Tag: Max Chilton

Chilton Ends Indycar Career, Looks to WEC

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Max Chilton has ended his brief Indycar career and will be looking to join the World Endurance Championship next season. He hopes to run Le Mans in 2023.The announcement is not a surprise since the team he drove for the last three years, Carlin, is not competing in the NTT Indycar Series this coming season.

Carlin has entered into a technical alliance with the new Juncos Hollinger Indycar team. The team will run one car with rookie Callum Ilott. Chilton came to Indy lights in 2015 in mid season with Carlin. He won the race at Iowa and finished fifth int he standings.

The next two years Chilton drove for Chip Ganassi Racing, placing 19th and 11th in points. He led the 2017 Indianapolis 500 late in the race, losing the lead with five laps to go and finished fourth. He led 50 laps, the most by anyone in the race.

In 2018 Chilton returned to Carlin. After failing to qualify for the 2019 500, Chilton decided he would not run any more ovals except for the 500 mile race.

I’m sad to see Carlin stop competing in Indycar. When they entered the series I expected great things from a team that had a successful record in European junior Formulas. I hope their technical alliance leads to the team getting a car back on track in 2023.

I never got the feeling Chilton was comfortable in Indycar. I’m not sure if it was Max or the equipment which produced the results they showed.

Carlin Team Leads Sebring Test Days

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Felipe Nasr led Day 1 and Max Chilton led Day 2 in testing at Sebring Monday and Tuesday this week. Nasr had the fastest lap on Monday and was second quick on Tuesday. It is testing and probably doesn’t translate to a race weekend, but it is a nice way for Carlin to begin March. No driver has been named for car 31 as of now, but Nasr has to be a strong candidate.  If someone else drives the car at St. Pete next week, the NTT Indycar Series opener will the first race without a Brazilian driver since 1999.

The times from Tuesday:

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Rinus VeeKay looks as if he has adapted to Indycar quickly. We’ll find out how well in about a week.  Back in a while with a summary of today’s Josef Newgarden/Simon Pagenaud teleconference.

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.

 

Daly to Drive Car 59 at Texas

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Photo from @CarlinRacing via Twitter

Yesterday Carlin Racing announced that Conor Daly will drive car 59 at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, replacing Max Chilton. Chilton, who failed to qualify for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 last month, will not drive in any of the four remaining  oval races- Texas, Iowa, Pocono, or Gateway- this season, citing “risk management”concerns.

Daly drove for Andretti Autosport in the 500, qualifying 11th and finishing 10th. As of now, this is a one race deal with Carlin. Drivers for the other ovals will be announced later.

The Texas entry list:

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I believe it is a driver’s right to choose which races he wishes to enter.  Like Mike Conway, Chilton feels that ovals are not worth the risk to him.  I respect his decision to step out of the car for these races.

 

 

Carlin Announces Chilton Full Time; Kimball Will Run Partial Schedule

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Carlin Racing today confirmed Max Chilton will return as driver of the number 59 car for the 2019 NTT Indycar Series.  The announcement had been expected for quite a while. This will be Chilton’s fourth year driving the Gallagher car. He raced out of the Chip Ganassi Racing team in 2016 and 2017 before moving with teammate Charlie Kimball to Carl;in’s new entry last year.

“I couldn’t be happier to formally announce that Gallagher will be back for the 2019 season partnering with myself and Carlin. Gallagher and Carlin are like family to me and I’m excited to see what we can do together building on both partnerships,” said Chilton. “Our first year together as an IndyCar team had its ups and downs, but the potential and growth that we showed as a team was obvious to everyone. I want to say a massive thank you to Gallagher for their continuing support of me. To have the opportunity to represent the nearly 30,000 employees of Gallagher, a brand that focuses so heavily on teamwork and innovation, is a true privilege.”

Kimball, meanwhile will be back with long time sponsor Novo Nordisk on a part time schedule. His races weren’t confirmed yet. My guess is his schedule will include the Indianapolis 500, Laguna Seca, Mid Ohio, and  one of the March/ April races.  I’m not sure how many Kimball will run. I had heard he had a 70% budget, which would mean he would run about 12 events.

Carlin will have another driver fill in for the remaining to complete the entire schedule. R. C Enerson has tested with the team.

I thought last year it was a bold move for Carlin to plunge into Indycar full time with two cars. They did manage a couple of top 10s. They should see improved resulkts this season.

Tomorrow morning Meyer Shank Racing will announce Jack Harvey’s 10 race schedule for the Indycar season. Watch this spot for news of that announcement tomorrow afternoon.

Ericsson to Drive Car #7 for Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports

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From Schmidt Peterson Motorsports this morning:

Marcus Ericsson Joins SPM for 2019 Season

Marcus Ericsson Joins Schmidt Peterson Motorsports For 2019 Season
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 30, 2018) – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports announced today that Marcus Ericsson will pilot the No. 7 Honda for the 2019 IndyCar Series season. The current Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team driver will make the move to the North American open-wheel racing series following the conclusion of Formula One’s season later this year in Abu Dhabi.The Kumla, Sweden native is a two-time champion (Formula BMW UK, 2007; Japanese Formula Three, 2009), and has twice claimed the Swedish Junior Racer of the Year award (2007, 2009). Ericsson also previously competed in British Formula Three, GP2 Asia, GP2 and currently has 95 starts in Formula One.

“It’s a great honour to be picked as one of the drivers at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and IndyCar for the 2019 season,” the Swedish racing driver commented. “It feels like a perfect step for me and my career after five years in F1. I can’t wait to start work with SPM and all the people in the team which I’ve heard a lot of good things about. They’ve had some great success over the years, and I’m looking forward to work hard to continue and improve on that path. The racing in IndyCar looks great and I feel really excited to be part of it in the future. It will be a lot to learn including new tracks, oval racing, etc. I know it won’t be easy, but it’s a challenge I’m very much looking forward to and I can’t wait to get started.”

While the No. 7 Honda will be his primary focus, the 28-year-old will remain on Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team’s lineup as reserve driver for its F1 program due to his strong relationship with the team and its partners. Ericsson most recently finished ninth in the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City.

“Ric (Peterson) and I are excited to welcome Marcus to the team,” said SPM co-owner Sam Schmidt. “He has a ton of experience racing in the top levels of motorsports, so we believe that he will be able to contribute to our development program that began in earnest in 2018. While the circuits on the IndyCar schedule will be brand new to him, particularly the ovals, we have a lot of confidence and trust in his eagerness to learn along with his work ethic. We think he and James (Hinchcliffe) will be a good fit to push one another and fight for those wins.”

Ericsson joins series veteran James Hinchcliffe who will continue his appointment in the No. 5 Arrow Electronics Honda, while Briton Jack Harvey will maintain his part-time ride through the collaboration with Meyer Shank Racing. The No. 6 Honda remains open for 2018 IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Robert Wickens when he wants to and is able to return.

Marcus Ericsson will be available to media at the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports shop (6803 Coffman Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268) for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 31. Media mustRSVP attendance to SPM Press Officer Veronica Knowlton prior to Wednesday.

Thoughts-

Ericsson joins Sebastien Bourdais, Alexander Rossi, and Max Chilton,and Takuma Sato on the Indycar grid as drivers who have driven in F1.
Only the second Carlin seat remains open. R. C. Enerson was in the car yesterday at COTA.
While this is probably a decent move for SPM, it is another seat not going to a driver from the Road to Indy.

Season Preview, Part 1- New Teams Hope New Aero Package Levels the Field

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New teams, new drivers, new sponsors, and a new aero package are ready. The fans are more than ready. The 2018 Indycar season starts Friday when practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg begins.

In a three part series, I take a look at each team and make some predictions for the year.

Today I focus on the new teams. In all parts of this preview, team order is random and is not intended to be a prediction of season long results.

Michael Shank Racing

It has been a long road to Indycar for Michael Shank, beginning last year with the Indianapolis 500. Jack Harvey drives the Shank car, which has a technical partnership with Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports. The team has scheduled 6 races this year so far. Harvey will drive at St. Pete, Long Beach, The 500, Mid-Ohio, Portland, and Sonoma. The team may add a couple more races. This will be an interesting team to watch. They might be able to grab a couple of top 10s, but I see them using this season to learn and build.

Juncos Racing

Ricardo Juncos may be pioneering the model for future Indycar teams. Juncos has been a long time steady participant in the Mazda Road to Indy, winning the 2017 Indy Lights championship with Kyle Kaiser. Kaiser and the team both move to Indycar this year. Juncos has eight scheduled races this year. Kaiser will drive in four, and newcomer Rene Binder will drive the other four. There is hope to add some more outings for Kaiser, the team’s primary driver.

Binder will open the season at St. Pete, then race at Barber, Toronto, and Mid-Ohio. Kaiser debuts at Phoenix, then goes to Long Beach, and finishes the season at Indianapolis, driving in the GP of Indy and the 500. The hope is to add more races for Kaiser. I hope that happens because he needs more seat time and needs to have races deeper into the season.

I think this team will struggle to get results, but they will build a solid foundation for the following years. Juncos still has a presence in the Mazda Road to Indy with Victor Franzoni headlining their Indy Lights program.

Carlin Racing

It was just a matter of time before Carlin moved to Indycar. After a successful two years in Indy Lights, including the 2016 championship with Ed Jones, they become a two car team with former Ganassi drivers Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton. Carlin knows how to run races and their two drivers have Indycar experience.

Chilton is still learning the craft and showed improvement last year. Kimball is at a crossroads. Were his problems last season a part of being on Ganassi’s B team? This will be a pivotal year for him.

I think they will have some good results and will end up in the upper half of the field.

Harding Racing

A three race toe dip last season and now Harding is a full time entry with Gabby Chaves. In their brief time last year the team produced two top 10s and was running at the finish of every race. Chaves is a steady driver. The team strengthened their leadership hiring Brian Barnhart as president and Al Unser, Jr. as driving coach. That experience alone gives them a bit of an edge over the other new teams. Look for a consistent season with some very good results on occasion. Harding could be the best of the newcomers.

Tomorrow-

A. j. Foyt Racing, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan, Schmidt Peterson Racing, and Ed Carpenter Racing