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- Zek Klaman de Melo koji je prosle sezone vozio u Indikar sampionatu za Kojna vratice se u Indi Lajt seriju u ekipu Belardi Autosport.

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IndyCar CEO says Alonso’s Indy 500 return is boosting its global push
IndyCar
13th December 2018, 16:00
Keith Collantine


Fernando Alonso’s return to the Indianapolis 500 next year is helping the American championship broaden its appeal worldwide, according to CEO Mark Miles.

The championship has “got some momentum” in expanding its reach beyond the US market, Miles said in an interview for the Marshal Pruett Podcast.

“Alonso coming back for the 500 in 2019 is terrific,” he said. “It keeps the focus beyond Spain, around the world, it makes IndyCar topical, not just the 500. And that’s great. And I think that leads to more growth, more relevance, more investment from international sources all the time.”

Miles said the championship is “getting more international team owners, more international drivers, while keeping a great foundation of American drivers and obviously team owners.”

“I think having one or two international races that are successful and in key markets will be very important in contributing,” he added.

He and other series bosses travelled to Australia in November to meet Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who expressed an interest in reviving the championship’s Gold Coast street race following Will Power’s success in the series.

“She was terrific,” said Miles. “She has a first-hand, vivid recollection of how cool IndyCar racing is and was back then.”


CART IndyCars raced at Surfers Paradise

The ChampCar series regularly raced at the Surfers Paradise course until the series collapsed in 2007. IndyCar held a non-championship round the following year following its unification with ChampCar, but has not returned since. Australia’s popular Supercars series still races there.

Miles said Palaszczuk “has a belief that it could be that kind of huge attraction and great event important to the ongoing marketing of the Gold Coast region that is a priority for here.”

He believes “the spirit’s more than willing” to find a way to make the race happen. “The objective is to have sorted it all out so that by the end of February ’19, essentially a year before we’ll be there, we can have it all done and announce that we will be returning a year from then in February 2020.”

The championship has also taken control of its international media rights distribution which Miles said will help it create more tailored broadcast content for non-US markets.

“We decided rather than sell all of our international media rights to ESPN International and make them fully responsible for serving those international broadcasters as customers we took that business in-house. That’s one reason I’ve been so much on aeroplanes in the last few months.

“That gives us an opportunity to really know the international broadcast partners, our licensees, to work with them on how to give them content, access to drivers in their country, for example, creating bespoke video for them that’s particularly appealing to their fans. Those things are all part of a strategy to grow the value, grow the fan interest in the sport all the time.”

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The relationship between an IndyCar Series driver and his lead engineer is paramount to success. In this episode of "In the Pit," the Discovery Go series takes a look at how Andretti Autosport driver Alexander Rossi and engineer Jeremy Milless (pay no attention to him being misidentified in the video) work closely together to achieve their objectives.

 

Dzeremi je faca, imao sam u nekoliko navrata priliku da razgovaram sa njim.

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Novi tim:
 

The IndyCar Series is adding a new, part-time team for the 2019 season, one with a championship pedigree and an eye toward full-time INDYCAR participation in 2020.

DragonSpeed announced today that it will compete in five races next season, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500, powered by Chevrolet engines and with driver Ben Hanley.

Founded by team principal Elton Julian in 2007 to compete in sports car series around the world, DragonSpeed won the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge GTA championship and 2017 European Le Mans Series LMP2 title. In addition to its IndyCar Series effort, the team will continue competing in the 2019 World Endurance Championship, which includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 1000 Miles of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

DragonSpeed’s IndyCar Series schedule will include the races on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 10, at Barber Motorsports Park on April 7, the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, at Road America on June 23 and at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 28.

Edited by Rad-oh-yeah?, 17 December 2018 - 17:12.

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Srecan 38. rodjendan:

 

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Indy 500 Entry List Already At 30 In Mid December, Could Grow To 39 Or 40 By May
December 17, 2018
Eric Smith



With DragonSpeed’s announcement on Monday, the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 officially has 30 car and driver combinations on the entry list. That’s impressive because we’re still a little over a week away from Christmas still. There were recent years where we didn’t hit 30 entries until April. 

That just goes to show you the rise of the IndyCar Series and how well the top brass is doing over there on the west side of Indianapolis. It’s a series everyone wants to be in. McLaren and DragonSpeed will join in some capacity in 2019. Juncos, Shank, Carlin, Scuderia Corsa and Harding are recent additions in the last few years too. NBC Sports has come on board full time. It’s a very bright future. 

With where things stand, there’s a very realistic chance of us getting to 36-40 entries next May. Byrd Racing is wanting to come back. Carlin is wanting to not just show up with two cars, but three. Juncos wants to come with two cars, Dale Coyne Racing has run four cars the last few years. Andretti most certainly will expand at least one ‘500 only car. If Byrd doesn’t team with Foyt, does A.J. and Larry bring out a third car again?

See where this is going?

Confirmed Entries

Chevrolet (14)

Team Penske (4) Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves

Ed Carpenter Racing/Scuderia Corsa (3) – Ed Carpenter, Spencer Pigot, Ed Jones

AJ Foyt Racing (2) – Matheus Leist, Tony Kanaan

Carlin (2) – TBA on both (Expected to be Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball again)

McLaren (1) – Fernando Alonso

DragonSpeed (1) – Ben Hanley R

Juncos (1) – TBA 


Honda (16)

Andretti Autosport (4) – Zach Veach, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti

Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan Racing (3) – Graham Rahal, Takuma Sato, Jordan King R

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports/Meyer Shank (3) – James Hinchcliffe, Marcus Ericsson R, Jack Harvey

Chip Ganassi Racing (2) – Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist R

Harding Steinbrenner Racing (2) – Colton Herta R, Patricio O’Ward R

Dale Coyne Racing (2) – Sebastien Bourdais, Santino Ferrucci R


Potentials (8-10)

AJ Foyt Racing (1) – Have run a third entry the last few years. Expected to do so again.

Carlin (1) – Trevor Carlin said towards the end of the 2018 season that there’s a  70-30 chance of running a third car. 

Juncos (1) – Ricardo Juncos said that he has a second car and wants to at least run it at Indy.

Byrd Racing (1) – Has a car and wants to run James Davison again.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (1-2) – They have two cars and likely will come back with two again

Andretti Autosport (1-2) – Have run at least five cars lately. Will likely do so again. But, with alliance with Harding, does that cut into a sixth car?

Dale Coyne Racing (1-2) – Has run four cars the last few years. Expect Pippa Mann and someone else to be in the four car lineup in 2019. 


Notable Free Agents

AJ Allmendinger – Lost his NASCAR ride but has an open wheel history and a relationship with Shank. Does he come back? He started fifth and finished seventh in his lone Indy 500 start in 2013 with Penske.

Rene Binder R- No starts in the ‘500 but made six IndyCar starts last year with Juncos. They want to add a second car, does he get it?

Gabby Chaves – 4 Indy 500 starts, all consecutively, with a best finish of ninth in 2017

Max Chilton – Expected back with Carlin. 3 Indy 500 starts, led 50 laps and finished fourth in 2017

Zachary Claman DeMelo – Impressive as a rookie with DCR last year. Started 13th and finished 19th. Signed with Belardi for Indy Lights in 2019, but that team ran the ‘500 with Byrd Racing last year and ZCD should be a contender for that seat if they return.

James Davison – Teamed with Byrd Racing last year. Has ran every Indy 500 with the exception of one since 2014. Best finish is 16th in 2014.

Conor Daly – Has made five starts in the last six Indy 500’s. Best finish was 21st last year.

JR Hildebrand – Has made eight Indy 500 starts, all consecutively. He ran for DRR last year and has four top 11 finishes in his last five starts, all in Indy only roles too.

Jay Howard – Has teamed up with SPM and Tony Stewart the last two years. Is a third on the horizon?

Kasey Kahne – The interest level is there. His NASCAR days are over but he was in Sonoma with Ed Carpenter this past September. He’s a past Brickyard winner.

Kyle Kaiser – Started 17th and finished 29th last year with Juncos. Likely the top pick to return. 

Sage Karam – Has competed in the last five Indy 500’s, four of which with DRR. 

Charlie Kimball – Has raced in eight straight Indy 500’s, four resulted in a top 10 finish. Expected to be back with Carlin. 

Pippa Mann – Was a DNQ last year but she likely will be back. Has made six starts in the ‘500 with a best finish of 17th in 2017.

Carlos Munoz – Has made six Indy 500 starts, all consecutively. He’s the top free agent in terms of the ‘500 out there. Munoz, has five top 10’s in six tries including two runner-ups. 

Sebastian Saavedra – Has six Indy 500 starts, his last coming in 2017 with Juncos. With them wanting to expand to second car, does he get that seat again?

Oriol Servia – Has 10 Indy 500 starts under his belt and nearly got the win a year ago.

Stefan Wilson – Has two Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 15th coming just last year with Andretti.

Santi Urrutia – A rookie with no ride but has come money.

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Jay Frye has been named President of IndyCar as part of Hulman & Company organizational changes announced today by Mark Miles, President and CEO of the parent company.

Frye, who has led IndyCar’s Competition and Operations departments since November 2015, will add Marketing and Communications to his responsibilities, effective Jan. 1. Miles will continue as CEO.

Frye joined Hulman & Company, which owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in 2013 as Chief Revenue Officer, leading the combined team of IndyCar and IMS in sponsorship sales, licensing and account services. Mark Sibla, IndyCar Chief of Staff, Competition and Operations, will similarly expand his role with the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body, becoming Chief of Staff of all IndyCar departments.

The reorganization is a result of the previously-announced resignation of C.J. O’Donnell, who will leave his post of Chief Marketing Officer at IndyCar and IMS, which he has held since late 2013, at the end of the year.

As a result of the changes, Curt Cavin, IndyCar Vice President, Communications, and a new role to be filled of IndyCar Vice President, Marketing, will report to Frye.

Additional organizational changes have been made at IMS, including:

• Jarrod Krisiloff will have his responsibilities expanded at IMS, becoming Vice President, Facilities and Events. He has been Executive Director, Events, for the past two years.

• Dan Skiver will become Director, Operations, and responsible for the many functions related to IMS events. Pat Garlock will be promoted to Assistant Manager, Facilities and Events.

• Alex Damron will be promoted to Senior Director, Communications, for IMS and Hulman & Company, and corporate communications will be added to his responsibilities.

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McLaren set to commence IndyCar testing in April ahead of 500 entry

Luke Smith
20 Dec 2018
 

After taking delivery of its Indy cars in January, McLaren will hit the track for the first time in April ahead of its entry to the Indianapolis 500.



McLaren will commence its testing programme for the Indianapolis 500 next April after receiving delivery of its cars in January as preparations for its return to the IndyCar paddock continue.

After partnering with Andretti Autosport and Honda to enter the Indy 500 in 2017, McLaren confirmed last month it would be returning to the race next year with its own operation, teaming up with Chevrolet for an engine supply.

Fernando Alonso will race for McLaren at the Indy 500 next year, with the team remaining coy on the possibility of adding a second car to the field.

Giving an update on the team's Indy 500 preparations, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said things were "going well" before setting a timeline of when it will make further steps in the coming weeks and months leading up to the race.

"We have ordered both our cars, and we announced our relationship with Chevorlet. We'll have our cars delivered to us sometime mid to late January," Brown said.

"The current plan is to bring them back here to McLaren. We'll have a car build programme done here at the MTC. Bob Fernley is our president, who has a good history at Indianapolis. We have hired our engineer, our chief mechanic. I would say we're half way through our staffing of the team. We have our trucks and trailers ready, so we are on course.

"We're excited. It will be a separate team, Bob Fernley is doing an excellent job. I'll be in Indianapolis at the end of January. Stay tuned for personnel announcements and we do have some sponsors. There have been discussions, and we expect to have a great looking IndyCar for the Indy 500."

Asked by Crash.net when he expected McLaren to conduct its first Indy car test in 2019, Brown said: "There are a variety of testing restrictions, so we’re not free to do as we want.

"I think we will be on the track for the first time in early April, and that’s when our testing will commence. Then, of course, we’ll do the maximum allowed within the current regulations as far as the amount of testing both at Indianapolis and away from Indianapolis."

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled to host an open IndyCar test on April 24 next year, one month prior to the Indy 500.

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Embattled NBC Sports IndyCar analyst Paul Tracy has been given a new contract that will see the 2003 Champ Car series title winner return to the booth next season.

Based on an internal investigation, the broadcasting company has sided with Tracy, who claims he was hacked and therefore not responsible for his most recent social media controversy arising from a Facebook post.

“We conducted a thorough investigation of this matter over the past two months, and given the current evidence have concluded that Paul did not write the offensive post,” said an NBC Sports spokesperson. “Per this conclusion, Paul will continue with our team for the upcoming 2019 season.”

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Hinchcliffe surprised by his blood donors at Red Cross program

 

By: RACER Staff | 6 hours ago


Above: James Hinchcliffe with members of the Red Cross and donors during a blood drive at Sonoma Raceway.

James Hinchcliffe was met with a surprise when he was inducted into the American Red Cross of Indiana’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday for hosting blood drives at IndyCar races across the country.

After receiving 22 units of blood following his life-threatening 2015 Indy 500 practice crash – the average human body holds between eight and 12 units – Hinchcliffe has worked tirelessly to increase awareness about the importance of blood donations and hopes to hold a blood drive at every 2019 race and a have a mobile unit dedicated to being at races and other events.

Blood donors typically stay anonymous, but Wednesday’s program included video messages from two Marines whose blood went to Hinchcliffe. The Red Cross then brought donors Madelynn Guerra and Madison Mowry — who gave blood while they were Michigan high school students – up on stage to surprise Hinch.

“We refer to the ‘anonymous donors,’ you know, and it’s crazy to think that for me at least a couple of them are no longer anonymous,” Hinchcliffe said. “And to know that literally part of them is part of me now is humbling, it’s crazy. I’m still speechless.”

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MILLER: IndyCar’s guiding light



By: Robin Miller | 1 hour ago


In the 50 years I’ve covered IndyCar racing, be it USAC, CART, IRL or Champ Car, the one constant was always a lack of leadership, direction, common sense or communication — or all four.

The men in charge have been lawyers, an ambulance driver, a gift card shop owner, a bartender, mechanics, an executive from Playboy, a marketing man from Nestle, a bull rider, a bull-s****er and even a 24-man board of directors of which a third never saw a race.

Now, some were smart guys that lacked any racing knowledge or good lieutenants and were doomed, while others were either con men or fast talkers whose vocabulary temporarily masked their cluelessness. A few were simply over their heads.

Of all the mind-blowing choices, the only one with any “skin the game” (as our hero Dan Gurney use to say) was Tony George, who unfortunately didn’t have anybody in his corner with any vision. The lack of somebody steering the ship has kept IndyCar racing treading water for the better part of six decades.

But something changed during the past couple of years, and it’s the best thing since the SAFER Barrier. Jay Frye (pictured above) has given IndyCar a plan, an identity and a reason to be optimistic. His ideas, honesty, willingness to listen and racing savvy did the impossible — won over the paddock, declawed the car owners, and made IndyCar appealing again.

He drew up a five-year plan for rules, engines, chassis and testing that brought rave reviews from F1’s Ross Brawn, fought to reduce costs, and is working hard to make the schedule sing like the old days.


Returns to popular venues like Road America have been a hallmark of Frye’s tenure. (Image by Phillip Abbott/LAT)

Unlike some of his predecessors, Frye is easy to find at the racetrack and welcomes all opinions and ideas. He doesn’t sneak anything past anybody, and that openness has earned him the most important thing in racing – respect across the board.

“First off, I’m a big fan of Jay’s for all the reasons you just named,” said Bobby Rahal, who’s done it all from driving to car ownership to a short stint as CART CEO. “First and foremost, he’s very up front with you. He’s a straight shooter, and he returns your phone calls.

“I think people respect him tremendously because he comes in with an open mind. And coming from another world is a good thing, because he’s not constrained by what happened in the past.”

Frye operated NASCAR teams from 1996-2011 before taking a job with IndyCar in 2013 as chief revenue officer. When he was named president of competition in 2015, I wasn’t convinced he had the chops to call the shots and keep from getting trampled by Penske, Ganassi and the herd.

But the former Missouri football player dug into his assignment with enthusiasm, long hours, the ability to reason with the competitors, lean on his small but efficient staff, and then make a smart decision.

“He’s open to ideas, but doesn’t always agree with you by any means,” continued Rahal. “When he doesn’t agree, he has good reasons and it’s a two-way street with Jay, and that’s what I like about him. He’s got a sensitivity about costs for the teams, and he’s got a ton of experience. Yeah it’s in NASCAR, but not sure that matters. He’s got his finger on the pulse of this paddock.”


Frye talks shop with car owner Dale Coyne. (Image by Michael Levitt/LAT)

And it’s not just the owners or the track promoters that believe in Frye. The drivers are in line as well.

“Jay is the best communicator we’ve ever had,” said Tony Kanaan, who will embark on his 21st IndyCar season in 2019. “He talks to us all the time about rules and safety and calls meetings, and we all appreciate that openness.”

When Frye was promoted to president of IndyCar last week, it started a lot of speculation that Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles did it to ensure that NASCAR wouldn’t poach him. And a couple of sources down south confirmed the stock car paddock was very serious about trying to pluck Jay from open-wheel. Asked about it a few months ago, he replied: “I’m happy with what I’m doing right here.”

But really, that title is simply a confirmation of what everybody already knows: that Frye runs the racing show and Miles, to his credit, doesn’t micro-manage or interfere and concentrates on running the business.

Oh, by the way, in between the schedule, testing the wind screen, flying around searching for a third OEM, working on costs and helping another new team enter the series, Frye also found time to land a new title sponsor. It’s not done yet but it’s close.

It’s very much looking like there will be 26 cars for the season opener at St. Pete and maybe as many as 40 legit entries for the Indianapolis 500 — and just a few years ago it looked like IndyCar might be lucky to field 18 cars.


Carlin is among new entrants bolstering the IndyCar field. (Image by Phillip Abbott/LAT)

So Frye’s five-year plan that deals with everything from wings to gears to wheels to testing to new engine specs to cutting costs obviously appealed to Mike Shank, Trevor Carlin, Richard Juncos and Elton Julian. They can’t make any money off the paltry purses but they can buy a competitive car, lease an engine right off the shelf, get hands-on help from IndyCar and move right into the neighborhood.

Miles scored eight network races on NBC (NASCAR has seven) and got a real television partner to give sponsors (and potential ones) some good news.\

“The series is in as good a shape as it’s ever been,” declared Rahal. “There’s a direction that Mark and Jay have put the series on and it’s desirable for people to be involved.

“It’s taken some time but fortunately we’re on the right path.”

Frye shuns the limelight but he can’t hide from the fact he’s made a big difference in a short time and, trust me, he’s got a couple of ideas in the hopper that IndyCar fans are going to love.

So here’s a big thank you to Miles for moving Jay Frye out of marketing and into the front lines back in 2015. It’s working better than anyone could have envisioned and as we turn the page to 2019, IndyCar looks to be gaining momentum.

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Srecan 44. rodjendan!

 

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IndyCar fills United States gap for McLaren



By: Chris Medland | 9 hours ago


McLaren is using its IndyCar project to give more exposure to the team’s partners in the United States than Formula 1 currently offers.

At present there is only one grand prix in the US; the race in Austin taking place as part of a back-to-back with Mexico. The Canadian Grand Prix held in June raises the current tally of North American rounds to three, but F1 is working hard to add a second U.S. venue, with a street race in Miami yet to be finalized.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said that the difficulties associated with delivering another grand prix in America is one of the reasons why the team is returning to compete in the Indy 500 this year.

“I think North America remains a key growth market for Formula 1, the biggest sporting market in the world, and I think Formula 1 has lots of room for growth,” Brown said. “I am not surprised it is taking some time to develop a second race there. We know Formula 1’s various business models needs addressing, and one of those is that it is very hard to be a promoter and make money if you are not government subsidized.

“I think they have a new television partner and I know that had some struggles on its debut, but it looks like they have addressed those issues and it is a good television partner. You’ve got the festivals that they did in Miami, and if you look at their plans for [2019], it looks like they are going to have one or two in America and other big markets.

“I think they are spending a tremendous amount of time trying to get a second race there, and so it is making progress, but it’s going to take some time.

“That is one of the reasons why we are competing in the Indy 500, because we think Indianapolis and the IndyCar series… for seven out of 10 sponsors, America is an important market. Formula 1 right now can’t quite ring that bell as loudly as a lot of partners would like, so we feel IndyCar racing for a variety of reasons, but that being one of them, helps round out a global proposition for our partners.”

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Franchitti: Rosenqvist's diverse CV will aid Ganassi IndyCar switch

By David Malsher
Published on Wednesday January 2nd 2019


 
Four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti says Felix Rosenqvist's wide-ranging experience of driving multiple types of cars leaves the Swede well-placed to quickly adapt to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Rosenqvist will replace Ed Jones - the driver Franchitti mentored during a challenging 2018 campaign - and will partner reigning champion Scott Dixon this year.

The ex-Mahindra Racing Formula E driver has previously tested twice for Ganassi in 2017, during the series' manufacturer aerokit era, and was high on the team's shortlist thereafter.

Jones's struggles and the "right timing" for Rosenqvist meant a deal was done for 2019. Franchitti said he thinks Rosenqvist, who has already tested for his new team, will adapt quicker to the pace in IndyCar than Jones had.

"He's a different character [to Jones]," said Franchitti. "Felix is feisty and I don't think he's intimidated by much.

"He's got a lot to learn, no question about it, but he's clearly got loads of talent.

"He'll have to work hard to learn about the ovals, but he's absolutely more than capable of it. He'll be fun, and it'll be exciting to watch how he develops.

"And he impressed everyone at Ganassi in the two tests he did with us at Mid-Ohio.

"Yes, those tests were with the manufacturer aerokits, but Felix was also very good at Barber last month with the current car, so I don't anticipate any issues for him.

"It's up to every driver to develop a driving style that works with the car they're given and I think he will.

"He's used to driving all kinds of cars - Formula 3, Super Formula, Indy Lights, Formula E, GT cars, and so on - and he's been impressive in all of them, and those experiences will be very helpful.

"Also, because the manufacturer aerokit tests were quite a while ago, he's coming to this car with not much experience but also no preconceived ideas and without a lot to unlearn.

"So listening to his feedback after that Barber test was pretty interesting, because of the things he was picking out to highlight as a rookie."



Franchitti also defended Jones, who since being dropped by Ganassi has secured another season in IndyCar through a partnership with Ed Carpenter Racing and Scuderia Corsa.

"Ed's a driver that gets better with time," said Franchitti.

"He's not a driver who gets out there and does the job on his first flying lap. He builds up to it, and often you don't have time to do that.

"And to be fair, all of the drivers who have been in the team recently - Ed, Charlie [Kimball], Max [Chilton] and even TK [Tony Kanaan] - have been somewhat shocked by what Scott does, what he's capable of.

"I don't think we've had the easiest cars to drive in that period since I retired [in 2013], and Scott has been able to adapt to that better than his team-mates."