Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana

After surviving a Lap 55 near miss take out by Will Power's out of control #12 Penske Racing DW12, Ryan Hunter-Reay puts in a steady 250 Lap drive in the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships at Auto Club Speedway to win it all, run the table, and take home all of the chips. Welcome the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, the A.J. Foyt Trophy honoree for most points scored in a season on oval courses, and first American born driver to become American open wheel racing champion since 2006. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana

With 36 points separating Ryan Hunter-Reay (RHR) from the championship points lead and two races to go left in the season, the Andretti Autosport driver wins on the temporary street circuit race promoted by the recently formed Andretti Sports Marketing ... the Indy Grand Prix of Baltimore. This left RHR with a tall, but not impossible mountain to scale of 17 points to overcome in order to clinch the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Championship.

Immediately after Ryan crossed the finish line at the inner harbor track location, in a post race interview on NBCSC, team owner Michael Andretti came out with a strong prediction - "We are going to win the championship in Fontana at Auto Club Speedway."

This isn't the first time this motor culture legend, in his own time, came forth with a prediction that paid off - and Michael Andretti never was the kind of personality to boast.

Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport becomes the first American born driver to win a race in this 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

This excerpted and edited from "... notes from The EDJE" -

Toyota GP of Long Beach: Owner Andretti Predicted Hunter-Reay Win
By Edmund Jenks - April 19, 2010
 
With the confidence that comes from being a multiple time race winner here at motorsports premiere temporary street course race at Long Beach, Michael Andretti predicted that his recently signed driver (a test for a few races to begin), Ryan Hunter-Reay, would win the race.

What makes this prediction almost astounding is that none of the cars had set a tire anywhere on Shoreline Drive and he made this prediction at a post induction ceremony interview on Thursday, April 15, 2010, where he, along with Danny Sullivan, were honored with an achievement medallion in the sidewalk along the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame located in front, and the West side, of the Long beach Convention Center along Pine Avenue.
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Add the fact that in the post race interview in front of the gathered press, Ryan Hunter-Reay cited his previous Formula Atlantic (2002) and CCWS experience with his positive feelings for the track (which he considers his "home" track) at Long Beach ... one could say Champ Car has never left ... in this, the sophomore year for IndyCar at the famed streets in Long Beach ... for at the end of the race it was P1, P2 , and P3 on the podium for former ChampCar World series experienced drivers!
[Reference Here]

The set up seemed insurmountable. Penske Racing's Will Power, who had been here in this same position of having to finish off the year on an oval racing course ahead of his next leading points owner the previous two years, looked as though all he had to do was finish the race on the same lap as Ryan Hunter-Reay. He had all the confidence of being the only driver to ever hold the Mario Andretti Trophy for the most points scored on road/street courses ... three years running.

For Ryan's part, in order to have any chance at all, he needed to finish the race P6 or better to have any of the championship scenarios to play out. Further, RHR was tied in the points for the season championship trophy for most points scored on oval courses with KV Racing Technology's  Tony Kanaan ... so he also had to finish ahead of this competitor as well.

Again, the prediction by Michael Andretti, that his driver would win the IICS Championship at this final race, when the new DW12 chassis had never competed at this track and that no American open wheel races had been run at Auto Club Speedway since 2005 seemed astounding being that it came directly after the Baltimore win.

Andretti Autosport racing team came to the Auto Club Speedway track loaded for bear. In qualifications, the DW12's go out for three laps with the final two laps (5 miles) total time used for formation to the grid (baring any penalty for engine changes - later). Michael's son and third generation racing Andretti, Marco bested the next closest competitor, Penske' Ryan Briscoe, to gain the championship point and the check by .2614 of a second. Hunter-Reay did not do so well. His time combined with the fact that most all of the top competitors changed to fresh engines for the 500 mile race, had him starting at the back of the grid at P22 with Will Power at P13.

The pre-race odds for the top five drivers to win the race were published (in the newsroom) as follows - Will Power - 2/1, Ryan Hunter-Reay 5/2, Scott Dixon 7/2, Ryan Briscoe 5/1, and Dario Franchitti at 6/1 odds.

All Will had to do was basically stay on the same lap and dog/stalk RHR around the track, have clean pit stops, and finish the race. The start of the race saw Will Power struggle with the handling of his car and eventually, Ryan and Will were running with each other. After about a fifth (of the laps in the race ... not the bottle), Will Power responded to calls from his team over the radio in his ear to pass RHR. On Lap 55 in turn #2, Will dropped down low and according to his view, caught a seam in the pavement that got his car loose and he spun up into the safer barrier wall, just missing the #28 of Ryan Hunter-Reay - WOW!

Ryan Hunter-Reay pulls into pit box #25, takes off his helmet and is first greeted by a member of his team ... believe it Ryan, you are the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Champion! Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar - 

Drama, intrigue, excitement: Hunter-Reay grabs title

By Dave Lewandowski - Published: Sep 16, 2012 @ 12:01 AM

For the third consecutive year, contact in the season finale altered the title aspirations of the Aussie. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car "caught a seam" in Turn 2 of the 2-mile oval, spun and made contact with the SAFER Barrier while running 12th -- a few car lengths ahead of Hunter-Reay's No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car.
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Click it: Box score | Hunter-Reay signs two-year extension

Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti relayed to a surprised Hunter-Reay, who 18 hours signed a two-year contract extension, that he had to finish sixth to claim his first series championship by one point.

But wait. In this season of surprises, ultra-tight competition and high drama, all three collectively focused on the Team Penske garage as the crew converged to repair the Dallara chassis and collect 11 more laps to finish 24th and ahead of the retired car of E.J. Viso.

That's exactly what transpired, forcing Hunter-Reay to finish at least fifth. Crews from rival teams cheered as the No. 12 entry was wheeled onto pit lane.

"It's fantastic," said Power, who quickly changed back into his firesuit.

But as Power maintained throughout this three-race duel with Hunter-Reay, "You can on focus on what you can control." So he watched the remainder of the race unfold from the team transporter, hoping that others would occupy the top five positions.

That went by the wayside as Alex Tagliani's engine expired with 20 laps left and then Tony Kanaan's car made contact with the Turn 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 241. That created a red flag, with the restart on Lap 244. 

Hunter-Reay was running third on the restart, lost two positions, but the 31-year-old Floridian regained one spot when Takuma Sato's car crashed on the final lap. The difference in over 15 events on the most diverse set of racetracks in motorsports was three points over Power.
[Reference Here]

Driving legend, team owner, sports marketing operations magnet, and excellent prognosticator, Michael Andretti as he congratulates Ed Carpenter on his first win as a driver/owner of the Fuzzy's Vodka #20 DW12 Chevy-powered Dallara at the post race press conference at Auto Club Speedway. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

At the post race press conference, Michael was reminded about this penchant he seems to have to predict and then deliver on the prediction. Michael bristled at the suggestion that he might like to take this 'talent' to Las Vegas with the attitude of a person who never gambles and frowns upon it.

This is a funny reaction to attribute to a past open wheel driving legend who would gamble on the track and, for the most part, win (or as on that 1998 Mid-Ohio day when he flipped head long into the run off at the end of the straight) or survive! Now, as an owner, expands his operation through the formation of Andretti Sports Marketing to include promoting the Milwaukee Mile (which his driver won) and picking up the Grand Prix of Baltimore (oh yes, that's right, his driver won the race the team Andretti operation was promoting for the first time this year as well).

All anyone can know, with this kind of track record, if one hears Michael Andretti blurt out a prediction of an outcome, and the Andretti Autosport operation has a hand in controlling some of the variables ... TAKE THAT BET ... the odds are good for a Michael Andretti predicted outcome!

... notes from The EDJE



** Article first published as Andretti Prediction In Baltimore Becomes Reality For Hunter-Reay In Fontana on Technorati **

IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings

Memorial three-abreast five lap salute To Dan Wheldon performed by the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 16, 2011. Image Credit: LAT Photo

IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings

The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season will be the 101st season of American open wheel racing. It is hard to get one's mind around the beginning of a new season of competition when the previous season ends, in such tragedy, as the 2011 season ending race in Las Vegas played out.

The memorials and auctions in support of all that Dan Wheldon and his family stood for during his career have taken place and are winding down on the internet. The response on eBay in terms of donated items and bidding response was beyond anyone could have imagined. Dan was unique in that he was very independent and corporate at the same time. A trick that held him in high esteem with the top brass in the series and some of the most renegade fans this sport had to offer. He was so unique in this posture, he was probably one of a very few IRL standard drivers fans from the former CART/ChampCar series could relate to and half embrace as their own.

Dan had a large hand in helping to understand and craft the beginning of a new era in American open wheel racing as it enters 2012. So large was his influence, the IZOD IndyCar Series and Dallara have decided to rename the new chassis Dan spent the last months of his life testing with the Bryan Herta Autosport engineering staff based out of Santa Clarita, CA.

The Dallara DW12 IndyCar Safety Cells, ready for their close-up, as they sit next to the "yard of bricks" start/finish line. Image Credit: Ron McQueeney

The new era, as set upon by the ICONIC committee in 2010, will feature the IndyCar Safety Cell monocoque and suspension parts renamed the Dallara DW12 which, instead of being a pure specification car where all of the component parts come from the same manufacturing resouces, keeps the driver encased in a frame covered with a choice of outer composite aerodynamic body work (not at first, but starting in 2013), rolling on tires from Firestone (with discussions of having a potential of at least two manufacturers supplying solutions during future seasons), powered by engines supplied by at least three different manufacturing marks in 2012 (Honda, Chevy/Illmore, and Lotus/Judd). What this brings to a racing series is an element of diversity in the fielding of a competitive entry. This places even greater emphasis on the team's engineering, and support make up as well as driver talent.

With all of this diversity and evolution of technology in the paddock, one has to ask, what is the IZOD IndyCar Series going to do to meet the support challenges that will show themselves on the track during race events?

The management and negotiation quotient between additional suppliers for body parts, and engines is only a part of the equation ... race control has to be considered on the other side. Cars being fielded with a broader diversity of component parts will translate to a greater difference in performance on the track between teams.

Will the current, years old specification template, and staff (with a cobbled together, two series philosophical input flow), stand up to the demands this new ICONIC committee Dallara DW12 approach exact? Given the troubles that exposed themselves this past year (possibly placing the series championship at stake), can the current race control be the standard for 2012 and beyond ... or is it time for a change that can adapt to the engine and aero-package diversity that will present itself in competition?

On behalf of the unique approach the ICONIC committee and CEO Randy Bernard have embraced, which recognizes the precept that some potential for technology evolution is a good thing for motorsports, let's hope that management template evolution can be explored in background series support and race control as well.

... notes from The EDJE


<Article first appeared as IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 Motorsports Musings at Technorati>

Tweeting The Glen 2010 - IZOD IndyCar Series Race #9

Last year's winner for Dale Coyne Racing at The Glen, Dreyer Reinbold Racing's Justin Wilson. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series

Tweeting The Glen 2010 - IZOD IndyCar Series Race #9

Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe had combined to win the first five poles since the IndyCar Series began racing at the storied road course in upstate New York's Finger Lakes region, but neither had delivered a victory.

This year, the stage is set for either a Penske win in a big way or a colossal failure in that Team Penske has placed all three drivers in the top three spots on the grid. ChampCar transition driver Will Power, in his first full season ride with Penske racing, who has won two of the eight races run this year, captured the pole for this year's running of the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkin's Glen.

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com -

Will Power, the Mario Andretti Road Course Championship points leader, won the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the fifth time this season with a lap of 1 minute, 29.3164 seconds on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit during the Firestone Fast Six shootout.

Teammate Helio Castroneves (1:29.4609) was second – the first time this season a team has swept the front row – while Ryan Briscoe (1:29.9346) and reigning series champion Dario Franchitti will share Row 2. Team Penske started 1-2-3 at Edmonton in '09.

Takuma Sato made his third Firestone Fast Six appearance in the No. 5 Lotus KV Racing Technology car and will be on the third row with defending race winner Justin Wilson in the No. 22 Z-Line Designs car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

The top six were separated by less than a second. Six different teams are represented on the first three rows.
Reference Here>>

Will Power takes the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the 60-lap Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen ... a 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series

The following are comments made via "tweets" on Twitter during the running of the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen ... the ninth race of this 2010 17 race season and the second round of twisty street/road courses that were the bread and butter on the former ChampCar World Series.

TheEDJE This 4th of July has special meaning - It's all about our personal freedoms - Happy Independence Day To All! #IZOD #irl #indycar #power #ccws

IndyCarNation While your waiting for the green flag, check out some pics from the entire weekend. http://fb.me/uAuffiZr

Marco26Web Let's roll! RT @garytrib: @Andretti26 car ready to go! http://tweetphoto.com/30809226

indy44 The fire is lit. Let's see a clean start drivers!

pressdog Beer of the race ..... engaged.

MikeM_PR Start will be 2nd time by

AllenWedge Some people are annoyed when they show NASCAR clips during #IZODIndyCar races, I enjoy it because stock cars are (and look) soooo slow

FastMachines The command to start engine by the Camping World exec was kind of limp. Get that guy a Monavie or a Venom energy drink! #IndyCar

DRRIndyCar Almost time for the green flag...

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen gets started

IndyCarNation Green Flag! Lap one complete @wgi

indy44 Wow Sato almost took out Dixon at the start.

sidepodcast watching indycar at watkins glen, and live commenting here: http://bit.ly/d6zj8B #izodindycar

IndyCarNation Top 5 after 3 laps: Power, Briscoe, Castroneves, Franchitti, Dixon.

DRRIndyCar Dixon just passed JW...

IndyCarNation Top pick Paul Tracy on the IndyCar.com poll for surprise drive at The Glen is in 9th. Up 3 spots.

AllenWedge For those who don't realize Adam Carroll has been out of competition for almost a year, and A1GP didn't have flying starts, yet he's 10th

indy44 P1 Power P2 Briscoe -1.11286 P3 Dario -1.3630 P4 Wilson -4.88897 P5 Sato -5.4521

IndyCarNation Dixon with front wing damage. Helio with left rear damage. Look for pit action.

MikeM_PR Dixon and helio get together @justinwilson22 P4 as a result of that

SpeedJournal (SI) Hunter-Reay secures sponsorship for rest of year http://bit.ly/938LIl #autoracing

AllenWedge last night TNT had their own version of side-by-side, have to say I liked it better, kept race full screen with box for commercials

indy44 Huge mistake by Dixon runs into the back of Helio.

deferrandragon Made up 2 positions in 2 laps! Rafa's on a hot streak!

IndyCarNation Top 5 after pit activity. Power, Briscoe, Franchitti, Wilson, Sato.

BeccyGordon @RyanHunterReay is P9... Only comment so far is, understeer.

kvracing 10 laps out of 60. Sato in #5 car is P5, Moraes in #32car is P8 and Viso in #8 car has moved to P22. Power leadsa briscoe, then franchitti

Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar Series

YELLOW Flag - Full course caution - Dan Weldon gets tapped by Alex Lloyd and spins to a stall.

indy44 Somewhere a National Guardsman is punching a Boy Scout.

DRRIndyCar Wilson is battling for position with Sato...

AllenWedge Sato got around Wilson for 4th... trying not to jinx Takuma, so just mentioning pass is as close as I'll get

bobbydracing watching IZOD Indy Car @ Watkins Glenn! I wanna be back there next year! Love the series and the track!

IndyCarNation Wheldon got it started. Still in the field.

Pits Open -

DRRIndyCar Both JW and PT are pitting now...Both will get fuel, switch to the black tires, and get a turn of front wing...

RHR Stalls - looses valuable positions

MikeM_PR @justuinwilson22 first stop 4 tires,fuel, and front wing adj. P15 some cars did not pit

IndyCarNation Lloyd issued penalty for avoidable contact. Green flag!

AllenWedge Interesting mix at front of the field for the restart, and of course ABC is still at commercial... has Comcast merged with NBC yet?

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen - Restarts

kvracing Green Flag. After most of field pitted and Viso stayed out, he is now P2. Moraes P9, Sato P10. Lap 19 of 60

Top three cars stayed out ...

IndyCarNation Top 5 after 19 laps. Dixon, Viso, Tagliani, Castroneves, Power.

IndyCarNation Found in the S's...Dixon's wing when he and & Helio made contact. http://ow.ly/i/2qdS

curtcavin Alex Lloyd charged with hitting Wheldon. Sent to the back. #indycar

pressdog This is NOYB according to ABC but. ...RT @IndyCarNation: Lloyd issued penalty for avoidable contact. Green flag!

AllenWedge Since ABC doesn't care to notice I'll keep the Matos updates coming, he just got Dario for 7th (3rd of cars who pitted under yellow)

IndyCarNation Romancini has a little spin in front of Patrick and keeps going.

Mario Romancini works a little magic at The Glen. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar

indy44 Mario romancing the wheel saves it.

curtcavin BTW: D&R says it's "mix and match" with drivers the rest of the season. I gathered it will be Graham at Toronto, but they wouldn't commit.

indy44 There's been black flags for less. RT @pressdog: @LPXmusic total chop by tracy. If danica does that? But for tracy it is ok for some reason.

PantherRacing Somebody need to share with Alex Lloyd where the passing zones are and maybe do an eye exam. #indycar

IndyCarNation Random driver updates after 23 laps. Viso in 2nd, Matos in 7th, Mutoh in 15th, Tracy in 19th.

DRRIndyCar Lap 23....JW P13 and PT P19..

indy44 Top 5 Dixon Viso Helio Tagliani Power

IndyCarNation If you're not in front of a TV, you can follow live video and timing & scoring online, here: http://ht.ly/26Toi

kvracing Viso will b pitting from 2nd place next lap. Alternate tires and fuel.

AllenWedge I love Marty Reid, he's so surprised Dixon is still out there, yet Helio (who pitted on same lap) is not all that surprising in the least

kvracing Dixon and Castroneves in to pits, moving Moraes to P5 and Sato to P10.

AllenWedge hahaha even coming out of the pits Milka is too slow so Helio has to make it 3 wide between turns 1-2

curtcavin This might bite me, but early returns on Adam Carroll are very good. #indycar

TheEDJE Alex Lloyd retires from the race - mechanical (I think the Boy Scout couldn't handle being in the back of the pack) #IZOD #irl #ics #TheGlen

IndyCarNation Lloyd has retired. It's lap 29 and Power is back in P1.

AllenWedge Marco has been trying to pass TK for about 10 laps now, curious if he'd be more aggressive if it were someone else

Dale_Nixon Uh Marco, exactly why would you expect @TonyKanaan to "let" you by? #IndyCar http://myloc.me/8OLbo

deferrandragon Top 3 are Power, Briscoe and Rafa

TheEDJE @deferrandragon You Goooooo CCWS!

deferrandragon Rafa has lost telemetry and can now only communicate via radio with crew

pressdog Is Will Power driving with his knees?

Push-To-Pass - Of the top three, Matos has only 5 of his 20 pushes left.

kvracing Lap 35, Moraes P5, Sato P10 & Viso P18. Window for pitting is next few laps. Sato pitting lap 37, Moraes lap 38

curtcavin Everyone in unison: That Power kid ain't bad. #indycar

momn3boys It's beautiful up there in Upstate NY, Watkins Glen gorge is amazing. Fun weekend, great place to watch racing! Def comng back #Indycar @wgi

Power leads by 1.57 seconds and a couple of more P2P's and coming into the pits on LAP 37. Power and Briscoe take REDS

AllenWedge Briscoe beats Power out of the pits, don't think Power is going to settle for that even if they are teammates #IZODIndyCar

YELLOW Flag - Full course caution - DeSilvestra collects the ARAMCO barrier

TheEDJE The leaders who pitted before the Yellow, should be good to go 'till the end #IZOD #irl #ics #indycar

AllenWedge boo every time we're about to get a crazy set of strategies against each other we always manage to get a yellow to negate it all

kvracing Yellow Flag lap 39 for de silvestro. Moraes and Sato have already pitted. Viso will pit once the pits are opened.

IndyCarNation Yellow flag. Grab another drink and enjoy the rest of the race.

Dixon looses ground with the YELLOW Flag - will pit and end up at the end of pack ... Viso - REDS and Castroneves - Blacks also come in

curtcavin New goal of Dixon and Helio: Get what they can. #indycar

pressdog Hope it's a war, that is.

Dale_Nixon @tomasscheckter Ill take Dario then...

TheEDJE @pressdog - You like a race like I like a race ... UGLY - War's on between Briscoe and Power

MikeM_PR @justinwilson22 came in for a slash of fuel to be able to run hard to the end

SpeedFreaks @Dale_Nixon I've never been fan of holding races on holiday wknds as people want to travel 2b w/ friends and family, not necessarily sports

Dale_Nixon @SpeedFreaks yeah agreed. The late local time of this race makes it a tough travel too. I didn't get home until 2 am in 2007

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen - Restarts

TheEDJE Power takes Briscoe in the Bus Stop - Way to go!

pressdog Power is a goddamn road animal.

openpaddock Thinking after today, IndyCar.com and @IndyCarNation may be the only way to watch the race when I am not there!

tomasscheckter Mad respect for will power he does not mess around.

gassracing That's what happens when you have a quality driver RT @PantherRacing: Gotta admit when the @NationalGuard car (cont) http://tl.gd/2a78jh

kvracing Lap 45 of 60. Moraes #32car is P6, Viso #8car is P15 & Sato #5car is P18

TheEDJE Franchitti gets around Briscoe for P2 ... drops Briscoe to P3 - Power may actually get some competition

AllenWedge A pass for 2nd = ABC at commercial #IZODIndyCar we've got at least 7 more commercials in this race right?

IndyCarNation Let's see what Dario has for Will. Lots of racing left.

curtcavin Just heard someone say Dario keeps fuel in a vile in his pocket. LOL! #indycar

Dale_Nixon I think we've all got marty rattled now - oh wait he's always like that

IndyCarNation Some more random driver updates. Moraes in 6th, Wilson in 12th, Tag in 18th, Meria in P22.

indy44 Good showing by P4 Matos P5 Wheldon P6 Moraes P7 RHR

Dale_Nixon @curtcavin Chris Simmons - best fuel calc engineer on pit lane. My pick remains Dar-i-o on the farm-i-o

Ten LAPS to go!

kvracing 10 laps remain. Moraes remains P6, Viso moving up to P14 and Sato P19.

IndyCarNation Ten laps to go. Is Dario waiting for the right moment, or is Power too strong?

curtcavin It seems to me: The title comes down to Power or Dario. #indycar

IndyCarNation Drivers aren't afraid to kick up some dust. Looks like everyone's fighting for positions.

IndyCarNation [Photos] Go Daddy helmets - IZOD IndyCar Series posted a photo: Ready for the race. http://ow.ly/17ZZ6f

curtcavin Dixon and HCN in a duel mid-pack! #indycar

indy44 Power leading by .8620

openpaddock Come on Dario!!!! #IZODIndyCar

IndyCarNation Looks like Andretti, Dixon, Helio and Wilson are having some fun. Dario just picked up the pace.

Dale_Nixon What happened to @paultracy3 and carroll? They are a ways back now... #indycar

IndyCarNation Matos is having an impressive 4th place drive. But he's got company.

openpaddock Told Power he would be ok and the gap grows a little...that guy is awesome! Sooo fast!

AllenWedge Mario Moraes got around Wheldon, don't worry about that ABC viewers, it was only for 5th place

IndyCarNation Franchitti is 1.3 seconds behind Power.

pressdog Hard to judge attendance by TV. I'd keep WG ahead of Mid O and Infineon based on qual of racing.

indy44 Dario's mirrors all full of Briscoe

kart58 Wow - looks like KV racing's drivers will both finish.... finally.

IndyCarNation Power's lead increases. P5-P8 looks like it could get exciting.

pressdog Power will win barring air strike.

indy44 2 laps left, time to make a move if possible.

Last Lap - Franchitti baubles and Briscoe takes over P2 on turn 1

indy44 Kanaan has to fuel then kills engine that sucks.

openpaddock IndyCar.com announcer just called Dario veggiemite (sp)...slightly disturbing!

The only multiple winner in the ICS this year, breaks the Penske jinx of not winning from pole at Watkins Glen ... Will Power takes a win at the Glen!!!!

deferrandragon Rafa matches career best with 4th place finish. Nice bounce back by him and the team.

SpeedFreaks Good job, Sunshine??? Will Power's new nickname?? Guess those Verizon commercials with he and Justin Allgaier haven't really worked. LOL!

IndyCarNation Congrats to Will Power. Some great drives. Matos, Moraes & Wheldon come to mind. Thoughts?

indy44 Will Power is insane on the road and street courses. Made it look easy.

Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen Podium: Power beat Briscoe by 1.2 seconds and Dario Franchitti finished third, ahead of Raphael Matos and Mario Moraes. Briscoe passed Franchitti entering the first turn of the final lap. Image Credit: IZOD IndyCar


How they fared (** denotes CCWS driver or team transition affliation):

Pos  Driver               Team                    Time/Gap
1.  Will Power**           Penske             1h40m27.4391s
2.  Ryan Briscoe         Penske                 + 1.2181s
3.  Dario Franchitti     Ganassi                + 1.4573s
4.  Raphael Matos**        De Ferran Dragon       + 5.3454s
5.  Mario Moraes**         KV**                     + 9.3229s
6.  Dan Wheldon          Panther                + 9.7523s
7.  Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti              + 10.5003s
8.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi               + 12.0546s
9.  Helio Castroneves    Penske                + 12.9834s
10.  Justin Wilson**        Dreyer & Reinbold     + 13.5635s
11.  EJ Viso**              KV**                    + 18.7591s
12.  Hideki Mutoh         Newman/Haas           + 20.2279s
13.  Marco Andretti       Andretti              + 26.6965s
14.  Paul Tracy**           Dreyer & Reinbold     + 27.7310s
15.  Takuma Sato          KV**                    + 28.8774s
16.  Adam Caroll          AFS/Andretti          + 29.3624s
17.  Alex Tagliani**        Fazzt                 + 35.3753s
18.  Bertrand Baguette    Conquest**              + 36.5350s
19.  Vitor Meira          Foyt                  + 36.9869s
20.  Danica Patrick       Andretti              + 38.2675s
21.  Tony Kanaan          Andretti              + 38.6700s
22.  Mario Romancini      Conquest**                 + 1 lap
23.  Milka Duno           Dale Coyne**              + 3 laps

Retirements

Simona de Silvestro  HVM**                38 laps
Alex Lloyd           Dale Coyne**         22 laps
(ht: autosport.com)

... notes from The EDJE

Surprise Swift Tour Yields A Look At "Concept 66" / Updated With "Concept 70"

Swift Engineering's 2012 IZOD IndyCar design concept 66 CAD image with California Speedway background. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Surprise Swift Tour Yields A Look At "Concept 66" Platform
(originally posted 4/16/10 - 1:28 PM)

If the folks at the IZOD IndyCar Series are thinking with a level head, given what we, at The EDJE, were exposed to at a surprise tour of the Swift Engineering facility in San Clemente, they will soon be singing "We get our kicks settling on Concept 66" as their way of the future of open-wheel racing.

Swift Engineering's 2012 IZOD IndyCar design concept 66 artist rendering. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

We were invited by the Publisher of The Motorsports Report, Dicken Wear, as an impromptu field trip after checking in at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Credentials area to pick up our Photo Vests for this weekends event. What a bonus since the major motorsports events of the day would be background shots taken while the IRL, ALMS, World Cup Challenge, and Firestone IndyPro Series cars practiced so the teams could dial in for the races ahead.

Swift Engineering's 2012 IZOD IndyCar design concept 66 CAD image without background. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

A group of about 20 people (writers, drivers, engineers, and photographers) gathered and were treated to a tour of the facilities at Swift that included a look and demonstration of their on-premises 140 mph wind tunnel, driving simulator, and composite fabrication areas. We were led on the tour by Program Director, Casper Van Der Schoot originally from Holland by way of Hogan Racing.

Casper enlightened the eager crowd with the concept of designing to reduce the effects of the vortex "dirty air" so that the platforms could race nose to tail with greater safety and, of course, greater competitiveness. The design concept of how to do this came in the development of a rear wing and forward rear wheel pod shapes that turn the Concept 66 into a "Mushroom Buster"!

One can not totally eliminate the shroom effect, but by shrinking the width of the shroom plume, and raising the "cap" of the shroom so that it is moved away from the following platform ... the mushroom is effectively busted.

UPDATE: Swift Concept #70 proposal for the next IZOD IndyCar

The IZOD IndyCar ICONIC Committee earlier this week, received a presentation previewing Swift's concept #70. The #70 is the latest evolution open-wheel car concept and incorporates aspects of the six previously launched concepts Swift has designed over the past nine months.

Swift Engineering's Design Concept #70 placed into a Long Beach Grand Prix track background. Image Credit: Swift Engineering via Racer

“Our latest concept evolves elements from our previous concepts and from the direct feedback we have received from the series, teams and fans,” said Casper van der Schoot, Swift's Program Director in an interview published in Racer. “I would like to thank the fans who have provided great feedback to us through our Facebook page and in particular Erik Berkman and Dave Marek from Honda for sharing with us their data and modeling for their next generation V6 powerplant as well as their chassis styling concept that weighed heavily in our design.”

The main thing that Swift was able to design in and keep in the #70 was a nose-to-tail racing safety and competition design concept known as "The Mushroom Buster" explained in the breakthrough design first introduced with Design Concept #66 above.

The 70 has increased signage real estate, as demanded by the teams,” said Mark Page, Swift's Chief Scientist to Racer. “We enlarged the car's bodywork and angled the surfaces so that they present the best view to the fans. We also have a new 'Mushroom Buster; design. This promotes passing by busting the 'mushroom cloud' of dead air behind the racecar. Our number 70 model was run through extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics on our new Cray supercomputers. The Cray has increased our capability 50-fold, and we now know our car will have significantly less drag than the current car.”

“The monocoque is larger than the current spec,” stated Chris Norris, Swift's chief designer in the same Racer interview. “It is designed to accommodate driver size from Danica [Patrick] to Justin [Wilson] with added padding beneath and behind the driver. In addition we have added anti-wheel lock blades dubbed, ‘Satan's teeth' aft of the front wheels, attached to the front of the sidepods. Also an anti-lift approach to the design of the front wings and sidepods will dramatically reduce the likelihood of the car getting airborne.”

The IZOD IndyCar series is reviewing Swift's and four other manufacturer's value propositions and is expected to make its decision for the next generation IndyCar for 2012 by June 30.

We, at The EDJE have one question (actually two), does the "Lawn Dart" (Delta Wing) closed-wheel design have any of these considerations built in to their design(?), and if the Delta Wing could deliver what Swift Engineering has proposed ... will fans of open-wheel racing ever accept a car that by design definition - isn't even open-wheel?

We are holding our breath ...

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Mushroom Busting, 2012, 66, Casper Van Der Schoot, Concept, Concept 70, Design, IZOD IndyCar, Swift Engineering, Dallara, The EDJE

Toyota GP of Long Beach: Owner Andretti Predicted Hunter-Reay Win

Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport becomes the first American born driver to win a race in this 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

Toyota GP of Long Beach: Owner Andretti Predicted Hunter-Reay Win

With the confidence that comes from being a multiple time race winner here at motorsports premiere temporary street course race at Long Beach, Michael Andretti predicted that his recently signed driver (a test for a few races to begin), Ryan Hunter-Reay, would win the race.

What makes this prediction almost astounding is that none of the cars had set a tire anywhere on Shoreline Drive and he made this prediction at a post induction ceremony interview on Thursday, April 15, 2010, where he, along with Danny Sullivan, was honored with an achievement medallion in the sidewalk along the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame located in front, and the West side, of the Long beach Convention Center along Pine Avenue.

As for the race itself, Will Power was able to hold on for third place on the podium and increase his early season points lead. On the 17th/18th lap, his car experienced a transmission performance interruption (stuck in gear after turn 11 along the front straight) allowing the P2 and P3 qualifiers of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Justin Wilson respectively to get by along the 190 mph Shoreline Drive. For Ryan's part, he showed why he is one of the most respected drivers in the series when he exhibited extreme patience having to follow the Boy Scouts of America sponsored car of Alex Lloyd (Dale Coyne Racing) all the while Justin Wilson and Will Power whittled away at the margin of time between these chasing cars Hunter-Reay had built up during a rather flawless Green Flag first half of the race. After about five laps, in a "Be Prepared" moment, Ryan muscled past Lloyd, and when Wilson tried to do likewise, the standout Dreyer & Reinbold driver wasn't prepared for Lloyd who turned across the front of Wilson's car and wiped off half its front wing.

Wilson had to come in for a pitstop and a wing change and, of course, this placed him behind the early season IndyCar Series point leader from Penske, Will Power.

On Green Flag restart from a late full course caution track condition - caused when Conquest Racing's Mario Romancini pushed Graham Rahal (Sara Fisher Racing) into the tires on turn 1 - Justin Wilson got the jump on Will Power to reclaim second with a brilliant dive at Turn 1, and while he could not catch Hunter-Reay, the brilliant former CCWS driver from England had no trouble resisting the the fellow former CCWS driver's retaliation attempts, as a Team Penske driver (any Team Penske driver) was thwarted from winning a race for the first time in 2010.

Add the fact that in the post race interview in front of the gathered press, Ryan Hunter-Reay cited his previous Formula Atlantic (2002) and CCWS experience with his positive feelings for the track (which he considers his "home" track) at Long Beach ... one could say Champ Car has never left ... in this, the sophomore year for IndyCar at the famed streets in Long Beach ... for at the end of the race it was P1, P2 , and P3 on the podium for former ChampCar World series experienced drivers!

With the prediction becoming a matter of fact, we, at The EDJE, now wonder if we can tag along with the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame inductee (he joins his father with this exclusive honor), and IZOD IndyCar team owner, Michael Andretti, to a night at touring the tables in Las Vegas.

How They Fared (** denotes past Driver|Team CCWS ladder affiliation):

Pos Driver Team Gap

1.  Ryan Hunter-Reay**   Andretti                85 laps
2.  Justin Wilson**      Dreyer & Reinbold       + 5.6031s
3.  Will Power**         Penske                  + 8.5864s
4.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi                 + 10.6287s
5.  Tony Kanaan          Andretti                + 11.7732s
6.  Mario Moraes**       KV**                    + 16.5171s
7.  Helio Castroneves    Penske                  + 16.8928s
8.  Ryan Briscoe         Penske                  + 18.2214s
9.  Dan Wheldon          Panther                 + 19.4575s
10.  Mike Conway          Dreyer & Reinbold       + 19.9307s
11.  Vitor Meira          Foyt                    + 27.4005s
12.  Dario Franchitti     Ganassi                 + 28.1352s
13.  Hideki Mutoh         Newman/Haas/Lanigan**   + 28.6037s
14.  Marco Andretti       Andretti                + 30.0120s
15.  EJ Viso**            KV**                    + 31.6182s
16.  Danica Patrick       Andretti                + 32.1804s
17.  Simona de Silvestro**HVM**                   + 33.1652s
18.  Takuma Sato          KV**                    + 1 lap
19.  Alex Lloyd           Dale Coyne**            + 1 lap
20.  Raphael Matos**      Luczo Dragon/de Ferran  + 1 lap

Retirements:

Alex Tagliani**      Fazzt                   65 laps
Graham Rahal**       Sarah Fisher            58 laps
Mario Romancini      Conquest**              58 laps
Bertrand Baguette    Conquest**              45 laps
Milka Duno           Dale Coyne**            10 laps
(ht: autosport.com)

Final note - A tweet observed on twitter from someone attending the race went something like this:

Danica must have a THING for me / she has driven by, like, a 100 times already, geeeez!

... notes From The EDJE