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Post by Carl on May 22, 2023 0:08:57 GMT
Until forbidden to do so, Leigh Diffey enjoyed targeting incontinence onto passersby
while hiding in the peacock's tail feathers outside NBC corporate headquarters.
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Post by Carl on May 22, 2023 1:26:43 GMT
To avoid contrivance, Peacock streaming and Leigh Diffey, I passed on qualifying today, but here are the final grid positions. Several teams excelled while others strangely failed to coalesce, in particular Team Penske, Andretti Autosport and Team Rahal all adding to the challenge for their drivers.
1 10 Alex Palou 234.217 mph (third fastest pole speed ever)
2 21 Rinus VeeKay 234.211
3 6 Felix Rosenqvist 234.114
4 14 Santino Ferrucci
5 5 Pato O’Ward
6 9 Scott Dixon
7 7 Alexander Rossi
8 11 Takuma Sato
9 66 Tony Kanaan
10 8 Marcus Ericsson
11 55 Benjamin Pedersen
12 12 Will Power
13 33 Ed Carpenter
14 3 Scott McLaughlin
15 27 Kyle Kirkwood
16 20 Conor Daly
17 2 Josef Newgarden
18 23 Ryan Hunter-Reay
19 28 Romain Grosjean
20 06 Helio Castroneves
21 26 Colton Herta
22 60 Simon Pagenaud
23 18 David Malukas
24 98 Marco Andretti
25 24 Stefan Wilson
26 29 Devlin DeFrancesco
27 78 Agustin Canapino
28 77 Callum Ilott
29 50 R.C. Enerson
30 44 Katherine Legge
31 45 Christian Lundgaard
32 51 Sting Ray Robb (R)
33 30 Jack Harvey
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Post by René on May 23, 2023 23:08:49 GMT
A super nice ‘feel good’ video.  |
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Post by Carl on May 24, 2023 16:48:56 GMT
A super nice ‘feel good’ video. What an awesome gift!
I remember having dinner at Siebken's in 1995 (my one time there) and seeing Bryan Herta sitting alone at a table across the dining room, possibly wanting to collect his thoughts ahead of the race. He deserved more success as a driver, always one of the fastest but lacking the killer instinct that wins races. This car and engine (and steering wheel) were there when Bryan won in 1998. What a great surprise. No wonder he's overwhelmed!
The narrator Marshall Pruett is steeped in American motorsport and I'd be smart to subscribe (once more) to the magazine he writes for, RACER. All that's doubtful is how smart I am... 
We would be smart to gather at Road America when we're still nimble and the Hawaiian Tropic ladies still beautiful.
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Post by René on May 24, 2023 18:18:28 GMT
That would be smart indeed. Probably the smartest thing we've ever done....  |
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Post by chrisb on May 25, 2023 19:52:46 GMT
Carl I have heard about Stef Wilson’s unfortunate accident but don’t know the details other than it means Graham Rahal is now on the grid, wondering what your thoughts were about this?
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Post by Carl on May 25, 2023 22:36:09 GMT
Carl I have heard about Stef Wilson’s unfortunate accident but don’t know the details other than it means Graham Rahal is now on the grid, wondering what your thoughts were about this? Chris, I hadn't heard yet, so watched a replay. For a Team Rahal driver to crash into one from another team, who afterward is replaced by Team Rahal's number one driver, is suspicious on its face. However, it's not possible to stalk and crash into another driver at exactly the right place, speed and angle to ensure they are hospitalized without the race stewards and everyone on pit row knowing. The crash could just as easily have ended with Stefan Wilson walking away and Katherine Legge in the hospital.
Both are paid drivers, both are slow and could be considered dispensable, and the now vacant seat being offered to Graham Rahal seems too neat to be entirely coincidental, therefore....
Cheers, Carl
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Post by chrisb on May 28, 2023 20:49:57 GMT
For a first in a long time I managed to follow the race on Utub although the screen was mainly blocked out I had the commentary and what was happening with the screen partially blocked but sufficient to see some very good racing but some seriously bad accidents, especially that flying wheel
Well done to Joseph always around there and after the accidents kept out of trouble
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Post by Carl on May 29, 2023 0:21:06 GMT
Good call, Mr. Brooke!
Well done by a patient and steady Josef Newgarden!
Otherwise, the less said about the Indy 500, the better, but broadcaster Leigh Diffey is hyperbolic at all times. There were several excellent passes, but the race was spoiled by too much aggression, even during pit stops.
It was pure luck that no-one was killed when a detached rear wheel catapaulted between grandstands, beyond all barriers, onto a parked private car. Talented young driver Kyle Kirkwood, whose wheel it was, was equally fortunate to survive a frightening accident unscathed.
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Post by René on May 29, 2023 17:07:15 GMT
Very happy for Josef and I thought the way he celebrated his win amongst the fans in the grandstand was great. I was rooting for both Newgarden and O'Ward during the race and when Josef moved up the order I really started to believe he could do it. I think Pato made a mistake with his too aggressive overtake and paid the price. I agree Carl, that sometimes the racing was very good but too often not so and way too aggressive. The Rosenqvist/Kirkwood crash was scary, especially the flying wheel which luckily ended well. But again, very happy for Josef!   |
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Post by René on Jun 2, 2023 22:19:53 GMT
Detroit Grand Prix
 IndyCar is back in downtown Detroit for the first time since 1991! Pato O’Ward fastest in FP1.
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Post by René on Jun 3, 2023 17:07:04 GMT
Scott Dixon fastest in FP2. DeFranceso smashes his car in the wall!  And back to Indy for a moment. This is Josef Newgarden's Victory Celebration speech. I am not asking you to watch it all but man, he's as smooth and confident behind the mic as he is behind the wheel. Very impressive. |
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Post by Carl on Jun 3, 2023 21:39:11 GMT
I don't know why Indycar abandoned Belle Isle for a downtown parking structure with ramps that never end. Belle Isle was bumpy but well designed and beautifully situated. According to the city's main newspaper, The Detroit News, Indycar made the decision itself two years ago. None of the explanations offered so far are believeable.
Nonetheless, it's interesting that, with few exceptions, the top ten qualifiers can arguably be described as the top ten talents.
Indycar qualifying highlights
Indycar Detroit Grand Prix Starting Grid
1. (10) Alex Palou, Honda 01:01.8592 (95.734) 2. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet 01:02.1592 (95.271) 3. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda 01:02.2896 (95.072) 4. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda 01:02.4272 (94.862) 5. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet 01:02.5223 (94.718) 6. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda 01:02.6184 (94.573) 7. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet 01:02.1817 (95.237) 8. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda 01:02.1860 (95.230) 9. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet 01:02.1937 (95.219) 10. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet 01:02.2564 (95.123) 11. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda 01:02.2958 (95.063) 12. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda 01:04.6075 (91.661) 13. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet 01:02.5714 (94.644) 14. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet 01:02.1911 (95.223) 15. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet 01:02.9522 (94.071) 16. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet 01:02.2644 (95.111) 17. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda 01:03.0017 (93.997) 18. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda 01:02.6495 (94.526) 19. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet 01:03.1599 (93.762) 20. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet 01:02.9071 (94.139) 21. (18) David Malukas, Honda 01:03.2126 (93.684) 22. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet 01:02.9589 (94.061) 23. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda 01:03.3879 (93.425) 24. (26) Colton Herta, Honda 01:03.4165 (93.383) 25. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda 01:03.7728 (92.861) 26. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda 01:03.7496 (92.895) 27. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda 01:03.8663 (92.725) |
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Post by Carl on Jun 3, 2023 22:35:13 GMT
And back to Indy for a moment. This is Josef Newgarden's Victory Celebration speech. I am not asking you to watch it all but man, he's as smooth and confident behind the mic as he is behind the wheel. Very impressive. René, I totally agree. I remember an early appearance at Long Beach and was impressed both by his speed and his composure when Dario Franchitti, a master of gentle taps, punted him into the tyre barrier on the first lap. Still young today, he may have surpassed Scott Dixon as the top driver in Indycar. As you say, very impressive, intelligent and well-rounded.
Cheers, Carl
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Post by Carl on Jun 5, 2023 1:11:53 GMT
The race was chaotic 190 mph bumper cars on a rinky-dink street circuit, but mysteriously, no criticism was heard in the broadcast booth or driver interviews.  Avoidable contact was not not avoidable within the narrow confines, but there were several great passes, most notably by Alexander Rossi, Will Power (twice) and ultimate winner Alex Palou.
Only dementia can explain Roger Penske's decision to abandon one of Indycar's premiere venues and replace it with one of the worst. He bought the entire series in 2019 and, I believe, wanted a street track to surround the Renaissance Center, longtime corporate headquarters of Chevrolet, to which Penske has always been bound. An outstanding driver as a young man, he retired before 30 to concentrate on business and his first, enroute to multiple billions, was a Chevrolet dealership in Pennsylvania.
Abandoning Belle Isle for a barren and featureless concrete canyon street track was remarkably stupid, but so was supporting Donald Trump's reelection. As Penske approaches 90, he seems to be all about money, really bad judgment, and senility...
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Avoidable contact was not not avoidable within the narrow confines, but there were several great passes, most notably by Alexander Rossi, Will Power (twice) and ultimate winner Alex Palou.