Tag Archives: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Awards: Best Oval Track Race

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This is the first in a series of IZOD IndyCar Paddock Pass awards posts.  Stay tuned for more awards!

BRONZE MEDAL: AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY’S MAVTV 500

In an effort to replace Las Vegas Motor Speedway as host for the INDYCAR World Championships, the IZOD IndyCar Series turned to Auto Club Speedway to close their 2012 campaign.  Bringing a combination of the Speedway wing package used at Indianapolis and low downforce used at Texas, the show was sure to be interesting.  Throw into the mix that the championship was coming down to the wire as Will Power entered the event with a 17-point lead on Ryan Hunter-Reay, but, as IndyCar Series campaigns have shown consistently, it isn’t over until the checkered flag falls and the MAVTV 500 became a prime example.  Both championship contenders suffered ill handling race cars and combined with grid penalties for engine changes, both started back in the pack.  The race took a dramatic turn on lap 55:

Battling with rival Hunter-Reay, Will Power attempted to make a low side pass, got loose, and spun into the turn 2 wall changing the entire scope of this race.  Hunter-Reay immediately had the best opportunity to win the championship but still needed to complete 195 laps and finish 5th, after Verizon Team Penske was able to repair Power’s car enough to run enough laps to make up one position, to score enough points to win the championship.  The race was drama filled to the end capped of by a gutsy ‘red flag’ call by Beaux Barfield to give the race the opportunity to end under green flag conditions.  Ed Carpenter managed to snatch the race from Dario Franchitti while Hunter-Reay grabbed the title from the clutches of Will Power.

SILVER MEDAL: 96TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 MILE RACE

It might be considered a travesty to not have the Indianapolis 500 as the winner of this award every season.  The 2012 rendition of the 500 mile marathon just outside downtown Indianapolis could be enshrined as the best race in the event’s 100+ year history.  The Chevy vs. Honda ‘Turbogate’ saga had been accepted and Honda’s new turbo cover had been approved my IndyCar’s technical department, but when Pole Day came around it looked as though it didn’t even matter as Josef Newgarden was the only Honda to crack the top-9 in qualifying.  The race turned out to be a different story as the brand new Honda engines installed for the 500 miles seemed to have new life.  The race began as a battle between Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe with Marco Andretti holding the lead through the middle stages of the race.  Then Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing began to show their muscle.

On the final lap, Takuma Sato attempted to pass Dario Franchitti in turn 1 when he spun hitting the wall giving the race win to the Scot followed closely by teammate Scott Dixon and KV Racing’s Tony Kanaan.  A race filled with close competition that set an event record for lead changes ended like the greatest stories ever told.  The unenviable backdrop to the 2012 Indianapolis 500 was paying tribute to Dan Wheldon and the race ended with all three of Wheldon’s former teammates and best friends crossing the bricks three wide under caution for the most fitting tribute of all to Dan’s legacy.

 

GOLD MEDAL: FIRESTONE 550 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

As drama-filled and exciting as the Indianapolis 500 was, how could any event unseat it as the best oval race of 2012?

The award for best oval track race goes to the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway for a very simple reason.  In the wake of the tragedy of Las Vegas, there was much apprehension and questions about the viability of IndyCars racing on the high banked 1.5 mile oval tracks that helped make IndyCar Racing famous, at least in the recent history of the sport.  In order to remain relevant and draw fans, the schedule’s balance between ovals and road courses must be retained.

The tension was mounting in the Paddock as the first practice inched closer and closer.  Drivers said they would no longer participate in pack racing on the ovals but elected to grid at Texas because they are professionals.  The beauty of the new DW12 chassis is that it has a wealth of aerodynamic options to add or remove downforce.  In conjunction with the drivers, IndyCar’s technical department came to Texas with a low-downforce package that would require drivers to lift in the turns instead of holding the throttle flat.  This became an instantaneous solution for the pack racing and brought some serious excitement as cars were coming and going all the time.  This was also a race for the ‘little guys’ as the Pole was won by Alex Tagliani while Justin Wilson took the race win for Dale Coyne Racing after Graham Rahal grazed the turn 4 wall with two laps to go.

This race gets top honors for 2012 oval track races because of what it means for the future of the sport.  Leading up to the race, drivers said they would run the race but they would also be very happy to leave when it was over, but fast forward to after the race was complete and the attitude changed to ‘we want to do this again’.  Justin Wilson may have crossed the finish line first, but the big winners in this race was the sport itself and its fans.  Oval tracks are here to stay and make no mistake that the results of Texas had direct correlation to the addition of Pocono Raceway in 2013.  A big ‘Thank You’ goes to Eddie Gossage for sticking with IndyCar through all the talk of configuration, pack racing, and fence talk to host IndyCar Paddock Pass’s ‘Best Oval’ of 2012.

 

 

 

A Vote For Randy Bernard

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The years of open wheel racing from 1996-2007 can only be described as a period of all out war with no beneficiary!  A little history to get us started.  The year 1996 marked the inception of the Indy Racing League, an oval intensive open wheel racing series with the Indianapolis 500 as its centerpiece.  Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO, Tony George, had become discouraged by the manner the team owners of CART, or Championship Auto Racing Teams, were running their sport and elected to start a racing series with a sanctioning body to manage the overall operations of the sport.  George went on to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on upgrades to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to facilitate the introduction of Formula to the facility as well as improve the NASCAR experience.  The Formula 1 experiment would be deemed a failure after the after the 2005 event saw only six cars start the race due to the Michelin tire deemed unsafe so only cars with Bridgestone tires competed.  Formula 1′s final race was contested contested in 2007.

In 2008, George brokered a deal with the Champ Car World Series where Champ Car teams willing to run in IndyCar for the 2008 season would be given Dallara Chassis, Honda engine leases, and Firestone tires with the costs absorbed by the sanctioning body of INDYCAR and IMS Corporation.  Additionally, these “transition” teams from Champ Car would be partnered with veteran IndyCar Series teams to get them up to speed more quickly.  The unification agreement, signed February 28, 2008, brought an end to over a decade of meaningless, petty, and detrimental hostility between the two series.  Instead of bickering and name calling there became opportunity to rebuild and repair the damage done.  By the end of the 2009 season, IMS Corporation became increasingly displeased with the dollar figures of debt George was amassing in his pursuit of keeping IndyCar afloat.  The result was the removal of Tony George as IndyCar CEO.

To say that Tony George’s reign as IndyCar CEO was without merit or progress would be unfair as George did do a lot of good amongst the irreparable damage.  George’s Indy Racing League became the dominant series in open wheel racing in the early 2000s resulting in the defection of the likes of Penske, Ganassi and Andretti and leading to unification under George’s IRL IndyCar Series.  The unified series brought new and talented drivers to the IndyCar Paddock including championship contender Will Power and 2012 Texas winner Justin Wilson.  The 2012 season marked the first time since 1995 open wheel racing had all the top drivers under one banner.

Entering the 2010 season, IMS Corporation turned to Randy Bernard, a businessman with a proven record of promotional and marketing success.  The hitch, however, was that he had never attended an IndyCar race before being considered for the job in the waning months of 2009.  Bernard took the Professional Bullriders Association from a no-name ‘what the heck is it’ brand to a top tier sport in the United States.  Not unlike IndyCar racing, Professional Bullriders is, unlike the NFL or Major League Baseball, a niche sport that will appeal to certain specific demographics instead of broad societal appetites.  Bernard also had the reputation of being a sound businessman in terms of operating on a budget giving the sport a viable, sustainable financial model.  Bernard signed a five year contract to helm the IZOD IndyCar Series with 2012 his third full year in the series.  Stating Bernard as amazing and without fault is as unfair as saying Tony George didn’t do any good.  Bernard has had his pratfalls like anyone in a position of power.

In the wake of one of the best Indianapolis 500 Mile Races in the 101 year history of the Brickyard’s Memorial Day classic, there was indication that the war may return swiftly after four and a half years of peace.  It was posted, by Bernard, on Twitter that several team owners had banded together to try to get him removed from his position as CEO of INDYCAR.  The central issue circled around the cost of the new Dallara DW12 Chassis and its replacement parts and the owners desiring parts to cost 40% less they were being charged.  As the 2012 season came to a close, Bernard revealed a compromise that he hoped would sit well with the owners, but it seems to have come to no avail…so far.

Tony George has resigned his position on the IMS Board and ventured on an endeavour to buy his beloved IndyCar Series back and oust Randy Bernard.  Rumors are circling that George is unhappy with Bernard’s management of the series and desires more oval track races.  The 2013 schedule contains only six oval races and thirteen road and street course races.  Bernard’s schedule plan includes venues that are financially beneficial and progressive for the sport ushering multi-year contract agreements to build each event’s fan base.  The facts are the facts, and the oval races, while exciting and offering IndyCar’s best on track product, are difficult to sell and put fans in the seats on race day on national television while street course races are capable of attracting 200,000 fans over the course of a weekend and are better financially for the long term success of INDYCAR.  The ovals will come, but it will take a little time to build the popularity.

The IMS Board states that IndyCar Racing is NOT FOR SALE and that they will under no circumstances consider its availability on the open market.  Randy Bernard is at the helm of INDYCAR and has given the brand its first positive momentum since 2008.  It is more financially viable in 2013 than it was in 2009, but it still has a long way to go to get the ship fully righted and sailing in the right direction.  Attendance at the tracks has improved, but the television ratings outside the Indianapolis 500 continue to struggle, but under Bernard’s guidance, INDYCAR has ushered in a new car, new stars, and exciting racing.  Of all the racing series in action in 2012, INDYCAR has produced the best raw racing product of them all with the Indianapolis 500 the prime example on their biggest stage.  The new car has shown to be tunable to given circuits and capable of eliminating the madness pack racing that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon.  Bernard has employed and empowered Beaux Barfield to officiate the series closely and fairly in a manner that drivers and teams understand while the technical department works vigilantly with the drivers to grant them their wishes and honor their concerns.  Most importantly, Bernard is the first in a long while to actually listen and get the pulse of the fan base and make changes accordingly to make the racing more exciting with double-file restarts, or moving lap cars out of the way inside 20 laps to go.  Hopefully the Board stands their ground and keeps their word because Randy Bernard should, and needs, to see his contract through.  All the bickering, name calling, and bad publicity needs to stop because it is just what IndyCar DOES NOT NEED in the wake of one of the best racing seasons run to date…in ANY series, I might add.

Indy 500 Recap: Ganassi, Honda Break Through

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The 500 Miles of Indianapolis have been completed and, for the third time in the last five editions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing emerged victorious in the World’s Greatest Race.  Dario Franchitti, carrying the No. 50 in honor of Target’s 50th Anniversary was in the lead coming to the last lap of the race when Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dove underneath vying for the race lead.  Sato proceeded to the white line on the inside of turn one when the No. 15 MiJack machine touched wheels with Franchitti’s Target red car spinning Sato to the outside SAFER Barrier giving the win to the Scot.  This win places Franchitti in an elite group of drivers that have won the Indianapolis 500 three times joining Helio Castroneves as the only active driver to accomplish the feat.  Franchitti made his way to victory circle for the ceremonial bottle of milk and saluted his fallen former teammate and friend, Dan Wheldon.  Digging further into the final results the top-3 finishers are fitting because they were all former teammates of the late Dan Wheldon, and, in a race so filled with emotion and tribute, finished as it should.  Any of the top-3 would have been a fitting champion in this race.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT’S STRONG MONTH HITS THE WALL

Andretti Autosport was considered, by many in the Paddock, to be the team to beat on Race Day.  Sure, Team Penske won the Pole Position for the race, but Andretti Autosport cars filled the next three positions on the starting grid.  Through the first half of the race, it seemed as everything was going to plan.  Marco Andretti sailed out to the lead and led a race high 59 laps, but spent the second half of the race mired in traffic with a downforce level that made the car difficult to drive in that situation.  His race finally ended on lap 187 when he spun and hit the SAFER barrier ending his run.  Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a conservative race just logging miles and setting up for the final fifty laps to go for the race win when a CV joint broke in the right rear of the car ending his day.  Ana Beatriz and Sebastien Saavedra also suffered difficult runs.  James Hinchcliffe was the lone bright spot for the team finishing 6th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

TEAM PENSKE STILL SITS AT 15…

For the third straight rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Team Penske has suffered mediocre results, overall.  Team Penske and driver Ryan Briscoe started from the Pole in the 2012 edition with Power and Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively in their cars.  Briscoe led fifteen laps early, but faded through the middle portions of the race before rebounding to a fifth place finish to lead Team Penske on the day.  Castroneves suffered through subpar pitstops and difficult handling balance in traffic salvaging a 10th place result in the final box score.  Will Power had, by far, the toughest day for Team Penske.  On lap 79, Power was approaching the car of Mike Conway who had just made a pit stop, a botched pit stop where he slid into the box damaging is front wing.  Conway’s car got loose and spun toward the SAFER Barrier collecting Power ending his day saddling him with a 28th Place finish and a huge dent in the points lead.

LOTUS’ DAY ENDS VERY VERY EARLY

The two cars powered by Lotus were in for a tough day, for sure, but they were hoping that they would last more than ten laps into the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, however, Director Beaux Barfield determined very early that they were unable to keep sufficient pace to warrant remaining on the track.  Lotus’ problems were well documented all month and the race was a culmination of all of these issues.  HVM Racing, the only full-time Lotus team, seems to be committed to moving forward with the European manufacturer, however, if the engine doesn’t make significant progress soon, you could see Keith Wiggins jump to Honda sometime later this year if pressure for better results comes from their sponsor Entergy.

40 YEAR OLD GETS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR…SAY WHAT?

KV Racing Technology driver Rubens Barrichello finished his first Indianapolis 500 in 11th position as the highest finishing rookie, therefore, winning the Chase Rookie of the Year award for 2012.  Barrichello had a consistent day of learning and will return to the Speedway next may with a legitimate chance to win the race in his second start.

DAN WHELDON HONORED, REMEMBERED


UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series packs up and leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another year and returns to business as usual.  The car count will be back down to the normal field of 26 as the series loads into the revival of the Grand Prix of Detroit with the race sponsored by Chevrolet.  The race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship resumes Sunday from the Motor City with Will Power holding the points lead by a margin of 36 over teammate Helio Castroneves.

CONGRATULATIONS DARIO FRANCHITTI AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

WINNERS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

All That’s Left Is 500 Miles!

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TRACK LAYOUT / MAP:

Rookie Orientation Program, Seven days of practice, Two days of qualifications, Carb Day Final Practice with Pit Stop Competition, and 500 Festival Parade…Complete.  All that is left for the IZOD IndyCar Series at Indianapolis is to run 500 Miles and find out whose face is etched on the Borg Warner trophy this time next year.  Storylines are abound on the eve of the World’s Greatest Race!

NEW CARS AND CHEVROLET VS. HONDA

The IZOD IndyCar Series debuts its new DW12 package on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in race competition for the first time on an oval.  The car has gone through substantial testing and modification to bring it to this point.  New rear wings and underwing ground effects have greatly enhanced the car’s ability at IMS.  The car drafts very well and according to drivers being ten car lengths behind in this car is like two car lengths in the car that IndyCar retired after the 2011 season.  This year’s rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race could have to most passes in the history of the event, especially for the lead.  The indications are that this aero package could breed Indianapolis’ version of “pack racing” so hopefully the drivers use their heads and have a safe afternoon.  Double-file restarts have been scrapped for this year’s race for safety reasons which should help the safety factor.  This new DW12 car is still in the development stages and drivers have said that the car can be difficult in traffic so that is something to watch.  The question is which driver/team combination can find the car’s sweet spot over the course of the race’s 200 laps to make their car the best in traffic?

Returning to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 2005 is engine competition.  Series staple Honda along with returning Chevrolet and newbies Lotus have entered cars in the 2012 Indianapolis 500.  Lotus is not expected to be a factor, but Chevrolet and Honda will duke it out until the very end.  The Indianapolis 500 has often proven to be won on a game of fuel mileage strategy and the 2012 edition could be more of the same.  Through the first four races the Chevrolet twin turbo powerplant has been able to get slightly better fuel mileage than their Honda counterparts, however, all these races were on road and street courses so the engines were not constantly on the high end of the RPM meter.  Which manufacturer will emerge victorious?

PENSKE GOING FOR 16:

Roger Penske, honored at Legend’s Day in 2012, is going for his 16th Win at the Indianapolis 500 as an owner.  Penske has an unmatched record at the Speedway, a record he would undoubtedly like to build upon.  Ryan Briscoe has already won the Pole Postion for Team Penske giving Roger the first bullet fired in the race.  Briscoe is joined in the top six by teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively.  Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet powered Shell V-Power Team Penske car, strives for his fourth Indianapolis 500 win;  A feat only accomplished by Rick Mears, AJ Foyt, and Al Unser while Power and Briscoe look for their first likeness on the Borg Warner Trophy.  Since 2003, when Gil de Ferran gave Penske his third straight win after returning to the race in 2001, Team Penske has won in 2006 and 2009 marking a return to victory lane every three years.  2012 would be three years since the last win.  The numbers add up, but will the results on Race Day?

GANASSI WINS CARB DAY!

The Andretti Autosport and Penske teams handily outdueled the four car Chip Ganassi Racing stable in qualifying, but, if Carb Day is any indication, Ganassi’s team should be a factor on Race Day.  Dario Franchitti topped the speed chart in final practice on Carb Day followed closely by Scott Dixon.  Dixon finished the day for Team Target by winning the Pit Stop Competition, a first for Chip Ganassi in his storied history at the Brickyard.  Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball also showed strong pace on Carb Day practice and with the DW12′s drafting ability these cars could go straight to the front!

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT POISED FOR HUGE REBOUND!

In 2011, Andretti Autosport endured possibly the most difficult month of May at Indianapolis for any team since Team Penske failed to qualify in 1995.  The 2011 Andretti Autosport cars handled well, but had no speed, ending up with Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay missing the 33 car field in qualifying and Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti making the field on Bump Day by the slimmest of margins.  Fast forward to 2012, Andretti Autosport entered the sacred ground of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway loaded for bear qualifying cars in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th separating only Team Penske in the front two rows.  James Hinchcliffe missed the Pole by a total of ten inches.  Andretti Autosport could be the team Favorited to win the 2012 Indianapolis 500 with the pace, talent, and experience of their cars and drivers.  What will 500 Miles hold?

19 YEARS IN FORMULA 1, FIRST INDIANAPOLIS 500

Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello faced a steep learning curve entering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for IndyCar’s Month of May.  Barrichello has shown well in practice and qualifying by starting 10th, but this race is a 3 1/2 hour, 500 mile marathon of an event.  The learning curve only gets steeper as Barrichello has yet to drive an IndyCar on an oval in traffic for any substantial length of time, and, thusly, has a monumental task in front of him.  Barrichello must approach Indianapolis as he has every other race and test session which is a learning experience.  Barrichello has done a remarkable job through the first four races keeping the car on the track and learning as much as he can each event.  Don’t count Barrichello out if he can keep the No. 8 KV Racing car on the track and the lead lap when it comes down to the finish.

THE…HEAT…IS…ON!!!!!!!!!!

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a history of having a say in who wins this race.  The biggest factor on race day may not be the cars, drivers, strategy, engines, or tires but the SUN!  This could be the hottest Indianapolis 500 on record making the conditions harsh on handling, driver fatigue, and engine reliability.  The drivers will have a difficult time staying hydrated and focused for the 500 miles.  Who can endure the conditions?

BOTTOM LINE:

This field, except for the two Lotus powered cars, is WIDE OPEN with a winner too tough to call and surprises could be abound once the green flag drops at around 12:15 Sunday.  Tune into ABC for all the action at 11:00 AM Eastern time!  Pull up a chair and E N J O Y!

REMEMBER OUR FALLEN HERO

For the first time since 1947, the defending Champion of the Indianapolis 500 will not be able to defend his title due to his death.  The most important part of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is remembering the great Dan Wheldon.  Dan Wheldon loved this race more than any other and everybody knew it.  Wheldon came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2011 with a small team helmed by former Andretti Green Racing teammate Bryan Herta.  The team became sleepers qualifying sixth and triumphantly crossed the bricks first after JR Hildebrand hit the Turn 4 wall on the final lap.  Nobody thought that win would be Dan’s last.  Wheldon was more than just a top flight racecar driver, he was an ambassador for the sport of IndyCar racing always taking extra time for a photograph or an autograph for a loving fan.  Dan’s death has left holes in the lives of everybody that loves INDYCAR…holes that may never be filled.  Dan Wheldon was a fan favorite, media favorite, and competitor favorite and meant more to our sport than just about anybody.  Wheldon was slated to drive the GoDaddy.com car that James Hinchcliffe now pilots.  Instead of piloting the car, screaming in to turn 1 as the green flag drops, Dan Wheldon will be watching the Indianapolis 500 on May 27, 2012 from the best seat in the house.  Alas, he will not be here with the rest of us and it hurts.  Everybody wear some Orange on Race Day in honor of the late, great Dan Wheldon!  Hope you enjoy this one, Dan, it’s going to be a great race. 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

 


Indianapolis 500: Qualifying Weekend Review

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Qualifying for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 is complete and INDYCAR has filled the 33 car field, but not without trepidation.  Team Chevrolet drivers had all their worries of a dominant Honda opponent in qualifying fade into the sunset when Chevrolet powered cars from Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, and KV Racing Technology all but stomped the rest of the field in qualifications.  It became apparent very early on in Pole Day that Chevrolet was going to be extremely strong, especially with the higher boost levels given to teams for the qualifying weekend.  Chevrolet drivers came out and snagged eight of the top nine positions on the grid setting up the shootout for the Pole.  The only Honda to qualify inside the top nine was Josef Newgarden and all four drivers from Chip Ganassi Racing were shut out of the Pole Shootout.  There were three incidents on Pole Day involving Oriol Servia, Bryan Clauson and Ed Carpenter forcing those drivers to qualify on Bump Day.

DRIVERS MAKING THE POLE SHOOTOUT:

# 2 Ryan Briscoe IZOD Team Penske Chevrolet

# 3 Helio Castroneves Shell V-Power Team Penske Chevrolet

# 5 EJ Viso CITGO KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

# 11 Tony Kanaan GEICO KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

# 12 Will Power Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet

# 26 Marco Andretti RC Cola Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 27 James Hinchcliffe GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay DHL/SunDrop Andretti Autosport Chevrolet

# 67 Josef Newgarden Dollar General Sarah Fisher Hartman Honda

The Pole Shootout began with EJ Viso making a couple laps on his run and waving it off as did teammate Tony Kanaan.  Ryan Briscoe exited the pits in his IZOD Team Penske machine and fired off a first lap of nearly 227 mph and completed his run with a four lap average of 226.484 mph besting James Hinchcliffe by .003 mph to take the Pole.  The first three rows consist of cars from Andretti Autosport and Team Penske.  The highest qualified car from Chip Ganassi Racing is Graham Rahal who will start outside row four.

The dominance of the Team Chevrolet teams may have come as a surprise, but the struggles of Lotus went as anticipated.  Neither car from Lotus made a qualifying attempt on Pole Day and why would they?  The Lotus has consistently shown speeds 12-14 mph off the leader’s pace.  So much, in fact, that Lotus had been considered to keep the extra boost level for qualifying to make them more competitive during the race, however, this has been vetoed by INDYCAR so Lotus has a difficult race weekend ahead of them.  Hopefully, Lotus can find enough pace to remain on the racetrack for the entire event so they can continue their engine development.

A vote of encouragement for INDYCAR to come out of qualifying weekend for the Indianapolis 500 has to be the performance of the DW12 cars during crashes at high speed.  Previous to this weekend, the DW12 endured only one major crash when Marco Andretti got together with Graham Rahal at Long Beach and neither car suffered serious damage.  Crashing on a road course and an oval are completely different things as the speeds on ovals are to the absolute extreme of the IndyCar’s capabilities.  The only incident during practice leading up to the qualifying weekend was a slight brush to the wall by Josef Newgarden.  Oriol Servia, Ed Carpenter, and Bryan Clauson suffered major hits to the SAFER Barrier during qualifying runs while Charlie Kimball tested the car’s crash abilities during practice on Bump Day.  The DW12 passed its first oval crash tests with flying colors as all four drivers exited uninjured ready to fight another day.

This field is incredibly tight and there are so many unknowns as we head to the drop of the green flag on Sunday May 27.  For the first time in nearly a decade, we are dealing with a new car with so many unknowns itself.  How will it handle in a slipstream behind 14-15 cars?  Will the lead be the desired place to be or will the leader by handicapped by the DW12′s apparent ability to draft and pass as shown in practice?  These three engine manufacturers have yet to run these engines at oval speeds constantly for 500 miles so how will the reliability factor into who wins the Indianapolis 500?  It has also been suggested that cars will not be able to pull away from each other creating an Indianapolis version of pack racing which could make for lots of excitement on raceday, but the danger factor could go through the roof.  Hopefully, INDYCAR has the field with enough depth and experience that the drivers will show the same courtesy, patience, and respect that they have shown through the first four races in 2012 to make the Indianapolis 500 a safe race.  The green flag drops just after 12:00 on Sunday May 20, so strap in and pull the belts tight because this one is gonna be exciting!

I500StartingLineup

Indianapolis 500 Spotter Guide

Bubble, Bubble, Lotus In Trouble…

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As Chevrolet and Honda powered teams work through their programs leading up to Fast Friday and Pole Day, Lotus is struggling to get their cars up to competitive pace.  Team Lotus drivers Simona de Silvestro and Jean Alesi are very concerned about their lack of speed and their ability to compete in the race.  Fortunately for these drivers, there are currently only enough entries to make the 33 car field so they will make the race no matter what their qualifying speed, however they must keep a race pace within 105 percent of the leader’s speed in order to continue running during the Indianapolis 500 on May 27.  An update to the Lotus engine is in the works to, hopefully, give the marque a boost in power thus increasing the speed, however, it is unknown if such an update will be available in time to make the cars competitive in the Indianapolis 500.  IZOD IndyCar Race Director Beaux Barfield will not hesitate, for safety reasons, pulling these cars off the track if they cannot keep pace.  It is unrealistic to think that Lotus was going to come out and win the Indianapolis 500 stealing it from Chevrolet or Honda, but 500 miles of development will help the brand down the road in 2012 and beyond.  A competitive Lotus engine is very important to INDYCAR so let’s hope that they can right the ship and make some quick progress.

The field is now full for the Indianapolis 500.  Dragon Racing’s severance from Lotus is complete and they are now powered by Chevrolet.  As a result Katherine Legge got her first taste of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as she went out early in the morning on Thursday May 17 to begin her rookie orientation program where she completed Phase 1 of the three phase process.  She will be given extra time in the afternoon to, hopefully, complete Phase 2 with Phase 3 being completed on the morning of Fast Friday practice.  Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 7 McAfee sponsored car should have a Chevrolet engine married to it in time to run Fast Friday and complete his requires refresher course.  Dragon Racing is six days behind the 8-ball but they have strong engines and probably some support from Team Penske so expect them to get up to speed quickly.  They must work fast because they only have three days of track time before Miller Lite Carb Day to get it right.

An oddity of this month’s proceedings at the racetrack, other than the weather being immaculate, is the quiet demeanor of the super teams of Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing.  While Josef Newgarden, Sebastien Saavedra, and Andretti Autosport have enjoyed strong showings each day on the speed chart, the six cars Favorited to win the race have been eerily quiet so far this month.  They have shown good pace, but not lights out, amazingly quick speeds that we are accustomed.  Look for them to turn up the wick tomorrow as the boost levels on the turbo are given an upgrade for the qualifying weekend.

 

Indianapolis 500: Turbos and Lotus Remain Focus at IMS

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Two days of practice complete at Indianapolis and the young guns are blazing out of the gate.  Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing topped the speed chart on opening day on Saturday with rookie driver Josef Newgarden while AFS Andretti Autosport driver Sebastien Saavedra led day two.  Honda led opening day while Chevrolet topped the chart on day two.  The speed should not be read into on either day as it is the result of tows on the track so it is unknown what speed the cars are capable running by themselves.

Concern is mounting, however, about the performance of the two remaining Lotus cars in the field which are having difficulty meeting the anticipated minimum speed for the race.  Prior to the Indianapolis 500 Bryan Herta Autosport and Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing severed ties with the European manufacturer and joined rival Chevrolet (DRR) and Honda(BHA) for the remainder of the IZOD IndyCar Series Season.  The fastest speeds are ranging from 218-221 mph brackets while the Lotus cars are just barely scratching 205-207 which is below the 105 percent threshold that the cars must achieve during the race to remain on the track…track time the Lotus engine desperately needs.  HVM driver Simona de Silvestro states that the cars a trimmed out like everybody else, but the engine, for one reason or other, just will not deliver the power to make the cars go fast.  Starting Monday, Lotus has just five days to find some speed.  The weather forecast looks favorable so at least that is in their favor, but it will be a huge mountain to climb in the time available.  A competitive Lotus package is very important to the Indianapolis 500 and INDYCAR in general so a solution is critical and they are running out of time and opportunitites as teams are, undoubtedly, running out of patience.

Dragon Racing has elected not to use the Lotus engine effective after Brazil leaving drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge on the sidelines without turning a single lap on the Speedway as they wait for severance from Lotus to become official and the approval to utilize Chevrolet power.  Legge needs to complete the Rookie Orientation Program while Bourdais must do a refresher course before they are allowed to continue with their programs to prepare for the race.  This is especially important for Legge, who carries the TrueCar sponsorship funding the No. 6 Dragon Racing car she pilots.  Time is running out for these drivers as well.

Behind the apparent parity amongst Chevrolet and Honda powered cars, there is a growing concern that come Pole Day on Saturday that the Turbo modification that Honda was allowed to make to give their engine more competitive horsepower on the road courses could allow them to dominate the starting grid for the Indianapolis 500.  It appears that Chevrolet has a good engine package for the race, however, the single turbo favored by Honda was predicted to be the favorable package on the oval tracks to begin with.  Add the newly approved turbo cover, and Honda could have a serious advantage when it comes to qualifying on Saturday.  The race should be evenly matched, but qualifying could be a landslide in favor of Honda.  Nothing is for certain, of course, but the drivers in the Chevrolet camp are concerned as they work diligently through the week.  Fast Friday is only three days away, but don’t expect any of the top teams to show their hand until then or even until their four lap qualifying runs on Saturday.

Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello is taking to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway successfully so far under the guidance of KV Racing Technology and teammate Tony Kanaan.  Barrichello will, undoubtedly, be methodical in his education on the track during practice and try and trim the car more and more each day gradually bringing the speed up until he attempts to qualify the car on Pole Day on Saturday.  Barrichello with KV Racing and Chevrolet power should qualify this car solidly in the field.  If he can complete all 500 miles don’t count him out as a contender for the Borg Warner Trophy!

DAY 1 PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS:

DAY 2 PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS:

April 4, 2012: The Moment of Truth

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Since when can it be that a mere test session with barely over ten car and driver combinations participating carry so much burden?  With two races complete, the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season and the new DW12 have made for some incredibly exciting racing.  The car’s performance has been superb although drivers state that it is still and handful to drive.  The car has aced the left and right turn test and IndyCar, Dallara, drivers, and teams all deserve credit for making the transition a raging success.

That being said, the most important race on the schedule has no right turns.  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the course where the car’s performance and ability to exceed expectations is crucial. The DW12 has not graced the Speedway on 16th and Georgetown since November and reviews from drivers were not favorable.  The issue stems from a weight imbalance in construction giving the car an unpredictable condition in the turns at Indianapolis.  The car would oversteer, or want to spin, on corner entry, but on exit the car developed tremendous push creating a situation that was unfixable by adjusting downforce.  The result was a disappointing top speed of 216 mph, almost 11 mph slower than Alex Tagliani’s Pole speed last year, in a car that was supposed to be lighter and faster than than the 2011 model it replaces.  IndyCar and technical liaison Will Phillips have worked meticulously and diligently attempting to remedy this condition with the car being tested at Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Homestead Miami Speedway with significant progress being made.  Indianapolis is the crown jewel of IndyCar racing and the car must perform on Memorial Day weekend or the new chassis could be deemed a failure.

To help the car further, a new aerodynamic wing configuration (see below), provided at no cost to teams, will be tested on April 4, 2012.  This package is lighter to help the weight bias and, with any luck, create significantly less aerodynamic drag with the hope of correcting these two factors, the most significant causes of the car’s unacceptable handling condition.  One car from each team will test at Indianapolis tomorrow including former Indianapolis 500 winners Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon.  If anybody can discover how to make this car work…these guys can!  This package must to work because there is little to no time to modify the DW12 before the month of May.  Whether these aerodynamic changes correct the issues or not, this will be the car that rolls out onto the 2.5 mile oval on May 12th for Rookie Orientation.  Cross your fingers if you like, but this car is going to be fine as will be seen during this test.  Optimistic, yes, but that’s what is needed at this point.  The time of doom and gloom about the DW12 is over and the car is here to stay!

AERO KIT TO BE USED AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

AERO KIT TO BE USED AT INDIANAPOLIS AND AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY