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!!

Kimi and Ferarri re-up. I am shocked by this. Ferarri needed to get a young gun like Bottas, Hulkenberg or Ricardo to breath some new life into that car. I do hope Haas signs Hulkenberg.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

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 don't know if you are aware of this, but that same weekend at Pocono, using one of the infield road course configurations that does not conflict with the oval, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), an organization I work for (though, unfortunately I will not be there for this weekend's event) is running. They will also be doing oval exhibition laps on Friday and some on Saturday when it fits into the Indy car schedule.

Your ticket should get you into the SVRA event. The Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) is also going to be there with SVRA.

An SVRA weekend is very open, and in fact children are encouraged to get close to the cars in the paddock and ask questions. Many owners will even allow kids to sit in their cars, some of them priceless vintage race cars. I'm sure your seven-year-old will love checking out some of the old, and cool looking, cars.

The only caveat is this weekend did not get a very good turnout for SVRA (though the SAAC folks will help add to the car count), so I don't know how many cars will be there nor how many of the cool ones. For the big events like Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio and of course Indy, we get some amazing cars showing up. Can't promise you what will be there this weekend.

You can get more information on SVRA's home page http://www.svra.com/ and then click on the Pocono link to get detailed event schedule (and I see they just posted the entry list -- looks like 63 cars; not as bad as I thought it would be, but still a lot less than a typical even which pulls in around 200 cars and double that for the huge events).

Have fun!

 

[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!!

Dammit I hate this sport sometimes. Really, really hate it. Hoping for a miracle and some positive news regarding Justin Wilson.

 

[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!!

I'll have a more lengthy post later today but boy did we have a great time. If you look around the Indycar website you just might find a pic of the kid. The accessibility of the drivers is incredible. The whole weekend just blew my mind. Got tons of autographs and pics with the drivers and cars. Paddock and Pit access... wow.

Not sure why there were so many guys losing control on the track all weekend. Kimball on Saturday during qualifiers and a few yesterday including Karam. There was a buzz building in the stands when Karam got to the front; he had a lot of family and friends there plus the hometown crowd. Such a bummer to see him crash late and see the aftermath with Justin Wilson (one of the few we did not meet but kept seeing him around wondering who that tall guy was). We didn't have any idea as to the severity of the Wilson injury until we were driving home and saw the updates. Very depressing.

Oh and Montoya's legion of dirty Colombians following him around... annoying.

 

[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!!

I think Graham has real talent, Marco just has a name.

I feel comfortable agreeing with this post from April.

I did meet Rahal twice this weekend and he was very, very nice and said he was excited about coming to Boston next year.

A few other quick thoughts from the interviews at the Chevy stage in the Fan Fair:
- Everyone seemed genuinely excited about Road America being added to next year's slate.
- When Boston came up in the interviews on stage it was pretty much the same line, "getting into a new market." Not sure if this is good or bad but it seemed like it was being talked about as a good thing. Not like they have a course to talk about at this point since it will be brand new. Hope Boston doesn't screw this up.
- Creepy, they were taking questions from fans prior to the drivers showing up, and one guy wanted them to ask about a protective canopy for the cockpit.

Did I mention I don't like Montoya and his fans?

 

[hockeyplayer1015]

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!!

Justin Wilson has passed away from his injuries sustained in the race. **** it.

 

[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!!

I feel comfortable agreeing with this post from April.

I did meet Rahal twice this weekend and he was very, very nice and said he was excited about coming to Boston next year.

A few other quick thoughts from the interviews at the Chevy stage in the Fan Fair:
- Everyone seemed genuinely excited about Road America being added to next year's slate.
- When Boston came up in the interviews on stage it was pretty much the same line, "getting into a new market." Not sure if this is good or bad but it seemed like it was being talked about as a good thing. Not like they have a course to talk about at this point since it will be brand new. Hope Boston doesn't screw this up.
- Creepy, they were taking questions from fans prior to the drivers showing up, and one guy wanted them to ask about a protective canopy for the cockpit.

Did I mention I don't like Montoya and his fans?

I'm so glad you had a great time this weekend!

You saw a hell of a race, it's just too bad Sage, Helio, Graham et al crashed out. I agree with you re: Montoya, I met him at a meet and greet and he was an ******* to my family. An arrogant *****. Conversely Michael Andretti sitting about 2 places down from him was cordial, asking everyone who to make the autographs out to and posing with kids.

 

[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!!

and now I read Justin Wilson is gone....god ****ing **** it.

Greg Moore, Dan Wheldon, Tony Renna, Paul Dana, Jeff Krosnoff, Scott Brayton, Ayrton Senna, Roland Ratzenberger, Jules Bianchi, Gordon Smiley, Gonzolo Rodriguez and many others have perished on track since I've been watching Indycar and F1.

It never gets easy to get beyond these situations and I sometimes wonder how Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney et al dealt with the endless tragedies in the 60's-70's and managed to continually strap in...

I really don't have words for this.

My first emotional response right now is I'm beginning to come around to the idea of having fighter-jet type enclosures for these cars. Then get rid of the bumpers. Maybe that's the way to go?

Or maybe Little Al was right when he said "it's the nature of the beast"

 

[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!!

That is very sad...

One question I have, based on more than one incident- why are so big of chunks coming off the car? How is it that the rear wheel protector comes off as one big piece early in the race, and more importantly, how is a mostly intact nose cone that is supposed to crush into small pieces come off the car like that?

These cars are supposed to crush and break apart for drivers safety- let alone the safety of the other drivers and fans. The suspension and wheels stayed with the car- why not the body parts?!?!

 

[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!!

Ugh. This is so upsetting and sad to me.

I don't know how to break this news to my kid now. Can't avoid this news because it will be all over the broadcast this weekend at Sonoma. I know what his reaction will be and it won't be pretty.

 

[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 have not seen the race yet, I am going to watch it tonight. I have viewed the unfortunate accident in an effort to understand what happened and large chunks like that really should not be coming off the cars. I can't recall watching open wheel races where large chunks fly off but instead they crumble and turn to shards (I just watched the 25 worst non fatal crashes and only 1 had large chunks, a Davey Hamilton IRL crash, other than wings coming off. Most debris is flat and not chunky). In watching the video, there are 8 to 10 large pieces on the track. I can't tell exactly what part hit Justin, but it appeared not to be the rear pod. Anyway, it seems that there are some possible design flaws in how the cars break apart. I don't think enclosing the cockpit is a good idea, it the cars goes over and catches fire, the driver is trapped. It is an dangerous sport, and sometimes the worst does indeed happens. I'm not sure if I were a driver, I would be driving this weekend out of the concerns of large pieces of bodywork getting airborne.

As far as telling a child, this is a great learning moment for parents and children alike.

 

[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!!

I can't tell exactly what part hit Justin, but it appeared not to be the rear pod.

It was the nose cone from what I've been reading.

It's straight up alarming how high the thing goes into the air after hitting Justin Wilson's helmet.

 

[manurespreader]

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!!

It's tough all around when this stuff happens. I wish I could say something smart, but words just seem inadequate.

 

[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!!

It was the nose cone from what I've been reading.

It's straight up alarming how high the thing goes into the air after hitting Justin Wilson's helmet.

Yeah, they pointed that out in the broadcast. You are correct on how freaky high it goes after it hit Justin. He actually locked the brakes up initially after impact, then after he lost consciousness the brake smoke went away. Sigh.....

 

[Russell Jaslow]

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 have not seen the race yet, I am going to watch it tonight. I have viewed the unfortunate accident in an effort to understand what happened and large chunks like that really should not be coming off the cars. I can't recall watching open wheel races where large chunks fly off but instead they crumble and turn to shards (I just watched the 25 worst non fatal crashes and only 1 had large chunks, a Davey Hamilton IRL crash, other than wings coming off. Most debris is flat and not chunky). In watching the video, there are 8 to 10 large pieces on the track. I can't tell exactly what part hit Justin, but it appeared not to be the rear pod. Anyway, it seems that there are some possible design flaws in how the cars break apart. I don't think enclosing the cockpit is a good idea, it the cars goes over and catches fire, the driver is trapped. It is an dangerous sport, and sometimes the worst does indeed happens. I'm not sure if I were a driver, I would be driving this weekend out of the concerns of large pieces of bodywork getting airborne.

As far as telling a child, this is a great learning moment for parents and children alike.

There's an article somewhere, I think on racer.com, about Charlie Whiting saying someday there will definitely be cockpit protectors. In the comments section, someone posted a photo of the Mercedes design, which is quite interesting. It wouldn't protect from small objects, like what happened to Massa, but it would protect from large objects such as wheels and possibly nose cones and even possibly from a hit against the wall like Greg Moore took.

As for canopies, I, too, felt like you, but then they do use them for top fuel dragsters as well as the Delta Wing car which doesn't have the larger cockpit like most prototype sportscars. One of the biggest issues with canopies isn't the concern about being trapped inside, but the effect it will have on cockpit temperatures. Sportscars have plenty of room to install ducting, cool suits, and even A/C (which a lot of teams now do). Open wheel cars barely have enough room for the 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!!

There's an article somewhere, I think on racer.com, about Charlie Whiting saying someday there will definitely be cockpit protectors. In the comments section, someone posted a photo of the Mercedes design, which is quite interesting. It wouldn't protect from small objects, like what happened to Massa, but it would protect from large objects such as wheels and possibly nose cones and even possibly from a hit against the wall like Greg Moore took.

As for canopies, I, too, felt like you, but then they do use them for top fuel dragsters as well as the Delta Wing car which doesn't have the larger cockpit like most prototype sportscars. One of the biggest issues with canopies isn't the concern about being trapped inside, but the effect it will have on cockpit temperatures. Sportscars have plenty of room to install ducting, cool suits, and even A/C (which a lot of teams now do). Open wheel cars barely have enough room for the driver...

I think defeating cockpit temps is easy to do engineering-wise, being trapped in a flipped car on fire without a way to get out is not easy to deal with. I suppose you could install fire suppression equipment on the car that is triggered to discharge when certain G forces are sensed or if the car exceeds X degrees of being parallel with the track surface.

 

[JuveGG24]

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!!

Because it's 19 miles from my house, I bought a pair of general admission seats for Sonoma. I've been to the nascar race there, and this should be fun. Guess I need nhra for the hat trick.

 

[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!!

Because it's 19 miles from my house, I bought a pair of general admission seats for Sonoma. I've been to the nascar race there, and this should be fun. Guess I need nhra for the hat trick.

In comparing nascar and Indy, can you get into the same areas of the track with a G/A ticket?

 

[JuveGG24]

In comparing nascar and Indy, can you get into the same areas of the track with a G/A ticket?

Unfortunately I'm not sure. At the NASCAR race we didn't venture far from our tailgate or our seats.

 

[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!!

So it looks like the 25 car will drive this weekend, manned by Oriol Servia. By all accounts everyone is quite happy with this as he was a close friend of Wilson's. The Andretti team was contractually obligated to run the car apparently.