2013 IndyCar Series / Mazda Road to Indy discussion

Indy500 · 1 Sep 2013 at 11:37

Simon Pagenaud set the pace in third practice (1:18.4391), with Scott Dixon second quickest (1:18.5486) and Will Power third (1:18.5826).

Practice 3 highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apiRYcAiKpc

Full timesheet: http://www.imscdn.com/indycar_media/documents/2013-08-31/BAL IICS P3.pdf

Scott Dixon took his second pole position of 2013 with a 1:18.0838 lap; Will Power (1:18.1171) joins him on the front row. Simon Pagenaud (1:18.4307) qualified third. Josef Newgarden will start from a career-best 5th position.

Qualifying highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCgtFcqWlyg

Post-qualifying interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXHtfEc9MjE

Full timesheet: http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/08...IndyCar-Series/14-BAL/indycar-qualresults.pdf

Starting grid

1) Scott Dixon
2) Will Power
3) Simon Pagenaud
4) Justin Wilson
5) Josef Newgarden
6) Tristan Vautier
7) Helio Castroneves
8) Ryan Hunter-Reay
9) Charlie Kimball
10) Takuma Sato
11) James Hinchcliffe
12) Graham Rahal
13) Luca Filippi
14) Tony Kanaan
15) Oriol Servia
16) Marco Andretti
17) Simona De Silvestro
18) Ed Carpenter
19) Sebastian Saavedra
20) Ernesto Viso
21) Stefan Wilson
22) Sebastien Bourdais
23) James Jakes*
24) Dario Franchitti*

*10 place grid penalty for early engine change

Top three times in the morning warm-up session: Sebastien Bourdais (1:18.4535), Will Power (1:18.7543), Josef Newgarden (1:18.8522).

Warm-up highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjV0x2BbH60

Full timesheet: http://www.imscdn.com/indycar_media/documents/2013-09-01/BAL warmup.pdf

Indy500 · 3 Sep 2013 at 11:36

Guerrilla said:
Caught up with the race this morning, was an entertaining watch. It's a good little track that, some of those corners seems to cause carnage on the restarts though

First half of the race was good, the second half not so much until the last ~12 laps. Was never a fan of double-file restarts on street circuits, too easy for one bad move to stack up the field. Perhaps altering the chicane would have allowed a cleaner formation as well.

Not sure why Power moved that far right on the straight, looked worthy of penalising to me. I think banning passing before the start-finish line is another area that should be seriously considered to minimise the three and four-wide situations on one-groove tracks.

Guerrilla said:
Another good result for Justin Wilson, pleased with that, nice to see Simona have a good finish too.

Yeah, perhaps Wilson was on to something when he extended his deal with DCR. Good to see De Silvestro be competitive again after the mid-season slump.

Guerrilla said:
Was an incident filled back end of the race, quite a few retirements that could have a bearing on the championship.

Five mechanical DNFs is quite high (despite the restart issues in the middle portion, less cars retired from contact).

Indy500 · 3 Sep 2013 at 12:19

Guerrilla said:
Yea felt for Dixon especially as he was having a good go at closing the gap to Helio and now 2 bad finishes in a row.

Pagenaud's win has introduced him as a dark horse for the title, although it will be difficult to beat the top three teams on a superspeedway even if he runs up front at both Houston races. Dixon still has the opportunity to claw back the gap, especially if Castroneves keeps finishing 6th-10th.

Guerrilla said:
Power looked like he went for a move on Bourdais (i think it was?) and wasn't looking, but then apparently apologised to his team for losing the car so not sure what happened.

The speed differential from the chicane didn't help, although it seemed to me that Power would have put himself in the wall had another car not been there. Strange to see him become error-prone on a track type he virtually dominated between 2010-12. To be honest though, I'd rather see the battles for the lead and racing than a Monaco-style procession where the pole sitter leads the entire race unchallenged.

Indy500 · 5 Sep 2013 at 10:42

Baltimore race results

1. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Motorsports-Honda 2hrs 16mins 32.3443s/75 laps
2. Josef Newgarden Fisher-Hartman Racing-Honda +4.1592s
3. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon-Chevrolet +7.9588s
4. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +10.7598s
5. Simona de Silvestro KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +11.6017s
6. Charlie Kimball Ganassi-Honda +21.416s
7. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +22.8422s
8. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon-Chevrolet +25.5377s
9. Helio Castroneves Penske-Chevrolet +29.3117s
10. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +40.5499s
11. Tristan Vautier Schmidt Motorsports-Honda +1 lap
12. Oriol Servià Panther-Chevrolet +1 lap
13. Ernesto Viso Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +1 lap
14. Ed Carpenter ECR-Chevrolet +1 lap
15. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +2 laps/Collision
16. Stefan Wilson Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +3 laps
17. Graham Rahal Rahal-Letterman-Honda +7 laps/Collision damage
18. Will Power Penske-Chevrolet +8 laps

Retirements

Scott Dixon Ganassi-Honda +23 laps/Collision damage
Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +33 laps/Electrical
Dario Franchitti Ganassi-Honda +53 laps/Brakes
Luca Filippi Bryan Herta Autosport-Honda +63 laps/Engine
James Jakes Rahal-Letterman-Honda +70 laps/Gearbox
Takuma Sato AJ Foyt Enterprises-Honda +71 laps/Engine

Fastest lap: 1:19.9419s by Sebastien Bourdais on lap 8

Race highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Bmw5xzMCw

Post-race interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI6mRFPJgIE

Championship contenders interviewed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5EtiETxWHo

Championship standings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_IndyCar_Series_season#Driver_standings

News updates:

Indy Lights driver Jack Hawksworth will test for the Rahal-Letterman Indycar team at Sebring - http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-3-Hawksworth-to-test-with-RLL

Drivers gave positive feedback after testing various configurations of the Indianapolis road course - http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-4-IMS-road-course-gets-positive-feedback

Testing footage and interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXLYXinirnA

Jack Hawksworth took his third Indy Lights win at Baltimore, leading every lap from pole position. Sage Karam moved into the points lead with his second place finish. Championship standings: Karam 373, Munoz 371, Chaves 369. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWP8xprv1x8)

Indy500 · 9 Sep 2013 at 18:19

Rounds 11 and 12 of the USF2000 championship at Laguna Seca saw debutant Alex Baron (2012 French Formula 4 champion) take a surprise win and 3rd place finish respectively. Scott Hargrove extended his points lead by winning round 12, while his closest rival Neil Alberico was 2nd and 4th. Two rounds at Houston will decide the series title. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-9-Hargrove-strengthens-points-lead)

Points standings: Hargrove 269, Alberico 225, Grist 195.

Indy500 · 12 Sep 2013 at 22:52

Two days of tyre testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw 7 drivers complete over 8,000 miles to evaluate various Bridgestone compounds. The primary objective is to improve mechanical grip levels for future Indy 500 races, supporting the aim of breaking the 237.498mph lap record set by Arie Luyendyk in 1996. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-12-Tire-test-concludes-with-more-than-1500-laps-run ; http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-11-Test-teams-benefit-from-track-time-at-IMS)

The Indycar series' technical rules have been updated to allow improved brake ducts to cool both front and rear brakes, as well as front wing modifications. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-12-Part-modification-for-Houston-aims-to-help-brake-cooling)

Michael Andretti, owner of the 4-car Andretti Autosport team, is reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Juan Pablo Montoya for 2014. The team's marketing officer stated that there is significant sponsor interest in the Colombian driver, who is currently racing for Ganassi's Nascar Sprint Cup operation.

http://www.racer.com/andretti-making-progress-on-budget-for-montoya-indycar-deal/article/310820/

Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti has made it clear that he wants to add 1999 CART champion Juan Montoya to his ranks next season, and as RACER has learned, significant progress has been made in finding the budget to bring the 37-year-old into their fold.

“We're at about 50 percent of what's needed to run Juan,” said John Lopes, the team's senior VP and chief marketing officer. “There's been a lot of interest in him, and with his success in Indy car racing – winning the 2000 Indy 500, his wins in F1, and everything he's done in NASCAR, companies sit up and take notice if you have a chance to work with him.”

Indy500 · 16 Sep 2013 at 17:44

In a shock development, Juan Pablo Montoya has been confirmed as part of Team Penske's 2014 Indycar line-up.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-16-Montoya-joins-Team-Penske-for-2014

"I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," said Montoya.

"I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organisation.

"I consider it an honour to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."

...

"Juan is a proven winner at all levels of motorsport," said Penske.

"He has won a lot of races and championships and he has an extremely passionate fan base.

"We look forward to building on his successes together and we believe he will be a great addition to Team Penske."

Indy500 · 17 Sep 2013 at 21:02

Seems quite a few racing drivers (and ex-drivers) concur with us.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-17-Drivers-react-to-Montoya

A few quotes:

Paulie Harraka @paulieharraka

@jpmontoya to Indy. He's gotta be one of the most, if not THE most, versatile drivers in the world. Would love to see him win @IMS again.

Dario Franchitti @dariofranchitti

Welcome back @jpmontoya , @IndyCar 2014 is getting more interesting by the minute!!

Emerson Fittipaldi @emmofittipaldi

Congrats @jpmontoya @IMS @IndyCar

Brad Keselowski @keselowski

Yes welcome @jpmontoya to team penske indycar program

Indy500 · 24 Sep 2013 at 21:15

Pre-race testing at Auto Club Speedway, Fontana commenced today with Honda rolling out their twin-turbo design in preparation for 2014. All Indycar teams were present with the exception of Bryan Herta Autosport. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-11-Auto-Club-Speedway-test-open-to-public)

Next year's event at Texas Motor Speedway will see the race distance extended to 600km, bringing the lap count to 248 at the 1.5 mile oval. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-23-Laps-added-to-2014-Texas-Motor-Speedway-race)

Indy500 · 27 Sep 2013 at 22:19

It has been reported by the Associated Press that Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan will be in Ganassi's fourth car for 2014. (http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/9733121/tony-kanaan-moving-ganassi-racing)

Conor Daly returns to Indy Lights for the Houston race, in between his GP3 commitments. (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110190)

Peter Dempsey will join Daly at Team Moore: http://openpaddock.net/2013/09/27/indylights-conor-daly-returns-indy-lights-team-moore-racing/

Cooper Tires have been confirmed to replace Firestone as the tyre supplier for the Indy Lights championship starting in 2014. Initial tests of the new spec have been ongoing this month. (http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.co...-firestone-as-new-indy-lights-tire-from-2014/)

Indy500 · 2 Oct 2013 at 15:11

Indycar Series Rounds 17 and 18 of 19: Shell-Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston

Venue: Reliant Park, Houston, TX
Track length: 1.68 miles
Race length: 90 laps (151.2 miles)

Overview: From 1998 to 2001, CART held a race on Houston's streets, but the event was not renewed in 2002 due to new construction. In 2005, the Champ Car World Series announced that it would be making a return to Houston in 2006. The 2006 event moved to the Reliant Park complex, joined by ALMS until CCWS's bankruptcy in the 2007-08 off-season. For 2013, Indycar returns to Reliant Park on a slightly modified layout for two races of 90 laps each - race 2 will feature a standing start. USF2000, Pro Mazda, Indy Lights, Pirelli World Challenge and the Mazda MX-5 Cup series will also be racing on the Grand Prix weekend.

Drivers' preview:

Current points standings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_IndyCar_Series_season#Driver_standings

Entry list:

http://digbza2f4g9qo.cloudfront.net...-HOU/indycar-entrylist?vs=1&d=20130930T113530

Luca Filippi will make his final 2013 starts in the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport entry. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/08/8-13-Hildebrand-Filippi-complete-season-for-Barracuda)

Mike Conway returns to the #18 car for Dale Coyne Racing. (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108673)

Spotter guide:

http://digbza2f4g9qo.cloudfront.net...car-spotterguide-final?vs=1&d=20131001T110945

Schedule:

http://www.indycar.com/~/media//Files/2013/IZOD-IndyCar-Series/15-HOU/indycar-weekendschedule

TV coverage:

BT Sport 2 - 20:00 Saturday 5th October (Race 1, live)

ESPN UK - 18:00 Sunday 6th October (Race 2, live); 08:15 Monday 7th October (Race 1, re-run); 10:45 Monday 7th October (Race 2, re-run); 19:00 Tuesday 8th October (Race 1, highlights); 20:00 Tuesday 8th October (Race 2, highlights); 09:30 Wednesday 9th October (Race 1, highlights); 10:00 Wednesday 9th October (Race 2, highlights); 04:00 Friday 11th October (Race 1, highlights); 05:00 Friday 11th October (Race 2, highlights)

Indy500 · 4 Oct 2013 at 17:54

Ganassi have confirmed that Tony Kanaan will be the fourth driver on their Indycar team in 2014, in addition to switching from Honda to Chevrolet engines.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/10/10-4-Kanaan-to-join-Ganassi-for-2014

Indy500 · 5 Oct 2013 at 12:56

Justin Wilson (1:04.4237), Will Power (1:04.8027) and Tristan Vautier (1:04.9946) were fastest across Friday practice.

Full timesheet: http://www.imscdn.com/indycar_media/documents/2013-10-04/HOU-IICS practice combined.pdf

Will Power (01:00.8275) was fastest in final practice, followed by Simon Pagenaud (1:01.3195) and Luca Filippi (1:01.3411).

Takuma Sato took pole position for race 1 with a 1:00.4535 lap. Full qualifying results: http://www.imscdn.com/indycar_media/documents/2013-10-05/HOU-ICS qual results.pdf

Starting grid

1) Takuma Sato
2) Will Power
3) Scott Dixon
4) Simon Pagenaud
5) Simona de Silvestro
6) James Hinchcliffe
7) Luca Filippi
8) Ernesto Viso
9) James Jakes
10) Marco Andretti
11) Mike Conway
12) Justin Wilson
13) Tony Kanaan
14) Sebastien Bourdais*
15) Ryan Hunter-Reay
16) Charlie Kimball
17) Oriol Servia
18) Josef Newgarden
19) Sebastian Saavedra
20) Dario Franchitti*
21) Helio Castroneves
22) Ed Carpenter
23) Tristan Vautier
24) Graham Rahal*

*10 place grid penalty for early engine change

Indy500 · 6 Oct 2013 at 10:12

Houston race 1 results

1. Scott Dixon Ganassi-Honda 1hr 54mins 48.3924s/90 laps
2. Simona de Silvestro KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +0.8781s
3. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +2.1432s
4. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Motorsports-Honda +3.5492s
5. Josef Newgarden Fisher-Hartman Racing-Honda +4.2293s
6. James Jakes Rahal-Letterman-Honda +5.4614s
7. Graham Rahal Rahal-Letterman-Honda +6.0983s
8. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon-Chevrolet +6.8946s
9. Ernesto Viso Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +8.1873s
10. Luca Filippi Bryan Herta Autosport-Honda +9.3052s
11. Charlie Kimball Ganassi-Honda +9.9622s
12. Will Power Penske-Chevrolet +10.6455s
13. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +11.1431s
14. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon-Chevrolet +1 lap
15. Dario Franchitti Ganassi-Honda +1 lap
16. Mike Conway Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +5 laps/Accident
17. Takuma Sato AJ Foyt Enterprises-Honda +8 laps/Suspension
18. Helio Castroneves Penske-Chevrolet +10 laps
19. Oriol Servià Panther-Chevrolet +27 laps/Fuel pressure
20. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +33 laps/Electrical
21. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +56 laps
22. Tristan Vautier Schmidt Motorsports-Honda +58 laps
23. Ed Carpenter ECR-Chevrolet +60 laps
24. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +89 laps/Collision

Fastest lap: Will Power, 1:00.0201s on lap 56

Race highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_g2-L8kJiM

Post-race interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScKwTUdq-lg

Championship standings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_IndyCar_Series_season#Driver_standings

Indy500 · 6 Oct 2013 at 15:44

Houston race 2 will be under way in approximately 3 hours time, with a standing start.

Starting grid

1) Helio Castroneves
2) Scott Dixon
3) Simon Pagenaud
4) Marco Andretti
5) Ryan Hunter-Reay
6) Justin Wilson
7) Dario Franchitti
8) Will Power
9) James Hinchcliffe
10) Charlie Kimball
11) Tony Kanaan
12) Ernesto Viso
13) Sebastien Bourdais
14) Josef Newgarden
15) Takuma Sato
16) Mike Conway
17) Simona de Silvestro
18) Ed Carpenter
19) Graham Rahal
20) James Jakes
21) Oriol Servia
22) Tristan Vautier
23) Luca Filippi
24) Sebastian Saavedra

Indy500 · 6 Oct 2013 at 21:21

Scott Dixon comes close to winning both Houston races but Will Power holds on for the win in race 2.

Takuma Sato got sideways directly in front of Dario Franchitti on the last lap, causing a three-car crash also involving Ernesto Viso. Franchitti reported feeling sore and is currently undergoing medical evaluation.

Indy500 · 7 Oct 2013 at 00:58

Indycar medical director Dr. Michael Olinger stated that Franchitti will be held overnight at Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center, after suffering a concussion and minor fractures.

Going back to the on-track incident, Sato has an uncanny tendency to create or involve himself in trouble doesn't he?

Edit: Seems ALMS had a flying car too.

Indy500 · 7 Oct 2013 at 12:15

Guerrilla said:
Just seen about the Franchitti crash Glad to hear he is going to be ok, could have been very nasty.

This came to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kNZzqqdhM0 except that in Webber's case he hit the Lotus in the middle of the track.

Dario was injured in a couple of non-Indycar accidents a while back, don't know if those left him more susceptible.

Guerrilla said:
Have yet to watch the second race, was hoping to watch that tonight but now I know the results

Sorry

Guerrilla said:
Enjoyed the first race was happy with that podium, interesting that Dixon is on a charge now and takes the championship lead.

5th or higher at Fontana clinches the championship for Dixon, should be a good race.

Indy500 · 7 Oct 2013 at 13:45

Guerrilla said:
Oh no problem I'd normally avoid reading up on it but after hearing about Franchitti's crash came looking

Turn 5 at Houston is like a wider, less level version of Suzuka's 130R. I expect Lanigan (the promoter) to create some run-off there and move the grandstand before Indycar comes back in 2014, although COTA may replace this race anyway.

Guerrilla said:
Quite the turn around, thought his chance was gone after those couple of bad results, but now Castroneves having the bad run has turned it on it's head!

He and the Penske team looked very strong at the Fontana test last month, but winning the race by itself won't clinch them the title.

Indy500 · 7 Oct 2013 at 17:45

Houston race 2 results

1. Will Power Penske-Chevrolet 1hr 52mins 28.9525s/90 laps
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi-Honda +0.8286s
3. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +4.3629s
4. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +5.0234s
5. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon-Chevrolet +8.012s
6. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Motorsports-Honda +11.0712s
7. Oriol Servià Panther-Chevrolet +14.0815s
8. Charlie Kimball Ganassi-Honda +15.1566s
9. Mike Conway Dale Coyne Racing-Honda +15.5568s
10. Simona de Silvestro KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +31.3618s
11. Tristan Vautier Schmidt Motorsports-Honda +32.946s
12. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon-Chevrolet +38.3799s
13. Josef Newgarden Fisher-Hartman Racing-Honda +1:19.5633s
14. Takuma Sato AJ Foyt Enterprises-Honda +1 lap/Collision
15. Dario Franchitti Ganassi-Honda +1 lap/Collision
16. Ernesto Viso Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +1 lap/Collision
17. James Jakes Rahal-Letterman-Honda +1 lap
18. Graham Rahal Rahal-Letterman-Honda +2 laps
19. Luca Filippi Bryan Herta Autosport-Honda +2 laps
20. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +2 laps
21. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport-Chevrolet +3 laps
22. Ed Carpenter ECR-Chevrolet +29 laps/Clutch
23. Helio Castroneves Penske-Chevrolet +37 laps
24. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology-Chevrolet +58 laps/Accident

Fastest lap: Luca Filippi, 59.1215s on lap 86

Highlights\post-race interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qZO9oc8UOk

Championship standings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_IndyCar_Series_season#Driver_standings

Scott Dixon enters the final round at Fontana with a 25 point advantage over Helio Castroneves.

Update on the final lap incident: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=9276983

A total of 13 spectators were injured in the accident. Eleven of them were treated at the scene, but two fans were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, along with Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar champion, and an official with IndyCar. As of this morning, only Franchitti remained in the hospital.

Franchitti will be taken to an Indianapolis area hospital for further evaluation after surgery to repair his ankle. (http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/10/10-7-Franchitti-update-after-surgery)