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#106 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 15 February 2017 - 05:19

Junkos Rejsing, Indi Lajt ekipa Argentinca Rikarda Junkosa, otkupila je ostatke ostataka KVRT tima i planira nastup na ovogodisnjem Indi 500, uz planove za ukljucivanje u kompletnu sezonu 2018.


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#107 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 16 February 2017 - 16:00

Newgarden_test_16x9MP.jpg

PRUETT: IndyCar Phoenix test rewind
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Marshall Pruett (words and images)


What We Learned

Using lap speeds from the Phoenix open test in 2016 and last week's visit to PIR as our guide, there's every reason to believe the upcoming IndyCar season will look and feel very familiar to the one that ended in September. Buckle in for more Chevy domination.

And really, why would we expect anything different? The series' decision to freeze aero kit development at the end of 2016 locked Chevy and Honda teams into using the exact same aerodynamic packages that tilted the win column 14-2 in the Bowtie's favor. And for what it's worth, there's nothing negative in anything you just read; it's just a common sense outcome based on the rules created by IndyCar.

Helio_Phoenix_MP.jpg

Chevy's high-downforce Road Course/Short Oval (RC/SO) aero kit was the key to its dominance last year, and based on the 2016 schedule where 13 of 16 races – 81 percent – were held using RC/SOs, it made sense that Chevy won all 13 (and the superspeedway at Pocono as a low-downforce bonus).

Looking ahead, 13 of IndyCar's 17 races require the frozen RC/SOs. If you're the betting type, placing money on Chevy grabbing most or all of those 13 is plenty safe.

The one area where Honda showed a clear advantage was on the superspeedways, where it won two of IndyCar's three visits to big ovals (Indianapolis and Texas), and almost took the third at Pocono. Just as Honda will continue to work on taking some of the road/street course and short oval wins from Chevy, we know Chevy will work to a point of exhaustion to try and take Indy and Texas from Honda.

It means there could be a little bit of movement in the final win column between the brands, but in the grand championship scheme, Phoenix delivered a dose of reality on how the upcoming 17-race calendar will play out:

  • Where Chevy-powered cars locked out the top four on the timesheets at the conclusion of the two-day test in 2016, the Bowtie extended it to the top five in 2017.
  • Helio Castroneves' event-leading time and speed from the 2016 test was 19.2735s/190.894mph set in the daytime; Marco Andretti, the fastest Honda driver, turned a 19.3351s/190.286mph, but that lap was set in an odd low-downforce qualifying simulation run in the relative cool at night which gave a false read on the true performance gap. (Qualifying at Phoenix is held during the day in higher temperatures and generally slower conditions. Had Castroneves attempted a similar nighttime qualifying sim, the margin to Andretti would have been much bigger than the 0.0616s/0.608mph.)
  • Fast forward to 2017 and a proper comparison was made possible between JR Hildebrand's event-leading 19.0401s/193.234mph lap posted Saturday afternoon and the 19.2549s/191.079mph best from Honda's Mikhail Aleshin in the same session.
  • Chevy's 0.2148s/2.155mph advantage – especially on a one-mile oval with such a fast lap – was disheartening for those hoping to see a close fight this year.

    Hinch_phoenix_mp.jpg
  • Making matters worse was the fact that most of the Honda teams stripped their cars of Gurney flaps and every other stability-providing protrusion to shed downforce and drag during their qualifying simulations.
  • Hildebrand's 193.234mph lap – faster than Helio Castroneves' pole record in 2016 – was achieved without going to similar extremes. Chevy's RC/SO aero kit made ample downforce with remarkably little drag when it was first introduced, and with the freeze in mind, the peerless work by Chevy's aerodynamicists allows its teams to win poles and races without forfeiting comfort or drivability.
  • If that comes across as evidence of sandbagging by Chevy, I actually look at it in a different way: Everyone knows how fast the Bowtie cars were last year on road/street courses and short ovals; if maintaining that lead does not require trimming down to super-low downforce levels to beat Honda, why bother? More than a few Honda drivers crashed at Phoenix while trying qualifying simulations; Chevy drivers had no need to swing for the fences in order to stay atop the field.
  • Simply put, Honda's RC/SO, with its higher base level of downforce and drag, requires its teams to push the envelope by removing Gurney flaps and dropping wing angles to get close to the speeds Chevy teams can achieve in relative comfort. When one brand is able to lead the timesheets with ease, and the other is taking risks and still ends up well short of its rival, it's easy to suggest the 13 events that call for the RC/SO package will lead to another rout by the Bowtie.
  • Knowing that some drivers moved from Chevy to Honda and others from Honda to Chevy, it was interesting to hear newfound levels of appreciation expressed for what each aero kit package was like at Phoenix. For some who used the Chevy RC/SO to their advantage in 2016 and were learning the habits of Honda's RC/SO, there was an understanding of why one camp thrived and the other camp put in heroic drives to deal with the shortcomings. And for some who went the other direction, there was an "aha" moment as to why the Chevy drivers rarely looked stressed or concerned last year.
RHR_Phoenix_MP.jpg

MORE DATA

In another obvious expectation stemming from the aero kit freeze, sector times and speeds from last week's test all but mirror those from 2016. Using Session 3 – the Saturday afternoon outing where most of the best speeds were generated at the 2017 event, Chevys were comfortably fastest in the 12 sectors.

Chevy has eight full-time entries in 2017, and on overall lap time, six of those cars were inside the top eight at Phoenix (first through fifth, and eighth). Only the two A.J. Foyt Racing Chevys – both drivers new to the brand after switching from Honda – were outside the top 10 on lap time, and again in the 12 sectors. Given more time to learn the Chevy engine and aero kit, the Foyt team will move closer to its stablemates, so we will concentrate on the six fastest Chevy entries – four from Team Penske and the two from ECR.

JR_at_Phoenix_MP.jpg

From Session 3, the ECR/Penske six ranked 1-2-3-4-5-6 in seven of the 12 sectors. Owing to the aforementioned low drag in Chevy's RC/SO, two sectors stood out where a small slice was taken entering Turn 1 and again at Turn 3 just as drivers start to turn into the corners at the end of Phoenix's straights. Those sectors reveal how much speed drivers carry into the turns, and as one might expect by now, ECR and Penske owned those segments.

The short Turn 1 turn-in sector for Session 3 had Hildebrand P1 with a 194.066mph while Honda's fastest man, Sebastien Bourdais, went through at 191.926mph, down 2.15mph. Entering Turn 3, it was Ed Carpenter's turn to lead the sector with a best of 196.973mph to Bourdais' 194.532mph, down 2.44mph.

There were some sectors, mostly in the corners, where some Hondas got closer to the best Chevys, but in every instance, the Chevy drivers would pull away leaving the corners, extend the lead on the straight, and carry more speed into Turn 1 and Turn 3.

PARTING SHOTS

Outside of the highly revealing performance figures, the Phoenix test had great energy throughout the paddock, and as a whole, there's a strong feeling within the series that IndyCar is gaining traction in a packed sports entertainment world. The one glaring question the series might need to answer after Phoenix, however, is whether that traction will continue thanks to preserving Chevy's big RC/SO advantage through the aero kit freeze.

As excited as Honda teams and drivers are about where IndyCar is headed when the attractive new universal bodywork arrives, 2017 is primed to be a carbon copy of the RC/SO smackdown. Sure, Honda could win a few extra races, but as Phoenix confirmed, its offseason engine development and months of hardcore aero simulation work did not result in any measurable gains. And in light of the limited number of engine development areas open to Chevy and Honda during the offseason, a giant leap from Honda was never going to be realistic. With such a big RC/SO hole for Honda to dig out of, the timing of the freeze during a year where monster engine gains aren't possible all but sealed its fate.

And Chevy certainly didn't stand still with its engine and aero efforts to make it easy on its arch rival. Chevy has done everything it should by building a better RC/SO package than Honda, risen to the top, earned the Manufacturers' title for five consecutive seasons and can start planning the celebrations for number six.

Provided the series' management team sees it as an issue, the only concern here is the lack of mystery awaiting IndyCar fans. Will the TV numbers and attendance figures continue to grow if the new season looks and feels identical to the last? How many ECR and Penske wins are on the horizon? If IndyCar wants to keep its fans engaged in a season-long manufacturer duel, its marketing team could be pushed to its creative limits. 

Look for more great racing throughout the field; it's a hallmark of IndyCar, but thanks to the aero kit freeze, a proper grudge match between auto manufacturers will have to wait until the universal bodywork arrives. At that point, it will be engine against engine, and there will be no excuses if one brand fails to deliver. 

Now that we know the competitive gap from 2016 did not decrease, 2017 will be a dream season for Chevy teams, drivers, sponsors and fans. How that dream will affect the rest of the Verizon IndyCar Series remains to be seen.

 


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#108 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 17 February 2017 - 15:39

2017_I500_500Ticket1_1600x800.jpg

 

Karta za 101. Indi 500. Jos tacno 100 dana do starta!


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#109 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 17 February 2017 - 15:55

I zvanicno, KVRT zatvara radnju:
 

In response to the speculation surrounding the future of their Verizon IndyCar Series team, KV Racing Technology co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser issued the following statement Thursday:

"I want to thank all those who have written to express their appreciation of the efforts of KV Racing Technology during the last 14 years," said Kalkhoven. "However, as I approach 73, I feel I can no longer give the team the effort and support it and the team members deserve.

"I have really enjoyed my time in the series, helping with reunification [of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car] and of course winning the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500!

"It is my firm belief that the series is on a major upswing under the leadership of Mark Miles and Jay Frye and has a bright future. I remain committed to help in any way I can, particularly in encouraging new owners and sponsors. In particular Ricardo Juncos, to whom we will be offering our support.

RACER reported earlier this week that Indy Lights team owner Juncos is purchasing two Indy cars from KV Racing with a view to running this year's Indianapolis 500.

"To all the fans who follow the series, and cheered for KVRT, my heartfelt thanks and please spread the good word about the fantastic sport we have," Kalkhoven added.

Vasser and Kalkhoven with their 2013 Indianapolis 500 trophiesIndianapolis-based KV Racing Technology was founded in January 2003 by venture capitalist Kalkhoven and 1996 IndyCar champion Vasser, and joined the IndyCar Series following the reunification in 2008. In the course of its 14 seasons of IndyCar competition the team made 464 starts, winning seven races, including the 2013 Indianapolis 500. Five of the team's wins came in the last four seasons, including last year at Detroit with Sebastien Bourdais, (pictured, top). KV drivers visited the podium 29 times with 76 top-five finishes, 182 top-10s and eight pole positions.

"First and foremost I want to thank all the fans who have supported the team over the years," said Vasser. "I also want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven for giving me the special and unique opportunity to transition from a driver to a team owner while I was still driving.

"I am very proud to have been a part of this team and I will always cherish all the great people and drivers we worked side-by-side with to achieve our successes. It has been a journey of many ups and downs, but I will always remember winning the 2013 Indy 500.

"IndyCar racing has been a part of my life for 25 years, it is in my soul and it will be interesting to see where it takes me from here."

 
Lista ugasenih Indikar timova od IRL-CCWS ujedinjenja 2008 naovamo, hronoloski:
 
- Bek Motorsports (IRL)
- Vizn Rejsing (IRL)
- FAZZT (IRL)
- Konkvest Rejsing (CCWS)
- Njumen/Has (CCWS)
- HVM (CCWS)
- Dragon Rejsing (IRL)
- Panter Rejsing (IRL)
- Drejer & Rejnbold Rejsing (IRL - jos uvek nastupaju na Indi 500)
- SFR (IRL - danas transformisan u tim ECR)
- BHA (Indikar - danas utopljen u Andreti Autosport)
- KVRT (CCWS)
 
Od nekadasnjih CCWS timova koji su se 2008. ukljucili u ujedinjeni Indikar sampionat danas jos opstaje samo Dejl Kojn Rejsing.
 
Sa druge strane, ovo sto gledamo danas u Indikaru definitivno nije IRL ni po stilu trkanja ni po izboru staza, vec je mnogo vise nalik pokojnom CCWS, a dogodine nakon redizajna bolida bice to jos vise.
 
Evo sta Kojn kaze na sve ovo:

Dale Coyne warns that affordability needs to factor into every decision that IndyCar makes if smaller teams are going to continue to remain viable in the future.

Twelve full-time teams have either closed, merged, or scaled their programs back in the 10 years since unification in 2008, while potential new owners that have attempted to join the series to replace them have frequently run into insurmountable financial or logistical barriers.

Three teams – Penske, Ganassi and Andretti – now run more than half the field, and Coyne says that IndyCar needs to find a way to bring costs down to make it possible for new teams to join the paddock.

"We lost a team this year in KV; that's sad to see that team go," Coyne (pictured) told RACER. "But we're still surviving despite ourselves. I think that IndyCar's management needs to be careful, and every decision they make needs to be based on, is it good for the show, and does it save the teams money. The value equation is not there yet; we can't get sponsors at the value of the cost to run the car. Until those things align, it's always going to be a little shaky. But if they keep those objectives in mind, I think we'll be OK.

"The biggest obstacle for new teams right now is cost. Carlin's a good example – Trevor Carlin is a guy who has made his whole career out of selling rides, and he wants to make the jump here. But this is a big jump. This is four or five times the size of any series he's in now, cost-wise. Drivers don't have that kind of budget, so teams have to have some money of their own, or find money, or find sponsorship, to make it work. Formula 1 has the same problem.

"But we need some new teams. You've got three teams here that run over half the field, so that's a scary situation."

Despite his concerns, Coyne believes that IndyCar is aware of the problems, and says that he's been particularly encouraged since former NASCAR team owner Jay Frye was appointed to IndyCar's head competition and operations role in 2015.

"I think it's good that you have Jay Frye there, a former team owner, because he understands the challenges of being a team owner," he said. "That's very healthy. I have a lot of time for Jay – he understands what we're all up against."

In the meantime, Coyne is looking forward to what he hopes will be a resurgent season for DCR. Its driver line-up was secured during the winter, with Sebastien Bourdais returning to the team to partner Indy Lights champion Ed Jones (below), while the back room has been reinforced with the arrival of veteran race engineers Craig Hampson and Olivier Boisson, both of whom have a close relationship with Bourdais after having worked with the Frenchman in the past.

"It's nice to have two good guys like this done early, and the engineering improvements that we've made ... we've spent a lot of money, but hopefully we get a return from it all," Coyne said.

"I think it's going to be a good year. It's a good environment for Ed to come into, having Seb above him, and the improvements we've made in the engineering department and to the cars, so I think it's going to work out good for everybody."


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#110 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 21 February 2017 - 15:16

IMSA ace Derani to test IndyCar for Schmidt Peterson
By: David Malsher, US Editor
Yesterday at 10:39pm

 

Pipo Derani is to test for Schmidt Peterson Motorsport next month, alongside AutoGP champion Luis Michael Dorrbecker.

Derani, who won last year’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring for Extreme Speed Motorsport, is this season racing a Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT in the World Endurance Championship’s first three rounds – Silverstone, Spa, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

However, Schmidt Peterson Motorsport will test the 23-year-old Brazilian, as well as Dorrbecker, on Wednesday, March 1 at Sebring’s short course.

Team co-owner Sam Schmidt told Motorsport.com: “We actually tested Pipo three or four years ago in Indy Lights and thought he was an outstanding young driver, but we just couldn’t put the deal together for Lights. So he floated around that year and ended up in sportscars and I think he truly proved himself.

“I’ve had a relationship with [ESM Racing’s] Ed Brown for 15 years, so when he started ESM’s deal with Pipo, I told him I thought it would work out well for him, and it certainly has. But Pipo has always wanted to race open-wheel.

“If you think about it, it could be like the situation with Simon [Pagenaud]. He left open-wheel, gained maturity and experience in sportscars and came back very strong.

“So this is a great back-to-back opportunity to test, with almost everyone testing at Sebring on Feb. 28th, and then these two guys and the track being available also on March 1st. We have high hopes for both Pipo and Dorrbecker – it’s all about looking toward the future.”

Asked whether that future could be as soon as this season, given Schmidt’s vague references to possibly running a third car, he said: “Possibly. Both guys would love to do open-wheel at this level so maybe two or three races after Indy. We’d look at road courses to ease them into the program. We have contract rights for both of them, this year and next year.

“But when I said for the future, I was thinking a bit further ahead. For example, we expect and wish to have a longterm relationship with both of our two existing drivers [James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin], but we have to consider also that they’re out of contract at the end of this year.”

Regarding the driver of SPM's #77 car at this year’s Indianapolis 500, which was recently confirmed as being backed by the Tony Stewart Foundation, Schmidt said that no final choice had been made.

“There’s been a few people they’ve put forward, a few people we’ve put forward, but I don’t have a contract yet. I’ve been on the road for two weeks, but I’ll figure it out this week, just so we can get it finalized and move on. I’d say an announcement is seven-to-ten days out.”


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#111 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 21 February 2017 - 18:10

Junkos zvanicno potvrdio ucesce na ovogodisnjem Indiju kao uvertiru za ful Indikar program:
 

Ricardo Juncos has officially confirmed his plans to enter the Verizon IndyCar Series with the Juncos Racing team starting in May at the 101st Indianapolis 500. As RACER revealed last week, the Argentinian purchased two cars from KV Racing with the intent of adding an IndyCar program to his championship-winning Mazda Road to Indy effort.

"I am so happy to officially announce our participation in the Verizon IndyCar Series," Juncos said. "This is a dream come true for me and my team. It's been only two months since our grand opening of the new Juncos Technical Center, which was a huge moment for us. Now we are becoming a new team in the Verizon IndyCar Series and will run in 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,' the Indianapolis 500. This is definitely one of the biggest moments in my life."

The KV team, which shut down its operation after more than a decade in the sport, has pledged its support for Juncos Racing's Indy 500 debut. One seat is known to be filled, and as of last week, Juncos was searching for a second funded driver to complete the program.

"It's always hard to identify the right moment and right time to make a big move and make big decisions in motor racing, but I am confident the timing is right and that we will succeed as we did in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series," Juncos said. "I want to thank (IndyCar CEO) Mark Miles and (IndyCar competition president) Jay Frye from the Verizon IndyCar Series for all of their help and confidence they have had in me and my team.

"I also want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven from KV Racing Technology. He has been extremely helpful during this transition and, with his continued support and help with all of his experience in racing, we are confident going into this next level. Thank you to my family and my team for giving me massive support throughout the years, and to all of the fans, thank you!."

Juncos Racing's drivers and engine partner will be announced at a later date. Both Dallara DW12s were purchased with Chevy superspeedway aero kits.


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#112 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 22 February 2017 - 21:34

Long Bic ostaje veran Indikar sampionatu, ne zanima ih prelazak u F1 zbog previsokih troskova organizacije trke:
 

IndyCar future at Long Beach secure - Kalkhoven
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
By Robin Miller / Images by LAT


For all the concerned IndyCar fans that Long Beach could be snapped up by Liberty Media and return to Formula 1, Kevin Kalkhoven has a message: relax.

"We haven't heard from anyone in F1 or negotiated with anyone in F1, but it's really not practical for us," said Kalkhoven, who co-owns the iconic street race's rights along with Gerald Forsythe and has a contract through 2018 with IndyCar.

"The real issue is that, together with the tens of millions of dollars for physical reconstruction of the circuit, paddock and pits, plus the tens of millions of dollars for the sanction fee – I believe COTA pays $25 million and Texas taxpayers subsidize that – the cost of the race would make the entrance fees for the L.A. families prohibitive. Together with the fact that they would never be allowed to be in the paddock and the costs of the Paddock Club would be $2,000-$3,000 per person, this would hardly be a 'thanks' to all the race fans who have made this event so successful.

"Would we talk to Formula 1? Sure. But I think everyone is pretty happy with the IndyCar race and it's not going anywhere."

Preparing for it's 43rd running on April 7-9, Long Beach began as a Formula 5000 race and switched to F1 from 1976-'83 before founder Chris Pook shocked Bernie Ecclestone and replaced F1 with CART Indy cars for 1984.

Attendance sagged during the Champ Car/Indy Racing League war when Kalkhoven and Forsythe got the rights to Long Beach and most of the top teams had defected to the IRL. But after Kalkhoven unified open-wheel racing with Tony George in 2008, the longest-running street race in the world next to Monaco has made a strong comeback in recent years and is easily IndyCar's pride and joy after Indianapolis.

"Last year was the biggest crowd Long Beach has had in some 20 years, 186,000 over three days, and this year's ticket sales are up," said the 73-year-old Australian (pictured) who announced last week that he was shutting down KV Racing after 14 years. "It's a good race but it's a great event and it's become part of IndyCar's heritage."

Still sponsored by Toyota (despite the fact it has no engine competing in the IndyCar race), this year's non-stop weekend of action consists of IMSA sports cars, Pirelli World Challenge, SST races, drifting and vintage Can-Am cars are replacing the celebrity race.

"Wait until people hear those 1,000-horsepower motors coming down Lakeshore," said Kalkhoven, who also owns Cosworth which is positioned to badge an Indy engine if a third manufacturer can be secured.

He's enjoying his winter in Florida but plans to be at Long Beach and possibly Indianapolis.

"I enjoyed most of the last 14 years, met a lot of good people and winning Indy (in 2013 with Tony Kanaan) was the pinnacle. There's a photo of me sitting all alone in the timing stand while everyone was celebrating and I was staring at the scoring tower as if to say: 'We won? We really won?'"


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#113 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 23 February 2017 - 21:12

A unique car swap between friends and countrymen will take place over the next month as Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe and Mercedes-Benz DTM ace Robert Wickens trade seats.

The Canadians will kick off the vehicle exchange on Feb. 28 at Sebring when former open-wheel standout Wickens gets his first taste of an IndyCar. The Torontonian, 27, will strap into Hinchcliffe's No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda and get a taste of the cars he should have driven after demonstrating serious talent in the Champ Car Atlantic series and on Europe's open-wheel ladder.

"James and I have been friends for years and this ride swap is something we've wanted to do for a long time," said Wickens, who is coming off a career-best fourth-place finish in the DTM championship. "We've seen some other drivers do it in the past - Formula 1 and NASCAR and all that - and we thought it would be a cool opportunity to do with DTM and IndyCar. It wasn't easy planning it and making everything work, but I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of driving his car. Everything aligned and here we are."

Hinchcliffe, 30, will take his turn in Wickens' HWA-run Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM car at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy after IndyCar's season opener in St. Petersburg is completed on March 12.

"Robbie comes from a single-seater background so he's raced at one level below IndyCar, and he's going to know roughly what he's getting himself into," Hinchcliffe said. "It's been a while, so I think it's going to be a big wakeup call, and I think he'll be very impressed with what the IndyCar has to offer. For me, I'm going to a country I've never raced in, on a track I've never been to, in a type of car I've only seen in person, so I think it's going to be a much bigger culture shock for me. We're just both super excited and thankful to all the parties involved for making it happen."


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#114 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 23 February 2017 - 21:15

Juncos.jpg

Juncos hits ground running with IndyCar team
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
By Robin Miller / Image by IndyCar


The ideal Indianapolis 500 for Juncos Racing would be to field two cars, preferably one with a veteran and one with a rookie, and then run all day and stay out of trouble.

"We have the capability to run two drivers because we have three cars, but I'm not in the position to announce anything yet, maybe in a couple of weeks," Ricardo Juncos told RACER on Wednesday. "I've been getting a lot of calls and having one driver with experience is obviously better but I feel we will end up with two drivers."
 
Speaking from his gorgeous new shop just off Main Street in Speedway, Juncos – who purchased KV Racing's cars and equipment a few days ago for his IndyCar debut in May – is flat out trying to hire a crew with IndyCar experience and select drivers while also maintaining his Indy Lights program.
 
"A lot of things are going on, and it's not easy but we have some good people in place and we need to hire more," said the 41-year-old native of Argentina. "I'm interviewing people every day. I got to make sure I can put together the best group of individuals to make the best of the situation.

"But everything is happening so fast. Two months ago I didn't know I would be getting ready for the greatest race in the world."

Since joining the Mazda Road to Indy ladder nine years ago, Juncos Racing has scored a pair of Pro Mazda titles with Conor Daly (2010) and Spencer Pigot (2014) and claimed the 2015 Indy Lights crown with Pigot.

Yet the newest owner in the Verizon IndyCar Series knows IMS presents his biggest challenge. A tandem of somebody with Ryan Briscoe's chops teamed with rookie Kyle Kaiser – the latter will run the Lights series for Juncos – would be optimum.

"We have the experience with Indy Lights but it's difficult for us to really, really understand around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," he continued. "It's a unique track that requires experience. Tough course with experienced driver can be a lot of positive for us that we can learn from. They can lead the engineers, they can lead the team as well.

"But sometimes you got to deal with reality, right? You can imagine if this was the optimal, what would be the ideal situation. Sometimes that cannot happen. So at the moment we're still looking. We are obviously trying to make the best decision possible."

Juncos will not operate a Pro Mazda team in 2017 but will have a two-car Lights team and possibly will do a little sports car racing. He's hoping he can run more than the Indy 500, but it's one step at a time for now.

"My goal is to go to the 500, and that's going to be our first experience ever, at least for me, for my own guys here," he said. "For me as a team owner, I have so many questions, but I don't have the answers because I going to find the answers myself. I don't want to listen to any answers. I just want to experience.

"So my expectation is to try not to make mistakes as a team obviously on the tire change and the pit stops. The strategy, if we can finish the race, to be honest, any position, that will be our goal."


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Posted 24 February 2017 - 17:48

Taylor fast on IndyCar test debut with Penske
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Marshall Pruett / Image by LAT


American sports car star Ricky Taylor got his long-awaited run in an IndyCar with Team Penske on Thursday at the Homestead-Miami road course. The newest winner of IMSA's Rolex 24 at Daytona was part of talks to test an Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy IndyCar in recent years, but the first opportunity came with Penske in Simon Pagenaud's championship-winning No. 1 entry.

"Looking at the car with the No. 1 on it was surreal," the second-generation driver told RACER. "It was a lot of nerves to start because you want to drive for the best teams, you want to be a professional, you want to show them what you can do in one day without making mistakes and giving good feedback. So many drivers would love a shot like this with a championship-winning team, so all I wanted was to do a good job for them."

Taylor, who has driven Chevy-powered racecars for most of his career, says getting acclimated to the Dallara DW12-Chevy Indy car came quickly.

"The Team Penske Chevy was a blast to drive; the car gives you so much confidence," he added. "It's all about the little details of how much downforce you're running, the short braking distances, and everyone's running around the same terminal velocity, so the margins you're looking for are so tiny. It's the same in every series, but in IndyCar, the margins are really small.

"You always build things like this [first IndyCar test] up in your head, but you need to treat it just like another car to be able to drive it in anger. In the end, it was just a blast, and working with Team Penske was better than I could have imagined."

Taylor, who shares the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R with his brother Jordan, is believed to have come close to matching the best time set by Pagenaud. The 27-year-old Floridian attributed his extra pace to favorable track conditions.

"Even if I didn't have a reference lap from somebody of the caliber of Simon, it was great, but he only got a couple of laps in the morning and the track got better when I did my best lap in the afternoon, so it was easier to run my pace," he explained.

In an interesting historical note, Taylor and new Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden raced against each other while starting out in open-wheel competition. Prior to the eventual direction change that sent Taylor to racing prototypes in Grand-Am and IMSA, the two were equally matched in their formative years.

"It was funny to see Josef in the Penske shop during my seat fitting because I haven't seen him a bunch since our Skip Barber days," he said. "We spent a lot of time together back then, and had a lot of great races together, but those cars are a lot different from an Indy car."

Although Team Penske's house is currently full on the IndyCar side, there could be an opening if Helio Castroneves ever decides to retire. And with Penske in the midst of preparations to field a factory Daytona Prototype international effort for Honda, other opportunities within the organization could exist for Taylor.

"The biggest thing I was working on was giving value and feedback to the team," said Taylor, who wouldn't be drawn on either subject. "I got to help with their test plan for the day and to assist with the chassis, which is all I was focusing on."


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#116 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 25 February 2017 - 01:43

Only 14 days until the gates open for the first official practice of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg!


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#117 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 27 February 2017 - 22:24

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IndyCar 2018 universal bodywork development update
Monday, 27 February 2017
Marshall Pruett / Images by LAT
 

Continual progress is being made with IndyCar's new-for-2018 universal bodywork. The process began last year on the Phoenix oval and at the Mid-Ohio road course gave the series' technical department a chance to have teams run with and without a number of pieces on the cars to evaluate a new direction it had in mind.

Three key items were set in motion based on the data and driver feedback generated at those tests: Shifting a significant portion of Road Course/Short Oval (RC/SO) downforce production away from using an abundance of wings atop the cars, reducing the overall RC/SO downforce, and reimagining the look of an Indy car emerged as directions the series would follow.

Fewer wings will adorn the universal bodywork; the Dallara DW12's underwing will be relied upon to play a greater role in making RC/SO downforce and, as a package, the 2018 cars will have a decreased maximum downforce figure to work with. A new shape will also come with the bodywork as a low Champ Car-style engine cover and other visual enhancements will mark a clear direction change for the series.

The pace of turning the three main alterations into reality continues to grow, according to IndyCar competition president Jay Frye, as wind tunnel testing is currently taking place with a scale model.

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"From those [track] tests then we started designing a car," Frye said. "And we took almost the reverse engineering approach, but we had data to support it, but we did all the stuff we wanted to talk about, with the lower engine cover, and again the rear guards, what do you do with those? [We've tried] on [and] off, that type of thing, so we've come up with some different scenarios.

"So since then we've taken all of our drawings, our data, there's been a couple scale model tunnel [runs] that have went very well, actually surprising well. They exceeded expectations – so far we feel like we're on a good path."

The 2018 universal bodywork design project, which has included direction and oversight from Frye's senior IndyCar competition team members, is moving closer to dressing a DW12 with the new panels to start full-scale testing.

"We had really good people working on this project – Bill Pappas and Tino Belli – but you don't know until you run it," he said. "Even at this point, the [wind tunnel] numbers are great and encouraging in a scale model wind tunnel. The next step is a full-scale tunnel, then the next step is track testing. So far, we're checking off all the boxes. We still have a ways to go."

The exact date could shift, but Frye expects the first track test with the 2018 universal kit to take place somewhere before or after IndyCar's visit to Mid-Ohio July 28-30.

"End of July, first of August hopefully, will be the first step, we hope," he said. "Again, sometimes when you put in a timeline you're just setting yourself up to fail, but so far we feel like we're probably ... there's things we're behind schedule on but there's things we're ahead of schedule on because again so far the wind tunnel numbers have come back encouraging. So we're shooting for that general time frame to get a car on the track."

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Once track testing ramps up, new investigations into the raceability of the 2018 RC/SO package will be carried out. By eliminating some of the topside wings, dialing up the underside downforce, and embracing a more streamlined (and lower drag) shape, Frye hopes to find IndyCar's drivers can closer together and complete more passes due to running in less turbulent air.

"That's absolutely what it is," Frye said of the series' goal. "Just to create more underwing ... the downforce is generated by the underwing, not everything on the top. Again, what we did on the track testing was that. We took stuff off and put it on the bottom to see how it would react, how they could up, how they could pass, that type of thing. It went just as we expected, what we were hoping for. So that's what's all been built into the car.

"Especially for these [short] ovals and road courses, there will be an overall reduction in downforce, too. So that's part of this too. To get some downforce out of the car."

Despite the rapid progress, Frye says there's still work to do on the final RC/SO design to meet the series' aerodynamic performance criteria.

"The car in its current configuration has probably a little more drag than we anticipated," he said. "That's one of the things we've talking about having to work through. But not bad. The drag numbers [have] become very important, too. The biggest target we've had is the overall downforce numbers. The [Chevy and Honda RC/SO aero kit] downforce numbers are very high and we're trying to get them back in a reasonable area."

The exact downforce and drag numbers for the universal kit won't be known until the RC/SO package is finalized. Whether it's a 10 percent cut, 20 percent, or more from the 5500 pounds of downforce teams currently have at their disposal will be a point of interest for teams and drivers, as will the drop in drag numbers.

One thing Frye's team is not pursuing, however, is a radical cut in downforce that would make the cars into dragsters that lumber through corners. With something in the region of 700-750 hp in RC/SO trim and a healthy amount of downforce expected to be retained with the universal kit, high-speed cornering should be harder starting in 2018 while still being impressive to watch.

"This thing won't have 900 horsepower, where you can do a drag race down the straightaways then you've got to slam on the brakes ... [and see] who's the bravest one to drive it in the farthest. That's not what we're going for either," Frye said.

"So there's some balance between where we're at and that. We'll be in the middle of that."


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#118 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 15:20

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IndyCar seeks international, domestic expansion
Monday, 27 February 2017
By Marshall Pruett / Images by LAT


Verizon IndyCar Series CEO Mark Miles continues to look for opportunities to start the season in February at destinations outside North America. At least one venue in South America is rumored to be on IndyCar's radar, and numerous tracks in Europe, Asia and Australia have been mentioned as possibilities to host the open-wheel series.

The desire to add international events that would be held prior to the start of the regular IndyCar season would add exposure for the series, but more importantly, Miles views the trips abroad as a way to help the cash-strapped teams in the paddock.

"For us, international races at the beginning of the year still matter," Miles said of the non-championship events. "The first thing to know is, we're talking about February, we're talking about a limited number – I think maybe two, someday – and we believe that that market will allow us to pay the teams more."

Miles envisions an increase in IndyCar's Leader Circle payouts to each full-time entry would be made, and with the costs of travel covered to some degree, international races could result in a positive cash flow for team owners.

"We've told the teams, if we get what we're looking for in the marketplace, it'll be $200,000 bucks a car per race. And then subsidized, if not completely, subsidized logistical expense," Miles added.

"If we got two of those, and you move from [an annual Leader Circle payout of a] little under $1 million to $1.4 million [per car], it's not insignificant for all the teams. Especially, two- or three-, or four-car teams."

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Depending on the level of travel support, and whether teams would be able to secure sponsors for international events – a problem that became increasingly hard to ignore in the final years of the former street race in Sao Paulo, Brazil (pictured, top), the concept of new international events could also hold limited appeal for some within the IndyCar paddock. 

Andretti Herta Autosport co-owner Bryan Herta, whose entry would welcome more funding, sees the pros and cons of going international.

"Personally, I would like to do international races because I love to travel and it's exciting, but it's a lot more work for the teams I do think," he told RACER. "As long as we remain a North American championship, there's nothing wrong with doing it if it helps," 

"The value-for-sponsors part can be a thing to think about, but it really depends on the sponsors you already have. I don't know if on our No. 98 car with NAPA Auto Parts, if international races would help unless they do business in a country we're going to, but it would for one of our other sponsors, Castrol. I think it would be like that for most teams.

"And, can we open an opportunity to sell some new sponsorship to new sponsors in that region of the world? In CART, when we raced in Canada or Mexico, we had great support from sponsors and picked up interesting drivers who came in that broadened our horizon. If we're going to great venues and bringing IndyCar racing to new audiences, I'm all for it."

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On the domestic front, IndyCar has 17 races on the calendar this year – an increase from the 16 held in 2016. Asked if the number of North American races could expand beyond 17 in the near future – separate from any international growth –  IndyCar competition president Jay Frye (pictured, left, with Miles) says it's being considered.

"I think step one was to get to the point where we're at now, where there's consistency the next couple of years where we have the 17 races, we have the calendars pretty set; that part's done," he said. "And then geographically, what's important, where are there holes in our current schedule, what is the total amount that we want to go to?

"It appears that 20 [races] was always the bogey, but this is all very debatable. You wouldn't want to just have 20 races to have 20 races. We've got [16 events with 17 races] now, promoters that are great partners and that we're really excited about, so if you added one or two [races], they would have to fit in the windows that are open and there would have to be some sort of excitement to the opportunity."

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Frye has been instrumental in bringing tracks that once held open-wheel races back to the schedule, and with the return of Gateway, Phoenix (pictured), Road America and Watkins Glen, a few regional holes remain. Tracks in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, places the CART and Champ Car series once visited with great regularity, are among the once-popular stops to be considered if IndyCar moves beyond 17 races. Frye pointed to Phoenix as an example of what could be possible elsewhere.

"We're reintroducing ourselves to this area," he said of the one-mile Arizona oval. "This place was built for IndyCar racing in 1964. It was important ... it felt great to come back here. There's Road America, here, Watkins Glen, you look at some of those other areas that we used to go to that were important and impactful. Why couldn't they be again?"

Like Frye, Herta believes IndyCar is in the right place to look at growing its footprint.

"We have a stable schedule now – more stability to our ship," said the two-time Indy 500-winning team owner. "We're in a better position to ask those questions and consider those possibilities than in the past."


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#119 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 18:54

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IndyCar expects single aeroscreen in 2018
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Marshall Pruett / Image by IMS Photo


After a year-long evaluation of options, the Verizon IndyCar Series appears to have a final direction for its cockpit protection device. Using input from its drivers, IndyCar's competition department expressed an initial belief that multiple aerocreens would be required to provide clear sightlines from the cockpit when switching between flat and banked circuits. That belief has been revised, according to IndyCar competition president Jay Frye, who expects a single aeroscreen device to serve the drivers' needs at every track when it is introduced in 2018.

"We have numerous things we've worked at, looked at," he said. "We're honing in on one that seems to be the best that could work wherever we go."

In addition to the aeroscreen, which has been chosen over the halo-style device being tested in Formula 1, IndyCar will add more fortification to the sides of the Dallara DW12 cockpit to improve drive safety. Along with new universal bodywork that will replace the current aero kits made by Chevy and Honda, the look of a Verizon IndyCar Series machine will be radically different than what is in use today.

"Going forward with the '18 car, we're working on side impact protection, we're going to have more of that," Frye added. "We're full-speed ahead."

IndyCar's aeroscreen could be on a Dallara DW12 as early as late July or August when track testing begins with the new 2018 universal bodywork. And if it's not part of those outings, Frye is confident it will be on a car later in the year.

"Hopefully, yes; I don't know if it will be on [for] that [first round of tests], but before the end of the year it will be on, yes," he said. "We've come a long way, we think, in the [aeroscreen] material; we think we've come a long way in the application; we think we've come a long way on the mechanics of how you can structurally put something on the car correctly. We're making good progress."

Under Frye's direction, IndyCar's competition department has gained newfound respect within the paddock for its open and collaborative approach to most topics. Asked if IndyCar would mandate the use of the aeroscreen, or if it would seek feedback from its teams to determine whether it should be used, Frye described something akin to a mandate similar to the 2018 universal bodywork that will use paddock input to shape the final product.

"I think like everything we try to do, we've got a lot of very smart people in this paddock," he said. "Once we get [ready] with the universal kit, we're going to get it to a certain point, and we're getting close to that, where we're going to get lots of input from them. 'What about this, do we want that, do we not want that, this piece, that one?', that kind of thing.

"The [aeroscreen is the] same thing. We're full-speed ahead with this project. Once we get it to certain point, then we're going to get the teams involved and see ... the cause and effect. We're going to do all we can do, then it's going to be great to have their input going forward."

Following recent comments from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar driver Mikhail Aleshin, who panned extra safety modifications like the aeroscreen, Frye was asked if abandoning the aeroscreen and leaving IndyCar's open cockpits untouched was ever considered. His answer hints at what could emerge on DW12s later this year.

"So, I think it's a polarizing subject," he said. "There are people who think 'well, this is an open cockpit IndyCar!' Well there's one [aeroscreen] application where you can put something on a car, and really I don't even know if you're really going to notice it that much. So maybe that's the balance where it does create much more protection than there is now, but it still manages to have the open cockpit feel, look, integrity."


Edited by Rad-oh-yeah?, 28 February 2017 - 18:54.

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#120 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 01 March 2017 - 13:33

Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda flexed their muscles Tuesday at Sebring, Florida in the final open test before IndyCar's season opener on March 12 at St. Pete.

Scott Dixon turned a lap of 51.13s, which was just a couple tenths better than teammate Charlie Kimball's 51.42, who was a tenth better than Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan, who was fourth fastest of the 16 cars with a 51.75-second lap.

"Scott ran a low 51 in the afternoon and we think it was about four-tenths quicker than Will [Power] and we really don't know why," said Mike Hull, the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing, whose team switched to Hondas this season. "Chevrolet may have been playing games, who knows, but they're always a little conservative in this environment so I wouldn't read a lot into it. And it was [Simon] Pagenaud, Dixie and Power this morning and they were all within a tenth of each other.

"But we had a good day. Max [Chilton] and Charlie [Kimball] ran well and T.K. [Tony Kanaan] held his own."

Power turned a 51.75 in his Verizon Chevy and defending IndyCar champ Simon Pagenaud (quickest in the morning session) was close behind at 51.77 along with teammates Helio Castroneves (51.79) and Josef Newgarden (51.93). Newgarden had the flu and ran less than 20 laps.

Hull was quick to point out that being fast at Sebring doesn't always transfer to being quick at St. Pete.

"We worked hard on our street course and road course setups this winter because we know we have to do a much better job than we did last year," continued Hull, whose perennial powerhouse only scored two wins in 2016 (both by Dixon) at Phoenix and Watkins Glen. "Of course Sebring is a funny place because it grips up so much and St. Pete has no rubber and takes an hour and half to get any grip at all.
"So you can have a great car at Sebring and a terrible car at St. Pete."

Despite breaking a couple ribs last Sunday when he fell at his farm, A.J. Foyt showed up to watch Conor Daly and Carlos Munoz.

"It hurts to cough, sneeze or laugh but I can be just as miserable here as I am at home," said the 82-year-old IndyCar legend whose ABC Supply team switched to Chevrolet this year. "I wanted to see my boys run and we spent all day trying different things for road courses and I think we made some progress, I think Conor was ninth or 10th but we weren't trying to break any track records and they kept their nose clean and learned some things."

Andretti Autosport and Sebastien Bourdais are scheduled to test Wednesday.

 


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