|
|
Post by Carl on Apr 30, 2023 16:43:02 GMT
Is Takuma Sato slowly winding down his racing career? I can understand that he, for this season, has a contract for the oval-circuit races only.
(By the way, I would imagine that those races are the most dangerous/risky ones; but perhaps this might make them also the most lucrative ones ...?)
Mikael,
Maybe so, whether by design or by what he was offered. He's passionate about racing, as you know, so winding down must not be easy.
The big ovals tracks are considered more dangerous, but with the exception of Indy, with the most prize money, most driver contracts treat every race the same.
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 1, 2023 1:11:05 GMT
The Indycar race at Barber Motorsports Park was excellent. Although too much importance is placed on tyre and pit strategy, a balance of competition has been achieved that provides close racing and some awesome passes by very brave drivers. Young Danish driver Christian Lundgaard, penalized for obstruction in qualifying, made a great comeback, finishing sixth after brilliant passes of two champions, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou (see highlight film) Pole sitter Romain Grosjean made a brave pass of Scott McLaughlin, elbows out and job well done (see highlight film)
1, Scott McLaughlin / Team Penske 2. Romain Grosjean / Andretti Autosport 3. Will Power / Team Penske 4. Patricio O'Ward / Arrow McLaren 5. Alex Palou / Ganassi Racing 6. Christian Lundgaard / Team Rahal 7. Scott Dixon / Ganassi Racing 8. Alexander Rossi / Arrow McLaren 9. Felix Rosenqvist / Arrow McLaren 10. Marcus Ericsson / Ganassi Racing |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 1, 2023 16:10:42 GMT
It was a great race and what a wonderful track. A modern venue build in old school style, very nice. I understood there are no permanent grandstands so all the fans sit on the grass hills.
Deserved win for McLaughlin but Grosjean was also fantastic. That first win will come soon and I must say I’m happy for Romain how he found a new home and success in the US. It must feel good to be a front runner again.
Besides the great track there were two things that really stood out for me (again) that is better than how it’s done in F1.
‘Push to pass’ is so much better and so much more pure racing compared to DRS. It’s not artificial and everyone has the same amount of push seconds to start with. F1 should do the same and the extra power could also be gained from the battery.
The tv replays with picture in picture so you can still see the live images is also much better. I find it so annoying when after a couple of laps in F1 they start to show the replays of the start from a zillion angles but you miss a complete lap of the live race.
F1 is usually too arrogant to copy things from IndyCar but certainly with the ‘push to pass’ they should.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikael on May 1, 2023 21:11:25 GMT
The IndyCar push-to-pass idea is very interesting indeed. I can understand that the button overrides the maximum allowable turbo pressure and simply closes the wastegate valve.
It is easy - and free - to dream, of course ... but still; one could think of many similar yet different ideas for Formula One. For example, F1 has a maximum fuel flow rate (100kg/hour), and also a maximum fuel load (110 kg) for the entire race. So, for example, a push-to-pass button could override the maximum fuel flow rate (allowing a larger or even an unlimited fuel flow - like "in the old days") for X seconds, say(*). The driver should then wait Y seconds, say, before he could use the button again. If he uses it too many times during a race, he will simply run out of fuel! This might be an interesting approach ...
(*) The increased fuel flow rate would allow the engine to hit the max rev. limit (of 15,000 rpm) - something it normally doesn't, exactly because of the fuel flow limitation. If desired, the push-to-pass button could even increase the max rev. limit as well ...
|
|
|
|
Post by René on May 12, 2023 11:08:37 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 12, 2023 16:42:29 GMT
The only major problem with the infield road course is the anally-retentive Turn 1. No highway engineering student who designed a similar bottleneck would be allowed to graduate.
The main straight should curve gradually and blend into Turn 3. |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 12, 2023 17:58:53 GMT
The only major problem with the infield road course is the anally-retentive Turn 1. No highway engineering student who designed a similar bottleneck would be allowed to graduate.
The main straight should curve gradually and blend into Turn 3. Turn 1 is something from the Tilke bible. Your solution seems much better to me. How difficult can it be? |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 12, 2023 22:09:07 GMT
An unusual qualifying, although Christian Lundgaard fully deserves pole position. Ganassi Racing has all four cars in the top 12, Team Rahal and Arrow McLaren all three, while Andretti and Penske have a single car each. Jack Harvey was apparently coached by a mysterious Englishman called Christopher Brooke  1 Christian Lundgaard #45 Team Rahal 01:09.3321 126.643 2 Felix Rosenqvist #6 Arrow McLaren 01:09.3348 126.638 mph 3 Alex Palou #10 Ganassi Racing 01:09.3780 126.559 4 Jack Harvey #30 Team Rahal 01:09.4220 126.479 5 Pato O'Ward #5 Arrow McLaren 01:09.5422 126.260 6 Kyle Kirkwood #27 Andretti Autosport 01:09.6292 126.102 7 Marcus Ericsson #8 Ganassi Racing 01:09.4419 126.442 8 Graham Rahal #15 Team Rahal 01:09.4711 126.389 9 Scott Dixon #9 Ganassi Racing 01:09.4757 126.381 10 Alexander Rossi #7 Arrow McLaren 01:09.5471 126.251 11 Marcus Armstrong #11 Ganassi Racing 01:09.6148 126.128 12 Will Power #12 Team Penske 01:10.1872 125.100 |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 13, 2023 10:37:26 GMT
That was close! Great first pole for the Dane and with Felix Rosenqvist in second we have an all Viking front row.  |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 13, 2023 17:22:50 GMT
That was close! Great first pole for the Dane and with Felix Rosenqvist in second we have an all Viking front row.
A furore Normannorum libera nos
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 14, 2023 1:52:39 GMT
This was less of a race, more a comparison test of tyre compounds and major disappointment. All the announcers did was talk about tyre strategy. Because focusing on tyre compounds is so dull, even Leigh Diffey abandoned his usual heights of carnival giddiness for normal conversational tones. Who's on the primary? Who's on the alternate? When will they change? What strategy is best? What tyres does each driver have remaining? Are they brand new or scuffed? What compound will they be on after their final pit stop? During the rousing debate I was lulled into sleep and missed nothing.
It wouldn't be hard to reestablish real racing between drivers without the dead weight of tyre strategy. Formula Atlantic in a heat race format, even lighter and more nimble Formula Super Vee and Formula Ford, all provided more excitement.
An obsession with record lap speeds within motorsport and their own corporate enjoyment of the spotlight separate Pirelli and Firestone from tyres that would last race distance and race fans from real racing.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on May 14, 2023 12:41:57 GMT
I watched the race this morning. It wasn't entirely bad but I agree Carl that everything is focused way too much on tire strategy, just like in F1. The hard tire should be able to last the distance. When you combine that with a faster but less durable soft and... a totally free choice of strategy (so no mandatory pit stops), that would be much better. But pit stops are action and that is what people like apparently. Alain Prost could be content with starting from 5th or 6th and then slowly work his way up when others started to fall back or needed to make a pit stop. He won many races like that.  Photo ©: John C. Redding Still, a very convincing win by Alex Palou who is now also in the lead of the championship. Also strong performance by McLaren but when will they start winning this season? Strange to see the likes of Grosjean or McLaughlin being nowhere in this race. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 15, 2023 20:32:24 GMT
Some welcome pitstops as a change of pace, but like a game of musical chairs where everyone has to get up and dance around in a frenzy, they are disruptions during which the effective gardening techniques of undercutting and overcutting can win the day. Instead of elevating the importance of tyres, frequent tyre changes indicate weakness. It's the nature of the sport that races can be a parade with few cars fighting for position. In the past, the rare ability to conserve tyres while setting record lap times eluded most drivers. Experienced fans noticed when great drivers like Jim Clark, Alain Prost and Brian Redman extended their lead or steadily gained on the car ahead, and witnessing such greatness was part of the magic, but smoothness isn't always noticed by casual fans. While pitstops have always been routine and necessary in endurance events, in shorter races it meant you had a problem. Mindless in general and unashamed apostles of pitstops, David Croft and Paul di Resta, (now hindering Peugeot's WEC progress) pleaded during an interview last year with Pirelli Director Mario Isola for even more, not to improve the sport, but the broadcast! Were these two idiots revealing the original intention? In broadcasting, anything goes, and if disruption is the goal, other major components can be designated for failure. 
Audi developed a brilliant procedure at Le Mans to replace transmissions in less than 4 minutes. Formula One and Indycar can do the same. Drivers could be required to change helmets. The young women who want to marry Charles, Colton or Max would be thrilled by mandated stops to change driving suits 
Alex Palou drove an excellent race on the infield road course at Indianapolis, but it was telling that he and other drivers commented less about driving and more about tyre strategy in postrace interviews. |
|
|
|
Post by René on May 21, 2023 13:05:38 GMT
Indy 500
 The big one.  Qualifying highlights - Day 1
|
|
|
|
Post by Carl on May 21, 2023 19:05:41 GMT
Arrow McLaren and Ganassi Racing each have four drivers among the twelve fastest, most likely the result of insightful chassis engineers. In a remarkable improvement for AJ Foyt's team, both young drivers made it into final qualifying, as did fourth fastest Rinus Veekay, quicker than team owner Ed Carpenter. Roger Penske owns Indycar and the Speedway, but his powerhouse team struggles for consistency this year, with only Will Power eligible for pole position. The drivers today all seem so calm and relaxed, just guiding the car on the proper line with the pedal to the metal, although far more is demanded than meets the eye. While structural integrity improvements have made the cars much safer, current speeds are undeniably dangerous. If someone used racer's tape to cover Leigh Diffey's cavernous mouth, winds at the Speedway would be calmer. I remember how sensational it was in 1971 when Peter Revson approached 180 mph. The next year, thanks to an alliance of geniuses, Bobby Unser qualified one of Dan Gurney's Eagles at 195.940 mph! racer.com/2015/08/19/where-eagles-dare/
Both Formula One and Indycar have embraced more complicated qualifying, with each procedural step eliminating drivers as the excitement (supposedly) builds toward final qualifying. Previous systems were less contrived but, according to a computer algorithm, had less time for commercial messages. Who could possibly want that? |
|
