|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 13, 2021 22:05:34 GMT
Nashville Cats, play clean as country water Nashville Cats, play wild as mountain dew Nashville Cats, been playin' since they's babies Nashville Cats, get work before they're two Thanks to John Sebastian of The Loving' Spoonful John, A great song with lyrics close to Nashville reality, but with forbearance about working before two  I really like The Lovin' Spoonful, a folk-rock band stemming from the great folk scene in Greenwich Village. Although I still think the autoharp is a bizarre instrument, "Do You Believe in Magic?", "Daydream" and "Full Measure" put John Sebastian among the best songwriters. Two of my favorites are the wonderfully innovative "Summer in the City" and the beautifully written "Darling Be Home Soon."
They say down south that country music is three chords and the truth,
Carl  |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 14, 2021 16:54:45 GMT
Starting grid at Indy road course
I don't know what happened to Scott Dixon, but 20 year old Danish Formula 2 driver Christian Lundgaard is a revelation!
1 Pato O'Ward 5
Engine: Chevrolet Tires: Firestone 124.167 mph
2 Will Power 12
Engine: Chevrolet Tires: Firestone 124.155
3 Romain Grosjean 51
Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 124.119
4 Christian Lundgaard 45
Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 124.116
5 Colton Herta 24
Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 124.082
6 Alex Palou 10
Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 123.966
7 Jack Harvey 60
Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 123.864
8 Conor Daly 20
Engine: Chevrolet Tires: Firestone 123.749
9 Rinus VeeKay 21
Engine: Chevrolet Tires: Firestone 123.631
10 Alexander Rossi 27 Engine: Honda Tires: Firestone 123.626 |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 14, 2021 17:13:03 GMT
Fantastic debut for Lundgaard! Mikael, maybe an incentive to watch Indycar! 
Maybe Scott Dixon was so impressed he forgot how to drive for a moment...  |
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 14, 2021 17:32:37 GMT
Indeed Young Lundgaard looks very impressive, what a debut performance. Carl, by the way i note that in my earlier post it has The Loving' Spoonfull which is embarrassing as I did not write that, knowing full well that it was Lovin', just another case of flaming predictive text and my own haste in not checking what i type before posting, a fault that is becoming more obvious every day  . I have a copy of The Lovin' Spoonfull Greatest Hits in vinyl bought back in the 1960's, so many great tracks on there which are a tribute to Sebastian's genius. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 14, 2021 23:27:02 GMT
Indeed Young Lundgaard looks very impressive, what a debut performance. Carl, by the way i note that in my earlier post it has The Loving' Spoonfull which is embarrassing as I did not write that, knowing full well that it was Lovin', just another case of flaming predictive text and my own haste in not checking what i type before posting, a fault that is becoming more obvious every day . I have a copy of The Lovin' Spoonfull Greatest Hits in vinyl bought back in the 1960's, so many great tracks on there which are a tribute to Sebastian's genius. John, I recently sent my ladyfriend a text message and "hot babe" was changed to "hot baby". Close but no cigar! I don't trust any of the self-appointed overseers on the internet. 
The instrumentation on "Full Measure" is inspired, a beautiful blend of piano, either small organ or large accordian and even a xylophone, an unusual combination demonstrating the band's versatility. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 15, 2021 0:04:50 GMT
An excellent race! Will Power was flawless and dominant, but there was close racing and bold passing behind the leader. Romain Grosjean's outside pass of Colton Herta at Turn 1 was brilliant and the duel between Alexander Rossi and Patricio O'Ward for 4th place was epic. I don't know why Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais struggled to reach midfield or what problems may have slowed Rinus Veekay and Scott McLaughlin. I was saddened to see legendary Indy commentator Robin Miller weakened by serious illness. He has been a constant presence in American racing, first as an eager subordinate to his hero, the great Jim Hurtubise, then as a driver whose modest talent never discouraged, and finally an outstanding writer and broadcast reporter for half a century. Possibly the only man who could insult A.J. Foyt and elicit a smile, he loved the sport passionately and was respected and admired for his vast knowledge, unique insights, and whimsical humor.
With Jim Hurtubise in the 60s  a driver hopeful in the 1970s 
with A.J. Foyt  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 16, 2021 16:03:49 GMT
Sounds like I missed a good race!
I did not see any racing this weekend so will need to watch the highlights this time.
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 16, 2021 16:48:34 GMT
Unfortunately I missed the first half of the race as the timings were yet again confusing on the various motor sport sites on the internet and anyway the rest of it was spoilt by a truly awful streaming feed which buffered and froze continuously until the last two laps when it evened out. What a turn around in performances by Will Power who dominated this race, however it appears to be his track as he always goes extremely well on the Indy Road Course, but a great drive.
Another second place at this venue for Romain Grosjean who drove beautifully yet again and that first win will surely come soon.
Strange to see some like Scott Dixon performing well down the order which seems to highlight the issue of getting the set up right for a given circuit.
Interestingly I came across short little film on YT the other evening of Will Power and Josef Newgarden driving the Corvette pace car around this circuit. It was highly humorous with the emphasis on Josef coaching Will on how to drive and not crash into his team mates, and the latter driving with some gusto and causing Josef to try and find a grab handle which wasn't available.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 21, 2021 11:08:39 GMT
Bommarito 500 - World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison - IllinoisRomain Grosjean is set to make his oval race debut this weekend so for that reason alone worthwhile watching! I’m sure he’ll do fine but it will be an exciting experience for the Frenchman! But with only four races to go the focus will be on the championship contenders Palou, O’Ward and Dixon. Not far behind are Newgarden and Ericsson. Scoring no points is really not an option anymore for all five drivers. Who will find the best setup? This track is favored by many of the drivers who race there due to the unique shape and varying degrees of banking in each corner.  
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Aug 22, 2021 12:24:06 GMT
That was an eventful and exciting race! And my words about not scoring points were almost prophetic . Palou and Dixon (first and third in the championship) both eliminated in the same incident! Unfortunately a clear mistake by Rinus Veekay that triggered the crash. Good win for Josef Newgarden. Second for Pato O’Ward who has now passed Palou in the points standing and Josef passed Dixon. Poor Alex Palou had a 50 points lead at one stage but after two DNFs is now down to second. But all is still possible. Colton Herta was super fast again and very unlucky again with a broken driveshaft after leaving the pits. Romain Grosjean did a good job with some nice passes and running around 10th for a while. He finished one lap down eventually but he brought it home in his first oval race. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 22, 2021 23:34:12 GMT
That was an eventful and exciting race! And my words about not scoring points were almost prophetic . Palou and Dixon (first and third in the championship) both eliminated in the same incident! Unfortunately a clear mistake by Rinus Veekay that triggered the crash. Good win for Josef Newgarden. Second for Pato O’Ward who has now passed Palou in the points standing and Josef passed Dixon. Poor Alex Palou had a 50 points lead at one stage but after two DNFs is now down to second. But all is still possible. Colton Herta was super fast again and very unlucky again with a broken driveshaft after leaving the pits. Romain Grosjean did a good job with some nice passes and running around 10th for a while. He finished one lap down eventually but he brought it home in his first oval race. René, Definitely an eventful and exciting race, but once more too many cautions! My taped recording ended at lap 232 when the podium was predictable and I was sleepy, so I made an early exit. It seemed to me that Rinus Veekay thought he had an opening down low at Turn 1, but the opening closed as Scott Dixon took his normal line. A racing incident and a shame because he realized his mistake and tried to avoid contact, but it was too late and two championship contenders were out. Romain Grosjean's natural talent enabled him to exit better onto the straights and find enough downforce to close and pass, aided by expert coaching from his race engineer, but he learned the hard way about the outside line becoming hazardous, losing grip and the three positions he had gained. When Alexander Rossi corrected momentary oversteer, drifted high and smacked the wall later in the race, more caution laps were taken to clear the dust and marbles. During an interview, Herta said the driveshaft had broken immediately before his pitstop. The commentators thought throttle application while the car was still elevated during the pitstop overstressed the driveshaft, but apparently not, and I suppose Andretti Autosport will discuss possible causes during debrief. Driveshafts are very strong, so the discussion may include throttle data records. Young Colton drives hard at all times and may be a suspect.  Cheers, Carl |
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 25, 2021 16:47:54 GMT
Due to the unearthly hour the race was televised live in Europe I missed the live action but managed to watch a superb 30 minute highlight showing on YouTube last night which was very good and of course meant that there were no distractive multiple advertising breaks, a bonus indeed.
For me Joseph Newgarden was very lucky with his very rude chop of team mate Simon Pagenaud which inflicted damage on the Frenchman's car, not a classy move at all by the eventual race winner.
Romain Grosjean was extremely impressive in his "Oval" debut and gained much praise from the commentary box as a result, 14th place finish was scant reward for such a fine first attempt at this form of racing.
I believe the reason why Colton Herta broke the driveshaft was down to him revving up the engine to get away while the team brought the car down off the "jack" too heavily, six of one and half a dozen for the other I would say. Otherwise he was driving beautifully once again and would have been a factor at race end.
Alexander Rossi gives me the impression of a guy who is trying just too hard and should chill a bit, he keeps pushing and not letting things come to him. It obviously doesn't help having such a highly talented young team mate, but he is good enough to get on top of this of he calms down.
Not a good race for the Ganassi guys and through no fault of their own, although they did not look that strong in comparison with the Penske boys at this venue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 25, 2021 17:14:14 GMT
John, A thoughtful analysis, and well said. You're probably right about what caused Herta's broken driveshaft. His speculating otherwise in the interview may have been denial or wishful thinking.
Josef Newgarden can at times be ruthless, especially against Simon Pagenaud, who currently seems to be an outsider within the team. I had this in mind watching Newgarden and Power in the Corvette pacecar at Indianapolis make jest of Power's doing the same. Despite the often repeated team rule, teammates colliding isn't unusual for Penske, who sometimes overlooks reckless tendencies of otherwise very quick drivers, Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves and Will Power the best examples.
Cheers, Carl
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Aug 26, 2021 11:12:18 GMT
John, A thoughtful analysis, and well said. You're probably right about what caused Herta's broken driveshaft. His speculating otherwise in the interview may have been denial or wishful thinking.
Josef Newgarden can at times be ruthless, especially against Simon Pagenaud, who currently seems to be an outsider within the team. I had this in mind watching Newgarden and Power in the Corvette pacecar at Indianapolis make jest of Power's doing the same. Despite the often repeated team rule, teammates colliding isn't unusual for Penske, who sometimes overlooks reckless tendencies of otherwise very quick drivers, Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves and Will Power the best examples.
Cheers, Carl
Cheers Carl, I hear that Simon Pagenaud will leave Penske and join Helio at Meyer Shank racing in 2022 which will form a very experienced and strong line up, a fair few Indy 500 wins between those two. It surprises me that Penske would tolerate his own drivers taking one another off like that and for some considerable time. John |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Aug 26, 2021 17:30:02 GMT
John, A thoughtful analysis, and well said. You're probably right about what caused Herta's broken driveshaft. His speculating otherwise in the interview may have been denial or wishful thinking.
Josef Newgarden can at times be ruthless, especially against Simon Pagenaud, who currently seems to be an outsider within the team. I had this in mind watching Newgarden and Power in the Corvette pacecar at Indianapolis make jest of Power's doing the same. Despite the often repeated team rule, teammates colliding isn't unusual for Penske, who sometimes overlooks reckless tendencies of otherwise very quick drivers, Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves and Will Power the best examples.
Cheers, Carl
Cheers Carl, I hear that Simon Pagenaud will leave Penske and join Helio at Meyer Shank racing in 2022 which will form a very experienced and strong line up, a fair few Indy 500 wins between those two. It surprises me that Penske would tolerate his own drivers taking one another off like that and for some considerable time. John John, Paul Tracy often says that Roger Penske would be quite angry if teammates collided, but apparently valued speed and ruthlessness more than an occasional dented race car. American President Theodore Roosevelt, of the bully pulpit, famously endorsed a foreign policy that would "speak softly and carry a big stick" and Penske is always soft spoken...
Cheers, Carl
|
|
I really like The Lovin' Spoonful, a folk-rock band stemming from the great folk scene in Greenwich Village. Although I still think the autoharp is a bizarre instrument, "Do You Believe in Magic?", "Daydream" and "Full Measure" put John Sebastian among the best songwriters. Two of my favorites are the wonderfully innovative "Summer in the City" and the beautifully written "Darling Be Home Soon."
.
