WideOpenWheel

Ah, to race or not to race. I am not a political stake holder in this Formula One discussion, but I am a man of concern for safety. I would call it being a reasonable man. In a previous life, I became very familiar with the Sultanate of Bahrain. They seem to have a different way of looking at things in the world. If you are a fan of treating women as second or even third hand property, then spend a leisurely vacation there. You just might be in your element!

No, my argument is more with Mr. Ecclestone than it is with Bahrainian circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani. Perhaps I still wish to metaphorically carry the head of the perpetrator of the sham of a Formula One race conducted at Indianapolis in June of 2005. In each case, FOM will get their money, a motorsport event will take place, and the circus will depart, headed towards its next destination.

http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/world-class-formula-1-fiasco-at-indianapolis

Either way, there still remains something inherently wrong in supporting a motorsports event held in a land where the government openly kills its own citizens. My stance is not new, nor is it unshared. This philosophical argument just begins to cover the proverbial tip of the iceberg of concerns for this week’s running of Formula One at Bahrain. Security must be at the top of the list of things to worry team managers about, let alone wondering about bringing enough spares to the track.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/6752821/Bahrain-F1-race-no-gamble-says-circuit-boss

I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that a few days ago, Mr. Ecclestone proclaimed all to be well and said that “there were no issues or concerns about Bahrain”.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98751

One finds it really kind of sad because I would imagine that if you would ask any of the drivers in F-1 about Bahrain, to a man they would just admit to wanting to race. The “in your genes” kind of thing where they just race…..

Briefly and finally, concluding notes on the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix. The IZOD InduCar Series entertainment factor seems to have jumped up a bit more, even after the thrilling events at Barber. I mean, St. Pete was a pretty tasteful opener, with the confirmation that Lotus cars are a bit piggy. Fast forward to Hinchcliffe’s grenade situation at a test that resulted in “Shev-Row Lay” changing out all of the bow tie badged engines in the field. Now, give them the mandated 10 spot grid penalty and watch the Hondas kick butt. Watch the Hondas kick butt. Watch the….WTF?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qk57vVz9i6A

By far the best coverage of the ensuing drama, high jinks and outright butt whipping put on by Chevrolet is handled by the esteemed Pressdog. What unfolded at Long Beach was a wakeup call issued to Honda for the upcoming Indianapolis 500, where they have been prominent for possibly so long that it makes them too comfortable. Enjoy the unique presentation that is Pressdog here:

http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/04/notes-taken-during-the-2012-indycar-race-in-long-beach.html

Lastly, it was very interesting to spend short but quality time with the following local bloggers doing some bench racing. These fine gents are always available on twitter and you should spend quality time following them as well. They are prolific writers! Snag these twitter handles and add them.
@indycaradvocate
@stevewittich
@Erock_in_Indy
@newtrackrecord

That’s my take for this week in open wheel racing. Nice to be working a day gig for a change, but also good to get back onto the blogging saddle. Talk to you next time!

GForcePaul

Flowing locks, swinging hips

It’s been a while since I posted words of wit and wisdom, humor and outright lies so, here we go; What a snoozer of an opener and a massive gut check of a second race for some marquee teams! Those sometimes red, sometimes blue Chippy Ganassi – Tar-Jayyy Racing cars sure have a disparate gap. Something I read the other day said that Mr. Ashley Judd has yet to have his car find the sweet spot. It sure seems like it! The difference in driving styles between Mr. Dixon and Mr. Franchitti could not be more apparent. Couple this fact with the ability of the Shhevvro-lays (as uncle Bobby would say) twin turbos to generate off corner acceleration made for an unusual grouping in the fast six session at St. Pete. Mark my words, on a LARGE oval, Honda is certainly going to level and then tilt the playing field in their direction. The slow wind up of a single turbo will be more than made up for on a very long straight.

Since I was not able to look at time intervals between the contestants on track during the fast six session at St. Pete, I was pleased to find this link from your friends at IICS. I wanted to see how the session unfolded, and lo and behold, I love youtube! Get your fanny out and hit up the IICS fine line up of current IZOD Indy Car Series video action on their channel.

Fast Six St Pete 032412 Credit IICS

Come race day, the choice viewing spots were appropriately staked out and executed much like a well-oiled Penske team executes pit stops. One place called to me; just after a series of quick paced right and left hand turns, the straight that makes up First Street in downtown St. Pete is a first chance for cars exiting the pits to crank the torque. If you listen closely, you can hear a slight difference in the song of each engine manufacturer. Here is a clue for those of you that are playing along at home kids; the last vehicle in the clip is a Lotus entry. Whom drives a basically all white livery in the series, even after two races? Hmmmm?

First Street in St. Pete (credit Paul Henry)

After a while I headed back towards the end of the chicane the drivers face just after making the sweeping right hand turn into and exiting turns 2 and 3. If one listens closely, one can hear the pleasant southern twang sounding voice of a recently converted Cup Car Fan enjoying the open wheel experience.
Turn 2-3 St Pete (credit Paul Henry)

Mr. Green and Mr. Andretti put out a very good festival feel to the grand Prix and they had to be pleased at the head count. Several of my local St. Pete tweeps remarked on how much more foot traffic there was this year over a few previous ones. St. Pete will never become the Long Beach of the East; but they sure come close on this particular weekend!

Any trip to a race track would incomplete without a visit to the Lights practice. They make more errors and create more excitement as a result. Take the fine art of diving into the hard left at the western end of First Street on the St. Pete course. Some young drivers push the car into the corner and some THROW the car into the corner.

Indy Lights St Pete Practice (Credit Paul Henry)

Finally, I was not able to go to Barber and bring you even more of these fabulous videos, but there ya go. Besides, Folks like Steve Wittich, @Stevewittich provided never ending updates and tweets on scene from the track walk so I suggest that you rush out and add him to your list of good read tweeps. Since I was absent at Barber, I suggest that you get your fast six fix right here.

Fast Six Barber 033112 Credit IICS

See? I mentioned in the title that this would be a festival of links, Pal, so go on about your business. Nothing to see here, folks……so move along.

I will talk to you next time!
GForcePaul

I wish to take a breather from the hyperbole that makes up the total output of Open Wheel Motorsport Scribes and Bloggers as we race towards this weekend’s IZOD Indy Car Series opener at St. Petersburg. The topic of “Opening Bell” will be covered by people like Marshall Pruett, Robin Miller, Pressdog and about 9700 other bloggers having differing ability. Why would I regurgitate old news, old facts and in some cases, even fiction. Instead, here is how I plan to take my break…..

One of the benefits of living near the Hallowed Grounds that comprise the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the potential for interaction with those that have actually had the privilege to drive there. I have even seen some folks remain star struck when coming into the sphere of influence that makes up this collection of racers, be they past, present or future drivers. Personally, I just enjoy the overall ambience of life that comes from the interaction with these racing vehicle pilots. They make for very interesting encounters.

You oughtta get to know these guys!

A few weeks ago, I had the rare pleasure of tweeting it up just a tad with none other than Speedy Dan Clarke and was fortunate to be invited to take a closer look at a program that he is involved in. I seldom write about what I would deem a worthy cause and yet I find myself compelled to forego that stance and involve you in a subject that is becoming near and dear to my heart. Consider this factoid: Imagine a commercial airline crash every two and a half weeks causing fatal injury to all on board. This represents the actual number of U.S. teen fatalities each year from motor vehicle collisions. And imagine a crowd the size of the spectator audience at the Indianapolis 500. This accurately represents the number of teens who suffer injuries each year in the U.S. as a result of motor vehicle collisions.

The previous statement is the defining position and factual truth that lead to a remarkable aligning of the stars, past, present and future, of Indy Car. It also made me stop a moment and consider some more truths when it comes to teenage driving. Being a parent of a no longer teen, I have the perspective of looking back and realizing that this stuff is ALL TRUE:
• The chance of one crash in the first three years of driving is 89.2%
• The chance of two crashes in the first three years of driving is 52.5%
• A 16-year-old is 20 times more likely to be killed in a crash than an adult
• Teens are 400% more likely to die in a car crash than 25-34 year-old drivers
• 63% of teenage passenger deaths occur in vehicles driven by another teenager
• 113 teenage drivers each week in the U.S. are involved in fatal crashes
• Nearly 1000 teens each day are treated in an emergency room for injuries suffered in a motor vehicle crash

The bottom line is that 3000 teenage drivers or passengers die in vehicle collisions every year.

Enter former Indy Car driver Stephan Gregoire and business manager Ted Woerner to form a partnership and an organization called Miles Ahead. This program touches my heart in that the overall goal is to reduce these statistics or at least, make a dent in them. Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with the principals of the team that make up this organization. From the instructors to the operational themes and goals of Miles Ahead, it is very clear that they are trying to make a difference. Here is their story.

After Stephan Gregoire stopped racing, he and his business partner, Ted Woerner formed an entity called Miles Ahead to help address some of these sobering statistics. Through a partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they were able to set up a highly unique driving school that has the lofty goal of educating teenage drivers. Their approach is different in that they are targeting the root causes of accidents and not the perpetrators of the accidents. This is fairly unusual in that they feel their product will address behavior modification through enlightenment rather than appealing to the fear factor. If you have a teen, or if you even know a teen, I am pretty sure that you will agree that they are a difficult lot to get through to at times. They tend to practice selective deafness, selective learning and selective response. A parent will never know as much as a teen and when it comes to teaching driving skills, parents have no clue. I know; I just asked a teen about it the other day and they agree that we parents remain clueless. Miles Ahead overcomes this obstacle by hiring driving instructors that are bona fide race car drivers. Their stable includes Speedy Dan Clarke, Zach Veach, Stephan Wilson, Conor Daly, Logan Gomez and Alex Lloyd, among others. In my humble opinion, hearing truths coming from one of these drivers sure beats hearing it from your parents!

Another approach that the Miles Ahead, Teen Driving Intensive takes in promoting their safe concepts agenda is the hands on experience that a student receives during the half day sessions. They talk about it and then actually go out and do it. I know because I recently finished hitting some of the course with Stephan Gregoire and Dan Clarke and I clipped a few cones. The goggles that you wear that simulate being legally “buzzed but not drunk” did not help matters much in my case, but I can see how teens will be pretty stunned with the visual effects that mimic buzzed driving. Also, when Stephan had me hold a gizmo that I controlled to operate a light activation device which guided him into an unexpected lane change, I had to stop and go change my underwear. This was a lane change conducted at just under 40 mph but in a short distance which feels like what one would do to avoid a dog running in front of you. The subject of the exercise is avoidance and it will get kids attention, believe me!

One should offer major props to Ted Woerner for coming up with a plan to have businesses step up and help offer scholarships because tuition for this class is north of $400. Their goal of not giving a sense of being elitist is to be commended. This stuff ain’t cheap, but anything of value never is cheap. Your teen’s life is something that should always be valued. Remember, the value of the Miles Ahead training is to provide teenage drivers with the opportunity to learn and practice car control, handling, and avoidance exercises in a controlled, safe environment

Hit the jump, take a look, and thank these gents should you ever cross their paths. Some racing drivers just go away at the end of their careers, some give back. Some go out, come up with something that they are passionate about and enlist up and coming drivers to help out the cause. I applaud both of these guys for doing just that.
The jump:
http://bemilesahead.org/index.html

Thanks and we will chat again next time. I wonder what happens in St Pete??????
GForcePaul

I should not even be allowed to own a camera and the following stuff sadly supports that theory!

Sleek, Smooth, SEXY

Dan Gurney, Don Panoz, Marino Franchitti; This reads like a murder’s row of automotive technology and development. It rings deeply of history and innovation. It sounds like an intro to a story describing events “back in the day”. Now add the name Ben Bowlby to the mix. How does your gut react to that addition? Does it squirm and twitch a tad? Does the term penismobile dash about inside of your head?

I was absolutely SHOCKED to see recent postings, news articles and even video of the latest exploits of Ben Bowlby and crew as they get dialed in for a demo at Sebring during the 12 hours of Sebring preparations and testing. About a week ago, a cell phone video of the car on track for the first time hit the world wide internets. There was tremendous speculation concerning the actual power plant under the hood. But I am getting ahead of myself. Many folks have speculated that this so called racing automotive vehicle would never be able to turn due to the unbelievably narrow front wheels. The contact patch on a tire that is only four inches wide is no more than 16 square inches times two tyres or about 32 square inches. Compare this to the modern day average of 40 square inches times two tyres and the ensuing carnage that would be brought forth with such a small contact patch for the Delta Wing was a certainty. Would it turn or just go straight into oblivion?

Fast forward to this week. A Nissan 1.5 liter turbo was discovered to be the power plant, Michelin is the tyre of choice and shocks are the size of a can of Red Bull. (I wonder why they never signed up to assist in the development?) Dan Gurney is once again doing something far more satisfying than performing Government contracts, Highcroft Racing has a new focus since the LMP program was ripped out from under them and Ben Bowlby is nearing vindication for his heretic visions of what a race car should be. Make no mistake, the focus of the group is INNOVATION. Once again, say that word with me S L O W L Y class, INN-O-VA-Shun.

A few months ago, I posted my feelings on innovation and they still hold true today. The Delta Wing Project stands by the following principles of development: Halve the aerodynamic drag, halve the power, halve the mass, halve the fuel consumption, halve the tyre consumption and still achieve the performance of their competitors. Admirable concepts, indeed. One would guess that this may cost in the neighborhood of 15 million dollars or so, which is pretty cheap! (See Dallara expenditures to date on the DW12.) A brief, 2 minute promo that was produced by NISSAN can be found here . Props and kudos yet again to the incomparable Marshall Pruett for his ability to bring us INNOVATIVE development in the world of motorsport. His scoop of other journalists on the topic of the Delta Wing culminated in this fine piece of video, released to us on March 13th. You can enjoy it NOW. (Comes with advertising, but what does not seem to these days?)

Coming atchas!

The next link is to some in car video with the other Franchitti guy, Marino, hustling the car around the test track in California. I like the sound and liken it to a kitten purring as it is about to pounce for the first time. A very lovely link is available here. Good googily moogily! The thing actually DOES turn and, in the words of Marino on his debrief, when asked “how does it feel”, he replied; “it …feels….like a….car”. Lord, I love innovation! I would like to venture a guess that this vehicle will be kicking some LMS A$$ come June. Too bad that we will not be seeing them, running three wide going into turn one at 16th and Georgetown! Just too darn innovative. Maybe the next generation will see the light, as we run out of fossil fuel.

I like to end most of my postings with something inspirational, or at least, informative. It could either be a remark about the overlooked talent, seeking a ride or just my thoughts on the state of Indy Car. Sometimes, I just sign off. This time, I want to point you to an article that was sent my way by a gentleman in Indy whom I had the pleasure of enjoying a coffee with last Saturday and we also did some bench racing. The name is Steve Whittich and we met at WIT last month. The Winter Indy Tweetup made for some new friends and I rank Steve as belonging in that club. I appreciate anyone that helps me write my little rag of a blog and remain grateful for those that do so. Steve’s bent is for the ladder system and he really is pretty astute as to the next up and comers. Remember, there is no Indy without an actual Road To Indy…….

At any rate, Steve sent me an article about Michael Johnson and you probably will not have a dry eye once you give this a quick read. That is okay; grown men can show emotion! I certainly did. Deserved credit is given to BLOG.SIMRACEWAY.COM and I bet that you will be giving them credit as well! Enjoy!

Thanks and we will continue our chat next time!

GForcePaul

A very strong person

In the honor of true and full disclosure, I am an Indy based blogger (like we even have a “base” of operations) that also is blessed to own a small place in Tampa Bay. I have been associated with the area since 1968 and yet I seldom go to the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Yes, I have been to it, but the lure of going to the Hallowed Grounds every May pulls at my heart just a tad harder. I wanted to go to the unveiling of the newly named Dan Wheldon Way which is also known as turn 10 of the street course. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of our plans from time to time and we just roll with it.

This short post has few words, but the images will burn into your hearts for a long time. They certainly did mine! There will be many more tributes to Dan Wheldon this season, most likely starting with the NASCAR series race at Las Vegas. I read a few lines a short while ago about how the untimely passing of Dale Earnhardt resulted in an endless parade of tributes. For years…… and I find that this has lessened to an extent, the emotional ties to the man. There is a time to grieve and a time frame in which to heal. I hope that you receive the same comfort and closure that I did in watching this video of the unveiling of Dan Wheldon Way on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.

Let’s go get it ON LIKE DONKEY KONG in St Pete!

Thanks and props to rpm2night

Talk to you next time,
GForcePaul

Yeah, money is a little tight right now

Budgets are getting tight all over the paddock. Even the two-seater has to udergo a redesign to fit into the dollars appropriated for this season so, do you like this idea of a replacement “car”?

We just completed one of the rather more bizarre weeks ever in motorsport and unless you live in a cave, I am pretty sure you have a few opinions of your own. All Danica All the Time (again!), NASCAR hosting a weenie roast late at night on a Monday, Twitter comes of age in a single instant, first time viewership of UN-reality television, All Danica All the Time, a former Formula One Titan comes north to race and most important of all, All Danica ALL THE TIME.

Shall I continue? SFH Racing finally gets an engine, Texas Test is toast, Texas Motor Speedway president skewers the IZOD Indy Car Series in public, All Danica All the Time, how many engines has Lotus really produced to date, and finally, does Dallara have enough spare parts for teams to survive a crash fest?

So, IF you have had your breakfast this morning, and are not too sensitive to adult situations, language and verbal violence, I suggest that you hide the children and take a look at a posting by the Ragin’ Canadian. The blog is called “So… Here’s What I’m Thinking” and this pretty much sums up what we all were thinking last week. Meesh Beer takes no prisoners, PROFANELY calls it like it is and works it for you here …… Man I love this stuff! Since I want to give further props to a well deserved blogger, give this link a shot. It goes way beyond all of what one needs to know to get those hash tags right, darnit! If you cannot follow this then get a new line of work!

I need to post a short one this week due to the demands of obtaining full time employment, but I did want to offer a few opinions of my own regarding the week just completed. Randy Bernard continues to have an uphill battle herding all of the cats. His tireless efforts are beginning to pay off and the topic of open wheel motorsport is clearly elevated in the mind of the paying public. Having more teams than engines is always a good thing, no matter form of racing. The battle between the haves and the have nots will continue in all sports, not just racing and is nothing new in the world we live in.

The “battle” between Indy Car social media and NACAR social media has really just begun. Sure, the IICS started down this road but they obviously were just as blindsided as we, the public with the tweet from Keselowski’s car. It is my very humble opinion that the Twitter Wars is just heating up, and Indy Car WILL have a better product, but will take a hit based on frequency (ie; number of races in a season).

Finally, when Michael Andretti publicly criticizes Danica Pat-wreck on multiple occasions, there has to be some truth behind it. Read some of the notes from the MKE Mile presser that the promotion group for the race, Michael Andretti’s group, had to say. A certain, je ne sais quoi, unanimous voice, speaks to the possibility that more focus will be placed on the stars of Indy Car. I still warmly remember the shirt the late Dan Wheldon had made up for the 2005 Texas race which said, “I actually WON the Indy 500”.

A little Danica goes wayyy too long

Enjoy your week and we will have a little chat again next time!

GForcePaul

First gen DW-12 at the factory in Speeedway

Mid Ohio
Indianapolis
Sebring
Barber
Infinion
Sebring again
Texas
Fontanna
Phoenix
My head will not quit spinning from all of the testing sessions conducted to date with the DW12 automotive racing vehicle. Is it a dog? Is it a hog? Is it just a pig dressed up in lipstick, waiting for a prom invitation? Is it the freaking prom queen, herself (as opposed to the affectionate term ‘himself’ that Pippa Mann refers to her main squeeze as)?

Let’s examine some of the tests and determine if we can see a modicum of improvement in the car, shall we? Back in the fall, it was noted that the soon to be named DW-12 had a penchant for swiping the wall on entry with its big, ugly a$$. It was further noted that upon exit of the turn the car just…went….straight, directly into the wall. Is that called a 2-fer? After the initial oval test in Indy, it was pretty common knowledge that the vehicle was also dog slow, to the tune of being in the 210 to 215 range. Dreams of doing 230 came crashing down, and open wheel fans everywhere hung their collective heads down in dismay. The desire to hear the posthumous voice of Tom Carnegie announcing a new track record many had wished for appeared to be slipping away.

Along about January, testing moved back to Sebring. Incremental improvements were being made to the Honda / Chevrolet powered cars and Dallara stepped up work on resolving the balance problems with the car. Most of the focus was on shifting the center of gravity up a bit to help stop the pendulum affect that exhibited itself on entry and exit of turns. A ton was written on this topic and it seemed that the solution was for Dallara to produce new “A arm” suspension parts that shifted the weight bias a bit to help dampen the loose rear end. Do that, or just add more ballast to the front of the car but who would want a heavier vehicle? Strangely, this phenomena was not as prevalent on the road courses and the car actually was faster on them than the previous Dallara, but the hopes of 230 at Indy were dashed.

Lotus finally produced a few engines and theirs was actually lighter than the other two offerings. This development has led to even more speculation about the possibility of Lotus being able to add weight to bring the car up to spec. The ability to add weight where they needed it potentially makes the playing field no longer level. Kudos to Dallara for the new suspension geometry, thus negating this supposed advantage. Lotus remains the little engine that (possibly) could.

After much gnashing of teeth and overcoming teething problems, a DW12 car was sent to Wind Shear (the full scale wind tunnel located in North Carolina) and it returned some very interesting data sets. On January 17th, Indy Car News posted this discussion by Will Phillips on their website:

“We then compared the 2012 car as it was run at its fastest during the (November) testing at the Speedway,” Phillips said. “We showed that aerodynamically the car was limited to 218.4 mph, so the (drivers/teams) did a good job of reaching its potential. We then compared the production car, which is slightly different from the prototype in terms of different mirrors, different rear wheel fairings, subtle differences in chassis construction and better integration of the Zylon (side intrusion) panels.

“Basically, the production car is more slippery (moves the air better) than the prototype. That lifted the speed as the car was run. We then looked at how could we improve the aerodynamic force of the car? Basically, by optimizing the aero set-up, re-balancing the car and then putting on some aero development parts, it showed that using a nominal assumed horsepower of 575 the car is capable of 225 mph.” Crisis Averted????

Finally, on February 16th, a much anticipated test at Fontana seemed to show that the corner had finally been turned and speeds were, in fact, picking up. Renowned auto sports writer Marshall Pruett detailed the results in a fine piece and you can find it here . Getting the car up to speed, or at least getting it to a point where it is as fast as last year’s model appears to have been accomplished.

The ensuing Rubens love fest at both Sebring and Sonoma, along with the gnashing of gears at Texas, Sebring and soon to be Barber Motor Sports park (a gorgeous facility) are all setting the plate for the opener at St. Pete. As one mechanic said; “this is worse than giving birth”. I wonder how HE came to that conclusion, as if he could ever do so! I till want to know who can provide the actual number of miles that have been driven in testing? That number has to be staggering!

Now, onto a topic that is very near and dear to my heart; Winter Indy Tweetup. In my last installment, I gave well deserved props to Elizabeth Wurtz and Monica Hilton. These two ladies work their hearts out to make this a success and the 2012 edition of WIT was a smashing success. The twittersphere lite up like a Christmas tree and stayed in the wings back mode (thanks Pressdog!) all day and well into the evening. Starting early in the morning on the 25th, we all met at the new Dallara factory for a behind the scenes look at the first chassis. It is unbelievably interesting to see that beast up close and to actually lay on the hands……. Please enjoy the amateurish video!

Later in the day, the WIT attendees went kart racing at Fast Times Karting Center. The top 3 drivers got to race against none other than hizzhonour, the mayor of Hinchtown as well as Logan Gomez. Logan was kind enough to drive the 2 seater all morning for those that purchased an insanely discounted ride around the town of Speedway, Indiana. It was 26 degrees when the first rider took off and Logan hung in there all morning. Talk about cold feet! At any rate, I could not help but pull out my old Flip camera and take some video of the trouncing given to the wannabes…..Big fun for sure! Thanks for the great time and of course, see YOU next time.

GForcePaul