power – 426

3. Helio Castroneves – 373

 

Penske dominates.

 

Montoya sucks it's time for retirement.

[JHSingo]

RHR's crash in practice just reminded me of Sage Karam's from last year.

I know some will disagree, but after last year's carnage I'm not totally comfortable with IndyCar racing here, which is why I'll probably give this one a miss. I know what happened to Justin could have happened at any track...but unfortunately this place will forever be tainted by the memories of last year for me. It's very similar to how I still feel about Las Vegas Motor Speedway after what happened to Wheldon.

So, enjoy it everyone. I hope it's a safe one.

Edited by JHSingo, 20 August 2016 - 14:21.

[Prost1997T]

Practice 1 results:

 

Edited by Prost1997T, 20 August 2016 - 14:42.

[HistoryFan]

would be nice to see Aleshin as a winner.

[Dr. Austin]

I know some will disagree, but after last year's carnage I'm not totally comfortable with IndyCar racing here, which is why I'll probably give this one a miss. I know what happened to Justin could have happened at any track...but unfortunately this place will forever be tainted by the memories of last year for me. 

 

You just can't stop racing somewhere because someone got killed there. or we would have been done with almost every track on the planet. Pocono was designed with Indycars in mind, but granted that was before we became so sensitive to losing a driver every so often. It's not so bad that you see the drivers walking out or spending a lot of time complaining about it. They all miss Justin, but no one is blaming the track. Almost every driver in the paddock is glad to be in Pocono. No one skips Indianapolis just because people have lost their lives there.

 

Otherwise you'de better strike almost every tack off the schedule because somebody has gotten killed just about everywhere. People have been killed at Road America, Watkins Glen and Texas (not sure about Sonoma), so the rest of the year is going to places where people have lost their lives. You either get used to it or you won't be able to enjoy the racing. That's not just being cavalier ...... that's just being real.  

 

This is actually such a safe sport that death shocks us. I mean, what did you think was going to happen when you run into debris at 220 mph, or hit a wall at the same speed? It was not that long ago that we would see three or four bad accidents a year, so maybe we should be thankful that safety has improved to the point that death is such a foreign thing.

 

Having said that, almost every death we have had in open wheel the last few years have been freak things. As long as we have open cockpits and open wheels, these are going to be the most dangerous cars in the world, and the drivers know that too, or at least they had better know it.

 

Yeah, no one is over Justin being lost, but we either go on or we don't. The drivers are going on, so maybe that's a good lesson for us.

 

Personally I'm looking forward to a good race and I don't expect any bad news except maybe a few torn up cars and bruised drivers. It's 220 mph and the best thing there is to hit is a wall, so if you just get injured there's always the worst to consider.

 

Andretti seems to have a damper issue, but Pocono is smooth, so I expect them to be back in the game pretty solid. Hunter Reay was fourth fastest, so it's not like they are lost. At this point I have to hope they really nail the set up on Marco's car, because we really need him n the winner's circle.

Edited by Dr. Austin, 20 August 2016 - 15:17.

[Prost1997T]

If we're going to do that then we should have stopped watching Indianapolis after 1911   a quick look at Zandvoort's history shows 12 deaths, so by that reckoning Pocono is safer...

 

I didn't see any large errant pieces of car either. He was on a qualifying sim, they won't be running as aggressive a setup in race conditions and traffic.

Edited by Prost1997T, 20 August 2016 - 15:20.

[Dr. Austin]

would be nice to see Aleshin as a winner.

 

Yeah, he's got to be full of confidence after Mid Ohio. Getting hosed in the pits is a pretty snitty way to lose your first win. The racing Gods seems to take this into account and right such injustices eventually, so Aleshin has to go in as one of the favs.  I hope he shows them a clean pair of heels and wins outright. That would make a great story.

[PayasYouRace]

Dilemma: IndyCar or Robot Wars

Solution: Pray to the weather gods to delay the start by exactly 1 hour.

Plan B: Record Robot Wars.

Robot Wars isn't live, and will be on iPlayer if needed.

[Dr. Austin]

If we're going to do that then we should have stopped watching Indianapolis after 1911   

 

That was kind of my point. You can rarely blame the track itself, at least not now days. Certainly in the old days, but then again, I don't believe any driver was ever killed in the old Targa Florio (not sure, but I don't recall any), and that was the most dangerous place ever. 

 

I remember karting at some pretty harrowing places, especially the street races. You went in with a sense of trepidation, but once you got rolling all that was important was going fast.

 

If we're going to do that then we should have stopped watching Indianapolis after 1911   

 

I think we would have stopped after the very first practice if that's the case. They killed two or three guys the first race, back when the place was dirt. I remember seeing old footage of the safety people pulling a car off someone with a horse (no kidding), and while that was going on, one of the riding mechanics fell out of the car on the main straight. I think things are a lot safer now days.

 

 

I didn't see any large errant pieces of car either. He was on a qualifying sim, they won't be running as aggressive a setup in race conditions and traffic.

 

Maybe they will trim out a bit for the end, but it looks like they are running all the tack-ons and do-dads on the cars. They are still making a lot of downforce. What makes the accidents so violent is that the cornering speeds are so insane. It's like a stretched out rubber band snapping.

 

Super speedway racing is a fine black art. Some people like to complain that's it's flat footed and easy, and then turn around and complain about how dangerous it is. If it was flat footed and the cars never broke loose there would be about zero challenge, and therefore, no reason to do it at all.

Edited by Dr. Austin, 20 August 2016 - 15:36.

[Prost1997T]

Maybe they will trim out a bit for the end, but it looks like they are running all the tack-ons and do-dads on the cars.

 

He was already correcting the car before it spun. They have less effective downforce than last year because of the rule changes in the off-season ( try checking the speeds, they've been consistently slower in testing and now practice). As I said, he was in qualifying trim.

[JHSingo]

You just can't stop racing somewhere because someone got killed there. or we would have been done with almost every track on the planet. Pocono was designed with Indycars in mind, but granted that was before we became so sensitive to losing a driver every so often. It's not so bad that you see the drivers walking out or spending a lot of time complaining about it. They all miss Justin, but no one is blaming the track. Almost every driver in the paddock is glad to be in Pocono. No one skips Indianapolis just because people have lost their lives there.

 

I agree. But I just don't like the place. We've had three crashes in practice, and it's a wicked fast track. Combined with all the crashes from last year, I'd just prefer it to not be on the calendar.

Justin's death could have happened at any track, sure. But the number of crashes we see at this track in particular seems to be greater than most other ovals currently on the schedule. Kimball had a nasty crash in practice or qualifying last year, and even before what happened to Justin last year's race was something of a crash fest.

It's just not a track I like. But you're entitled to disagree.

[Dr. Austin]

That was kind of my point. You can rarely blame the track itself, at least not now days. Certainly in the old days, but then again, I don't believe any driver was ever killed in the old Targa Florio (not sure, but I don't recall any), and that was the most dangerous place ever. 

 

 

All I could find is that    Giulio Masetti was killed driving his 1926 Delage at the first turn of the race.  That's actually a pretty decent record considering how deplorable the safety conditions were.   

  

Edited by Dr. Austin, 20 August 2016 - 16:21.

[Risil]

JHSingo, if you want to watch Robot Wars instead we won't judge you. Much.

 

The main thing is all three drivers were uninjured and the cars kept on the ground (er, I think).

Anyway, in anticipation of qualifying here's a video of the 1971 edition featuring that dashing New Mexican cowboy Al Unser and some Ivy League graduate called Donohue, It's presented by the F&M Schaefer Brewery Co. and your local Schaefer beer distributor. Make America great again!

 

[Risil]

That was kind of my point. You can rarely blame the track itself, at least not now days.

 

Agree, Vegas in 2011 notwithstanding. They shoulda cancelled that race.

[jonpollak]

I've made my picks based on the names of the Dutch woman's volleyball team.

Jp

[Dr. Austin]

I agree. But I just don't like the place. 

 

That's fair enough, but I wouldn't base that preference on a single fatality. Far more drivers have been killed at other places in the same time period and Justin's accident was purely freak. Sure, Justin was so loved that it makes this even worse, but plenty of much loved drivers have died at far safer and far more dangerous places.

 

That, and oval racing is dangerous because it's supposed to be dangerous. Try a little bit of sim racing, or Scalectrix racing. Then try some real racing and tell me the difference. I'm betting that you already know real racing is far more exciting because it's far more dangerous. If there was zero chance of getting hurt, driving around in circles would be extremely boring to every one involved and everyone watching. Speed is exhilarating because it's scary.  If you take that away, you end up with no reason to do it, at least from the driver's viewpoint.

 

That's why we still have oval racing, because it's fast. Guys like Aleshin came in a little afraid, but then they fell in love with the speed and apparently find the level of danger to be acceptable. That, or the thrill of the speed makes the danger worth it. Some people freak out and go home *which is fine since it's their life to risk the way they choose), and others simply get on with it. Guys like Ashelin revel in it.

 

I mean, if we are going to go this far, we may as well stop the Isle of Man, because to me that seems far more dangerous. Personally I'de be terrified to drive a road car there, but the riders love the challenge. Might seem crazy, but I admire those guys. 

 

The Targa Florio is gone because it was deemed "too dangerous," when, in fact, only one driver has ever been killed there. The flip side is that 81 people were killed in an instant at Lemans 1955, but they still had the race the very next year, and with very little done to make the danger less. It's still the most dangerous circuit on the WEC calendar, but that doesn't matter. People want to win it and don't care if that means they could end up in the trees. Far, far, far more people have been killed at LeMans than Pocono, and yet it ramains one of the most prestigious events in the world..

 

Also, if you take away all the ovals, you rip the soul out of Indycar. If oval racing is too dangerous, there's always F1 where safety consciousness is approaching levels of extreme paranoia. 

[Prost1997T]

Qualifying is about to start:

 

http://racecontrol.indycar.com/

 

215.3mph 2-lap average for Dixon. Seems his struggles in practice to get the car running have carried over to qualifying.

Edited by Prost1997T, 20 August 2016 - 18:03.

[Vitesse2]

All I could find is that    Giulio Masetti was killed driving his 1926 Delage at the first turn of the race.  That's actually a pretty decent record considering how deplorable the safety conditions were.   

  

The Targa was remarkably fatality-free. But Masetti wasn't the only one - Giovanni Alaotti in 1934, Sergio Der Stepanian in 1958, Fulvio Tandoi in 1971 and Charles Blyth in 1973. Plus Guido Meregalli's riding mechanic in 1922 and three spectators in the 1970s.

 

In contrast, the Mille Miglia claimed sixty - drivers, co-drivers and spectators.