I think IndyCar needs it's own thread. They announced the 2019 schedule today, looks awesome. Laguna Seca and COTA is on the list!
If the MotoGP boys thought Cota was bumpy before, wait til they see what the Indy cars do to that track surface
Dixon is the luckiest em effer ever...totally blind in that wreck and somehow he manages to make it out completely unscathed!
Yes but it’s the total accumulation of laps, and now they’ve added another race weekend to tear things up!
They are going to run a different track config than F1 at COTA from what I heard this morning. I am sure they don't want to have an apples to apples comparison on lap times. I think the one other time they were at the same track in the same season was in Canada.
His driving style and approach to championships is so unremarkable yet here he is with 4 championships in an almost 20 year CART/Indy career. He has converted me as a fan over the years as I became aware of just how amazing of a driver he is.
^^ the way I read it was that it may be a new configuration that is not currently part of the course setup - adding a different cut off or similar.
IndyCar has had the best on track product of any 4 wheel series for almost 5 years now. They have sorted out the push to pass in a way that encourages racing (passing and defending) and they have a field full of potential winners any given weekend. I haven't been to a race in a few years now, but they have also had the best pit pass for the money too.
I think the only way to run a different layout would be to cut the lap in half. Isn't that the only alternate layout COTA has? Also, for these big FIA tracks it seems like there is a fairly easy solution to having cars tear the track up. They need to start designing them so the hard braking zone are on the alternate layout from bikes. If the hard braking and acceleration in and out of corners causes the problem they can extend some of those corners for the cars. F1 has it's best passing from straights into slow corners and I think MotoGP loves the long sweepers (except Ducati). Additional benefit is for safety. MotoGP likes more runoff so use some of that for the F1 layout. I only slept at a Holiday Inn last night but seems like designing a track to avoid the bump issues isn't that difficult. The overall layout I'll leave to Tilke but I'm not sure he's the golden child he once was in that dept.
Anyone hear what kind of lap times Alonso ran yesterday at Barber during his test? Pretty cool that he wants to leave F1 and come run IndyCar full time. It will be interesting to see how he does in a full season.
I have a feeling he will have as big of an impact and be a contender like Mansell was. He will adapt quickly and be a contender in probably most every config with the exception of short travel ovals, but he will have that down too after a few of those races. Seeing his smile sitting in the car is something you havent seen from him in a while. Well, since the 24 Hours and last years Indy 500.
I believe that is because they said no reporters etc were allowed at this test. Sounds like they were keeping it all on the down low.
There's a new track inside IMS, a quarter mile dirt oval. They built it in the third turn infield. It's for a tribute to Brian Clauson, killed last year. USAC Midgets were there last night and tonight. It's called the BC39.
I was at the Sonoma test today. Between tests and garage passes at races, it's amazing the access you get to drivers and crews in IndyCar.