The 2012 IndyCar Series thread

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 24 May 2011, 10:31

Wizzie wrote:
Cynon wrote:I suspect the deal here is that one of Hunter Reay's sponsors told Michael Andretti to either put them and Hunter Reay in the race, buying a car or no, or risk losing them for the rest of the season.

On their current form I'd say they will have a sponsor walk out by season's end.

Fixed.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 24 May 2011, 11:08

So we're looking at a driver lower on the respect ladder than a pay driver?

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 24 May 2011, 12:48

Perhaps a little of both, because AJ Foyt also has a history of hiring pay drivers! I mean, he hired Gregor Foitek at one point!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 24 May 2011, 15:26

jpm wrote:The grid in full;
10. Takuma Sato KV 225.736mph
20. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 224.511mph
24. Simona de Silvestro HVM 224.392mph
25. Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold 224.939mph
31. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 223.957mph
32. Pippa Mann Conquest 223.936mph
33. Ana Beatriz Dreyer & Reinbold 223.879mph

Any predictions?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91680

I would love to see a veteran like Oriol Servia or Tracy to win it, or one of the one off entries winning it like Dan Whelson, Bruno Junquiera, or even Pippa Mann in her first Indycar start, or an underdog like Ed Carpenter for SFR, James Hinchcliffe, or Bertrand Baguette. Personally, I think Dixon will win, as he has experience of winning it in 2008, and has a good grid position. I have nothing against Tags and it is refreshing to see a non Ganassi Penske car on the pole, but I just find him to be a bit of a whinger really.

Go girls go!! In particular, go Pippa go!!

Fixed at end.

I'ld be happy if any of the drivers I've left in win. (Notice that I have left three of the four female drivers in...)

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 24 May 2011, 18:11

Sponsors paying a team on the proviso that they employ a driver to run with them no matter how badly he does.

over

Sponsor paying a team on the proviso that they oust a driver who LEGITIMATELY got into a race with a quicker time than the driver the sponsors want in the race even though he failed to qualify.

Ryan Hunter Reay: Making Christian Klien look awesome.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 25 May 2011, 09:10

Just picked up the 2005 Autocourse Champ Car season review by Jeremy Shaw, who slates Hunter-Reay who massively underperformed that year against one Timo Glock, somuch so that he was replaced by Michael McDowell, who nowadays can't even get a regular seat in NASCAR.

Edit; Gotta love Paul Tracy's tweet on the issue! What a hero

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 25 May 2011, 09:40

jpm wrote:Just picked up the 2005 Autocourse Champ Car season review by Jeremy Shaw, who slates Hunter-Reay who massively underperformed that year against one Timo Glock, somuch so that he was replaced by Michael McDowell, who nowadays can't even get a regular seat in NASCAR.

Rocketsports was in no place to run more than one car on a regular basis, and Hunter Reay had already scored up a win in Champ Car... and the other problem is that it's Jeremy Shaw, who despite covering Champ Car for a long period of time, only knew what he was talking about when someone else told him what to think, usually Ben Edwards and James Hinchcliffe.

jpm wrote:Edit; Gotta love Paul Tracy's tweet on the issue! What a hero

Yeah, I have to agree with Tracy (and Tommy Kendall) on that as well because it's between two different teams.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 27 May 2011, 18:06

Spoiler Alert if you Care about Indy Lights:

MASSIVE crash in the Freedom 100: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMY2od5R7kA

Shows that the safety crew is way better than anywhere else.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 27 May 2011, 19:13

Cynon wrote:Spoiler Alert if you Care about Indy Lights:

MASSIVE crash in the Freedom 100: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMY2od5R7kA

Shows that the safety crew is way better than anywhere else.

I noticed in the graphics scrolling across the top that in 13th place was a guy with the surname Ferreira. Carlos, why didn't you tell us you were an Indy Lights driver?

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 29 May 2011, 15:41

Watching a stream, they're presenting the drivers in grid order.
Simona getting a much bigger cheer from the Indianapolites than Danica.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 15:56

Danica Patrick, Ed Carpenter, Alex Tagliani, and Simona de Silvestro got the most cheers from the fans during driver intros.

The only driver that brought out the boo birds was... TAKE A GUESS...

Ryan Hunter-Reay.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 29 May 2011, 16:01

What a lame flyover. Where's that superbowl spirit?

A: the superbowl.

Time for Jim Nabors to knock the house down with "Back Home Again", which at his age will STILL be sung better than the national anthem.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 16:07

ADx_Wales wrote:Time for Jim Nabors to knock the house down with "Back Home Again", which at his age will STILL be sung better than the national anthem.

Thank you.

Kelly Clarkson should be deported for such a crap performance of the National Anthem. Seal at least knew what bathplugging notes to sing. :evil:

patrick · Post by **patrick** » 29 May 2011, 16:10

Watching this from the UK, the pomp and ceremony is splendid!

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 16:32

Spoiler Alert:

Takuma Sato is the first casualty, goes into the gray, and whacks the wall. Way, WAY too high on the track. That's a shame, I was hoping for good things from Taku.

Big surprise, EJ Viso crashed on the restart... that has got to be the STUPIDEST thing I've ever seen at Indianapolis. That was just beyond idiotic. Yuji Ide would have been embarrassed.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 29 May 2011, 18:04

Oriol Servia leads!! Poor old Hinch has joined Jay Howard, Paul Tracy and Simona on the sidelines; all accidents so far are up one this channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MT89Motorsp ... Qa9Homh4fg

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 19:16

Spoiler Alert:

...

...

WHAT

THE

BATHPLUG

JUST

HAPPENED?!

:shock:

Dan B · Post by **Dan B** » 29 May 2011, 19:20

Shame; I wanted Baguette to win. Congrats to Wheldon though. He deserved it.

Rookie mistake from Hildebrand; drove really well but threw it all away.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 29 May 2011, 19:21

Forget F1, the Indy 500 was the main event today, and I frankly don't believe anything like that has EVER happened. Feel sooooo bad for JR. Poor guy.

Great result too for Bertrand, truly worthy of a top drive when Penske screwed up!

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 29 May 2011, 19:21

Cynon, I can't watch the race here. So tell me, what the heck DID just happen! That was no spoiler whatsoever! My curiousity has been piqued!

Vepe · Post by **Vepe** » 29 May 2011, 19:22

Poor J.R.

799 corners without trouble and then...

Well, at least he crossed the line...

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 29 May 2011, 19:26

By the way, how did Pippa Mann do?

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 19:39

dr-baker wrote:Cynon, I can't watch the race here. So tell me, what the heck DID just happen! That was no spoiler whatsoever! My curiousity has been piqued!

Do not click if you don't want the Indy 500 spoiled.

Pippa Mann did a respectable job considering she had to drive Eric Bachelart's crapwagon. Finished 20th. It was an amazing race that I think we'll be seeing highlight reels of for many many years.

rffp · Post by **rffp** » 29 May 2011, 19:41

Probably, in the next 100 Indy500 races, there won't be a screwup as monumental as the one made by JR today. U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-e-a-b-l-e!

Dan B · Post by **Dan B** » 29 May 2011, 20:02

I know I am going to get millions of papayas thrown at me for saying this, but I really don't feel sorry for Hildebrand. He made that decision go to high, and he paid the price for it. Now, if it was a mechanical error, yes, I would feel sorry, but he took himself out.

If anything, I feel sorry for the team who looked like they would have won this, but instead JR botched it.

ADx_Wales · Post by **ADx_Wales** » 29 May 2011, 20:07

Precisely, Its heartbreaking that he botched it, however in a post race interview it was clear that he wasnt in the same mood as Badoer in 99.

Compared to those "photo finish" finishes that the IRL could throw up, this one was more emotive.

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 20:09

ADx_Wales wrote:Precisely, Its heartbreaking that he botched it, however in a post race interview it was clear that he wasnt in the same mood as Badoer in 99.

He was, but the cameras missed it.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 29 May 2011, 20:14

Dan B wrote:I know I am going to get millions of papayas thrown at me for saying this, but I really don't feel sorry for Hildebrand. He made that decision go to high, and he paid the price for it. Now, if it was a mechanical error, yes, I would feel sorry, but he took himself out.

If anything, I feel sorry for the team who looked like they would have won this, but instead JR botched it.

Actually, if you look at a replay, he was baulked by Charlie Kimball who was travelling at a snails pace on the inside of the turn. As Graham Rahal (by Milka Duno) or Tony Kanaan (Marco Andretti) will tell you, if you have someone on the inside that forces you up high, theres nothing you can do.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 29 May 2011, 20:16

If only I had Sky Sports 4 (HD)... Looked an epic race. One of these days, I'll get there to watch it live. And Monaco.

Dan B · Post by **Dan B** » 29 May 2011, 20:20

jpm wrote:
Dan B wrote:I know I am going to get millions of papayas thrown at me for saying this, but I really don't feel sorry for Hildebrand. He made that decision go to high, and he paid the price for it. Now, if it was a mechanical error, yes, I would feel sorry, but he took himself out.

If anything, I feel sorry for the team who looked like they would have won this, but instead JR botched it.

Actually, if you look at a replay, he was baulked by Charlie Kimball who was travelling at a snails pace on the inside of the turn. As Graham Rahal (by Milka Duno) or Tony Kanaan (Marco Andretti) will tell you, if you have someone on the inside that forces you up high, theres nothing you can do.

Except slow down? It'd be understandable if he lost it in turns 1 or 2, but right by turn 4? Which makes me wonder how fast was Kimball driving. If he was doing around 200 Hildebrand could have backed off. If it were around 160 or there about, then okay, that is a little bit more excusable (and I stress little).

And from the looks of that replay, it looked like Kimball was sufficiently out of the way. That, or I need another one to see really what was going on.

EDIT: Saw the replay. Nothing Kimball could have done; JR chose to go high, and paid the price. Rookie mistake.

Sullivangate · Post by **Sullivangate** » 29 May 2011, 20:33

BREAKING: PANTHER PROTESTS RESULT. FINISH COULD BE OVERTURNED.

Panther racing is protesting citing the 2002 Indy 500 saying that since the yellow came out and JR was able to finish under his own power that JR should be declared the winner.

For those of you wondering if anything like this has happened before, not really but look up the 81 500 for fun.

Sullivangate · Post by **Sullivangate** » 29 May 2011, 20:33

It should be mentioned that when the yellows come out the timing reverts to the last scoring loop.

Dan B · Post by **Dan B** » 29 May 2011, 20:37

Sullivangate wrote:BREAKING: PANTHER PROTESTS RESULT. FINISH COULD BE OVERTURNED.

Panther racing is protesting citing the 2002 Indy 500 saying that since the yellow came out and JR was able to finish under his own power that JR should be declared the winner.

For those of you wondering if anything like this has happened before, not really but look up the 81 500 for fun.

I really hope the result doesn't get overturned. Wheldon drove hard for that win; besides, Wheldon crossed the finish line before him.

Now I don't know if I should feel sorry for the team. Yes, Hildebrand did drive well until he slammed himself out. They should be happy that his driver did manage to cross second.

Klon · Post by **Klon** » 29 May 2011, 20:55

Cynon wrote:Do not click if you don't want the Indy 500 spoiled

Come on! I don't know how, but they made that up. One human being cannot be this unlucky. :shock:

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 29 May 2011, 20:58

Sullivangate wrote:BREAKING: PANTHER PROTESTS RESULT. FINISH COULD BE OVERTURNED.

Panther racing is protesting citing the 2002 Indy 500 saying that since the yellow came out and JR was able to finish under his own power that JR should be declared the winner.

For those of you wondering if anything like this has happened before, not really but look up the 81 500 for fun.

Sucks for Panther I guess, because at 4 PM Eastern Time there was no protest filed, and they can't protest it anyway since the rule that they revert to the last scoring loop has since been tossed!

Sullivangate · Post by **Sullivangate** » 29 May 2011, 21:49

IMS Radio reported the story. And reported they had filed a protest or were about to file for a protest.

jpm · Post by **jpm** » 29 May 2011, 22:13

Thats false, Panther have reported on their Twitter account that quote "Panther Racing has not, nor will it, protest the finish of the Indianapolis 500". Respect to that.

Otherwise, Lewis need look no further for how to be a gracious loser than JR Hildebrand's post race interviews.

JohnMLTX · Post by **JohnMLTX** » 30 May 2011, 00:09

I never thought I would ever say this:

At this rate, I'm going to miss the current spec Dallara-Honda kit. Today really rocked, and that car's final season is proving to be pretty awesome.

S951 · Post by **S951** » 30 May 2011, 00:20

wow\!! monaco and the last corner of the 500

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 30 May 2011, 11:02

S951 wrote:wow\!! monaco and the last corner of the 500

And I read on Autosport that Earnhart Jr. ran out of fuel on the last lap while in the lead of last night's NASCAR race...