1007 replies to this topic

[JHS]

Power gets by Matos and back in the top ten. I imagine he's furious with Helio. 5 to go.

Edited by JHS, 17 April 2011 - 10:18 PM.

[JHS]

Wow. Didn't see that coming. Mike Conway takes his first Indycar victory. Briscoe second, Franchitti third. Hinchcliffe great result, fourth.

[lewisthegreat2]

[lewisthegreat2]

Big congratulations have to go out to Mike Conway for coming from ****ing nowhere to win his first IZOD IndyCar Series race!  Wild Ginger finally learned how to finish one.

His move on the restart to get to fourth, by the way, was all hamburgers.  Impressive.

Ryan Briscoe had great strategy today; he must have no idea what hit him.  The man calling the shots, of course, is Roger Penske, so that explains why the strategy was so good...

...and speaking of Penske, I don't want to be Hélio Castroneves or Will Power today.  Chip Ganassi's funny when he's angry; Roger Penske isn't.

Sébastien Bourdais let two ****s slip on the air today; brilliant stuff.  Gotta love cable.  I'm sure someone somewhere with a little kid was really really angry that their child might have maybe heard and repeated it, but I think it's great TV to let the emotions air unadulterated.  Big Man Award to Marco; grew up and confessed to it all being his fault.  I was hoping secretly that he wouldn't, if only to see Bourdais fight him.  Hey, it would have been a great lead-in to the Canucks/Blackhawks NHL match tonight on VERSUS... (don't talk to me about the Bruins, but hey, the Rangers finally got a W).

Sucks big ones for Servià to get caught up in the Penske boys' crapping of the bed, but he recovered nicely to take sixth.  Great start to the season for him, and purely Servià-esque to be so consistent.  Great personality, too.  Speaking of Newman/Haas and great personalities, anyone want to tell me who finished fourth?  Nice weekend for young Canadians, with Wickens being pretty good in the WSR, too (Wickens is a Marussia-backed driver, by the way, and if we can get him in the MVR next year I'll tune in and go in Scott Speed denial mode and defend his every move...but I will, at the very least, be watching F1 for once ).

Can't fault Danica for her drive today.  Nothing special, nothing stupid.  She's a much better oval racer, she showed some spark (not much), and to just salvage good points before the stretch that starts with one of her best tracks (Indy herself) is good enough.  I doubt Michael expected his two best-placing drivers to be Mike and Danica.

Really tough break for Hunter-Reay, though I'm not sure why he ran Meira up there.  No point when your car is dead.  I've always liked RHR, but he's been a bit annoying since he joined Andretti's team.  Then again, that's just the culture there.  Very high-strung team.

Paul Tracy's over-hyped return amounted to nothing.  I'm not surprised.  Time for fresh blood; Paul's all hot air these days.

Not much else to say.  Race was a super snoozer until the last mess of a million accidents all on one lap; the final 16 laps salvaged this puppy.  On to São Paulo we go...

[lewisthegreat2]

I thought of something else I want to say.

The restarts today could have been thought out a little better, I think.  There's no way to form double-file off of turn eleven, and the drivers weren't exactly going to try their damnedest to do so.  Solution?  Have the restart line be different than the start/finish.  There's a long back stretch (Seaside Way) if they don't know, and it could be easier to form up there.  Come on guys, get creative...

[JHS]

I did wonder about the restarts, hardly looked like double file to me for most of what I saw. Only about the top 4-6 cars would form up, everyone else AWOL.

[lewisthegreat2]

Some funny mistakes on the broadcast today, but I have to say that INDYCAR on VERSUS has been a large success.

Jenkins is still messing a lot of things up, but he has a lot more energy this year with Wally Dallenbach alongside, and Dallenbach's always been a brilliant analyst.  Beekhuis, too, is really good, and plays well with Wally.

And on pit road, Lindy Thackston's always been good (she should replace Bob in the booth...I'm serious), Kevin Lee's turning out to be solid, and Marty Snider has been absolutely flawless in his new role.  You'd never know Marty's only really covered NASCAR prior to this.  Perfect delivery.  Pit road team is great, and any of the three would work in the booth as play-by-play, I think (Jenkins has to be close to retirement).

Then there's Robin Miller.  An odd addition to the broadcast, but I like it.

Above all, the VERSUS team have chemistry.  They all know each other and like each other, and I think that's facilitated by Dallenbach and Snider's days with NASCAR on NBC where there was always a lot of commentator-to-commentator banter.  The ABC team all lack talent, and they also lack any ability to gel with one another.  Really enjoy these races on VERSUS; even the boring parts are watchable because of the team doing such a good job.

Still some production stuff to work through, and Jenkins' age shows (he's truly an American sportscasting legend), but the broadcasts have been great these last two weeks.

[lewisthegreat2]

And if I'm Roger Penske, I'm scouting some talent for 2012.  One of these three has to go bye-bye (though Penske may just cut back to two cars).  Hell, I'd have fired them all after today.  Dubya looks like Viso out there when he was on cold tires (but then again, Long Beach : Power :: Indy : Andretti; did anyone kiss Will in 2008?), Hélio's looks like Viso all the time (must be distracted; it is tax season after all, and he actually has to pay them now), and Ryan was the highlight of the race for the team (when the highlight is a sloppy weekend and eventually losing the race...)

It's just been a bad start to the season for all of their boys and if they come home without Indy and without a title again, Roger best not be soft.

[HandyNZL]

Shhh...JHS...good job Cav's definition of motorsport only extends to F1, otherwise he would be in here calling you a troll for posting about the race and not looking at the live timing board to determine that if x driver didn't finish in 8th then he had the speed and lap times to win the race....

Just finished watching the highlights...kudos to Conway..he was racey at the start but then got bumped down to 19th at one stage...nice fight back up the grid..

Marco Marco Marco....you may have the name, but the gene has deteriorated over the generations...

Princess Sparkle Pony just chugged along today and picked up 7th....kind of like a Force India driver

And Viso....oh boyyyeee....

[lewisthegreat2]

I wish Cav's definition of the Internet extended only to Neopets.  Even when I watch, I can't even be bothered to go into F1 Discussions when he's around...(heheheheh this is like a PM because no one else will read it).

Scott Dixon is angry at Hélio Castroneves.  He is justified in that.  Castroneves has been relentlessly sloppy this year and, at times, blatantly.

[JHS]

I've only really posted a couple of times in the F1 forum since coming back, I can't be bothered to get back into the arguments, blind patriotism and fanboy bickering again. This forum is better.

[lewisthegreat2]

I'm glad you joined us.  The first five pages were me talking to myself, then Craig showed up and broke up my blocks of 100 consecutive posts, and now with you here we have more discussion in this thread than we did on all those free Invision forums we created years ago.

[HandyNZL]

Now you're telling me they were free???? Awww man.....

[lewisthegreat2]

Free entry, but they were American forums, so you had to leave good tips.

(Do you tip well in New Zealand, or do you just tip sheep?  I know continental Europeans are adverse to showers and tips).

[HandyNZL]

We only tip the sheep if they cuddle afterwards

[lewisthegreat2]

http://www.gordonkir...t_is_no281.html

Some really good stories from Roger Penske in this article.  Long, but worth a read.

[HandyNZL]

So not a 2-minute wonder then...ok...will read it later my friend...

[JHS]

lewisthegreat2, on 18 April 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

I'm glad you joined us.  The first five pages were me talking to myself, then Craig showed up and broke up my blocks of 100 consecutive posts, and now with you here we have more discussion in this thread than we did on all those free Invision forums we created years ago.

Hahah wow, we've succeeded in something!

[HandyNZL]

lewisthegreat2, on 19 April 2011 - 03:32 AM, said:

http://www.gordonkir...t_is_no281.html

Some really good stories from Roger Penske in this article.  Long, but worth a read.

That was very excellent reading.  Cheers, man.  That sort of stuff is what anyone that says they are a fan of motorsport should read.  Them's was men.  Them's was fast.  Them's were racers.

[lewisthegreat2]

My first thought when I read it was "HandyNZL."  Glad you liked it.

My second was how classy that Graham Hill character must have been.

[HandyNZL]

Racers back then mate....and cheating every last one of them too...lol...except back then it was "innovation"...   They were real class acts.  My Dad used to pit crew for one of NZ's (then) best drivers, and rubbed shoulders with the Jim Clarks, and Hill's when they came for the Tasman series.  They were a different breed of people then.  If only we were half as well mannered today....

[lewisthegreat2]

Here's a fun fact.

New IZOD IndyCar Series chassis with aerokit without engine: $424,000

Old IZOD IndyCar Sereis chassis without engine: $850,000+

Tire prices will increase.  Discount of $150,000 for the first 28 chassis purchased by teams based in Indiana (I can't think of many that aren't).  First year Dallara aerokit will be discounted as well.  All aerokits must be under $75,000.  Predictions say a lot of teams will be using the Dallara aerokit to start, since it will be cheaper in the first year...

New car unveiled soon.

VERSUS, the network that airs INDYCAR, will get renamed within 90 days to NBC Sports or something similar.  It will also be in more households.  Ten-year, $2,000,000,000 was signed to air the NHL on NBC and VERSUS.  These are all promising signs for INDYCAR.

Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle have re-signed with their respective NASCAR teams, as have their sponsors.  Surprised about the former, not the latter.

[lewisthegreat2]

Race sponsor Itaipava, a Brazilian beer that has supported motorsport in that nation quite heavily, will be featured on two cars in the São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé May 1, along with their energy drink TNT.

Tony Kanaan


Hélio Castroneves


The 2012 cars at Indy won't be real aerokits (but it will be the real safety cell chassis thing), and will be there to demonstrate the extremes of the rules and "inspire creativity."

Robin Miller has said it is F1 in the front and Parnelli in the back.  Now he's said it's a mix of Panoz DP01 and Swift 70, though he may be talking about the other car (since there are two).  Like the DP01 and an F1 car, the chassis will have a raised nose (the actual chassis, not the aerokits), and I see some similarities in the Parnelli's rear to the Swift 66's (not necessarily the 70; but Swift may have revised the 70 when they submitted it in final).

It will have longer sidepods, that will extend to the width of the tires at the end (potentially triangular shaped car then), and the back should have some protection around the tires (see Mike Conway's accident for justification).  An earlier Dallara concept illustrates this, though the car will not look like that, and that's a very generous artistic rendering (a bit exaggerated).

It will look nothing like this.  Tony Cotman confirmed that.  I suspect the sidepods will be similar, but I think he's talking in terms of the safety cell (dark gray) rather than aerokits.

No traction control (there's no TC presently), not sure about power steering, and not sure about the "fuel knob."  Cotman talked about how the "fuel knob" discussion was lively, but he was vague as to whether or not they were going to use it.  I assume they are?

I don't know what they're aiming for performance-wise.  I assume they want an increase, but they aren't saying much, and I still don't think we got a horsepower number on the engine (just 2.2L V6; though I thought it could be anything less than 2.2L and less than 6-cylinders, and I think so, but by virtue of everyone choosing a 2.2L V6¹, they just refer to it as that).

¹It is worth noting everyone actually chose a 2.4L V6, but Honda wanted a 2.2L, so they changed the maximum.  Honda are building their own for the first time, Ilmor building the Chevrolet (Ilmor build the current Honda), and Judd building the Lotus (yes, Judd, not Cosworth...Cosworth will possibly build an Alfa Romeo for 2013; odd, then, that Kalkhoven's team will use a Lotus engine but will build the Alfa Romeo if this happens).

[HandyNZL]

You say that like Judd is a bad thing?????

[HandyNZL]

Was this inspired by a warthog?



Obvious question....how does he see to the side?  That's gotta be one of the weirdest cars I've ever laid eyes on....just what were they thinking?

[lewisthegreat2]

HandyNZL, on 21 April 2011 - 11:07 PM, said:

You say that like Judd is a bad thing?????

Not at all.  More along the lines of it being a surprise that Judd will build it rather than Cosworth, considering the Lotus relationship with Cosworth, and KV Racing's ownership of Cosworth.  I'd rather it be Judd if that means Cosworth/Alfa (they should call it Dodge or Chrysler, I think) will add a fourth engine for 2013.

[HandyNZL]

Re the cars, it could be worse....

A rear end like this:



...and a nose like this....

[HandyNZL]

I know its early days, but Princess Sparkly Pony is sitting in 5th on the championship ladder.  And she's done nothing of note so far this season.  She's just quietly driven into 5th, less a few front wings

[JHS]

Good luck finding someone who cares.

[lewisthegreat2]

HandyNZL, on 22 April 2011 - 07:44 AM, said:

I know its early days, but Princess Sparkly Pony is sitting in 5th on the championship ladder.  And she's done nothing of note so far this season.  She's just quietly driven into 5th, less a few front wings

Danica is 11th in points.

Mike Conway is 5th.

See here:

http://indycar.com/drivers/

The Royal Glittering Racer of the Equine Variety was steady at Long Beach, but terrible at St. Petersburg and Barber.  She's got to keep it clean on tracks that aren't her strength.  She's lucky that a lot of other drivers are having some big screw-ups early on so she isn't losing too many points from a reasonable target (such as being P5 at year's end), but she'll need to do more of what she did at Homestead last year (battling wheel-to-wheel with Kanaan in the closing laps to take second like a true racer) and less of what she did just about everywhere else.

I have a feeling she might win one of the Texas Twin 275s.  Not sure why.  Just a prediction.

Edited by lewisthegreat2, 22 April 2011 - 01:51 PM.