2017 Verizon IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel

[Eva]

So there will be 5 ex or current F1 drivers at the 500 this year: Bourdais, Montoya, Rossi, Sato, Alonso. When was the last time there was that many guys with F1 experience in the field?

Edit: maybe last year? I forgot about Chilton. Is he doing the 500 this year?

Chilton has at full time ride with Ganassi. He'll be there.

 

[AudiMan2011]

Alonso is going to be in for a hell of an eye-opener in the 500 considering he's never raced in Indycar. The intensity of Indycar racing is a whole different game to F1, especially when it comes to a long-distance 500 miler.

 

[twitcher]

I know it's getting an inch and then asking for a mile, but it's too bad Alonso isn't doing the Indy GP as well.

 

[IforceV8]

I know it's getting an inch and then asking for a mile, but it's too bad Alonso isn't doing the Indy GP as well.

He would be arrested by the King of Spain if he skipped their GP to run the Indy RC.

But he will be at Barber to watch.

 

[ukfan758]

Alonso is going to be in for a hell of an eye-opener in the 500 considering he's never raced in Indycar. The intensity of Indycar racing is a whole different game to F1, especially when it comes to a long-distance 500 miler.

When Kurt Busch did his race in 2014, he crashed in a session but did quite well in the race itself. And that's going from a 1.5 ton stock car to open wheel. I think he'll do decent .

 

[IforceV8]

Dario's take on it. http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/indycar/problems-alonso-will-face-indy

When Kurt Busch did his race in 2014, he crashed in a session but did quite well in the race itself. And that's going from a 1.5 ton stock car to open wheel. I think he'll do decent .

There is one huge difference, Kurt made his money and ovals and Fred has never been on one. Trimmed out at 230 mph into turn 1 at Indy is nothing like he has ever experienced before.

 

[twitcher]

Kurt had experience racing in packs on Superspeedways as well, and would have been familiar with working with a spotter - two other things that will be brand new for Alonso.

 

[mwoodski]

Dario's take on it. http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/indycar/problems-alonso-will-face-indy

There is one huge difference, Kurt made his money and ovals and Fred has never been on one. Trimmed out at 230 mph into turn 1 at Indy is nothing like he has ever experienced before.

Discussion with a friend of mine this morning, who when he heard the new, went "meh."

He thinks Spa is a more challenging track to race on than Indy, which "only has two corners lol"

BOI. Ovals are more challenging from the standpoint that you've got less chances to make a mistake, less chances to make up time, and if you make a mistake at Indy, you're hitting a hard wall at nearly 230.

 

[IforceV8]

Discussion with a friend of mine this morning, who when he heard the new, went "meh."

He thinks Spa is a more challenging track to race on than Indy, which "only has two corners lol"

BOI. Ovals are more challenging from the standpoint that you've got less chances to make a mistake, less chances to make up time, and if you make a mistake at Indy, you're hitting a hard wall at nearly 230.

You know it's ok to hit a friend upside the head for being a dope right?

 

[IforceV8]

Afternoon testing session at Texas is a race sim.👍👍

 

[TDZdave]

Hmmm, its good to see Alonso actually go to Indy over Monaco, but I cant help speculate that the Andretti family hasn't forgot about 1993....

 

[Dotini]

So there will be 5 ex or current F1 drivers at the 500 this year: Bourdais, Montoya, Rossi, Sato, Alonso. When was the last time there was that many guys with F1 experience in the field?

Edit: maybe last year? I forgot about Chilton. Is he doing the 500 this year?

@IforceV8

Back in the mid to late 60's, about 9 drivers would show up for the 500 with F1 experience.
In 1967, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt, Denis Hulme and Jackie Stewart - 6 world champions - headed the list of F1 drivers that competed.

 

[twitcher]

Hmmm, its good to see Alonso actually go to Indy over Monaco, but I cant help speculate that the Andretti family hasn't forgot about 1993....

Personal wise, who would still be at McLaren from the '93 season? Now that that Ron is gone, I highly doubt there's any key personal left, so really no reason for Andretti to hold a grudge, except against the name McLaren itself.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Zak Brown and Michael Andretti were already acquainted, either personaly or through business. Even if they weren't, there is a certain vibe to this whole affair that sort of feels like, "now that Ron is gone, look at all the cool stuff the new boss is going for."

 

[IforceV8]

@IforceV8

Back in the mid to late 60's, about 9 drivers would show up for the 500 with F1 experience.
In 1967, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt, Denis Hulme and Jackie Stewart - 6 world champions - headed the list of F1 drivers that competed.

Definitely more F1 talent ran back then but he asked when the last time it happened so I took a flyer and picked 94 since that was the last year before the split and racing dentists.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Zak Brown and Michael Andretti were already acquainted, either personaly or through business

Brown has deep ties to Indy.

 

[RACECAR]

Personal wise, who would still be at McLaren from the '93 season? Now that that Ron is gone, I highly doubt there's any key personal left, so really no reason for Andretti to hold a grudge, except against the name McLaren itself.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Zak Brown and Michael Andretti were already acquainted, either personaly or through business. Even if they weren't, there is a certain vibe to this whole affair that sort of feels like, "now that Ron is gone, look at all the cool stuff the new boss is going for."

All this talk about Ron continues to give me the vibe that he was abit ...square. Seemingly Bernie Ecclestone levels of square.

I'm ready for Indy to come back here. Cup race was putting me to sleep in the stands.

If things go right for me, I might be joining you...then we won't talk for minutes on end because anxiety is wonderful

 

[IforceV8]

If things go right for me, I might be joining you...then we won't talk for minutes on end because anxiety is wonderful

For $15 you could be posting from the track right now watching the test.

 

[RACECAR]

For $15 you could be posting from the track right now watching the test.

Figures I would not know and miss out on that

 

[IforceV8]

Figures I would not know and miss out on that

Its actually free and if you hurry they are running until 6pm. http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/n...st-at-texas-motor-speedway-open-to-the-public

 

[twitcher]

JPM weighs in on Alonso at Indy. The older JPM gets, the more I like the guy. "Bah, Monza is slow!!" Lol. Cool to hear he texted Alonso and offered help as soon as he heard the news.

Edit: guess actually putting the link in would help
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/...so-at-indy-will-be-running-in-traffic-893088/

 

[BKGlover]

For $15 you could be posting from the track right now watching the test.

Dammit, I would be working.

 

[catamount39]

Alonso will be shocked alright...shocked that he's gonna be in a car that doesn't suck.

You know I wonder if the DW12 Honda would be more competitive than the F1 car in F1?

 

[flip55]

You know I wonder if the DW12 Honda would be more competitive than the F1 car in F1?

...or if they at least shoved an IndyCar engine in the back of the McLaren (ignoring current F1 regs, of course). At least it works for more than 30 minutes at a time.

 

[Dotini]

The 90º Turn 1 at Indy may be the most daunting turn in all of car racing.

When the crowds are in the stands, and the weather is cloudy, it looks as though you are driving into a dead-end tunnel. And you are going 233mph. And you don't lift. And you are inches from the next car. On a narrow 1911 track design made narrower by the safer-barriers that line the turns. When a car hits the wall, the spectators hear a loud boom, like a sonic boom. When you start to spin, the ONLY thing you should do is lock the brakes and lock the wheel hard left. To opposite lock is to invite accelerating headfirst into the outer wall.

 

[VNAF Ace]

Ojjeh - McLaren open to full-time IndyCar return

Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Mark Glendenning / Images by LAT & IMS

Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 deal could be a first step towards a permanent McLaren return to IndyCar.

McLaren announced earlier today that it will end a 38-year absence from Indianapolis when it partners with Andretti Autosport to field a car for the two-time world champion next month. Although the Alonso deal is a one-off, McLaren Technology Group executive committee principal Mansour Ojjeh said that he is open to McLaren having a permanent IndyCar presence in the future – and, possibly, a return to Le Mans.

"I'm pleased and proud that we're about to embark on a new IndyCar era for McLaren," he said. "[The] Indy 500 is the only IndyCar race we'll be entering this year, but we may possibly repeat that in years to come and it's just possible that we may even run a full-works McLaren IndyCar operation at some point in the future. We'll see.

"Equally, we may potentially enter the Le Mans 24 Hours again some time – we won it outright in 1995 with our iconic McLaren F1 GTR – but to be clear we have absolutely no definite plans to do so at this stage."

McLaren first entered the Indy 500 in 1970, and Peter Revson and Mark Donohue put a pair of M16s on the front row the following year. Donohue returned with a privateer M16B run by Roger Penske for 1972, and became the first driver to win the Indy 500 in a McLaren. Johnny Rutherford added another two McLaren wins in 1974 and 1976 (BELOW), driving a works car on both occasions.

---------------------------------
Welcome to IndyCar Fernando Alonso! And welcome back to IndyCar McLaren!

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Be nice if it actually happens, let's just take this first step and see where it goes.

 

[catamount39]

Would be awesome to have McLaren comeback fully into Indycar, imagine that'd give Ganassi and Penske a run for their money. Equally as interested in them returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 720S GTE maybe?

 

[TRLWNC7396]

For those who say that ovals are "easy" ... Yeah:

http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-toughest-turns-in-motorsports-479596119

 

[twitcher]

For those who say that ovals are "easy" ... Yeah:

http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-toughest-turns-in-motorsports-479596119

I agree with the #1 choice, but the rest of that list is a bit suspect.

Leguna Seca, but no Bathurst

 

[Hun200kmh]

Sniff Petrol's breaking news

http://sniffpetrol.com/2017/04/13/alonso-to-miss-more-races-this-season/#.WO9D03RdbqB



:

 

[catamount39]

Sniff Petrol's breaking news

http://sniffpetrol.com/2017/04/13/alonso-to-miss-more-races-this-season/#.WO9D03RdbqB



:

What the hell this is great.

"...and the Austrian GP because he’ll be driving up the M6 to Stoke-on-Trent to see his old mate Peter Wilson which has been in the diary for ages and, sorry, he really can’t get out of it."