| Includes Rights to INDYCAR SERIES, Return of iRacing Indianapolis 500 INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024) iRacing and INDYCAR are pleased to announce a multiyear licensing agreement – officially reuniting the two legendary brands. The relationship, which dates back more than a dozen years, also includes Indianapolis Motor Speedway – and the return of the hugely popular iRacing Indianapolis 500 – to the gaming format’s Special Events calendar. This annual event has historically drawn thousands of participants, who race in a virtual version of the world’s most iconic race, known for its 200 laps of pure speed at the “Racing Capital of the World.” The community event allows sim racers from around the world to get a taste of what it is like to race at the famous oval at the Brickyard. The return of a license has been highly anticipated by iRacing members and INDYCAR SERIES fans alike. “The INDYCAR SERIES and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are racing properties that need to be included in iRacing,” iRacing President Tony Gardner said. “There is no better way for fans to experience sim racing than on iRacing, and whether it’s the INDYCAR SERIES’ Indy 500, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 or IMSA’s Battle on the Bricks, there is nothing like racing at Indianapolis. I am so pleased to be able to bring these events back to the iRacing community.” In addition to the rebranding of INDYCAR SERIES events on iRacing, members will have access to series content for private events and leagues. “We are very excited that our most avid gamers and fans will have full access to the INDYCAR SERIES through this licensing agreement with iRacing,” said Ben Hendricks, INDYCAR senior manager, eSports & emerging virtual experiences. “They are longtime partners, and we look forward to official INDYCAR SERIES racing on iRacing for many years to come.” The new license agreement between iRacing and INDYCAR includes more provisions than previous iterations, allowing more flexibility to run events and series. Highlights include: Return of the iRacing Indianapolis 500 INDYCAR SERIES branding of series on iRacing Multiple leagues to run INDYCAR SERIES events on iRacing License extension of Indianapolis Motor Speedway The licensing agreement goes into effect immediately, and iRacing members will see the rebranding of series, cars and events over the coming days. Details of the iRacing Indianapolis 500 will be available later this month. |
Author: thepitwindow
I'm a retired educator and lifelong racing fan. I hope to return to fostering greyhounds in the near future. Living mainly in Indy and wintering in Florida. I attend about 10 Indycar races a year as well as some sports car events
IROC Reborn- Will it Work?
Yesterday’s news that Ray Evernham and Rob Kaufman purchased IROC, the International Race of Champions, excit4ed me. I loved the old IROC series. It was fun to watch.
For 2024, just one race with historic IROC cars is scheduled. Evernham owns several, and the race might be with the machines in his collection. No future plans were announced.
IROC ran from 1973-2006, and was owned by Les Richter, Roger Penske, and Mike Phelps. Until 1991 the schedule included at least one road race, but was exclusively an oval series from 1992 forward.
Mark Donohue won the first championship. Other champions included A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Mark martin, and Tony Stewart.
While drivers from Indycar, Nascar, and Formula 1 participated, in its later years the series became heavy with nascar drivers, who dominated the championships. Al Unser, Jr. was the last non nascar champion in 1988.
The revived series enters an extremely busy racing calendar, and will need to carve i out its own niche. Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience has been very successful. How will IROC be different?
The former iteration had active drivers in competition, while SRX employs mainly retired or semi-retired drivers with an occasional active guest star. Today’s drivers seem busier than they have ever been. Will they have time to participate in IROC? I can’t see how Kyle Larson can fit one more thing into jis calendar.
IROC ran mainly as a support race for many nascar events. Will they can continue to do this? Would IROC run at an Indycar event, perhaps on Carb Day at IMS? Or will they go the s=weeknight route as SRX does?
I think a weekday might work best for them if the series decides not to be a support race series again. , which would mean a night series, and a schedule that begins and ends either before or after the SRX season.
Whatever IROC decides, I am thrilled to see this series come back. It means more racing, and perhaps nmore exposure for Indycar.
Movie Review- Ferrari
Photo image from Ferrari movie page
Ferrari focuses on one year, 1957, in the turbulent life of Enzo Ferrari. His only son, Dino, died the previous year. His marriage to Laura is on shaky ground due to his philandering. He has a son with his mistress, ad she is pressuring him to acknowledge him publicly. Also, according to the film, his car company is in financial peril.
Ferrari is portrayed as a cold hearted, prideful man who believes people are expendable. The town of Maranello treats him as a godlike figure. Even the priest praises him during mass, calling him a carpenter who works in metal.
There are two stories in the film-one involving the racing business, and the other about Ferrari’s personal life.
When Maserati brings driver Jean Behra to the local track to set a track record, Ferrari immediately brings his driver, Luigi Castellotti out to reclaim the honor. Castellotti dies in the attempt in a crash scene that is a bit exaggerated.
Ferrari immediately hires Alfonso de Portago on the spot because he now needs a driver.
Ferrari’s financial advisers tell him that he needs to win the Mille Miglia to avoid bankruptcy, and that the company needs to produce more passenger cars to stay solvent. They point to Jaguar as a successful car company that also races.
Ferrari’s response is “Jaguar races to sell cars. I sell cars to race.” I believe in reality that Ferrari was a better businessman than that.
We see the beginnings of what led to war with Ford six years later as Ferrari tells a reporter to write a false story saying that Ford has made an offer to buy his company so that he can extract a higher offer from Fiat.
The action in the Mille Miglia was great. It was fun to see the Maseratis and Ferraris of that era running again. Some of the cars were the real cars, and others were fabricated faithfully to resemble the actual vehicles.
The tragic crash during the race was handled about as gently as it could have been but it wis still horrific. Be prepared. I knew it was coming and it is still frightening.
On the domestic side, Laura Ferrari, played by Penelope Cruz in one of her best performances ever controls the company’s finance. She has a quiet anger, partly due to the death of her son, and partly because of Enzo’s wandering.
His mistress, Lina Lardi, continues to press Enzo to acknowledge their son publicly, making him the heir to the Ferrari company. He is reluctant to make the move for fear of angering Laura.
Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari and Penelope Cruz as Laura do outstanding work. I felt that Cruz really stole the show. Some of the racing scenes were very good, although the shots of a crowd of cars racing together through a small town were not realistic. The Mille Miglia began rally style, and the cars were never that close to each other.
I really liked the film, and I suggest that if you haven’t seen it yet, please read about the 1957 Mille Miglia before you go. Preparation for the scene near the end of the race will help.
Gil de Ferran- Racer, Gentleman
A slow trickle of news Friday night soon became a tsunami of shock and grief, followed by a wave of tributes to Gil de Ferran, who died of a heart attack that afternoon. I was among those in disbelief.
I expected that I would need to write another obituary column at some point before I retire this column, but this was not one I thought I’d be writing. To be honest, I hope I don’t have to do another one while this space is active. I think that is what makes this such a shock.
de Ferran was 56, 20 years removed from racing in Indycar, and had built a great post driving career as a team owner, manager, and consultant. Everyone like de Ferran, known to be a class individual outside the car. He drove with a will to win, as evidenced by his two Indycar titles and the 2003 Indianapolis 500 victory.
I thought he was under appreciated as a driver, drowned out by the feats of fellow Brazilians Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan. In addition to his 12 Indycar wins, de Ferran had three top 10s in four Indianapolis 500s.
His closed course one lap record of 241.428 miles an hour, set in October 2000, at California Speedway, may never be broken. de Ferran’s ALMS Acura team won five races in 2009, including four in a row.
As I have said before, do not miss an opportunity to tell your heroes how much you appreciate them. many of them are at a track or two during the season. Also hug your loved ones.
Statements on Passing of Indy 500 Winner, INDYCAR SERIES Champion de Ferran
More from IMS and Indycar:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Dec. 29, 2023) – Statements on the passing of 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Gil de Ferran. He died Dec. 29 at age 56: “We are terribly saddened to hear about today’s tragic passing of Gil de Ferran. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angela, Anna, Luke and the entire de Ferran family. Gil defined class as a driver and as a gentleman. As an INDYCAR champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, Gil accomplished so much during his career, both on and off the track.“Gil was beloved by so many. He was a great friend to the Team Penske and INDYCAR family, as well as the entire international motorsports community. Gil’s passing is a terrible loss, and he will be deeply missed.”– Roger Penske, chairman, Penske Corporation “It is heartbreaking to learn of the loss of Gil de Ferran. His accomplishments on the racetrack were significant, but I, along with so many in our paddock, were fortunate to know how wonderful he was as a person. Gil was a true INDYCAR ambassador whose charm and wit were second to none. Our condolences are with the de Ferran family during this difficult time.”– Mark Miles, president and CEO, Penske Entertainment Corp. “Gil de Ferran was an Indianapolis 500 winner who has always represented the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ with pure class. A true champion in open-wheel racing, Gil’s thrilling win at Indianapolis put an exclamation point on his tremendous career. It was always a highlight every May when Gil would return to the Speedway, where he always spent time with fans and friends. We were fortunate to honor him and celebrate the 20th anniversary of his win this past May. Our hearts and deepest sympathies go to Angela, their children and all his family and friends.”– J. Douglas Boles, president, Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
2003 Indianapolis 500 Winner de Ferran Dies at 56
From IMS. My thoughts will be up later this weekend.
| INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Dec. 29, 2023) – Gil de Ferran, who won the 2003 Indianapolis 500 and two INDYCAR SERIES championships, died suddenly after a brief illness Dec. 29 near his home in Florida. He was 56. De Ferran edged Team Penske teammate and fellow Brazilian Helio Castroneves in a scintillating finish in the 2003 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” earning his victory by .2990 of a second after passing Castroneves for good on Lap 170. De Ferran earned his sole “500” victory in the last of his four career starts in the race, as he retired as a driver after the 2003 INDYCAR SERIES season. While de Ferran denied close friend Castroneves a record-setting third consecutive “500” win in 2003, de Ferran’s drive to victory circle was the third straight Indy win for Team Penske. He also finished runner-up behind Castroneves in 2001. The Indianapolis 500 victory was the zenith of a remarkable career that also included INDYCAR SERIES championships under CART sanction in 2000 and 2001 while driving for Team Penske. In both seasons, de Ferran used a combination of speed, consistency and racecraft to win the championship despite not being the driver with the most victories. That encapsulated the meticulous, analytical approach to his craft that de Ferran showed during his entire career. De Ferran ended his INDYCAR SERIES driving career with 12 victories and 21 poles, with his final win coming in his last career start, on Oct. 12, 2003, at Texas Motor Speedway. His first victory came as a rookie in 1995 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca while driving for Hall/VDS Racing. He earned CART Rookie of the Year honors in 1995. The Brazilian moved from Hall/VDS to Walker Racing in 1997 after Hall/VDS owner Jim Hall retired from the sport. De Ferran finished second in the CART standings in 1997 despite going winless that season. But he still gained notoriety that year by finishing second to Mark Blundell at Portland International Raceway by .027 of a second, the closest result ever in a CART-sanctioned event. De Ferran’s career blossomed when he joined Team Penske for the 2000 season, pairing with Castroneves for the next four seasons. He won the first of his two-straight championships and made racing history during qualifying at California Speedway when he set the closed-course land speed record with a lap of 241.428 mph, a mark that stands today. De Ferran also earned Team Penske its 100th INDYCAR SERIES career victory in 2000 at Nazareth Speedway. After his INDYCAR SERIES career, de Ferran mixed driving in sports cars and his budding career in team management with his usual blend of courtesy and class. He joined the BAR-Honda Formula One team as sporting director in 2005, remaining in that role until 2007. Then de Ferran returned to the cockpit in 2008 in a factory-backed Acura LMP2 prototype in the American Le Mans Series as the owner-driver of his team, de Ferran Motorsports, sharing the wheel with future INDYCAR SERIES champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud. The team climbed to the premier LMP1 prototype class as an Acura factory team in 2009, with five victories and seven poles en route to a runner-up finish in the standings. De Ferran retired as a driver after the 2009 season and co-owned de Ferran Dragon Racing in the INDYCAR SERIES through 2011. During this time, de Ferran also served as a team owners’ representative on the ICONIC committee that evaluated designs for the next generation of INDYCAR SERIES chassis, with his immense technical and managerial acumen adding greatly to the process. In July 2018, de Ferran was named sporting director for McLaren Racing in Formula One, a role he held until early 2021. In May 2023, he also was rehired by McLaren as a consultant and advisor. De Ferran started racing in karting in Brazil, where he moved as a toddler with his family after being born in Paris. He advanced through junior open-wheel formulas in Brazil before moving to Great Britain to race. He finished third in the 1991 British Formula 3 championship, behind only future F1 race winners Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard. In 1992, de Ferran won the British F3 title for Paul Stewart Racing with seven victories. He raced in Formula 3000 (now Formula 2, one step below F1) in 1993 and 1994 for Paul Stewart Racing, finishing tied for fourth in 1993 and third in 1994 before moving to America to race in 1995. De Ferran is survived by his wife, Angela, whom he met when she worked for Paul Stewart Racing; daughter, Anna; and son, Luke. |
Happy Holidays from The Pit Window
It’s been a year. At times it seemed as if I spent as much time in medical facilities as I did at racetracks. Everything is fine now. I still attended 10 Indycar races, a seven year low for me; the BC39, and three IMSA races- the Rolex 24, Sebring, and the inaugural Battle on the Bricks at IMS.
While I didn’t think the racing on track was as good as it was in 2022, there was lots of off-track drama to spice the up the summer. Silly Season has created even more drama which will take some time to resolve. It will be interesting see how it all will turn out.
My in-person schedule will somewhat make up for the races I missed last season. I plan to be there for 12 Indycar races, including the two double headers. I will go to Sebring and the Battle on the Bricks. I have not decided about the Rolex 24 because…
I am going to LeMans!
The granddaddy of 24-hour races has been on my bucket list since before there were bucket lists.
I want to thank all of you who took time to read this space this year. I also want to thank the media directors of the tracks, and the media staff at IMS and Indycar for allowing me space during race weekends.
Have a happy holiday season. Unless something crazy happens next week, I will see you after the first of the year.
The Pit Window will head to inter headquarters around January 7.
Iowa Sets Concert Lineup
HyVee Indycar Weekend at Iowa Speedway this summer will feature just two concerts instead of the four that supported the double headers in 2022 and 2023.
The announcement from Iowa Speedway:
2024 CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT
Award-winning artists Luke Combs and Post Malone will lead the star-studded entertainment lineup for next summer’s Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, July 12-14, 2024. Entering its third year in 2024, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend brings capacity crowds to Iowa Speedway for a turbocharged blend of thrilling racing, world-class live music and three days of fun and excitement.
Want to celebrate the Hy-Vee #INDYCAR Race Weekend? Buy your tickets NOW for 2024 and catch night racing, award-winning musical artists and so much more. Don’t miss out!
Act now for the best seats at the lowest remaining prices of the year! We are excited to return to Iowa Speedway in 2024 with three days full of amazing concerts, thrilling racing, and great food. Prices will increase closer to Race Weekend.
Newgarden Joins the Immortals
It was an event fitting for the occasion. The unveiling of the most recent Indianapolis 500 winner’s face on the Borg Warner trophy each December has become akin to the coronation of a new ruler of England. The winner is known in May, then in December his likeness is officially placed on the trophy.
The reveal event has evolved over the years. The first one I attended was in 2016. It was a low key affair. Alexander Rossi spent some time with a group of fans before his face was shown on the Borg Warner trophy. Before Covid, these little affairs were held at the IMS Museum.
In 2022, Marcus Ericsson saw his image in sterling at a luncheon near downtown, followed by a nice buffet lunch. Last night, i think IMS may havefound a permanent home to honor its reigning champion.
The trophy stood in all its grandeur with a 1914 Stutz Bearcat in the background.
The Stutz Museum hosted the event. Attendees sat among classic Stutz automobiles, including a 1973 Stutz Black Hawk.
I think some of the cars were removed to accommodate last night’s event.
Newgarden’s image is one of the better ones in recent years. His features stand out, and you can tell who it is. Too many of the recent winners’ faces seem to have sameness about them.
Newgarden is still overwhelmed by his victory. You can hear it in his voice as he speaks about last May. He hopes to attend this end of year event again as the honoree.
“As soon as you win the Indy 500, you want to win it again,” he said.
The Stutz Museum is open Saturday and Sunday from 10am-6pm, Thursday Friday form 4pm – 8 pm. Admission is free and is open to the public. It is a good idea to check before going in case it is closed for a private event.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 