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101. Indi 500


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#1 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 26 April 2017 - 14:36

Blizi se i Mesec Maj, koji ce ove sezone nezvanicno poceti 3. maja, nakon najvece medijske bombe u skorije vreme kada je objavljeno da ce se ove godine u 'Najvecem spektaklu auto-trkanja' takmiciti i dvostruki F1 sampion sveta Fernando Alonso. Naime, on ce na ovaj dan imati svoj prvi celodnevni test u Indikar bolidu na ovalu u Indijanapolisu.
 
Zvanicno, sve startuje nakon VN Indijanapolisa na 'redovnoj' kofiguraciji IMS 13. maja, kada pocinju dvonedeljni treninzi koji ce kulminitari trkom koja je na programu 28. maja.
 
Za pocetak, evo trenutne liste potvrdjenih ucesnika:
 

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Insight: Indy 500 grid update
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Marshall Pruett / Images by LAT


The Verizon IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are tantalizingly close to having its field of 33 for the Indy 500.

Recent confirmations of Zach Veach for AJ Foyt Racing, plus Fernando Alonso and Jack Harvey for Andretti Autosport and Andretti/Michael Shank Racing have locked down the remaining Honda-powered entries on the grid. The remaining question marks, all found within the Chevy camp, is where the last three entries will help set the field.

We're confident enough to say that 32 cars will be in line to qualify, but the 33rd could require a lot of help to make it a reality.

With opening practice at the Speedway just 20 days away, here's where the grid stands (listed by car count, driver and engine):

AJ FOYT RACING
Count, Driver, Engine
1. Conor Daly, Chevy
2. Carlos Munoz, Chevy
3. Zach Veach, Chevy

The Foyt team will help Ohio's Zach Veach make his Indy 500 debut in its third car. The team also purchased a spare Dallara DW12 at auction—the one used by Stefan Wilson with KV Racing last year—to have at its disposal.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT/ANDRETTI-HERTA/ANDRETTI-MCLAREN/ANDRETTI-SHANK
4. Marco Andretti, Honda
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda
6. Alexander Rossi, Honda
7. Takuma Sato, Honda
8. Fernando Alonso, Honda
9. Jack Harvey, Honda

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Michael Andretti's team has become the co-opt kings with half of its Indy 500 entries run in partnership with another team or team owner. Along with the Andretti-Herta entry for defending Indy winner Alexander Rossi, the team has added a monster program for Fernando Alonso under the Andretti-McLaren banner that will have Eric Bretzman engineering the car. Honda factory sports car entrant Michael Shank Racing has also partnered with Andretti to run its sixth entry for Harvey, leaving Andretti to run five cars with its personnel and MSR to staff Harvey. Zach Eakin will engineer Harvey's entry.

CHIP GANASSI RACING
10. Max Chilton, Honda
11. Scott Dixon, Honda
12. Tony Kanaan, Honda
13. Charlie Kimball, Honda

DALE COYNE RACING
14. Sebastien Bourdais, Honda
15. Ed Jones, Honda
16. Pippa Mann, Honda

Despite holding talks with multiple drivers, Honda's 18th and final engine lease for the Andretti-Shank entry has ended any hopes for a fourth DCR (or Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) effort.

lat_nelson_indy_05270783.jpg

HARDING RACING
17. Gabby Chaves, Chevy

IndyCar veteran Gabby Chaves will lead the new Harding Racing team that has formed a technical partnership with Dennis Reinbold's Dreyer & Reinbold Racing program.

DREYER & REINBOLD RACING
18. Sage Karam, Chevy

ED CARPENTER RACING
19. Ed Carpenter, Chevy
20. JR Hildebrand, Chevy

The team has held firm to its plans to run two cars at Indy. Hildebrand should be healed in time for practice, and unless the 33rd entry falls through, it's unlikely ECR would put a third car in the show to help IndyCar complete the grid.

JUNCOS RACING
21. TBD, Chevy
22. TBD, Chevy

Ricardo Juncos has become the central focus for two of the three spots left to fill. Plenty of speculation has surrounded the team in recent weeks, with Juncos Indy Lights driver Kyle Kaiser said to be in one car, then out, and now, possibly, back in. Juncos all-star Spencer Pigot, who won championships in every Mazda Road to Indy category with the team before graduating to IndyCar, is another driver rumored to be in line for one of the two entries. 2012 Indy 500 polesitter Ryan Briscoe has also been mentioned as a veteran candidate, and would have a hole in his IMSA calendar, where he races a factory Ford GT for Chip Ganassi Racing, to participate. Whether his Ford ties would scuttle racing a Chevy-powered Juncos entry is unclear.

With a steady Indy 500 debut last year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Pigot could also mentor Kaiser if Briscoe is unavailable. We know two Juncos Chevys are coming; it's just a matter of whose names will be on the cockpit at this point.

Among the other discussions heard in relation to Juncos, Kevin Kalkhoven and some of his former KV Racing employees could play roles in running the Indy 500 effort and/or to lend experience on race day.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
23. Graham Rahal, Honda
24. Oriol Servia, Honda

TEAM PENSKE
25. Helio Castroneves, Chevy
26. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevy
27. Josef Newgarden, Chevy
28. Simon Pagenaud, Chevy
29. Will Power, Chevy

SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS
30. Mikhail Aleshin, Honda
31. James Hinchcliffe, Honda
32. Jay Howard, Honda

COMPLETING THE FIELD

LAZIER PARTNERS RACING
33. Buddy Lazier, Chevy

lazier.jpeg

Buddy Lazier told RACER's Robin Miller last weekend that the team will be back for another run at the Indy 500, and while the LPR team has the intent, it will also need a sizable infusion of cash and personnel to become real. It's believed the Laziers, who partnered with Tom Burns to make the field last year, were left with a rolling chassis that will require yet another new Chevy aero kit, Chevy engine lease and Firestone tire lease, along with sourcing new crew members and possibly a new engineer after Larry Curry departed to run the Harding Racing program.

Owing to the constant problem of finding skilled and experienced crew, solving LPR's financial problems could be the easiest issue to handle. Knowing that the rest of the Chevy teams are uninterested in adding extra cars, IndyCar could end up as the team's biggest (private) sponsor to plug the 33rd and last hole in the grid. Assembling the team to put the car together and run it at the Speedway is another matter altogether.

Other folks have expressed interest in being involved at Indy – Will Marotti, for example – but the Laziers serve as the only known team with a Dallara DW12 chassis that is willing and possibly capable of participating at the 500. Until the money and staff come to fruition, and the LPR Chevy is sitting on pit lane, the anxiety levels will remain understandably high among IndyCar's senior brass.


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#2 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 21:05

- Spenser Pigot, koji ovu sezonu deli bolid #20 sa Edom Karpenterom (vozi sve "redovne" staze dok gazda Ed vozi samo ovale) ce po svoj prlici dobiti priliku da nastupi na Indiju sa ekipom Rikarda Junkosa. Pigot je postao favorit za mesto u jednom od dva Junkos Rejsing bolida posto se angazman veterana Rajana Briska izjalovio. Za drugi bolid bio je vidjen Junkosov Indi Lajt vozac Kajl Kajzer, ali je to sada dovedeno u pitanje posto bi to znacilo izuzetno mladu i neiskusnu postavu. Spekulise se zato da bi Junkos mogao da pozove veterana Aleksa Taljanija ili Sebastijana Savedru koji je pred ovu sezonu ostao bez angazmana.

 

- Vremenska prognoza za 3. Maj, Alonsov dan za privatni test na Indijanapolisu i prvu priliku da isproba Indikar bolid, najavljuje prohladno i oblacno prepodne sa mogucim pljuskovima popodne. Tako da ce najverovatnije samo polovina dana biti upotrebljiva. Alonsu ce u svojstvu instruktora pomagati dvostruki Indikar sampion i pobednik Indi 500 iz 2003. Zil Deferan.


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#3 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 01 May 2017 - 21:38


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#4 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 00:14

Trostruki pobednik Dzoni Raterford opisuje brzi krug oko Indija:

 


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#5 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 12:38

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Alonso’s overlooked remark which shows he’s serious about winning the Indy 500
IndyCar

2nd May 2017
Author Keith Collantine

The disappointment of failing to even start the Russian Grand Prix was a reminder why Fernando Alonso has chosen to take on the Indianapolis 500 instead of the Monaco Grand Prix this year. Tomorrow he will have his first experience of lapping the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar.

As is always the case when a shock news story like this comes out of the blue, a tidal wave of coverage ensued. Largely lost amid the hype was the question of how much Alonso actually knows about this form of racing.

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Alonso has teamed up with Andretti for his Indy 500 bid

An IndyCar may be a high-performance single-seater much like an F1 car. But racing at average speeds of 370kph (230mph) on super-speedways is a highly specialised discipline, a world apart from what Alonso is used to. He knows this, and tomorrow’s test will be his first step towards mastering it.

But one quote from Alonso which received little attention revealed he’s also been paying attention to the subtleties of IndyCar racing and put serious though into how he’s going to win it.

“What is different is how we race on the track,” said Alonso in an interview at the Grand Prix of Alabama.

“[In Formula One] we don’t see our team mate in the first corner after the start different than any other driver. We consider him as an opponent.”

“When we are on the track in Formula One, there is no help for each other. Here, if anyone needs anything in the last ten laps of the race and you have no options to win the race, you try to help your team mate win it. That’s something that is very good.”

Alonso has done his homework. He is going to the Indianapolis 500 with the Andretti team in an attempt to win the race as a rookie. And what he describes is exactly how former F1 driver Alexander Rossi scored his shock win in the race last year.

“If we run out on the back stretch, we’ll coast to start/finish…”



By its nature, oval racing tends to feature frequent caution periods. This shapes the teams’ strategies, as they can usually expect to be able to make a late pit stop under yellow flags and run flat-out until the end.

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Teamwork was key to Rossi’s Indy 500 win

But it doesn’t always work out that way. Last year Rossi won thanks to an audacious economy run. As the video above explains he covered the final 33 laps of green flag running without a pit stop, thanks in part to being able to save fuel by slipstreaming Andretti team mates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Townsend Bell.

As Alonso’s remarks show, this detail has clearly made an impression on him. He’s already considered how it will play a role in his Indianapolis 500 bid this weekend.

Past events have shown no driver on the grid is more alert than Alonso to the possibilities of using a team mate in order to help the team’s other car. The ‘Fernando is faster than you’ instruction to Felipe Massa when he and Alonso were team mates at Ferrari in 2010 is just the most obvious example.

He also tried to use Massa to help him win the title at the season finale. During another down-to-the-write title fight Massa inconveniently out-qualified Alonso, so the team incurred a needless penalty on his car to move Alonso forward one space. They even hatched a plan for Alonso to use Massa’s slipstream to improve his lap time in qualifying at Monza, which failed.

Another occasion when Alonso’s team mate was sacrificed to help him win is one of F1’s most notorious episodes. Alonso denied any involvement in it. Massa, perhaps unsurprisingly, remains unconvinced.

Of course there’s no reason to assume anything as extreme as some of these scenarios is going to happen. But it’s striking that Alonso has immediately picked up on this aspect of IndyCar tactics which is seen little outside of super-speedway races.

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Alonso wants to get his hands on the Borg-Warner trophy

With Andretti, winners of two of the last three Indy 500s, Alonso can take maximum advantage of support from team mates. Their six-car squad is currently the largest on the Indianapolis 500 entry list. It includes past winners Rossi and Hunter-Reay plus ex-F1 driver Takuma Sato who came agonisingly close to victory in 2012.

Barring a shock result at his home grand prix next week, Alonso will have gone three years without a victory by the time he is stood at the Brickyard listening to Jim Cornelison belting out “Back Home in Indiana”. This may be his only chance to win anything for the forseeable future. Clearly he is not going to let any opportunity to win this race pass him by.

But it cuts both ways. Depending how the final stage of the race unfolds Alonso might just as easily be called on to help Rossi, Hunter-Reay or another of his five team mates win this time.

That could be a prudent long-term move if he’s going to return to Andretti for another shot at this leg of the ‘Triple Crown’. But Alonso isn’t planning on skipping the Monaco Grand Prix to help someone else win the Indianapolis 500.


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#6 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 13:02

Indikar vec aktivirao zvanicni kanal za strim Alonsovog sutrasnjeg testa:

 

 

:twak:


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#7 Dzoni_m

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 14:06

Voleo bih da Alonso pobedi iz prostog razloga sto bi Amerima to bio so u oci. Buklvano, hebes trku i seriju gde covek dodje i u prvom pokusaju vas opere. Sa druge strane ne znam da li bi to za Alonsa bio uspeh ili bi F1 samo dobila potvrdu da su superiorni i vozaci bi digli nos jos vise, a samu pobedu Alonsa bi omalovazili u fazonu, ma to mozemo iz zezanja. 

 

Ali ono, oprati ih na "najvecem sportskom spekatklu u godini na svetu" je bukvalno priceless. 


Edited by Dzoni_m, 02 May 2017 - 14:07.

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#8 alberto.ascari

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 14:11

Pa jebiga, Bourdais je uzeo valjda 4 titule, a u F1 je izgoreo k'o papir....
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#9 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 15:20

Pa jebiga, Bourdais je uzeo valjda 4 titule, a u F1 je izgoreo k'o papir....

 

A Vilnev dosao, video, i uzeo titulu.

Pre njega Andreti kao turista u F1 uzeo titulu.

Posle njega Montoja godinama bio jedina ozbiljna konkurencija Sumaheru dok je ovaj bio na vrhuncu.

 

Radi i na kontra stranu - Mensl dosao, video i uzeo titulu.

pre njega Fitipaldi kao penzioner uzeo sampionsku titulu i dve pobede na Indiju.

Posle njega Rosi kao debitant uzeo Indi 500.

 

Opet: Barikelo izgoreo, Sato i Vilson godinama toplo-hladno, Cilton u Indiju jednako beskoristan kao i u F1...

 

Realno gledano, top vozaci u F1 - njih 3-4 - su krem de la krem. Tu nema pogovora da je Hamilton bolji od Loterera (koji je bogotac u WEC), Alonso od Dzimija Dzonsona (koji je bogotac u Naskar), Fetel od Skota Diksona (koji je bogotac u Indikaru). Ako ih stavis sve u jednaku i svima jednako nepoznatu opremu ocekijem da ce se ova trojica iz F1 najbolje snaci. Ali, svaki ker u svom dvoristu je najjaci. Sa druge strane, i Loterer i Dikson i Dzonson i jos mnogi drugi njihovi saborci imaju kvalitet da se takmice u F1 (pa i Borde, koji je sve samo ne dobio fer sansu, jer je postojao interes u STR da ga osramote), mozda nisu kvalitet Hamiltona, Fetela, Alonsa ali najbolji medju njima nisu gori od recimo Batona. Ako bi fama da su F1 vozaci automatski bolji od svih ostalih samom cinjenicom sto su u F1 bila istina, onda bi likovi poput Ciltona, Harianta, Eriksona i ostalih tatinih sinova bez problema dominirali u ostalim serijama - sto definitivno nije tako.

 

 

Voleo bih da Alonso pobedi iz prostog razloga sto bi Amerima to bio so u oci. Buklvano, hebes trku i seriju gde covek dodje i u prvom pokusaju vas opere. Sa druge strane ne znam da li bi to za Alonsa bio uspeh ili bi F1 samo dobila potvrdu da su superiorni i vozaci bi digli nos jos vise, a samu pobedu Alonsa bi omalovazili u fazonu, ma to mozemo iz zezanja. 

 

Ali ono, oprati ih na "najvecem sportskom spekatklu u godini na svetu" je bukvalno priceless. 

 

Ameri se ne bi puno uzrujali, u zadnjih 10 godina Amerikanac je samo dvaput pobedio na Indiju - 4 pobede su uzeli Britanci (3 Frankiti, 1 Veldon), 2 Brazilci (Kastroneves i Kanan), po jednu Kolumbijac (Montoja) i Novozelandjanin (Dikson). Prosle godine je uzeo Amerikanac, ali ruki koji je citav svoj razvojni put proveo u Evropi i koji je na Indi dosao kad mu se izjalovio angazman u F1. Kad je Veldon 2011. uzeo Indi to je trebalo da bude njegov jedini start te sezone, kamo srece da je tako i bilo i da nikada nije startovao na Las Vegasu.

 

S obzirom da se u Indikar sampionatu obicno takmici ~20-25 vozaca (ove godine 21), a na Indi 500 startuje 33 za ocekivati je da ce tu biti "padobranaca" nekih manje nekih vise kvalifikovanih i talentovanih, penzionera (Badi Lazir), mladih nada (Indi lajt klinci), gostiju iz drugih serija (Naskar, Sprintkar, Supermodifajd...), specijalista za Indi (Taunsend Bel pada na pamet u skorije vreme)... Ranijih godina je bilo uobicajeno da i F1 vozaci nastupaju na Indiju, Askari, Fandjo (nije se kvalifikovao), Klark, Hil, Stjuart, Brabam, Rint i mnogi drugi kad je kalendar to dozvoljavao, dok se Berni nije pobrinuo da to izblokira (kao i Leman, odnedavno). Ameri se zapravo ponose time sto Indi 500 privlaci najbolje vozace sirom sveta, i bude li Alonso uzeo slavice ga kao da je njihov najrodjeniji. Jer, sama cinjenica da ima muda da se oproba na Indiju ga vec izdize iznad stereotipicnog pogleda na F1 vozace kao primadone i sekaperse koje se plase da se oprobaju u "pravom muskom" trkanju.


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#10 Dzoni_m

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 17:22

Sve pet osim Montoja i ozbiljna konkurencija u istoj recenici. NIjednu sezonu nije zavrsio na drugom mestu. Jedino ako ja lose pamtim. Ajde da kazem bio je treci 2002 Rubens bio 2-gi a sve ostale sezone su drugi vozaci bili mnogo ozbiljnija konkurencija. Pre svega Kimi i Mika.


Edited by Dzoni_m, 02 May 2017 - 17:26.

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#11 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 17:58

Mika i Montoja su vozili zajedno samo jednu sezonu, 2001, i te godine je Mika bio bleda senka sebe. Vilijams je bio hronicno nepouzdan, Montoja je u svojoj debitantskoj sezoni ili odustajao ili bio na podijumu.

 

2002. je bio best of the rest, te godine niko nije mogao da parira Ferariju, 2003. je bilo gusto izmedju Sumahera, Kimija i njega, 2004. je Vilijams napravio onog glupavog tuljana s kojim ni bogotac ne bi napravio rezultat a Ferari je opet imao raketlu.

 

2005. je Sumaherova dominacija bila zavrsena, Monti je presao u Meklaren i poceo da pravi sranja, nagojio se, propustao trke zbog padova s motora, namerno se slupavao jer mu se nije vozilo...

 

Jako talentovan vozac, mozda i najtalentovaniji posle Sumahera u toj nekoj medjufazi posle Sene/Prosta/Mensla i pre Alonsa/Hamiltona/Fetela, ali jezivo nedisciplinovan. Ja ga licno nisam gotivio dok je vozio u F1, ali talenat mu se ne moze osporiti.


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#12 Rad-oh-yeah?

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 18:36

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Who's Next? Drivers We'd Like To See Follow Alonso's Lead To Race at Indy
April 28, 2017
By Paul Kelly, IMS


The buzz over Fernando Alonso’s decision to skip the Monaco Grand Prix and race in the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28 continues to grow, especially as two-time Formula One World Champion Alonso prepares for his first oval test Wednesday, May 3 at IMS.

But while the racing world continues to zero in on Alonso’s quest to win a second leg of racing’s triple crown of victories in the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s not too early to peer into our crystal ball and look at some drivers we’d love to see follow Alonso’s lead and make their Indianapolis 500 debut at the 102nd Running in May 2018 or shortly thereafter.

Sure, we know there’s a scale of probability with these choices ranging from “Possibly next year?” to “Come on, dude!” But a race fan can dream, right? So here, they are, in alphabetical order:

Kyle Busch:

“Rowdy” is acknowledged as one of the best pure drivers in NASCAR. He can drive the wheels off and win in almost anything with an engine. He also knows domination at IMS, as he swept both the Lilly Diabetes 250 XFINITY Series race and the Brickyard 400 in 2015 and 2016. So the Indy 500 is the logical next frontier at IMS for Busch, who evokes emotion in race fans with his aggressive driving and sometimes-brash talk. Plus he doesn’t need to go further than the Favorites list on his phone to get advice, as his older brother, Kurt, raced the Indianapolis 500 with great skill in 2014.

Jeff Gordon:

OK, call me Captain Obvious. But Jeff Gordon has been asked endless times about his desire to race the Indianapolis 500, as his Indiana and open-wheel roots run deep. After all, he moved from California to Pittsboro, Indiana, as a teenager to race in USAC open-wheel competition before moving to stock cars and becoming one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. He has won the Brickyard 400 a record five times and could become the first driver to win both the Brickyard and the Indy 500. Yes, he’s “retired.” Yes, he has a job with FOX that would require him to announce the Coca-Cola 600 later that evening at Charlotte. But wouldn’t that be a cool wrinkle on “The Double?” And didn’t Gordon run a handful of Cup races last year substituting for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., and didn’t he win the Rolex 24 At Daytona this January? Plus Gordon turns 46 this August. If he won the Indianapolis 500 in 2019, he would succeed Al Unser as the oldest driver to enter Victory Lane at the “500.”

Lewis Hamilton:

Hamilton is a three-time Formula One World Champion and, like Fernando Alonso, is considered one of the best drivers in the history of F1. He has a huge following on social media and has crossed over into global music and fashion circles. Hamilton probably would need to wait until his F1 career ended, as Mercedes remains at the sharp end of the grid. But his arrival at the Brickyard would be a global sensation.

Jimmie Johnson:

“Seven-Time” has one more mountain left to climb in NASCAR: winning his eighth Cup Series championship to surpass Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most season titles in history. After that, why not try the Indianapolis 500? Johnson knows how to win at IMS, as he is a four-time Brickyard 400 champion. Plus there was a guy from California with off-road racing background that made his Indy 500 debut in 1978 and went on to have a pretty good career at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Yeah, that guy – Rick Mears.

Kyle Larson:

This one makes all the sense in the world. Larson cut his proverbial racing teeth driving in the USAC Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget series. He won the 4-Crown Nationals in 2011 at Eldora. He drives for Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400-winning team owner Chip Ganassi in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, in which he leads the standings this season. Larson has expressed interest. Team owner Ganassi has expressed interest. Put the pieces together, fellas, and make this happen in 2018.

Sebastien Loeb:

This guy is perhaps the greatest driver that many American fans don’t know. Frenchman Loeb won a record nine consecutive World Rally Championships before retiring, which brought huge sighs of relief from his battered competition. His car control is sublime, like all rally drivers. And Loeb has shown his skill in many other forms of machinery, including wins in sports cars, touring cars and World Rallycross. He also has tested F1 cars many times. This guy would be fast right out of the box at Indy.

Courtney Force Rahal:

Courtney is the daughter of NHRA Funny Car legend John Force and is a fine driver in her own right, as she is the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history. She also is a fan favorite, and adjusting to speeds of 235 mph on the straights at IMS would represent the slow lane for driver accustomed to hurtling down a dragstrip at 330 mph. But the biggest reason we want to see Courtney in the “500” is because it would mark the first time a husband and wife competed against each other in the Indianapolis 500. Wouldn’t it be wild to see Courtney and husband Graham Rahal enter Turn 1 side-by-side, battling for position or even the win?

Kimi Raikkonen:

Raikkonen won the 2007 Formula One World Championship and still races for Ferrari in F1. But he has competed in the World Rally Championship and in NASCAR XFINITY and Truck Series races during his career, so coming to race at the “500” after his F1 career wouldn’t be a stretch. Plus it would be a treat for fans to hear “The Ice Man’s” often hilarious outbursts on the radio while listening to scanners. Can you imagine another episode of “Leave me alone: I know what I’m doing!” when his spotter gave Kimi advice on the radio?

Valentino Rossi:

“The Doctor” is the most popular motorcycle racer in history, hands down. He’s nearing the end of his incomparable MotoGP career, when he could shift into car racing. The incredibly charismatic Rossi has made a handful of starts in the World Rally Championship and in Italian national rallying. And many have forgotten that Ferrari was close to offering Rossi a Formula One race seat about 10 years ago after he tested extensively with the Scuderia, reportedly lapping within seven-tenths of a second of the immortal Michael Schumacher. Plus there was a guy who crossed over from motorcycle racing who always was a threat for victory at Indy in the 1960s and early 1970s – Joe Leonard.

Donny Schatz:

Nobody has ruled the short tracks of America in winged sprint cars since the heyday of Indiana’s own Steve “The King” Kinser like Donny Schatz. He has won eight World of Outlaws championships since 2006. He has competed for Tony Stewart Racing since 2008, so there’s another connection to the Speedway. There’s no doubt Schatz has the talent and racecraft to get up to speed quickly at IMS.

Ricky and Jordan Taylor:

The Taylor brothers are the clown princes of IMSA sports car racing, hilarious in interviews and on social media. But much like Eddie Sachs in the 1950s and early 1960s at Indianapolis, these funny men also can flat-out drive a race car. Jordan has a class victory with Corvette at Le Mans (hello, Chevrolet!) and has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ricky also has won the Rolex 24. Both Taylor brothers have expressed interest in trying Indy cars, and there would be no better place for them to try than Indy, perhaps in a car fielded by their father’s team, Wayne Taylor Racing.

Sebastian Vettel:

Vettel is a four-time Formula One World Champion – a legend. He’s also a spunky, fun personality who has expressed interest periodically at trying the Indianapolis 500. Vettel’s entry into the “500” would rock the racing world and mark a homecoming of sorts. He made his Formula One debut as a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica with BMW at the 2007 United States Grand Prix at IMS. Welcome back, Seb!


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#13 Rad-oh-yeah?

Rad-oh-yeah?
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Posted 03 May 2017 - 12:48

C-5hgCOW0AASu8-.jpg

 

Danas Alonsov privatni test na Indiju i prva prilika da okusi voznju u Indikar bolidu na ovalu. Strim mozete naci par postova iznad.


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#14 /13/Ален Шмит/

/13/Ален Шмит/
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Posted 03 May 2017 - 13:35


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#15 Rad-oh-yeah?

Rad-oh-yeah?
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Posted 03 May 2017 - 14:12

Odlicno, idu skroz tradicionalno sa bojama bolida:

 

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MO13_r148_01.jpg

 

:thumbs:

 

Test pocinje za 20-tak minuta, komentarisu Mario Andreti, Robin Miler sa Racer.com (onaj brkati sto ga stalno kacim ovde), i Kevin Li sa NBCSN TV kanala.


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