Cool article - very positive tone. Contrasts with the very negative front-page article on NASCAR a few weeks ago in the WSJ. I’ve been trying to get into IndyCar but have always struggling identifying with the drivers since you really have to know all of them to keep up on the race (unlike F1 where I just find it easier since it’s 2 drivers per team driving same livery, and they are practically always the same top 10 drivers). But after following IndyLights and ProMazda for a few years and F1 forever, I’m gaining more interest as some of those drivers move into IndyCar (Jones, Chilton, Pigot, Newgarden, Rossi). Still trying to get into it. Some things I don’t get though, like how some drivers (e.g. Aleshin, Kimball, Hildrebrand, even Daly) stay in IndyCar after not getting results for so long. I’m not aware of them bringing big $$? Also, why does everyone absolutely love Hinchcliffe? Likeable guy and decent driver, but certainly not a Montoya/Powers/Dixon. I will say that a weekend for IndyCar is so much easier logistically than other events – I parked for free on the street in St. Petersburg two blocks away from the race track. No lines, shuttles, traffic, etc. like you’d see at an F1 race.
The St. Petersburg Grand Prix venue is really great, especially compared to their earlier versions, one of which took the cars straight out to The Pier where they then had to execute what had to have been the tightest hairpin turns in history and back. The second version went around the Tropicana Dome and featured no less than a rail road track through it and a harrowing bottoming out bump that saw some of the TransAm cars catching some scary air (but made for great images). When the visionary Tom Begley came along and got the City to go along with utilizing one of the runways at Albert Whitted Airport as part of the track, it all clicked into place. I was fortunate enough to be photographing with LAT at the time the new circuit came to be and covered the first three or so events there. As street courses go, its really quite good. Easy to get around from one point to another and a great setting. The race was interesting especially after they got the yellows sorted out. I rather lost attention until Bourdais got into the lead then it got interesting. BHW
Kimball and Aleshin bring big $$$. not sure about Hildebrand or Daly, I'm not sure why either of them keep getting chances. lots of hungry talent out there.
No replays scheduled? When I moved, all the broadcast channels changed and the DVR lost all the broadcast channel programming. Sounds like I missed a good one.
Crap response from Indycar on the brake issues: What The Hell Is Happening With IndyCar's Brakes? It's the teams' responsibility to make the brake components forced on them in a spec series safe. That's some awesome logic. LOL. Brembo says they have zero visibility into the issue because they haven't been contacted by Indycar since 2016. Indycar - do not drop the ball now. Someone gets hurt and it is on you, not the driver's team for "not figuring it out". Pagenaud and Penske were struggling until race day to get it figured out, so it isn't a question of a few amateurs screwing this up. People asking for exemptions to modify the aero kits to get more cooling to the brakes at the last minute? Worst nightmare in a race car is losing your brakes.
Come now....isn't spec supposed to stop all this?? Modify the aero? Wouldn't that add additional cost ? Isn't that not allowed by the rules? Face it..."spec" isn't the wonder drug that was/is going to fix ICS. Over managed mediocrity is killing it. Again...create a rule book and let the owners determine what they want to spend and let them fix what needs to be fixed.
Yes they needed approval to modify the aero. Indycar is growing per their official stats. The racing is good. You can argue all the other points and you are entitled to your opinion. The big teams are still far, far, far out spending the small teams.
Yup - awesome to see. They did have some fortune with the timing of the yellow though. But eh - that's racing.
I hate to burst the bubble but I think the tv ratings say different. SKEDBALL: Weekend Sports TV Ratings 3.11-12.2017 | Showbuzz Daily Down from last year.
