884 replies to this topic

[prommer]

Lo, the harsh Siberian winter took its toll and here we are, almost a month and a half late, in St. Petersburg.  The frost on the oranges; the harsh imposition of life in the gulag for over a year now has made one almost want to kill the nearest pawnbroker.  In a fever dream, we wonder -- weren't we just here for the season finale?  But how could that be, St. Pete in the autumn??  For sure, a visit to St. Petersburg is a rite of spring, nyet? Last week we opened in the rolling hills of Barber. Now the vast, empty plains of the impending Indy season, flat and featureless, like a spec Dallara, will reveal its fertile future over the course of this summer. There's more than corn in Indiana; now there will be WHEAT.

The Story So Far

Last week in the verdant green hills of Alabama, Indycar Indycar'd in the first lap, with the culprit being, of all people, Josef Newgarden, who seemed to misjudge the width of the track, or maybe his steering wheel started falling off, but either way, a number of cars piled up, and we all were like... damn... first impressions can't be taken back...

 

 

Then surprise! It immediately settled into a typical Indycar strategy race involving 2-stoppers and 3-stoppers with green flag running all the way until the end, when the 2-stoppers (Palou, Power, Dixon) and the 3-stoppers (O'Ward, Bourdais) miraculously converged within a few seconds of each other.  Unfortunately, Pato had used up all of his push to pass (p2p), and Power was unable to fully use his due to fuel concerns, so Alex Palou scored his first Indycar victory in dominant fashion. Power was second; Scott Dixon fulfilled his podium requirement in 3rd place (finished 2nd SIX times! 3rd THREE times! They've only run it 11 times!!).

 

Tracts of Land

Last week's flowing road course gives way to a half street circuit/half airport formulation. Expect no elevation changes, except for bumps. The best passing comes at the end of the airport straight where you can usually count on someone running long, or getting squirrely on their way into the bottleneck of Turn 2.  If it's a good race, you'll see the attacking drivers unraveling themselves smartly out of Turn 13 and 14 to get a good run on the leaders on the straight, where they use their p2p to gobble them up. The tire barriers at Turns 4 and 10 are guaranteed to gobble up a backmarker or two such as Kellett or, guh, 7X...

 

Table of Contents

Friday, 23 April (ALL TIMES EASTERN DAYLIGHT)

4:15 - 5:00PM  NTT Indycar Series Practice 1

 

Saturday, 24 April

9:45 - 10:30AM NTT Indycar Series Practice 2

1:45 - 3:00PM NTT Indycar Series QUALIFYING

 

Sunday, 25 April

9:05 - 9:35PM NTT Indycar Series Warmup

12:00 noon NTT Indycar TV Coverage begins on NBC

12:42pm NTT Indycar Series GREEN GREEN GREEN

 

These are just the Indycar bits; full schedule here including the entire Indycar ladder system, MX-5 Cup, and Stadium Super Trucks.  Coverage via NBC (the race) and Peacock (everything else) in the USA; check your local or Nigerian providers for coverage and times in your area.

 

Weather for Wheat Farmers

(@Indycar_Wxman)

Rain on Sunday? Good for the wheat crop!

 

A Lengthy Cast of Characters

The Wheat Field, err, I mean Indycar Field is stacked with contenders.  Just a few of them include:

 

Natasha Rostova

The Young Mexican, Pato O'Ward, the face of the future in Indycar, the new symbol of perfection, but...

 

Anastasia Romanov

...Alex Palou, the Young Spanner, is secretly the heir to the throne that's been under our nose the whole time.  But whose throne?

 

The Master

 

...and Margarita

 

Raskolnikov

He's Aleksandr Russiya, the elite superstar who can't seem to buy a victory these days, despite clearly having exceptional talents. He'll pass you on track, then spin from lead, just to have the dark thrill of passing you again in anger. 

 

Rasputin

The numerous reports of the end of Simon Pagenaud's run/career are always greatly exaggerated...

 

The Firebird

Rising from the ashes and immediately competitive in Indycar, it's BigJohn Lettucehead

 

Humbert Humbert

Double J is Double H simply because in last week's thread, I think in reference to JJ hugging his daughters prior to the race, some wag in here said 'he likes them young' or something, and then someone else said 'no, his wife is 42' and the discussion was just left there to wither, unresolved, once Newgarden went full DRACONE. This is how baseless rumours get started on the internet!

 

Fathers and Sons

 

(PLOT TWIST!!!)

 

Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film

 

Cyka also not appearing in this film

 

Gopniks (or Chavs)

...iS BORIS!

 

And the Chaff

 

In Conclusion

The grains of this early spring will be sown upon the tarmac of Albert Whitted Municipal Airport, and who knows what verdant field of wheat we shall harvest in the fall with the... BLIN, Indycar, I'm trying to construct an extended metaphor here, couldn't you have ended the season with the "Harvest GP" again?  The whole wheat metaphor thingy just doesn't go well with "Long Beach."  Grains of wheat turn to grains of sand?  BLYAT.

 

 

[red stick]

I've never made it through that movie.

 

And now I just can't watch Woody Allen any more . . .

 

 

OTOH, I did buy a copy of War and Peace a few years back with a view to some quiet beach reading.  But I've generally preferred Dostoevsky . . .

Edited by red stick, 22 April 2021 - 20:02.

[jonpollak]

Невероятный !!
Отлично !!
Замечательно !!
прекрасный !!

Jp

[red stick]

And of course, there's all the intrigue this weekend, worthy of Dostoevsky:

 

1.  Bourdais usually does well here.  Surprise winner?  Foyt victorious early?

2.  Newgarden with ground to make up.  At least there's very little grass.

3.  7X between concrete walls = DNF?

4.  Pagenaud with ground to make up.  Hope qualy goes better.

5.  Rosenqvist looking to have a more impressive weekend in his new surroundings.  AMSP not known for its patience.

6.  Rossi.  Enough said.

 

Tune in tomorrow folks--practice on the Peacock may be quite entertaining.  Or even epic, even if not strictly on the Tolstoyian sense.  

Edited by red stick, 23 April 2021 - 02:33.

[prommer]

I've never made it through that movie.

.

 

Honestly, it's probably my favorite comedy of all time, or at least a close second to Holy Grail (which makes a brief appearance in the OP, now that I think of it).

 

But I'm with you in regards to [Name redacted].     

Edited by prommer, 22 April 2021 - 20:09.

[H0R]

cyka blyat!

An opening post which would make Mother Russia proud!

Anyway, as the bolsheviks say, I am looking forward to St Pete. Barber was a bit of a letdown for me and I expect a race of almost - dare I say revolutionary - epicness. Don't forget to make you picks, comrades!

Edited by H0R, 22 April 2021 - 20:18.

[prommer]

Невероятный !!
Отлично !!
Замечательно !!
прекрасный !!

Jp

 

Spasibo!!

[prommer]

cyka blyat!

An opening post which would make Mother Russia proud!

Anyway, as the bolsheviks say, I am looking forward to St Pete. Barber was a bit of a letdown for me and I expect a race of almost - dare I say revolutionary - epicness. Don't forget to make you picks, comrades!

 

Oy blin, I forgot! Visit:

 

fantasy.indycar.com

 

and join the Autosport league by PM'ing Afterburner.  I was all happy to see myself in 22nd place on the first page, until I realized there were only 33 entries, and there was only the first page. 

[Frood]

[PayasYouRace]

 

 

Pato

 

 

Is this one of those Kremlin Ducks I've heard to much about on this forum?

[prommer]

Spotters guide assembled by @KevinDMotors, because apparently the Indycar website has gone for something more "interactive" this week.

 

[boomn]

In my best Russian brogue: I'm reminded of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin when the world trembled at the sound of our race cars

[HerbieMcQueen]

Another race weekend!

 

Sunday plans: Go for very early morning hike. Somewhere that requires heavy breathing so I can justify the slovenliness that the rest of my day will entail. Because come 11am Central, I'll be ordering an irresponsibly sized pizza and some beer. Then I'll watch them do a racing in St. Pete whilst frantically pointing out to my other half if she remembers when we were driving around the city and came across the kerbing for turn 10 which actually just leads into a parking lot and then a runway.

 

Favorite picks? Can't ever settle on one driver but there are a few in the running:

 

Rossi: We have the same name. The whole thing. I will continue telling anyone who cares to listen that it therefore makes it an obligation to root for my twin. I, too, hate people and am frequently grumpy.

Pagenaud: On the basis that my wife finds his dog super cute and his car looks f***** incredible this weekend.

McLaughlin: Because more people over in the US need to understand and feel comfortable with the phrase "givin' it some Jandal"

Bourdais: Ever since a friend from school and I discovered that he wore glasses in the car, we sort of felt sorry for him for no particular reason. On that basis alone, we still love him to a weirdly big degree.

 

Bring it on. I love IndyCar.

[red stick]

Anybody who shares a podcast with Hinch can't hate people. And he's not grumpy, he's Driven. Another classic comedy, or so I'm told . . .

[H0R]

 

Rossi: We have the same name. 

 

Francis?

For the life of me I always have to think hard to remember the racecar driver's first name. Then again I am an old geezer.

Edited by H0R, 22 April 2021 - 21:30.

[jonpollak]

Unless it's Dario, Mario or Nigel

Spasibo!!

Эта фантазия
Я думаю, что Рыхальский должен хорошо выступить или резко потерпеть крах здесь, в Петербурге.
Я чувствую себя  дня кабана и ирландско-мексиканцем.
Вам нужна сила воли
 
Джон Поллак

[Anja]

Anybody who shares a podcast with Hinch can't hate people. And he's not grumpy, he's Driven. Another classic comedy, or so I'm told . . .

 

Introverts are always gonna get described as grumpy. Might as well embrace it 

[red stick]

Introverts are always gonna get described as grumpy. Might as well embrace it 

Word.

[FLB]

Grosjean is REALLY immersing himself in the full IndyCar driver experience...

 

 

His wife at the end:

 

'Bon, allez on a perdu Camille, y'en a déjà une qui dort. Ça veut dire que papa ne conduit pas trop mal...'

 

'OK, allright we've lost Camille (his daughter), there's already one asleep. That means daddy isn't driving too badly...'

Edited by FLB, 22 April 2021 - 22:37.

[HerbieMcQueen]

Francis?

For the life of me I always have to think hard to remember the racecar driver's first name. Then again I am an old geezer.

 

I think it's Alextino or something of the sort? I haven't looked up his middle name, don't want to creep myself out too much. 

[loki]

YUGE TRACKS OF LAND!

[prommer]

YUGE TRACKS OF LAND!

 

The first airport sank into the swamp.

....

But the fourth one...

[prommer]

Wait a second, FLB... Is "motorhome" actually the word for motorhome in French? How'd that one sneak past the Académie Française?

[FLB]

Wait a second, FLB... Is "motorhome" actually the word for motorhome in French? How'd that one sneak past the Académie Française?

It does in France...

 

French is a strange language in that sense. The Académie recommends, but does not set the language in stone.

 

 

The Larousse dictionary, which is THE reference for most people has it as a type of... camping-car (en francais dans le texte):

 

 

Définitions

• Nom donné à certains camping-cars.

 

 

https://www.larousse...otor-home/52817

 

 

The other reference, Le Robert, also has it as an automobile  in which you can live and refers to... camping-car:

 

 

motor-home

 

définitions

définitions

motor-home ​​​

  nom masculin

anglicisme Véhicule automobile aménagé pour y vivre. ➙ camping-car. Des motor-homes. - recommandation officielle autocaravane.

 

 

https://dictionnaire...tion/motor-home

 

 

Le Robert says it is an anglicisme, meaning it's an English word that is used in French and one that takes away from the purity of the French language. They recommend autocaravane instead.

 

 

Both of them are the French equivalent of Merriam-Webster's.

Edited by FLB, 23 April 2021 - 00:44.

[Afterburner]

Introverts are always gonna get described as grumpy. Might as well embrace it 

My wife and I, both introverts (she more than I), have been variously described as "boring", "sticks in the mud", "wallflowers", and "no fun", since we're usually the ones sitting in the corner and watching the party. Put us somewhere alone together though and we'll talk for hours and do all sorts of silly s#!t for fun.

Based on his openness when he's on his podcast with just Hinch I'd imagine Rossi is somewhat similar.

[maximilian]

FINALLY another IndyCar race!!  Can't wait!!!

 

One hell of an OP!       

[prommer]

 

Le Robert says it is an anglicisme, meaning it's an English word that is used in French and one that takes away from the purity of the French language. They recommend autocaravane instead.

 

THERE'S the France I know and love.    Still, in following up on your post, I do see that they're a little more laid back on anglicismes than they used to be. Why, back in my day they just told you going forward that the VCR was now a magnetoscope and c'est fini!

 

Mind you, now that I think about it, since the source was Grosjean, it could've been a Swiss thing, and that means all bets are off. All the Swiss languages are in one way or another are totally wackadoodle compared to the neighboring languages they developed from. 

Edited by prommer, 23 April 2021 - 02:50.

[red stick]

Come for racing, stay
for culture. If not careful,
you may learn something.

[PayasYouRace]

In my best Russian brogue: I'm reminded of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin when the world trembled at the sound of our race cars

Ah yes. I would like to have seen Montana.

[rghojai]

Ah yes. I would like to have seen Montana.

Tony Montana?

[PayasYouRace]

Tony Montana?

What’s the alternative? Hannah?

[jonpollak]

There’s a great story about Hannah Montana concert merchandise not approved by management.

And NO... I cannot share.

Jp

[Muppetmad]

You're such a tease, JP... 

[johnbarton]

Looking forward to this after last weeks race, Practice 1 is live here at 9:15 tonight. Few beers are called for I think....

[BobbyRicky]

In my best Russian brogue: I'm reminded of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin when the world trembled at the sound of our race cars

 

When i hear there is a Indycar-race at a street-circuit with RoGro and Sato on the grid:

 

Edited by BobbyRicky, 23 April 2021 - 10:08.

[FLB]

THERE'S the France I know and love.    Still, in following up on your post, I do see that they're a little more laid back on anglicismes than they used to be. Why, back in my day they just told you going forward that the VCR was now a magnetoscope and c'est fini!

 

Mind you, now that I think about it, since the source was Grosjean, it could've been a Swiss thing, and that means all bets are off. All the Swiss languages are in one way or another are totally wackadoodle compared to the neighboring languages they developed from. 

Non, non, non... The French are the *worst* in regards to using English words when perfectly good French words exist.

 

EX: My mother in Nice, in 1988. The hotel clerk did not want to take her chèques de voyage. He was insisting on getting... travelers' cheques...

Edited by FLB, 23 April 2021 - 10:31.

[jonpollak]

You're such a tease, JP...

I can PM you...
Jp

[red stick]

Marshall Pruett's resource guide to the weekend--links to all the good stuff.

 

https://racer.com/20...resource-guide/

[HerbieMcQueen]

Marshall Pruett's resource guide to the weekend--links to all the good stuff.

 

https://racer.com/20...resource-guide/

 

Torn between wanting that scattered thunderstorm/rain to hit the circuit and produce a farcical shitshow, and hoping it stays away to see an actual race.

[red stick]

No rain!
No rain!

[Muppetmad]

I can PM you...
Jp

Thanks Jp   The story certainly did not disappoint. Great stuff!

[NewMrMe]

Pagenaud isn't luminous or monochrome 

[Afterburner]

There’s a great story about Hannah Montana concert merchandise not approved by management.

And NO... I cannot share.

Jp

Don't tell me someone nixed the official Hannah Montana electric toothbrush!

[Frood]

No rain!
No rain!

And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain that there's no rain

Incidentally, Blind Melon would be a good name for Menards yellow.

Also

Edited by Frood, 23 April 2021 - 14:18.

[red stick]

Great rain, great rain,

I thought I heard you call my name.

I was standing in the station,

Waving down an unmarked train.

 

If John Prine sponsored a color it would be something blue . . .

[Risil]

 

Great rain, great rain,

I thought I heard you call my name.

I was standing in the station,

Waving down an unmarked train.

 

If John Prine sponsored a color it would be something blue . . .

 

 

Would it rest upon your shoulder?

[paulb]

A little rain would be fab. Bumpy surfaces of differing materials and rain? Its been relatively dry in Florida so all those lovely compounds will surely ooze up bringing all sorts of surprises. What is not to like?

[jonpollak]

Who’s a good Regenmeister?
Jp

[Risil]

I recall eye-catching performances from Pagenaud, Newgarden and Palou in wet conditions. But I suspect St Pete in the rain is more about survival than finding your rhythm.

 

Didn't Graham Rahal get his first Indycar win loooong ago at a rainy St Pete?

[juicy sushi]

I recall eye-catching performances from Pagenaud, Newgarden and Palou in wet conditions. But I suspect St Pete in the rain is more about survival than finding your rhythm.

 

Didn't Graham Rahal get his first Indycar win loooong ago at a rainy St Pete?

It was definitely wet-dry at the very least, and I can recall much cattiness among the Indycar press gallery at exactly who in the press box was celebrating the win...