1636 replies to this topic

[Frood]

Max's Official Unofficial Team Championship - Best Result (after Gateway)
 
Due to various circumstances, it's now been three races since either Newgarden or Rossi had the best result in their teams. RLL closes on Ganassi for 3rd. Schmidt Peterson's slide down the board continues as they fall behind ECR. Foyt takes over 8th from the financially struggling Harding Steinbrenner. Carlin record their best result of the season!
 

 
Frood's Official Unofficial Team Championship - Average of Entered Cars (after Gateway)
 
Penske still pulling away from Ganassi. A swap for the final spot on the podium as RLL gets itself ahead of Andretti. Embarrassingly, Schmidt Peterson sliding down here too - this time, to Harding Steinbrenner who actually gain on this chart.

 

[maximilian]

Great to see this back, Froodie!  Amazed how bad a year ASPM are actually having, regardless of calculation system.  Big 4 my ass... maybe it really was the right decision to sell out to McLaren.

[red stick]

Amazed how bad a year ASPM are actually having, regardless of calculation system.  

 

It was a poor night.  Ericcson found the marbles a few times and Hinchcliffe never looked competitive--if he had screentime it was largely for being in other racer's way. 

[maximilian]

The commentators still like to hype Ericsson, but he really hasn't brought the results.  Hell, he's now behind Kanaan and Marco in the standings.  I hope he'll put his money to good use propping up a small team next season.

[M66R]

Spending my Sunday watching this Youtube serious i found on the history of open wheel racing in America including quite a detailed look at the split. It might well be common knowledge for the long time fans but for a relative newbie it's filled in a lot of gaps. https://youtu.be/xvRCFWyvqZU

[PiperPa42]

Spending my Sunday watching this Youtube serious i found on the history of open wheel racing in America including quite a detailed look at the split. It might well be common knowledge for the long time fans but for a relative newbie it's filled in a lot of gaps. https://youtu.be/xvRCFWyvqZU

It's already been 2½ years since he released those videos? How time flies.

[Frood]

Whilst Radoye is on holiday, I've done his F1-style points update (...and put it in the right thread this time):

 

Newgarden 202

Dixon 175

Rossi 169

Pagenaud 146.5

Power 98

Hunter-Reay 95

Sato 91

Rahal 74

Rosenqvist 66

Hinchcliffe 49

Herta 47

Bourdais 40

Ferrucci 40

Carpenter 30

Ericsson 30

Pigot 27

Kanaan 20

Andretti 19

Harvey 18

Veach 14

Leist 12

Daly 9

Jones 8

O'Ward 5

Kimball 0.5

Chilton 0

Davison 0

Castroneves 0

Hanley 0

Mann 0

Kaiser 0

Karam 0

Hildebrand 0

Servia 0

King 0

Alonso 0

[Frood]

I’ve had an idea for an OP but I’m not sure I’ll have it ready for Portland. Has anyone got any objections if I take the Laguna thread in a few weeks?

[maximilian]

Go for it, Froodie... 

[paulb]

I can cobble together a Portland OP if no one wants it.

[potmotr]

Nice Frood.

Another reason Dixon should have been in F1, he's the consistency machine! 

[FLB]

Dunno if this belongs here, but former IndyCar racer and current broadcaster Brian Till will be undergoing treatment for thoat cancer:

 

www.racer.com

Edited by FLB, 28 August 2019 - 12:27.

[loki]

PSA for the finale...

 

There will be an ICS test at Laguna Thurs before the race, 2 hrs in the morning and 4 hours that afternoon.  Doesn’t look like there is any charge to spectate but I don’t see anything on the schedule that makes it official.  Track will be open as the RV and camping moves in but tix are only required for Fri-Sun.

[Muppetmad]

Something which Simon Pagenaud just posted about on social media, but I didn't spot up to now: Pagenaud secured the oval championship in Gateway! He's come a long way since he first raced ovals.

Edited by Muppetmad, 29 August 2019 - 05:57.

[Peat]

Daly in at SPM, replaces Ericsson for Portlandia.

[jonpollak]

Wow that’s impressive....
Jp

[loki]

Miller reporting Alfa calling him back to Spa.  Alfa only saying he’s not in a race seat.

 

Who has been in the third seat previously during conflicts?  I don’t think Calderon has enough points to even Friday drive let alone sub.

 

https://racer.com/20...pm-at-portland/

[Frood]

Hopefully Conor will be able to show his class in a car (slightly) better than the Carlin.

Who has been in the third seat previously during conflicts? I don’t think Calderon has enough points to even Friday drive let alone sub.

Ericsson is still reserve. Calderon is test driver along with Juan Manuel Correa. Neither have the superlicence points.

[red stick]

Yeah, Daly essentially gets a surprise McLaren audition. No pressure there.

[maximilian]

I think Daly will be a full-timer next season, one way or another... and he should have good chances with at least 2-3 teams for that... IMO it's only a question WHICH team.  He's performed SO well under pressure several times already, I am not worried, and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up beating Hinchcliffe over the weekend.  Daly is good at setting up cars, he would be perfect for McLaren's "experienced" driver hire for 2020.

[red stick]

I think Daly will be a full-timer next season, one way or another... and he should have good chances with at least 2-3 teams for that... IMO it's only a question WHICH team.  He's performed SO well under pressure several times already, I am not worried, and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up beating Hinchcliffe over the weekend.  Daly is good at setting up cars, he would be perfect for McLaren's "experienced" driver hire for 2020.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

 

 

Question:  Is Daly

still youngish enough to be

a "Young American?"

Edited by red stick, 29 August 2019 - 16:20.

[Anja]

I think Daly will be a full-timer next season, one way or another... and he should have good chances with at least 2-3 teams for that... IMO it's only a question WHICH team.  He's performed SO well under pressure several times already, I am not worried, and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up beating Hinchcliffe over the weekend.  Daly is good at setting up cars, he would be perfect for McLaren's "experienced" driver hire for 2020.

 

I really admire his persistence over the last two years. He took these few part-time chances he got and made the most of it, clawed his way back to the spotlight. It would be very nice to see him in McLaren but even a full season with Carlin wouldn't be bad - they made some good progress lately and Conor seems to be working pretty well with them. 

[Ross Stonefeld]

The Daly that did a handful of races replacing Hincliffe a few years back and has had a couple of full-seasons? The New Oriol Servia© role suits him but he's moved beyond the "well, let's see what this kid can do" phase. 

 

 

 

There will be an ICS test at Laguna Thurs before the race, 2 hrs in the morning and 4 hours that afternoon.  

 

This race already sounds processional. 

[Risil]

I wonder if you put a Stadium Super Truck jump at the top of the Corkscrew, whether the trucks would be able to clear the whole second half of the lap and land at the last corner.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Isn't there a off-road truck or something in iRacing now? Save us hacking together ICR2 and Sierra's SODA Off-Road Racing. 

[Afterburner]

I wonder if you put a Stadium Super Truck jump at the top of the Corkscrew, whether the trucks would be able to clear the whole second half of the lap and land at the last corner.

EDIT: I give up trying to get the damn video to embed. You mean like this?

[loki]

This race already sounds processional. 

 

Assuming you’ve raced there it’s plenty wide enough and there are a few zones for passing.  I’m not seeing how six hours of testing on a track that hasn’t been on the calendar for a while means it’s processional.  

 

I wonder if you put a Stadium Super Truck jump at the top of the Corkscrew, whether the trucks would be able to clear the whole second half of the lap and land at the last corner.

Clearing is one thing.  Landing it is another...         On a serious note the travel on those little trucks is pretty good.  I’d bet someone like Gordon could clear and land a good portion of the Corkscrew.

[Ross Stonefeld]

6 hours of testing means everyone will be dialed in on setup and strategy. Very little room for chaos. 

 

And Laguna does not have a good history from the CART era. I'm not hugely optimistic for 2019 Indycar unless people start getting turned around in the Corkscrew.  It's Sonoma with one stand-out corner. And arguably fewer passing zones. 

Edited by Ross Stonefeld, 03 September 2019 - 10:34.

[maximilian]

There is ALWAYS room for chaos in Indyar! 

[StraightEdge]

This popped up in my suggestions list

[paulb]

6 hours of testing means everyone will be dialed in on setup and strategy. Very little room for chaos.

And Laguna does not have a good history from the CART era. I'm not hugely optimistic for 2019 Indycar unless people start getting turned around in the carousel. It's Sonoma with one stand-out corner. And arguably fewer passing zones.

Agree. Turn 2 can lend itself to mistakes but as you say, there are few places to pass.

[Myrvold]

SODA Off-Road Racing. 

 

The track editor there!

[M66R]

One race left... Sob!

What a season this has been.

[loki]

6 hours of testing means everyone will be dialed in on setup and strategy. Very little room for chaos. . 

They do day long tests at other tracks as well and what they get from those doesn’t eliminate the so called chaos.  For example there was an ICS test in PDX this year and there was still plenty of chaos.  If the amount of testing time was proportional to a dull race the 500 would be the biggest clunker of the whole season.

[red stick]

The early line on IndyCar at Richmond looks promising--$25-$40 for a grandstand seat, $30 for a paddock pass, and another $30 for premium parking, if desired.  Certainly reasonable.

[bargeboard]

6 hours of testing means everyone will be dialed in on setup and strategy. Very little room for chaos.

And Laguna does not have a good history from the CART era. I'm not hugely optimistic for 2019 Indycar unless people start getting turned around in the carousel. It's Sonoma with one stand-out corner. And arguably fewer passing zones.

Agreed. I love nostalgia, but Laguna offers very little in the way of actual racing. The track is interesting and nice to watch, but as a finale IndyCar could do better.

[red stick]

Agreed. I love nostalgia, but Laguna offers very little in the way of actual racing. The track is interesting and nice to watch, but as a finale IndyCar could do better.

Particularly with the lead Newgarden has. As long as he can avoid RHR, Rahal, and Sato, he should be in good shape.

[maximilian]

Particularly with the lead Newgarden has. As long as he can avoid RHR, Rahal, and Sato, he should be in good shape.

 

FTFY 

[Anja]

I've never quite understood the legend surrounding Laguna Seca. I mean it's not bad, but I feel like it pales in comparison with many other American circuits. 

Edited by Anja, 03 September 2019 - 09:11.

[potmotr]

Late to the party on this, but what a bummer for Dixon the last two races have been.

 

When was the last time Dixon/Ganassi have back to back mechanical DNFs? 

[maximilian]

Good news, Hunch Pimpley and DragonSpeed are trying to make it to the season finale in Laguna Seca, and are planning for 10 races in 2020!   

[red stick]

Shorter Robin Miller's Mailbag from this morning, in no particular order:

 

Shame Pocono's gone.  Promoters could have learned a lot from Gateway.

Richmond needs the outer groove rubbered in to be a decent race.  Hope Firestone develops a decent tire for it.

RM still thinks Hinch is going to RLL.

RM is tired of questions about Ferrucci's time in Europe.

Some speculation that Pagenaud only signed for one more year and that de Ferran might try to lure him to McLaren Arrow SP.

[Ross Stonefeld]

 

RM is tired of questions about Ferrucci's time in Europe.

 

 

Of course, it'd require him to make an effort. 

[ehagar]

I've never quite understood the legend surrounding Laguna Seca. I mean it's not bad, but I feel like it pales in comparison with many other American circuits. 

 

It's pretty decent for bikes.

[Risil]

Some speculation that Pagenaud only signed for one more year and that de Ferran might try to lure him to McLaren Arrow SP.

 

De Ferran was Pagenaud's boss back in 2008 and 2009, when Simon raced in the American Le Mans Series. Is that trivia?

[rghojai]

Holy Hinchcliffe, Batman!!

 

[red stick]

De Ferran was Pagenaud's boss back in 2008 and 2009, when Simon raced in the American Le Mans Series. Is that trivia?

 

Trivia, perhaps,

but not trivial; offers

an explanation.

 

[maximilian]

Of course, it'd require him to make an effort. 

 

Nonsense, the guy lives and breathes IndyCar and is tireless in answering tedious mailbag emails.  It's just a topic that's been beaten to death a few too many times already. 

[prommer]

Who says racers aren't brave?  In this episode of A Lap with Scott, Dario and Dixie return to the scene of an infamous crime...

 

https://twitter.com/...332037808996358

[Jim Thurman]

I've never quite understood the legend surrounding Laguna Seca. I mean it's not bad, but I feel like it pales in comparison with many other American circuits. 

 

I've mentioned it before, but I think it comes down to the Corkscrew and the Zanardi pass in said corner.

 

It's almost like the older fellows that get misty eyed nostalgia over the Monza banking solely based on it being featured in a movie, forgetting or overlooking that 1. the banking wasn't that ancient 2. it was poorly built, far too rough and only used for a small number of races.