The Alessandro Zanardi IndyCar Thread

[F1000X]

I think the calendar could use a second Canadian date. It would be amazing to see Indycars back at Gilles Villeneuve again, but probably won't happen until F1 folds, so, like 4 years from now. A race in Dubai sounds nice, but if broke F1 teams can't afford a trip across the pond, Indycar teams are truly hopeless. I wonder if a race at the soon to be updated Hermanos Rodriguez circuit would be feasible.

[dr-baker]

I think the calendar could use a second Canadian date. It would be amazing to see Indycars back at Gilles Villeneuve again, but probably won't happen until F1 folds, so, like 4 years from now.

And at that point, a race at Monza in September would be nice. Maybe with a double-header at Brands Hatch or Silverstone, just like in the good old days! But, of course, IndyCar doesn't do races in September any more...

[Wallio]

I think the calendar could use a second Canadian date. It would be amazing to see Indycars back at Gilles Villeneuve again, but probably won't happen until F1 folds, so, like 4 years from now.

And at that point, a race at Monza in September would be nice. Maybe with a double-header at Brands Hatch or Silverstone, just like in the good old days! But, of course, IndyCar doesn't do races in September any more...

Yea, I don't get the "can't compete with football" argument. That being said, I suppose I rather them shorten the season than add a stupid playoff to keep interest like NASCAR and the NHRA did (or in the case of the PGA, add a playoff AND shorten the season). The NFL is an 800lb gorilla, but to make that many groups change their schedules, is a bit much.

[Faustus]

I think the calendar could use a second Canadian date. It would be amazing to see Indycars back at Gilles Villeneuve again, but probably won't happen until F1 folds, so, like 4 years from now.

And at that point, a race at Monza in September would be nice. Maybe with a double-header at Brands Hatch or Silverstone, just like in the good old days! But, of course, IndyCar doesn't do races in September any more...

Rockingham.

[Yannick]

On IndyCar blogs, it has transpired that Dubai Autodrome badly needs some renovation work done and that IndyCar was talking about holding a street circuit event in downtown Dubai. That did not come to fruition. I wonder if they will eventually fix the Autodrome, which is the best motor racing circuit in the Middle East (so far).

The new events at Brazilia and New Orleans Motorsports Park are going to be interesting. Too bad they didn't get Interlagos or weren't able to come back to the Sambodrome street circuit. A 2nd race in Brazil would be nice, too, for the future. But this series really needs a 2nd Canadian round and an Australian race. A race in Colombia might also make sense, given Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the series' stars.

Yet, domestically, IndyCar is really limited in going to places where NASCAR does not block them, after Randy Bernard dropped all ISC tracks and Indy Motor Speedway dropped the NASCAR-owned united Sportscar series event from its schedule.

So how about Portland?

[dr-baker]

I think the calendar could use a second Canadian date. It would be amazing to see Indycars back at Gilles Villeneuve again, but probably won't happen until F1 folds, so, like 4 years from now.

And at that point, a race at Monza in September would be nice. Maybe with a double-header at Brands Hatch or Silverstone, just like in the good old days! But, of course, IndyCar doesn't do races in September any more...

Rockingham.

And Lausitz as well? Both have 21st century IndyCar (i.e. ChampCar) history.

[Londoner]

And at that point, a race at Monza in September would be nice. Maybe with a double-header at Brands Hatch or Silverstone, just like in the good old days! But, of course, IndyCar doesn't do races in September any more...

Rockingham.

And Lausitz as well? Both have 21st century IndyCar (i.e. ChampCar) history.

The problem with Lausitz is that the oval has basically been left to rot since ChampCar stopped running there. And the infield circuit isn't brilliant, although DTM did put on a decent race using it earlier this year. How much that was down to the drivers being cockwombles though, is up for question.

[F1000X]

IndyCar is really limited in going to places where NASCAR does not block them, after Randy Bernard dropped all ISC tracks and Indy Motor Speedway dropped the NASCAR-owned united Sportscar series event from its schedule.

So how about Portland?

Given that Portland's current population consists mainly of hipsters and environmentalists, I'm not sure that there is much of a market for racing there anymore. They renovated the track pretty throughly back in 2008, it's a shame it has not made an appearance in the time since.

[Frogfoot9013]

I doubt the times from that aero kit test at Austin will be released, but I'd like to know how they compare to F1's lap times, although I'd assume they'd be 5-10 seconds slower than F1.

[nome66]

heavier, more drag, less power.... sounds about right. i'd give them a 3-second deficit, at the best.

[Yannick]

If Daniel Abt joins Andretti Autosport for next season as a full-time driver, Andretti Sports Marketing and their largely German based sponsor DHL might get interested in joining the September date of DTM at Lausitz. That could become a DHL German 500 if the sponsor is willing to pay for the SAFER barriers and other track renovations that may or may not be necessary.

Sorry to hear that you don't think Portland could get a great crowd.

Most important of all, IndyCar should do away with the Labor Day end of the season. I've read on another forum that the easy workaround would be to stage all races from September 1st onwards until season's end on Saturday when there is no NFL. A lot of the oval events that are currently absent from the schedule, like Kentucky, have been 2-day events anyway, so that might work out nicely. Of course, it's not word-by-word what the Boston Consulting Group report says, so Mark Miles likely won't try it.

[Onxy Wrecked]

Rockingham.

I think there's two of them... but I presume the one in the UK as the one in North Carolina's got some 25 degrees of banking. Too steep and thus too fast.

[roblo97]

Rockingham.

I think there's two of them... but I presume the one in the UK as the one in North Carolina's got some 25 degrees of banking. Too steep and thus too fast.

Yeah, we are on about the UK one which hosted a couple of CART races in 2001 and 2002 before the UK round was moved to the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch.

[dr-baker]

Rockingham.

I think there's two of them... but I presume the one in the UK as the one in North Carolina's got some 25 degrees of banking. Too steep and thus too fast.

Yeah, we are on about the UK one which hosted a couple of CART races in 2001 and 2002 before the UK round was moved to the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch.

The race at Brands ended up a bit processional, thanks to compulsory pit stop windows. But Paul Tracy retired at Paddock, where I was seated, and Seb Bourdais won his first of many victories in the series. Wish I had been to the races at Rockingham now.

[nome66]

Indycar need the FULL brands hatch circuit. need turbos whistling through the forest once more!

[F1000X]

Indycar need the FULL brands hatch circuit. need turbos whistling through the forest once more!

British forum members: isn't Brands Hatch now surrounded by housing communities full of people who complain about the noise? Isn't that the reason races on the GP circuit don't seem to happen as often as they used to?

[nome66]

i'm from MURICA and we would make people deal with it!

just kidding i didn't actually know that, now i understand.

[roblo97]

Indycar need the FULL brands hatch circuit. need turbos whistling through the forest once more!

British forum members: isn't Brands Hatch now surrounded by housing communities full of people who complain about the noise? Isn't that the reason races on the GP circuit don't seem to happen as often as they used to?

Yes, but the turbochargers on the engine effectively act like mufflers on an exhaust, they reduce the sound so it could be ok.

[dr-baker]

Indycar need the FULL brands hatch circuit. need turbos whistling through the forest once more!

British forum members: isn't Brands Hatch now surrounded by housing communities full of people who complain about the noise? Isn't that the reason races on the GP circuit don't seem to happen as often as they used to?

Yes, but the turbochargers on the engine effectively act like mufflers on an exhaust, they reduce the sound so it could be ok.

The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend). This slightly-dated photo still gives a pretty current idea as to where the local village is located:

[Faustus]

The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend).

The residents of West Kingsdown get free yearly passes for Brands Hatch, for up to Grade C meetings.

[dr-baker]

The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend).

The residents of West Kingsdown get free yearly passes for Brands Hatch, for up to Grade C meetings.

I knew they had some kind of benefit (like discounted tickets or something), but wasn't quite sure.

[roblo97]

The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend).

The residents of West Kingsdown get free yearly passes for Brands Hatch, for up to Grade C meetings.

I knew they had some kind of benefit (like discounted tickets or something), but wasn't quite sure.

I really want to move there now for that reason alone

[Wallio]

It was revealed during NBC's USGP coverage that that blurry image from Austin was a Penske. So that's Chevy's kit. I wonder what Honda's looks like.....

[Onxy Wrecked]

It was revealed during NBC's USGP coverage that that blurry image from Austin was a Penske. So that's Chevy's kit. I wonder what Honda's looks like.....

I wouldn't doubt that the design will be slightly different... but not by much.

[Onxy Wrecked]

I think there's two of them... but I presume the one in the UK as the one in North Carolina's got some 25 degrees of banking. Too steep and thus too fast.

Yeah, we are on about the UK one which hosted a couple of CART races in 2001 and 2002 before the UK round was moved to the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch.

The one in the US oddly is owned by a former Indy 500 driver named Andy Hillenberg. Come to think of it... Dover's hosted IndyCar in the past with 24 degrees of banking in the past. Still, I'd prefer the UK circuit over that one in rural North Carolina.

[Faustus]

It was revealed during NBC's USGP coverage that that blurry image from Austin was a Penske. So that's Chevy's kit. I wonder what Honda's looks like.....

Castro Neves seems impressed by the aero kit:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116732

[golic_2004]

I think there's two of them... but I presume the one in the UK as the one in North Carolina's got some 25 degrees of banking. Too steep and thus too fast.

Yeah, we are on about the UK one which hosted a couple of CART races in 2001 and 2002 before the UK round was moved to the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch.

The one in the US oddly is owned by a former Indy 500 driver named Andy Hillenberg. Come to think of it... Dover's hosted IndyCar in the past with 24 degrees of banking in the past. Still, I'd prefer the UK circuit over that one in rural North Carolina.

I didn't know Hillenburg was in the Indy 500 until you mentioned it. He did revive Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina, as you mentioned, but now the future of the track looks to be in doubt again.

[golic_2004]

[/quote]
The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend). This slightly-dated photo still gives a pretty current idea as to where the local village is located:

[/quote]

And I'd love to be at the American SpeedFest. Maybe Indycar should have a race there as well in the future, even for one race.

[dr-baker]

The housing does not entirely surround Brands Hatch, it just borders a section of the GP loop. As you approach the track from the M25 (the London orbital motorway), the village of West Kingsdown begins just after the car park entrances (the car parks are around Clearways/Clark Curve, the start/finish straight and South Bank is between Graham Hill and Surtees Bend). This slightly-dated photo still gives a pretty current idea as to where the local village is located:

And I'd love to be at the American SpeedFest. Maybe Indycar should have a race there as well in the future, even for one race.

I was there, as I said before, for ChampCar's one appearance there in 2003, when Seb Bourdais won his first race, before his 4 titles. Without the pitstop windows, it could be a good race. Would love to see IndyCars on an oval here in Europe though. Brands and Rockingham might make it worth their while coming over here.

[Onxy Wrecked]

I didn't know Hillenburg was in the Indy 500 until you mentioned it. He did revive Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina, as you mentioned, but now the future of the track looks to be in doubt again.

It's little more than a NASCAR testing facility at this point. I think it could support an IndyCar race better than Motegi could.

[Frogfoot9013]

I know Rockingham in North Carolina has really steep banking, but wouldn't they be using short oval wings at it considering that it is just over a mile in length, which would cut down on speed?

[Onxy Wrecked]

I know Rockingham in North Carolina has really steep banking, but wouldn't they be using short oval wings at it considering that it is just over a mile in length, which would cut down on speed?

Secondly, Dover was used in IndyCar in previous seasons around 2000 with 24 degrees of banking. I wouldn't doubt that would be used to keep speeds down, but I fear a repeat of Vegas given the banking and downforce/grip.

[Salamander]

I wonder what this means for Mikhail Aleshin...

[Onxy Wrecked]

I wonder what this means for Mikhail Aleshin...

Aleshin's injuries might be keeping him out for much of the season in the best case scenario with a late season return. Worst case, Aleshin's seat has been lost.

[Yannick]

On twitter, Aleshin has recently posted a photo of himself at the beach somewhere with the caption that he feels great and has now fully recovered from the crash.

However, the Indy Star newspaper today reported that he cannot renew with Schmidt because there is no way the sponsor can get the payment to the team from Russia to the US through what is slightly similar to a political embargo situation because of the political situation in Ukraine.

This makes me wonder if and how other Russian racecar drivers' sponsorships might be affected: Petrov in DTM runs at least once on Russian soil, in Wolokolamsk, so a cash payment might be possible, and Kyvat is on Red Bull's payroll anyway.

But can Aleshin at least run sportscars now or does he have to look for a ride in a domestic series? Here's hoping the situation is quickly resolved and he can at least have a go at the Indy 500.

[Dj_bereta]

http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/11/11- ... In-INDYCAR

This is really interesting, especially if Vergne secures a good race seat.

[Londoner]

Another massive coup for IndyCar - Carlin are expanding into Indy Lights next year, with the eventual aim to run an IndyCar team in the future

This is probably the healthiest American open-wheeled racing has looked since the halcyon days of CART in the late 1990s/early 2000s, before the Split really started affecting things. Let's hope things continue to improve, considering F1's going down the drain at a spectacular rate.

[Miguel98]

Two interesting news for today:

http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/12/12-2-Verizon-IndyCar-Series-rulebook-for-2015
So that's only double points for Indy and Sonoma.

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/111413-indycar-gp3-runner-up-dean-stoneman-targets-open-wheel-switch
Please, let this happen. It will be awesome.

[F1000X]

Updates to the Indycar rulebook all look reasonable. They've tweaked the double points gimmick and now it makes more sense to me. I imagine most of the drivers would agree with the changes as well. The only disappointment is no more standing starts.

[nome66]

eh, the clutches in the gearboxes weren't really setup for them anyway.