|
|
Post by Carl on Mar 29, 2023 20:56:42 GMT
Chris, My guess is that you're right about the experience being awesome, but only at dangerous speeds. At lower speeds, it wouldn't be a challenge. On the one hand, the almost fearless Chris Amon would not race at Indianapolis. On the other hand, to everyone's astonishment, on a rainy day in 1967 Jochen Rindt drove one or two laps after practice had been suspended, exiting Turn 4 in perfect four-wheel drifts. Cheers, Carl I would still be happy to have a go at low speed without the challenge, just to see it from a driver’s perspective.   For several thousand dollars (at least six figures), that could be arranged, but I guarantee driving slow will bore you. On the other hand, notice how tightly clamped Graham Rahal legs are at speed, in this pre-aeroscreen photo? He sees Takuma Sato in his mirrors  |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Mar 29, 2023 21:02:27 GMT
oh no if I were to have done this it would be at reasonably high speed. so much more fun Chris, Dangerous speed is a Siren's song at Indianapolis. Just ask this pace car driver:
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Mar 30, 2023 16:41:14 GMT
I would still be happy to have a go at low speed without the challenge, just to see it from a driver’s perspective. For several thousand dollars (at least six figures), that could be arranged, but I guarantee driving slow will bore you. On the other hand, notice how tightly clamped Graham Rahal legs are at speed, in this pre-aeroscreen photo? He sees Takuma Sato in his mirrors Yeah I know, driving slow is boring. I was just being modest.  Is Graham sh*****g his pants?  |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 1, 2023 18:15:55 GMT
Indycar Texas Starting Grid
Good for Felix, an excellent driver who deserves more success.
1. Felix Rosenqvist 220.264 2. Scott Dixon 219.972 3. Alexander Rossi 219.960 4. Josef Newgarden 219.801 5. Pato O’Ward 219.619 6. Takuma Sato 219.508 7. Alex Palou 219.480 8. Will Power 219.355 9. David Malukas 219.256 10. Colton Herta 219.184 11. Romain Grosean 219.165 12. Devlin DeFrancesco 219.146 13. Benjamin Pedersen (a young Danish driver for AJ Foyt) 219.100 14. Santino Ferrucci 218.892 15. Scott McLaughlin 218.765 16. Marcus Ericsson 218.698 17. Callum Ilott 218.427 18. Ed Carpenter 218.375 19. Agustin Canapino (a 33 year old rookie from Argentina has won fifteen major championships in touring cars) 218.367 20. Kyle Kirkwood 218.227 21. Helio Castroneves 218.196 22. Simon Pagenaud 218.103 23. Sting Ray Robb ( Drives for Dale Coyne Racing and that's his real name - his father worshipped Corvettes) 217.676 24. Graham Rahal 217.611 25. Conor Daly 217.457 26. Rinus VeeKay 216.880 27. Christian Lundgaard 216.210 28. Jack Harvey 216.103
|
|
|
|
Post by mikael on Apr 1, 2023 18:24:24 GMT
Wonderful to see that Takuma Sato is still well up at the front - after all these years ... (The "old man" is actually not far from the sharp corner of 50 ...!)
I start to draw some parallels with the great Ichiro Suzuki (in baseball): probably not born with the most massive amount of natural talent, but very smart and "cunning" (meant in a positive way - clever).
Takuma Sato
Ichiro Suzuki
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 1, 2023 18:57:45 GMT
Mikael,
That is an excellent comparison. Takuma Sato and Ichiro Suzuki are both formidable talents.
I've seen Sato drive and Suzuki play baseball and each thrills with a dynamic athleticism.
Cheers, Carl
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 2, 2023 22:59:12 GMT
All I can say is that Texas Motor Speedway lived up to my expectations.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Apr 3, 2023 16:33:01 GMT
All I can say is that Texas Motor Speedway lived up to my expectations. I was not able to watch the race live this time but I watched a long recap and really enjoyed it. One of my favorite drivers won and another favorite came second! Very exciting!   |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 6, 2023 16:35:17 GMT
All I can say is that Texas Motor Speedway lived up to my expectations. I was not able to watch the race live this time but I watched a long recap and really enjoyed it. One of my favorite drivers won and another favorite came second! Very exciting! I guess my indifference is with so short a track (1.5 miles) having steep banking to make it faster. The passes all seem to be by gradual momentum rather than the cut and thrust of outbraking someone and taking the inside line away. A driver shouldn't have time to smile and wave in a passing maneuver...
I noticed the grandstands weren't even half-filled. Not sure why, but Texas motorsports is mainly stock cars and derivatives thereof racing on a 1/4 or 1/2 mile dirt track. I still remember, when stock cars first raced at Indianapolis in 1994, the disbelief among NASCAR fans that Indycars lapped 50mph faster than their heroes. They don't really like sophisticated open cockpit open wheel single seaters in Dixie, with the venerable exception of the frighteningly powerful Sprint cars, almost always sideways and steered with the throttle.
Parnelli Jones  Mario Andretti on the Sacramento Fairground 1/2 mile in 1969 
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Apr 8, 2023 10:14:39 GMT
I understand what you mean Carl but I did enjoy it anyway!  I will always prefer the racing on road or street circuits but I have 'learned' to appreciate oval racing. I see your point re. the short oval but this race was quite enjoyable. I remember watching my first Indycar oval race in 1989 or 1990 if I remember correctly. Don't know what race but it was live on Eurosport for the first time and Rick Mears won in the yellow Pennzoil car. It was a completely new experience for me which was quite fascinating.  |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 8, 2023 19:01:21 GMT
René, You chose your first Indycar race well! Rick Mears was one of the best. During a Brabham Formula One test at Riverside, Mears was faster than Nelson Piquet but declined Ecclestone's contract offer. It still stuns me that Mears liked his car to oversteer slightly in the corners at Indy...above 200 mph! He was incredibly talented. -- The following is quoted from Wikipedia --
"In 1980 Mears was offered a Formula One test with Brabham by then team boss Bernie Eccelstone. Mears took interest in the test largely because of the ongoing split between CART and USAC and wanted other options in case CART fell apart. Mears tested with Brabham twice, once at Paul Ricard and once at Riverside. After adjusting his driving style to the Brabham BT49 Mears posted lap times within half a second of future three time Formula One champion and then Brabham driver Nelson Piquet at the first test. During the second test Mears posted lap times faster than Piquet's. Piquet was so impressed with Mears' driving and enjoyed their time spent together so much that he endorsed bringing Mears on as a second driver. Ecclestone offered Mears a contract with Brabham that Mears ultimately declined. Mears would later say in his memoir that although he felt Brabham was a strong team and he had the skill to compete for wins in Formula One, he was unsure about moving to Europe and was still interested in oval racing as the main reasons for declining Ecclestone's offer." Cheers, Carl |
|
|
|
Post by René on Apr 9, 2023 12:01:01 GMT
Rick Mears was an awesome driver. He could have been a race winner and champion in Formula 1, no doubt. He probably made a wise decision to not make the same mistake as Michael Andretti did over a decade later. Formula 1 is a European sport on an international stage and should be treated as such.  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Apr 15, 2023 10:06:11 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 15, 2023 17:07:32 GMT
The IMSA Prototype race at Long Beach is often more exciting than the main event. It's interesting that the prototypes are predictably about 3 seconds slower than the fastest Indycar practice lap. The prototypes race today at 9 pm GMT
1 Filipe Albuquerque Ricky Taylor #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 13 01:09.909 2 Tom Blomqvist Colin Braun #60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 14 01:10.583 3 Sebastien Bourdais Rengervander Zande #01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac Cadillac V-Series.R 13 01:10.981 4 Nick Yelloly ConnorDe Phillippi #25 BMW M Team Rahal BMW M Hybrid V8 11 01:11.002 5 Augusto Farfus Philipp Eng #24 BMW M Team Rahal BMW M Hybrid V8 14 01:11.368 6 Nick Tandy Mathieu Jaminet #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 13 01:11.406 7 Alexander Sims Pipo Derani #31 Cadillac Cadillac V-Series.R 13 01:11.410 8 Felipe Nasr Matt Campbell #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 13 01:11.591 9 Marco Sorensen RomanDe Angelis #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 10 01:17.811 10 Jack Hawksworth Ben Barnicoat #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 8 01:17.817 |
|
|
|
Post by René on Apr 15, 2023 17:49:05 GMT
Thanks Carl. It's simply too much to keep up with all the series so any help is always welcome!
Yes, the prototypes are cool.
|
|
