2016 Verizon IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel

mwoodski · Mar 11, 2007

Yet again, LK has proven why SuperModifieds are the coolest/most manly race cars EVER devised.

m.piedgros · Mar 12, 2007

First of all, high five to Seabass. We all may hate him 364 days a year, but he generally has one good day a year. LK, with you running for president in '08 and all do you think you can appoint Seabass official Secretary of making fun of Toyota's F1 program? Or does he have to be born in America for that too? I'm going to go research that...

Those cars are most definitely manly. How well do you think they'd do at Belle Isle, Mid-Ohio, St. Pete, Watkins, or Infineon? Let's just keep our hopes up for unification.

m.piedgros

Layla's Keeper · Mar 12, 2007

When I'm President supermodifieds and PRA Big Cars (the unadulterated Silver Crown cars) will be Indy feeder series. You run supers to learn how to race an oval, and Atlantics to learn road courses.

Kind of like how USAC teams have a dirt and asphalt chassis sprint car for the season. Two different chassis, one series.

And Bourdais may be appointed Secretary of Making fun of Toyota F1, but only if we appoint Paul Tracy the Secretary of Smacking Bourdais Upside his Head.

Blake · Mar 13, 2007

Layla's Keeper
Seriously, the big gain with the rear-mid engine layout these days is in reducing frontal area. A front-mid engine layout (like many manufacturers, from Ferrari and Panoz to Dodge and Nissan have adopted) can be just as successful from a chassis standpoint.

Sports cars are different than open wheel cars. The aero requirements are much different, and the advantages from having the engine in the back haven’t just gone away with modern materials and development. There is a reason why sports cars generally still have the engine behind the driver.

I really really doubt you could make an open wheel car with its engine in the front that is nearly as fast as its rear-engine counterpart. The disadvantages are just huge. Especially in terms of aero.

Layla's Keeper · Mar 13, 2007

The problem with reducing open wheel frontal area is that the biggest portion of the frontal area has nothing to do with the nose: it's the TIRES.

In actuality, open wheel Indy machines with the engine in the front that are as fast as their rear engine counterparts were around as recent as the 70's. The most famous of which was Jim Hurtibise's Mallard which currently holds the distinction of being the last front engine racer to qualify at Indy.

VNAF Ace · Mar 21, 2007

The first race of the IndyCar Series is this Saturday night!

SEASON PREVIEW: IndyCar Series
Written by: Robin Miller
Indianapolis, Ind. – 3/21/2007

As teams prepare for the Indy Racing League’s season opener this Saturday night at Homestead, Buddy Rice offers some logic mixed in with some wishful thinking that likely speaks for most of the paddock.

“Those four red cars cannot keep making the leaps and bounds they’ve been making and, sooner or later, they’re gonna hit a plateau,” said the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner. “They’ve both done a superb job and that’s why they were so far ahead.

“But people are going to start slowly catching up. It always works out that way.”

Of course Rice was talking about Team Penske’s 1-2 punch of Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves and Target Ganassi’s tough twosome of Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon – aka The Red Menace.

Last year they were very greedy and didn’t play nice. They captured 12 of the 14 races, won a dozen pole positions, led 2,081 laps out of 2,510 and ranked 1-4 in the final point standings with Hornish edging Wheldon for his third title.

Tony Kanaan knows all about dominance since his Andretti Green squad was the bully in 2004 and 2005. He also knew what to expect with everybody powered by Honda for the first time.

“We all knew that Penske and Ganassi would be stronger with the Honda and, with their history, it was basically just back to normal,” said Kanaan, the 2004 IRL champ who stopped the Penske/Ganassi win streak at nine last summer with a victory at Milwaukee.

“They got ahead and now we’re trying to catch up.”

That’s pretty much the theme as Tony George’s series heads into its 12th campaign. How do you prevent The Red Menace from spreading?

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could beat those guys but, obviously, it’s tough and you have to do everything right,” said Vitor Meira, who finished fifth in the ‘06 point standings and returns with Panther Racing.

“You can’t leave anything on the table because those guys seldom do.”

With a thrilling win at Indy and his third crown, Hornish had a dream season for Roger Penske and doesn’t see a lot changing in ’07.

“From Day 1 when everybody found out we would all be running Honda engines, everybody predicted it would come down to us and Ganassi and that’s exactly what happened,” said the 27-year-old who grew up idolizing Rick Mears. “I definitely think it could be the same battle as last year and I feel like there’s a good opportunity for us to come back and repeat. Although, to be honest, I hope it’s a runaway by the No. 6 car.”

Wheldon, who led a season-high 761 laps in his first stint with Chip Ganassi, echoed Hornish’s thoughts.

“I think some of the teams will have caught up a little and I don’t know that we’ll be so dominant, but I definitely think our two teams will always be at the forefront of the racing,” said the 2005 IRL and Indy 500 king.

“The drivers are going to have to take it to a new level and I’m ready to prove a point.”

crown and that’s his immediate and ultimate goal.

“It came down to the last race between four drivers last year and, in my case, it just wasn’t meant to be because we had a couple of DNFs that were out of my hands,” said the amiable veteran from Brazil. “It didn’t happen because it wasn’t my time.

“There’s a saying that if you try too hard, you’re probably not going to get whatever it is you’re after, so I’ll just focus on winning races and keep knocking on the door. It’s got to open sometime.”

Dixon can look at a bad pit final stop in Sonoma (when he clearly had the dominant car) as the culprit that prevented him from taking his second championship but he was happy to be back at the front.

“I think Dan and I had a ton of missed opportunities last year and we could have easily won eight races between us,” said the 2003 IRL king who only had one win in 2004 and 2005. “But it was redeeming to come back with fair package and be back at the front all year.

“I knew the first time I pulled out of the pits in testing that things were going to be different with the Honda engine.”

While Penske and Ganassi held the upper hand in ‘06, Andretti Green managed two wins but failed to show the form that made them dominant in 2004 and 2005.

Kanaan triumphed at Milwaukee and Marco Andretti scored his initial IRL win at Sonoma but, overall, it was pretty frustrating for the team that reigned supreme for two consecutive seasons.

“We were definitely caught napping,” said Dario Franchitti, who went winless in 2006. “We didn’t keep up with development and we paid the price.

“But now the owners have answered the call and given us the green light for development, and hopefully given us the tools to come back strong this season.”

The third generation of Andretti wasted little time in showing his prowess – coming within a few feet of winning his first Indianapolis 500 before becoming the IRL’s youngest ever winner at 19.

“Being on this team really speeded up my learning curve and I think if it would have been a two-car team instead of four, it would have been a different story and much tougher,” said the son of former CART star Michael.

“And having a month in the car at Indy was also a huge plus, because that really helped my confidence. I said at the beginning of the year I thought we could be in Victory Lane and I hope to be there more frequently this season.”

The biggest off-season story concerned AGR as Danica Patrick replaced Bryan Herta in the lineup.

“It’s a great opportunity and I can’t wait for the season to start,” said the first female to ever lead the Indianapolis 500 (in 2005). “Having Tony, Dario and Marco to feed off is going to be so good and I just want to be a sponge.

“I drove better and was more intuitive with my car last year, but we just didn’t have the right package. Now I’ve got the best of everything.”

Other changes:

Meira returns to Panther Racing and will be joined by Kosuke Matsuura.

Scott Sharp moved over to Rahal Letterman Racing as teammates with Jeff Simmons.

Rice took a job with Dreyer & Reinbold and the 2004 Indy winner will be paired with Sarah Fisher, making her return to IRL competition after three years away.

Anthony Foyt IV joins Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter at Vision Racing, while Darren Manning takes over the seat on A.J. Foyt’s squad.

Owner/driver Marty Roth also plans to run all 16 races in 2007.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/indycar/36148/

Digital-Nitrate · Mar 26, 2007

Anyone catch this weekend's season-opening Indy Pro Series race at Homestead in Miami?

Pablo Perez's crash was truly frightening to see. A couple years ago, a crash like that would likely end the life of the driver. It is remarkable how much better these cars are designed now for impact survival.

VNAF Ace · Mar 29, 2007

I heard his car's footbox was torn off. I hope Pablo didn't lose anything. :nervous:

m.piedgros · Mar 29, 2007

And as I understand it those IPS cars are an older chassis that the IRL are looking to replace. Perhaps they won't find a new chassis and we'll see the new Swift Atlantics chassis powered by Infiniti V8's in 2008 running alongside the Indy Car World Series ;-). Keep dreaming, huh?

m.piedgros

I still don't know where the driver is.

VNAF Ace · Mar 31, 2007

2007 St. Petersburg GP Starting Lineup
1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves (BRA) | Team Penske | 1:01.6839 | 105.052 MPH
2 | 26 | Marco Andretti (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 1:01.7317 | 104.970 MPH
3 | 27 | Dario Franchitti (GBR) | Andretti Green Racing | 1:01.8775 | 104.723 MPH
4 | 9 | Scott Dixon (NZL) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:01.9791 | 104.551 MPH
5 | 14 | Darren Manning (GBR) | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 1:02.4491 | 103.765 MPH
6 | 11 | Tony Kanaan (BRA) | Andretti Green Racing | 1:01.5955 | 105.202 MPH
7 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. (USA) | Team Penske | 1:02.6935 | 103.360 MPH
8 | 2 | Tomas Scheckter (RSA) | Vision Racing | 1:03.3343 | 102.314 MPH
9 | 4 | Vitor Meira (BRA) | Panther Racing | 1:03.4749 | 102.088 MPH
10 | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (JPN) | Super Aguri Panther Racing | 1:03.5381 | 101.986 MPH
11 | 7 | Danica Patrick (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 1:03.5912 | 101.901 MPH
12 | 17 | Jeff Simmons (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 1:03.6280 | 101.842 MPH
13 | 15 | Buddy Rice (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 1:03.7117 | 101.708 MPH
14 | 10 | Dan Wheldon (GBR) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:03.8923 | 101.421 MPH
15 | 8 | Scott Sharp (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 1:04.2959 | 100.784 MPH
16 | 20 | Ed Carpenter (USA) | Vision Racing | 1:04.4539 | 100.537 MPH
17 | 22 | A.J. Foyt IV (USA) | Vision Racing | 1:04.5802 | 100.340 MPH
18 | 5 | Sarah Fisher (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 1:06.6541 | 97.218 MPH

VNAF Ace · Apr 3, 2007

I would've posted this sooner but I couldn't link to the 2007 St. Petersburg GP Race Results on IndyCar.com due to some strange problem with the GTP Forums

I also found this excellent and fairly unbiased article on ChampCar.ws.

Adriano Manocchia
Star Power by Adriano Manocchia

It's amazing what's viable these days. One of America's biggest television shows is a dancing competition featuring washed up actors, retired athletes, and Jerry Springer. More people watch Entertainment Tonight than the evening news which immediately precedes it. More copies of People are sold than copies of Newsweek. The reason is simple: people are drawn to stars.

A hundred years ago when auto racing was born, the spectacle of speed was more than enough. It was exciting, dangerous, and new. It also didn't hurt that most of the cars on the street would have trouble keeping up with a Segway. Performance and development continued to rocket along at a furious pace and peaked in the 60s and 70s with the aerodynamic revolution and thousand-horsepower engines. People continued to show up in droves to witness it. Eventually sensibility reared its ugly head in the name of safety and cost-containment. While this was a necessary evil, it sterilized the product.

One way Champ Car has addressed this is by turning each race into a three day festival of speed. At just about any event on the calendar, there is more to see and do than you could possibly fit into a weekend. If racing isn't your thing, you can still have an amazing time at concerts, exhibitions, and street parties. The racing is still the highlight for most, but by taking the races to cities and throwing in a bunch of entertainment, they've created huge events. A Champ Car race weekend may be the place to be, but many of the people in attendance won't follow the series once it leaves town. They simply doesn't recognize most of the drivers. The spectacle isn't enough any more. The fans need to know the people behind the wheel.

Just as "Little E" and Tony Stewart are household names today, some Champ Car drivers enjoyed the same celebrity over the years. Not surprisingly, many of them were around when the series was at the height of its popularity. Some earned their reputation on the track. Some became fan favorites away from their cars. But the biggest stars usually married the two together, matching their feats on the track with irrepressible personalities. Some you had to love, some you loved to hate, but they were all bigger than the sport and often carried the fate of the series on their backs.

What follows is one subjective opinion of the ten biggest stars Champ Car has had in the modern era. Some will disagree with the list. You'll feel a certain driver should be on it, or should be higher. And you should. The more strongly you feel about it, the better. It's just more evidence that the bond between fan and favorite driver is really what drives this sport.

10. It's no secret that Champ Car has found a huge following both north and south of America's borders. Canadians and Mexicans are avid racing fans and have each had their share of stars in the series. When it comes to Mexican drivers, no one has come close to the celebrity achieved by Adrian Fernandez. After winning the International Formula 3 championship, he moved to the Champ Car fold and was named Rookie of the Year in Indy Lights. Over the next eleven seasons in Champ Car he collected eight wins and challenged for the championship several times. Adrian's great demeanor and interaction with the fans earned him a great deal of adoration, not just in Mexico but in every country. He was largely responsible for establishing Champ Car's presence in Mexico and opened the door for many Mexican stars to follow him.

9. When you're born into racing royalty and decide to go racing, a certain amount of celebrity comes automatically. If you're good at it, stardom is guaranteed. When it happens at the same time for two of America's biggest racing families and both drivers end up in the same series, it's the stuff of legend. Al Unser, Jr. was one of those drivers. From the mid-80s through the mid-90s, he and Michael Andretti battled tirelessly for races and championships, just as their fathers had done. In 1992, when Little Al narrowly edged out Scott Goodyear at Indy, it was at the expense of Michael, who had led almost the entire race before a mechanical failure took him out. At Road America in 1996, Michael took advantage of Unser's blown engine on the last lap to take victory. Scenes like this, along with plenty of wheel-to-wheel action punctuated the years Unser and Andretti competed against each other. Others came and went (and won) but the continuation of the feud was a major part of the face of Champ Car for over a decade. Typically fans were firmly in one camp or the other, but there were plenty of them to go around. In his prime, Little Al was as popular as they got, but some poor choices and an inability to make his retirement stick have tarnished his reputation in recent years.

8. Few drivers have managed the dignity and affability our next star possessed for his entire career and beyond. Add to that the skill to bring home three championships and four Indy 500s, and you have Rick Mears. Known as an oval specialist for most of his time behind the wheel, Mears was just as fast on road courses until the devastating crash at Sanair that almost cost him the ability to walk, and dashed a very real chance to get to Formula One. To go with his 29 wins and 40 poles, the understated Mears was always great with the fans. He remains one of the most friendly and approachable stars in racing in his current role as driver coach and consultant for Penske Racing, the team with which he spent every one of his seasons in Champ Car. That kind of loyalty is becoming increasingly rare in sports today, and is a big part of what makes Mears such a respected member of the racing community.

7. Until the mid-1980s, Champ Car had a very American feel to its regular driver lineup, and the few foreigners it had were still early in their careers. That changed in a big way in 1984 when a two-time World Champion from Brazil came out of retirement and added a big, new chapter to his resume. At 25, Emerson Fittipaldi won his first Formula One title. He added another two years later, but several years of frustration with his brother's team drove him away from the sport. There was unfinished business, however. A youthful 37-year-old Emerson made his racing return in Champ Car and kept racing competitively until his somewhat more permanent retirement in 1996. Along the way, he picked up a championship in 1989, two Indy 500 wins and had at least one win in every season from 1985 through 1995. He even had a short stint as a team owner in the series. Fittipaldi was a hero in Brazil long before he set foot in a Champ Car, but millions of new fans around the world soon jumped on that bandwagon. He firmly planted the series' flag in Brazil and blazed a path that many more talented Brazilian drivers would follow. It was hard not to like the affable Brazilian who always seemed to have a smile from sideburn to sideburn. And who can forget Emmo bucking tradition by drinking orange juice after his second Indy victory?

6. All the drivers on the list to this point earned their place through long and distinguished careers in Champ Car, but that isn't the case for the next one. The series scored one of the biggest coups in racing history when, just after clinching the Formula One World Championship, Nigel Mansell announced he would not be returning to defend his title, but would instead join Newman-Haas Racing for the 1993 Champ Car season. Mansell's journey to the top was long and difficult, but by the early 90s there were few names bigger in the world of racing. Champ Car was at the height of its popularity and this move made the world take notice, particularly F1-crazy Europe. His impact was immediate, claiming the pole and win in his very first race. He won the championship that year and media from all over the world was there to cover it. Mansell came with a huge global fan base, but he did little to endear himself to the fans of his new series. He was temperamental, difficult to work with, and often impatient and rude. Most of his success in Champ Car was a result of Mario Andretti's work and Mario soon tired of playing second fiddle. Just last year, Andretti remarked, "I guess if Ronnie Peterson was the best team-mate I ever had, Nigel Mansell was the worst." As Newman-Haas was unwilling to run a third car for Mansell's ego, he remained in the series just one more year before returning to Formula One. Nevertheless, the impact of having one of the biggest racing stars in the world for two seasons was profound.

5. Al Unser, Jr. was fast when he needed to be, but usually found success by driving smart, steady races, with a healthy dose of luck. His longtime rival couldn't have been more different. Michael Andretti wore his emotions on his sleeve and drove with a fiery passion that he certainly inherited from his father, along with a healthy dose of talent. It made him blindingly fast, as 32 career poles and 42 career victories can attest to. It also got him into a lot of trouble. In the 1990 and 1991 seasons, Michael notched 23 top-five finishes, including 13 wins. He didn't finish the other races. When aggressive driving didn't do him in, it was often something else he inherited from Mario: abysmal luck. Michael never managed to win the Indy 500, but dropped out of the lead with mechanical problems on five different occasions. He was always exciting to watch and his all-or-nothing performances made Michael hugely popular.

4. Speaking of shooting one's mouth off, Paul Tracy has never been one to let diplomacy stand in the way of a good soundbite. And he certainly has stirred the pot quite a bit on the race track. Extremely quick and aggressive, Tracy took a page from the Michael Andretti Book of Racing, spending his whole career chasing victories at any cost. Like Andretti, he's only captured one championship despite 30 wins and 25 poles. Whereas Michael mellowed with age, Tracy still polishes his chrome horn daily after fifteen years in Champ Car. When he broke into the big leagues, the young, bespectacled Tracy was quiet and a bit awkward. Needless to say, he's thoroughly redefined his image, now uncompromising and flamboyant both in and out of the car. He is the most successful Canadian driver Champ Car has ever had by a wide margin and not surprisingly has a huge fan base north of the border. Well, maybe not in Quebec. In PT's ongoing monumental feud with Sebastian Bourdais, the French-Canadians planted themselves in Bourdais' camp. But when Tracy seized the opportunity to have some fun in Montreal with his "Crazy Quebecois" wrestling outfit and by wearing a Quebec flag on the podium, he even managed to win over some of his arch-rival's supporters. Whether you love him or hate him, the Thrill From West Hill has been a staunch Champ Car supporter and one of its most dynamic personalities.

3. Each year, Champ Car presents an award to the driver who best displays talent on track coupled with a dynamic personality with fans, media, and the community. Our next driver never won the award. It was created in his honor. At just 24 years of age, Greg Moore was well on his way to superstardom when his life was cut short by the sport he loved. So great was his impact in just four short years in Champ Car, his number was retired. He was supremely talented and met with immediate success upon joining Forsythe Championship Racing but also left an indelible mark on everyone he met. Always positive, competitive, fun, and honest, Greg was the first driver I can remember owning up to his own mistakes behind the wheel. When Dario Franchitti presented the Greg Moore Legacy Award in 2001, he remarked, "Greg is the reason you see drivers get on so well before the race and still race each other hard on the track. He's the guy who taught all of us that you can race a guy on the track and still be friends at the end of the day." Scott Pruett drove in Champ Car for all four of Greg's seasons. Of the Canadian he said, "He captured our hearts as a friend; captured our imaginations as a driver. We grieve not only for what he was, but for what he would have been: a true champion."

2. There are several drivers who would have been shoo-ins for the Greg Moore Legacy Award had it been offered when they were competing. At the top of that list would have to be Alex Zanardi. After several unsuccessful years trying to establish himself in Formula One, Alex burst on the Champ Car scene with Chip Ganassi Racing. He claimed his first pole in only his second race and notched three wins in his rookie season. He went on to dominate in 1997 and 1998 en route to two championships and another dozen wins, but the way in which he achieved this is what most people remember. At a time when passing was notoriously difficult, Alex battled his way from the back of the field on many occasions, getting around cars in places no one thought possible. His most famous pass, "The Pass" at Laguna Seca to take the lead from Bryan Herta, even resulted in a new rule making it illegal to gain an advantage with four wheels off the racing surface. Zanardi's trademark victory "donuts" were so popular with fans, they're been adopted by drivers all over the United States. Outside the car, Alex made an even bigger impression. The Italian exuded charisma and charm. The fans fell in love with him and he was only too happy to repay the adoration. It made it that much harder for everyone to cope with the devastating accident that almost took his life in 2001. But even the loss of his legs could not stop the indomitable Zanardi. An irrepressibly positive attitude helped Alex regain a full life, including a return to racing. Two years later in one of the most poignant moments in Champ Car history, with the help of hand controls, Alex got to complete the final thirteen laps of his last Champ Car race. In true Zanardi fashion, he went fast enough to have qualified fifth for that year's race.

1. The patriarch of American racing royalty spent the first half of his career juggling series all over the world, finding success in all of them. In the early 80s, he focused his efforts on Champ Car and shortly after joining newly-formed Newman-Haas Racing, he added another championship to his already sterling resume. For more than a dozen years Mario Andretti was a fixture in Champ Car and even after retirement continued to play an important role. He was instrumental in the series' return to Road America to the delight of fans, and has been a respected voice of reason in the sport for his whole life. Very few have been able to even approach Mario's success and versatility as a driver, but his charm, class, and drive to succeed for forty years made him the most popular driver Champ Car has ever had. The fact that he accomplished all this despite some of the worst luck imaginable likely only bolstered his popularity. Mario's name is synonymous with racing the world over and he was voted the Driver of the Century by the Associated Press and RACER magazine.

There are obviously some significant drivers that didn't make it on my list. Champ Car launched the careers of some very big names like Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Montoya, but the series was largely the means to a very different end for them. Drivers like A. J. Foyt and Al Unser did their best work before the formation of CART in 1979. Of course, everyone's list will be a bit different. There's no formula to determine what causes a bond to form between star and fan, but one thing is certain: if fans have heroes, they will come to the races.

http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=11374

I couldn't have said it better myself. Now if only Champ Car would start promoting their drivers...

m.piedgros · Apr 7, 2007

Tracy Earns Provisional Pole.

"First driver in 22 races not named Bourdais to lead Championship." Pathetic?

Results for the Friday Sessions, and when complete - all weekend sessions available here.

Opinion time:

Well Champ Car did it. Seventeen cars made the race this weekend. Though not all seventeen cars have turned competitive laps it seems a competitive group of drivers was dug up at the last second and the only real good news is that this isn't the entire group of drivers available for CC rides this year. Just some of the bad news is that only 25 cars are in existence. I don't know what teams are packing in terms of spare parts and cars but as I understand it, to this day, at this hour, Panoz are not producing anymore DP01 chassis. We'd all like to see Ryan Hunter-Rhey get a ride but it's been ages since he's had a seat in Champ Car. If anyone in Champ Car had a brain firing on all cylinders they'd realize that Hunter-Rhey is an American and can therefore be marketed to Americans as yet another patriot we can cheer for (and perhaps another set of boots waiting to knock Bourdais off). Of course, Champ Car would rather wait for more young stars to come out of karting and their feeder series find the oh-so-important big money sponsor run competitively but not even long enough to market him because he'd then skip off to NASCAR to go from making $300 000 a year to the potential of making tens of millions. That seems to be the reality in racing today. Whether you are an open-wheel guy, a sports car fan, rally, even a bike guy, whatever, it doesn't matter it seems NASCAR will steal your stars because they have THE money. NASCAR is a marketing machine and if only the brains of NASCAR were involved in IRL, Champ Car, ALMS, or more heavily involved in Grand-Am (doing more than writing checks and letting them ride on their coattails) could there be a chance of this ever changing. There will be more Jimmy Vassers, or Hurley Haywoods, or Pat Longs, but even our reigning "Indy" (it's called Indianapolis IRL) 500 champion has decided that NASCAR is the place to be. Canadian super-fad Andrew Ranger (pronounced Ondrrrrrrrrrruuuu RRRRRRRRonjay) has given up on the Champ Car scene reportedly for Canadian stock cars. The exposure possibility that came with him being 1) a FRENCH CANADIAN and 2) having Canadian Wal-Mart on board is now dead leaving in its place no man to cheer for, for the French-Canadians (only one to cheer against CC: Sugar Ray Tracy) and leaving only Tags, and a Frenchman who according to the CCWS will be cheered for by the French-CANADIANS because he is French (this man of course being Bourdais). This is all getting too ridiculous. First of all, let me tell you something, I am not a French-Canadian *gasp!*. I am a Texan, and even I know the French-Canadians are impartial to Bourdais (and those other Frenchman - sorry guys, I'll get to you later) because French-Canadian culture dates back to the 1600's at least (!!!), meaning they really have no relation to France other than their language (which is merely similar or so my French teacher says - in case you were wondering here in Texas we are taught to speak French with a snooty Parisian accent, that being pronounced ak-saunt).

So that is why I ask... who is left to cheer for? Especially for us gringos, crackers, whitey, etc.

I have composed a list. (I figured a Letterman like top 10 would be too IRL and, well there is barely over 10 drivers it wouldn't be fair...)

3) Paul Tracy. Love him or hate him, he is the face of Champ Car. He is the chosen one. When compatriots jumped ship to the dark-side he showed his loyalty to CART and stuck it out for better or for worse (for worse?). He has a pretty good personality and can find ways to get in the news whether he is grabbing provisional poles, or grabbing Tag's head and beating him. "Sugar Ray" Tracy has to be someone we all root for.

2) Katherine Legge. She is not only the anti-Danica in a Champ Car vs. IRL battle, she is in fact talented. SHE can wheel a car around a track with the boys. She is well on her way to convincing this bigot that the girls can be as good as the guys... something Danica (and that new Indy Car lady) would know nothing about. (And something Fisher never got to prove.)

1) Graham Rahal. He hasn't had a sparkling start to his "regular-season" Champ Car career and if all goes according to plan will leave us for the other side of the pond and their Formula 1 World Championship, only gracing us with his presence at the U.S. G.P. However, unlike those going to NASCAR this is actually for the best.

Theeeerrrrrrreeeeee you go! He he he...

*Band plays us out to commercial.*

m.piedgros

I lied, looks like Champ Car has Tags and Wal*Mart

Jonerz · Apr 7, 2007

I'd like to be the first to point out that CRG Canadian National Karting Team graduate Robert Wickens was quickest in Atlantic Qualifying #2. I'd like to wish him congratulations as the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda is easily one of the most competitive open-wheel racing series' in North America.

Go Robert Go.

Cheers,

VNAF Ace · Apr 8, 2007

2007 Las Vegas GP Starting Lineup
1 | 5 | Will Power (AUS) | Team Australia | 1:17.629 | 113.154 MPH
2 | 3 | Paul Tracy (CAN) | Forsythe Championship Racing | 1:19.625 | 110.317 MPH
3 | 14 | Robert Doornbos (NED) | Minardi Team USA | 1:18.515 | 111.877 MPH
4 | 8 | Alex Tagliani (CAN) | RSPORTS | 1:18.850 | 111.401 MPH
5 | 15 | Simon Pagenaud (FRA) | Team Australia | 1:18.961 | 111.245 MPH
6 | 19 | Bruno Junqueira (BRA) | Dale Coyne Racing | 1:19.102 | 111.046 MPH
7 | 7 | Mario Dominguez (MEX) | Forsythe Championship Racing | 1:19.156 | 110.971 MPH
8 | 9 | Justin Wilson (GBR) | RSPORTS | 1:19.269 | 110.813 MPH
9 | 21 | Neel Jani (SUI) | PKV Racing | 1:19.360 | 110.685 MPH
10 | 2 | Graham Rahal (USA) | Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing | 1:19.710 | 110.199 MPH
11 | 22 | Tristan Gommendy (FRA) | PKV Racing | 1:19.784 | 110.097 MPH
12 | 4 | Dan Clarke (GBR) | Minardi Team USA | 1:19.814 | 110.056 MPH
13 | 11 | Katherine Legge (GBR) | Dale Coyne Racing | 1:20.104 | 109.657 MPH
14 | 42 | Matt Halliday (NZL) | Conquest Racing | 1:20.122 | 109.633 MPH
15 | 28 | Ryan Dalziel (GBR) | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:20.128 | 109.625 MPH
16 | 1 | Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) | Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing | 1:20.197 | 109.530 MPH
17 | 29 | Alex Figge (USA) | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:20.313 | 109.372 MPH

Blake · Apr 8, 2007

What’s with Bourdais starting so far back?

mwoodski · Apr 8, 2007

Cut a tire, couldn't continue.

VNAF Ace · Apr 9, 2007

Blake · Apr 9, 2007

So an Australian wins an Australia doesn’t seem to have any TV coverage. Lame TV networks. 👎

FoolKiller · Apr 11, 2007

I just watched my recording of this last night, well most of it, but what is up with the fueling issue? Is any other series having this problem?

Digital-Nitrate · Apr 11, 2007

My planned early trip to Kuala Lumpur to catch the Malaysian GP had to be canceled do to project delays, but as I had already cleared my calendar and was in the mood for some GP action I headed off to Vegas for the weekend... and let me tell you... Vegas really knows how to throw a GP weekend party! I guess they were making up for lost time, as it apparently was the first time Vegas had hosted a GP race in twenty years. I may now have to make this an annual trip.

👍

Frankly the champ car race was by far the least interesting of all the activites from the 4-day event. If anything my favorite part was the historic race that preceded it, but there was so much more going on. Including a wonderful collection of incredible classic cars, auctions, parades, parties, pit show girls, GP poker tournaments, and so much more.

Even if you are not a Champ Car fan, (which I am not) this event is definitely worth making a trip for! 👍

VNAF Ace · Apr 11, 2007

FoolKiller
I just watched my recording of this last night, well most of it, but what is up with the fueling issue? Is any other series having this problem?

NBC said that the teams got a new fuel venting system. I have no idea why neither Panoz or the teams didn't test them first to make sure they worked properly.

JohnBM01 · Apr 11, 2007

I've seen the NBC Sports coverage of the Vegas Grand Prix. I love these new Panoz DP-01 cars. These are some hellishly amazing cars. As for the race track, I was surprised. Surprised in that the Vegas Grand Prix wasn't at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I think this is the first time since the 1980s when the streets of Las Vegas was used for pro racing. Weren't the streets of Las Vegas an F1 venue way back when? They are now using timed races like in sportscar racing.

My Panoz DP-01 Notes:
* larger
* 7-speed gearbox
* turbo Cosworth V8
* onboard starter
* $10K steering wheel
* still using Power to Pass (or "Power 2 Pass")

My Track Notes:
* 2.4 mile temporary street course (no such thing as a permanent street course)
* 10 turns
* so wide
* rhythm section at Turns 4-8
* chicanes

Timed races
1h 45m
2.44 mi
12 turns

The engines kind of have a higher pitch than the engines from last year.

--- The Race ---
* First of all, I'm very sad that Graham Rahal's first Champ Car start only lasted a few seconds. You know what you're getting when you're a Rahal family member and shown great strength in racing. I hope Graham Rahal's campaign lasts MUCH longer than a few seconds when the CCWS world tour heads to Long Beach.

* Happy Birthday, Derrick Walker!

* I think this is a cleverly-designed street course. It is very wide all around. So it isn't like you have (as Dave Despain said once) one lane of passing around here. My brother usually makes his yearly pilgrimages to Las Vegas, so I'm sure he probably knows what Las Vegas is like.

* Sebastien Bourdais had a rough time.

* Will Power got it done in Vegas. The best birthday present as a team principal is to see your driver win the race. I'm sure Derrick Walker might have gotten a great present. Much better would be the Vanderbilt Cup. Nobody needs to have a birthday to want that as a gift. It's a gift you have to earn. Can Power power on towards a cup and perhaps dethrone Sebastien Bourdais for the title? He got a good head start.

I'm sorry I couldn't discuss this all any sooner.

JohnBM01 · Apr 11, 2007

As a seperate discussion, I think the Panoz DP-01's are styled beautifully. But much like the "Car of Tomorrow" in (the other series), this is still a work in progress. Now the series goes to the amazing Long Beach street course to continue this tour.

What you think about the Panoz DP-01?

FoolKiller · Apr 12, 2007

JohnBM01
As a seperate discussion, I think the Panoz DP-01's are styled beautifully. But much like the "Car of Tomorrow" in (the other series), this is still a work in progress. Now the series goes to the amazing Long Beach street course to continue this tour.

What you think about the Panoz DP-01?

I like the style. In fact, my current desktop wallpaper at work is the above picture of Will Power bouncing over the rumble strips. I've been using way too many ALMS pictures lately, so I switched to Champ Car.

I could possibly see some tweaking room, but I think they would be fine if they opted not to. Find out what the fueling issue is first and go from there.

TheCracker · Apr 12, 2007

JohnBM01
I think this is the first time since the 1980s when the streets of Las Vegas was used for pro racing. Weren't the streets of Las Vegas an F1 venue way back when?

Yup, in the Caesars Palace car park.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Grand_Prix

VNAF Ace · Apr 16, 2007

Paul Tracy also injured his back in a crash during qualifying, and could be out for 3 months.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=5&id=2837486

JohnBM01 · Apr 16, 2007

Ah yes... it's time for Long Beach.

--- John's Notebook: Long Beach ---

* 17 cars took Green Flag (maybe 26-30 cars back in the old CART days compared to now. 30 cars in Atlantics race
* Graham Rahal thanfully completes his first lap after being a non-factor at Las Vegas
* Paul Tracy sidelined; Spaniard Oriol Servia takes over

Toyota Pro Celebrity Race:
* features tuned Scion tC race cars
* George Lucas whacked hard into Turn 1
CELEBRITY WINNER: Dave Mirra
PRO WINNER: Mike Skinner

back to Toyota GP of Long Beach...
* Gommendy with strong run
* Sebastien Bourdais wins race
* Will Power gets second-successive podium finish after winning in Vegas

- Comments -
* I didn't follow F1 much when Doornbos was in the series. But this guy is good with this Champ Car deal. I probably think he is going to win his first Champ Car event someday this season or even next.

- Discussion -
I'd love to incorporate discussion and debate questions for every race I learn the results of or seen highlights of. I think this will be my biggest contribution this year for GTPlanet race talk. So feel free to participate.

1. What do you think has contributed to the success of this street course? What has made this course the best street course in America even with most other cities that have hosted street course races?

2. (not related to Champ Car) It used to be that Speed Channel was the home of a variety of racing series. NBC recently announced that it will show coverage of Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) later this month. ESPN2 is told to be the new home of Formula D coverage after G4 self-destructed itself with Star Trek reruns, the Jamie Kennedy Experiment, much fewer video game shows, and more. How much momentum do you think Speed Channel is losing as a home of motorsport and as a channel with a wide variety of motorsports?

3. Do you like the idea of Champ Car running timed races like in traditional sportscar racing? Why or why not?

4. Imagine you are from a country other than America or Canada and have no knowledge of American racing. Imagine you pledged to visit America to check out your first American race. Would the Long Beach Grand Prix be the race you would want to see as your very first American race? If not, what would be that first American race you would want to see?

5. Champ Car is normally seen as an American interpretation of Formula One. Compared to the real F1, how accurate of a comparison is Champ Car to Formula One? Is it fair to compare Champ Car to Formula One? Which is better and why?

-Off Topic-
In my British Literature class, we had a guest speaker in my class from Manchester, England named Graham Stone. He talked about the Black Plague that horrified London back in the 17th Century. He was a fun guy when I talked to him about racing as well as asking him who's the best football team in the English Premier League. He said that he's a big NASCAR fan and was heading to the Long Beach Grand Prix. And his answer for best EPL team? Who else- Manchester United. I thought about him when this Long Beach GP was on.

Up next... looks like this world series is coming home. Well... my hometown at least. That's right. Houston, Texas. While not typically the streets of Houston, it is at least a stroll around the parking lot at Reliant Park. You get to see Reliant Center, Reliant Stadium, and the historic Astrodome (nowadays called the Reliant Astrodome). Two races, two winners. Who'll get it done in H-Town? We'll see this upcoming weekend.

VNAF Ace · Apr 20, 2007

2007 Japan 300 Starting Lineup
1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves (BRA) | Team Penske | 0:26.6416 | 205.393 MPH
2 | 10 | Dan Wheldon (GBR) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 0:26.6744 | 205.141 MPH
3 | 11 | Tony Kanaan (BRA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:26.7217 | 204.777 MPH
4 | 7 | Danica Patrick (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:26.7881 | 204.270 MPH
5 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. (USA) | Team Penske | 0:26.8495 | 203.803 MPH
6 | 9 | Scott Dixon (NZL) | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 0:26.8561 | 203.753 MPH
7 | 27 | Dario Franchitti (GBR) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:26.8600 | 203.723 MPH
8 | 2 | Tomas Scheckter (RSA) | Vision Racing | 0:26.8773 | 203.592 MPH
9 | 55 | Kosuke Matsuura (JPN) | Super Aguri Panther Racing | 0:26.9374 | 203.138 MPH
10 | 26 | Marco Andretti (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:26.9386 | 203.129 MPH
11 | 15 | Buddy Rice (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 0:26.9945 | 202.708 MPH
12 | 8 | Scott Sharp (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 0:27.0035 | 202.640 MPH
13 | 4 | Vitor Meira (BRA) | Panther Racing | 0:27.0523 | 202.275 MPH
14 | 22 | A.J. Foyt IV (USA) | Vision Racing | 0:27.0757 | 202.100 MPH
15 | 5 | Sarah Fisher (USA) | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 0:27.1064 | 201.871 MPH
16 | 20 | Ed Carpenter (USA) | Vision Racing | 0:27.1375 | 201.640 MPH
17 | 17 | Jeff Simmons (USA) | Rahal Letterman Racing | 0:27.4175 | 199.581 MPH
18 | 14 | Darren Manning (GBR) | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 0:27.4341 | 199.460 MPH

Digital-Nitrate · Apr 20, 2007

VNAF Ace
4 | 7 | Danica Patrick (USA) | Andretti Green Racing | 0:26.7881 | 204.270 MPH

and second fastest AGR team member... well done, but she needs a win to quiet the critics or she'll be stuck with the titles of being the Anna Kournikova of auto racing... which although comes with a healthy dose of financial endorsements, something tells me she wants to be known for her driving skill, not her legs.

JohnBM01 · Apr 20, 2007

Unlike most people, I don't take cheap shots at Danica. She will have to win at some point so she can not get so much negative publicity. She's fallen off the map and hasn't been in her Top 5 forum, but I haven't given up on her. Funny enough, this was one of Danica's 4th Place finishes in her rookie year. She has a great chance to make something happen. Now what do I say in this situation? Right- she's got to BRING IT if she wants to win in Nihon.

The Motegi superspeedway can be a challenge. You can get into the corners easy in Turns 1 and 2, but you'll have to use the brakes and/or less throttle for Turns 3 and 4. You Gran Turismo 4 players should know about this course and what the IndyCar Series will have to endure. Granted this race is on Saturday or Sunday, the race would be on sometime around 1PM EDT granted it's on at 3PM Japanese time. So as I said before, a live show from an afternoon race Japan would be shown on Midnight Saturday or even Midnight Sunday.

Should be a great race even if it's tape-delayed.

2016 Verizon IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel

1955-2011 R.I.P.

Don't be a fool.

1955-2011 R.I.P.

21 years!

21 years!

Don't be a fool.

Nothing to see here...

21 years!

1955-2011 R.I.P.

21 years!

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