2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!!

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

I think in the future (if there is a future for Milwaukee) they should have Indycar, Lights and Pro Mazda, they NEED at least 3 races on the weekend.

Qualify all 3 on Saturday, race Pro Mazda late in the afternoon or spice it up and have them qualify first, then Lights then Pro Mazda race then Indycar qualifying

then Sunday Indycar race at noon or 1pm and Lights at 4pm...but what do I know, I'm not Mark Miles

That's exactly how I'd do it and it's how it was done back in the CART days. Great minds think alike.

Looks like ratings are up for whatever reason, that's a good thing.

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Jules passed.

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/17/jules-bianchi-dies-at-age-25-his-family-confirms/

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Jules passed.

That really sucks about Bianchi. Odd that the first news I saw about him in months was just a couple of days ago and his father expressed the feeling that he would have been better off dying immediately instead of living comatose for months. A sentiment I can certainly understand. NASCAR driver Rick Balwin was in a persistent vegetative state for 11 years following a qualifying crash at Michigan International Speedway in 1986. Never came out of it and died in June of 1997, almost exactly 11 years after the accident. Baldwin crashed near where Ernie Irvan suffered near fatal injuries at MIS in 1994 and Irvan won the race at MIS the weekend that Baldwin died.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Terrible news about Jules Bianchi


Iowa was another fantastic race for Indycar. 9 different winners in 13 races and a 1-4 for U.S. drivers. Of course, no-one will care about that in the papers come Monday but maybe there is a glimmer of hope in having Graham Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay be successful.

However...I must say Graham Rahal and Sage Karem have been driving recklessly for a while now (witness Karem swerving at Carpenter last night or Rahal chopping people at Fontana all night) and if left disciplined they're going to kill someone

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Terrible news about Jules Bianchi

Iowa was another fantastic race for Indycar. 9 different winners in 13 races and a 1-4 for U.S. drivers. Of course, no-one will care about that in the papers come Monday but maybe there is a glimmer of hope in having Graham Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay be successful.

However...I must say Graham Rahal and Sage Karem have been driving recklessly for a while now (witness Karem swerving at Carpenter last night or Rahal chopping people at Fontana all night) and if left disciplined they're going to kill someone

Right on on all accounts. At least now Jules' family can have some closure, seeing him in that state of virtually no hope must have been very sad.

Rahal especially is being too reckless.

It's a bummer to see all the Penske guys performing so poorly.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Right on on all accounts. At least now Jules' family can have some closure, seeing him in that state of virtually no hope must have been very sad.

Rahal especially is being too reckless.

It's a bummer to see all the Penske guys performing so poorly.

I think it's desperation on Rahal's part, the pressure is on to perform, Honda has underwhelmed and the team isn't that strong (although...did he show that well w/Ganassi?).

For Sage Karam, I think the kid has a ton of talent but he's playing with fire right now. I recall Michael Andretti making some kamikaze moves in 1987 and maybe Montoya when he first broke in but I never felt they were as seemingly unaware as Karam.

As for the Penske guys, I'm most disappointed with Pagenaud...He's lost...Perhaps 4 cars is just one too many for any team to handle and he's the odd-man out sort of like Charlie Kimball has been (generally) with Ganassi.

The championship is still JPM's to lose and I've been really heartened by HCN's last 2-3 races. Helio has always been a favorite of mine.

 

[alfablue]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

So Mercedes took the front row. And at Hungary, that should determine the race finish.

Not.

Sorry about the spoiler, but that was an interesting race. Not great racing, per se, but interesting things happened.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

So Mercedes took the front row. And at Hungary, that should determine the race finish.

Not.

Sorry about the spoiler, but that was an interesting race. Not great racing, per se, but interesting things happened.

What an insane start by Ferrari, and then to just pull away was amazing. I am trying to correlate what I saw this last weekend with what will happen in the last part of the season. I know Ferarri and RB are good on the twisty handling tracks, Mercedes seems to have an advantage on the power tracks, which most of them are. At the restart, I thought Hamilton was going to win the race, but he fell apart.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Just watched Mid Ohio, the cars have outgrown that track. There's no way to pass your way back to the front if you get in a spot like Dixon.

Walker is stepping down; from what I read his hands were a bit tied by Miles, which seems to have led to some convoluted decisions. Miles did infer than Road America will be back on for next year. Speaking of Road America, I want to go there next year for the Tudor race and watch/feel/hear/smell the new Ford GT.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Road America is back on baby! I am so there with the boys. Too bad they aren't there with another series that races sedan type cars or the Tudor series. It was fun back in the day to watch Cart practice, the TransAm race, then Cart qualifying, plus the Indy Lites or whatever other series were there.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Road America is back on baby! I am so there with the boys. Too bad they aren't there with another series that races sedan type cars or the Tudor series. It was fun back in the day to watch Cart practice, the TransAm race, then Cart qualifying, plus the Indy Lites or whatever other series were there.

WOOT! http://www.jsonline.com/sports/auto...ar-series-schedule-b99553160z1-321152391.html

Pirelli World Series as support w/USF2000, Pro Mazda AND Indy Lights? That's going to be a badass weekend!

Also, great news to hear that Bruggentheis is open to offering a 2 for 1 ticket to help save/salvage Milwaukee as well. Or at least that's how I'm reading that article.

Run Milwaukee during State Fair like they did in the late 70's/early 80's. It would bring larger crowds and make a LOT of people happy (since Penske won't move that loser Detroit race from the week after INDY, the next best thing for Milwaukee is to claim it's other historically significant spot during State Fair).

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

WOOT! http://www.jsonline.com/sports/auto...ar-series-schedule-b99553160z1-321152391.html
Run Milwaukee during State Fair like they did in the late 70's/early 80's. It would bring larger crowds and make a LOT of people happy (since Penske won't move that loser Detroit race from the week after INDY, the next best thing for Milwaukee is to claim it's other historically significant spot during State Fair).

Love that idea. Make the tickets $10 each, general seating. Park some backup cars all round the grounds the week leading up to the event. Have the drivers walk around the grounds Thursday and Friday. Do a free demo Friday night. Generate some buzz and make it family affordable.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Taking the boy (7) to the Poconos in two weeks to see his favorite driver, Scott Dixon, run in the ABC Supply 500. Never been to anything like this before. Anyone have any experience with these events, what to expect, etc?

I am psyched to see they added an Indycar event in Boston next year. Should be really fun.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Taking the boy (7) to the Poconos in two weeks to see his favorite driver, Scott Dixon, run in the ABC Supply 500. Never been to anything like this before. Anyone have any experience with these events, what to expect, etc?

I am psyched to see they added an Indycar event in Boston next year. Should be really fun.

Perhaps some hearing protection? I have not heard this version of engines in person to know how loud they are, and the sound is a big part of the fun, along with the colors and smells, but play it safe I guess. The colors are a lot more vibrant in person. If economically possible, try and get some sort of pit pass to get into the pits to see the cars up close before the race, or better yet go to qualifying and get pit passes, they may be cheaper and less people to deal with.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Perhaps some hearing protection? I have not heard this version of engines in person to know how loud they are, and the sound is a big part of the fun, along with the colors and smells, but play it safe I guess. The colors are a lot more vibrant in person. If economically possible, try and get some sort of pit pass to get into the pits to see the cars up close before the race, or better yet go to qualifying and get pit passes, they may be cheaper and less people to deal with.

Just got pit passes yesterday. There was some confusion as to age limits and the Pocono Raceway website I believe had outdated information regarding limits that seem to have been lifted this year so that should be cool to get my 7 year old down there and meet some folks (it's really hilarious to see my boy get into this stuff, almost cry when Dixon doesn't win, and how crazy he gets for the Ganassi teammates of Dixon's. He'll go on and on about Sage Karam being a rookie, and how great Dixon and Kanaan get along as buddies, etc.).

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Just got pit passes yesterday. There was some confusion as to age limits and the Pocono Raceway website I believe had outdated information regarding limits that seem to have been lifted this year so that should be cool to get my 7 year old down there and meet some folks (it's really hilarious to see my boy get into this stuff, almost cry when Dixon doesn't win, and how crazy he gets for the Ganassi teammates of Dixon's. He'll go on and on about Sage Karam being a rookie, and how great Dixon and Kanaan get along as buddies, etc.).

awesome! I hope you and your son have a great time.

As TimothyA said, grab some earplugs. The cars aren't as loud as they were in the early 90's but once they spread out the noise will be continuous and may grate on young ears.

Autograph sessions run for one hour and are held either the morning of the race or the day prior at 9am or 10am, I can't remember which. most of the drivers are very personable. TK is especially good with fans.

Also, be on the lookout for the flyers or brochures that show the cars, numbers and driver pics (they're usually free). Otherwise at the speeds they go it can be hard to tell if that was say Hawksworth who brushed the turn 3 wall or if it was Sato

For toys, the cars can be pricey if you're looking for the larger ones (I think those are 1/48?) but the mini hotwheel sized ones are cheaper and both are good deals if you look for 2014 an earlier.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Just got pit passes yesterday.

Perfecto! Your little guy (and you) will have a ton of fun down there seeing the cars and drivers up close. At Elkhart Lake, I used to stand and gawk at Rick Mears' pit area for hours on Saturday, wearing my yellow Pennzoil jacket and hat. Wear that Target gear proudly, well, as proudly as you can be for not being a Penske fan.

 

[solovsfett]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Well as usual it's good news (Phoenix) bad news (c'est la vie Fontana) for Indycar - http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/120272-indycar-fontana-out-for-16-phoenix-closer-to-return

I wish Mark Miles would get run out of town and they could hire an ex-driver like an Arie Luyendyk and give him 100% control, open the season in March and end it in October. Bring back Watkins Glen, retain Milwaukee, RA, and get Fontana back when it's available. Also give him the green light to muscle the back-stabbing owners. The owners have done almost as much as TG to kill this series over the last 3 decades.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Thanks for the great advice guys. You Wisconsin guys really deliver. The pit passes came in the mail on Saturday along with the brochure/map/schedule and my guy was just staring at it and studying every inch of it.

 

[Timothy A]

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Re: 2015 Open Wheel Racing - The Devil comes to Ferrari & the return Wayward Driver!!

Thanks for the great advice guys. You Wisconsin guys really deliver. The pit passes came in the mail on Saturday along with the brochure/map/schedule and my guy was just staring at it and studying every inch of it.

You are welcome. When you say WISCONSIN, you said it all!