|
|
Post by Carl on May 17, 2021 19:00:26 GMT
The IMSA Endurance Sprint race from Mid Ohio last evening was excellent, two and half hours of top quality racing. For the most part it looked like Dpi Mazda of Harry Tinknell was well in command with a superb drive backed up initially by his team mate Oliver Jarvis, however a late full course yellow changed the complexion of the race and Ricky Taylor chased by Felipe Nasr went head to head for the finish. Added drama ensued when it became apparent that fuel would become critical and as they entered the last few laps some of the DPi's headed for a splash & dash, but not Taylor or Nasr who raced on running on what must have been fumes. Even Ricky's dad Wayne could be seen at the pit counter head in hands not knowing if his car was going to finish the last lap. Both cars did, and finished very close together on this wonderful traditional race track. Kevin Magnussen recorded a new track record for Dpi cars as he raced back up the field after failing to adhere to the race start protocol and gained a penalty. Kevin was very quick indeed which made the comments from the Radio Le Mans commentary team about him being inexperienced in these cars somewhat uncalled for, just a glitch in an otherwise excellent transmission by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic team. Interestingly during the race there was a short discussion about the farcical F1 track limits ruling, a simple solution they said was bring back grass verges as that would deter anyone going over the kerbing, right too. One has to be full of admiration for all the drivers racing in these series as the speed difference between the different classes is profound and the skill in weaving between groups of slower cars is something to behold, none of this "namby pamby" get out of the way once you are blue flagged in F1. Overtaking a slower car is a skill even in the sterilised world of F1, or at least it should be. Your summation is excellent, John, and I agree with every point you make. Even with a reduced number of Daytona Prototypes, only six and six of the smaller DP3 prototypes, the number of very fast Grand Touring cars made for exciting racing! As you note, overtaking slower cars successfully is a valuable skill about which more than a few in Formula One are dismissive and complain instead like babies on the radio. The outstanding driving talent in DPI reflects the current status of IMSA and it was wonderful to see great drivers and great racing. Kevin Magnussen was awesome in pursuit, like a greyhound after rabbits. Mid-Ohio is one of the finest road courses in North America, along with Barber Motorsport Park and Mosport, surpassed only by Road America and Riverside. A nice surprise was the absence of Leigh Diffey. May he have more scheduling conflicts!  Cheers, Carl |
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on May 17, 2021 21:18:10 GMT
The IMSA Endurance Sprint race from Mid Ohio last evening was excellent, two and half hours of top quality racing. For the most part it looked like Dpi Mazda of Harry Tinknell was well in command with a superb drive backed up initially by his team mate Oliver Jarvis, however a late full course yellow changed the complexion of the race and Ricky Taylor chased by Felipe Nasr went head to head for the finish. Added drama ensued when it became apparent that fuel would become critical and as they entered the last few laps some of the DPi's headed for a splash & dash, but not Taylor or Nasr who raced on running on what must have been fumes. Even Ricky's dad Wayne could be seen at the pit counter head in hands not knowing if his car was going to finish the last lap. Both cars did, and finished very close together on this wonderful traditional race track. Kevin Magnussen recorded a new track record for Dpi cars as he raced back up the field after failing to adhere to the race start protocol and gained a penalty. Kevin was very quick indeed which made the comments from the Radio Le Mans commentary team about him being inexperienced in these cars somewhat uncalled for, just a glitch in an otherwise excellent transmission by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic team. Interestingly during the race there was a short discussion about the farcical F1 track limits ruling, a simple solution they said was bring back grass verges as that would deter anyone going over the kerbing, right too. One has to be full of admiration for all the drivers racing in these series as the speed difference between the different classes is profound and the skill in weaving between groups of slower cars is something to behold, none of this "namby pamby" get out of the way once you are blue flagged in F1. Overtaking a slower car is a skill even in the sterilised world of F1, or at least it should be. Your summation is excellent, John, and I agree with every point you make. Even with a reduced number of Daytona Prototypes, only six and six of the smaller DP3 prototypes, the number of very fast Grand Touring cars made for exciting racing! As you note, overtaking slower cars successfully is a valuable skill about which more than a few in Formula One are dismissive and complain instead like babies on the radio. The outstanding driving talent in DPI reflects the current status of IMSA and it was wonderful to see great drivers and great racing. Kevin Magnussen was awesome in pursuit, like a greyhound after rabbits. Mid-Ohio is one of the finest road courses in North America, along with Barber Motorsport Park and Mosport, surpassed only by Road America and Riverside. A nice surprise was the absence of Leigh Diffey. May he have more scheduling conflicts! Cheers, Carl It really was an excellent event Carl. I did notice that DPi and DP3 were limited to only six cars each which was strange but I wonder if it was due to the worry of overcrowding on the track. In some respects I suppose they could have had two separate races but maybe it was thought that posed too much of a problem with timings and all the other commercial appendages. A shame in some respects as more DPi's would certainly have enhanced the spectacle. Good too know you were relieved of Mr Diffey on this occasion, fortunately the Radio Le Mans team are a completely different crew with John Hindhaugh; Jeremy Shaw and Shae Adam. Hindhaugh has been covering Le mans since the 1980's and has a great NE England Sunderland accent, very knowledgable about this form of racing. Jeremy Shaw is I believe an ex-Autosport journalist from the 1970's but went to the USA and was well known for his commentary work covering the CART series in its pomp in the 1990's. Shae Adam is the pit reporter and adds a nice female touch to the presentation . I thought Kevin Magnussen's drive was outstanding but he then got a bit stuck behind the Team Mustang Caddy before handing over to Renger vander Zande who I thought a little lack lustre in this race as he was not on the form we saw at Sebring. What i liked about this coverage was the excellent aerial shots that really illustrated the beauty of Mid Ohio, for me it is right up there with Elkart Lake (Road America) an absolute classic venue. JC |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 18, 2021 0:37:32 GMT
John, Your endorsement has convinced me that Mid-Ohio is equal to Elkhart Lake. Turns 6 through 9 are as challenging a sequence as can be found anywhere and the blind entry, over the crest of a hill, of super fast Turn 9 must take some time before taken with confident abandon. With one glaring exception, the overall excellence and great aerial shots provided by NBC always impress.
-Carl
Turn 9 is at bottom right  |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 18, 2021 15:49:53 GMT
I must object!  Mid-Ohio is a great track, wonderful, beautiful and fantastic but..... not on par with Road America! Road America is majestic, like Spa and Suzuka or Monza. Not that many tracks are majestic. My view... 
As for the race, I didn't see anything unfortunately. Too many other things on the agenda but it sounded like a good one. Thanks for the race report!  |
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on May 18, 2021 15:53:03 GMT
John, Your endorsement has convinced me that Mid-Ohio is equal to Elkhart Lake. Turns 6 through 9 are as challenging a sequence as can be found anywhere and the blind entry, over the crest of a hill, of super fast Turn 9 must take some time before taken with confident abandon. With one glaring exception, the overall excellence and great aerial shots provided by NBC always impress.
-Carl
Carl, I just think that it is a great looking circuit and definitely one I would like to visit, along with Elkhart Lake (note my "H" key failed to work last time  ). The aerial shots were stunning and you are correct some of those corners are really challenging. Tell me, the commentators referred to it as the Mid Ohio Sports car track, does that mean that Indycar run on a different configuration? I am not aware of this myself. Going back to corners I always loved the shots filmed of the cars going uphill and under the overpass, especially back in the 1990 CART days, a stunning shot in my opinion. JC |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 18, 2021 19:11:05 GMT
John, Your endorsement has convinced me that Mid-Ohio is equal to Elkhart Lake. Turns 6 through 9 are as challenging a sequence as can be found anywhere and the blind entry, over the crest of a hill, of super fast Turn 9 must take some time before taken with confident abandon. With one glaring exception, the overall excellence and great aerial shots provided by NBC always impress.
-Carl
Carl, I just think that it is a great looking circuit and definitely one I would like to visit, along with Elkhart Lake (note my "H" key failed to work last time ). The aerial shots were stunning and you are correct some of those corners are really challenging. Tell me, the commentators referred to it as the Mid Ohio Sports car track, does that mean that Indycar run on a different configuration? I am not aware of this myself. Going back to corners I always loved the shots filmed of the cars going uphill and under the overpass, especially back in the 1990 CART days, a stunning shot in my opinion. JC John, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the official name and all major series use the same configuration. There is a Club Course that includes the short loop approaching the Keyhole hairpin, used by smaller regional and amateur series to reduce speed and congestion. I was wrong about several details. I referred to LMP3 as DP3, which seems an equally good description. Also, Turn 9 does have a blind entry but one slightly downhill instead of uphill, as I wrote. The hills are all around the course, the lowest point being Turn 9 and the highest the keyhole hairpin, with the steepest part into and through Turn 5, what the locals call "Madness". Turn 1 goes beneath the overpass and is the fastest corner, with a large runoff area where ambitiously driven cars often mow the lawn and bounce across an access road before regaining the track. A clear advantage at Mid-Ohio is the number of great places for spectators to spread a blanket and enjoy a wonderful view. I'd love to attend a race in a comfortable RV nicely located or at the nearby Wishmaker House. One day... Cheers, Carl |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 18, 2021 19:26:35 GMT
I must object! Mid-Ohio is a great track, wonderful, beautiful and fantastic but..... not on par with Road America! Road America is majestic, like Spa and Suzuka or Monza. Not that many tracks are majestic. My view...
As for the race, I didn't see anything unfortunately. Too many other things on the agenda but it sounded like a good one. Thanks for the race report! René, Has the presence of Siebken's Resort influenced your judgment? Elkhart Lake is definitely more upscale and charming than the middle of Ohio! Nonetheless, your objection has merit. With the beautiful Wishmaker House the only exception, the area around Mid-Ohio has only dull franchise hotels, none with great bars! One day as a group, we should visit both tracks and decide.
Cheers, Carl
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on May 18, 2021 19:33:27 GMT
Carl, I just think that it is a great looking circuit and definitely one I would like to visit, along with Elkhart Lake (note my "H" key failed to work last time ). The aerial shots were stunning and you are correct some of those corners are really challenging. Tell me, the commentators referred to it as the Mid Ohio Sports car track, does that mean that Indycar run on a different configuration? I am not aware of this myself. Going back to corners I always loved the shots filmed of the cars going uphill and under the overpass, especially back in the 1990 CART days, a stunning shot in my opinion. JC John, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the official name and all major series use the same configuration. There is a Club Course that includes the short loop approaching the Keyhole hairpin, used by smaller regional and amateur series to reduce speed and congestion. I was wrong about several details. I referred to LMP3 as DP3, which seems an equally good description. Also, Turn 9 does have a blind entry but one slightly downhill instead of uphill, as I wrote. The hills are all around the course, the lowest point being Turn 9 and the highest the keyhole hairpin, with the steepest part into and through Turn 5, what the locals call "Madness". Turn 1 goes beneath the overpass and is the fastest corner, with a large runoff area where ambitiously driven cars often mow the lawn and bounce across an access road before regaining the track. A clear advantage at Mid-Ohio is the number of great places for spectators to spread a blanket and enjoy a wonderful view. I'd love to attend a race in a comfortable RV nicely located or at the nearby Wishmaker House. One day... Cheers, Carl Thanks Carl that is excellent info' that fills a few gaps in my understanding,. I had a feeling that it may have been just the courses full name, and a jolly good one it is too, has a good feel to it. The spectator areas look superb as you so rightly point out and there were quite a lot attending this past weekend which for us in Europe seems somewhat strange unless one is a Covid denier of course. Not sure what protocols they are using to keep people safe as in some areas they looked to be very closely grouped but in others well spaced out. Yes the LMP3 class is a strange one in that they are barely able to get past the quickest GT cars on top speed which must be a bit of a challenge. Also no LMP2 cars last weekend. JC |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 18, 2021 22:08:20 GMT
I must object! Mid-Ohio is a great track, wonderful, beautiful and fantastic but..... not on par with Road America! Road America is majestic, like Spa and Suzuka or Monza. Not that many tracks are majestic. My view... As for the race, I didn't see anything unfortunately. Too many other things on the agenda but it sounded like a good one. Thanks for the race report! René, Has the presence of Siebken's Resort influenced your judgment? Elkhart Lake is definitely more upscale and charming than the middle of Ohio! Nonetheless, your objection has merit. With the beautiful Wishmaker House the only exception, the area around Mid-Ohio has only dull franchise hotels, none with great bars! One day as a group, we should visit both tracks and decide. Cheers, Carl
Not a bad place to hang out by the looks of it...    |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 19, 2021 4:00:15 GMT
Yes, but rooms are almost never available on race weekends and would cost plenty if somehow one appeared unless you were well-connected, in which case the entire weekend would likely be a tax deductible business expense...
In 1996, the year Jacques Villeneuve won at Road America, earlier the Indy 500, and eventually the CART championship, my friends and I ate several times in the restaurant at Siebkens, but rooms were unavailable even six months in advance and, with more dairy farms than towns in that part of Wisconsin, my friends were lucky to have lodging in a barn.
Fortunately I was spotted by several Hawaiian Tropic ladies who insisted I join them in their suite of rooms even farther away in Milwaukee. Any port in a storm...
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Jun 27, 2021 18:51:21 GMT
I currently have the Radio Le Mans broadcast of the IMSA Watkins Glen 6 Hour race running. Good race so far and great to see this wonderful track in full with such cars. I had not realised how good the place still was in its modern incarnation, sadly too challenging for modern F1 and the like.
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Jun 28, 2021 4:28:45 GMT
I currently have the Radio Le Mans broadcast of the IMSA Watkins Glen 6 Hour race running. Good race so far and great to see this wonderful track in full with such cars. I had not realised how good the place still was in its modern incarnation, sadly too challenging for modern F1 and the like. NBCSports mysteriously forgot about the first half, but I recorded the second half and will watch today what I hadn't time for on a busy Sunday. The Watkins Glen 6 Hours traditionally took place on the Saturday of the Grand Prix weekend and so far this edition is excellent. The track overflows with history and is in excellent condition deserving of a Grand Prix weekend, but a track ownership modest by today's wealthy standards and a paucity of 5 star hotels nearby dictate otherwise.
Watkins Glen is where American sports car racing began anew in 1948 on the roads around and through the small town itself, a simple and brilliant, if also dangerous recreation of earlier racing on existing roads, soon repeated by Elkhart Lake and the scenic area south of Monterey where the Pebble Beach Concours d' Richesse now resides.
The iconic Milliken's Corner   |
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Jun 28, 2021 18:21:51 GMT
It came alive after a late full course yellow at just about 30 odd minutes to go, with strategy playing a big role and the need to save fuel. I won't say anymore incase Carl has yet to watch . Interestingly the Radio Le Mans commentary actually referred to the old track and how they tried to carry over the layout of the original road course onto the track we now see. They also remarked on the challenges posed by the original and that they led to some tragedies due to the dangerous nature of the track. I really warmed to the current venue which does really look majestic and some of the bends are just sensational, beautifully relayed by some superb camera angles. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Jun 29, 2021 0:57:38 GMT
It came alive after a late full course yellow at just about 30 odd minutes to go, with strategy playing a big role and the need to save fuel. I won't say anymore incase Carl has yet to watch . Interestingly the Radio Le Mans commentary actually referred to the old track and how they tried to carry over the layout of the original road course onto the track we now see. They also remarked on the challenges posed by the original and that they led to some tragedies due to the dangerous nature of the track. I really warmed to the current venue which does really look majestic and some of the bends are just sensational, beautifully relayed by some superb camera angles. John, You nailed it! The last 30 minutes were beyond exciting, even well into extraordinary! Three prototype and two GT classes made for great challenges for the drivers and wonderfully close racing! No offense to anyone in F1, but IMSA Sportscars were the weekend's star attraction. Even in the slower categories, the abundance of driving talent was impressive. What a race, having aspect of endurance and an edge of the seat conclusion. Wow!
Here is a comparison of the original course and today's. The demands of the available natural terrain almost 5 miles southwest of the original prevented a closer copy, but there's a resemblance similar to brothers with different fathers.
Cheers, Carl
|
|
|
|
Post by charleselan on Jun 29, 2021 19:03:34 GMT
It came alive after a late full course yellow at just about 30 odd minutes to go, with strategy playing a big role and the need to save fuel. I won't say anymore incase Carl has yet to watch . Interestingly the Radio Le Mans commentary actually referred to the old track and how they tried to carry over the layout of the original road course onto the track we now see. They also remarked on the challenges posed by the original and that they led to some tragedies due to the dangerous nature of the track. I really warmed to the current venue which does really look majestic and some of the bends are just sensational, beautifully relayed by some superb camera angles. John, You nailed it! The last 30 minutes were beyond exciting, even well into extraordinary! Three prototype and two GT classes made for great challenges for the drivers and wonderfully close racing! No offense to anyone in F1, but IMSA Sportscars were the weekend's star attraction. Even in the slower categories, the abundance of driving talent was impressive. What a race, having aspect of endurance and an edge of the seat conclusion. Wow!
Here is a comparison of the original course and today's. The demands of the available natural terrain almost 5 miles southwest of the original prevented a closer copy, but there's a resemblance similar to brothers with different fathers.
Cheers, Carl
Carl, You are absolutely correct those last 30 minutes were fantastic, the driving was simply outstanding from all classes. I marvel at the ability of those guys in the prototypes as the negotiate the slower cars, often it looks like a demented computer game. Also the chaps in the GT cars are also superb as they are aware of the up coming faster cars even when they are in the midst of their own battles. Apparently the team owner of the winning Mazda gas said that it was the best performance he had ever seen from Harry Tincknell which one would have to agree. Both Harry and the team managed the fuel brilliantly, so much so that the car actually ran dry on the cooling down lap. Also to actually drive as fast as he did when lifting and coasting in an effort to save fuel was truly outstanding and in a car which lacked torque compared with the Caddy and Acura powered machines. Interestingly in the modern track diagram you provide I take it the purple overlay is to show what part of the circuit they use, however i was sure that they ran the full track from some of the camera angles, especially the fast downhill left in amongst the trees, but I must be mistaken. Cheers John |
|
). The aerial shots were stunning and you are correct some of those corners are really challenging.
