So...ran the Indy 500 once but forgot the race report, which details the laps led and such. So I essentially wasted three hours. Racing was good at least.
So...ran the Indy 500 once but forgot the race report, which details the laps led and such. So I essentially wasted three hours. Racing was good at least.
The owners of Polaris Motorsports have been in ongoing divorce proceedings beginning in late February. However, now the battle has stretched to ownership of the team, which is valued at $25 Million. The team shop and name itself is under David Kelley's ownership, while Stephanie Porter-Kelley owns the entries that are run out of the shop. Stephanie Porter-Kelley has reportedly moved the team out of its Orlando base, using an empty shop in Columbus leased to them by Cherokee Motorsports while the legal issues are sorted. While Porter-Kelley remains affirmative that the team will remain on the grid in 2018, it is very possible the team won't be carrying the Polaris name.
VRR CEO Eva Porter met with representatives of tracks in the New England region regarding the 2018 VRR IndyCar Series season. Dover International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen International all confirmed they would be returning for a third consecutive year, while New Hampshire Motor Speedway will make its series debut in 2018. Porter explained why the meeting was regional based instead of the usual "one-on-one" type of meeting; "The way we are organizing our calendar for 2018 is a lot more complex than before. We want all of our races to have success attendance wise. With the current calendar layout (in 2017), we have a whole bunch of races in one area and then we move to a different region and don't return to where we were before. We are working on having our races more methodically spaced out in each region. So instead of our calendar following a linear progression from nearest venue to nearest venue, we are opening ourselves up to go from, say Pocono to Road America and letting each region have time to recharge before we come back for a different event in that region." Porter also outlined that flyaway races outside of the United States would remain together for logistical expense ease and because races outside of North America don't visit the same country twice.
Black Rose Racing has suffered an injury while testing 2018 spec Ferrari engines. 29 year old Kaitlyn Pickens from Biloxi, Mississippi was in the middle of a low fuel flying lap at the Circuito del Jarama when she suffered an explosive tire failure, team officials reported, sending Pickens into the barrier in excess of 140 miles per hour. Pickens car barrel rolled after the initial impact, resting upside down near the racing surface. Pickens was reported as unresponsive at the scene of the crash, and further testing for the week was cancelled in concerns of further tire complications. Team owner and VRR CEO Evangeline Porter was not available for comment.
A new road course near VRR's headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio is almost complete. The road course, which measures at only 1.540 miles, is said to be state of the art and wide enough for VRR's Truck Series to compete safely and competitively. VRR has been the main supporter of the venue, donating almost $100 million to the project, and will be the first to have sanctioned events at the venue. The track is currently looking for a title sponsor to name the venue, and the track is slated to be on the 2018 VRR IndyCar Series calendar.
Also, going to share what each team is paying their drivers in salary each race.
Big Blue Motorsports-$38,462
Black Rose Racing-$84,232
Cat Devil Racing-$236,539
Cherokee Motorsports-$82,693
Ecurie Ecosse-$50,000
Eiffel Tower Racing Team-$76,924
Polaris Motorsports-$291,347
Rainbow Road Racing-$57,693
Scuderia Rabia Furiosa-$111,539
Sovereign Motorsports-$8,654
Starion Motorsports-$51,924
Swift Autosport-$169,231
Team Christie Upton-$134,616
Team Kate Upton-$125,000
Team Porter-$195,770
Still open for those currently not in the series to join the series. Those interested need to fill out two forms. One for AI driver stats, and the other for salary, driver details, and reserved sponsor. The salary information will be made public to all teams before Free Practice 1 for the 2017 VRR Indianapolis 500 on May 1st. Team application status is open, as is driver application status. Those interested can contact me either privately for more details or publicly here.
Tags for those possibly interested: @Carbonox@Crashbroke23@LITTLEBLACKO@aarror@Rebellion765@G_Parrilla@Ph1sher
Current 2018 Field Layout
Engine Suppliers (Rebadged Options)
Alpine (Dacia)
Chevrolet (Cadillac)
Ferrari (Fiat)
Ford (Cosworth)
Honda (Acura)
For those unfamiliar with the VRR engine program, each engine supplier has a factory team decided either by the team introducing the engine, or once they've completed a season, by highest scoring team using that engine. The factory team owner gets to set the engine, aerodynamic, and reliability stats, as well the price for the engine lease they offer for that season. Each engine supplier is also required to offer a baseline rebadged option. The rebadged options have the same base stats as the main engines, but receive upgrades 60 days later than the main engines, making them cheaper for teams on a budget.
2018 Factory Teams
Alpine-Impulse Racing
Chevrolet-TBD
Ferrari-Black Rose Racing
Ford-Starion Motorsports
Honda-TBD
I advise any new drivers to look at previous posts as well.
VRR CEO and promoter for the IndyCar Series, Eva Porter divulged what the calendar may shape up to be in 2018:
Key: Events in bold are confirmed venues, events in bold and underlined are confirmed venues for those dates, events in italics are scheduled to comprise the 2018 Royal Crown.
Test: Austin Open Test/Circuit of the Americas/13-14 January 2018
Test: Sebring Closed Test 1/Sebring International Raceway/27-28 January 2018
Test: Sebring Closed Test 2/Sebring International Raceway/03-04 February 2018
Exhibition: 2018 Monster Shootout/Las Vegas Motor Speedway/100 laps/11 February 2018
Round 01: Foster's Indy 250/Calder Park Thunderdome/208 laps/25 February 2018
Round 02: Santander Indy Grand Prix of Budapest/Hungaroring/70 laps/11 March 2018
Round 03: Skype Indy Grand Prix of Pensacola/Pensacola International Speedway/37 laps/25 March 2018
Round 04: Old Spice Indy Grand Prix of Cincinnati/Old Spice Speedway/TBD laps/01 April 2018
Round 05: GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma/Sonoma Raceway/100 laps/08 April 2018
Round 06: Spotify Indy 250/Phoenix International Raceway/250 laps/15 April 2018
Round 07: Pepsi Indy 300/Kansas Speedway/200 laps/22 April 2018 Round 08: 2018 VRR Indianapolis 500/Indianapolis Motor Speedway/200 laps/13 May 2018
Round 09: TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix/Circuit de Monaco/78 laps/20 May 2018 Round 10: Molson Indy 250/Vancouver International Speedway/500 laps/03 June 2018
Round 11: Molson Indy Montreal/Circuit Gilles Villeneuve/70 laps/10 June 2018
Round 12: Molson Indy Toronto Duel 1/Exhibition Place/45 laps/17 June 2018
Round 13: Molson Indy Toronto Duel 2/Exhibition Place/45 laps/17 June 2018
Round 14: Sylvania Indy 250/New Hampshire Motor Speedway/250 laps/24 June 2018
Round 15: Wal-Mart Indy Grand Prix of Lexington/Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course/90 laps/05 August 2018 Round 16: Hershey's Indy 500/Pocono Raceway/200 laps/12 August 2018 Round 17: Cheez It Indy Grand Prix of Watkins Glen/Watkins Glen International/81 laps/19 August 2018
Round 18: Sargento Indy Grand Prix of Elkhart Lake/Road America/47 laps/26 August 2018
Round 19: Coca-Cola Indy 300/Kentucky Speedway/200 laps/02 September 2018
Round 20: Ford Indy 250/Bristol Motor Speedway/500 laps/09 September 2018
Round 21: Chevrolet Indy 300/Michigan International Speedway/150 laps/16 September 2018 Round 22: Lipton Indy 250/Dover International Speedway/250 laps/23 September 2018
Round 23: Canon Indy Grand Prix of Magny-Cours/Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours/71 laps/07 October 2018
Round 24: Vodafone Indy Grand Prix of Masaryk/Automotodrom Brno/55 laps/21 October 2018
Round 25: Energopetrol Indy Grand Prix of Sarajevo/Sarajevo International Circuit/56 laps/28 October 2018
Round 26: Sunoco Indy 250/Iowa Speedway/250 laps/04 November 2018 Round 27: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama/Barber Motorsports Park/90 laps/18 November 2018
Round 28: 2018 VRR World Championships/Auto Club Speedway/250 laps/25 November 2018
The calendar hinges on important tracks coming together on contract negotiations with VRR or completing construction in time. Old Spice Speedway, Pensacola Speedway, and Vancouver Speedway are all pending final approval from FICA, while other venues like Michigan and Kansas have to sign contract renewals.
VRR CEO and promoter for the IndyCar Series, Eva Porter divulged what the calendar may shape up to be in 2018:
Key: Events in bold are confirmed venues, events in bold and underlined are confirmed venues for those dates, events in italics are scheduled to comprise the 2018 Royal Crown.
Test: Austin Open Test/Circuit of the Americas/13-14 January 2018
Test: Sebring Closed Test 1/Sebring International Raceway/27-28 January 2018
Test: Sebring Closed Test 2/Sebring International Raceway/03-04 February 2018
Exhibition: 2018 Monster Shootout/Las Vegas Motor Speedway/100 laps/11 February 2018
Round 01: Foster's Indy 250/Calder Park Thunderdome/208 laps/25 February 2018
Round 02: Santander Indy Grand Prix of Budapest/Hungaroring/70 laps/11 March 2018
Round 03: Skype Indy Grand Prix of Pensacola/Pensacola International Speedway/37 laps/25 March 2018
Round 04: Old Spice Indy Grand Prix of Cincinnati/Old Spice Speedway/TBD laps/01 April 2018
Round 05: GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma/Sonoma Raceway/100 laps/08 April 2018
Round 06: Spotify Indy 250/Phoenix International Raceway/250 laps/15 April 2018
Round 07: Pepsi Indy 300/Kansas Speedway/200 laps/22 April 2018 Round 08: 2018 VRR Indianapolis 500/Indianapolis Motor Speedway/200 laps/13 May 2018
Round 09: TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix/Circuit de Monaco/78 laps/20 May 2018 Round 10: Molson Indy 250/Vancouver International Speedway/500 laps/03 June 2018
Round 11: Molson Indy Montreal/Circuit Gilles Villeneuve/70 laps/10 June 2018
Round 12: Molson Indy Toronto Duel 1/Exhibition Place/45 laps/17 June 2018
Round 13: Molson Indy Toronto Duel 2/Exhibition Place/45 laps/17 June 2018
Round 14: Sylvania Indy 250/New Hampshire Motor Speedway/250 laps/24 June 2018
Round 15: Wal-Mart Indy Grand Prix of Lexington/Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course/90 laps/05 August 2018 Round 16: Hershey's Indy 500/Pocono Raceway/200 laps/12 August 2018 Round 17: Cheez It Indy Grand Prix of Watkins Glen/Watkins Glen International/81 laps/19 August 2018
Round 18: Sargento Indy Grand Prix of Elkhart Lake/Road America/47 laps/26 August 2018
Round 19: Coca-Cola Indy 300/Kentucky Speedway/200 laps/02 September 2018
Round 20: Ford Indy 250/Bristol Motor Speedway/500 laps/09 September 2018
Round 21: Chevrolet Indy 300/Michigan International Speedway/150 laps/16 September 2018 Round 22: Lipton Indy 250/Dover International Speedway/250 laps/23 September 2018
Round 23: Canon Indy Grand Prix of Magny-Cours/Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours/71 laps/07 October 2018
Round 24: Vodafone Indy Grand Prix of Masaryk/Automotodrom Brno/55 laps/21 October 2018
Round 25: Energopetrol Indy Grand Prix of Sarajevo/Sarajevo International Circuit/56 laps/28 October 2018
Round 26: Sunoco Indy 250/Iowa Speedway/250 laps/04 November 2018 Round 27: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama/Barber Motorsports Park/90 laps/18 November 2018
Round 28: 2018 VRR World Championships/Auto Club Speedway/250 laps/25 November 2018
The calendar hinges on important tracks coming together on contract negotiations with VRR or completing construction in time. Old Spice Speedway, Pensacola Speedway, and Vancouver Speedway are all pending final approval from FICA, while other venues like Michigan and Kansas have to sign contract renewals.
I was thinking more along the lines of the Brookland circuit, or Orlando Speedway but yeah, that's probably the craziest non dirt/jump/figure-8 track VRR could theoretically race at outside of maybe the Nurburgring Nordschleife, or Dunrod or Snaefel Mountain maybe...
I was thinking more along the lines of the Brookland circuit, or Orlando Speedway but yeah, that's probably the craziest non dirt/jump/figure-8 track VRR could theoretically race at outside of maybe the Nurburgring Nordschleife, or Dunrod or Snaefel Mountain maybe...
Orlando Speedway is a no no, as is Pensacola's oval. They are Daytona like, and excessively dangerous. Places like Brooklands won't be happening either since VRR Canon recognizes its current state as being in severe disrepair. Dirt and wacky tracks also won't be happening. The fictional venues being picked have quality and a realistic feel to them and we are able to make a background story from scratch for them.
Orlando Speedway is a no no, as is Pensacola's oval. They are Daytona like, and excessively dangerous. Places like Brooklands won't be happening either since VRR Canon recognizes its current state as being in severe disrepair. Dirt and wacky tracks also won't be happening. The fictional venues being picked have quality and a realistic feel to them and we are able to make a background story from scratch for them.
I figured as much. Thanks for the clarifications. I take it a track like rFactor's Bryce Canyon would also be out of the question due to the extreme elevation changes, narrow track width and lack of grandstands/facilities if it ever came to be possibly used for VRR series?
I figured as much. Thanks for the clarifications. I take it a track like rFactor's Bryce Canyon would also be out of the question due to the extreme elevation changes, narrow track width and lack of grandstands/facilities if it ever came to be possibly used for VRR series?
In 2018, VRR IndyCar competitors will be able to actively compete in the historic Motorsport Triple Crown. With the FICA 24 Hours of Le Mans scheduled in July, and the Indianapolis 500 scheduled for the second week of May, VRR has secured a deal with FICA and the Monegasque principality to include the final piece in the 2018 VRR IndyCar calendar. "On May 20th, the VRR IndyCar World Series will host the TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix, one week after the Indianapolis 500, and two months ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hour event." VRR CEO Evangeline Porter stated to the press in Monaco. "For years, the Triple Crown asked for drivers to give up two series for one, making the entire idea impossible to achieve. Next year, the Triple Crown becomes closer for everyone to make a reality."
Of the almost 50 drivers that have climbed into a VRR IndyCar, only two have ever achieved the Triple Crown. Stephanie Porter-Kelley achieved the feat by winning the IRG Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009, and the Monaco GP in 2011. Kunimitsu Kino****a won the first VRR Indianapolis 500 in 2015, won Monaco in 2012, and won Le Mans in 2008.
A rule limiting teams to three full time drivers beginning in 2018 has been scrapped. VRR IndyCar, which opened the door for an unlimited amount of full time entries about a month ago, decided the rule restricting the teams to be in counter to the openness of the aforementioned rule allowing an unfiltered amount of full time entries. A rule eliminating sister or developmental teams will remain in place.
In 2018, Impulse Racing secures two very key assets. Factory backing from Alpine Renault, and now a USD$12 Million deal with global phone service provider Vodafone. Vodafone is set to be the primary sponsor for all four of Impulse Racing's full time entries. "All four cars will be the same template. Two will be mostly orange with gray, and the other two will be the opposite." Team principal Asumi Matsuo said on what the cars would look like. The team has reserved car numbers 3, 6, 12, and 24 for 2018, and it is believed Sakura Ishibashi will remain in the #3. The team is also highly interested in retaining Tyler Parker as well as securing Thomas Rogers and William Manor for 2018.
