142 replies to this topic

[HandyNZL]

Oooooo...the Mersey Paradiso fellow was here....quick Eric, get a photo of him to prove he was here...quick quick quick quick...

....why's he running off????....

...Eric????....hellooooo?

[lewisthegreat2]

[HandyNZL]

Phew....you got it....now to blackmail him.....whats our plan?

[lewisthegreat2]

Photoshop his face onto his own body.  It's embarrassing enough.  Zing etc.

We all know he'll watch the first ever Indy 500 with double-file restarts (do you know how AWESOME that is going to be?), absolutely love it, type out a glowing essay of appreciation for the Indy 500, and then hit Ctrl + F, click the Replace tab, and replace the Indy 500 with Turkish Grand Prix and INDYCAR with Formula One so he fits in better.  He's been doing it for years.

[lewisthegreat2]

Conquest Racing confirmed their second driver today: Pippa Mann.

Mann tested with the team during the off-season (in Fort Worth, I believe) and will attempt to make her IZOD IndyCar Series debut in the biggest race of them all.

After an unimpressive career in Europe, Mann moved to the Firestone Indy Lights Series in 2009, where she struggled to a dismal 14th in points.  The following year, she joined the best team in the series, Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and focused heavily on her physical fitness.  After a slow start to the season, Mann suffered a wrist injury, missing Mid-Ohio.  In her return for the final four races of the season, she scored her four best finishes: fifth, second, first, and fifth.  Her win came at Kentucky.

Mann also won the pole for the Indy Lights race at Indianapolis in 2009.

Well-liked by her competitors and the media, she's certainly an interesting addition to the grid, but will have her work cut out for her considering her inexperience and her equipment.  Another year in FILS would have been really beneficial, as she was starting to show something toward the end of the year.

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer]

HandyNZL, on 17 April 2011 - 07:50 PM, said:

Oooooo...the Mersey Paradiso fellow was here....quick Eric, get a photo of him to prove he was here...quick quick quick quick...

Mersey???

Not another bl**dy scouser!!!   They're breeding!!!

Quick everyone, hide your hubcaps....

[lewisthegreat2]

The Panther 44 will be a no-show unless money is found (i.e. a Mario Moraes-type driver).  If Panther provide support for the Pagenaud 16, the 44 becomes even less likely.

[lewisthegreat2]

Right forename, wrong surname in my prediction on the 8.

Looks now like it might be 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier.

Alex Lloyd's strong for the 19 that Bourdais has been so good at being so bad in this year.

[HandyNZL]

Yeah, whats with Bourdais? Is he crap?

[lewisthegreat2]

HandyNZL, on 21 April 2011 - 09:31 PM, said:

Yeah, whats with Bourdais? Is he crap?

His car and his attitude are.  And his move in St. Petersburg warmup was, too.

So yes, he is.

[JHS]

Never been a fan of Boredais (See what I did there? I'm clever) - he does seem to be talented but gosh he doesn't come across as someone you can easily like, unlike Hinchcliffe.

[HandyNZL]

Yep, even in his short stint in F1 he wasn't winning any friends...very centered on himself and expecting others to provide him with the right tools, rather than he work at the tools to make them better.  At least that was my impression of him.

[lewisthegreat2]

Sébastien Bourdais is great when he's winning, terrible when he's losing.  I've heard and witnessed a lot of good in him, but it's always been offset by the bad, and when you look at that context, there's a trend.

And he chose Le Mans over Indy.  It's totally understandable; he's paid more to do that, has an actual shot to win it, he's from Le Mans, it's a big race...BUT...Marco did both last year, Peugeot have a tenth driver (J.K. Vernay, Indy Lights champion), and it really has to make his team question is commitment to being in IndyCar.  Does he want to be here, or does he want to be there?  Coyne's digging deep into his pockets to pay Bourdais, and to have him choose other endeavors over this ride, and to have him make comments about how he hopes to be back at Newman/Haas one day or this or that, really has to be a kick in the nuts.  And I guarantee Lloyd, a genuinely nice guy, will get better results on the ovals than Bourdais will on the roadies this year.

I'll say this much: I'm a big Newman/Haas fan, and having Hinchcliffe and Servià, two of my favorites, on that team is a huge relief after years of supporting the Junqueira side of the team and hoping someway, somehow Bourdais would lose a championship.

[lewisthegreat2]

Pre-race festivities are a huge part of the Indianapolis 500 every year, but being the centennial of the first 500 (the 95^th running; WWI and WWII causing the gaps), there will be extra.

Former winners will be driving winning cars around the track, but only two will be driving the car that he actually won in.  So a little easy trivia: who is in his own car?  I've linked the names to pictures of what he will be driving...

Parnelli Jones
Mario Andretti
Al Unser
Bobby Unser
Johnny Rutherford
Tom Sneva
Bobby Rahal
Arie Luyendyk
Al Unser, Jr.
Kenny Bräck
Gil de Ferran

Spoiler

Correct answer: Tom Sneva and Arie Luyendyk.  But you knew that.  I hope.

[lewisthegreat2]

Updates:

Ho-Pin Tung will be in Dragon Racing's #8.  Sucks to see that; he's useless, and the 8 is actually a good car at Indy.  Brutal to make your debut at Indy, too.

Dragon's second car, the 16, goes to Simon Pagenaud through Highcroft, though this is only 99.9% official.

2004 Indy 500 champion Buddy Rice has been confirmed in the 44 car, a team car to J.R. Hildebrand.  Hildebrand will benefit hugely from having a mentor like that, and Panther have finished second in the last three 500s with two different drivers.  Rice is a real darkhorse to win this thing...

No word on Lazier yet, though he's been linked to that China Racing 89.  I guess Greg Beck, Derrick Walker, et al might be involved there.  P.J. Jones?

[lewisthegreat2]

São Paulo's out of the way.  It's Indy season.

To maximize your month of May enjoyment, please be sure to:

• Watch qualifying.  Pole Day and Bump Day will be on TV and will therefore be streamed online (let me know if you need help finding that) somewhere.  Qualifying is huge at Indy because cars will fail to qualify, and yes, they will likely be within 105%.  They start 33.  We have up to 43 trying.  Another unique attribute?  Points.  Every starting position pays points in addition to finishing position, making Indy the heaviest-weighted event on the calendar (as it ought to be).  The format, too, is special, not only in that it goes over two days (positions 1-24 set on Pole Day, and 25-33 on Bump Day), but also that the top ten will participate in a Shootout at the end of Pole Day to set their official order and determine both points payout, prize money, and pole-sitter.
• Make use of the IMS Radio Network.  Especially those of you streaming online; extra easy to mute the broadcast and have the radio streaming in another tab.  American radio is definitely different, so don't be surprised, but no one does excitement in the way IMS Radio can.  There's a reason INDYCAR use the radio commentary in their highlights videos...
• Predict the PEAK pole-sitter, Chase Rookie of the Year, and of course, the race winner right here in this thread.  And nothing else because nothing else matters.  For bragging rights only.
• Watch the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race.  It will be a blast.  Again, this is televised live, so I expected a stream.  I'll set you up if you need help, as always.  I'll do anything to spread the joys of INDYCAR to you.
• Find a pork tenderloin sandwich.  It's just a 500 thing.  Make yourself enjoy it.

That should cover it.  I'm very excited.  Just something special about the Indy 500.  Always a lot of stories, which I hope to cover in this thread as we approach what is being marketed as the "Most Important Race in History."

[lewisthegreat2]

Some special Indy-only liveries, both sporting nations' colors.

Bertrand Baguette, with backing from the RACB and their many Belgian partners:



Better than last year's car.

And then, of course, never-say-die American patriot Mike Conway sports these colors:



Other than the dumb Andretti nosecone, I like the car, all jokes about the driver choice aside.  I think it's a really cool cause, and I'm glad 7-Eleven are using the space to advertise that rather than just rolling out their usual Slurpee Special.

[lewisthegreat2]

Scott Speed will attempt the Indy 500 with Dragon Racing.  Details aren't available.  The 16 Pagenaud was going to run?  Seems sensible, as that was supposed to be some kind of Highcroft/Dragon entry, but Highcroft aren't really around anymore, and there's no real money.  Suspicious the entry was entirely blank after Pagneaud was confirmed, so I suspect that's Speed's car now.

Highcroft, allegedly, are trying to get a different ride for Pagenaud.  Good luck...

I'd like to see both drivers, personally, especially over a name like Ho-Pin Tung, but I won't go there.  Definitely a surprising announcement.

Speaking of incompetent drivers like Tung, Ricardo Teixeira might maybe be in the China Racing car with Beck involvement.  If they qualify for this field, I'll eat something nasty.

But that's not concrete.  What is?  Alex Lloyd in the 19 for the 500 and all the other ovals.  He'll out-perform Bourdais.

[lewisthegreat2]

No Highcroft.  No Pagenaud.  No Donald Trump.

Latter is super official, first two are close to confirmed.

[Rainmaster]

lewisthegreat2, on 05 May 2011 - 11:49 PM, said:

No Highcroft.  No Pagenaud.  No Donald Trump.

Latter is super official, first two are close to confirmed.

He's superficial, too!

Saw an article today on Indy history, I'll post it here (where the only people who will see it probably already know it all, naturally ):http://en.espnf1.com...tml?CMP=OTC-RSS

[lewisthegreat2]

There are cars on the Speedway!

It's here!

Rookie Orientation Practice was today.  J.R. Hildebrand and Ho-Pin Tung were the only drivers to break 220 mph (Hildebrand at 221.533 and Tung at 220.477).

Hinchcliffe, Kimball, Speed, Mann, and Jakes were also on track and ended in that order.  Jakes was the only participant who could not even break 215; the others P3-P6 were in the 219 range.

Pole speed last year was over 227 mph, for comparison.  Oval racing isn't easy, and Indy's one of the hardest, especially on rookies.  Even rookies like Hildebrand, Hinchcliffe, Kimball, and Mann, who have race Indy Lights at IMS, and Speed, who raced stock cars there.

Edited by lewisthegreat2, 12 May 2011 - 10:20 PM.

[lewisthegreat2]

The Freedom 100 is surrounded by the hype of Bryan Clauson's Indy Lights debut.  Clauson won the USAC National Championship (sprints, midgets, and Champ Cars), running (and winning) a large amount of races on pavement and dirt.  In an effort to get INDYCAR back to its short track roots, Randy Bernard made sure Clauson would have a ride for all the oval races in FILS, a guarantee he couldn't get in NASCAR where he was once a Ganassi development driver.

Today, Clauson gave Randy Bernard a little something in return...



Think Randy had fun?

FILS opened their month today with a practice session, paced by Stefan Wilson.  Gustavo Yacamán was second, making the two most experienced drivers quickest (which, at Indy, is never a surprise).  Of note: Brandon Wagner returns to the series in the Kingdom Racing 32 in P12, and Bryan Clauson debuts in P14.  18 cars total, the slowest being Chase Austin, an ex-NASCAR development driver, racing in the number 75 for Willy T. Ribbs.  Austin is mixed race, hence he wears Ribbs' number and drives Ribbs' car in a diversity initiative.  Ribbs is a commentator for FILS at present, and has always expressed an interest in owning a team to give some opportunities to minority drivers in the way he got his break in the early 90s.  Ribbs has long been vocal about racism in NASCAR and his negative experience there, so bringing Chase Austin over is something he probably feels good about.

Austin, who seems like a really nice kid, is unfortunately best remembered for this:

[lewisthegreat2]

Back to the big cars: 41 entries will compete for 33 spots as China Racing withdraw and SFR will not field the 57 at any point.  There may be a third Foyt car through Tony Stewart's team, but that would be Bump Day only, contingent upon the 14 and 41 (was 84) qualifying.  Plus, it may just be for practice to get Bryan Clauson laps, and not actually make any qualifying run.

A big livery update for those in need of a spotter's guide:



A Photoshop of Junqueira's livery in Coyote red.  I love this car.



Jay Howard's car at Rahal Letterman Lanigan's shop.  Inverse of Rahal's.



The beginnings of Paul Tracy's one-off with Dreyer & Reinbold.  Not a bad scheme at all.



Pippa Mann's Conquest ride is a bit of a mess.  Should change as sponsorship is gained (nov.us perhaps).



James Jakes gets an update for Indy.  Much better.



Hinchcliffe gets a real livery!  I like it.  A bit of a reverse to teammate Servià's.  Looks much more professional than the last piece they threw together.

I saw Scott Speed's Fuzzy's car and it's one of the best-looking out there.  However, I can't post it here, so you'll have to wait.  White, black, and gold.  It's out there on the Internet if you want to find it...

[HandyNZL]

No, I want you to find it Eric...I'm far too lazy

The WIX scheme looks great....almost zactly what I want to eventually do on my FFord...

[lewisthegreat2]

LIVE from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway it's Opening Day!

http://racecontrol.indycar.com/

National Anthem just ended, cars lining up, track should be green soon.

[lewisthegreat2]

First yellow out for debris with 73 laps completed.

Ryan Briscoe had been going faster and faster with every lap, reaching 222.853 mph.  J.R. Hildebrand has also broken 222.  Meira, Carpenter, and Servià all over 220, while Junqueira, Hinchcliffe, and Jakes round out the cars that have completed true flying laps (with Jakes not even up over the 200 mark yet).  Ten other cars have been out for installation laps.

[lewisthegreat2]

Vitor Meira goes 223.192 mph, that's good enough for P1.  First over 223 this month.

Jakes goes over 216.  He has yet to pass his rookie orientation.

John Andretti has warmed up quickly, moves to P4 in the 221 range.

Dubya opens up at 212.

[JHS]

Got the practice on through curiosity, I like the look of Scheckter's livery. Is there a spotter's guide or anything for the 500 yet?

[lewisthegreat2]

No spotters' guide yet because so many Indy 500 liveries aren't released until the cars hit the track!

Mike Conway's been running a really high downforce backup car to build his confidence after his wreck.  They'll put a real one out later, hence he's so slow.

[lewisthegreat2]

This has to be doing wonders for J.R. Hildebrand's confidence.  He got a tow, but it doesn't matter: he's still P2 in practice and that has to have him feeling good.

Ed Carpenter debuting in P7 with Sarah Fisher's team so far is really an accomplishment, too.  I have tremendous respect for Sarah and her team, and I'm really glad to see a good guy like Ed able to get a lot out of their car after their struggles last year.  I think Sarah's a better driver than the record will show, but there's no questioning the abilities of Ed Carpenter when it comes to speedway racing.