395 replies to this topic

[Risil]

Hello, Indycar fantasists and nostalgists! Do I have a treat(?) for you this weekend! Who likes old F1 street circuits? Who likes tunnels? Who likes the GM Building? Who likes unaffectedly using the word “Motown”? If you answered “Me” to at least one of those questions, you’ll find something to like this weekend: it’s the first running of the Valvoline Detroit Grand Prix!

As you may know, from 1982 until 1988 this event was on the F1 calendar (still called the Detroit Grand Prix) but for some reason or other the organizers fell out with Bernie Ecclestone so F1 went to downtown Phoenix (bad decision) and the DGP did a Long Beach and switched to CART. The layout is pretty much the same as the year before but the chicane just before the pits is gone, which I guess is a good thing. Anyway, here’s Nelson Piquet driving round in his 1988 Lotus-Honda. It’s watermarked the “F1 MPEG Archive”, which takes me right back to 2002.
 


Who’s on pole? The lad Michael Andretti scooped the top qualifying spot with a time four-tenths quicker than second-placed Little Al and a second quicker than his teammate, which even considering the pretty long (or slow) lap is pretty good running. Milwaukee near-winner Emerson Fittipaldi starts a healthy third with a lap in the low one minute forty-twos, as Martin Brundle would say, and Scott Pruett gets a career high third-row start, alongside but ahead of the bespectacled and moustachioed guy he replaced at Truesports. Mullet power!
 
1. Michael Andretti 1:41.681, Newman-Haas (Lola-Chevy)
2. Al Unser, Jr +0.443, Galles (Lola-Chevy)
3. Emerson Fittipaldi +0.616, Patrick (Penske-Chevy)
4. Mario Andretti +1.011, Newman-Haas (Lola-Chevy)
5. Scott Pruett +1.355, Truesports (Lola-Judd)
6. Bobby Rahal +1.559, Kraco (Lola-Cosworth)
7. Danny Sullivan +1.608, Penske (Penske-Chevy)
8. Teo Fabi +2.052, Porsche Motorsports (March-Porsche)
9. Rick Mears +2.230, Penske (Penske-Chevy)
10. Arie Luyendyk +3.964, Dick Simon (Lola-Cosworth)
11. Derek Daly +4.252, Raynor (Lola-Judd)
12. Raul Boesel +4.337, Doug Shierson (Lola-Judd)
 
Coogan 13th, the Lola-Buicks of Sneva and John Paul, Jr fill out the ninth row, Pancho Carter starts 23rd, and AJ Foyt starts on the back row in 27th, eight-and-a-half seconds off pole. A big, or should I say typically 1980s, spread of lap times from front to back here. Still, it gets the guys at the back on TV.

Sounds fun, right? Well, not according to the Wikipedia page for the Detroit Grand Prix, which calls the track “downright unpleasant”. It takes one to know one. Video’s below. We’ll get this underway at the usual time of 6pm GMT on Sunday, March 7.

[GlenWatkins]

I always liked this poster, very Detroit - like.

 

 

See you when the flag drops!

Edited by GlenWatkins, 07 March 2021 - 10:06.

[GlenWatkins]

This got me thinking about the Detroit race this year, checked it out : https://detroitgp.co...rand-Prix/69244

 

That guy look familiar to anyone?

[PayasYouRace]

This got me thinking about the Detroit race this year, checked it out : https://detroitgp.co...rand-Prix/69244

 

That guy look familiar to anyone?

 

What guy?

[GlenWatkins]

What guy?

[PayasYouRace]

Is that Jimmie Johnson, of NASCAR fame?

[GlenWatkins]

Is that Jimmie Johnson, of NASCAR fame?

I believe it is, I assume he attended last years race.

[pacificquay]

There wasn’t a race in Detroit last year

[PayasYouRace]

To bring this back around, Jimmie was 14 years old in 1989, and probably mucking about on motorbikes.

[GlenWatkins]

LOL!!

[OvDrone]

I am going to partake in this exercise of Indynostalgia with y'all tonight, as I am getting warmed up for a steadily increasing influx of Racing.

 

I realize I know next to nothing about this season from the year I've been born in. Gotta change that.

[FLB]

I am going to partake in this exercise of Indynostalgia with y'all tonight, as I am getting warmed up for a steadily increasing influx of Racing.

 

I realize I know next to nothing about this season from the year I've been born in. Gotta change that.

To put you into the mood of the time, this was one of the races I (and probably not the only one) was very much anticipating. The reason? This was going to be one of those few times where you could (almost) directly compare IndyCar to F1.

[PayasYouRace]

To put you into the mood of the time, this was one of the races I (and probably not the only one) was very much anticipating. The reason? This was going to be one of those few times where you could (almost) directly compare IndyCar to F1.

 

Certainly until 2002 anyway.

[GlenWatkins]

If memory serves me, is was the first CART race in the Motor City.  I also thought that the race was a race last year!!

Edited by GlenWatkins, 07 March 2021 - 14:06.

[FLB]

If memory serves me, is was the first CART race in the Motor City.  I also thought that the race was a race last year!!

It was. It ran downtown until the move to Belle Isle in 1992.

[Risil]

James Weaver is back in the Indycar field with Rob Dyson for the first time since his race at Long Beach. By popular(?) demand(??) here is what James Weaver was up to last -- driving a BMW M3 around Silverstone (again), this time at the National circuit in early June. Keep your eyes off the tempting Sierra Cosworths at the front and focus on Penske satrap Frank Sytner and his eternal thorn and teammate James Weaver. Or as Murray Walker says, "team colleague actually, they're hardly mates..."

 

[rghojai]

It has mutated, traveled, survived... IT'S ALIVE!!!!1!!!!!1111SATO000000

 

[Risil]

Nations Cup!!!

[Risil]

2 mins!

[PayasYouRace]

Away we go!

[Risil]

CBS Special Sports Presentation GO

[Risil]

Is that Chris Economacki?

[GlenWatkins]

Chris Eonomaki!!!!!

[OvDrone]

Random 1900's assault on the senses.

[PayasYouRace]

Nineteen-three!

[rghojai]

I was amused to no end by the NATIONS CUP 2021

[red stick]

Still hate those Pistons teams.

[rghojai]

iNDIANAPOLIS CARS

[red stick]

Sneva!

[FLB]

Mention of Young Americans™!

Edited by FLB, 07 March 2021 - 18:03.

[PayasYouRace]

Back when young drivers were anyone under 30.

[FLB]

Ooh Mike Joy!

[OvDrone]

The youth on that vintage Mike Joy nearly cracked my monitor.

[OvDrone]

Mike clearly has the superior mic-to-the-helmet skills.

[Risil]

Automotive parts that don't just fit; they match!

[red stick]

It's a fine line . . .

[FLB]

We're getting commercials!

[Risil]

Holy shit, 1980s adverts

[PayasYouRace]

Oh, adverts in this one.

[Risil]

If a driver ever tells you, no I don't have athlete's foot, you know he's lyin' to ya

[PayasYouRace]

Little Al sounded like he was already drinking heavily when they filmed that Valvoline advert.

[Risil]

Hooray, it's dump on Formula One time!

[PayasYouRace]

Shots fired against F1!

[Risil]

"Put the spurs to the cars" (???)

[OvDrone]

I'm maybe nostalgic about that Chevrolet late 80s America that never kinda existed.

[red stick]

F1 drivers lack guts.

[Risil]

13 foreign drivers!

[FLB]

Ken Squire!

 

 

This is basically CBS's NASCAR crew, minus David Hobbs and Ned Jarrett.

 

 

Edit: Nope! Didn't remember Hobbo was there

Edited by FLB, 07 March 2021 - 18:09.

[PayasYouRace]

"Put the spurs to the cars" (???)

 

Sounds like a good euphemism for slashing someone's tyres.

[PayasYouRace]

13 foreign drivers!

 

Meanwhile a few miles down the road, an idea has popped into Tony George's head.