Spring Training at COTA- The Season Begins

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Greetings from Austin. The crazy, turbulent  off season is over.  We have seen a huge change in ownership of the NTT Indycar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, champion drivers summarily dropped from their rides, new associations formed. But we are now past that and we are, I hope just one day away from cars running on track at Circuit of the Americas.

The weather may have something to say about that. The forecast from Indycar Weatherman Sunday night around 6 pm:

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Wednesday looks more favorable, especially temperature wise. It is a wait and see game. Today is media day and a lot of stories and some livery reveals are on tap.  Losing an entire day of running will be frustrating. There are several things teams were looking to find out in the two day test.

First Aeroscreen Test for Some Teams

Some teams have not tested with the aeroscreen as of yet. They were hoping to use these two days to gather a lot of information and get feedback from their drivers. I don’t know if lack of track time will be a huge setback for a team as far as the aeroscreen goes. Most drivers and teams who have tested with seemed to adapt quickly.

Aeroscreen in Traffic

COTA was to be the first time cars ran in traffic with the aeroscreen. Everyone wants to see how the new device affects passing and how air comes off the cars with the screen. Until the green flag at St. Pete, we won’t have an idea of how a closely bunched field will affect turbulence.

New COTA Track Limits

Drivers will get a chance to test the new turn 19 track limits this week. In last year’s race cars could go outside the track in turn 19, creating a wider arc. The new limits involve a timing loop which the cars must pass over, staying on the intended track surface. The result will probably be slower lap speeds. How will the racing be affected by the track limit?

In Car Cameras

Indycar plans to check locations of the in- car cockpit cameras during the test days. A place for a camera was built in to the top center of the aeroscreen frame. I don’t think it would be hard to change or add locations in the frame.

Rookies

The rookies, Rinus VeeKay, Oliver Askew, Alex Palou, and  Scott McLaughlin will get some on track experience against the series veterans. I will watch their times, keeping in mind this is still a test.

 

Arrow McLaren SP Liveries: A Taste of Mclaren and a Somewhat Retro Look; Carlin Returns

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Arrow McLaren SP revealed their liveries for 2020. The number 5 car which Pato O’Ward will drive and the 7 of Oliver Askew have different color front end plates which will help fans tell the cars apart. The gold cockpit surround of last year has been replaced by papaya orange. I really like the number fonts. The majority of number fonts in the NTT Indycar Series have become rather generic, mainly block numbers in various colors. The fonts for this team are dynamic.

The orange and blue accents are a familiar scheme for McLaren, whose founder Bruce McLaren drove cars with these colors.

The design reminds me of Raul Boesel’s Duracell car of the early 90s, and it also has a hint of the MGD Light car. It’s always nice to have a bit of a retro appearance. The highlight of the reveal was when Mike Long said the new 5 year out plan is to get Robert Wickens back in a car. The technology is there and improving.. What an amazing day that will be for Indycar and Wickens.

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Oliver Askew’s #7
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Pato O’Ward’s #5

The aeroscreen seems less intrusive on theses cars than it does on some other entries. I am anxious to get an in person look at all the cars next Tuesday at COTA.

 

Carlin, Chilton Return

Carlin Racing also announce today that Max Chilton will be back in the 59 car with Gallagher sponsorship. Chilton will drive all road and street courses and the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500. There was no mention of a second car or whether someone else would drive the other four ovals. Carlin plans to have two cars at Spring Training next week.

 

Spring Training Schedule and Streaming

Spring Training from COTA will be streamed next Tuesday and Wednesday on the Indycar Mobile App and Indycar.com.

The schedule (all times Eastern):

Tuesday

11 am-1 pm

2:30 pm-6:30 pm

Wednesday

10 am- Noon

1 pm-5 pm

I’m will be on site Monday and Tuesday. look for my Spring Training preview this weekend and updates Monday and Tuesday.

 

The Last of the Brazilians?

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We are approaching the end of a great time in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and the NTT Indycar Series. Word today from Team Penske that Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will drive in the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis in May means Helio Castroneves will drive only in the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500. My feeling is this will be his last 500.

Earlier this month, Tony Kanaan announced 2020 will be his final year in Indycar as he runs only the ovals in the series. I could see him coming back for the Indianapolis 500, but I’m not sure for how long.  I think Kanaan may have a tough time getting funding for future rides.

The 104th Indianapolis 500 may be the last one for awhile with a driver from Brazil in it. Since Emerson Fittipaldi’s rookie year in 1984, I count 19 Brazilian drivers who have run in the race. I m ay be leaving a couple out.The early 2000s were the peak of the South American country’ s participation.  In 2003, Brazil finished first, second, and third. Gil DeFerran won, followed by Castroneves and Kanaan Four Brazilian drivers have compiled seven victories at Indianapolis. Castroneves has three and Fittipaldi has two. DeFerran and Kanaan each won once.

The high mark was in 2010 when seven Brazilian drivers started. Six starters were in the 2002 race .From 2003-2008, there were four drivers from Brazil in each race. Last year the contingent was just Castroneves, Kanaan, and Matheus Leist.

Among the other drivers from Brazil, I liked Raul Boesel, who I thought had a great chance at winning in 1993; Ana Beatriz, Vitor Meira, and Bruno Junqueira. Meira never won a race in his Indycar career, but came close several times. Junqueira has qualified several cars only to be displaced on race day.

The pendulum seems to be swinging back toward American drivers now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Trends of certain nationalities dominating the Indycar paddock are cyclical. It just doesn’t seem as if the Brazilian pipeline has many drivers in it right now.

It would be fitting if 2020 were the last 500 for both Kanaan and Castroneves. They grew up racing against each other. I think seeing them retire from the Greatest Spectacle in Racing together, while sad to mark the end of an era, would be nice.

 

 

 

Bourdais, Kellett Complete Foyt Lineup for Car 14

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Sebastien Bourdais at Barber last season.

Sebastien Bourdais is not done with Indycar yet. A. J. Foyt Racing announced that Bourdais will drive the number b14 entry at the St. Pete opener, Barber, Long Beach, and Portland. The four time series champion will drive a Chevrolet powered car for the first time since 2016. He will get to drive in his home race at St. Pete, where he won in 2017 and 2018.

Dalton Kellett will take the wheel at Circuit of the Americas, the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Detroit, Road America, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, and Laguna Seca. Kellet, a rookie in Indycar, drove in Indy Lights for the past four years. He will also make his Indianapolis 500 debut in the third Foyt entry for the 104th running of the race.

Last week Tony Kanaan announced he will be driving the number 14 on all the ovals in his Indycar farewell season. Charlie Kimball recently signed to drive the second Foyt full time entry, number 4 for the full season.

Thoughts

I’m glad Bourdais will have a bit of a presence in Indycar.  If his schedule permits, I hope he can drive a couple more races. I wouldn’t rule him completely out for the 500 yet.

It will be interesting to see how Kellett performs. In Lights, he was better on oval than road courses.

Filling the third car for the 500 leaves one less seat for a driver looking for a ride. Usually Foyt partners with a one off team.

The four drivers who will drive for Foyt have a variety of experience and background. Bourdais is probably the best at setting up a car. Perhaps he can get the team pointed in the right direction. His driving in the first three races is a good move for the team.

Bumped Before May; Honda Nixes Alonso Andretti Ride

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Fernando Alonso watches as he is bumped from the Indianapolis 500 in 2019. Photo: Mike Silver

\Fernando Alonso will need to find needs to find a Chevy team to take him on if he wants another chance to win the Indianapolis 500. An expected announcement from Andretti Autosport putting Honda in the 29 Andretti ride never came. I thought that was because of the death of Michael’s cousin, John Andretti. But Honda headquarters in Japan vetoed the deal.

The bad blood between Alonso, and McLaren for that matter, stems from criticisms leveled at Honda in Formula 1 when they supplied engines to the McLaren which Alonso drove for. Granted, the engine performed poorly. Alonso called it a GP 2 engine during one race. The team was not happy with the engine the entire season.

Alonso now has limited options among the Chevy teams. Penske never was a possibility, Ed Carpenter racing will not run a fourth car. The best opportunities lie at Arrow McLaren SP, Coyne, or Carlin. Alonso failed to qualify last year in a Carlin supported entry. I’m not sure he wants to go that route again.

One off Chevy teams which may have availability are Juncos and Dreyer and Reinbold. Alonso needs a huge check to hook up with Juncos. I’m not sure where D&R stands with their second driver, thought to be J. R, Hildebrand.

Door Open for Hinchcliffe?

My first thought upon hearing this news is does Hinchcliffe have a shot at the now open Andretti ride? I don’t know which teams he has talked to already or how far negotiations have progressed. He wants to run races besides Indianapolis. Andretti would probably be the easiest team to accommodate that.  The team had considered running Alonso at one or two more races.

I’m sure Andretti is getting lots of calls from lots of drivers asking about the now empty seat. Some possibilities are Carlos Munoz, Stefan Wilson, and Oriol Servia. Sebastien Bourdais may be interested as well.

Implications

I really don’t see Alonso driving in the 500 this year. The Chevy possibilities themselves have limited room for another car.

Drivers and teams may now be even more leery of criticizing their engine supplier. Indycar seats and engine leases are hard enough to come by. This not a component of a team anyone wants to upset.

Honda’s veto of Alonso underscores the need for the NTT Indycar Series to secure a third OEM. If  one supplier has a say about who drives cars with their engines, the field narrows for the parties affected. Of course Honda has every right to make decisions they believe are in their interests, but  having just two engine choices is limiting.

What will it now take for a driver to get the seventh Andretti car for Indianapolis? Alonso was likely bringing significant sponsorship to the team. Will Andretti decide to forgo the extra car?  I was seeing one less car for qualifying this year as it was. I hope I’m wrong.

 

 

John Andretti- A Passion for Racing and Caring

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Just a few words about John Andretti. He had success in every series in which he drove. He had one Indycar win at Surfer’s Paradise, two NASCAR Cup wins, a Rolex 24 win, and he did well driving a dragster. John was the first driver to do the Indianapolis 500 and Coca Cola 600 double in 1994. I really admired him for that at the time. He finished 10th in the 500, then John scurried to Charlotte.

In his first NASCAR win, he held off Dale Earnhardt in the 1997 Pepsi 400 at Daytona. He nearly won the Brickyard 400 in 1995. A late pit stop cast him the victory.

Beyond racing, Andretti had compassion for others. His Race4Riley program has helped many kids at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. When he was diagnosed with colon cancer, he encouraged others to get colonoscopies at age fifty. He waited too long to have one, and didn’t want others to suffer the same fate. It was inspiring following the ups and downs of his battle with cancer over the last two and a half years.

I hope at St. Pete all cars will carry a decal honoring him. I would hope they keep it on all year.

I think I will remember John’s  caring more than his racing career. In his memory gifts can be made to the following:

Window World Cares

118 Shaver Street

North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

http//www.windowworldcares.com

 

Riley Children’s Foundation

30 S. meridian St., Suite 200

Indianapolis, IN 46204

https//www.rileykids.org

 

Indycar Spring Training Tests Aeroscreen, Rookies

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Weather update:  High of 48, steady rain beginning around 10 pm CDT
Today’s Schedule: (All Times Eastern)

11:00-1:00  Indycar Series Open Testing

2:30-6:30 Indycar Series Open Testing

Weather forecast from Indycar Weatherman at 8:19 Austin time Monday night:

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The rain should be intermittent, but the temperatures may prevent the cars getting on track. That call may come from Firestone. I don’t know if there is a temperature delta for the rain tires.

While the test is for the teams to prepare for the upcoming season, it will also be the first full field test for the aeroscreen.  Most drivers didn’t think it will affect the racing. Some were concerned about vision after a few laps in less than optimal conditions. Today is also a good day to test the heating/cooling system of aeroscreen.

Updated entry list:

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Seven rookies will participate today. Three of them, Oliver Askew, Dalton Kellett, and Rinus VeeKay, drove in Indy Lights last year. The Road to Indy continues to do a great job training drivers for the NTT Indycar Series.

I will have up dates throughout the day.