Category: Auto Racing

Foster Drives to Top of Tight Griffis Test at IMS

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From Indycar:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 20, 2023) – If the Chris Griffis Memorial Test is any indication, there won’t be much room between the top drivers in INDY NXT by Firestone during the 2024 season.

Veteran Louis Foster was the quickest driver Friday in the all-day test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 14.8432 seconds in the No. 26 Andretti Global car. British driver Foster finished fourth in the series standings as a rookie in 2023, with two victories.

“Hopefully, we can keep our form like last year into 2024,” Foster said. “Looking forward to the rest of the offseason and doing some more testing so we can improve on what we did today.”

Just .1728 of a second separated the top five drivers in the test on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course that incorporates parts of the iconic IMS oval

.Series veteran Jacob Abel was second at 1:14.9201 in the No. 51 Abel Motorsports machine. 2023 USF Pro 2000 champion Myles Rowe was the quickest of the newcomers, third overall at 1:14.9487 in the No. 99 HMD Motorsports car.2023 INDY NXT by Firestone

Rookie of the Year Nolan Siegel was fourth at 1:14.9918 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports car.

Brazilian rookie Caio Collet will be a driver to watch after he rounded out the top five at 1:15.0160 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports machine. Collet has raced the last three seasons in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, with three victories.

Twenty-one drivers – two more than the full-time grid in 2023 for the growing INDYCAR development series – combined to turn 1,145 laps despite wet track conditions in the morning session.

The only major incident occurred in the final 20 minutes of the day when Rowe went off track in Turn 12 and hit the tire barrier near the pit entrance. He was unhurt.

Today’s test is named in memory of Chris Griffis, the team manager of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who passed away suddenly in September 2011.

The 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season starts Sunday, March 10 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florid


 

Results:

Canapino Retuns to Juncos Hollinger Racing

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Agustin Canapino will be back in the 78 car in 2024. The 33 year old Argentine driver made quite an impression in 2023 with three 12th place finishes and a 21st place final standing.

Canapino entered last season with zero open wheel experience but became more competitive in the second half of the year. he ran as high as fifth in the season finale at Laguna Seca and ended the race in 14th place.

His return for 2024 was in doubt because of turmoil and inflation in the government of Argentina, which had sponsored the car in 2023. Funding ahs been found, apparently.

Callum Ilott, who drove the 77 car for Juncos Hollinger, is expected to return, but there has been no formal announcement as the team looks for funding.

Openings to Fill

Ilott and Graham Rahal are both unsigned, but each driver is expected to keep their seats.

Open seats by car number are:

Rahal letterman Lanigan Racing- 30

Andretti Global- 29*

*This car may or may not run in 2024.

Dale Coyne Racing- 18, 51

Ed Carpenter Racing- 20

A> J. Foyt Racing- 14

Hybrid Testing Wrap-up

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If last week’s hybrid testing at IMS proved anything, is that the drivers are still uncertain how the new power tool will work during a race, how it will affect fuel mileage, and its effect on tire wear. Two of the drivers participating in the test, Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas, not only need to learn how to work the new hybrid system, but they also have the added burden of getting acquainted with new teams as well.

Ericsson and Malukas spoke to the media after the morning session on Friday.

Both drivers are excited about their new teams, and they are happy to get the opportunity to test so soon.

Ericsson likes that he is going o Andretti as a known quantity, unlike when he joined Ganassi four years ago.

Marcus Ericsson

“I hadn’t really shown what I can do (when joining Ganassi) and then now, coming from being a 500 winner, and then, winning multiple races. I think you can definitely feel that excitement from the organization and the team for me to get there and you know, I’m excited to get to get going and get working. I think, like I said, the potential is really big in the team…”

Ericsson said that the hybrid addition will keep the drivers even busier in the cockpit, but he thinks it will show which drivers really are the best.

“…on an oval you have the weight jacker, you have in front the rear bar and now you have to regen and deploy as well, so it’s getting busier in the cockpits I think that’s the biggest thing. And then we’re still working on you know, different things, which is you know, how much range and how much deploy and all that. There’s still a process that we’re going through that I think is exciting, it’s exciting, but it’s serious. It’s a really cool up here that we’re gonna have, and I’m hoping it’s gonna be a way where you can as a driver be, you know, smarter than your competitors and do it better than your competitors. “

Ericsson is thrilled that he has the opportunity to test with his new team so soon, and he hopes to get to do more testing to help him learn the team and the car.

Malukas was a bit overwhelmed at the wealth of resources he now has available at Arrow Mclaren, and he is excited to take advantage of them.

David Malukas

“I walked in and every quarter I looked around, obviously shining gold and like so many so much stuff. And you know coming in I don’t even know how to use it but thankfully they have you ever good. Everybody’s been super friendly and introducing everything to me. They can get comfortable. And specifically, Tony has been showing me the ropes. Like hey, so this is how you use this resource. This is what I think you should do and it’s really getting me comfortable and getting used to all these sporting resources.”

Like Ericsson, Malukas is excited to get some laps in the car with his new team, and he appreciates their trust in him.

“Yeah, they’re trusting me I can get the feedback and from my side, I just get to do laps and do more and more laps and at the end of the day, the more practice.”

He thinks the hybrid power system is a positive foir the series.

“I find it very good. I’ve you know been enjoying it. You know, it adds more tools for the drivers I feel like it can kind of separate you know, the drivers from the top to that the best to the worst on when it comes to hydroset. It’s another tool that you can time to regen once you deploy setup passes. I think it’s gonna have a bit of a bit of a big play here at the moment.”

Malukas isn’t sure what effect the added weight will have on tire wear. he was hoping they will get more information Friday afternoon.

” I think we’ll see by the end of today. Once we start doing a bit longer runs, being in traffic, seeing how it’s gonna play out but it all depends on when you want to use that extra power. You know, if you want to say the tire, use it on the straight, don’t use it in the corner and then it’s you know, you’re kind of saving the tire.”

There will be some more hybrid testing at different tracks before the end of the year, but testing isn’t racing. The big test will be at St. Pete in the season opener. Until then we have to wait and see.

Final Day of IMS Hybrid Testing

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Today’s Schedule:

9 am-noon: Hybrid testing-Ericsson/Palou (Honda), Malukas/Power (Chevy)
1-5 pm: Hybrid testing- Ericsson/Palou (Honda), Malukas/Power (Chevy)

No interruptions for rookie tests today as Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas get a turn at trying out the new configuration. Both drivers are at new teams in 2024, so this test gives them some seat time with their new situation.

The weather should be good, war with up to a 15% chance of rain.

Sadly, today ends the racing season at IMS.

Make sure to get out to the museum before it closes next month.

Test Day Update: Larson Completes Rookie Test

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Kyle Larson has completed Rookie Orientation with lots of time to spare. He got up to speed in just five laps and had a couple of laps faster than the required range in phase I.

Larson needed 72 laps to complete the 40 lap test. His best speed was 217.898 mph, Larson had a best turn 1 trap speed of 221.187.

“It was hard to go slow,” Larson said.

The Indycar drivers participating in the hybrid testing today spoke to the media during their brake. All had the sense that 2024 will be a learning year. Jay Frye said that the hybrid component is still evolving and will continue to evolve over the next few years.

Will Power likes the options that the drivers will have with the new system.

“You can play with it a lot,” he said.

Power thinks the new piece will not create more speed in 2024.

Will Power

“No, not next year. It’s got more capability, but I think reliability to become creep up on the amount of power that we use. “

Power likes the options the hybrid gives the driver. He said that the deriver can decide how energy to use.

“You can play with that a lot. Actually, I mean, you can have very low power for a short time. Spread that out. You know, I think I’m trying three courses to pretty much get all the way to fifth gear still. Fine, which really are the key areas they need to get the tower a lot of times yeah, that’s all stuff you can really play with. The series can just depends how much they want to utilize.”

Jay Frye told me that he is not sure how fuel mileage will be affected by the hybrid system. The added weight is a factor, but the energy saving may cause mileage to be about the same. He expects the racing to be more competitive.

Hybrids Debut; Blomqvist Hits 220

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Today’s schedule:

9-11am: Hybrid testing- Herta, Palou (Honda), Power, Rossi (Chevy)
11am-2pm: Larson ROP
2-6pm: Hybrid testing-Herta, Palou (Honda), Power, Rossi (Chevy)

Today at IMS the new power era begins. Four cars -two Hondas and two Chevys- will test the new hybrid engine package. I am interested in hearing their reactions after the first session.

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson takes his rookie test at 11 today. many fans have been wanting to see Larson race in the Indianapolis 500 for quite some time.

Rookies Have Successful Day

Yesterday afternoon the three rookies, who all pretty much breezed through their rookie tests in the morning, put in a combined 285 laps of practice. Tom Blomqvist had the fastest lap at 220. 176.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lundqvist said. “With the speeds that you’re going, it feels so fast. With the history and legacy around this place, it just feels magical. Even though the grandstands are empty, I can only imagine what it will feel like when they’re full. Even now it’s very, very special.”

“I’ve enjoyed it a whole lot more than I expected,” Armstrong said. “I’m not saying I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but I think the intensity of it is pretty special and watching (in-car) onboards and on TV is one thing, but actually feeling how the car moves and how the wind affects you and the tiny details of this place – and Texas – has kind of given me so much enjoyment.”

Results:

Time Speed Laps

1 60 Blomqvist, Tom (R) D/H/F 00:40.8764 220.176 90
2 8 Lundqvist, Linus (R) D/H/F 00:41.0015 219.504 102
3 11 Armstrong, Marcus (R) D/H/F 00:41.0487 219.252 93

ROP Midday- All Tests Complete

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Photo:- Tom Blomqvist after his rookie test

The three rookies made quick work of the Rookie Orientation Program on a cool, cloudy morning at IMS. Tom Blomqvist, Marcus Armstrong, and Linus Lundqvist each completed the three phase, 40 lap course by the noon break.

Lundqvist was the first to complete phase II at 11:10, followed by Blomqvist 30 minutes later and Armstrong at 11:45.

The inly issue during the session occurred around 11:30 when Armstrong lost power driving down the front stretch. The problem was quickly resolved, and he completed his test.

Blomqvist deswcribed the test as “..a pretty cool experience.”

He said the car became easier to drive at higher speeds. Blomqvist credited four time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves for helping him get through the morning.

Tom Blomqvist talks with Helio Castroneves after completing his rookie test.

“I grew up watching that guy (Castroneves) climb that fence when I was about seven, eight years old. He’s been giving me some tips. It’s great to be able to pick his brain because you’re limited on tires and time here.”

Blomqvist said the test at Texas helped him prepare for driving at IMS. IMs seemed a lot more natural becaus eof the G load on the body,.

Rookie Day at IMS; Hybrid Testing Thursday and Friday

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Today’s Schedule
10am-noon: ROP

Tom Blomqvist (MSR), Marcus Armstrong (Chip Ganassi Racing) & Linus Lundqvist (Chip Ganassi Racing)

1-5pm: ROP

Blomqvist, Armstrong & Lundqvist ROP

A cool morning will give way to a pleasant afternoon as three rookies take to the oval for Rookie Orientation today. Kyle Larson will have 11 am -2 pm tomorrow allocated for his rookie test.

Weather today calls for a temperature of 50 degrees at 10 am, warming to 62 degrees by noon. Afternoon temperatures will be in the mid to upper 60s.

Tomorow and Friday will be warmer with highs in the middle to upper 70s. Turn 2 viewing mounds are open all three days.

Tickets for 2024 Total Solar Eclipse On Sale Now at IMS.com, Ticket Office 

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From IMS:

 Racing Capital of the World Is Destination for Unrivaled Experience within Path of Totality
INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023) – Tickets to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are on sale at IMS.com and at the IMS Ticket Office.
General admission tickets are $15 per person and include gate admission April 8, infield parking and a pair of limited-edition solar eclipse glasses – “The Greatest Spectacles.”
Kids 18 and under are admitted free with a paying adult and will receive a pair of limited-edition solar eclipse glasses.
Three-day camping packages (April 6-9) in Lot 2 are available starting at $125.
April 6 marks 50 days until the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, so fans can enjoy a countdown weekend at IMS while gearing up for a full day of racing and space fun.
“The Total Solar Eclipse is a unique opportunity to explore the connections between motorsports and space, and there’s no better place to celebrate both than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“As we count down to the Month of May, gathering at IMS to witness this rare moment over the Yard of Bricks will provide another opportunity to create lifelong memories at the Speedway.”
Six months from today, a total solar eclipse, known as the “Great North American Eclipse,” will trace a narrow path of totality across 13 U.S. states. When the total solar eclipse crosses North America, Indianapolis will be located in the center of the Path of Totality.
For three minutes and 46 seconds, Indianapolis will experience darkness as the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.
This is the first time in 819 years that a Total Solar Eclipse has been visible in Indianapolis, and it will be another 129 years before it occurs again.
IMS will host one of several NASA broadcast sites across the nation. NASA experts will be on hand to answer questions about the scientific phenomenon of a total solar eclipse. Educational STEM opportunities, exclusive merchandise and programming centered around racing and space discovery will be available throughout the day.
Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse and for more information on event details.