IndyCar 2015

TheChrisD

So, Chevy released their aero kit. Nice looking, although just a little bit... "F1 2008" about it with all the crazy winglets. Comparison image:



6 weeks to St. Pete!

Ghost Train

Awful lot of cautions due to those winglets getting knocked off

Ghost Train

Montoya leading with 12 laps to go

TheChrisD

Well, the race at NOLA was... not the most entertaining of events. And that's putting it lightly.

Hopefully some redemption at Long Beach next week. Where we get to use the whole track instead of only part of it! *cough*FormulaE*cough*

Charlie-Bravo

TheChrisD wrote: »

Well, the race at NOLA was... not the most entertaining of events. And that's putting it lightly.

Hopefully some redemption at Long Beach next week. Where we get to use the whole track instead of only part of it! *cough*FormulaE*cough*

Leave FormulaE alone ya big bully. Will there be as much action though? We'll see...

Uno my Uno.

TheChrisD wrote: »

Well, the race at NOLA was... not the most entertaining of events. And that's putting it lightly.

Hopefully some redemption at Long Beach next week. Where we get to use the whole track instead of only part of it! *cough*FormulaE*cough*

Didn't get to see the race but read on twitter that a lot of it was run under caution? Was It just the weather or were there a lot of incidents? Looked like a scary shunt at the end.

The track looks very new and underdeveloped, can't imagine there was much in the way of atmosphere.

Uno my Uno.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

Didn't get to see the race but read on twitter that a lot of it was run under caution? Was It just the weather or were there a lot of incidents? Looked like a scary shunt at the end.

The track looks very new and underdeveloped, can't imagine there was much in the way of atmosphere.

Watched the two minute highlights on You Tube, only 22 laps run under green, 25 under caution. Seems like a lot of the drivers really struggled in the wet, spinning on the way out of corners, I'd expect more than that from drivers at that level. Sebastian Bordais had a good quote, he said drivers needed to up their game as they made them all look like "monkeys".:D:D:D

TheChrisD

astrofluff wrote: »

Leave FormulaE alone ya big bully. Will there be as much action though? We'll see...

I got no problem with FE, in fact I enjoy watching it myself. I just don't appreciate them cutting some historic circuits in half :pac:

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

Didn't get to see the race but read on twitter that a lot of it was run under caution? Was It just the weather or were there a lot of incidents? Looked like a scary shunt at the end.

First 16 laps went off without a hitch, including green-flag stops to change to slicks. Then there were 6 cautions all immediately after the last. Literally the lap they went green, they had to go back to yellow for whatever reason.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

The track looks very new and underdeveloped, can't imagine there was much in the way of atmosphere.

It's basically another club track trying to improve and make a name, similar to when Barber was first added to the series. Although NOLA isn't as well developed as Barber as of yet.

There are some areas that do need to be improved on with regards to barrier locations and draining (although that in itself is a conundrum given it's flat and basically at sea level), but those will come over time. Sometimes you just have to have the problems surface themselves when in use to be able to fix them for the future.

Uno my Uno.

TheChrisD wrote: »

It's basically another club track trying to improve and make a name, similar to when Barber was first added to the series. Although NOLA isn't as well developed as Barber as of yet.

There are some areas that do need to be improved on with regards to barrier locations and draining (although that in itself is a conundrum given it's flat and basically at sea level), but those will come over time. Sometimes you just have to have the problems surface themselves when in use to be able to fix them for the future.

I read a couple of articles in the US press on Monday about the race and the gist was that NOLA is an unremarkable club track with few facilities and little draw in the local region, only 8,000 fans attended the Race :eek::eek::eek:

One article asked the legitimate question of why races like this are being added to the calender while tracks like Watkins Glen, Road America and Mid Ohio all of which would attract large crowds are being ignored. I'm sure there are some legitimate reasons relating to the likes of Watkins Glen but they can't be insurmountable.

Ghost Train

Watch the race a day or two back, pity the race never got restarted properly, woild have expected the wet conditions to give some good racing

TheChrisD

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

I read a couple of articles in the US press on Monday about the race and the gist was that NOLA is an unremarkable club track with few facilities and little draw in the local region, only 8,000 fans attended the Race :eek::eek::eek:

Walk-up crowds were put off by the weather forecasts, unfortunately.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

One article asked the legitimate question of why races like this are being added to the calender while tracks like Watkins Glen, Road America and Mid Ohio all of which would attract large crowds are being ignored. I'm sure there are some legitimate reasons relating to the likes of Watkins Glen but they can't be insurmountable.

NOLA was given funding by the state government to help pay for necessary safety upgrades and, crucially, the sanctioning fee. The other tracks aren't willing to pay that fee out of pocket, it's the sad truth.

Uno my Uno.

TheChrisD wrote: »

Walk-up crowds were put off by the weather forecasts, unfortunately.



NOLA was given funding by the state government to help pay for necessary safety upgrades and, crucially, the sanctioning fee. The other tracks aren't willing to pay that fee out of pocket, it's the sad truth.

8,000 tickets is still shockingly low for what is the premier open wheel racing league in the US. Formula Ford Meetings at Oulton Park would get the same.*

The IRL need to address the sanctioning fee in that case because that is some bad business. Indy Car is dying on its ar$e and it can't go on like this. It is such a shame to see the league in this state, I remember how exciting CART was back in the mid to late 90s, all the ingredients are still there they just need to be put together properly.

Edit: Just saw that Mid-Ohio is on the circuit this year, hopefully that will provide a decent race, I've always thought it was a challenging track.













*maybe not but you know what I mean

Charlie-Bravo

Ah Power, what were you thinking! That's tuned two people's races!

Ghost Train

Pretty good race in the end, a lap or two longer and Rahal might have won it. Interesting to see the marbles from the firestone/bridgestones, must be similar enough to the old f1 bridgestones

Charlie-Bravo

Yeah, great race altogether. Plenty of action on such a narrow track. Sometimes I prefer not seeing too many walls as drivers take more risks on overtaking!

Cookie_Monster

Castroneves has a bit of a moment at indi500 practice :eek:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11448421

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQZ0mnJKllU

Zcott

Well that's not terrifying at all...you can see when he realised he was about to have a big one when he took his hands off the wheel and held them close to his body. Great that he was able to walk away though.

Ghost Train

Scary moment when it took off, lucky it took off that it kept away from catch fence

Uno my Uno.

Open wheel racing on ovals is just so dangerous, I enjoy watching it but my heart is always in my mouth.

TheChrisD

And now Pippa in the wall too

Uno my Uno.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

Open wheel racing on ovals is just so dangerous, I enjoy watching it but my heart is always in my mouth.

The Texas races, especially when pack racing was possible, was so terrifying.

acquiescefc

...and now Newgarden. Cant imagine this with 20 odd drivers.

Uno my Uno.

Big shunt, He looked a little shook afterwards. There will probably be closer to 35 runners in the race.:eek:

TheChrisD

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

There will probably be closer to 35 runners in the race.:eek:

35, there's going to be an extra entry?

Uno my Uno.

TheChrisD wrote: »

35, there's going to be an extra entry?

33 starters the last two years, some teams enter additional cars and other teams only have the funding to run a couple of races and so target the big ones like the 500.

TheChrisD

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

33 starters the last two years, some teams enter additional cars and other teams only have the funding to run a couple of races and so target the big ones like the 500.

I'm well aware of the mechanics of the entries; I was kinda taking the piss at how you were claiming 35 when there's only 34 on the entry list this year and nothing last minute since neither Honda nor Chevy will supply more than 17 engines each :P

acquiescefc

Uno my Uno.

Those accidents look bad enough on an empty track, what would it be like with a full field? I think the most alarming thing is the frequency with which they are getting airborne.

acquiescefc

I think they need to have serious discussions about it, if indeed they already are during this red flag.

Would definitely be worried to have 30+ twitchy cars in the same place. I know its safer these days but theres been a lot of incidents already without other cars present.

Ghost Train

They have made some changes to qualifying, making them run more of a race configuration

Because of three separate, single-car incidents in the past five days in which race cars have gotten airborne in practice, INDYCAR also announced the following measures for qualifications:

-- The boost level, which was increased from 130 kPa to 140 kPa for “Fast Friday” practice May 15 and scheduled qualifications May 16, was returned to 130 kPa for Pole Day qualifications. That relates to about a 40 horsepower reduction to the Chevrolet and Honda 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. The boost level will remain at 130 kPa for final practice on Coors Light Carb Day on May 22 and the 500 Mile Race on May 24.

-- The aerodynamic bodywork package that Chevrolet- and Honda-aligned entries qualifying with must be utilized in the 200-lap race.

“This morning we saw a third car get into wall, turn backwards and lift into the air. We’ve said all along we want to go faster, but we want to do so safely," said
Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "As a precautionary measure, INDYCAR will require that the cars qualify today in the same aero set up that they will run in the Indianapolis 500 next weekend. Also, for today, boost levels will return to race conditions. Given these changes, we have elected to not award points for today’s qualifications.

"Safety for drivers and fans is the top priority for INDYCAR and we will continue to be proactive in our research and development to improve all safety aspects of our sport.”

http://www.indycar.com/News/2015/05/5-15-Indy-500-qualifications-set-up

Uno my Uno.

Ghost Train wrote: »

They have made some changes to qualifying, making them run more of a race configuration


http://www.indycar.com/News/2015/05/5-15-Indy-500-qualifications-set-up

It's good they are taking some steps but I'd still be concerned, indycar, don't have a great track record when it comes to safety concerns.

Ghost Train

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

It's good they are taking some steps but I'd still be concerned, indycar, don't have a great track record when it comes to safety concerns.

I guess they've limited options at this stage, first two flips happened before boost was increased so reducing boost not solution in itself. Really depends on if they can get the car more stable with aero kit

Uno my Uno.

Ghost Train wrote: »

I guess they've limited options at this stage, first two flips happened before boost was increased so reducing boost not solution in itself. Really depends on if they can get the car more stable with aero kit

Yeah they are in a difficult situation in fairness but it looks although if a car spins at any point it is as likely as not to get airborne. It wouldn't fill you with confidence if you were a driver. Or sitting in the first few rows for that matter!

donspeekinglesh

Big hit for Hinch, so not just a Chevy problem.

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/116918-indy-500-hinchcliffe-takes-a-hard-hit-in-practice

Ghost Train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdUEZ-huNj0

TheChrisD

I forget if it was on reddit or TrackForum where I read this, but someone was surmising that it could be down to the bumper pods that are causing the flips. Their hypothesis was that whatever side's bumper pod was still upright during the spin would cause the car to flip in that direction, which was true for all three of the Chevy crashes.

That said, looking at Hinch's brief overturn, he was going sideways and the other side of the car wasn't exactly... there... to counter-weight the overturn.

Ghost Train

Castroneves car seems to be lifting up slightly even before he hits the wall, and the car today (although wrecked) wasn't traveling especially fast when it lifted. I'd think problem is probably related to the floor of the car

here a news story about why the new floor was thought to be safer,
http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/indycar-how-drilling-holes-could-save-a-life-as-cars-approach-235-mph-121914
but maybe there's less ground effect with the changes and the car is easier to lift when the car spins sideways or backwards

Corben Dallas

Indycar needs to use the same rule that WEC introduced a few years back,> ie the fin that runs on the centre-line of the car from the roll hoop to just before the rear wing, specially to reduce the chances of sideways spinning/slightly lifting cars getting completely airbourne.

If you look at the Honda cars their Indy Aero kit has a half length fin behind the roll hoop, Chevy's have none. I wonder if this is why the Chevy's seem to be getting airbourne?

USAC (< think they still run indy500) or Indycar itself should think about making fins mandatory...at least maybe for next year.

Some fast laps this year, 231mph running alone and 236mph!!! in tows. :eek:

ro_chez

Seems like Hinch's injuries were very much life threatening in that wreck yesterday.

"Hinchcliffe had the steel wishbone enter and exit his right leg, then enter his upper left thigh, and continue into his pelvic region before it came to a stop."

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/116939-indy-500-hinchcliffe-saved-from-serious-injuries

Will be out for some time. Horrific stuff!

Uno my Uno.

I've been watching Indy 500 reruns on ESPN Classic all week, very entertaining them. It's clear that while I n the last 40 years the cars have gotten a (little) faster and the rules have been tweaked in minor ways the race remains the very same.

It's a beast of a race, 500 miles at an average speed in excess of 200mph with up to 10 pit stops. Make a small mistake, you're in the wall and your race is over. You need an error free and mechanically perfect race to win it.

acquiescefc

Like TK said in an interview I saw, if he thinks its safe enough he will accept the known dangers that will always be part of the sport.

Maybe the accidents so far have been accentuated because the cars have flipped but its still mechanical issues that have caused most of them.

Hoping its another classic and they all come home.

Uno my Uno.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

I've been watching Indy 500 reruns on ESPN Classic all week, very entertaining them. It's clear that while I n the last 40 years the cars have gotten a (little) faster and the rules have been tweaked in minor ways the race remains the very same.

It's a beast of a race, 500 miles at an average speed in excess of 200mph with up to 10 pit stops. Make a small mistake, you're in the wall and your race is over. You need an error free and mechanically perfect race to win it.

Times like these I really miss having pay-tv. :P

TheChrisD

500 starts at the top of the hour. Pre-race on ESPN right now.

Cool_CM

Conor Daly on fire, that's a pity

Infoanon

Conor Daly out already and Tags car not looking too healthy - Chevy seem to have an advantage over Honda

Infoanon

Sato and Karem also both out after a lap!

Edit: Sato is back out albeit 2 laps down ,Tags has also got going

Cool_CM

They had the heart-rate monitor on Karam for the race, would be interesting to see the reading off it!

Cool_CM

Jaysus, US ads are terrible...

Now Montoya in trouble and has to go around again.

And there goes the body-work

Infoanon

Cool_CM wrote: »

Jaysus, US ads are terrible...

Now Montoya in trouble and has to go around again.

And there goes the body-work

Don't know why ESPN don't do what Setanta do and maintain video during the US ad breaks

Cool_CM

Infoanon wrote: »

Don't know why ESPN don't do what Setanta do and maintain video during the US ad breaks

On the other hand, I am now aware that this exists:



:eek:

Any streams handy?