Starting in 2012, for the first time, the Indy Car series will have a fully functioning race car for ovals, road and street circuits. I must say, it looks like an actual American born open wheel championship car, which says a lot since it will be built by Italian race car manufacturer Dallara.
This week, it has finally seen life on track, at the hands of Dan Wheldon. You may not remember him, but I’ll freshen your memory. The Englishman won the Indy 500, his second, which was overshadowed by the guy who crashed the National Guard car in the final turn. Yeah, that was, and still is, his only race of the year, but if you ask me, he still landed an awesome job. And the huge wad of milk money sure helps, I’m sure.
If all of that seems like a lot of info… Buckle up, and strap on some attention. I have not even told you what is under the bonnet.
Switching from the loud, and almost stock car-ish V8 from sole provider Honda, the car will utilize a 2.2 liter V6 from Honda, Lotus, and… unfortunately, Chevrolet. Either way, they will go from sounding like a buzz saw to the distinctive and “Indy appropriate” whine the pre-split Brickyard fans are used to. In addition, the car will feature separate body work specifically for road courses and ovals, making the cars more responsive and handle less like, what is the word I am looking for, a canoe. This week was the first of three road course and three oval tests in which Wheldon will lend his knowledge toward developing. Good job, everyone!
Just in case you have not seen it yet, fear not. You can look it up on Autosport, or IndyCar’s website!
Okay Brad, we get it. You blame Road Atlanta’s safety measures for tearing up your car. You criticize it’s lack of SAFER barriers and say that is why it is not a track NASCAR races at. To that, I say: thank GOD! I have a hard time watching your silly tin tops rumble around on the hollowed ground in upstate New York, but for NASCAR to invade sports car territory, even if to test, just sticks in my craw. So, if you do not want to test your rumbler there, then get the hell out! Yours is not the worst crash at Road Atlanta, it is not the first big wreck, and it will certainly not be the last. Talk to Bill Auberlen or Yannick Dalmas about scary wrecks at Road Atlanta and they will tell you to switch from pampers to big boy pants. Now, I do agree that head on into a wall at any speed must be scary, but do not criticize a track that you have no business being at anyway. If you would like, visit other racing circuits in the eastern time zone. Or just pipe down, strap in, and make sure you are on good terms with your gods, your affairs, and the guy who works on your brakes. Either way, count yourself lucky before throwing one of the country’s finest racing circuits under the proverbial bus. Besides, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Honda and Mazda fit in there, not rumbling, bumbling, carbureted tin tops. In other words, know your place boy, and it ain’t at Road Atlanta!
With the construction of the grand prix circuit going on in southeast Austin, I have a thought that Texas needs to grow a viable racing community here.
I mean it. We need to use the many tracks within hours of each other and create some hard fought, low cost, driving development friendly championships.
Like… Now!
I say that purely as a fan of British motor sport, having visited the great Donington Park last fall to see some fantastic racing! One week saw Formula Ford, British Touring Cars, Porsche Carrera Cup, and Ginettas and the next week featured MINIs, open top Radicals, more Formula cars, and Lorries! All of this on the track that Ayrton used to exert his dominance over all humans and earthly conditions. I cringe at the fact that Foyt is the latest great from the Lone Star State.
It just is not right. And here is why.
Every spring, approximately four million miatas are raced by men who will probably never see an Indy or Formula 1 paddock, let alone car, from the inside. That sucks because they could probably drive better than the jackasses who paraded around Toronto last month! And for less money too! How can we expect racers to prove anything when there is nobody watching? No prestige, no television, no network coverage, and nobody knows, whereas in England (and maybe Europe) you can get the updates from every race that happened THAT Sunday night! It is no wonder to me why people scoff that this country does not deserve any world championship caliber events. Why is it that way? Does America give a damn about anything but million dollar athletes who fail to enunciate?
Perhaps it is the economy? Maybe, but I doubt it because apathy toward local racing, and the racing itself, has gone on long before president 40 was in office. And race cars are STILL being turned on. Televisions too.
Maybe the car culture just is not that interested? I doubt that, because even though SUVs and trucks dominate the landscape, Texas imports higher numbers of sports cars than most of the remaining 49 states. And you visit an scca or NASA race, and try to tell me nobody cares.
So what is it? The package. Nobody has presented an investor and media outlet with an opportunity to create this. A televised championship consisting of races held solely in state, shown live or tape delayed on a Texas television station, could provide an investor with a ton of eyeballs and the network with a great new audience full of gear-heads, grease monkeys, and speed freaks! Best of all, it could help to raise general interest in the Texas racing scene, finally making Texas a viable atmosphere of Motorsport.
A republic of Motorsport?
Or…
The Texas Republic of Pure Motorsport, or Texas RPM.
Okay maybe not, but you get my point. That said, everyone who has read this, venture out to the next SCCA, or NASA racing event and have a look at what true racers are like and what they drive. Chances are, they may be just like you!
Dear gods of speed.
Is this what racing has turned drivers into? Are we supposed to believe that these spoiled, haptephobic brats are the best racers we have? We obviously know they are not the toughest sumbitches around, otherwise there would be less bitching via microphone and more battling via motorsport. I cannot take much stock in the words of men who are restricted by contracts to running their own series and failing to test other waters. I grew up in Houston, and I know there had to be better beaches than Galveston. Racers need to sample other types of paradise! Otherwise, Jimmie, Seb and the gang will be relegated to the same category of greatness as every one trick pony.
What must drivers do to prove me wrong and stake their claim of greatness? Simple: drive other stuff! Jimmy Clark, and Graham Hill. These men raced in the Indy 500 during their grand prix seasons, with Jimmy winning in 1965 and Graham, who won LeMans years later, swigging milk the following year. John Surtees won a world title on two and four wheels, and competed at LeMans. Even AJ Foyt took time away from his Indy, Sprint and stock car races stateside to win at LeMans. And above all, the greatest, Mario Andretti won every major race known to man, often doing the racing man’s version of multitasking. Even more impressive is how long he kept at it, driving Indy Cars into his fifties! This short history lesson makes me ask every “great” of this age a simple question… what happened, did your balls drop off?
The irony is that there are a few guys who will drive a different car in one season, if you include the entire calendar year. For example, every January at Daytona you will see some Indy Car and NASCAR drivers going up against, and often getting spanked by, sports car racing’s finest. But the key is, they are doing it. And this June, Cup regular Michael Waltrip tried out LeMans in a Ferrari, and although his most newsworthy achievement of the race was his co-driver punting Mike Rockenfeller, I enjoyed seeing him out there. In fact, Dale Sr had an eye at LeMans himself, which was why he entered Daytona in 2001. Now would that have been fun?
So where have all the racers gone?
I understand that contracts control how much drivers can and cannot do, which after the fine print whittles the possibilities down to plastic darts. Can we please see a driver think, or drive, outside the gearbox? Ask Jimmie to run LeMans, or Seb to try the 500, or, anyone to try Sebring, and you will see their eyes widen with interest while their lawyers skim the fine print.
Aha! I’ve got it!
Take the lawyer out of racing, and put the driver back in! Then, a driver owning his series will need more to merit being called… Great!
ALMS @ Lime Rock on Espn2 at noon- LMP1: Dyson is my favorite
GT-Pro: Rahal BMW M3
F1 @ Silverstone on Fox at 11 am- Vettel is the top dog and should win, unless Button or Hamilton take it on their home turf.
Grand-Am @ Laguna Seca on Speed at 3- DP: Ganassi (why not?) GT:Speedsource Rx8 or Turner BMW M3
Indy Car at Toronto on Versus at 1- KV Racing’s TK or Will Power (bc he’s the street king)
NASCAR Cup at KY on the Taint (TNT)- Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards (prior experience in Busch on this new-to-cup track)
It is a new year, which means the racing season is just around the Stowe Corner. The goal for 2011 is simple: win a title, which will take excellent business relationship(s), deep passion, determination, precision and excellence. The next several days, the focus will be deciding where and what to race as well as gaining sponsorship for that effort. One goal can be assured, another attempt at the Formula Ford Festival/Walter Hayes Trophy at year’s end. Updates coming…
My first detailed memory of racing was in 1996 when two drivers captured prestigious titles in their 30’s, considered over the hill in some categories. Jimmy Vasser, a Russell Formula Ford graduate, took the CART title and had a tremendous and respected career thereafter. Damon Hill, the son of legendary Graham Hill, took the World Driver’s crown. He is a British Formula Ford graduate as well! These two drivers, as well as Mario (who won his at 38) are my inspiration to keep focused and do all I absolutely can! Stay tuned, cos this is about to get real exciting!
Lukie
Perhaps a bit too focused on the action?
Flying to Britain to race formula ford! Luke Hesketh Hesketh Racing USA