2016 Verizon IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel 

  • Thread starter Thread starter VNAF Ace
  • 8,011 comments
  • 439,246 views
Status
Not open for further replies.
Dario and the people in the stands were very lucky the fences did hold (almost) all that violence from going through. Watching this accident makes it easy to understand what happened at Le Mans in 1955 when about 80 people got killed in the stands.


60 years later, Dario's car, if it had gone through, would've killed many, many spectators.

This a pic I saw in another forum

prix1-png.jpg
 
It's time for a new kind of fence.

I'm sure Mr. Franchitti would agree.
 
As would Mike Conway.
 
They could make the barriers out of sheet steel panels, but then, the spectators could not see through them. I know of no barrier technology that would both prevent a car going through, yet still enable viewing.

I thought those pods behind the rear tires were an attempt to prevent this sort of launch from wheels touching - but something didn't work right. Maybe those pods should be bigger, or the tires be more fully enclosed. Fully or partially closed cockpits probably are in the future of both F1 and the Indy Car series.
 
cnd01
Yet another reason why street courses should be a thing of the past. When cars have to swerve down the front straight to avoid a huge bump, that's about as atrocious as railroad tracks at Baltimore
Click to expand...

Street circuits are hard to get right, but they can be done well. This one has just looked horrible every time a car has gone out on track, and I'm not sure how its contract will last into other years. Street circuits can be done well. Take the Marina Bay Grand Prix circuit. The street bits have been designed well and, apart from turn 10, there hasn't really been much of a problem with it. Other circuits like Marrakech and Porto seem to hold up well to both Touring cars and single seaters. DTM put up with the Norisring, and no-one in Indycar seems to complain about St. Petersburg or Long Beach. Street circuits are a fine art that juggles good layouts with the streets and the space they can have, let alone the problem with blocks in American cities.
 
I was at the Houston race on Sunday, and was only about 20 yards from the crash when it happened.

About a minute before the crash occurred, I was standing on the right side of the grandstand that got hit - a fence where people could easily see the cars moving by at ground level from a close distance. I walked away from that area just in time.

I then heard this loud booming sound like a bomb went off. I heard debris spilling everywhere and tires screeching. Despite not seeing the incident as it unfolded, I already knew something terrible just happened. Trying to get a look of the track from where I was, I could only see what was left of Dario's car. And then I saw the replay on the screen, along with how lucky I was that I wasn't hit by any of the debris that injured the others.
 
Jimlaad43
Street circuits are hard to get right, but they can be done well. This one has just looked horrible every time a car has gone out on track, and I'm not sure how its contract will last into other years. Street circuits can be done well. Take the Marina Bay Grand Prix circuit. The street bits have been designed well and, apart from turn 10, there hasn't really been much of a problem with it. Other circuits like Marrakech and Porto seem to hold up well to both Touring cars and single seaters. DTM put up with the Norisring, and no-one in Indycar seems to complain about St. Petersburg or Long Beach. Street circuits are a fine art that juggles good layouts with the streets and the space they can have, let alone the problem with blocks in American cities.
Click to expand...

Houston just isn't a very good city for a street circuit. Downtown is almost completely square, and there aren't really any other areas where there's a natural and interesting street layout, partly because the terrain is so flat. The first iterations of the Houston GP were held downtown, and I think the Reliant Park course layout is more interesting than the downtown course.

The only thing I could find that looks remotely promising on city streets is the loop around Hermann Park, but it would probably not be feasible to close that area down long enough to hold the race, given that a loop course would need to incorporate Fannin and Cambridge Streets (never mind cutting off or restricting access to the park itself).
 
Tagliani to CGR for Fontana in place of Franchitti, and Allmendinger with Penske.
 
Just heard from a reair of F1 qualifying that Dario is up and moving and even better, has been released from the hospital. Nice recovery:tup:
 
Like I said, that's what I heard from the reair.

Glad to see he's up and moving.
 
Expecting Hinch to re-sign with AA and AA switching to Honda.

Also the schedule:

2014 IndyCar Series

March 30 – St. Petersburg

April 13 – Long Beach

April 26 – Barber Park (Saturday)

May 10 – IMS road course (Saturday)

May 17-18 – Indy 500 qualifying.

May 25 – Indianapolis 500

May 31-June 1 – Detroit double-header

June 7 – Texas (Saturday night)

June 28-29 – Houston double-header

July 6 – Pocono

July 12 – Iowa (Saturday night)

July 19-20 – Toronto double-header

August 3 – Mid-Ohio

August 17 – Milwaukee

August 24 – Sonoma

August 30 – Fontana (Saturday night)
 
IforceV8
June 28-29 – Houston double-header
Click to expand...

Well, I find this race weekend both a good, & a bad idea.

Good: It doesn't have to involved any schedule conflict between IndyCar, & the NFL.

Bad: It's in June, which is possibly going to be hotter than the 1st race of this year's double-header.
It's also at beginning of Hurricane season, so it might be postponed, or cancelled if a Tropical Storm, or Hurricane is nearby.
 
M0NSTER97
Well, I find this race weekend both a good, & a bad idea.

Good: It doesn't have to involved any schedule conflict between IndyCar, & the NFL.

Bad: It's in June, which is possibly going to be hotter than the 1st race of this year's double-header.
It's also at beginning of Hurricane season, so it might be postponed, or cancelled if a Tropical Storm, or Hurricane is nearby.
Click to expand...

A storm is possible but unlikely.

If I remember right, they were talking about it being a night race. Night isn't so bad temperature-wise, it will still be 80 to 85 and very humid, but it feels a lot cooler without the sun.
 




Live coverage of the California 500 starts tonight at 8:00 PM EDT on NBC Sports Network!


There are 250 laps, 500 miles between this race and a champion!
 
Huge crash, Wilson got loose, 5 or 6 cars involved.


Edit: i still don't like these oval races, they seem ridiculously dangerous in these cars. If I were racing there's no way I would do ovals.
 
Last edited:
Commentators are worried, you can hear it in their voices...

EDIT: Hearing everybody is okay. Good news.
 
Last edited:
Penske just called Helio in when pit road was closed.


That has to be the most boneheaded move I have seen recently.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest Posts

Back