2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bull!!

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Being a huge Rick Mears fan, I love Helio's Pennziol tribute paint job for the 500. I just can't stop staring at that beautiful car. That's another reason I'm remaining an Indy car fan...the 500. I did boycott when TG split the series, but we're all good now. Once Penske gets out, I may get out as well, but with Penske in the series I am interested.

I was a huge Rick Mears fan, too. My father worked for Gould at the time they sponsored him.

But as for Indy car racing, I'm totally out. I watch the 500 and that's it. Even when I'm at an event where Indy cars are running, I never watch them when they are on the track. It's a useless product now, destroyed by f------ morons.

 

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I don't watch the 500 anymore simply because I believe as long as that makes money then the "leaders" of Indycar will not correct the problems that the series as a whole has because all they care about is the 500 and the money it makes. I firmly believe that within 10 years the only Indycar race left will be the 500.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I was a huge Rick Mears fan, too. My father worked for Gould at the time they sponsored him.

But as for Indy car racing, I'm totally out. I watch the 500 and that's it. Even when I'm at an event where Indy cars are running, I never watch them when they are on the track. It's a useless product now, destroyed by f------ morons.

I was a member of the "Rick Mears Fan Club". I've got as box in the basement of all sorts of Rick Mears stuff. Those were the days...

No doubt Indycar was turned into a shell of itself by the whole split, but things are moving in the right direction. Once they get different aero kits to go with the different engines, it will be even more interesting. I do think the series has to push more speed at Indy. As I was growing up the elevating speeds were a big draw for me. Every year they need to go faster and faster. There wasn't a better sound that Tom Carnegie saying "A new track record" in that great voice he had.

F1 for me is is still my fav, but it's becoming too messed up with the kers/drs and all these complicated electronics the drivers have to deal with just to drive the car. The fia should ban telemetry, operate the throttle with a cable and limit the number of buttons inside the cockpit to 0. Same for Indycar.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I was a member of the "Rick Mears Fan Club". I've got as box in the basement of all sorts of Rick Mears stuff. Those were the days...

No doubt Indycar was turned into a shell of itself by the whole split, but things are moving in the right direction. Once they get different aero kits to go with the different engines, it will be even more interesting. I do think the series has to push more speed at Indy. As I was growing up the elevating speeds were a big draw for me. Every year they need to go faster and faster. There wasn't a better sound that Tom Carnegie saying "A new track record" in that great voice he had.

F1 for me is is still my fav, but it's becoming too messed up with the kers/drs and all these complicated electronics the drivers have to deal with just to drive the car. The fia should ban telemetry, operate the throttle with a cable and limit the number of buttons inside the cockpit to 0. Same for Indycar.

I agree Indycar is moving in the right direction (slowly)...While I don't like the spec cars I can't help but watch them because I want them to succeed as w/out em there's only F1 and I don't have the $ to attend one of those events annually. Whereas w/Indycar I get to at least 1 race per year.

Speeds were 230 for qualifying today, that's pretty **** good. Kurt Busch @ 229 was pretty good as well.

Jacques Villeneuve is now opening the door to racing Indycar for a full season in the near future (2015?)...

I'm pretty pumped for the 500 this year, Villeneuve may be starting 27th and Montoya isn't quite there yet but the closeness of the cars and the length of that race combined with their experience could lead to some surprises.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Here's another reason I feel INDY is going in the right direction albeit slowly

From the Indystar:
Jonathan Byrd Racing will field an Indy 500 car in 2015 with driver Bryan Clauson of Noblesville. Clauson was 30th in his 2012 Indy 500 debut for Sarah Fisher/Hartman Racing.

In order to recapture the fans that made INDY what it is they definitely need to get the USAC guys back to the 500 annually. Clauson's a great driver and he's a good start but they need 3-4 more @ the 500 and 2-3 to move up to full-time racers.

Also, forget about Rahal and Marco as for the future of American drivers (they've had more than enough time and have done diddly and squat respectively)...Josef Newgarden, Sage Karem, Conor Daly... there's your next Unser/Mears/Andretti right there. Getting them into the big 3 teams should be a priority.

Maybe when Penske steps down, Tim Cindric will take over Penske racing and have a more open mind to young U.S. drivers

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Fun qualifying today. It was really interesting to see the cars have that much trouble.

And addind Dario to the booth who had some first hand tenseness- that was genius. Why Goodyear and Cheever can't come close to that- ABC- there's your reason to replace both of them.

Congrats to Carpenter for getting the pole, Hinch- nice qualifying.

But we need 5-10 more cars to ratchet up the drama for real. Would you drop a decent time to get a better shot at the pole, or stay in the top 9 if that mean that you may not make it?

 

[SteveP]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Three time F1 champ Sir Jack Brabham has died at 88. Obit in He's Dead Jim.

He was a giant in the days of giant men who drove by the seat of their pants.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Fun qualifying today. It was really interesting to see the cars have that much trouble.

And addind Dario to the booth who had some first hand tenseness- that was genius. Why Goodyear and Cheever can't come close to that- ABC- there's your reason to replace both of them.

Congrats to Carpenter for getting the pole, Hinch- nice qualifying.

But we need 5-10 more cars to ratchet up the drama for real. Would you drop a decent time to get a better shot at the pole, or stay in the top 9 if that mean that you may not make it?

I missed all of qualifying.....congrats to Ed, it's a good thing for a non Penske/Andretti to get the pole.

Read on Racer that fuel may be the new battle ground for F1, something that I don't like. I want the cars and drivers to decide things, not a fuel or tyre mfger.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Carb day.....why do they still use that term when the 16-30 yr olds have no idea what a carburetor is. I don't know the last car that I owned that had a carb on it....the '87 Stang....no that had injection...I probably have to go back to the '81 Capri that I owned in 1990.

I just can't get excited for Monaco, cool local but no room.

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I got rid of two carb cars a year ago. But I don't count them- I never drove either one of them- big projects.

And not including them, I've never owned a carbureted car. My first car was an Alfa I got in '87, and it was fuel injected (it was a '77, and my '73 and '74 GTV's are fuel injected).

The only carbed cars I've driven were owned by my parents.

As for Indy... when was the last carbureted car? Most Offy's came with fuel injection, I think even back to the late 60's.

Just looked it up- if wiki is right, which referenced a indy traditions page, the last car that qualified that had a carburetor was in 1963.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Carb day.....why do they still use that term when the 16-30 yr olds have no idea what a carburetor is. I don't know the last car that I owned that had a carb on it....the '87 Stang....no that had injection...I probably have to go back to the '81 Capri that I owned in 1990.

I just can't get excited for Monaco, cool local but no room.

Tradition.

Monaco is always great just watching the talent of the drivers keeping it between the guardrails.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

I got rid of two carb cars a year ago. But I don't count them- I never drove either one of them- big projects.

And not including them, I've never owned a carbureted car. My first car was an Alfa I got in '87, and it was fuel injected (it was a '77, and my '73 and '74 GTV's are fuel injected).

The only carbed cars I've driven were owned by my parents.

As for Indy... when was the last carbureted car? Most Offy's came with fuel injection, I think even back to the late 60's.

Just looked it up- if wiki is right, which referenced a indy traditions page, the last car that qualified that had a carburetor was in 1963.

Besides my parents' cars, my first car was a 1982 Mazda RX-7 which had a carb. That was it for street cars. (I now own a 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE, but since it is a SE, Special Edition, it has fuel injection.)

I did race a carburetor car up till 1996. The Sports Renault/Spec Racer used a carburetor (either Weber or Solex), until we all had to switch over to the Ford engines (whereupon the class was then called Spec Racer Ford) which were fuel injected.

 

[MattS]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Carb day.....why do they still use that term when the 16-30 yr olds have no idea what a carburetor is. I don't know the last car that I owned that had a carb on it....the '87 Stang....no that had injection...I probably have to go back to the '81 Capri that I owned in 1990.

I've had three. The first carb car I owned was a 1975 Buick Regal back in high school. The second one was a 1979 Chevy Camaro Z28 which I still have although it is not really streetable. And finally the third was a 1965 Pontiac GTO which I also still have. The GTO technically has 3 carbs, so does that count extra? Well actually I have the tri-power for the GTO but I do not have it on it. I have a Holley on it which makes it much more drivable.

Tradition.

Monaco is always great just watching the talent of the drivers keeping it between the guardrails.

This. Simply this.

This is the best weekend for motorsports. Monoco, Indy, and even though I'm not a Nascar fan anymore, the Coca-Cola 600 (is it still called that?). What a weekend. It's too bad it doesn't coincide with the US Nationals and LeMans, then I would be in motorsport heaven!!!

 

[joecct]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

F1 Documentary on NBCSN right now. The heck with Hawks - Kings.

Great line by Sir Jackie about racing in the 60's - "That's when the cars were dangerous and the sex was safe."

 

[SteveP]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

F1 Documentary on NBCSN right now. The heck with Hawks - Kings.

Great line by Sir Jackie about racing in the 60's - "That's when the cars were dangerous and the sex was safe."

Aaah, forgot to set the DVR. And it's not being rebroadcast. I'll get the last hour and a half at least.

We watched the Senna documentary this evening. Tragic how he meet his end. It was interesting to see John Bisignano. I worked with him when we did race coverage from Pike's Peak International Raceway in 98-99.

 

[bueller]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

F1 Documentary on NBCSN right now. The heck with Hawks - Kings.

Great line by Sir Jackie about racing in the 60's - "That's when the cars were dangerous and the sex was safe."

Any idea which documentary it is? I don't get NBCSN and judging by what my dad is saying, it's not Champions Forever.

 

[alfablue]

Any idea which documentary it is? I don't get NBCSN and judging by what my dad is saying, it's not Champions Forever.

It was called "1"

 

[joecct]

Any idea which documentary it is? I don't get NBCSN and judging by what my dad is saying, it's not Champions Forever.

Had a lot to do with the improvements in driver safety. Dealt a lot with driver deaths and the improvements since Senna.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Had a lot to do with the improvements in driver safety. Dealt a lot with driver deaths and the improvements since Senna.

And changes to tracks to keep guys from hitting trees when they went off. It's a great film. Brings back a lot of memories. BTW I liked the race today at Monaco. It's just so hard to overtake there.

 

[Jimjamesak]

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

Re: 2014 Open Wheel Racing - if it's white smoke, it's not a good sign & that's no bu

That's a pretty ballsy call on the red flag.