The Alessandro Zanardi IndyCar Thread

AxelP800 · Post by **AxelP800** » 17 Oct 2013, 14:03

Indycar....... (IRL)....there's no way they will end the season in late August. That's the dumbest decision ever.
F1 had ceased. Now Indycar (IRL) ceased too. Oh my god. Now junior formulas looks more interesting than the main level of the racing.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 17 Oct 2013, 14:29

AxelP800 wrote:Indycar....... (IRL)....there's no way they will end the season in late August. That's the dumbest decision ever.
F1 had ceased. Now Indycar (IRL) ceased too. Oh my god. Now junior formulas looks more interesting than the main level of the racing.

What. That's probably the biggest overreaction I've seen in quite some time.

roblo97 · Post by **roblo97** » 17 Oct 2013, 14:36

Salamander wrote:
AxelP800 wrote:Indycar....... (IRL)....there's no way they will end the season in late August. That's the dumbest decision ever.
F1 had ceased. Now Indycar (IRL) ceased too. Oh my god. Now junior formulas looks more interesting than the main level of the racing.

What. That's probably the biggest overreaction I've seen in quite some time.

it still doesn't detract from the fact that it's stupid decision on the part of the organisers :evil:

Ferrarist · Post by **Ferrarist** » 17 Oct 2013, 14:58

AxelP800 wrote:Indycar....... (IRL)....there's no way they will end the season in late August. That's the dumbest decision ever.

The NFL season starts in September, so IndyCar doesn't want to run alongside American Football. On the other hand, they hand NASCAR the undisputed attention by the auto racing press during the chase on a silver platter. Who will even waste a thought about IndyCar during their off-season, when the Sprint Cup crowns their champion at the same time?

For any racing series, the ideal span for a season is February/March to November.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 17 Oct 2013, 19:38

I don't think this is a good move for Bourdais. Dragon racing improved a lot and Bourdais challenged the front runners some times in this year, while KV still making silly mistakes.

The only good think is Bourdais now doesn't need to find sponsors for a while.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 17 Oct 2013, 20:17

Ferrarist wrote:
AxelP800 wrote:Indycar....... (IRL)....there's no way they will end the season in late August. That's the dumbest decision ever.

The NFL season starts in September, so IndyCar doesn't want to run alongside American Football. On the other hand, they hand NASCAR the undisputed attention by the auto racing press during the chase on a silver platter. Who will even waste a thought about IndyCar during their off-season, when the Sprint Cup crowns their champion at the same time?

For any racing series, the ideal span for a season is February/March to November.

Indeed, the problem is that NASCAR's chase is September to November. IndyCar might have to run a slightly different span than NASCAR to maximize success.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 18 Oct 2013, 06:18

Oh boy. No Brazil race and more double headers. A lot of people feel differently, but I'm not really upset the season is only five months, I just wish it started earlier. I say pre-empt the Daytona 500 by 2 weeks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, arn't we wearing our big-boy shoes and doing standing starts on all the street/road circuits next season?

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 18 Oct 2013, 17:44

Viso is ill and will be replaced by Munoz at Fontana.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110722

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 18 Oct 2013, 17:45

pi314159 wrote:Viso is ill and will be replaced by Munoz at Fontana.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110722

Yippee! Hope for him to score a good result.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 20 Oct 2013, 01:55

How is this thread not getting updated? Race is shaping up to be pretty good.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:01

Pippa out.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:05

Pippa was unlucky. She was nowhere to go when Saavedra spun out.

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:09

Great race so far.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:15

Replays showing Power might had hold Dixon intentionally in restart, forcing him to lose some positions.

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:30

That's a big crash.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:43

Dixon's job just got a whole lot easier.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:46

Servia now is going to get a special treatment. :lol:

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 02:58

Alex Tagliani is in the lead!

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 03:00

It seems hope is running out for Helio.

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 03:57

Thirteen out of 25 cars remain for the last ~35 laps of the race.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:23

Dixon is the champion.

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:24

Dj_bereta wrote:Dixon is the champion.

What?

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:26

Now he is.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:42

WHAT A RACE!!

Still, though, I am massively gutted for Charlie Kimball, the guy drove his heart out and it really sucks that his engine just died like that. :cry:

Bourdais as well. :cry:

Still, at least the right man won the championship. I really like Helio, and he really deserves a title, but this year... Dixon was just the better driver. There's no two ways about it.

Gerudo Dragon · Post by **Gerudo Dragon** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:47

I really wanted Castro to win

Still, amazing race. One of the best in series history.

TomWazzleshaw · Post by **TomWazzleshaw** » 20 Oct 2013, 04:51

That was easily race of the year, in an IndyCar season that has been filled with fantastic races. But man, you gotta feel for some of the guy out there like Kimball and SeaBass who drove their hearts out today only to fall short.

As much as I wanted Helio to win, Dixon deserved to win the title with the incredible second half of the year that he's had.

apple2009 · Post by **apple2009** » 20 Oct 2013, 06:30

madmark1974 wrote:Here's the map :

3 whole passing zones!!!

I'm not one to criticize circuits often, but that looks awful. Why not just keep the layout MotoGP run?

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 20 Oct 2013, 16:29

because that would be terrible on 4 wheels.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 20 Oct 2013, 16:35

Wizzie wrote:That was easily race of the year, in an IndyCar season that has been filled with fantastic races. But man, you gotta feel for some of the guy out there like Kimball and SeaBass who drove their hearts out today only to fall short.

As much as I wanted Helio to win, Dixon deserved to win the title with the incredible second half of the year that he's had.

Yeah, I don't need to say anything more than what you said. When Bourdais hit the wall, I literally just hung my head and wanted to hide in the corner for about 5 minutes, even though nobody else was in the room.

Ferrarist · Post by **Ferrarist** » 20 Oct 2013, 20:01

Things look even more bleak for IndyCar now: http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showpos ... count=1545

It's safe to say that the positive spirit from 2012 is definitely gone. Yes, we have seen some great races. But what use has good racing, if hardly anyone bothers to see it? Maybe it's better after all to shut down IndyCar, and to invite the Whelen Modifieds to the Indy 500. Because the United SportsCar Championship will probably become the #1 road racing series in North America, thanks to NASCAR and manufacturer backing. What major assets has IndyCar left?

Jocke1 · Post by **Jocke1** » 20 Oct 2013, 20:31

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall....Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

With the 2013 IndyCar season finished yesterday, we can now look at one of the most telling cases of being up on a hill (or a wall, if you will),
and tumbling all the way down to the mud-covered ground below. :cry:

Takuma Sato

Championship position.

Round 1: 8th overall
Round 2: 11th overall
Round 3: 2nd overall
Round 4: LEADER!
Round 5: 2nd overall
Round 6: 4th overall
Round 7: 6th overall
Round 8: 5th overall
Round 9: 4th overall
Round 10: 8th overall

Round 11: 10th overall
Round 12: 11th overall
Round 13: 13th overall
Round 14: 13th overall
Round 15: 13th overall
Round 16: 15th overall
Round 17: 16th overall
Round 18: 16th overall
Round 19: 17th overall

sad

It can only get better in 2014.

19 starts, 1936 of 2433 laps completed (79.6%), 187 laps led

Wins: 1 ( 5.3%) Average start: 12.6
Podiums: 2 ( 10.5%) Average finish: 16.0
DNF's: 10

good_Ralf · Post by **good_Ralf** » 20 Oct 2013, 20:36

Salamander wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't on the grid at all in 2014 - a shame, because he and Foyt seemed a great fit to me.

Uh Oh. Hopefully Sato can remain at a competitive level in IndyCar for some years yet. The way in which he has tumbled is disturbing and it bears some comparisons to Jarno Trulli's 2004 and 2005 seasons, as in peaking early on in the year with some good results and then dropping way back. But Sato was a very extreme case.

Jocke1 · Post by **Jocke1** » 20 Oct 2013, 21:07

good_Ralf wrote: But Sato was a very extreme case.

Sato went from leader of the championship, to 17th at years end.

In 2004, Trulli was 4th in the championship at best, and 7th at worst.
In 2005, he was 2nd at best, 7th at worst.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 21 Oct 2013, 06:29

Ferrarist wrote:Maybe it's better after all to shut down IndyCar, and to invite the Whelen Modifieds to the Indy 500.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

I hope they bulldoze the Brickyard for condos before that happens.

On the other hand, great chance for the DeltaWing to finally visit its true home.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 21 Oct 2013, 15:08

We talked about this year's ago on the SPEED boards. With its current last place purse of $336,000, if you ran modifiers, or even better sprint cars at Indy, you would have 400+ entries trying to qualify. It would be pretty epic, and the ratings, especially in the South and west, would be massive.

I would demolish the Brickyard before the Deltajoke runs, but that's just me.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 21 Oct 2013, 22:33

Wallio wrote:We talked about this year's ago on the SPEED boards. With its current last place purse of $336,000, if you ran modifiers, or even better sprint cars at Indy, you would have 400+ entries trying to qualify. It would be pretty epic, and the ratings, especially in the South and west, would be massive.

I would demolish the Brickyard before the Deltajoke runs, but that's just me.

This might be how to revive IndyCar given the history of Sprint Car drivers making the jump to open-wheel racing. Now making an open-wheeler that pleases both sides on a low enough price is the challenge.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 22 Oct 2013, 20:28

Onxy Wrecked wrote:
Wallio wrote:We talked about this year's ago on the SPEED boards. With its current last place purse of $336,000, if you ran modifiers, or even better sprint cars at Indy, you would have 400+ entries trying to qualify. It would be pretty epic, and the ratings, especially in the South and west, would be massive.

I would demolish the Brickyard before the Deltajoke runs, but that's just me.

This might be how to revive IndyCar given the history of Sprint Car drivers making the jump to open-wheel racing. Now making an open-wheeler that pleases both sides on a low enough price is the challenge.

Dallara need not apply. Swift Engineering could probably do it, considering how entrenched they are in low cost American open-wheel racing.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 23 Oct 2013, 09:26

F1000X wrote:
Onxy Wrecked wrote:
Wallio wrote:We talked about this year's ago on the SPEED boards. With its current last place purse of $336,000, if you ran modifiers, or even better sprint cars at Indy, you would have 400+ entries trying to qualify. It would be pretty epic, and the ratings, especially in the South and west, would be massive.

I would demolish the Brickyard before the Deltajoke runs, but that's just me.

This might be how to revive IndyCar given the history of Sprint Car drivers making the jump to open-wheel racing. Now making an open-wheeler that pleases both sides on a low enough price is the challenge.

Dallara need not apply. Swift Engineering could probably do it, considering how entrenched they are in low cost American open-wheel racing.

And it brings back King Hiro!

Ferrarist · Post by **Ferrarist** » 23 Oct 2013, 15:01

Onxy Wrecked wrote:This might be how to revive IndyCar given the history of Sprint Car drivers making the jump to open-wheel racing. Now making an open-wheeler that pleases both sides on a low enough price is the challenge.

Tony George tried that and failed. It didn't help that most of the initial IRL grid took loans to fund their new IRL cars :lol:

But most of the USAC guys nowadays head straight for NASCAR, probably because that's where the money is. But is there a formula that could enable some of the USAC guys to enter IndyCar or at least the 500 at relatively low costs? Not only a formula that doesn't cost much, but also one that has enough appeal towards the public? Because everything the IRL did so far didn't really appeal to the public.

Onxy Wrecked · Post by **Onxy Wrecked** » 24 Oct 2013, 01:09

Ferrarist wrote:
Onxy Wrecked wrote:This might be how to revive IndyCar given the history of Sprint Car drivers making the jump to open-wheel racing. Now making an open-wheeler that pleases both sides on a low enough price is the challenge.

Tony George tried that and failed. It didn't help that most of the initial IRL grid took loans to fund their new IRL cars

But most of the USAC guys nowadays head straight for NASCAR, probably because that's where the money is. But is there a formula that could enable some of the USAC guys to enter IndyCar or at least the 500 at relatively low costs? Not only a formula that doesn't cost much, but also one that has enough appeal towards the public? Because everything the IRL did so far didn't really appeal to the public.

It might have to do with some of the marginally competent drivers who shown up like Jon Herb, Slick Racin Gardner, Dr. Jack Miller, and Brad Murphey. What Tony George did couldn't measure to some of the marginally competent drivers who emerged in the split period.