658 replies to this topic

[Risil]

Indycar is back!!! Following a speedy turnaround, your favourite international oval-inclusive single-seater circus leaves Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another, er, two months, and arrives at the bumpy, twisty and relatively bucolic circuit at Belle Isle Park within the Detroit River. This will, regrettably, be the last time the Indycar series visits the 2.35-mile parkland circuit as in his wisdom and serenity Roger Penske is moving the Detroit event to a rectangular layout outside the Renaissance Center downtown. So, one last chance to post that Montoya qualifying lap, one last chance to list all the different track surfaces that make up the circuit, one last chance to reminisce about the Carlos Munoz’s only Indycar victory. Well, maybe.

It’s only one race this year, so no chance of a repeat of last year when we were spoiled by Will Power’s car not switching on after Felix Rosenqvist’s red flag and Marcus Ericsson inheriting his first Indycar victory (times change?), and Pato O’Ward qualifying 16th and dashing through the field in the closing stages to win his second Indycar race. O’Ward went on to feature in the championship run-in, Ericsson did not. This time? We’ll see. More on that directly below.

A brief study of the points standings indicates that after a solid, even miraculous two weeks, Marcus Ericsson has jumped from an uneventful eighth in points to the championship lead. Being the Ganassi entry that kept it all together reaped benefits. Pato O’Ward’s second place has yielded a similarly vertiginous jump in the standings, whereas Alex Palou stays close to the championship lead after his recovery drive to 9^th. Penske, who went into the Indy 500 with their three drivers in the championship top four, have seen their boys Power, Newgarden and McLaughlin drop to P4, 5 and 7. Still, there’s only 24 points between Ericsson in first and Power in fourth, and even notorious pitlane velocitator Scott Dixon is only 60 points of the championship lead, with 11 (eleven) rounds still to go. It’s too early for points, really! Plenty of time for one of the expecteds to grab hold of 2022, turn it upside down and pick up the loose change of glory that collects on the pavement of history.

Well, here’s your schedule:

Friday, 3 June
8am: IMSA practice 1
12.05pm: IMSA practice 2
2.25: Indy Lights practice
3.30: Indycar practice 1
5.30: IMSA GTD qualifying
5.55: IMSA DPi qualifying

Saturday, 4 June
7.45am: Indy Lights qualifying 1
8.30: Indycar practice 2
9.50: IMSA warm-up
11.30: Indy Lights race 1
12.35pm: Indycar qualifying
3.10: IMSA Chevrolet Sports Car Classic

Sunday, 5 June
10.15am: Indycar warm-up
12.10pm: Indy Lights race 2
3.30: Chevrolet Indycar Grand Prix

OK! Time for comments below. I don't know anything about IMSA, but please talk about it as much as you want to.

[red stick]

Loose change on history's pavement? Gonna get letters . . .

[FLB]

For all eternity, this is IndyCar at Belle Isle for me...

 

[PayasYouRace]

That circuit map shows they’ve removed the left hand kink at the end of the back straight. Is that true?

[HerbieMcQueen]

I'm too excited by TK's tweet today saying that the identity of the third Mclaren driver will "make you fall off your chair" - with Rossi's move I'm already eyeing up Mclaren with a flirty eye so I hope Pato can have a 2021 repeat.

[FLB]

I'm too excited by TK's tweet today saying that the identity of the third Mclaren driver will "make you fall off your chair" - with Rossi's move I'm already eyeing up Mclaren with a flirty eye so I hope Pato can have a 2021 repeat.

Well, Palou certainly would make me fall off my chair...

[red stick]

Ricciardo rumor starts here. Pass it on.

[Afterburner]

There was also that time Marco Andretti was racing in the rain using a keyboard (thanks Frood):

[paulb]

I’m thinking Mario or Ross Stonefeld.

 

I like red stick’s Danny Ric suggestion.

[OvDrone]

I honestly can't believe that I'll grieve the loss of this track. I am busy this weekend and won't be able to see this last hoorah live. Double the Doom.

Have a great one y'all - give the Isle an incredible Indycat sendoff!

[eibyyz]

I'm too excited by TK's tweet today saying that the identity of the third Mclaren driver will "make you fall off your chair" - with Rossi's move I'm already eyeing up Mclaren with a flirty eye so I hope Pato can have a 2021 repeat.

 

So it's TK in the car?  Cool.

[SpaceHorseParty]

It's not a double header anymore?

[red stick]

It's not a double header anymore?

No.

[PayasYouRace]

Ricciardo rumor starts here. Pass it on.

My silly season shock prediction is for Lewis Hamilton. Reasoning in that thread. But I can see the Ricciardo logic.

[jonpollak]

Carlos Munoz.
Jp

[ANF]

That circuit map shows they’ve removed the left hand kink at the end of the back straight. Is that true?

[Frood]

That circuit map shows they’ve removed the left hand kink at the end of the back straight. Is that true?

If this video from RLL was shot this year, no:

 

https://twitter.com/...483231890788352

[TomNokoe]

A shame for Ilott as he was starting to build some momentum.

Grosjean's livery is nice.

[juicy sushi]

As Risil notes, this is mandatory for all Detroit posts.

 

[PayasYouRace]

This is also mandatory viewing:

 

[ANF]

A shame for Ilott as he was starting to build some momentum.

Grosjean's livery is nice.

What happened? Why the hell is Ferrucci in the #77?

 

Edit: Ilott was reevaluated this week after an injury suffered to his hand caused during his wreck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ilott will go through another evaluation next week. https://www.juncosra...oit-grand-prix/

Edited by ANF, 03 June 2022 - 16:48.

[Risil]

After his drive at the 500 I figure Santino deserves it. That said, he's not been a particularly hot shoe on road courses.

[jonpollak]

If I picked IIlott do I get Santucci?
Jp

[jonpollak]

Oh and while I’m here……..
Anyone going to the Zibs gig ?



Jp

[red stick]

Practice live on Peacock.

[rghojai]

After his drive at the 500 I figure Santino deserves it. That said, he's not been a particularly hot shoe on road courses.

 

Top-10 2x @ Detroit.

[red stick]

Kellett stopped on track.

[red stick]

Not Turn 1. Made it to 5.

Edited by red stick, 03 June 2022 - 19:40.

[red stick]

Can't count on anything any more . . .

[Anja]

Oh and while I’m here……..
Anyone going to the Zibs gig ?

 

Finally listened to some of their stuff on youtube. Pretty much exactly what I expected but not bad at all.

[red stick]

Rosenqvist finds wall.

[boomn]

How does everyone rank Belle Isle among the current street courses?  I didn't get to watch Nashville last year so I'm missing one potential contender.  But I've always liked the layout of Belle Isle better than St Petersburg, Long Beach or Toronto.  It feels like a nice cocktail of 1 part Quebec and 1 part Sebring

[Risil]

Second for me behind St Pete. We've had some good races at Belle Isle over the years, usually yellow-influenced. It's perfect for onboard cameras too.

Oddly Toronto's been pretty dull since they went to the DW12; it used to be the pick of the CART street tracks imo.

[paulb]

Oh and while I’m here……..
Anyone going to the Zibs gig ?



Jp

Cracker of a poster.

[red stick]

Cracker of a poster.

And a nice counterpoint to the opening act, who is comparatively "wreckless."  

[juicy sushi]

I find Long Beach the best street course.  Toronto was good, but changes over the years have made it less good.  St Pete is better than Detroit, but both are not that bad, especially compared to some of the other places 

[BoDarvelle]

Have they released the layout of the downtown track for next year?

 

 

*There's more than enough vacant land to build an epic road course within Detroit but the backdrop of burned out homes and decrepit factories would be rather unappealing.

[rghojai]

Can't count on anything any more . . .

We can count on you for sneering contempt.

[loki]

Have they released the layout of the downtown track for next year?

 

 

*There's more than enough vacant land to build an epic road course within Detroit but the backdrop of burned out homes and decrepit factories would be rather unappealing.

Track map https://detroitgp.co...t-in-2023/71711

 

Many of the dilapidated homes are gone, in their place empty lots.  Same with most of the old factories.  The last iconic ghost factory, the Packard plant,  has been ordered to be demolished at the end of the month.  Ten-twenty years ago it was ruin porn central.  These days there is pain and blight but nothing like it was.

Edited by loki, 04 June 2022 - 05:24.

[Ben1445]

I think it’s a shame to lose Belle Isle, I think it’s a great track. I’ll be sure to watch this one in case it’s really a final appearance.

Not entirely convinced by the downtown layout. Some bits look unsuitably narrow and it’s entirely made up from straights and 90 degree turns. I feel as though they could have been a bit more imaginative, especially considering the old downtown circuit and the sweeping turns of Belle Isle.

But time marches onward I guess.

[PayasYouRace]

I agree that’s it’s a great shame to lose Belle Isle. Taking inspiration from Montreal and hosting their grand prix on an island was always a great idea, though the circuit has always felt a bit small compared to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Still, it’s provided an entertaining and challenging street track with more than just 90 degree corners and hairpins. Great flowing track.

 

To move to a downtown circuit just 10 minutes down the road just seems like a downgrade.

[Anja]

I'll miss Belle Isle as well. It has its charm and has proven itself to be a good circuit for racing. There might be an advantage to the new location in commercial etc aspects but on paper the track itself seems like a major downgrade. We can only hope it will be better than it looks. 

Edited by Anja, 04 June 2022 - 09:19.

[Peat]

I love the Belle Isle layout on iRacing, it looks great on TV too. 

However, I am generally pretty against these parkland circuits now. I try and put myself in the shoes of people who live locally and I would be mightily pee'd off if a valuble community asset like a park was effectively out of bounds for weeks on end for a private event I wasn't interested in. I guess that started when i saw the backlash to the Battersea Park ePrix and spoke to friends who were spitting feathers because they lost their usual running route/hangout. Accessible green spaces in cities are really important. 

Anyway. Glad this is back to a singular race for it's swansong. I've never dug the double-headers.

[Ben1445]

A more agreeable situation for parkland circuits might be one where there's a redevelopment of industrial ground by which a new circuit helps facilitate for the creation of a new park for the community which wasn't there before. Though I don't think many examples of that exist outside of perhaps Fundidora Park. 

 

Also, in Belle Isle's defence, I suppose the circuit doesn't take up too much of the total park space, perhaps up to a quarter? Though I suppose traditional race events are noisy affairs. 

Edited by Ben1445, 04 June 2022 - 10:25.

[Risil]

I love the Belle Isle layout on iRacing, it looks great on TV too.

However, I am generally pretty against these parkland circuits now. I try and put myself in the shoes of people who live locally and I would be mightily pee'd off if a valuble community asset like a park was effectively out of bounds for weeks on end for a private event I wasn't interested in. I guess that started when i saw the backlash to the Battersea Park ePrix and spoke to friends who were spitting feathers because they lost their usual running route/hangout. Accessible green spaces in cities are really important.

Anyway. Glad this is back to a singular race for it's swansong. I've never dug the double-headers.

Did you tell them about the hole in the fence though?

[FLB]

A reminder: P2 in 20 minutes.

 

Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Practice 2 (staylive.io)

[PayasYouRace]

I love the Belle Isle layout on iRacing, it looks great on TV too.

However, I am generally pretty against these parkland circuits now. I try and put myself in the shoes of people who live locally and I would be mightily pee'd off if a valuble community asset like a park was effectively out of bounds for weeks on end for a private event I wasn't interested in. I guess that started when i saw the backlash to the Battersea Park ePrix and spoke to friends who were spitting feathers because they lost their usual running route/hangout. Accessible green spaces in cities are really important.

Anyway. Glad this is back to a singular race for it's swansong. I've never dug the double-headers.

A good point, but denying a few people a leisure space for a few days seems less disruptive than denying everybody transport links for the same period when using public roads.

[Gareth]

This will, regrettably, be the last time the Indycar series visits the 2.35-mile parkland circuit as in his wisdom and serenity Roger Penske is moving the Detroit event to a rectangular layout outside the Renaissance Center downtown. 

Sad to read this - it was the bonkers 2019 double header that got me in to following Indycar.

[FLB]

Sad to read this - it was the bonkers 2019 double header that got me in to following Indycar.

These two weren't bad either:

 

 

[Risil]

I like that second Youtube thumbnail image of a giant Bob Varsha spectrally looming over Belle Isle like Dracula.