On The Ground… MotoGP at IMS, 2011 Edition

(Note: WHAT?!? Another non-indycar related post? I know, I know; before anything else I was a fan of The Speedway so getting the chance to write about it is always exciting. I really enjoy these on-the-ground reports and many open wheeled eyes will be pointed at IMS this weekend. So here is a MotoGP primer: my weekend report from 2011. )

Another beautiful late August weekend brought me, the traveling circus that is MotoGP, and 130,000 best friends I have never met, back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one last weekend of racing in 2011. This event is absolutely fantastic! If you can make it out to the speedway for this, do it. I have seen all four editions of the event and it keeps getting better. From torrential rains and high winds during year one, to the always epic performance that the American riders seem to put in here; this is year in and out, a great weekend out at the track. Track activity starts early in the mornings and goes until late afternoon. This year, the additions of IMS after dark, a series of concerts following the day’s activities, on Friday and Saturday night saw the speedway open until ten ‘o clock or so. To my knowledge this is the latest the track has ever stayed open to the public.

I arrived with my brother on Friday morning about nine thirty or so. The 125cc two stroke motorcycles were finishing up the first free practice of the weekend. I have seen these guys before and I am never impressed. Yes, they are very fast for how small the engines are, but they just don’t sound like race machines. The sound is more akin to an angry hive of weed eaters wrestling each other. Next year, the FIM is going to cancel this class and add the Moto3 category. These will be four stroke, 250cc engines nestled into prototype chassis. I cannot wait to hear these new bikes. We were hoping to get a sneak peak of a few test laps of the new bikes, as the series brought a Moto2 chassis and engine to test in 2009. Alas, no 250 was to be found this weekend.

MotoGP practice was next. There are not many things as crazy as seeing a motorcycle do over 200 down the front straight. The riders really man handle the bikes, wrestling them into submission every corner. Just the act of driving one of these things quickly is a truly physical activity. Add racing into it all and I am surprised that some of the smaller, jockey sized riders can even handle them. We perused the vendor village in the gasoline alley garages. It is always a weird feeling seeing all of those garages filled with merchandise with not a racecar to been seen. There was also a show area of sorts running the length of the backstretch. Tents were set up by many of the bike manufacturers, custom shops showing their stuff off, aftermarket parts and a stage for QA type stuff near the SPEED tent. The amount of stuff to do away from the grandstands is truly amazing; it puts even NASCAR to shame. My brother had never been into the IMS museum so we had to go and check it out as well.

By pure chance, we stumbled into the AMA Pro XR1200 garages. This is a development series for young riders using Harley Davidson XR1200 chassis. These bikes are actually cool looking; they have no fairing and have a real café racer feel to them. Unfortunately they don’t sound as good or race as well as they look. It seemed like class is a pure stock engine class as the bikes roaring down Georgetown road were far louder than the bikes on track. Ultimately the series was disappointing, but it seems like an inexpensive and competitive way for young riders to rise through the road racing ranks. All in all Friday was a very relaxed and enjoyable day. The chance to mingle with all the international fans is always fun, and they were there. The MotoGP and support series garages are invisible and inaccessible to the public. There was a tall, blue fence surrounding the whole area ‘a la F1. The fence makes travelling difficult when circulating behind gasoline alley. Once you reach the Ducati island in the turn 1 complex, it is a long walk back to the rest of the action.

Race day we arrived just as the 125’s were starting their race. I like the general admission tickets because you don’t feel obligated to camp at your seat all day and forces you to circulate the track taking in all the views. First stop was the end of the backstretch. The small bikes were braking past the 100 meter mark, very impressive. Walking the length of the backstretch, the esses were next. This is always enjoyable because you really get to see the riders fight the bike to make the three consecutive, opposite corners. We left halfway through the Moto2 race and made our way to the start/finish straight. These are not the best seats in the house, but for the standing start there is no place even close to this. The sound is deafening and the aluminum grandstands vibrate with a fair amount of force. Turn 1 is the best place to sit, and Indy T4 is the worst. Out there you are so far away from the bikes that it almost seems cheap, hence the main straight seats for the big boys. The most rabid and dedicated fans can be found in these seats as well. Every single year there is a huge Spanish contingency supporting their usually top performing countrymen in all three series, and this year was no different. It’s amazing how many people make the long flight overseas to Indianapolis and visit the track for GP weekend.

The engines are also heard best from this area. The MotoGP engines all sound different and it is a nice change from what I usually watch at the facility. There are two types of engine configuration that the manufacturers use. Yamaha and Ducati use a big bang firing order, Honda and Suzuki use the more traditional “screamer” engine. The big bang engines don’t even sound like normal combustion engines, but they are just as loud. It has more bass and gurgle to it compared to the other engines. The Ducati goes even further, using desmo valves with a major aural difference, there is a pronounced clicky clack sound to the engine. The two screamers, Honda and Suzuki, are just that… Incredibly loud and high pitched. These two have a very Formula 1 like sound. Pneumatic valve trains and nearly unlimited revs are the order of the day. The technology showcased every weekend is astounding, other series should be taking note…INDYCAR, are you listening?

It’s always hard to judge crowd size at this race because so many people drive motorcycles in and the track parks them in spots not usually used to park cars in. Our local FOX affiliate, FOX59, put the three day total at about 130,000 and race day crowd in the area of 64,000. I don’t know how many people need to buy tickets so the Speedway breaks even, but the crowd wasn’t great. By the end of Sunday afternoon, the stand had sort of filled up, but there was a lot of aluminum showing. I emphatically urge everyone to come and enjoy the 2012 weekend with me, it is not one to forget and has a different atmosphere than even the F1 races from a few years ago. Thank you IMS and MotoGP for bring such a great event to my city.

Eric Hall

(Note: Originally published at Triple League Racing on August 30, 2011. Thanks to Dylan for throwing me a bone early in my blogging days.)

Champ Cars and Pikes Peak

The American open wheel championship has played host to a multitude of different types of racing facilities throughout its 100 plus year history. From the bricks of Indianapolis, to the open streets of Santa Monica; on the high banks of the Tacoma board oval and on the flat dirt at Springfield. No other series in the world can boast the scheduling diversity that the many incarnations of our national championship can claim.

This very schedule has also seen an interesting assortment of one off races as well as the most unusual outlier to be found anywhere in the motorsports world: the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Hill climbs are certainly not rare, but their inclusion in a multi-discipline championship is very unique. Not only is it a hill climb, but it is also a point-to-point, single car run time attack at its core. And not only did USAC pay points off and on for the event from the 1940’s through the 1960’s, but it also drew the brightest stars in American open wheel racing at the time.

The event has not been part of the national championship trail as a points paying event since 1969; making its final appearance in 1970 at a non-championship event. But considering we are in a painful three week break and the 2012 edition of the hill climb concluded last weekend, now seems like a perfect time to take a walk back in history.

Pike Peak has held the imaginations of Americans since its discovery 1806. Initially deemed to be unconquerable by man, the peak was taken in 1920 by Edwin James. Many summits by horse, mule and foot followed, and the mountain became a centerpiece in the 1859 Colorado gold rush after a vein was found the prior year. The peak is so ingrained in American lore that in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates penned America the Beautiful while recalling her time on the summit.

1901 saw the first vestiges of the Pikes Peak Highway created with the completion of a small road to the top, and later that year an automobile was seen at the peak for the first time in history; the journey took a quick and concise nine hours in a Locomobile Steamer. In 1915, the dusty trail was converted to what is now known as the Pikes Peak Highway and the Hill Climb was inaugurated in 1916 as a tourist draw. Rea Lentz won the 1916 edition with a time of 20:66.6; much improved over the initial nine hour grind to the top only 15 years prior.

96 years later the route still follows the same 12.42 miles of twisting mountain road through 156 different turns, and all while gaining 4,720 feet of altitude in the process. As of the 2012 event, the entire highway has been paved due to environmental concerns; there was over 50 feet of gravel flung from race tires accumulating in mountain side creeks. It is the second oldest motorsport event in America; only eight years younger than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but no less important during the development of the American automotive industry.

As with many automobiling events of the early era, the classes were very open. Through the years as automotive and motorcycling needs have changed, many classes have been added and even more dropped. However, todays open wheel class can trace it’s history through Indianapolis, across the championship and back to the inaugural race in 1916; open wheel has been the defining class of the competition since its inception.

When America was bouncing back post WWII, AAA decided to include the hill climb on the national championship trail as a non-points event. There was just not enough champ car (races over 100 miles in length) events to make an entire season. Along with the hill climb, 71 sprint races were included to bring the yearlong total to a ridiculous 77 races plus two non-championship events (the nuances of the 1946 season is a subject for another day).

Modified championship cars were the weapons of choice, and in 1947 the hill climb was granted full championship status as a points paying round. Louis Unser won the first points paying race held on the mountain road; it was his eight of nine wins at the hill climb. Unser, uncle to Jerry, Bobby and Big Al, clinched his first victory in 1934 and made his final appearance on the top step in 1953 for an incredible 19 years and a world war separating the two.

The AAA national championship included the race to the clouds for nine years until 1956 when USAC took over sanctioning duties of the championship. The event was held as a non-points race for nine more years; Bobby Unser dominated this era with a total of seven non-championship wins before handing the top step to his brother Al in 1964.

USAC once again granted points to the event in 1965 and Big Al took his second win at the event; this time for points. Bobby won two more times before Mario Andretti claimed the final points paying win in 1969. 1970 marked the final time the hill climb would appear on the national championship trail, albeit as a non-points paying race.

1970 was a turning point in championship racing and by 1971 it would never be the same. The final year for the hill climb would also be the final time a dirt oval would play host to a competent national championship points paying race. Speed, cost and safety all had a hand in striking the hill climb from the annals of American open wheel racing. The event lost no steam and has continued uninterrupted and stronger than ever into the modern era.

Although we will never see another event like this in the championship, it is a very interesting sidebar in the history of our sport. With the course fully paved for the 2012 and beyond season and once the new indycar equipment has its bugs worked out, wouldn’t it be cool to see the undisputed king of pavement Will Power make an exhibition run up the hill just for old time’s sake?

Eric Hall

(Note: Some will point to the Cactus Derby as the first point to point championship event. This is incorrect, the Cactus Cup was contested in 1909 or seven years before the second official championship season in 1916 with the first in 1905. Any “championships” from pre 1916 excluding 1905 should be considered unofficial and not part of the historical record of American open wheel racing.)

On The Ground… IndyCar at Mid-Ohio

The Alarm was supposed to wake up at 5:45 race morning so I could get a good start on the nearly four hour drive out to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200. Instead, the most intense lightning and rain storm we have had for quite some time here in Indianapolis decided to rouse me from slumber sometime before 5:30. Not all bad, I thought, getting on the road a bit early could only bring benefits for the rest of the day. But once I actually got in the car and moving, by some impossible act of nature, it actually started to rain harder.

The speed was way too slow so a b-line to Wal-Mart for a legit rain coat would be my reprieve from the rain. Assuming I would be in this storm all day long, preparations had to be made. I stood inside of the store for about 30 minutes to let the heaviest part of the storm pass. 6:30 and I was finally on the road. For the next two hours, a light drizzle was accompanied by non-stop lightning to the north as I drove down I-70 into Ohio. This was shaping up to be a crazy day in the weather.

As I was driving through Lexington, Ohio, the town that calls Mid-Ohio its own, I spotted a few scalpers and decided to roll the dice and see what they had. I walked away 40 dollars lighter but had scored a Sunday general admission ticket and a paddock pass. This was incredible considering tickets at the gate were 50 bucks. After five more minutes of driving, I pulled into the facility and was directed by the knowledgeable staff to an outfield parking lot. The rain was all but finished so I grabbed my chair, backpack and map and headed out into the weird and wild world of indycar racing at Mid-Ohio.

Being absolutely ignorant to my location, I just headed towards the loud noises and found myself at the turn two hairpin. The campground was right there and being and avid camper I walked down the outside towards the kink to check the situation out. I will camp here eventually. The sites were shaded and no more than 100 feet from the track; A+ amenities for primitive camping. Unfortunately I was headed into a dead-end. My hope was to use the supposed pedestrian tunnel past the kink, but that idea was not to be and I’m not even sure that tunnel even exists. Off to the pits then.

Background music for my expedition was provided by the Pirelli World Challenge Championship. The ALMS equivalent to Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Sports Car Series was represented by four classes with 55 machines taking the green flag. The mix of roaring engine noise was incredible with huge displacement Cadillac CTS-V’s and the high-tech turbo Volvo’s, all sorts of tiny Touring Cars and everything inbetween. After seeing the CTSCS at The Speedway a week ago, the PWCC possesses the far superior car selection. I was quite impressed with it all, but departed the track’s edge to head into the garage area.

The haulers, hospitality, support series and indycar garages were all housed very tightly. Nothing was too far from the rear of the paddock with USF2000 teams working literally on the side of the road. It was a circus of racecars being wheeled and driven around, crew guys who were clearly on important missions and fans everywhere. It was a cool sight just being in the thick of things.

Fan access is at an all-time high at Mid-Ohio because the main garages have elevated cat-walks above each stall. That is the best view away from the track I have ever seen. The exhausts were pointed straight at the rail and that sweet ethanol smell was blasted in your face. Awesome. Nothing else can describe it. For this single reason, if the behind the scenes aspect intrigues you, Mid-Ohio is a must see. I ran into none other than freaking @stevewittich and we watched the USF2000 race from the elevated cat-walks on the backside of the garages. Again, awesome.

Steve has been in contact with the always elusive Meesh Beer (visit her blog) and we met up with her right outside of victory circle. She whisked me into the thick of the USF2000 podium celebration and just as quickly out to the grid for driver introductions. I’m almost sure that every paddock pass also grants you access to the grid; yet again Mid-Ohio, well done. I rubbed shoulders with the greats and drooled over the high-speed machines. I have never seen the cars in road course configuration up close; the two packages are very different. It’s a cool distinction.

As I was getting shooed away to the seating areas, I ran into Doug Patterson of Open Paddock fame and he ever so graciously invited me to his base of operation across from China Beach. Mike Whitesell, also from Open Paddock, was there to greet me with the sweetest canned IPA I have ever tasted. I watched the drivers take the green and about the first third of the race from this location. Watching those guys navigate this complex so cleanly was exhilarating. It was dirty, off camber and definitely not flat, so the skill was truly exemplified here.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of a slow clockwise circumnavigation of the inside of the track. When we hear the drivers say Mid-Ohio is hilly and always moving, they are not kidding. That final hour was quite the workout as I trekked my way over hills, through the mud and into the prime viewing spots around the course. I sat at the entrance to turn 11 until nearly the end, because I saw something unexpected. Turn 11 is a banked, uphill turn and the speed the drivers could carry though here was heart stopping. I have seen Formula One at The Speedway so I knew what single seaters can do on a road course, but this was something I would never have expected from an indycar.

This entire time I could hear poor Ryan Hunter-Reay’s engine getting sicker and sicker throughout the afternoon. It was immediately noticeable the first lap he went by and almost surprising because of the bass sound rumbling from his exhaust pipes. TV does not do something like this justice. Racing is a visceral experience and needs to be seen live to fully appreciate everything it has to offer; this was a perfect example. The drivers were shifting, on and off the gas and the cars were light over the crests and heavy in the valleys. The sound of racing was totally different here than on an oval; I could hear the backfires and engines bouncing off the rev-limiter in Milwaukee, but you can feel it here.

The checkers fell as I stood on a hill near the start of the main straight. The previous 90 minutes were some of the most frantic and fast paced laps I have ever seen turned in the flesh. You could see the drivers working in the cockpit and the gap compress and expand lap to lap. This was the first legit road race outside of The Speedway that I attended and it was a totally different experience. I was a dude wondering around in the woods with a scanner and a chair making friends along the way. I know there were grandstands, but I never even got close to them and it was a very “neighborly” feeling.

As expected at any race, the fans were there for all different reasons. I found many more people “into” indycar racing and there for mainly an afternoon of open wheeled insanity. Families were simply grilling and hanging out the entire length of thunder valley and to my surprise there weren’t that many wonderers in the interior just looking for a loud place to drink. Mid-Ohio is really loved by the locals and they seem to like their motorsports and have no problem taking in a mixed weekend of action. And I fell in love with the place during the few short hours I was on-site.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon. The racing may not be upper echelon, but the experience more than makes up for it in person. This doesn’t necessarily help the TV product and the new chassis has been making inroads to helping that issue. Anyone could come here and have a good time. As I made my way to the car, the crowd was buzzing from the events. Considering the caution free afternoon that is probably a good sign for the health of the event.

I’m hooked, and I will be back. More people will come with me and a great time will be had. From what I saw, it would be impossible not to have fun if you are into motorsports at all. On the fence about attending a live road course event? Do it, you will understand what the buzz is all about. The action does not stop all afternoon, and you get to be close enough to the drivers to actually see them earn their money.

Eric Hall

How I Saw it… The Yellow Free Doube-Shot Edition

Another one in the books at Mid-Ohio, and still not a single yellow to be seen in two races. I’m really liking this kinder and gentler, but way more hardcore style of racing we have seen the last few weeks. Full course cautions do not belong in road racing, and the drivers have done a much better job of not booting someone off the track with the inevitable stall and FCY that follows. Not to mention, the track had been washed by heavy rain that morning, so conditions were treacherous as the drivers made their first few laps, side by side no less, around the track. A game of save-the-gas followed and the race was won in the pits. The racing was first class throughout the field, but the action defiantly tapered off near the end as teams tried to find the checkers with fuel still running through the engine.

Scott Dixon – With his victorious performance at Mid-Ohio, Dixon has made it a four horse race to the championship with three rounds still to contest. He was helped out a bit by the poor performance from Helio Castroneves and the continued mechanical gremlins that have plagued Ryan Hunter-Reay’s championship run. Dixon may be hold the best position in the championship as the three guys ahead of him have never won the season ending hardware. Power is a proven choke artist, HCN has never been able to close the deal when it matters and RHR has simply never been in this type of fight before. Dixon has done it before… twice. And after his team’s nearly full time switch from the woeful G-Force/Toyota combination to the faster Dallara/Honda in 2006, he has not finished worse than fourth place in the championship. Dixie is coming and the rest of the boys better watch out.

165 Yellow Free Laps – With the caution free round at Mid-Ohio, the drivers have completed two full race distances with nary a silly punt or doomed to fail dive bomb. I think this has more to do with the modern handling characteristics of the DW12 than the drivers raising their game. As far into the season as we are, the setups are becoming refined and repeatable and the chassis is a proper road racing machine. Unlike the previous generation, the DW12 possesses a legit diffuser and a suspension setup that actually works for road racing. This allows drivers to confidently out brake the opposition instead of shoving it into a spot the car doesn’t belong and hoping to come out the other side like in years past. Drivers are actually able to race like the professionals that they are, because the chassis finally allows it. Gosh indycar, after nearly eight years of road racing are we finally starting to get it?

Tires – With all of that fanboy love out of the way, the issue of tires shortly follows. If teams can start to expect the races to run moderately clean, Firestone needs to give drivers a fair shot at three stopping the race and still have a chance to make the podium. As it is, the tires just don’t lose enough grip throughout the run to really make a three stop strategy worth the risk. Teams need two options: run at 100 percent and make three stops, or carefully conserve tires and fuel without losing that 20-30 seconds the three stoppers will be down because of pitting one more time. On Sunday, it looked like the main concern was fuel mileage and not about tire conservation. Truthfully, the rubber is heads and shoulders above last year in terms of degradation through a stint, but just a bit more needs to be taken away if this is the type of racing we can start to expect from the series.

Fuel Mileage – And of course, the debate would not be complete without mentioning mileage considering the two full fuel races we have seen run caution free. The way our race distances are determined centers around the TV window as well as how much difficulty the drivers have historically had keeping it clean at each facility. Let’s use those fuel cell golf ball things to customize the fuel load at each event to the race distance. The chosen size should make it impossible to save enough fuel with hopes of cutting a stop out. Make teams fuel the car and just run; strategy would then come into play once the cautions start to fall. I know the core of racing is to cover the most distance in the least time, but I want to see all the drivers wheeling that car has hard as they can for at least 90 minutes and not just the first and last laps of a fuel stint. I’ve spoken more on this idea here.

Engines – After two straight caution free races, the question of which engine has the edge seems to be: neither. Honda and Chevy, single turbo and double turbo, multiple generational upgrades throughout the season, two straight up races to the end, two totally different tracks, Honda 1,3 at Mid-Ohio and Chevy 1.3 at Edmonton; there isn’t really much to choose between the two manufacturers. My gut says that Honda has had just slightly worse reliability, but either way it goes one is not leaps and bounds behind the other. Lotus… is Lotus. My biggest fear during the closing races is the possibility of the championship being determined by a string of failures and therefore starting grid penalties. However, the 500 miles of insanity to come at Fontana? All bets are off.

The only word that has been running through my mind since the green fell at Edmonton is: refreshing. It has been refreshing to see true road racing do down at the highest levels of American racing. Our drivers were fast, clean and sane for two events in a row; that is something to be proud of. I felt as if I was watching the evolution of American open wheel racing happen right in front of my eyes. I have often felt the twistie events were the step-child of the series since its introduction in 2005. It finally feels like the paddock is taking the events seriously and the results have been amazing. Conversely, I was left with a feeling of: what if they could have pushed the entire way? Would the result have been different, or the action on track any better? Once teams can do that, then we will know road course racing in indycar has finally returned.

Eric Hall

Into the Crystal Ball… Its a REAL Twistie Edition

For the 28^th year not in a row, open wheel descends upon the tight and twistie Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Lexington, Ohio will play host to the 12^th round of the 2012 season and mark only the second of three times this year that the drivers will compete on a natural terrain road course. These tracks present a different challenge from the street courses; grip is usually much higher and the track undulates with the terrain, often requiring steel eyed commitment to come out on top at these events. Ryan Hunter-Reay still sits atop the points standings, but I’m not sure he has the natural terrain experience to come end the day in the same position. Helio stands between RHR and Will Power who sits in third; with only four races left, it will be increasingly difficult for WP to jump two contenders in the championship.

Five Things to Watch

Multiple Winners – Mid-Ohio seems to have some sort of winning curse; the track has produced back to back winners six different times. However, the IRL/INDYCAR era has yet to produce such an outcome. Scott Dixon would seem to be the easy choice for a win here considering he has found victory lane three different times: 2007, 2009 and 2011. The only other drivers to win the event on multiple, nonconsecutive occasions were Teo Fabi in 1983 and 1989, and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1988 and 1992; he then went back to back in 1993. Because Dixon won last year, I just don’t think he will be victorious this weekend, but he could produce the first back to back since Helio won for Penske in 2000 and 2001. Dixie could use the points, and more importantly: a victory over Will Power could be a huge step forward in the championship, the fubar that was Detroit notwithstanding.

The Pre-Season Lock – And what about Will Power? It would be hard to call the last three events a bad stretch of races, but the last time he finished outside of the top ten was way back in 2008. The three times he finished 11^th or worse three times in a row in 2008 would comprise exactly 100 percent of those occurrences. In other words, Power doesn’t know anything but consistency. He may have a bad race or two but he inevitably bounces back to the podium, which is exactly what he did in Edmonton.  With all of that said, I still think Helio and Hunter-Reay are inside his head. Even though he came back from 17^th to finish third in Edmonton, he has yet to prove he can fight through adversity when it counts. He’s a choker, there I said it. I’m sure it will be fun to watch him during the balance of the season, but he will not close the deal.

Panther-DRR – Since the switch from Lotus to Chevy power, if the team isn’t knocked out due to mechanical gremlins they are finishing in the top five. Servia has not put a tire wrong and has managed to keep his nose clean and has not been involved in a crash yet this year. Dreyer and Reinbold Racing also share a huge hand in these accomplishments. During their four race stint with Lotus, the team never finished worse than 16^th and actually mustered up a P11 in Sao Paulo. Only three times this year has the team not seen the checkers; each time they were sidelined was because of mechanical issues, and those were during their Chevy days. As a matter of fact, they are four whole spots above Panther Racing, the team that is providing support to DRR for at least one more year! If Oriol can finish the final four events, one will be a win.

Five Second Delay? – In an attempt to fight using push-to-pass as a defensive aid, a driver must be holding the button for five seconds and have the go pedal pressed past the prescribed threshold before the extra horses kick in.  They are trying to mitigate the “he’s on the button, get on yours!” call coming from the pit box to the leading car. Like normal, baseline power return once the button is released, if the throttle drops below the limit, or if the brakes are depressed. This could allow the trailing car to slowly deplete the leading cars p2p time if the guy in front get baited into preemptively juicing it to defend, but it seems like an overly complicated addition to an already unnecessary aspect of the racing. Effective? Possibly. Even more gimmicky? Heck yes…

Trifecta of Boredom – Barber, Infineon and this week’s destination of Mid-Ohio are nearly universally bemoaned due to their annual lack of action though the field. But after the insanity that was Barber 2012, anything is possible. It is true that all three of these tracks are better served as motorcycle facilities and the DW12 is slightly wider than the old chassis, but don’t lose hope quite yet. We are going to see the same compound of rubber that has made this entire season of road and street racing one for the ages. Not to mention the DW12 has proven again and again that it is more than at home on the twisties. Add in the new p2p rules for drivers to deal with, and it could make for yet another interesting weekend of racing.

Predictions

Pole – Scott Dixon – He knows his way around the twists and turns of Mid-Ohio

Winner – Tony Kanaan – Do I ever need a reason to pick TK for a win?

Biggest Loser – James Hinchcliffe – Loosing too many points to the leaders, Hinch finally postpones his championship aspirations until 2013.

Epic Performance – Rubens Barrichello – The Formula One vet final gets the chance to pull together everything he has learned this year. The natural terrain road courses fit his driving style and could have a very good day.

I will be there in the flesh on Sunday to take in everything that indycar at Mid-Ohio has to offer. I have never seen indycars, or anything legit for that matter, on a road course outside of Indianapolis so it should be quite a fun experience. As we enter the waning stages of the season with a three week break looming ahead, I hope the series can carry some positive momentum into the break and close with a bang. A sixteen race season was too short and fifteen is nearly laughable, but the product has exceeded expectations up to this point. Now it the portion of the season where the remainders go for broke and pin all their hopes on a win. We could start to see some of the trademark indycar craziness as drivers search for the elusive first win late in the season.

Eric Hall

On The Ground: Grand-Am at IMS

Programming Note: I am awash with guilt because NASCAR and Grand-Am are receiving features on a website specifically devoted to indycar racing. However, this weekend’s events took place at our open wheel home so we were all paying a bit more attention to what was happening. DON’T WORRY, indycar insanity will return later in the week.

I was there not the stock car events, but for the Grand-Am series and it was awesome. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pulled into the north 40 and drove through gate ten underneath the north chute. I arrived at a surprisingly full turn three parking lot; it didn’t look like there was much room left and I assume the infield was nearing capacity. The always friendly yellow shirts directed me to a parking spot, and with my raceday backpack in hand I ventured into the weird and wonderful world of sports car racing at The Brickyard.

Of course, the first thing I did was get as close to the fence as I could at the exit of turn seven and take in the awesomeness that was GT qualifying. Mustangs, Camaros, RX-8s, BMWs, Porsches and a lone Audi all flew by me at an amazing speed. I was shocked by the road holding and real life speed these race machines could muster on the notoriously slippery infield section. I stood there for the final 15 minutes of qualifying in total awe. These were street cars going entirely too fast for their own good and it was amazing.

After I wiped the drool from my chin, I popped over the viewing mound for an easier walk to the pedestrian bridge at the end of the back straight. Almost immediately I passed the “super duper special car corral” (my words). There were areas for specific makes and models from all over the world and had attendees spanning the last 60 years of automobiling. This was one of the most complete car corrals I have ever seen and could have spent the entire afternoon just staring at these beautiful machines.

Impressive, but I had bigger fish to fry. My arrival was slightly later than I had expected so I was on a bit of a time crunch to get to pitlane. Grand-Am allows anyone with a raceday ticket to enter the grid where all four of the classes had their machines lined up and ready to go. Drivers and mechanics manned the cars, shook hands and signed autographs for the massive amount of people that were gathered. It was literally shoulder to shoulder; the place was packed. In the 10 or so minutes I was able to hang out there I was as close to racecars and closer to drivers than I had ever been. No fence, no wall, no handler; just the drivers, mechanics and cars there for every fans enjoyment. That is customer service.

I ran into @SteveWittitch on my way out and we decided to head under the track to catch the start of the Continental Tire Sports Car Series race. A seat high up in J stand would be our vista of choice to witness 70 GS and ST cars funnel into the tight turn one. During the F1 years, there was curbing lining the entrance to turn one; now there was no curb, only a few sorry looking orange cones that got smashed as the drivers took a tighter and tighter line every lap. This caused the entrance to turn one to become very quick and any pass attempt usually ended in contact, a lockup or a run-off.

I was there to see the Street Tuners or ST cars. I drive a Jetta, there was a GTI racing and I was enthralled beyond belief while watching racing variants of the kind of car I drive take hot laps around the world famous Brickyard. Civics, Mazda 3s, Boxters, Miatas; all tiny little cars with small displacement engines ripping it around The Speedway. It was a very cool sight to see.

Then came the rain…

Everyone in the stands rushed for cover underneath, and not a moment too soon. As soon the crowd started really hustling for cover, the clouds burst and we witnessed the first raindrops to fall on the bricks since mid-April. What better way to welcome sports car racing than with a little rain? Well, a little rain turned into a lot of rain and the ST/GS race was red flagged. The details of the race get sketchy after that as we decided it was a prime chance to head to the infield and do a little poking around.

Our first stop was a visit to the Social Media Garage… where they were having a private interview session. It was closed… very social. At that same moment, @GroundedEffects (visit his blog, it’s fantastically wonderful) moseyed on over with the promise of refreshing and ice cold Fuzzy’s Vodka! Right then, we saw a tweet from Doug Boles, IMS VP of communications extraordinaire, asking for a bit of help for the Rolex pre-race.

Fuzzy’s could wait and we bid adieu to DZ; Steve and I met Boles at the base of the media center and were whisked away for about half an hour of behind the scene fun. Once we were inside, we found ourselves sharing a room with the North American Endurance Championship trophies! Rolex series official corralled us upstairs into a little more quiet area to explain that we were going to be holding the numbered row marking signs on pit lane during the pre-race. I was half listening to the questions being asked the other people, and half too busy being mesmerized by the twelve trophies and bottles of campaign that awaited the winners of each class. Beautiful and silver, they were a sight to behold; what a predicament I had stumbled my way into.

Back down to the green room and we were escorted outside and handed our wonderful signs we were tasked with holding… in the middle of a thunderstorm… in the middle of a racetrack. A quick sigh of relief followed when I realized we were holding PVC pipes with plastic numbers velcroed to the top, and not a piece of metal to be seen. We were filed right to the concrete wall in pit lane that was one side of the trench separating us from the racing surface.

It was so cool. The cars would leave their pits and drive feet from us on their way to the grid. They were ear shattering and the exhaust note would shake me to the core each time a DP rolled by. There was enough standing water in pitlane that we would get a good splash each time a car stormed by, but not that it mattered because it had started to heavily rain again while we were standing out there. Remember those puddles? The cars would absolutely rip out of the pit boxes and squirm for grip, sliding and loose as they went by. At one point the adrenaline was really flowing. I had no helmet and no fire suit; this was real and it was wet and it was only then that I understood: never turn your head away from traffic.

As quick as it started, we once again found ourselves outside the media center back with the common folk. One final try at the Social Media Garage revealed that @NewTrackRecord (Visit his blog, it’s wonderfully fantastic)has finished his tour of duty for the day and was free to come out and play. We headed to the spectator mound overlooking the 8/9/10 complex to make home for the rest of the afternoon. We weathered more rain, wind and the typical Grand-Am shenanigans that usually come included with an afternoon in the rain. New friends and old acquaintances followed a carefree afternoon in the rain enjoying some quality driving at the world’s greatest race course.

A win from Sebastien Bourdais capped off a flawless day at the track. Rain, red flags and wrecks couldn’t sully what had been one of the more enjoyable days at IMS I have experienced. As I made my way back to the car I realized: this is right. There was nothing wrong with what I witnessed today. And I want to see as many series at this place as I can. It was a sort of epiphany amid a week of negativity and naysaying; a moment of clarity. All felt right at IMS that day. The granddaddy of all tracks has every right to invite whoever they want and I was more than happy to oblige.

Eric Hall

Burnouts and Fandom at IMS

Programming Note: I am awash with guilt because NASCAR and Grand-Am are receiving features on a website specifically devoted to indycar racing. However, this weekend’s events took place at our open wheel home so we were all paying a bit more attention to what was happening. Today I am tackling the controversy from the weekend and tomorrow will be an on-the-ground raceday report of Friday. DON’T WORRY, indycar insanity will return later in the week.

I will admit to being a bit peeved after I saw Jimmie Johnson do a nose-into-pitwall burnout right on top of the yard of brick. I still can’t put my finger on exactly why, but it definitely irked me. I had no issues with his smoky burnout down the front straight that included the three feet of brick at the flagstand. Nor was I concerned with Brad Keselowski’s burnout after his nationwide win, or any burnout done after a win; smoky, stinky burnouts are cool and a huge part of racing.  Celebrate, but don’t roast them right on top of the bricks; that’s just disrespectful.

I do not doubt JJ’s knowledge of the history and lore of The Speedway and I am positive he understands the importance of the facility to Indianapolis area residents, American open wheel fanatics and the larger motorsports community as a whole. But any machines other than open wheelers during May are visitors in our house and they should respect The Brickyard as such.  I think of this as a similar situation to when Terell Owens, a 49er, celebrated on the Cowboy star at their home field in 2000; you’re more than welcome to play in our house, just remember those who live here.  It’s like my mom always said: think before you do your burnout.

The only issue I was totally at odds with all weekend was the movement of the Nationwide Series from LORP/ORL (IRP for eva) to IMS. I live here in the city, am invested in the local motorsports economy and want to see the industry as strong as possible. However, I fear for the future of IRP; without the yearly NASCAR driven cash infusion I worry the oval track may soon become a memory. The Busch/Nationwide race has been a sellout since its inaugural year in 1982 and I’m sure there are other perks that were received from the league. The drag strip has the NHRA US Nationals, but now the oval does not sport a similar headlining summer event; this is not good for the oval track business.

Some will ask if NASCAR, or any other form of racing besides indycar, should be competing at The Brickyard at all. I take no issue whatsoever with IMS management bringing in an array of racing series. Just the past five years have seen Formula One, Moto GP, Sprint Cup and of course INDYCAR take to the bricks as well as a plethora of undercard series as well: Formula BMW, Moto2, 125cc and 250cc Moto Championship, Porsche Supercup, Ferrari Challenge, Nationwide Series, Red Bull Riders and Rookies Cup, Rolex Sports Car Series, Continental Tires Series and Indy Lights just to name most of them. This is one of the most complete portfolios of racing properties to be boasted anywhere in the world. Sounds exactly like IMS to me.

Yes, I counted Grand-Am as an undercard, because they were. Some say, having these types of sports cars instead of the ALMS is a disgrace to The Speedway because they are not the pinnacle of their own game. Neigh I say, ALMS would have merited its own weekend instead of being a support race for Sprint Cup weekend because we would have probably seen longer than a three hour race. I always hope an ALMS race is what slots into the inevitably empty Moto GP weekend sometime in the future. This was not a marquee event; it was a filler to pump up attendance for the Brickyard 400. Don’t believe anything else; the sports cars were weekend filler and no more.

There actually was a top-level series there on Thursday that I bet has already slipped through the cracks. The Street Tuning series is the top level touring car type series in the US. The ST class is also home to the manufacturer funded Kia Motorsports and this is the highest level that the company competes at. The only place to go “up” from here would be a berth into the World Touring Car Championship. Does it matter that the slowest class of the day would also represent the pinnacle of their discipline in the United States? The top is the top no matter which way you slice it. Yes, teams and drivers alike use the ST class as a stepping stone, but those machines are still the best in the business when it comes to small displacement, short wheelbase road racing.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my local big league track and I want to see as many forms of racing as I can; why would they not bring them to town? We are a racing city and the demand is here for at least a few years until the local populace gives a collective been-there-done-that sigh of apathy. I am blessed to have a facility that not only holds the largest single day sporting event in the world, but has also brought some of the biggest names in international motorsports through its doors. As I stood on the spectator mound during the Grand-Am race I found myself thinking: this just feels right.

Thank you, Mr. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for having the gumption to look decades of history in the face and bringing stock cars to the hallowed grounds. Those who once were invaders are now welcomed by most, year in and out. Without that historic race in 1994, I would have never been able to experience some of the things witnessed outside of Memorial Day weekend. As an indycar diehard; I feel like a traitor, but as a race fan and Indianapolis resident; I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t wait to see what else may rumble across the bricks in the future.

Eric Hall