Tag: NTT Indycar Series

It’s Race Day!

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Good morning from St. Pete. It is about five hours until race time. Indycar has a 30 minute morning warmup beginning at 9:20. I jus returned from a pace car ride. Several of the turns are tighter than they seem. Turn 7, I believe, is almost a 90 degree hairpin.  Turn 10 isn’t as sweeping as it appears. Brakes will get quite a workout today.

Pit strategy and playing the yellows are the keys to victory. With several fast cars starting toward the rear, we cold see some interesting moves. The first three rows should have quite a battle with five of the potential championship contenders there. The winner heer rarely goes on to win the series title. Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015 was the last St. Pete winner to come close.

It’s amazing that Will Power has won eight of the fifteen poles at this track. That total is one seventh of his career pole wins.  Power just got nipped at the last minute by Robert Wickens last year. The question is, will he be more patient at the start? Last year he spun trying beat Wickens to turn 2.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg television coverage begins with a prerace show at 12:30, followed by the race broadcast on NBCSN.  Enjoy the race.

Back with quick thoughts after the race.

 

Quick Thoughts – St. Pete Qualifying

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Today’s qualifying was brought to you by the color red and the noun penalty. This was one of the strangest qualifying sessions I can remember.

I understand the guaranteed time rule but it was a bad look to not give Group 1 another lap.

Not sure who hindered whom, but it seems as if a couple more penalties could have been called.

One rookie replaced another in the Fast Six. I thought both of them would make it.

Teammates make up each of the first three rows.  Very much like F1.

Disappointed to see Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars not advance farther. Sato had been fast in all practice sessions.

Will Power is a great qualifier. He seems to find the quick lap when he needs to.

The race outcome will likely be determined by when the yellows fall. I think there could be several.

Back in the morning with a race preview.

 

 

Rehearsal’s Over; The Show Begins

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All the practices are complete and the NTT Indycar Series cars are set for the first qualifying session of the season. As expected, Chevy made more inroads into the top 10. Four drivers, the Penske trio of Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Simon Pagenaud, were joined by Ed Jones of Ed Carpenter Racing. It did not shock anyone that these cars were the top Chevys.

Honda, meanwhile, continued to lead the session. Ryan Hunter-Reay led his second straight round with a lap at 1:00:8966. Newgarden was just 0.0039 seconds behind. Hunter-Reay seeks his second consecutive pole. The biggest surprise of the morning was Alexander Rossi in 18th.

Fast Six Could Look Familiar

I think we can expect the Penske cars, Hunter-Reay, and perhaps a Carpenter car in the Fast Six. The last car could be Takuma Sato. Sato has been quick all weekend. He was third this morning.

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Don’t count Sato out of a Fast Six appearance

Qualifying is live at 2:30 pm on NBCSN. Watch for my Quick Thoughts here later and my wrapup on Wildfire Sports.

Good Morning from Day 2 at St. Pete

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another beautiful day is in store for fans attending the Firestone Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Yesterday Honda was very strong, leading  both practice sessions. The  rookies,  Colton Herta, Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus  Ericsson, were impressive, with  Rosenqvist leading session 1. Rosenqvist was 14th overall on the day and Ericsson was 19th.  Herta was 4th overall.

Qualifying is a different story. I don’t expect the Penske cars to be 9th, 10th, and 17th overall today as they finished Friday. Josef Newgarden was the quickest Penske car all day. I see a battle between the Andretti duo of Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Newgarden, Will Power, and possibly Scott Dixon for the pole. Don’t be shocked if Rosenqvist is up there as well. It will be interesting to see how much he learned about running on the red tires yesterday.

In action so far this morning, Parker Thompson won the pole for Indy Pro 2000 race 2. Indy Lights just began their qualifying session for race 2, which is tomorrow. Race 1 is 1:15 today, just ahead of Indycar qualifying.  Qualifying can be seen live at 2:30 on NBCSN.

Back with a quick morning session practice report, After qualifying, watch for my Quick Thoughts here and a full report on Wildfire Sports.

Quick Thoughts- The Season’s First Day

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Robert Wickens returned to a race track for the first time since his accident. He spoke to the media. He is in good spirits and doing well.  Some excerpts:

“Being back at a race track makes everything a little better.”

“It was strange being on the smart side of the pit wall.”

“I’m getting some stuff back. Trying to utilize every day to get as healthy as I can.”

He called the fan support here at St. Petersburg “Amazing. I thought the fans would be more focused on the race cars.”  “Fan support has been a big motivation piece.”

“100%” he wants to race again. “I want tog et back into racing as I left off. I don’t want to just run at the back of the field.”

Wickens’ appearance was a great emotional lift for him. I think it was just as much as an emotional lift for the media. The press doesn’t usually applaud at the end of a conference.

A pleasant problem-Additional teams at a street course race means a more crowded paddock.

It’s not quite 10:30 and there is already a good sized crowd here.

The top six in Practice 1 were all Hondas. Rookie Felix Rosenqvist led the session with a time of 1:01.8215. Josef Newgarden was the fastest Chevy 0,35 seconds behind. The rookies I spoke with the other day are interested to see how the red tires work in today’s second session.

Dale Coyne announced a third car for James Davison for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500. Davison drove for Belardi in partnership with A. J. Foyt Racing last year. he finished 33rd. Davison becomes the official 33rd entry for this year’s field.

Max Chilton has the best looking car.

 

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Ben Hanley Looks for a Solid Weekend

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Ben Hanley eagerly anticipates his first Indycar weekend at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The driver oft he number 81 Dragonspeed entry, the newest car in The NTT Indycar Series paddock, told The Pit Window the team has no major expectations except to have “Solid results and concentrate on getting a good race car Sunday. ”

Hanley, 34, from Manchester, UK, won the LMP2 pole for Dragonspeed at the Rolex 24 in January. He has open wheel experience driving in the GP2 series.

Hanley said the Indycar is similar to  the  prototype he drives in IMSA and the WEC, perhaps a little heavier on the downforce. He is eager to drive in traffic. Although there were other cars testing at Sebring with him, he realizes this weekend this will be different.

He has not run on the alternate red tires and won’t until Friday afternoon’s practice session. I asked Hanley what he expected from the tires.

“Hopefully stickier, ” he said. He is eager to see how the tires will change as the track changes throughout the weekend.

As for overall team goals for their five races in 2019, “We want be in it for the long term.   Just put our heads down and go to work.”

Wickens Will Be at St. Pete

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In a new Instagram post from Robert Wickens up this afternoon  he says he will be coming to St. Pete this weekend. Here is the post with a list of his schedule.

It’s Race Week at Last! Some Things to Watch; Indycar News

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The NTT Indycar Series begins the 2019 season Friday with the first practice sessions at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.  This event has grown tremendously since I first attended in 2013. Support from the city and businesses have helped the race and activities surrounding it to flourish. It has become the place where fans from the north come to escape the winter for a while. The racing has improved the last two years.

Just ten drivers have won the 15 previous races, including three occasions where a driver has won back to back. Helio Castroneves won in 2006 and 2007. Jaun Pablo Montoya in 2015 and 2016, and Sebastien Bourdais has won the last two years. Bourdais, Will Power, James Hinccliffe, and Graham Rahal are the active former winners.

LED Panels Return

The LED panels which show a driver’s position on the cars will return this weekend. The panels, which were popular with fans when they first appeared, were absent last year due to technical issues.

As before, the panels will show race position, time pit stops, and tell the AMR safety crew whether the engine is running after a spin, crash, or stall, and what gear the car is in.

The panels are big help to fans at the race, especially the casual and first time race goers.

Talented Rookies, New Teams

This weekend will see the debut of series rookies Felix Rosenqvist,  Colton Herta, and Marcus Ericsson in full time rides. Ben Hanley, driving for new entrant Dragonspeed, will drive in the first of his five races. This is quite a talented rookie class. Some are predicting a victory at some point this year for at least one of these drivers. In 2018, two rookies, Matheus Leist and Jordan King, made the Fast Six in qualifying.  Their performance this weekend bears watching.

What Have Teams Learned about the UAK?

After a season of working with universal aero kit, it will be interesting to see what teams have learned and how they apply their findings. Some teams and drivers struggled last year. Will a season of experience allow them to improve? Simon Pagenaud for one seemed uncomfortable last season.

Indianapolis Feel

The race this year should make attendees from Indianapolis feel at home. Jim Corelison, who has sung “(Back Home Again in) Indiana at the 500 the last two years, will sing the national anthem before the race. Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts was named the Grand Marshall.

I will be covering the race for Wildfire Sports this weekend. Check them out for my preview, practice and qualifying wrap ups, and race review.  The Pit Window will feature quick thoughts and other tidbits throughout the weekend.

More Indycar News

The series announced today that race morning warmups will return to Barber and Mid Ohio this season. In 2018 only street courses had the warmup, and they will continue to do so this year. The series extended practice session times on the natural road courses to compensate. Because of the later race starts for Barber and Mid Ohio and a need for track action, the warmups were reinstated.

Dreyer and Reinbold will again have Sage Karam driving car 24 in the Indianapolis 500.The team still hopes to have additional races. Karam will likely have a teammate at IMS.

International TV Rights- Not Done Yet

Some international broadcast rights have yet to be announced, the most glaring omission being a Canadian arrangement. I have heard one is just about ready, but it’s getting late.

There are several deals set, with the UK rights going to Sky Sports.  It is puzzling why the Canadian rights are taking so long.