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- Smurfybug
- Smurfybug
Soooo, any predictions?
Why talk in spoilers? 
[VRR][B-SPEC] 2017 Straight Talk IndyCar Series Season
- Thread starter Eva
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- catamount39
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Ecurie Ecosse has issued a statement declaring they will not be bidding for the recently vacated field spot for the 2017 season.
"It is not within our intentions to expand the team at any point for the forseeable future. Therefore we have agreed not to bid for the empty spot in the field." - Steven McTavish, Ecurie Ecosse Team Principal.
"It is not within our intentions to expand the team at any point for the forseeable future. Therefore we have agreed not to bid for the empty spot in the field." - Steven McTavish, Ecurie Ecosse Team Principal.
- 1,382
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Because its fun.
Holy ****.
Kidding of course!
That money is going towards the pre season clubbing fund...
- 9,554
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- catamount39
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- Smurfybug
- Smurfybug
Aren't you a one man team?Can we come? We spent all our money on an Island.
- 1,382
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Can we come? We spent all our money on an Island.
You're buying the neko costumes...
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- Orlando
Stephanie Porter-Kelley is walking into 2017 knowing it will be far different than 2016. Gone is the advantage of having numerous road courses for the fan appeal of more ovals, something Porter-Kelley seldomly stole the show at. Knowing what is on the line, she's mixed up her training regimen for the season. "My last training regimen was very much focused on balance and precision, whereas this time around, we've been focusing on awareness and reflexes a bit more because we'll be in confined spaces a lot more than before." Porter-Kelley said after one of those sessions. "It's not the best thing because a part of my preferred element is gone, but we've got to run with what we have, and that starts here."
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- Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Tacoma, Washington is buzzing with IndyCar news with the latest reveal for the 2017 VRR Straight Talk IndyCar Series season. Cat Devil Racing, who's American base is in Tacoma, revealed their fourth full time driver at the conference as well as all of the paint schemes for the cars. Team owner and driver Kunimitsu Kino****a was front and center for the event, which featured an open Q&A:
Reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer: Kuni, you have had a rocky 2016 season after winning the 2015 Indy 500. You and your team are returning after a war with four full time cars and a part time ride, just like last year. What do you expect to change, and who is taking that fourth seat?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: To say 2016 was rocky is an understatement, between losing Henna at Indy this year, and the team underperforming everywhere, it's been abysmal, and quite a wake up call. We are returning in the same numbers but with a lot of new faces. Myself and Camyron will be returning, we got Jacob Birmingham from Black Rose Racing, then we picked up Nii Aryeetey and Kaylee Zappa. To answer your second question, Nii will be taking that fourth full time ride. I personally think he's got the consistency to contribute to the team immediately. Kaylee is a bit of a loose cannon. That's great at Indy, but we need to see how her program is before we can say "here's a full time ride, go get it", while Nii already has a calm manner of doing things. We don't expect wins out of the gate, but we're certainly expecting better results than we had in 2016.
Reporter, Tacoma News Tribune: A lot of things have changed for your team roster wise. Sakura Ishibashi left to have her own team for Audi, who then announced that they'd be leaving the series after 2017, while Steven, who carried the team to a second straight Indy 500 win, decided to take a demotion to part time on Black Rose Racing instead of race full time with Cat Devil Racing. Surely the team will be suffering from those departures. The question is how much do you think it will hurt come January?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: It definitely isn't gentle. Steven was pivotal to our 2016 Indy win, even before Henna's crash. Sakura made her decision not knowing Audi would be jumping ship after next year. Had she known that, I think she would have acted differently, but it is what it is. She is competitive like the rest of us. Camyron and her brought in great results for the team in the second half of the season, but consistency on the team's part was missing greatly. That's what we've been working on fixing. How much will the departures hurt? Depends on how far we get in our changes before Las Vegas rolls around.
Reporter, Kyoto Shimbun: Cat Devil Racing is no longer the only Japanese team on the grid, with Impulse Racing in Osaka and an American base in Indianapolis. How do you view the new competition, not just Impulse, but the whole list of new faces and teams, and do you feel threatened as Honda's top team?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: After last year, I'd feel threatened by HRSC Racing, and they got liquidated, it's that bad. Honda isn't happy with how we performed, especially given how the two most dominant 2016 drivers were in Honda-powered cars. We aren't happy because we should have been in the picture. 2017 is precious to this team, because with Impulse being a strong team, Honda would be insane not to jump at the opportunity if we continue to underperform, and we understand that. Impulse also has the power to attract new providers like Nissan or Toyota, which Honda is also not looking forward to. We are in a bad situation in every form. We have to perform well or be left in the dust as a what could have been. We can't be content with Indy 500 wins any more.
Reporter, Moscow Times: How are the sponsors looking at the team?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: Interestingly enough, they are content with Indy 500 wins. Sponsor's have not been hard to attract because we've established ourselves as a force to reckon with at Indy, and our sponsors have been marketing the hell out of it. If we lose drivers after next year, it won't be because of money reasons.
Reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer: Kuni, you have had a rocky 2016 season after winning the 2015 Indy 500. You and your team are returning after a war with four full time cars and a part time ride, just like last year. What do you expect to change, and who is taking that fourth seat?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: To say 2016 was rocky is an understatement, between losing Henna at Indy this year, and the team underperforming everywhere, it's been abysmal, and quite a wake up call. We are returning in the same numbers but with a lot of new faces. Myself and Camyron will be returning, we got Jacob Birmingham from Black Rose Racing, then we picked up Nii Aryeetey and Kaylee Zappa. To answer your second question, Nii will be taking that fourth full time ride. I personally think he's got the consistency to contribute to the team immediately. Kaylee is a bit of a loose cannon. That's great at Indy, but we need to see how her program is before we can say "here's a full time ride, go get it", while Nii already has a calm manner of doing things. We don't expect wins out of the gate, but we're certainly expecting better results than we had in 2016.
Reporter, Tacoma News Tribune: A lot of things have changed for your team roster wise. Sakura Ishibashi left to have her own team for Audi, who then announced that they'd be leaving the series after 2017, while Steven, who carried the team to a second straight Indy 500 win, decided to take a demotion to part time on Black Rose Racing instead of race full time with Cat Devil Racing. Surely the team will be suffering from those departures. The question is how much do you think it will hurt come January?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: It definitely isn't gentle. Steven was pivotal to our 2016 Indy win, even before Henna's crash. Sakura made her decision not knowing Audi would be jumping ship after next year. Had she known that, I think she would have acted differently, but it is what it is. She is competitive like the rest of us. Camyron and her brought in great results for the team in the second half of the season, but consistency on the team's part was missing greatly. That's what we've been working on fixing. How much will the departures hurt? Depends on how far we get in our changes before Las Vegas rolls around.
Reporter, Kyoto Shimbun: Cat Devil Racing is no longer the only Japanese team on the grid, with Impulse Racing in Osaka and an American base in Indianapolis. How do you view the new competition, not just Impulse, but the whole list of new faces and teams, and do you feel threatened as Honda's top team?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: After last year, I'd feel threatened by HRSC Racing, and they got liquidated, it's that bad. Honda isn't happy with how we performed, especially given how the two most dominant 2016 drivers were in Honda-powered cars. We aren't happy because we should have been in the picture. 2017 is precious to this team, because with Impulse being a strong team, Honda would be insane not to jump at the opportunity if we continue to underperform, and we understand that. Impulse also has the power to attract new providers like Nissan or Toyota, which Honda is also not looking forward to. We are in a bad situation in every form. We have to perform well or be left in the dust as a what could have been. We can't be content with Indy 500 wins any more.
Reporter, Moscow Times: How are the sponsors looking at the team?
Kunimitsu Kino****a: Interestingly enough, they are content with Indy 500 wins. Sponsor's have not been hard to attract because we've established ourselves as a force to reckon with at Indy, and our sponsors have been marketing the hell out of it. If we lose drivers after next year, it won't be because of money reasons.
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Also (admittedly abit behind):
"While I sorta expected drugs to be involved, I had no idea it went this deep nor this far. Its jarring that someone even had the nerve to do that and keep it hidden for so long right behind everyone's backs. I really do wish the rest of that team and especially the rest of the 24 crew well, because I can't imagine finding out that was happening right near them was easy to take in
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- Osaka
Impulse Racing owner and driver Sakura Ishibashi sat down with media to discuss the forefront issue of the offseason. They have an entry they are selling to the highest bidder, and until now, neither Ishibashi or team principal Asumi Matsuo were keen on giving details as to what the starting charge would be. "$1,000,000 would be the starting point." Ishibashi said calmly. "We know that people need the entry more than this team does, and VRR has said that if we don't find what we want, we can hold onto it and keep it vacant in 2017. I am aware that there are teams that are really wanting that entry. Swift Autosport, Eiffel Tower Racing Team, Black Rose Racing, Cherokee Motorsports, all of them have the room, and several have made contact saying either they are interested, or offering money straight up." When pressed on those offers, Sakura, in usual form, made it public. "Cherokee Motorsports offered $750,000 upfront, with the remaining amount that they add to it being paid per race. Black Rose Racing offered a variedly different deal, with $500,000 up front, and a guaranteed 10% discount on Ferrari engines in 2018, which is also appealing." Ishibashi disclosed the most important point for her in the bidding process. "I am looking to make my team's life easier, financially, and competitively. Cherokee Motorsports are a large threat, they are the defending team champions, and they are like that for a reason. Clayton knows what a team needs to be, and if we are giving them the tool, they need to pay top dollar. Same with Black Rose. I don't see Steven Gnash as quite a versatile threat, but he's a defending Indy 500 champion, and he's been a headache for me before. Then you speak of Ahmed and Harsk. Neither of them have good annotations beside their names. Harsk is almost synonymous with empty-mindedness while Ahmed was just really slow, just about everywhere. Both crashed a lot and with the way Angel has set up the series for the future, they may not be racing a lot even if they get a full time seat. Then there's any number of outside teams, that don't currently have a driver on standby, but could pull something together. Perl Speed GP comes to mind. They have millions at their disposal from VRR's compensation of Perlstein being a moron at Indy, and then him succeeding in his lawsuit of Aston Martin. He at least has a very impressive legal team, even if it is the only team he has working right. Ecurie Ecosse said they wouldn't bid, but I would have been okay with driving on the team anyways, let alone working with them. A lot can happen in a week. We will see."
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Two bits of information to share:
To be locked in automatically for the Monster Shootout, drivers need to meet at least one of the following criteria:
1) Have won an Indianapolis 500 under VRR sanctioning, ie: 2015, 2016.
2) Have won a VRR IndyCar Driver's Championship.
3) Have won a race in the previous season.
4) Have earned a pole position in the previous season.
Those locked into the 2017 Monster Shootout are the following:
#2: Thomas Rogers
#10: Gary Slater
#11: Alex Rivera
#14: Steven Gnash
#17: Jacob Birmingham
#18: Kunimitsu Kino****a
#19: Camyron Jackson
#20: Hugo Del Prete
#33: Behrris Windross
#48: Jamie Ngaire-Jardine
#51: Alan Herrera
#55: Ryan Perlstein
#66: Jacob Descoteau
#76: Nico Costa-Monteiro
#77: Andrew Draco
#79: B.K. Glover
#80: Sebastian Devereux
#83: Pedro Harsk
#84: Stephanie Porter-Kelley
#96: Clayton Hardy
An alternative way to get into the Monster Shootout is to race in the Monster Energy Showdown preceding it. The Showdown is a 100 mile sprint, in which the podium finishers advance to the Shootout itself. Those entered to the Showdown are:
#3: Sakura Ishibashi
#4: Diego Jaramillo
#5: Mohammad Ahmed
#6: Tyler Parker
#7: Patrick Marcelli
#9: Michael White
#13: Simon Bell
#15: Nii Aryeetey
#16: Kaylee Zappa
#23: E.C. Gadget
#26: Jerome Torres
#28: Stefan Montana
#30: Matheus Michelin
#37: William Manor
#43: Ray Taylor
#50: Matthew Evans
#64: Kevin Ritter
#81: Nicole Liechti
#86: Adrian Ragus
#90: Mark Santos
The starting grid for both the Showdown and the Shootout will be determined by random draw, which will likely be recorded for YouTube.
1) Have won an Indianapolis 500 under VRR sanctioning, ie: 2015, 2016.
2) Have won a VRR IndyCar Driver's Championship.
3) Have won a race in the previous season.
4) Have earned a pole position in the previous season.
Those locked into the 2017 Monster Shootout are the following:
#2: Thomas Rogers
#10: Gary Slater
#11: Alex Rivera
#14: Steven Gnash
#17: Jacob Birmingham
#18: Kunimitsu Kino****a
#19: Camyron Jackson
#20: Hugo Del Prete
#33: Behrris Windross
#48: Jamie Ngaire-Jardine
#51: Alan Herrera
#55: Ryan Perlstein
#66: Jacob Descoteau
#76: Nico Costa-Monteiro
#77: Andrew Draco
#79: B.K. Glover
#80: Sebastian Devereux
#83: Pedro Harsk
#84: Stephanie Porter-Kelley
#96: Clayton Hardy
An alternative way to get into the Monster Shootout is to race in the Monster Energy Showdown preceding it. The Showdown is a 100 mile sprint, in which the podium finishers advance to the Shootout itself. Those entered to the Showdown are:
#3: Sakura Ishibashi
#4: Diego Jaramillo
#5: Mohammad Ahmed
#6: Tyler Parker
#7: Patrick Marcelli
#9: Michael White
#13: Simon Bell
#15: Nii Aryeetey
#16: Kaylee Zappa
#23: E.C. Gadget
#26: Jerome Torres
#28: Stefan Montana
#30: Matheus Michelin
#37: William Manor
#43: Ray Taylor
#50: Matthew Evans
#64: Kevin Ritter
#81: Nicole Liechti
#86: Adrian Ragus
#90: Mark Santos
The starting grid for both the Showdown and the Shootout will be determined by random draw, which will likely be recorded for YouTube.
With the way VRR is handling its broadcasts in 2017, one thing that will be new will be name abbreviations as seen in F1. Drivers can alter their abbreviations if they so choose, but VRR maintains the right to veto changes if the abbreviation chosen can be shared by multiple drivers.
Current List
Stephanie Porter-Kelley - SPK
Thomas Rogers - ROG
Sakura Ishibashi - ISH
Diego Jaramillo - DIJ
Mohammad Ahmed - AHM
Tyler Parker - PAR
Patrick Marcelli - MAR
Michael White - WHI
Gary Slater - SLA
Alex Rivera - RIV
Simon Bell - BEL
Steven Gnash - GNA
Nii Aryeetey - ARY
Kaylee Zappa - ZAP
Jacob Birmingham - BIR
Kunimitsu Kino****a - KIN
Camyron Jackson - JAC
Hugo Del Prete - HDP
E.C. Gadget - ECG
Jerome Torres - TOR
Stefan Montana - MON
Matheus Michelin - MIC
Behrris Windross - WIN
William Manor - MAN
Ray Taylor - TAY
Jamie Ngaire-Jardine - JNJ
Matthew Evans - EVA
Alan Herrera - HER
Ryan Perlstein - PER
Kevin Ritter - RIT
Jacob Descoteau - DES
Nico Costa-Monteiro - NCM
Andrew Draco - DRA
B.K. Glover - BKG
Sebastian Devereux - DEV
Nicole Liechti - LCT
Pedro Harsk - HRK
Adrian Ragus - RAG
Mark Santos - SAN
Clayton Hardy - CSH
Current List
Stephanie Porter-Kelley - SPK
Thomas Rogers - ROG
Sakura Ishibashi - ISH
Diego Jaramillo - DIJ
Mohammad Ahmed - AHM
Tyler Parker - PAR
Patrick Marcelli - MAR
Michael White - WHI
Gary Slater - SLA
Alex Rivera - RIV
Simon Bell - BEL
Steven Gnash - GNA
Nii Aryeetey - ARY
Kaylee Zappa - ZAP
Jacob Birmingham - BIR
Kunimitsu Kino****a - KIN
Camyron Jackson - JAC
Hugo Del Prete - HDP
E.C. Gadget - ECG
Jerome Torres - TOR
Stefan Montana - MON
Matheus Michelin - MIC
Behrris Windross - WIN
William Manor - MAN
Ray Taylor - TAY
Jamie Ngaire-Jardine - JNJ
Matthew Evans - EVA
Alan Herrera - HER
Ryan Perlstein - PER
Kevin Ritter - RIT
Jacob Descoteau - DES
Nico Costa-Monteiro - NCM
Andrew Draco - DRA
B.K. Glover - BKG
Sebastian Devereux - DEV
Nicole Liechti - LCT
Pedro Harsk - HRK
Adrian Ragus - RAG
Mark Santos - SAN
Clayton Hardy - CSH
@amaterasu @tbwhhs @Sakura @Suzumiya @Smurfybug @Zooparker @Formidable @Whitetail @AudiMan2011 @optiongamers @DCybertron @GranTurismo916 @quietgirl @vetteman24 @KuniKino****a @RACECAR @DurWinning @ECGadget @Antares26 @Luis Torres @Michelin @NearCptNitro @Pezzarinho17 @GTracerEHTeam @RedDragon @swiftsmith @AJHG1000 @catamount39 @RESHIRAM5 @GTRacer22 @Niku Driver HC @Kingofweasles @BKGlover @nascarfan1400 @YayoiGT2 @ukfan758 @Clayton Hardy
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- MikuHime80
Why wouldn't Jaramillo just be JAR? 
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- catamount39
Wait....we won something last year?!
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- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- BlackRose_Atomic
Because I figured going with Diego Inaki Jaramillo would be more appealing than that.Why wouldn't Jaramillo just be JAR?
- 7,524
- Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- BlackRose_Atomic
Sorry for double post
You had a pole position.Wait....we won something last year?!
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- catamount39
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- GTPlanet
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- Quattro Saltire
Don't remember that.
Well the docs did say you have memory loss.
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- catamount39
Explains the tattoo on my shin that says "Poi".
