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Post by René on Sept 5, 2022 16:14:02 GMT
Strong drive from Scott McLaughlin! He is indeed amazing as you say Carl.
Also a good result for Will Power and even Scott Dixon is still in the running with that P3 finish. Josef Newgarden looked strong at first but his last stint on the blacks was a disaster which was a shame.
But I enjoyed the race as it's a great race track. Without that first chicane it would be even better.
Rinus Veekay's move on Johnson was a strange mistake from the Dutchman. I first assumed immediately it was Johnson's mistake (!) but this time it really wasn't!  |
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Post by René on Sept 8, 2022 10:04:27 GMT
Grand Prix of Monterey - Laguna Seca The grande finale! Final race of the year and still five drivers in contention for the title! Will Power is the points leader and thus the favourite but both Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon are only 20 points behind. Will Power can secure the championship by finishing third or better but only one little mistake or some bad luck is enough to lose it all. Marcus Ericssson and Scott McLaughlin would need a win and a lot of luck to clinch the title. The title candidates:
- Will Power - 523
- Josef Newgarden - 503
- Scott Dixon - 503
- Marcus Ericsson - 484
- Scott McLaughlin - 482
The main focus this weekend will be on the title battle and who will win the Astor Cup. But there are of course more drivers who want to end this season on a high, in particular Colton Herta who won the last two editions at wonderful Laguna Seca. Colton has some convincing to do on the other side of the ocean so a win could be quite helpful!
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Post by Carl on Sept 8, 2022 16:46:19 GMT
Grand Prix of Monterey - Laguna SecaThe grande finale! Final race of the year and still five drivers in contention for the title! Will Power is the points leader and thus the favourite but both Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon are only 20 points behind. Will Power can secure the championship by finishing third or better but only one little mistake or some bad luck is enough to lose it all. Marcus Ericssson and Scott McLaughlin would need a win and a lot of luck to clinch the title. What the Astor Cup contained until resurrected by Roger Penske after a century remains a mystery, but the name Astor has wealth and influence all over it in England and America, where a massive fortune was made trading furs and smuggling opium, so it may have been a repository for pocket change in a mansion somewhere in the Hamptons.  Laguna Seca is a wonderful road course with a great history in Can-Am and Formula 5000. May the best driver win the race and the most deserving win the championship. I have a feeling Scott Dixon may do both  |
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Post by Carl on Sept 11, 2022 0:25:37 GMT
A lot of blunders in qualifying by other championship contenders left Will Power well-situated in pole position. Callum Illot came through beautifully for Juncos/ Hollinger Racing, a small very well organized independent team with several junior series championships since becoming established in North America about ten years ago. A Cinderella team and driver impressively on the front row!
Indycar Laguna Seca 2022 Starting Grid
1. Will Power
1:11.6127
2. Callum Ilott
1:11.6320
3. Alexander Rossi
1:11.7698
4. Romain Grosjean
1:11.7858
5. Alex Palou
1:12.3785
6. Pato O’Ward
1:12.4542
7. David Malukas
1:11.6295
8. Scott McLaughlin
1:11.6916
9. Felix Rosenqvist
1:11.7285
10. Marcus Ericsson
1:12.1359
11. Simon Pagenaud
1:12.2808
12. Helio Castronves
1:12.8856
13. Scott Dixon
1:12.1722
14. Rinus VeeKay
1:12.1442
15. Conor Daly
1:12.2661
16. Christian Lundgaard
1:12.2093
17. Kyle Kirkwood
1:12.4299
18. Colton Herta
1:12.2720
19. Graham Rahal
1:12.5970
20. Devlin DeFrancesco
1:12.2996
21. Jack Harvey
1:12.8366
22. Takuma Sato
1:12.4489
23. Jimmie Johnson
1:13.4172
24. Dalton Kellett
1:12.8001
25. Josef Newgarden
No Time
26. Simona De Silvestro
1:13.5181
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Post by René on Sept 11, 2022 10:02:18 GMT
A very messy qualy and strange to see all the championship contenders making mistakes, except for Will Power that is! A very deserved pole position for Power and breaking the all time record from Mario Andretti. Nice to see Mario there to congratulate Will. So all is looking very good for Power but he still needs to finish that race. A DNF for whatever reason could be very costly with Scott McLaughlin maybe being the biggest threat.
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Post by Carl on Sept 11, 2022 23:35:11 GMT
A frantic race with too much bumping and banging (seats must be on the line for next year). Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou were the standouts, both extraordinary, Newgarden passing into the corkscrew at will and Palou disappearing into the distance, simply driving away from everyone else to the race win.
After watching Formula One and Indycar on television, someone new to the sport could summarize its essence as:
1. What tyre to choose
2. When
>>A Modest Proposal<<
One dry compound to last 200 miles
One intermediate
One wet
Advise drivers not to abuse their tyres, but pit stops are allowed should they do so.
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Post by Carl on Sept 11, 2022 23:43:57 GMT
Despite his awesome speed, I've never been a fan of Will Power. He reminds me of the golfer whose drives carry 800 yards, and when finesse is called for on the green, also putts 800 yards. Nevertheless, despite a bad habit early in his career of leading the points and the final race, then crashing into the wall, he's a likeable and deserving champion. Good on you, Will |
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Post by René on Sept 12, 2022 19:19:07 GMT
Yep a chaotic race at times but always exciting. Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden were both brilliant, faster than anyone else. What a race this could have been had Josef started more at the front. Will Power drove with his head as he did this entire season. Very out of character but it payed off. I agree Carl he was never a clever driver. Super fast but no finesse. But this one was deserved so yes, good on him! |
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Post by René on Sept 24, 2022 9:49:36 GMT
The 2022 Champ!  |
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