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Post by chrisb on Feb 24, 2020 8:10:05 GMT
they roar out and look and sound good, young guns are doing well, Marco has gone back to school apparently to rediscover his speed - looking forward to this series
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Post by Carl on Feb 24, 2020 17:26:19 GMT
they roar out and look and sound good, young guns are doing well, Marco has gone back to school apparently to rediscover his speed - looking forward to this series Marco Andretti was once very promising, but Mario's inspiration wore out quickly and he'll need to search for his speed in the past. I admire the Andretti legacy and hope he recovers what's been lost. |
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Post by René on Mar 14, 2020 12:16:21 GMT
I was really looking forward to Rinus Veekay's debut this weekend but also the Indycar season is paused until at least the end of April. I am already developing the first withdrawal symptoms!  |
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Post by Carl on Jun 6, 2020 19:30:00 GMT
The first top level race of 2020 is today on Texas Motor Speedway's fast oval. Qualifying will precede the race, which starts at 0100 or 0200 for most of you, so set your alarms and...
...be there!
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Post by René on Jun 6, 2020 21:00:35 GMT
The first top level race of 2020 is today on Texas Motor Speedway's fast oval. Qualifying will precede the race, which starts at 0100 or 0200 for most of you, so set your alarms and... ...be there!
You bet!  |
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 6, 2020 21:46:36 GMT
not sure if I will but will record. The cars look a bit odd to me. I prefer the Halo funningly enough.
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 6, 2020 21:50:04 GMT
First of all motor racing was dangerous and sex was safe, then racing was safe but sex was dangerous now it seems just watching sport as a live spectator is more dangerous but you are allowed to forgo social distancing if you are rioting. What a cocked up world.
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Post by Carl on Jun 7, 2020 5:03:52 GMT
not sure if I will but will record. The cars look a bit odd to me. I prefer the Halo funningly enough. The 2020 Indycars are beautiful with the low drag wings and oddly attractive even with the aeroscreen, unless you hope to see the driver. The answer is a fast drone hovering above each car, focused on the driver through the open top. Eventually, the challenge of controlling the drones will rival that of driving and bitter division will ensue. |
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 7, 2020 9:57:54 GMT
not sure if I will but will record. The cars look a bit odd to me. I prefer the Halo funningly enough. The 2020 Indycars are beautiful with the low drag wings and oddly attractive even with the aeroscreen, unless you hope to see the driver. The answer is a fast drone hovering above each car, focused on the driver through the open top. Eventually, the challenge of controlling the drones will rival that of driving and bitter division will ensue. Very funny Carl. The drones will eventually get so big because of advertising space that they will have to bring in the 1 move rule. Will have a closer look at the cars later today. I was grumpy yesterday but after a good sleep am feeling better. To quote Monty Python " I feel happy, I feel happy. I think I will go for a walk" |
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Post by charleselan on Jun 7, 2020 12:37:01 GMT
I wasn't even aware that there was a race this weekend until reading your original post Carl. Do I take it that it will be run minus crowd, or is social distancing not applicable in Texas right now?
The money men are ultra keen to get the lucre flowing in to their pockets once more in many parts of the world where they hold sway. Look at the recent statement from Cary of Liberty about F1 and the possibility of anyone testing positive for C19, lets carry on regardless!
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Post by Carl on Jun 7, 2020 16:54:00 GMT
I only learned about the race the day before on my cable guide listing and wonder if the decision to start the season may have been made on short notice by new series owner Roger Penske. The only spectators were along a row of condominium balconies high above the daunting Turn 2.
It was nice to see an actual race and I will wait to give others a chance to watch on tape delay before commenting further.
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Post by René on Jun 7, 2020 22:28:49 GMT
Finally a real motor race again! It was about time and I enjoyed it very much.
Dixon was the man all day, even if Newgarden beat him to pole. I hoped Josef could have given Scott more of a fight in the end but he had to much vibration in the car I believe. Felix Rosenqvist also drove strong but he should have been more patient or taken a secure second if he wants to fight for the championship. Now he has zero and that was unneccesary. But Scott Dixon was superior and his car was set up just perfectly.
Big disappointment for Alexander Rossi but he'll be back for sure. And a disappointing debut for Rinus Veekay, that was not what he had hoped for! But hey, that was only the fifth time he actually sat in an Indycar. He has the talent and the speed so it will come.
The atmosphere was a bit weird without fans and with drivers and team members wearing masks and doing elbow greets but it's good we're racing again!
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Post by Carl on Jun 8, 2020 1:10:13 GMT
I really enjoyed the race despite all the strangeness, but two simple changes would have made for an excellent one. Announcer Leigh Diffey quickly became annoying, even after eight months absence, and I was soon reducing the volume and muting entirely at times. He and David Croft are idiots with no saving graces. More consequential, at NASCAR's bidding Texas Motor Speedway had recently applied a layer of sealant higher on the banking which effectively took away the high line used by the more daring drivers, Alexander Rossi being the best. He tried a few high passes and had to back off each time because grip on the high line had been reduced about 15% according to team engineers. This may have contributed to the accidents of Rinus Veekay and Felix Rosenqvist. I may be a curmudgeon, but both simpleton and sealant could easily have been avoided.  |
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 8, 2020 10:15:15 GMT
I really enjoyed the race despite all the strangeness, but two simple changes would have made for an excellent one. Announcer Leigh Diffey quickly became annoying, even after eight months absence, and I was soon reducing the volume and muting entirely at times. He and David Croft are idiots with no saving graces. More consequential, at NASCAR's bidding Texas Motor Speedway had recently applied a layer of sealant higher on the banking which effectively took away the high line used by the more daring drivers, Alexander Rossi being the best. He tried a few high passes and had to back off each time because grip on the high line had been reduced about 15% according to team engineers. This may have contributed to the accidents of Rinus Veekay and Felix Rosenqvist. I may be a curmudgeon, but both simpleton and sealant could easily have been avoided. I think I am also heading for curmudgeon status too, Carl. Maybe it's our right at our age. For months I have been wondering about this Leigh Diffey character you have been complaining about. I finally put, name, face and voice together yesterday and I totally agree with you. I am not sure which part of the antipodes he hails from but his voice and hyperbole are exceedingly irritating. He reminds me of a similar character from the same neck of the woods that commentates on cricket. They are both bloody horrible. Maybe they are one and the same. Get rid of them please. |
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Post by Carl on Jun 21, 2020 22:05:39 GMT
There is a curious connection involving Jim Hall, Roger Penske and the numbers 6 and 66. Of course the primary Chaparrals in North American road racing were always numbered 65/66. In 1964, Roger Penske substituted for the injured Jim Hall in his Chaparral 2B using the number 6, previously the number of his rule-bending Zerex Special. A few years later the number 6 adorned the Penske Camaro driven by Mark Donohue to great success in the Trans-Am Series as well as Donohue's Can-Am Lola T70 and Porsche 917-10 and 917-30. The significance of the curious connection, that #66 was also the number on all six Team Penske Indy 500 entries driven by Donohue remains a mystery and someone should ask Penske and Hall for an explanation. GM's Chevrolet Division, as a powerful silent partner, may have influenced the choice of numbers, but that doesn't explain the Porsches or Climax-engined Zerex Special or the Offenhausers at Indy... 
Dan Gurney's Lotus 19 chases Penske's Zerex Special at Laguna Seca in 1962
 Donohue's Indy Lola T152 in 1969
and his race winning McLaren M16 in 1972  |
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