IndyCar Interrupted At Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

With the help of Phoenix Raceway's "Speed King" Helio Castroneves, Phoenix Raceway officially broke ground on the Phoenix Raceway Project Powered by DC Solar during a special ceremony at its second annual Verizon IndyCar Series "Prix View" Testing event. Among the many highlights of the Phoenix Raceway Project Powered by DC Solar is a completely redesigned infield featuring a first-of-its-kind garage viewing experience, placing fans face-to-face with the superstars of the sport. Phoenix Raceway's start/finish line will also be re-positioned in Turn 2 just before the track's well-known dog leg. Image Credit: PIR (2010)

IndyCar Interrupted At Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

Just as in the 1999 Hollywood film named, "Girl Interrupted", this last chapter in a 17 race/chapter season can be titled "IndyCar Interrupted" because of the less than entertaining display that was allowed to take place for the 250 laps that were scheduled. The folks making the competition decisions should be checked into a disorder establishment.

The previous three races/chapters were held at twisty and winding Temporary Street/Dedicated Road courses/tracks. All three races had passing and strategy that left the fan with a fulfilling story of events upon which their entertainment satisfaction was rewarded ... not so with the first oval race of the 2017 season.

Good morning from the Diamond in the Desert! #indycar

A post shared by At A Racetrack (@josh_farmer77) on Apr 28, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

Cars moving along at fast speeds, nose-to-tail, without any chance at these drivers using their skills to pass for position is pretty much a parade for the better part of two hours. Kind of like attending a historic race car event where the cars are worth more than any random fifty cars that are parked in the spectator parking lot.

Until the race/competition management makes a commitment to the "Mushroom Busting" aerodynamics - a concept first introduced by Swift Engineering and used by Dallara in the DW12 -  that brought everyone 80 passes for the lead at the MAVTv500 - Auto Club Speedway's last race - open wheel oval races are boring to witness ... even at 50 mph faster than NASCAR.

No truer thoughts have been expressed in opposition to Hulman & Co. managed racing, especially when everyone knew better, than what's articulated in this piece by Robin Miller.

Fan favorite Robin Miller (L) with friend, Jimi Lehner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Jimi Lehner

This excerpted and edited from Racer Magazine -

MILLER: IndyCar's desert debacle
By Robin Miller, Racer Magazine - Monday, 01 May 2017

If the IndyCar paddock could send a message to the few thousand souls who showed up at Phoenix International Raceway or the people trying to watch Saturday night's race on NBCSN, it would be brief and heartfelt:

We're sorry.

"They should refund everyone's money," one prominent driver said afterward.

Because the first oval-track show of 2017 was a 250-lap dud – 90 minutes of running in place where the leader couldn't lap last place because they were both running the same speed.

The only lead changes came on pit stops, and other than Josef Newgarden early and J.R. Hildebrand late, passing was passé. And an untimely caution removed any chance of drama, scrambled the front-runners and gave Simon Pagenaud a stress-free run to the checkered flag.

But the real downer is that it probably didn't have to be a snoozer.

Following IndyCar's return in 2016 after an 11-year absence, it was obvious something needed to be done about the aero package for this legendary, one-mile track that was built for Indy cars in 1964.

Last year's race was a carbon copy of what transpired on Saturday night so IndyCar staged a test last October to come up with a possible solution.

And Ryan Hunter-Reay felt like it was a success. "We tested different downforce configurations while running together and we found a solution," the 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner said.

The eye of the storm, according to the drivers and teams, was the undertray on the Dallara DW12. Running one without a hole in it allowed the cars to get closer and make passing possible. (And the hole in the under tray is to keep the cars on the ground if they spin and go backward on a superspeedway).

Hunter-Reay lobbied hard for IndyCar to change, but because all of the teams would have had to spend money to fill in the hole, it was decided to remain with the status quo until the new aero kits arrive in 2018.

After last February's open test at PIR, most of the veteran drivers correctly predicted that Saturday night's Desert Diamond Grand Prix of Phoenix would be a stinker without making that change.

"It doesn't make any sense to come back and put on the same show," said Hunter-Reay.

To be fair, Jay Frye and his staff at IndyCar have been great at listening to the paddock, using common sense, thinking ahead and being proactive. Plus, car owners are always bitching about spending extra money with sponsorship dollars hard to secure, so maybe there wasn't a real push to make a change (except by the drivers).

But, looking at the big picture, IndyCar couldn't afford another stinker in Phoenix, and Saturday night could be the death knell to a destination that IndyCar needs to see succeed.

There were fewer people in attendance this year, and the ones who came were put off by 22 laps of caution (why not throw the red flag?) following a first-lap, five-car pileup and then by the drudgery of watching cars run in place. USAC’s Silver Crown prelim on Saturday afternoon was five times more entertaining.

Rookie Ed Jones is good racer doing a damn good job for Dale Coyne, but in his first-ever oval race he managed to keep Dixon, Tony Kanaan and three-fourths of the Team Penske armada behind him for 20 laps.

The magic of a mile oval is traffic and how the leaders deal with it. But that was non-existent again on Saturday night, and Firestone's tires seemed to be too good and too consistent, so there was no major grip loss.

There is one year left on the Phoenix contract. PIR's Bryan Sperber has embraced IndyCar like few ISC tracks ever have, and his relationship with Frye is a big reason why IndyCar is back in the desert where it belongs.

Talk of trying to run Long Beach and Phoenix back-to-back like the old days or possibly even make PIR the season finale is all good. And there's little doubt that next year's aero package will make the racing much better. It couldn't be any worse.

But the worry is, how do you get anybody who paid for Saturday night's abysmal show to come back in 2018?

"I think the fans deserve a better show than we gave them," said Tony Kanaan. "I hope they give us another chance."
[Reference Here]

The Sun pierces through the empty grand stands to splash Graham Rahal with a shaft of afternoon light during a warm-up run before qualifications at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IndyCar (2017) 

Plus these edited and excerpted additional thoughts by Turnology's Thomas Stahler -

Tom’s Take: Is IndyCar Done with Ovals? They should be.
By Tom Stahler - Tuesday, 02 May 2017

In case you missed it over the weekend — and based on TV Ratings and the two thousand people in the stands: you did — there was IndyCar’s triumphant return of the series to Phoenix International Raceway — which was left wanting for a crowd and a race. Aside from the annual pilgrimage to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, perhaps it is very sadly time to put the ovals to sleep like a cancerous dog. Put a fork in them. They are done — perhaps even overcooked! For the promoters at PIR who really did all they could to boost the event, I am heartbroken.

A first lap crash, then 22 laps behind a safety car followed by a single file high speed parade, with little or no dicing for the lead, made what could have been an event win for promoters, a total wash. But, chew on this: IndyCar may have a way of redeeming itself by eradicating the oval races. Easily, and for many, this could be seen as a statement of blaspheme as USAC and Champ Cars cut their teeth and have a deeply embedded history on the ovals. Unfortunately, this is not where the sweet spot for the series has maintained.

I have been to the last races at the Milwaukee Mile and Auto Club (California) Speedway, both ovals, in the last three years and can tell you, it has changed — and not for the better. The racing is usually great. The super speedways produce monstrous speed and three wide wheel to wheel racing. A one mile oval can produce some intense cat and mouse fights through traffic… For the 2017 Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, this was not to be.
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Consider also, ovals — including the triangle shaped Pocono has produced the last two fatalities in the series: Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson.

IndyCar has been the most embattled series in racing, going back almost 30 years. The politics and numerous bad choices have destroyed what was perhaps the best and most competitive series in the history of racing — and that includes Formula One and NASCAR! 
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By 1991 Tony George, grandson of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hullman, pulled the Speedway away from the CART series and started his own “Indy Racing League” in an effort to bring IndyCar racing back to its roots — while still a controversial topic, most enthusiasts still see this as the moment open wheel racing was destroyed in North America. NASCAR, who had only had their first nationally telecast race in 1979, flew to the front as the preeminent North American racing series in the 1990’s — on ovals!

By 2003, CART had gone bankrupt and the Indy Racing League, completely subsidized by the Hullman Family and strictly running on ovals, moved ahead with competing race teams — but sadly not in spectators. 
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With the exception of last year’s 100th running, even the Indy 500 has had to flail to get 33 starters for the legendary race in the last two and a half decades. But the series has made strides in the last several years to become more like the racing varietals of its most popular era, where the cars ran on ovals, road and street circuits. But the cache of ovals seems to be dying — even at NASCAR, who has seen their attendance down nearly 50% in the last several years.

The road courses, however, are working — as are the street circuits. A visit to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, three weeks ago, saw an enormous crowd, bolstered by being in a metropolitan city center with tons of excitement and activity. The racing and the show is still viable.
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Sadly, oval racing has lost its luster despite what potentially produces great speed and maneuvering. 
The teams voted on it and decided they did not want to spend the money on the aero “fix”, opting instead to change this feature for next year when the new IndyCar is produced. This led to the 20-car field, which lost five cars in a first lap incident, being a long line, where the leaders couldn’t even catch the back markers. Bo-ring!

The real losers in this deal are the promoters of 2017 Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, who find the sponsors, put up the prize money and sell the tickets and hot dogs. Saturday night at the short track is still an American phenomenon, but IndyCars on any oval beyond the Indy 500 is just a dud. An unnamed driver suggested that the sub-5000 tickets that were sold should be refunded. That is just criminal!

There is much criticism out there for IndyCar, but in essence, the series has done much in the last several years to “work with what they have” and perpetuate the show. But if empty stands and a “Formula Sleeping Pill” parade is any indication, the series may want to rethink where it races. I have been told many years in business: “Know your customer.” Perhaps it is time for Indy car to go where the customers are and reach them properly.
[Reference Here]

Phoenix International Raceway is excited about the next round of changes and improvements scheduled for the track headed by DC Solar. Officials with International Speedway Corp., and Phoenix Raceway jointly announced plans for a $178 million facelift for the 1-mile facility that focuses on improving the fan experience while also including a competition twist that will see the relocation of the track’s start/finish line. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Track Improvement Video Here >>>

Best Comment - Philippe de Lespinay
There is nothing wrong with IndyCars racing on oval circuits, even one-mile jobs such as Phoenix. There is EVERYTHING WRONG with the CARS, that are built in exactly the opposite format of what they should be like. The IMS and IRL mantra of more down force, less power (to provide "close" racing, no doubt) is STUPID, just as in F1, also dying of lack of interest.

The true solution is LESS down force and MORE power. Designing better looking cars similar to the (old but gorgeous) Reynards and Lolas from the 1990s would also not hurt much. The mistake was made by Mr. George, that pathetic heir to what used to be great, by selecting HIS car builder (AKA Dallara of Italy) instead of the American Panoz chassis that was not only far better looking but also a far better and far less expensive option. 

Now what?
ENDS

This confirms the other bone-headed attitudes that led to the demise of the most exciting oval venue, also owned by ICS, formally on the VICS schedule - Auto Club Speedway. Never placing a date equity and an insistence on ending the season before NFL Pro Football gets its declining popularity of a season in full gear (Hulman & Co. love and follow the Colts and do not wish to have this devotion interrupted by managing the closing the season of a racing series). These folks just love to do things that are counter to clear logic in the pursuit of personal interests.

Why are they even in the business of entertainment, on the large multi-venue scale, when everyone knows the only venue that matters to them is the one that consumes the Month Of May? We should probably count ourselves as lucky as fans, just to be able to have a dedicated road course event and the Indy 500 in May so as not to become bored with the whole thing that has become overly managed formula racing.

It's IndyCar Interrupted, and as with the 1999 movie ... management needs to be checked-in.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Phoenix International Raceway, Auto Club Speedway, Hulman & Co., Month Of May, Mushroom Busting, Aerodynamics, Oval Racing, Temporary Street Courses, Dedicated Road Courses, Owners, Drivers, Jay Frye, Attendance, The EDJE 

99th Indianapolis 500 Qualifications Exemplify A Disastrous Start To 2015

Verizon P1 Pole Winner sticker as it was placed on Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon's No. 9 Chevrolet-powered Dallara IndyCar. Notice the lack of attention to detail on how the sticker was placed. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski

99th Indianapolis 500 Qualifications Exemplify A Disastrous Start To 2015

After having a fairly interesting week of watching the Verizon IndyCar Series work in, and understand, the new aerodynamics kits for large oval racing that were added to their Dallara DW12 racing platforms, and after the weather elements washed out any chance of holding the scheduled 4-lap qualification runs used to decide where the drivers would line up for the INDY 500 race, then, lastly, a third Chevy chassis spun and turned around backwards causing the chassis to lift off of the track surface, Race Control saw fit to shut down all of the team and driver development understanding achieved over hundreds of laps logged at the old Brickyard.

The third Chevy-powered accident damage on Ed Carpenter's Dallara DW12. It was feared that the new aerodynamics body work led to having cars become airborne when they spin and present the rear of the car toward the wind. Image Credit: Mike Young

One might say ... IndyCar Race Control "Bricked" the 99th Indianapolis 500 qualifications.

The 2015 season at this point has had more going wrong with the competition and fan enjoyment than at almost anytime during these merger years.

To understand and gain a perspective on how the decisions made for Sunday's augmented qualifications session played out, one needs a brief review of the 2015 season.

2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season had its opener in Brazil canceled ...

its second scheduled race at St. Pete ended up in a non-passing crash fest with the first time implementation of new aerodynamics body work with restricted testing imposed on all teams ...

its third scheduled race, Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana, at NOLA (a brand new venue) ran almost having more laps run under YELLOW Flag with the rest of the timed-race laps being a mud bath ...

Long Beach Formula E Race winner Nelson Piquet Jr. - NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team - at the beginning of the FIA Formula E electric car open-wheel race as he negotiates Turn 3 at the end of Shoreline Drive at Pine Ave.. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2014)

the fourth scheduled race at The Beach becoming a snoozer as a lack of passing ruled the day (two weeks earlier the FIA sanctioned Formula E had more interesting competition) ...

the fifth scheduled race at Barber Motorsports Park finally had some excitement - and passing, imagine that - passing ...

and finally, if this idiocy of INDY500 decision-making keeps up, the crown jewel of Speedway, Indiana during the month of May might become the Grand Prix of Indiana as opposed to the INDY 500 because, again, the Race Control by committee crowd allowed competition to break out (OH! ... and it was a road race).

Announcement of modified and augmented INDY 500 qualification's procedure at IMS delivered by CEO Mark Miles (L) and Race Control Director Derrick Walker (R). Image Credit: Bret Kelley

This excerpted and edited from Racer Viewpoints -

MILLER: Barnum & Bailey spotted at IMS
By Robin Miller - Sunday, 17 May 2015

It wasn’t as big a circus as 1997, when every bit of integrity and competition got kicked to the curb so the Indy Racing League could avoid the public relations nightmare of not starting the fastest 33 qualifiers.

But Sunday’s sideshow at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would have surely brought a little smirk to Barnum & Bailey. A lot of panic, a little knee jerk, possibly some politics, a little confusion and a lot of “WTF?” summed up a very forgettable and embarrassing day in IMS history. From the time Ed Carpenter flipped in morning practice to the inane Last Row battle, it looked more like the Speedrome instead of Speedway.
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Carpenter’s crash was the third in which a Chevrolet­powered Dallara driver wound up on his head. Helio Castroneves got upside down on Wednesday, followed by Josef Newgarden on Thursday. All three drivers escaped injury but not speculation. Why were their Indy cars suddenly sailing?

The finger was pointed at the new aero kits with the angled tire ramps and ramps inside the rear wheel pods or the vertical wickers on the nose but was countered by the Physics Police who reasoned as long as there are tunnels under a car and it goes backward there is going to be lift. Everyone seemed to have a theory except IndyCar, which offered nothing publicly until Sunday. “We knew the cause of the first two wrecks were very different and that probably obscured the overall concern,” said Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles, who at least chose Indy qualifying over golf this weekend.

IndyCar did mandate those vertical wickers be removed from all Chevys, but not the Hondas, after Helio flew.

Of course Carpenter crashed with no wicker but using the extra boost for qualifying while Castroneves had the wicker and normal horsepower before a tank­slapper sent him into the wall. Newgarden had no wicker and no added boost in a crash caused by a deflated tire. Even though Carpenter snapped loose before climbing the wall backwards and flipping over, it was his accident that suddenly sent IndyCar officials into DefCon 1. So when IndyCar sent out the word that it was taking away the extra power for qualifying and all the cars would have to start the race in the aero package they used to qualify (which instantly slowed the cars by several miles an hour), it created some predictable emotions in Gasoline Alley.

“We look like a bunch of pussies,” said one driver.
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“It’s amateur hour, they’re throwing darts at a board,” said a former IndyCar champion of the process.

Honda drivers and teams bit their tongue but the obvious question was why did Honda have to abide by the edict?

Competition director Derrick Walker replied: “Just because we’ve seen three incidents happen with a Chevrolet doesn’t mean that there aren’t three Hondas out there that are likely to happen [fly while going backward] or could happen. I can assure you that Honda doesn’t believe that they have any issue, but then again, they will admit right now that we don’t have that answer.
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Was it more about safety or competition? Chevy has clearly been ahead of Honda in pace this season and this month (with or without extra boost) so it’s not like Honda lost any advantage, other than its cars weren’t flipping at any speed or under any configuration.

Three accidents force a total change in philosophy? Sending drivers out with a combination they hadn’t run all month for a short practice session before qualifying hardly seemed safe but that’s what happened.

Some people blamed IndyCar for not doing more testing with the oval­track kits, which prompted one veteran mechanic to say: “We could have run for two weeks but unless somebody spun backwards, how would we know if there was a problem?”

Of course nobody wants to see anybody hurt when it can be prevented and nobody crashed Sunday afternoon ...
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And naturally the day ended with some head shaking stupidity. Instead of letting the Fast 9 at least get one chance to battle for the pole, the hearty but tiny gathering of fans that hung around had to endure the dramatic duel to see which one of the 34 drivers was [to be] sent home. IndyCar opted to have the slowest four drivers go back out to eliminate one of them in an effort to keep the insulting “Bump Day” theme alive.

How pathetic.

There’s no Jim Nabors this year so my suggestion is scrap “Back Home Again in Indiana” for “Send in the Clowns.”
[Reference]

Charlie Kimball and former champion Dario Franchitti pose for fan pictures at IMS. Image Credit: Forrest Mellott

Robin Miller (Racing, Viewpoints) was very correct to cite the 1997 IRL embarrassing INDY500 event because - and this is the reason - The Hulman/George decision-making Race Control by committee of 2015 was what had the event of last weekend's 99th INDY 500 qualifications feel so similar and familiar.

We are reliving the Tony George inspired competitive attitudes that the IRL gave American Open Wheel Racing right now in 2015. We have a racing series that is being run by a committee of pussies and one of them has been brought back (TGBB) after being replaced (with reason) a few years ago ... need we say more?

Robin Miller​ spanks the system but does not call them out as morphing into the IRL of old ... running the present day.

Comment/Observation From FB:
Ira Fierberg · Friends with Dicken Wear and 82 others - If you watched the coverage on Sunday, Roger Penske was interviewed and several times during the interview he referred to the sanctioning body as "The IRL"!

Can the reinstatement of Tony George as Chief "Clown & Mucky-Muck" be too far behind?

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Verizon IndyCar Series, 99th INDY 500, Indianapolis, Qualifications, Aerodynamics, Chevrolet-­powered, Honda-powered, Dallara, Testing, Hulman & Company, Mark Miles, Derrick Walker, Race Control, Boost, The EDJE,

IndyCar Season Opener Should Be Renamed The Carbon Fiber 200 Of St. Pete

The start as viewed from the entrance of Turn 1. Ryan Hunter-Reay at far left, was caught outside and lost P8 starting position all of the way back to P17. And YES!, there was carbon fiber left behind on the front straight near the Start/Finish line. Image Credit: Chris Owens - IMS Photo (2015)

IndyCar Season Opener Should Be Renamed The Carbon Fiber 200 Of St. Pete

Carbon Fiber ruled the attention of the day of a very competitive 2015 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg that featured five time-consuming full course YELLOW Flags to sweep up and haul off wing elements of latest aerodynamically modified Dallara cars. 

Brian Herta Autosport's Gabby Chaves dragging a greatly modified right wing element without all of those pesky "Slats" that direct the air. Image Credit: John Cote - Indycar (2015) 

Honda front wings were the most vulnerable with a final wing change tally of seven while Chevy only required one front wing to be changed.

Less parts mean stronger parts (Chevy's apparent philosophy) ... the rule governing aerodynamics is that the new wing can be made in most any way the manufacturers choose ... but that the final wing can weigh NO MORE than the original DW12 Dallara wing - to repeat Honda - 7 / Chevy - 1 ... and as in golf, the low number is the winner here.

Full course YELLOW Flag caution to gather up all of the (mostly Honda) carbon fiber body work that was detached from the nose of cars that were tapped with other cars going for the same space. Image Credit: VICS/ABC (2015)

The other thing that was confirmed with this race was that the turbulence mushroom is NOT being lifted up off of the racing surface as before. Both Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever (color commentators on the ABC broadcast) mentioned that many of the drivers, Tony Kanaan - piloting in his second year for Target Chip Ganassi - being the most vocal, were mentioning that the cars become unstable farther away from the leading car than before.

This is something we mentioned was going to happen just after the aerodynamic body element designs from Chevy and Honda were revealed <<< HERE >>> when our colleagues saw the way these aero parts looked and the way they were designed.

Where this showed itself the most clearly on the track was the front straight away ... at full speed. Very little passing took place at the end of the straight, save for restarts when the cars were at slower speeds.

Frustrated by being passed during the last round of pit stops, Will Power tries to make a diving move on teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in Turn 10. JPM kept his line knowing the the front of Power's car is more fragile than the back end of his own car. Image Credit: John Cote - Indycar (2015)

Toward the end of the race when Will Power was tracking down teammate Juan Pablo Montoya ... if this was a race with the old aerodynamic template of one year ago, Will would have been more patient and would have felt, with the fact that his car was stronger (he made up a 3 second deficit in just a few short laps), he could have more options to pass. Looking at the drive, what he actually felt due to turbulence at high speeds ... that Turn 10 presented the only 'surprise' opportunity.

Granted, he, Will Power, had a few more laps to pounce, but the only opportunities would come at the twisty bits at Turn 4 or Turn 10 against someone with a very, very fat car.

Edging cars out of the way as some have been able to do with a little effectiveness, with a nudge, will not work this year and competition will suffer due to the fragile aero kits. Image Credit: Chris Owens - IMS Photo (2015)

This excerpted and edited from IndyRacePlace.com -

St. Pete weekend
By IRP

Precarious practice: With the aerokits for Honda (“Slats”) and Chevy (“Extra Bits”) being brand new and spares being scarce, practices were fairly quiet. Quite a few run-offs but contact was avoided at all costs. The one thing that did take a beating was the track record. Loads of downforce with the kits and speeds were climbing quickly.

Penske perfect: The four Penske cars took the top four positions in qualifying after putting in powerful practice sessions. It was Power, Pagenaud, Castroneves and Montoya. Lots of Extra Bits to lead the way at the green.

Papier-mâché parts: As many predicted, debris cautions were the bane of this race. ABC even displayed a wing damage tracker at one point. Slats took the brunt of the damage, spraying bits of cat-mangled Venetian blind parts all over the track. Caution after caution kept the race from developing a real rhythm, which is not uncommon for St. Pete, but the parts sprayed with much lighter contact.

Penske party plus papa: New papa Tony Kanaan broke up what would have been an otherwise all-Penske podium. Montoya and Power took the top two steps on the podium, with Castroneves and Pagenaud filling out the top five. From the looks of things right now, The Captain has the best boat in the water.
(Reference Here)

Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti has the "Slats" of his Honda areo kit peeled away like an onion during an on-track racing incident. Image Credit: VICS/ABC (2015)

Aero Kit Commentary From The Twittersphere -

Pat Caporali @PCaporali
What kind of sound does #IndyCar aerokit #debris make when it hits the track? Cha-ching Cha-ching Cha-ching? yikes #GPStPete

Bash Beard @SpeedFreakBash
The Honda kit, aka Slats, is taking a beating today. Worse than cat-mangled Venetian blinds. #GPSTPETE #IndyCar

Roberto Martínez @yukiyu99
New #IndyCar aero kit winglets look ridiculous. They cause too many cautions too.

39 year old Juan Pablo Montoya proves that he is happy about coming back to race lighter, faster, and more competitive cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Image Credit: Chris Owens - IMS Photo (2015)

More commentary on gamesmanship - this excerpted and edited from IndyCar Minnesota -

Winners and Losers: St. Petersburg
by Matt Hickey

Here are your winners, losers, and Cone of Shame "winner" following the 2015 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:

Winners

Juan Pablo Montoya
Wow, does Juan Pablo Montoya look like his 1999-form one race in to season or what?! JPM continued his success from the second-half of 2014 right away in 2015, nailing his in-and-out laps on his last pit stop to jump ahead of Will Power on pit sequence to capture the win. Not only did he hold off Power, but JPM was also quick all weekend. If JPM continues in this form, the rest of the field may be in trouble.

Team Penske
Along with JPM and Power were the other two Team Penske drivers of Helio Castroneves and newby Simon Pagenaud. Together, the four drivers took the top four spots in qualifying (something I think has never been done in IndyCar) and captured four of the five top spots in the race. Of the four, Pagenaud had to overcome the most adversity, getting put mid-pack several times and damaging his front wing, but he still found a way to finish in fifth. I have a feeling Team Penske will appear in the Winners category of these blogs for a whole lot of races this season.

Tony Kanaan
The man who denied Penske of their 1-2-3-4 finish is Tony Kanaan. Kanaan had a solid weekend, continually showing pace and keeping a very clean nose on his way to a P5 finish. His other teammates Scott Dixon (air-jack issues), Charlie Kimball (multiple incidents), and Sage Karam (not sure what his deal was, maybe just simply put being a rookie?) couldn't hold a candle to  him in the race. During the broadcast, the ABC analysts talked about Kanaan becoming more comfortable within the team. Remember that before yesterday, Kanaan was the last driver to win a race in the series (Fontana '14). Like JPM, if Kanaan can keep up his form from the second half of last season, the other drivers might be in trouble.

IndyCar Fans
Was it the greatest race in IndyCar history? Of course not. There was debris cautions for days (at least there was legitimate debris on the track and not phantom debris cautions or menacing hot dog wrappers like that other series) that took forever to clean up. There were times of stale action where we had to talk about how great Marco Andretti was doing in P13. 

But overall, the race had moments of excitement, including ballsy passing and dramatic, albeit boneheaded moves on the track. I enjoyed the speed, the passes, the aggressiveness, and the slight strategy that took place which didn't involve an entire race of fuel conservation. Overall, I am very pleased with the race that took place!

Losers

Honda
What's stronger: Tony George's rationale for creating the IRL or a Honda front wing? The Honda wings, which kept getting damaged throughout the race, were so weak that ABC began having a counter of wings broken between Chevy and Honda. At one point, Honda was "leading" 7-1. That's awful. As mentioned during the broadcast, the front wing designs had to meet the same weight that they were in 2014 after the modifications, so obviously Honda did not make a sturdy enough wing. Either that or their drivers are all knuckleheads.

Andretti Autosport's Simona de Silvestro was welcomed back to a seat in IndyCar after spending last year being a test driver for an F1 team. Bent "Slats" of a Honda aero kit had three of the seven Honda nose replacements land on the Andretti Autosport team. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the only Andretti team driver keeping his car intact throughout the race. Image Credit: John Cote - Indycar (2015)

Simona de Silvestro
A driver that really needed to have a great race was Simona de Silvestro. For Simona, the raced served as a tryout for Andretti Autosport for future races or possibly the 2015 season. 

She qualified well, despite being down during some practice sessions. In the race, well, it didn't go too well. She was involved with teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Carlos Munoz early on. RHR passed her in turn ten. Seeing his successful pass, Munoz tried to follow. While I would pin most of the fault on Carlos, being in any incident with your teammate, regardless of fault, is not good. In the grand scheme though, this incident wouldn't matter if Simona could rebound. Later on, she missed her braking zone by a lot (my words exactly were "wasn't even close," which were later echoed by Eddie Cheever) and rammed James Jakes. Jakes race was ruined, and Simona suffered damage. Overall, a P18 was not what Michael Andretti had in mind.

Dale Coyne Racing
Francesco Dracone finished P23 and Carlos Huertas P24. Need I say more?

Gabby Chaves
Gabby Chaves was unflattering in his first race of the season. Early on in the race, Chaves was seen slowing down abruptly on the exit of a turn, causing Marco Andretti to run into the back of him (I'm not one to defend Marco often, but he's right in this situation) leaving Marco with a damaged front wing. Accidents happen, that's fine. But later on. Chaves really misjudged a maneuver on James Hinchcliffe, leaving Hinch with a flat tire for one lap and effectively ruining his race. Hopefully Chaves tones down the miscues for the remainder of the season.

Cone of Shame

Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal gained a lot of "fans" following the race.

To recap what set him off, Charlie Kimball got damage from contact (from I believe Simon Pagenaud), leaving his rear guard with a serious rub on his rear tire. Half-a-lap later, Graham, who was following Kimball, decided to try to make a move around the damaged yet still on-pace Kimball. Rahal put Kimball into the tires and received a penalty. People noted that Graham said over the radio, "They'll find any way they can to screw me, it's just the way it goes."

Hold on now Graham. Please tell me how IndyCar screws you? a) the incident was questionable, I could see fault with both drivers. b) you've been irrelevant outside of two or three races since 2013. IndyCar hasn't had a chance to screw you out of a good result. c) maybe, MAYBE I'll take that argument from Will Power, but not you.

After finishing P11, which isn't bad, Graham took to Twitter and was, well, colorful. Now I am not a fan of @TonyJWriter (he blocked me, we just don't like each other), but he and Graham got into after the race. Graham made the argument that anyone who knows anything about racing knows that he shouldn't have gotten that penalty. Well, apparently I know nothing about racing. Tony tweeted, "Gotta have a better argument than "If you don't agree with me, you know nothing about racing."

I agree with Tony (gasp, I know). I can't exactly declare myself innocent of never being stubborn on a subject, but Graham was way out of line here. Denouncing anyone with a differing opinion as yours as a "hater" is obtuse. I am not oblivious to the fact that Graham does have trolls who are pretty ruthless, but those who rationally disagreed with him aren't "haters."

My immediate reaction to the incident was a flashback to Long Beach in 2014. Both Graham and RHR would have been well off by waiting a couple turns to capitalize on a off-the-pace car rather than forcing a pass. But hey, I don't know anything about racing.
(Reference Here)

There was a bunch of frustration to go around for everyone with two new aerodynamics templates to figure out.

For the fan, when we get to the long 185mph straight of Shoreline Drive at Long Beach and short ovals, the frustration will come, in old IRL style nose-to-tail racing we all hated during the era of the original "Crapwagon" Dallara. It is sad to say this early on, but it almost looks as if too much was being done in the off season with Extra Bits and Slats but not enough was being done to protect the competitive Mushroom Busting characteristics of the original DW12!

... notes from The EDJE

IndyCar Aerodynamic Body Kits Revealed Side-By-Side

Verizon IndyCar Champion Will Power, tests the Dallara/Chevrolet/Penske aerodynamics body elements on the track at Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas. Image Credit: IndyCar

IndyCar Aerodynamic Body Kits Revealed Side-By-Side (kinda')

The evening of Monday, March 10, 2015 saw the final reveal of the aerodynamics body panels (Front Wing, Sidepods, Rear Wing) for the beginning of the third season of the Dallara DW12 chassis.

Chevrolet introduced its road course/street course and short oval design Feb. 17. The much-anticipated unveiling of the Honda aero kit took place Monday evening at a reception attended by principals from Honda Performance Development, American Honda and IndyCar. Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, who drove for a bulk of the on-track development, joined Honda executives in showcasing the base road/street course and short oval aero kit.

Possibly the most accomplished pilot using a Honda engine for 2015 Verizon IndyCar Season, 2014 Indy 500 winner and 2012 IndyCar Champion (using Chevy-power) Ryan Hunter-Reay, had the aerodynamics body work applied to his Andretti Autosport DHL Dallara DW12 for the Honda Performance Development reveal. Image Credit: Jeff Olsen (2015)

Honda Launch Video HERE >>>

Chevrolet and Honda, the current engine suppliers to the Verizon IndyCar Series (America's top professional open wheel chassis motorsports racing series), under the rules laid out for 2015 are able to modify the original body work of the Dallara DW12 to enhance the racing platform as it relates to airflow and give, potentially, an additional advantage to the teams that use their engines. The previous two years that the Dallara DW12 was on the track, all body parts were exactly the same as manufactured by Dallara from the factory for all teams (Honda or Chevy).

The reveal timing all seems a little delayed in relation to generally understood timing used to build fan interest. One wonders how fans, who support the series, are able to analyze and absorb the subtle aero approaches each manufacturer has adopted given that the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, will be run in just about 3 weeks, on March 29, which marks the inaugural 2015 competition between the manufacturers' body kits. The speedway aero kit components are scheduled to be delivered to teams by April 1.

Below are full chassis images originally supplied by IndyCar from the manufacturers. The larger hi-res images were cropped in order to bring a visual focus to the three main areas of where aerodynamic body panel manipulation takes place on the Dallara DW12 - the Front Wing, Sidepods, and Rear Wing body parts - for comparison.

First, Chevy supplied the initial image that shows the fluid dynamics effect of their developed approach. The way the lines are drawn, it leads one to believe that the turbulent airflow coming from the back of the chassis has a strong upward motion soon after leaving the rear wing of the chassis.

This fluid dynamics motion is called 'Mushroom Busting' (first coined by Swift Engineering during the Iconic Development Process) which moves the trailing turbulence, that forms in the shape of a mushroom cap, out of the way of the race car behind allowing for stability in racing and possible overtaking.

Frontview Detail Comparison

Chevy Frontview Fluid Dynamics Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

Honda Frontview Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

This close-up view comparison has one potentially questioning whether Honda wishes to continue the same 'Mushroom Busting' competitive agenda, explored and - EXPLAINED HERE.

The Chevy front end view seems to have less parts to get in the way of the fluid nature of air whereas the Honda front end has many more elements that appear to be aiding in the dropping of the turbulence mushroom so that it would act as an impediment to any car trailing the Honda-powered chassis.

Front Wing Detail Comparison

Chevy Front Wing Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

Honda Front Wing Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

This close-up view comparison has one potentially questioning whither Honda wishes to continue the same 'Mushroom Busting' competitive agenda - EXPLAINED HERE.

The Chevy front end & front wing views both seem to have less parts to get in the way of the fluid nature of air whereas the Honda front end clearly has more elements channeling and funneling the air.

Sidepod Detail Comparison

Chevy Sidepod Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

Honda Sidepod Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

The sidepods housed the radiators in the original version of the DW12 so it is assumed the same function of the airflow through the housing performs the same benefit of cooling the engine.

Again, the Chevy sidepod has fewer elements and an addition of an airflow pass through outport just in front of the rear tire. Chevy also supplied a component identification terminology plate which describes the flying wing on top of the sidepod as an 'upper flick' and the element in the middle of the back of the sidepod (main flick) as a 'wheel wedge' which looks a little like a shark fin placed on the pod.

No component identification terminology plate was available from Honda/IndyCar so one is left to guess. The most interesting characteristic seems to be the integral nature of the sidepod without many add-ons or outports carving up the side, visually, and hanging above, leaving an uncluttered profile.

Rear Wing Detail Comparison

Chevy Rear Wing Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

Honda Rear Wing Detail - Image Credit: IndyCar

For the Chevy rear wing, we almost instantly see louvers on either side of the main central fences or end plates. The louvers allow air flow to move from the central wing section defined by the fences over to the airflow on either side of the central wing.

The Honda aero kit features an added fin along the backbone of the engine cover along with, again, more parts that appear to most observers to aid in the dropping the strength of the upward movement of the turbulent air mushroom cap ... but then, who really knows without the developmental CAD/CAM information and testing statistics. One might say that the Honda aero kit looks less than ... iconic. More parts placed at the corners of the racing platform also equal more Yellow Flag track litter.

As an example that aids understanding in the philosophy that less parts that impede the flow of air is better, the new Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 employs the use of very large, designed-in airflow ducts where nothing invades the space of the duct.

This excerpted and edited from Racer -

Inside the Nissan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 program
By Marshall Pruett - Feb. 1, 2015

Designers spend thousands of hours coming up with the best way to make aerodynamic downforce while minimizing drag, and drag comes from interrupting the air.

An LMP1-H punching through the air at 200mph is one giant exercise in disturbance, yet with Bowlby’s through-flow system, he’s found a brilliant method to work peacefully with the air as it envelops the Nissan via huge rectangular airflow channels that start at the rear of the splitter, wrap around the cockpit, and continue to the tail end of the GT-R LM NISMO LMP1. In practical terms, it’s the difference between the hull of an oil tanker making a huge wake and the razor-thin interruption made by an America’s Cup yacht.
[Reference Here]

One thing for sure, only racing on the track will let fan, team, and driver alike really know for sure.

If one hears about difficulty in passing a Team Honda car over the ease at passing a Team Chevy car just know that you heard the first speculation written about >>> HERE!

... notes from The EDJE

Gabby Chaves Joins Bryan Herta Autosport's 2015 VICS Season

Gabby Chaves is surfin' on up to the Verizon IndyCar Series for 2015 - here Gabby accepts his 2nd place trophy for the 2014 IndyLights Lefty's Kids Club 100 at Auto Club Speedway. Image Credit: Chris Jones via Mazda Road To Indy

Gabby Chaves Joins Bryan Herta Autosport's 2015 VICS Season

Yesterday, the Verizon IndyCar Series held a joint teleconference call interview with Bryan Herta, owner of  Bryan Herta Autosport IndyCar race team and race car driver Gabby Chaves.

Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) is keen on bringing along talented and accomplished drivers who are working their way up through Mazda supported IndyCar Ladder series when looking for the most talented driver to drive their car for the season.

Last year, BHA tapped 2012 Star Mazda series champion and IndyLights standout Jack Hawksworth with some success, especially at the series' premiere venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Speedway's road course, series rookie Jack Hawksworth, who had earned his first front-row start, led a field-high 31 laps and finished seventh. British born Hawksworth finished in the points ahead of such recognizably named drivers as Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal.

This year, BHA decided to go to this well again with its signing of 2014 IndyLights champion and past Star Mazda series standout, Colombian born Gabby Chaves to a full season in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

One of Bryan Herta's immortal moments as a driver came in 1996 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when Alex Zanardi decided, on the last lap, that the only way he was going to win a race the two drivers were contesting was to cut the driving line through the last half of the infamous "Corkscrew" chicane turn. No one on the conference call was willing to bring this up in light of the announcement that Brian Barnhart was once again named Director of Race Control which would have changed the very nature of the conversation. Brian Barnhart believes that judgements on what a proper driving line is should be made, and penalties enforced, on a road or street course ... but this is another discussion having nothing to do with a season driver announcement.

What should be noted though, Bryan Herta Autosport won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon. It is with this background the following teleconference call was held by the Verizon IndyCar Series, with several media writers including The EDJE on the line, with Bryan Herta, owner of  Bryan Herta Autosport IndyCar race team and 2015 team race car driver Gabby Chaves.

<<< Audio podcast of conference call with Bryan Herta and Gabby Chaves >>>

 

Current IndyLights champion, 21 year-old Gabby Chaves, relaxes between sessions. Image Credit: IndyCar

 TRANSCRIPT

THE MODERATOR:  Welcome, everyone, to today's IndyCar conference call.

Yesterday morning Bryan Herta Autosport announced that 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Gabby Chavez will pilot its No. 98 Honda for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. 

We're pleased to be joined today by Bryan Herta and his new driver Gabby Chavez. 
Bryan, give us a little insight on how this agreement came about and what sort of impression you have of Gabby and your experience with him thus far. 

BRYAN HERTA:  I mean, obviously the impression was good.  It really started with some conversations a few months back and evolved to agreeing to go do a test at Sebring in December to get to know each other.  I'd say that went really well on and off the track.  Gabby was highly recommended.  Obviously his credentials in Indy Lights speak for themselves. 

For us, we've seen from recent past that the guys who have been coming out of Indy Lights into IndyCar have been doing a great job.  We had a good experience with Jack Hawksworth coming out of Indy Lights.  Gabby was obviously right from day one a very competitive driver.  It was just a case of how can we put a deal together. 

We worked very hard to get everything together and we're pleased to go racing together this season. 

THE MODERATOR:  You mentioned last year you ran another Indy Lights graduate Jack Hawksworth.  As a former driver, is it becoming more and more important for you to support the up-and-coming talent in the series? 

BRYAN HERTA:  I think it's important for the series.  As a team owner, I have to take a narrower view.  Frankly, it just comes down to getting the very best guy in our car that we can get. 

I'm very pleased with where we ended up this year.  I believe Gabby is going to do some great things this year in the car and I believe he's a guy that we want to try and hang on to and keep on the team for several years to come. 

I think we can build together and we can grow together. 

THE MODERATOR:  As I mentioned earlier, Gabby Chavez is the 2014 Indy Lights champion which he won with four victories. 

Gabby, congratulations to you.  I know you were working hard to secure a ride for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  How much of a relief is it for you to have that deal come together with a team like Bryan Herta Autosport? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  The relief is only temporary because as soon as the deal is done you have to get your head down and start focusing on what's next. 

As soon as the deal was announced, I was very happy.  It's been a long journey to get to where I am.

We've had a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard times.  This is only just the first victory we can get out of it. 

Now it's time to get back to work and really looking forward to enjoying a great season. 

THE MODERATOR:  Gabby, I know you haven't been on track all too much, but from the experience you've had so far, how much of what you learned in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system have you been able to apply and what adjustments have you had to make? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Oh, everything that I've learned so far in the last three years in the Mazda Road to Indy and the last two years in Indy Lights I've been able to apply to the IndyCar Series.  Especially when it comes down to the first race on the ovals, the whole oval schedule that we have, I think that's where it's going to make a bigger difference. 

I'm really happy.  I think the ladder series is how it should be and it's preparing the drivers, as Bryan said, not only Jack Hawksworth showing some amazing speed, but Carlos Muñoz having demonstrated the quality of drivers that we're feeding into IndyCar is very high. 

THE MODERATOR:  We'll open it up for questions. 

Q.    Bryan, not only have you signed Gabby but you made an engineering addition with John Dick coming onboard.  What do you hope to achieve with him and how do you think he and Gabby will have the chance to work together?

BRYAN HERTA:  John was with us at the Sebring test.  He and Gabby worked together there.  I've known him for many years.  I never worked physically with John when I was driving.  He's a guy I have a lot of respect for. 

When we were looking for that right combination for Gabby, we had kind of an opportunity signing the driver first and making sure that we're building a group of people around him that fits. 

Gabby had a good experience working with John.  Frankly for me, we wanted to pair a lot of experience around Gabby, and John certainly fits the bill for that.  He's been around a long time.  He's been in IndyCar for a long time.  His experience will definitely be a great benefit to Gabby as he's learning this year. 

Q.    Gabby, you're going to be a rookie in a year where aero kits are coming into the season.  What do you make of the opportunity to help develop the car with something that is going to be new for everybody throughout the year? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Yeah, I think it's a great opportunity.  I mean, not only for that, but for myself as a driver to really develop and enhance my skills at developing the car. 

I think it's going to be a great challenge.  Like I said before, it's going to be harder than ever before.

Like I said, I'm just ready for the challenge and I'm excited to get going. 

Q (The EDJE).    Gabby, you've been part of a class of upcoming drivers that have had flashes of brilliance along the way.

Reviewing your history with Star Pro Mazda, a couple that come to mind is Sage Karam and Zach Veach.  How does it feel to come up with a full season Verizon IndyCar Series ride before Sage and Zach? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I mean, I don't ever try to take anything away from anyone.  But I guess before Zach, you'd like to see Sage have a ride as well.  He's a deserving champion, as I am.  But essentially we want to have all these guys get a ride, not only Zach, not only Sage, we want to have all the young drivers that are eventually going to be the future stars of the sport get a ride.

It's a difficult question to answer.  Mainly I like to be happy for what I have accomplished.  I have a great team behind me working very hard to make this happen as well as working with Bryan's team. 
I think we're just happy that we made it happen on our side. 

Q (The EDJE).    How did you enjoy driving in the Rolex 24? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I mean, it's a great experience.

It was my second year driving for the same team.  It's always a great experience.  It's something very different that I'm not used to driver changes, long three-hour stints.  It is a very unique experience that definitely broadens I guess my professional career. 

Q (The EDJE).    After coming from Indy Lights, are you looking forward to competing again in 20-plus car fields? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  Yeah, absolutely.  I mean, it's definitely a big challenge stepping up.  Obviously every time you step up, drivers just get better and better.  It's going to be a big challenge. 

I think with Indy Lights, you can't take too much into consideration the car count, even though it is slow and it's growing thankfully, because when you look at how guys like Jack Hawksworth impressed everyone, and everybody thought he would be a nobody last season, he impressed everyone, as well as Carlos Muñoz in his rookie Indy 500 and his rookie year.  You can't look too much into the car count when you have to look at the quality of the drivers. 

Q (The EDJE).    Bryan, do you have plans to be adding any more drivers this season?  Seems a lot of teams have a strategy to have many drivers because that allows to have more testing time with the aerodynamic kits. 

BRYAN HERTA:  Well, we are going to run a second car at the Speedway this year, which will be a first for us, running two cars.

I think as long as that goes well, we want to make sure we keep the focus on Gabby and his program this year, that we're doing everything we need to do for him. 

But we do want to grow the program.  We would like to be a two-car team sooner than later.  I think we're open to the idea of doing more races later in the year as we work towards hopefully a full two-car program next year. 

Q (The EDJE).    How is the change with finding out about Brazil in such a sudden fashion, how has that affected your plans going forward?

BRYAN HERTA:  It really hasn't affected us too much.

If anything, frankly, it helps us a little bit from the planning standpoint just because you'd like to have your deals done a little earlier than January, but this is the timing we had to deal with.  We got everything done.  We've got a little more time to get prepared, do a little more testing prior to the first race at St. Pete. 

Logistically it's great for us.  Competitively obviously we're racers and we want to do as many races as we can.  But we understand the reasons for the change. 

Q (The EDJE).    Being a car owner, I assume it's always better to maybe have the same set schedule in terms of numbers of races.  If they were to add another race, where would you most likely like to have it?  Long Beach, Detroit? 

BRYAN HERTA:  I mean, if it were up to me, I'd love to see us go to new markets.

As a racer, Road America is such a great track.  Love to be there.  I always enjoyed racing in Portland.  There's certainly places that we can do a lot of good. 

Circuit of America, I was there for the F1 race.  Beautiful, beautiful facility.  Would love to see us go there as well. 

Q (The EDJE).    I saw the PR release saying the March 8th date that would make sense going with the PWC, coinciding with that, since so many of the other races have that as a complementary series, that's not going to happen, sadly.

What else are you looking forward to this season? 

BRYAN HERTA:  In terms of other races, adding races, we're trying to keep our heads down, keep focused on building our team.

What I'm excited about is a little bit of a fresh start for us this year, having Gabby in.  He's very enthusiastic.  He's been in the shop almost every single day since we signed the contract, which is great.  Really just focus on building our program and continue to evolve and achieve more and more results on the track. 

Q.    Gabby, Carlos Muñoz has admitted that Juan Pablo Montoya is his role model.  Who do you consider to be your racing role model? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  That's a difficult question.  I mean, I've had various role models throughout different stages of my life, even before I was racing.  I loved watching racing.  Especially at those times, when I was eight, nine, ten years old, I would get up every morning at 4 or 5 in the morning to watch the Formula One races where Juan Pablo Montoya was racing.  I followed his career closely.

As I started building my career, you started almost picking role models for who you wanted to be almost at that time. 

As I started racing in Europe, I would take a few guys there that I'd like to follow kind of their footsteps.  Then I came back to the States.  I really enjoyed my time here and realized this is where I want to be.  I started out in the Pro Mazda Series, then two seasons in Indy Lights. 

At that time it's almost like you're getting so close to the guys, the IndyCar guys, that you almost want to pick a role model, but you don't want to get too involved with that admiration because sooner or later if you achieve your goals, you're going to have to go head-to-head against them. 

Q.    As a rookie this year, you're about to embark on some new races, courses.  What race or track are you looking most forward to in this 2015 season? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I guess I could break it down into two categories.  I really look forward every year to racing at Long Beach.  It's one of my favorite street courses.  So that's definitely my favorite there.  I really want to experience that in an IndyCar. 

Then also you can never leave behind or forget about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  It's incredible.  To experience that first in Indy Lights, getting close to 200 miles an hour, then to make a jump to being over 240 miles an hour, to me that's what I'm looking most forward to this year. 

Q.    Bryan, with the cancellation in Brazil, is there any indication from IndyCar that they're going to try to speed up the delivery of aero kits to the teams?

BRYAN HERTA:  Frankly, even though it happened suddenly, I think IndyCar has done a really good job internally of communicating with the teams what they're doing, what they're trying to do.

Obviously it's all a little bit fluid still in a lot of areas. 

But I don't believe that aero kits are going to become available any sooner, frankly because everybody's production is based on that March 1st date, and I don't think there's an ability to make any additional parts sooner. 

Q.    Have you been able to see any sketches of Honda's kit compared to Chevy's as far as the differences in how the cars are going to look?

BRYAN HERTA:  I've seen some sketches, but we haven't seen any of the actual production parts.  I haven't seen any drawings of the Chevy aero kit.  I only saw the spy photos of Penske's car when they ran at Circuit of the Americas.  I am sure they have evolved a lot since then. 

It's a real point of entry.  I think we're all very curious and looking forward to seeing the cars turn up at Barber for spring training and see what we got. 

Q.    Gabby, could you comment on the importance of the scholarship prize that you were awarded with your championship last year with Indy Lights, and also the just the preparation that your years in the Road to Indy has provided you to make this step up to the IndyCar Series. 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I think the scholarship prize, it almost makes the deal happen sometimes.  I mean, I think it's great that they're giving the champion sort of a head start into their IndyCar career.

Without the scholarship, it would have been very hard to make a deal happen anywhere.  So I'm very happy.  I'm very grateful that that program exists. 

I think it's not only in Indy Lights but the whole Mazda Road to Indy is coming along very strong.

Ever since my first year in Pro Mazda in 2012, you know, just started building on that, getting myself familiarized with the tracks, with the people, the whole atmosphere.  Everything is different. 
So just to be able to work from those years of experience just makes my transition to IndyCar that much easier. 

Q.    As the reigning Indy Lights champion, talk about your optimism of the direction of the Indy Lights Series.  And Bryan, do you plan to be involved again at any point? 

GABBY CHAVEZ:  I'm very happy with what's happening right now with Indy Lights and the new car.  I think that's something that the series needed, and definitely is attracting a lot of attention, even new teams from overseas, new drivers, drivers that have competed in Formula One before, now coming over to Indy Lights.  I think that's great for the series.  I think it's great for IndyCar as well because it's going to expand that feeder system.  I'm very pleased that's going in a positive direction. 

BRYAN HERTA:  From a team standpoint, I think we're very open to coming back.  We started our team in the Indy Lights Series.  We wouldn't even exist without it as a team.  I believe in the importance of it, what it does for the development of drivers.  I really think that the new car is a huge plus for the series. 

From our standpoint, we feel like we needed to take a step back from it so we could really focus on making a step forward in the IndyCar program this year.  But I would love to see us come back into Indy Lights again at some point in the future. 

THE MODERATOR:  Seeing we have no further questions, we'll thank our guests for their time and wrap up today's IndyCar conference call. 
(ht: FastScripts by ASAP Sports)

... notes from The EDJE