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

[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 agree that America has spoken and they really don't want indycars on ovals anymore just based on the attendance alone. It's ironic because an oval (IMHO) is a lot better to see in person than a roadcourse, comparing my experiences @ Milwaukee and Elkhart Lake on race days. Personally I like both.

Agreed. I love road/street racing and don't really care too much for oval racing. It either snooze fests like Pocono or crazy like Iowa. If a nice medium could be found between the two I think people would come back. Personally I like the heat races and making the feature shorter. Maybe race on two nights in a row. Or something like that.

The one's who were crying for "American's and Ovals" are all guys who are in their 50s or older now for the most part...If you are under 30, odds are you have no idea what USAC is or what I'm referring to when I say I saw a "Non-winged 410".... Now on the other hand, I'm sure the under 30 crowd would know who Ken Block is or what RallyCross is... That's where your future race fans are coming from... Indycar needs to realize this...

I'm not, or at least I don't feel, all that old (41) and I don't care where the drivers are from. I care more about accessibility and a genuine personality who is a hard charger but drives smart and fair. When he/she makes a mistake owns up to it and is gracious in defeat. That's is what draws me to a driver not the place of birth.

 

[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

Read this morning that Alexander Rossi is leaving Caterham GP2 team and as reserve driver for Caterham F1 team immediately. He will not be racing in the GP2 race in Germany. I'm going to of course speculate that this means he will be joining the Haas F1 team. I like Rossi and think he's a decent driver, but I am beginning to think his realistic chances for F1 are dwindling quickly. I thought he would show a lot more in GP2 this season but he's been mostly a non-factor. Now with him leaving and as of yet with no announced future to race, he quickly becoming a has-been or maybe more aptly a never-was. Sad, as I think he was the best chance of an American in F1 for the foreseeable future. (I don't believe Daly will get there although his name helps him)

Yes, I noticed the duplicity of my mentioning an American F1 driver one post after claiming I don't care where drivers come from.

In an update I just read Rossi will be driving for Campos this weekend due to scheduling conflict for K. Sato at the Auto GP.

In obligatory Indycar content....There is a very short article about the tech of an Indycar in September's (I think) Hot Rod magazine in case anyone is interested.

 

[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

Update (sort of) on Schumi from Mrs. Schumi via ad in German GP program(me).

 

[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

Heck of a good day to be an open wheel spectator.

The race in Germany was incredible- who could have imagined an F1 race where three cars competing for the same spot would be going three wide going into a corner??!?! And we saw it more than once (not counting the first corner). That Kimi sandwich didn't look like it was going to be survivable.

Then to see Hamilton move his way through all but one of the field was really great to see. While I would have loved to see rain- as I think that would have gone into his hands, I'm also happy that the race was dry, Nico drove really well, and Bottas once again demonstrating that he's a heck of a driver and Williams has done the best to match Mercedes.

Finally, the last few laps between Alonso and Ricciardo. Epic. Instant classic. One where the guy who got beat mentions how much fun that was. Dan- I'm so relieved that you drive THAT agressively AND THAT cleanly.

Think about that a little- we get to see Bottas and Ricciardo for their entire F1 carreer to come up. We, the fans, are clearly the winner.

One other thing- that close and agressive racing on such a narrow track- one wonders what we will see next week.

I saw a lot of the first race, and it was great to see Bourdais win again. Missed all but a few laps in the wet of the second. Looked to be an interesting one. Just saw the results- Conway? Really? Didn't see him in the mix when I saw it. Missed a good one??

Next week in Hungary.

 

[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

Formula E(lectric) getting off the ground with a not so bad stable of drivers. Fox Sports will televise all 10 races.

http://www.foxsports.com/speed/form...ral-formula-e-season/?cmpid=tsmtw:fscom:speed

 

[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

Heck of a good day to be an open wheel spectator.

The race in Germany was incredible- who could have imagined an F1 race where three cars competing for the same spot would be going three wide going into a corner??!?! And we saw it more than once (not counting the first corner). That Kimi sandwich didn't look like it was going to be survivable.

Then to see Hamilton move his way through all but one of the field was really great to see. While I would have loved to see rain- as I think that would have gone into his hands, I'm also happy that the race was dry, Nico drove really well, and Bottas once again demonstrating that he's a heck of a driver and Williams has done the best to match Mercedes.

Finally, the last few laps between Alonso and Ricciardo. Epic. Instant classic. One where the guy who got beat mentions how much fun that was. Dan- I'm so relieved that you drive THAT agressively AND THAT cleanly.

Think about that a little- we get to see Bottas and Ricciardo for their entire F1 carreer to come up. We, the fans, are clearly the winner.

One other thing- that close and agressive racing on such a narrow track- one wonders what we will see next week.

Next week in Hungary.

I agree with everything that Alfa wrote (except the spelling errors )!!! That was a great race in Germany. You're completely right about the Ricciardo and Alonso battle. That was epic! It reminded me of racing from back in the 80's and early 90's!

Formula E(lectric) getting off the ground with a not so bad stable of drivers. Fox Sports will televise all 10 races.

http://www.foxsports.com/speed/form...ral-formula-e-season/?cmpid=tsmtw:fscom:speed

You're right it is a decent lineup. I read rumors that Scott Speed is going to race for Andretti (he has tested for them). I might be in the (vast?) minority but I am looking forward to the Formula E series. I am firmly of the belief that electric cars are the future of racing and am interested to see how the racing is at this early stage in development of electric race cars.

 

[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

Hungary -- wow! What a fun race to watch.

 

[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

Hungary -- wow! What a fun race to watch.

For a track that you can't pass at... wow.

Seems like there were more passes than entire seasons past. (I know that's exaggerating, but...)

Heck of a fun last 5 laps. Holy cow.

 

[HumRsky]

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

Apparently Hamilton ignored team orders to let Rosberg pass.

 

[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

Apparently Hamilton ignored team orders to let Rosberg pass.

Rosberg really wasn't all that close to even make a pass. He really didn't much come within DRS ranage... It's one thing to let him pass, it's another to slow down to make that happen, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[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

Rosberg really wasn't all that close to even make a pass. He really didn't much come within DRS ranage... It's one thing to let him pass, it's another to slow down to make that happen, as far as I'm concerned.

Rosberg.....I lost a little respect for the guy, crying for the move over like that. Then he couldn't pass him at the end when he was close enough on superior tyres.

I was just about ****ting bricks as Alonso held off Hamilton and Ricardo for lap after lap, could the unprobable happen? It didn't, but it was fun to watch.

I haven't watched the German GP yet, I am looking forward to it.

 

[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

great race @ Mid-Ohio yesterday. Josef Newgarden just can't get catch a break. That kid is clearly more talented than Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal and it's a mystery to me why none of the big 3 have gone after him. Newgarden, Conor Daly and Sage Karem all need top flight Indycar rides.

As for the rest, it was great to see Dixon win. I'm not a Ganassi fan but Dixon is just fantastic. I'm pretty sure that's 34 wins which ties him w/Al Unser Jr. Now that's really saying something. Yet he goes unappreciated by the sports media in this country...I guess riding around in a circle each week with a roof and fenders would garner him more attention

 

[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

great race @ Mid-Ohio yesterday. Josef Newgarden just can't get catch a break. That kid is clearly more talented than Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal and it's a mystery to me why none of the big 3 have gone after him.

Because his name isn't Andretti (driving for his father) or Rahal (driving for his father).

Newgarden, Conor Daly and Sage Karem all need top flight Indycar rides.

I believe Ganassi is grooming Karam for a full time ride next year. The question is, what seat is going to open up?

As for Daly, I'd like to know which direction he really wants to go in -- America or Europe?

I guess riding around in a circle each week with a roof and fenders would garner him more attention

Don't get me started...

 

[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

great race @ Mid-Ohio yesterday. Josef Newgarden just can't get catch a break. That kid is clearly more talented than Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal and it's a mystery to me why none of the big 3 have gone after him. Newgarden, Conor Daly and Sage Karem all need top flight Indycar rides.

As for the rest, it was great to see Dixon win. I'm not a Ganassi fan but Dixon is just fantastic. I'm pretty sure that's 34 wins which ties him w/Al Unser Jr. Now that's really saying something. Yet he goes unappreciated by the sports media in this country...I guess riding around in a circle each week with a roof and fenders would garner him more attention

I was shocked after Newgarden easily caught Dixon that he never really got that close to pass him.

I watched the F1 Documentary "1" the other day off the the dvr.....My son sure learned how dangerous racing used to be and a bit of the history. The only interesting tidbit I learned is Bernie offered to sell shares of the F1 tv contract for 1 million each to the teams when he set that up, but they all refused. Lord Hesketh said something to the effect...."Do you know how much testing I could do with 1 million?" Had the teams all bought in, who knows how things would have been different.

 

[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

The only interesting tidbit I learned is Bernie offered to sell shares of the F1 tv contract for 1 million each to the teams when he set that up, but they all refused. Lord Hesketh said something to the effect...."Do you know how much testing I could do with 1 million?" Had the teams all bought in, who knows how things would have been different.

I remember reading about that recently.

The question is, did Bernie do it because he felt it was the right thing to do at the time or did he overprice it on purpose knowing everyone would refuse, and then could say later one, hey, I made the offer, don't blame if I'm in complete control now?

Bernie has always been shrewd (he did after all start out as a used motorcycle dealer) and every move he makes has an ulterior motive.

 

[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 remember reading about that recently.

The question is, did Bernie do it because he felt it was the right thing to do at the time or did he overprice it on purpose knowing everyone would refuse, and then could say later one, hey, I made the offer, don't blame if I'm in complete control now?

Bernie has always been shrewd (he did after all start out as a used motorcycle dealer) and every move he makes has an ulterior motive.

Excellent point. My thought was that Bernie was worried about shouldering all the risk and the millions he would have gained from the teams would have gone into his pocket and spread the risk out. I'm not sure what the thought was at the time when the deal went down that the broadcasts would be a success or not.

 

[Twitch Boy]

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

Not open wheel, but don't see the NASCAR thread.

Unconfirmed rumors swirling that Tony Stewart struck and killed a 17 year old driver with his car after an altercation tonight.

ETA: Four-letter network reporting it. Awful lot of smoke (heh) here.

 

[The Rube]

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

There is reported video on youtube if you care to search for it.

 

[MinnesotaNorthStar]

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

Not open wheel, but don't see the NASCAR thread.

Unconfirmed rumors swirling that Tony Stewart struck and killed a 17 year old driver with his car after an altercation tonight.

ETA: Four-letter network reporting it. Awful lot of smoke (heh) here.

It was a sprint car race, so it is open wheel.

Video.

Tony Stewart is ****ed.

 

[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

Man we've seen drivers leave their cars in Indycar, Nascar and I think in F1 as well to flip-off or point fingers at another driver (even toss helmets) but I don't think I've ever seen or been made aware of an incident where the person in the car makes such a stupid decision in that type of situation. Meaning this: Stewart had to know when he guns it his car is going to slide out toward the kid.

RIP Kevin Ward.

Tony Stewart's career is over. Who the hell would sponsor this guy now?