[VRR][B-SPEC] 2016 Straight Talk IndyCar Series Season

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How should the driver names be?

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Kingofweasles
OOC: You'll get far then, because you had me going for a second there.
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OOC: Well done meta-humor is some of the best humor out there
IC: I learned English so that you guys wouldn't have to go out and download Google Translate :lol:. That being said, of all the drivers this could have happened to, it did happen to one of us that never is in the public eye, so while we miss her, we don't really know much about her as she was never really public about her life
 
Jahgee
OOC: Well done meta-humor is some of the best humor out there
IC: I learned English so that you guys wouldn't have to go out and download Google Translate :lol:. That being said, of all the drivers this could have happened to, it did happen to one of us that never is in the public eye, so while we miss her, we don't really know much about her as she was never really public about her life
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@Sakura is working on something that'll change that.
 
I don't know where to begin honestly. The last 16 hours have been such a blur, from the highlight of climbing from the back to be a challenger for the lead, to what's been lost. I lost more than a teammate. I lost the closest friend I had in the paddock, and my heart aches so much to the point that I couldn't hardly breathe when I tried to sleep last night. I won't bother speaking for the team. I'm sure that they'll have something later this week to say. But for myself, I am asking that all media stay away from me until further notice. I need time to grieve and to process this loss. I am aware of the dangers we work in and perform as some of the bravest in the world, but that doesn't make this any less difficult or lessen the pain. I will remain in contact with the media that had been following and documenting my arrival to this series, and hopefully finish that project in the coming month. Other than that, I'm entering a media shut out zone. I want to thank everyone for their condolences for the entire situation. I will recover but the scars of this weekend will remain for so much longer to come.
 
We'd like to start by sending our condolences to the family, friends, and teammates of Henna Venalainen. Swift Autosport will be donating $10,000 for the funeral and any other expenses incurred.

May 16th, 2016 Indianapolis, Indiana
The Indy 500 didn't go as planned for us. The week started out well with Evans, and Rodgers finishing inside the top 10 in the first two practice sessions and having two of the fastest cars most of the week. Bump Day saw Rodgers have mechanical troubles which caused him to be bumped. Pole day saw Ahmed qualify at the back of the field while Evans qualified just inside the top 10. The race was one we'll have in the back of our minds the remainder of the season. Both drivers did their best all race but fell short with Evans finishing 11th 1-Lap down and Ahmed finishing towards the back multiple laps down. We'd like to end by congratulating the winning driver and team on a great race. We'll see everyone next week in Michigan.

It's so hard for me to believe she's gone. As a driver when this sort of thing happens when a driver passes it really makes you take a step back and think about everything. Henna was such an amazing driver. I'm sure it'll be tough for all of us next week. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and teammates at Cat Devil Racing.
 
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"We at Ecurie Ecosse are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Henna Venalainen following the accident at Indianapolis. She was a fierce competitor in the sport and helped pave the way for women in motorsports. She had a bravery and a talent for racing that even some of the men simply couldn't match and it is a grave shame that we have lost such a bright young star. The team will be donating $10,000 towards the funeral fund as well as $10,000 to Miss Ngaire-Jardine's HelpKiwisFly fundraiser. Everyone at the team has agreed to wear a pink armband for the upcoming Michigan race as a mark of respect to Miss Venalainen." - Steven McTavish.

It's just... it's just hard to wrap my head around it. Henna was such a bright star in the paddock and now tragedy has taken her away. She was a trailblazer for women in racing and even some of the guys were left speechless at what she could do. I mean, Henna was winning in F1 whilst I was getting settled into the Road to Indy before she made the step here. She was just taken away too soon."
 
Henna Venalainen Tribute Badge.png


Its not much, but I promised I was gonna make sure a rare personality like that wouldn't be forgotten so I drafted this together. I encourage all my teammates, fellow competitors in VRR and beyond to take these and have them on their uniform or cars. I'll be working with VRR in getting a race named in Henna's honor.
 
Fantastic news is to be reported from Indianapolis today. Ryan has been fully stabilized and was even awake early this morning. After the impact Ryan had suffered a severe concussion and head trauma, and was out for over 30 minutes until arriving at an Indianapolis hospital, before being put under while the situation was made stable. Thankfully it was only head trauma and there are no further injuries to his head. Him being touch and go was also due to a piece of debris having stabbed him in the leg and causing dangerous blood loss, thankfully the safety crews quick response and thinking was able to get him to the hospital safely where doctors managed to get his bleeding under control. The rest of the injuries are as follows: a fractured ankle while the the other is broken, fractured his right wrist, several cuts and severe bruises on his arms, 5 broken ribs and a fractured vertebrae in his lower back. His family say while looking quite miserable, he is indeed going to make it. He has not been told yet of Henna's passing, and we're not looking forward to doing so. For now we're letting him rest and try to recover. We will try to get a word out of him when he is ready. We'd like to finish our update by giving thanks to the drivers and fans who have been showing their support and donated funds, we don't know how we'll ever be able to repay you all.
 
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Due to the issues surrounding the Indianapolis catastrophe, French driver Sebastian Devereaux is considering sitting out the next event. If he carries on with this, a replacement driver is being contacted but there has been no official word.
 
Due to the issues surrounding the Indianapolis catastrophe, French driver Sebastian Devereaux is considering sitting out the next event. If he carries on with this, a replacement driver is being contacted but there has been no official word.
 
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Interviewer: What happened back there Mohammad?
Ahmed: Well it wasn't my best race and in the events that happened today I don't think it was a good race for any one of us drivers.
Interviewer: I see, We hope to see you at the next race then.
Ahmed: I'll be there.
 
It is now Monday, just a day after the horrific events of the Indianapolis 500 and the hours after it. We have all spoken our pieces, and all are still grieving some more than others. We are a family here and I urge everyone who us thinking of sitting out the next event to race in Henna's memory. In other exciting news, HelpKiwisFly has raised $2.5 million dollars so far after launching on Friday evening. We will be splitting $500,000 among Henna's family for any expenses, Perly's family for medical bills, VRR for driver safety as well as providing private funding for a race to be named in Henna's honour. Also, we will be making a separate donation of $150,000 to the Venalainen and Pearlstein families to cover travel, shelter, medical, educational and other expenses during this difficult time. The rest of the $2.2 million dollars right now will be used to pay off suppliers, and to help with the financial stability of the 67 team. A portion(totalling $50,000) will be donated to the National Center for Transgender Equality and the national Transgender Crisis Line.
 
An update on the situation. This evening Ryan was talking with family after having had a minor surgery for his wrist (which turned out to be broken). It didn't take long for him to ask of the race. Much of his memory from the accident to the drop of the green flag is hazy, so he was not entirely sure of what happened. He asked if anybody had been hurt and if everyone was alright, and it was at this point, his parents told us, that it was then that they broke the news of Henna's death. He took it pretty hard from what we heard, and was supposedly in tears about it. We'll wait before we get his comments on everything, and less importantly in the scheme of things, the plans for the races ahead in this season when he is in the condition to do so. That's the last thing he's probably thinking about right now, and as his friends and extended family at Perl-Speed we will await his decisions.
 
catamount39
An update on the situation. This evening Ryan was talking with family after having had a minor surgery for his wrist (which turned out to be broken). It didn't take long for him to ask of the race. Much of his memory from the accident to the drop of the green flag is hazy, so he was not entirely sure of what happened. He asked if anybody had been hurt and if everyone was alright, and it was at this point, his parents told us, that it was then that they broke the news of Henna's death. He took it pretty hard from what we heard, and was supposedly in tears about it. We'll wait before we get his comments on everything, and less importantly in the scheme of things, the plans for the races ahead in this season when he is in the condition to do so. That's the last thing he's probably thinking about right now, and as his friends and extended family at Perl-Speed we will await his decisions.
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BKG: Don't y'all have someone better to talk to? I'm trying to get away from this place.

Reporter: People claimed that you were at the hospital tonight, any truth to them?

BKG: ...What do y'all know so far?

Reporter: That Perlstein was informed of Venalainen's passing.

BKG: I hate hospitals. The only place worse than a hospital is a nursing home...yeah, I was there. I wish I had been in earlier. No one would tell me if Sakura had been released, but trying to find that out from the staff, I heard the moment he realized Henna'd died....even half a building away, you can hear it when someone's in despair about another. It's a cry I've heard too many times in my life, and when you hear it, even from a complete stranger, it's etched into your memory forever, and can haunt you...pray...pray that you never know that sound.

Reporter: Ummm...Anything you'd like to say?

BKG: Yes. The team's equipment needs a refresh, but starting with the next race, our second camper will be brought to every race, reserved for the Venalainen family if they wish, the Perlsteins as well. I'll also front some cash to help flit the bills, if there are any left, but I'm also gonna open up my camper to anyone in the garage who needs to vent, needs a break, or needs someone to listen to them. I just pray we don't go through this again.

Reporter: Thank you.

BKG: Uh-huh.
 
OOC: WARNING: Wall'o'Text incoming because I finally got a chance to watch the race today.

The start of the 2016 VRR Indianapolis 500:

"It's hard to say how my day went. The first five laps were amazing, but the #77 Coke Zero/Sonic Burger Special wasn't as fast running out front in clean air than I expected it would be, so I let the bottom groove open up and tucked in behind... B.K. Glover I think? Anyway, by about lap 15 the tires were warmed up and the car was good to go, but you would lose so much speed trying to get out of line to make a pass with this new aerodynamics package and Glover was using that as an excuse to cut me down to the grass and ran me up into the Turn 4 wall on lap 20 or so.

"The car was just awful after that, no matter what the team did. So, the brain trust went to work when the competition caution came out on Lap 27 and it was decided that I would try to run as lean as I could on the fuel mixtures to try and undercut the rest of the field by doing one less pit-stop. Everything was looking good until Lap 69..."

The Red Flag on Lap 69: "I knew from just a quick glance at racing speed that it was a bad accident. I still can't believe that I made it through relatively unscathed when the field came back around to Turn 3 and stopped because of the wreckage. And, as much as I hate to say this... God, can I even say this?"

*Draco gets a nod from the Camera Crew*

"Well, I kind of had a feeling in my gut that somebody wasn't going to walk away from it. The same kind of feeling I had when..."

*Awkward pause, followed by Draco clearing his throat and a prompt about Henna Venalainen*

Henna Venalainen: "I never knew her as a person. How could I? This is only my 3rd start in VRR Indycar competition and she was said to have never been much of a outgoing girl anyway, so...?

"As a driver, I knew of her name and her accomplishments when I had gotten interested in racing again after my physical rehab, because the teammate I ran with in King of The Wing Sprint Cars was a BIG fan... But I never really raced with her wheel-to-wheel in anything until today. Even in the lap and a half I ran alongside of her, I could tell that she had earned her accolades on merit and had a long career ahead of her...

"I can only offer my sincerest condolences to her family and her team right now. 22 years old is just... Just too young to go like this. And as much as I would love to offer a contribution to the charities that her friends have set up, I really can't afford it right now; I'm up to my neck in debt and I'm only just starting to see some light at the end of that tunnel."

The Rest of the Race: "As cold and cynical and selfish as it sounds, I wanted to restart the race. Not even because of sheer luck in how the pit-stops had cycled and I was running up front again, but because I think it's something Henna, as a driver, would've wanted us all to do.

"So I went for the right gap the moment I could take it because as bad as the car was, it was halfway decent on short runs and got the lead. Then I immediately found out that all of the changes the team made on the last stop to try and get some speed out of the #77 Coke Zero/Sonic Burger Special when rolling in clean air didn't work... And with how strong the draft was today running out in clean air made me feel like a sitting duck, especially because the team were banking on it going green until the end and I wasn't trying to push the car an harder than I had to.

"It almost worked too... Until the #99 hooked up with somebody in a tandem draft and went about 20 MPH faster. So the team figured that a timed stop and trimmed-out car would be the best bet, so that's what we did on lap 170 because our fuel economy was really good all day and the winds had calmed down. Then the caution came out and we were right there on the restart with 25 to go, but I couldn't get a run on the car ahead of me because our car could barely work outside of the draft, so 4th place will have to do."

The New Aerodynamics Package at Indianapolis: "I hate it. It's not racing when you're stuck running single-file, gearbox-to-gearbox all day, too scared of making a pass because you'll lose all of your momentum and get shuffled back unless you've got 5 cars or more behind you ready to make the same pass. Hell, I kind of wonder if it was what caused the accident on Lap 69..."

Thoughts on the day and being a racing car driver: "Days like today make you question being a driver. Whether it's worth it or not, whether it's worth the risks you take out there... Personally speaking, I'm not put off by death. It's a part of the job of being a racing car driver and it's something that I'm all too familiar with throughout my family...

"And as awful as it sounds, unless I get maimed for life testing an F1 car for C-CBRR I'll be back next year. Like I said on Pole Day, Indy is the race I want to win more than any other... Excuse me."
 
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"Ecurie Ecosse and Cat Devil Racing management have agreed to suspend talks with immediate effect until further notice to allow the team and drivers to grieve for the loss of their teammate, fighter, daughter, and beloved friend." - Steven McTavish
 
Two days ago, the Cat Devil Racing family lost a brilliant talent, and all of us personally have been reeling in the emotions since that moment. To say that the team winning the Indianapolis 500 again made all of this worth it would be contrite. Knowing what I know now, I personally would have told every member on my team to go home. Everyone handles the emotions differently. I think all of us have cried, but beyond the tears, the mental questions vary for people. As a family, as a team, as a superpower, we will push forward. Out of her request, Sakura Ishibashi will drive in Henna's place beginning at Michigan. We are already in the process of repurposing the car before practice on Friday. We want to thank everyone for their support for the team, for Henna's family and for the series.

As has been echoed, the talks between Ecurie Ecosse and us have been temporarily postponed and will be resumed following Michigan once we are back in the swing of things.

We appreciate everyone's support and will see you all soon.

Kunimitsu Kino****a,
Founder of Cat Devil Racing
17 May 2016​
 
No real news from Indianapolis as Ryan continues to recover. For those in the media asking to see him to get his statement on Henna, please revert from doing so for the time being. He is still coming to terms with it and is still trying to get healthier. Meanwhile, it is clear that due to the mood amongst those here at Perl-Speed and the fact that our chassis was destroyed in the accident, we will not be participating in the next round at Michigan International Speedway, but we hope to return at Detroit. A main issue is that Ryan is out indefinitely with no real time table on a return. As such we will need to find a temporary or long term replacement to take over. If we cannot find a replacement within the next 4 weeks, we will consider pulling out of this season entirely. We will have to discuss it with Ryan when he's ready, but for now we have to do our best and plan ahead.
 
As the series heads to the Michigan International Speedway this weekend, it is now confirmed that the field will remain at 28 cars. Beginning this weekend, Andrew Draco, who is under Black Rose Racing's Young Driver Initiative, will pilot the #77 in lieu of the #55 piloted by Ryan Perlstein previously in the season. The car will be maintained by Black Rose Racing in between races, and handled by the Perl Speed GP crew on race weekends. This is aimed to save the team money as it goes through the roughest time it's ever endured to date. "Perl Speed GP have shown that they have a lot of heart in what we do, and we appreciate that. We are impressed with Andrew enough to have him make increased events in preparation for a full time season next year. This is a win-win situation as best as we can get in this rough time."
There are very few confirmed events for 2017. The 2017 Indy 500 is confirmed for May 14th, the 2017 Monster Shootout is confirmed for January 8th, the 2017 season finale at Auto Club Speedway is confirmed for November 18th, and now one of the fly away races can be circled on the calendar. The VRR Straight Talk IndyCar Series will visit Yas Marina Circuit on March 19th under the lights, marking the last fly away race before the series begins the North American portion of the calendar.
 
Getting "The Call" for Perl Speed GP: "It's a big surprise, honestly. I was content to just run the rest of the year doing Friday practice sessions for Black Rose Racing Team in Formula 1, so I'm happy that I can get some more opportunities to race in the VRR Indycar Series this season.

"I just wish this was all under happier circumstances... But, I'm confident that I can do a good job at Michigan to get Perl Speed GP back on it's feet."

Being labeled a "Pay-Driver" during the 2016 VRR GTPlanet Indianapolis 500 Broadcast: "I think it's disrespectful to me, Coca-Cola Black Rose Racing's Young Driver Initiative and our sponsors. I'm proud to say that I haven't paid for a drive in my life and both of the jokers in the broadcast booth shouldn't be popping off like that when they don't know who I am or how I got into the VRR series."
 
As those at Black Rose Racing have stated earlier today, we will be in a sort of partnership with them to carry on with our season to the best of our ability. We expect that the rest of the year will carry on like this, as Ryan continues his recovery and we prepare ourselves for 2017 and beyond (hopefully). Ryan will be replaced by Riccardo Mattinov of Finland in our GT3 car and F1 car for the time being as well for the time being. We came to this decision and were able to run it across him, and he gave his blessing. We think he will be able to make comments and statements on everything that has happened this weekend or next week, so for now everything will slow down we think. We'd like to thank BRR for their willingness to lend both a talented youngster and car. There are hopes Ryan could be back by Brno or Cleveland, and if he did we would probably continue the partnership with BRR for the rest of the year as we are not in the position to afford a chassis and the use of the Chevy engine for such a short period of time, with, with us switching to AMR power and a DW12 modified for the AMR V8 next season.
 
: "It's a new team, a new chassis because after a check-up Perl Speed GP found that the tank-slapper I had at Indianapolis cracked the tub C-CBRR had supplied and I've never had the chance to race at Michigan before, so it's a learning experience for everybody.

"Everyone at Perl Speed is friendly and I'm happy where we're at, hovering right around the top 10. After Indy, I kind of had to take a look at some of the choices I made as a driver out there and... Well, I think I just need to focus on getting the car home and get some points for Perl Speed up on the board for the time being."

"I can't wait for qualifying though. The speeds here at Michigan are slower than Indy, but it feels a little bit faster because of the banking and how you carry speed through the corners. A different style of driving than what I'm used to on big ovals."
 
Getting back in the car is a decent distraction, odd as that sounds. Not that good today, not looking at much for Sunday, but as long as Harsk and I can stay away from each other we should be fine. Happy to be back racing.
 
The Kyoto based factory Honda outfit has confirmed that talks with the factory Audi team Cherokee Motorsports have begun. These talks have spurred following what have been labeled as "inflammatory" remarks by members of Ecurie Ecosse against Sony, who are a giant principal sponsor of Cat Devil Racing. "We want to ensure that whatever avenue we go down, we have safe and proactive conversations with. While we wait on clarification from Ecurie Ecosse regarding their side of the matter, we have no option but to engage in talks with the factory Audi effort to keep these talks in motion." Kunimitsu Kino****a said before qualifying at Michigan today. Cherokee Motorsports stands in a very similar and more flexible situation, having an open seat available if Cat Devil Racing are adamant on keeping their fourth seat, and the ability to promote a part time driver forward if they get the entire seat from the team.
 
I'm certain that if the guys recorded Michigan at all, we won't see it until next weekend, so yay for no priorities I guess. But anyways...
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"Ecurie Ecosse has come to the decision to sell the second seat we had planned to enter in 2017 after parties shunned talks following offensive comments made by team members earlier in the week. This situation has also caused a rift with the current sponsors who have said that they might not renew their deals they had set through 2017. If we can't resolve this, we may seek to withdraw our 2017 entry." - Steven McTavish

Driver Gary Slater refused media requests to comment.
 
Angel Porter had time to talk about some of the current issues going on.
About the Henna Venalainen investigation...
"The investigation itself is still in the very early stages of processing all of the parts involved in that accident. All I can say is that there is the hope that by the season finale, the report will be completed."

About the Ecurie Ecosse/Cat Devil Racing row...
"It's a mess, isn't it? It's obviously an issue that they might not be able to solve themselves. Audi is genuinely concerned, I'm genuinely concerned. That team, barring the bad luck, has the pace to easily be top 10 every week, so to see that team in a mess because of some things that were said is disappointing but hopefully overlookable. I want to see the best outcome possible come from that...I have no idea where the seat selling idea comes from. All seat transfers come and go through VRR, so if there is the attempt to sell an empty seat behind closed doors, VRR can and likely will negate that. If they are forfeiting that seat, the rights to that seat return to VRR for us to redistribute that in a fair manner. Same goes for Cat Devil Racing. If they have an empty seat once they secure a deal for Sakura to go elsewhere, if they have no intentions to fill that seat, they have the option to either hold on to it for 2018 or hand it over to us so we can find a place where it'll be used. "

About the 2017 VRR calendars...
"We're very much still working with the spaces we have and making sure that the two series will be able to follow the same schedule pattern. Things so far are looking decent. We have had to change a few things to make everything fit together, but I think that progress is definitely being made and that we'll see a possible reveal on July 4th weekend."

Regarding possible rise in expenses...
"The engine manufacturers want to be able to control the aero kits their teams have. That would be the only abrupt rise in expenses that we see. I hope to have a better answer by next month."
 

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