Rolex 24hr. At Daytona Begins - Ep. 1 - The Torque Show

The Torque Show live broadcast via streaming at Motor Trend and The Torque Show Facebook page was announced at The Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles. The announcement included a meet and greet with the show hosts Justin Bell, Tommy Kendall, and Mazda Prototype driver Jonathan Bomarito. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019) 

Rolex 24hr. At Daytona Begins - Ep. 1 - The Torque Show

This year will mark the 50th Anniversary season for the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) . The season begins with the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, Florida.

Cobbled along with this grand beginning of a new season will be the intorduction of a new video show production titled The Torque Show (not "The Talk Show" as it kinda' sounds when Justin Bell, with his British accent, announces it) featuring former drivers turned broadcast talkshow and on-track race commentary stars, Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall. Before traveling to cover the events happening in the paddock at Daytona, Justin and Tommy, joined by Mazda Ladder standout driver and previous (2010) Rolex 24 At Daytona class winner Jonathan Bomarito, held a meet and greet announcement at the Petersen Automobile Museum Thurs. Jan. 17th, 2019..

In the tuning sessions most of the teams participate in before holding the Rolex 24 At Daytona - Roar Before the Rolex 24 -  Jonathan ended Saturday, Jan. 5th, 2019, atop the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship time charts by the slimmest of margins, posting a best lap of 1 minute, 34.533 seconds in the No. 55 Mazda Team Joest RT24-P Daytona Prototype international (DPi). Bomarito’s time, which came under the bright lights of the 3.56-mile circuit Saturday night, was just one-thousandth of a second quicker than Renger van der Zande’s lap of 1:34.534 in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R from the afternoon session.

Both laps were well under the current WeatherTech Championship track record of 1:36.083 set last year in Rolex 24 qualifying by van der Zande.
(ht: IMSA Wire Service)

This excerpted and edited from The Torque Show -

Where Winners Hang

Before there were lifestyle bloggers, there were real lifestyles lived by real people.  Of all the lifestyles lived, none perhaps was richer than the pinnacle of professional sports car racing: brave drivers, exotic machinery, danger, beautiful women, money, and drama. 

This is not hyperbole. Everyone wanted to be a rock star, the rock stars wanted to be movie stars and the biggest movie stars want to be race car drivers; Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Patrick Dempsey, to name a few. Nothing compared to real heroes testing themselves against their own fears, their competitors and fate, driving real fire-breathing experimental race cars, putting real lives on the line, immersed in the sexiest, most glamorous world you could imagine. That was IMSA then and that is IMSA today as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

In IMSA, like every other gathering, there is the one group that is having the most fun, the fun table, so to speak. It’s where the larger than life personalities gravitate to and with them everyone’s eyes and attention. It’s where the best stories are told, the most laughter is heard, and the best times are had. Back in the day, it was perhaps Gianpiero Moretti’s transporter where he made his signature pasta for the titans of industry and the assortment of interesting, smart and beautiful people that congregated there. 

Today, in the IMSA paddock, it is with Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall on The Torque Show set. Nothing against lifestyle bloggers, but they capture a lifestyle in one or two dimensions and usually just a veneer that represents the lifestyle. 

The Torque Show is going to bring this world in all of its three dimensional richness to fans around the world. It is where everyone will naturally gather to hear their heroes share stories of the big wins, wild moments, heartbreaks, and some of the stuff not fit for television. We will break down the action, take part in some good-natured ribbing, mediate some disputes, and do a little bit of celebrating too. Coming to an IMSA race near you. 

Will you join us? 

DURATION: 52:32

Beyond The Torque Show, found live at Motor Trend and posted to Youtube, the television schedule for the IMSA Prototype Challenge was announced earlier Saturday. As part of IMSA’s new agreement with the NBC Sports Group, all IMSA Prototype Challenge races will be shown on NBCSN throughout the season beginning with the Daytona broadcast on Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. ET. or catch the realtime Timing & Scoring at https://scoring.imsa.com/

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: The Torque Show, Motor Trend, 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona, 50th IMSA Season, Tommy Kendall, Justin Bell, Jonathan Bomarito, Mazda Prototype, Track Record, The EDJE

NTT Announced As Title Sponsor Of America's Premiere Racing Series - IndyCar

Title plate for the live stream channel for the North American International Auto Show (Detroit Auto Show). IndyCar announces 2019 Title Sponsor for the racing series. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks via screen grab (2019) 

NTT Announced As Title Sponsor Of America's Premiere Racing Series - IndyCar

Yesterday, via live streaming, the IndyCar open-wheel racing series announced the addition of NTT Data as it's title sponsor for the 2019 season. Welcome to the NTT IndyCar Series.

The presentation was a little tardy, by about 10 minutes, but was worth the wait. The group of people gathered on the stage to usher in the the new sponsor was quite impressive - corporate executives, team owners, engine manufactures, drivers ... about the only moving part not represented was the chassis manufacture, Dallara.

Gathering of open-wheelers - (l to r) Scott Dixon, Jay Frye, Mark Miles, Tony Kanaan, Tsunehisa Okuno, Bobby Rahal, Chip Ganassi, Art St. Cyr, and Jim Campbell. Image Credit: Chris Owens - IndyCar (2019)

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar - a compilation of two articles

INDYCAR Names NTT As Entitlement Sponsor Of IndyCar Series | Addition Of NTT As Title Sponsor Users In New Era For IndyCar Series

INDYCAR announced today during the North American International Auto Show that global information technology and communications leader NTT has signed a multiyear agreement to become the IndyCar Series title partner. In addition, NTT becomes the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400 beginning in 2019.

INDYCAR will partner with NTT to deliver digital innovations that enhance the fan experience. These innovations include the evolution of INDYCAR's mobile application and adoption of NTT's proprietary Smart Platform to support the sport and its venues in delivering better insights into the racing series.

NTT IndyCar Series logo with backdrop, good for use as video title page. Image Credit: IndyCar (2019)

In what was described as a “red-letter day” by Mark Miles, president and CEO of Human & Company, owner of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, global giant NTT was introduced Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show as the series’ new title partner in a multiyear agreement.

“I think this relationship is perfect,” Miles said. “We are a global brand, and when I think about racing, I think we're international, so you think about the team owners, you think about drivers from all over the world. I'm sure that was part of how NTT saw us, but we see them as a giant technology and communications company. When I think about the future growth of INDYCAR, what's more important than developing technology? It drives our racing, our teams. Everybody in the paddock needs data in usable form to improve.

“We take 50 million data records off the cars in an average two-hour race. To me, that's content. With NTT, we can make that usable and compelling content for fans that will continue to grow the sport and attract younger fans.”

NTT, with headquarters in Tokyo, grosses nearly $110 billion annually and spends $4 billion each year on research and development. The company will also be the official technology partner of INDYCAR, the NTT IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Brickyard 400.

NTT DATA has been a visible car sponsor and team partner in recent years with Chip Ganassi Racing, including Scott Dixon’s 2017 triumph at Road America. Dixon, a five-time series champion, as well as 2004 champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, joined Miles on the Cobo Center Atrium Stage.

Tsunehisa Okuno, NTT executive vice president, head of global business, excitedly expressed the hope that this partnership would last forever.

“The Indy car racing is getting more popular also in the Japan market, mainly thanks to the Japanese driver, Takuma Sato, who won the championship two years ago, the Indy 500,” Okuno said. “There was a special TV program in Japan, and I clearly remember during the program Mr. Sato, impressed us by saying that he saw something very special, very different after he became the champion of Indy 500.

“So I personally expect to see something very different through the cooperation with INDYCAR and the other partners, and NTT would like to bring something very exciting to the INDYCAR fans.”

INDYCAR President Jay Frye was also on hand with team owners Chip Ganassi and Bobby Rahal, as well as representatives from INDYCAR’s engine manufacturers, Jim Campbell, General Motors’ U.S. vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, and Art St. Cyr, Honda Performance Development president.

Frye and Mark Sibla, INDYCAR’s chief of staff, initiated talks with NTT to start the process in September. Progress culminated with a November trip to Tokyo to close the deal.

“This is something that affects the entire paddock from the broadcast partners to the promoters to the teams,” Frye said. “We couldn't be more proud to partner with a global brand like NTT. I want to send a big thanks to them for all their hard work.”

NTT IndyCar Series logo revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Image Credit: IndyCar (2019)

"NTT is proud to be associated with INDYCAR and accelerate the future of smart racing. Technological innovations have the potential to change the sport and fan experience drastically," said Jun Sawada, president and CEO of NTT. "NTT, along with our partners, aims to bring the Smart World to life as we have done for Smart City, Smart Entertainment, Smart Mobility and Smart Manufacturing. Based on our lengthy and successful experience, including work in mobile applications, analytics and user experience, we will help INDYCAR create the next generation of fans globally who aspire to enjoy racing through a more digital experience."

NTT replaces Verizon, which Miles has continually praised as a title sponsor for helping grow the series for the past five years [no time assigned to the multi-year NTT agreement].

“I think it was important that NTT DATA had this history with INDYCAR, which will mean that we hit the ground running,” Miles said. “We're in seventh gear already.”

Dixon, the reigning series champion, sees an ideal fit.

“With how the two companies are going to work together, I think it's going to be fantastic for branding, pushing it,” said Dixon. “We have the greatest racing in the world, and we're going to be able to push it together. But it's the perfect marriage, and looking forward to the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series to kick off.”

The NTT IndyCar Series offers what is regarded by experts as the fastest, most diverse and challenging racing program in motorsports. The series competes on permanent road courses, temporary street circuits, short ovals and superspeedway ovals, including the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Having a strong technology partner is critically important to INDYCAR's continued growth, so we are thrilled to welcome NTT as our new title sponsor. INDYCAR's rise in popularity is a testament to the fact that we've made the sport as accessible as possible to our fans and we plan to continue in that mission," additionally states Mark Miles. "We have a history with NTT through NTT DATA's involvement in the sport with Chip Ganassi Racing. We know this partnership will help us attract the next generation of fans to what remains the most competitive racing program on the planet."

The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season consists of 17 races, starting with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on May 26 and concluding with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Monterey on Sept. 22.
[Reference Here]

The next big opportunity to see the IndyCars sporting the title sponsor series logo, here on the West coast, will be the one-day test at the venue that will act as the season finale, and hasn't had these open-wheel cars on these turns and on the Corkscrew since 2004 - WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Friday, Frbruary 8th, 2019.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: NTT, IndyCar, NTT IndyCar Series, Jun Sawada, Mark Miles, Jay Frye, Mark Sibla, Chip Ganassi, Bobby Rahal, Jim Campbell, Art St. Cyr, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato, Tsunehisa Okuno, The EDJE

Globalist Agenda For 100% Self-Driving Autonomy Not A Fit With Consumer Confidence In Technology

A Waymo outfitted self-driving car. The compoany is heading the pack in fully-autonomous vehicles, for now. Image Credit: Stephen Lam/Reuters via The National

Globalist Agenda For 100% Self-Driving Autonomy Not A Fit With Consumer Confidence In Technology

CES, the Consumer Electronics Show starting the year in Las Vegas January 8th, 2019, will be the debut of many technologies designed to serve the consuming public in making life simplier, easier, and safer. The show serves a a major communications effort to convience consumers of the viability of these solutions so that a larger conceptual agenda can be served. Enter the march toward full-autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) takeover in mobility and transportation.

SAE International has designated six distinct levels of autonomous operation.

1.) No automation
2.) Driver assistance
3.) Partial automation
4.) Conditional automation
5.) High automation
6.) Full automation.

As one can asertain, only at level 6 is the vehicle operation completely full AI autonomous.

Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google’s parent Alphabet, announced changing from developing its own self-driving cars to being a supplier and developing self-driving technology for cars mass produced by others. That resulted in the demise of the company’s Firefly self-driving car (no steering wheel, no peddles) - probably the first retirement from the autonomous vehicle race. Image Credit: Waymo via Logistics Management

This excerpted and edited from MediaPost Communications -

Deloitte: Consumers Distrust Autonomous Vehicles

Consumer trust in autonomous vehicles appears to be stalling, along with trust in U.S. auto manufacturers' ability to bring these technologies to market.

Deloitte’s 2019 Global Automotive Consumer Study, which surveyed over 25,000 consumers across 20 countries, found that consumers’ appetite for self-driving vehicles is lagging behind the industry’s pace of investment in advanced vehicle technology. 

A full report of the findings will be released in early January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Several automakers have announced plans for the show, including Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, which is collaborating with Disney for an in-car project.

This is the 2019 iteration of the study, but the responses were collected in September and October of 2018. Similarly, the 2018 iteration of the study reflected responses collected in late 2017. The overall goal of the study is to answer important questions that can help companies prioritize and better position their business strategies and investments.

A majority of U.S. consumers (56%) indicate they want significant oversight from the government for autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, the number of respondents who trust traditional automakers to bring AV technology to market continues to fall, slipping from 47% in 2018 to 39% in 2019.

Last year, more consumers were warming up to the concept of self-driving vehicles and their safety, but that has flattened out in the latest survey, says Craig Giffi, U.S. leader for automotive and industrial products, Deloitte. 

The number of respondents in the U.S. who did not believe AVs will be safe decreased significantly from 2017 (74%)  to (2018) (47%). But from 2018 to 2019, that percentage actually increased slightly, from 47% to 50%, showing a plateau.

“The percentage of people viewing autonomous vehicles as safe has stalled in virtually every market Deloitte studied,” Giffi tells Marketing Daily. “Public perception is likely being shaped by the widespread awareness of accidents involving AVs, with nearly two-thirds of consumers in South Korea, the United States, India, and China agreeing that media reports of accidents involving AVs have made them more cautious of the technology.”

While manufacturers are quickly moving to deliver advanced vehicle connectivity, consumers may not be ready to pay for those features, Giffi says. 

“In Germany, 43% of consumers said they would not pay any more for a connected vehicle,” he says. “A similar story plays out in the United States, where one-third of consumers would not pay more, and another 42% would only pay up to $500 more.”

The study also looked at the use of ride services like Uber and Lyft. Only 12% of U.S. consumers use ride-hailing at least once a week, while the percentage of those who use it “occasionally” reached 46%. This is compared to 23% who used it at least once a week in 2017 and 22% who used it occasionally.

When it comes to even non-autonomous, but connected, vehicles, privacy continued to be an issue. Roughly two-thirds (63%) of U.S. consumers are concerned about biometric data being captured and shared with external parties.
[Reference Here]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Waymo, Google, Deloitte, Distrust, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Disney, in-car project, 2019 Global Automotive Consumer Study, The EDJE

Emotive Driving Is A "Thing" At Korean Auto Maker KIA

Much of the focus on self-driving cars, naturally, has centered on the driving technology, however, the future user experience that a fully automated car can potentially deliver also needs to be looked at, feels KIA. Image Credit: KIA via MotorAuthority (2018)

Emotive Driving Is A "Thing" At Korean Auto Maker KIA

Next month at the 2019 International CES show in Las Vegas, running from January 8th to January 11th, KIA plans on revealing a window, or better, a sensory space by which Human and Vehicle become one.

"READ" that ... Artifical Intelligence in real-time.

At CES 2019, Kia will look into the future, to a time when self-driving cars are the norm. Image Credit: KIA via MediaPost (2018)

This edited and excerpted from MediaPost Communications -

Kia To Unveil In-Car Tech For 'Emotive Driving' Future 

In a move aimed at a post-autonomous driving era, Kia Motors plans to show new technologies including an analysis of a driver’s emotional state.

Kia’s ‘Space of Emotive Driving’ exhibit at the coming 2019 CES, will highlight the concept of a new Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving (or, READ) system, technology created in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab.

The READ system can optimize and personalize a cabin space in a vehicle by analyzing a driver’s emotional state in real time through artificial intelligence, bio-signal recognition technology, according to Kia.

“We have developed READ system to create an interactive future mobility in-cabin space by converging cutting-edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence,” stated Albert Biermann, president and head of research and development division of Kia Motors. “READ system will enable continuous communication between drivers and vehicles through the unspoken language of emotional feeling, thereby providing an optimized human senses-oriented space for drivers in real-time.”
[Reference Here]

MIT Media Lab has helped by integrating an adaptation of their ground breaking technology that was profiled in FORBES, which stated that MIT has created a special headset that allows one to communicate with a computer system by simply thinking what one wanted to say to it, kind of like being able to issue a command to Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri telepathically.

It's called AlterEgo and it's a wearable device that attaches to one's jaw and face (don't worry, it's totally non-invasive and doesn't break the skin, although the prototype looks a little goofy) where electrodes pick up neuromuscular signals triggered when one says words in one's head. These signals aren't detectable when one look's at someone who is verbalizing internally.
[ht: FORBES - Reference Here]

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: KIA, MIT, MIT Media Lab, Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving, READ, AlterEgo, CES, The EDJE

Dr. Porsche Appointed As Its First Honorary Board Member Of The Petersen Automotive Museum

Petersen Automotive Museum's Founding Chairman Bruce Meyer pictured along side of Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG Dr. Wolfgang Porsche. Image Credit: Ted7 Petersen Automotive Museum (2018) 

Dr. Porsche Appointed As Its First Honorary Board Member Of The Petersen Automotive Museum

Nearing its 25th anniversary as a world leader in automotive thought, the Petersen Automotive Museum today announced that Dr. Wolfgang Porsche will be its first honorary board member. Dr. Porsche has accepted the unanimous invitation of the Petersen Board of Directors to serve alongside Founding Chairman Bruce Meyer, Chairman Peter Mullin, Vice Chairman David Sydorick and other industry dignitaries.

The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Dr. Porsche has a lifetime of experience with one of the world’s most respected automotive brands. He will be an invaluable asset to the Petersen Board of Directors, exchanging ideas, offering advice and fostering discussions about future plans for the museum.

The First Production Porsche - 1949 Porsche - 356-2 "GM0ND" Coup - may be the last one built in Austria. This is the first car on display as one enters "The Porsche Effect" first floor display. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

“The relationship between the Petersen and Dr. Porsche began two years ago when the Porsche Supervisory Board held a meeting at the museum. He had a chance encounter with Bruce Meyer, and together they envisioned the 70th anniversary Porsche tribute now known as ‘The Porsche Effect,’” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “Since then, this relationship has blossomed into a wonderful friendship resulting in the first-ever honorary leadership role on our cherished Board of Directors and the most expansive exhibit in our almost 25-year history.”

Dr. Porsche has served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche AG since 2007. During this period, Porsche has increased annual deliveries from less than 100,000 to around 246,000 last year and more than doubled in size to over 30,000 employees. Continuing his family legacy of success, he also sits on the Supervisory Boards of Volkswagen AG and Audi AG and is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE.

In addition to Dr. Porsche’s long list of distinguished accomplishments, he was most recently honored with the “Petersen Icon Award” at the museum’s 24th Annual Gala on October 5, 2018. The event commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Stuttgart marque and celebrated the immense success of “The Porsche Effect.”

“I was truly honored to receive the 2018 ‘Icon Award,’ and I will never forget the kindness and hospitality of the Petersen team,” said Dr. Wolfgang Porsche. “Although the honor was presented in my name, I consider the recognition to be a celebration of the Porsche brand’s relationship with California, which is one of the foremost Porsche markets in the world. The public’s admiration of ‘The Porsche Effect’ exhibit is a testament to that, and I’m thrilled to continue our valued partnership and personal friendship for years to come!”
(ht: PAM Press Release)

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Icon Award, The Porsche Effect, Honorary Board Member, Petersen Board of Directors, Bruce Meyer, Peter Mullin, David Sydorick, Porsche brand, 70th anniversary of the Stuttgart marque, The EDJE

Speed Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Are Back In Line Up At Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Stadium SUPER Trucks in action through Turn 10 from the 2018 Toyota Grand Prix. Image Credit: Bleu Cotton/Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (2018)

Speed Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Are Back In Line Up At Grand Prix Of Long Beach

The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach announced today that Robby Gordon’s SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks series has signed a multi-year agreement to return and race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach starting in 2019.

Very popular with Grand Prix fans, the Stadium SUPER Trucks series features highhorsepower trucks that not only race around the world-famous 1.97-mile, 11-turn Grand Prix racetrack but also jump high in the air utilizing a series of temporary ramps placed throughout the circuit. 

The SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks will run practice and qualifying on Friday with races on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Last year, Gavin Harlien (Sat.) and Matt Brabham (Sun.) earned Long Beach wins.

Robbie Gordon stands with son as Robbie gets honored with an induction into the 40th Los Angeles Sportswalk Of Fame. In June of 2012, Gordon announced that he was founding a stadium truck racing series, which he would own. The Stadium Super Trucks Series launched in 2013 and Gordon, an owner-driver, won the inaugural season championship. The series has since expanded worldwide and included races in Great Britain and Australia. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018) 

“To be able to come back and continue our great relationship with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach for the seventh consecutive year is something awesome,” said Gordon. “The venue location, the atmosphere, the excitement, and fun make the Grand Prix of Long Beach one of the premier events in the world, and Stadium SUPER Trucks is excited to have it on the schedule for 2019 with a new multi-year deal.”

“I know our fans will be delighted to have the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks back at Long Beach this year,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “For many years, they have proved to be a thrilling attraction and a highlight of the race weekend.”

Robbie Gordon pushes his Robby Gordon Motorsports "Gordini" Dakar/Rally Raid Racecar, which Robbie based upon a design of Hummer, valued at $1,250,000.00 into it's display place. Gordon was able to give a special demonstration of his custom "one of" super truck at the Sportswalk ceremony event. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

Featuring a wide variety of on- and off-track activities for the entire family, the Grand Prix will be headlined by the IndyCar Series, as well as the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, featuring the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In addition to the Stadium SUPER Trucks, the weekend will include the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge under the lights on Friday and Saturday nights, the powerful sports cars of the Pirelli World Challenge and the Historic IMSA GTO Challenge.

Ticket prices for the three-day event, which have not increased from 2018, range from $33 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $147 for a three-day ticket that includes Saturday and Sunday reserved seating in grandstand upper levels.  Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, IndyCar Series Paddock access passes, Super Photo tickets and an array of VIP Club packages.

Fans can select and pay for their Grand Prix of Long Beach seats, parking and paddock passes online at gplb.com. Ticket orders can also be placed by calling the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 827-7333.  A printed ticket brochure that includes a circuit map, ticket prices, order form and other information is also available.

Fans can also follow the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook at GrandPrixLB, Twitter @GPLongBeach and Instagram at GPLongBeach
[ht: GPALB]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks, SPEED Energy, Stadium SUPER Trucks, Long Beach, Grand Prix Of Long Beach, Truck Tech Talk, The EDJE

Circuit Of The Americas IndyCar Test Reveals DW12 Platform Performance Insights

Andretti Autosport's 2018 season runner-up and 2016 Indianapolis 500 winning driver Alexander Rossi takes turns during a pre-season Firestone tire test with the iconic observation Tower designed by Miró Rivera Architects and built by Patriot Erectors as a landmark for the venue. Rossi was probably the best choices for the IndyCar series to gauge performance of the DW12 since Rossi is the only driver race familiar with both the track through his F1 history, and the race car platform. Image Credit: Chris Owens via IndyCar (2018)

Circuit Of The Americas IndyCar Test Reveals DW12 Platform Performance Insights

On October 29th, 2018, the sole tire manufacturer for the IndyCar Series held a day long test of its primary compound tire used for road courses in advance of the Circuit Of The Americas (CoTA) being added to the schedule, Sunday, March 24, making this the second race venue of the 2019 season.

There have been previous tests by an IndyCar team with this universal aerodynamics body work but none with the intensity and discovery for the benefit of the IndyCar series as a whole.

The two teams that suited up were Andretti Autosport for Honda and AJ Foyt Enterprises for Chevrolet with Alexander Rossi and Tony Kanaan respectively. The test was comprehensive and allowed for 90 laps to be completed on the 20-turn 3.426-mile purpose-built F1 racing facility in Austin, TX.

Between the two drivers, Tony Kanaan has the greatest experience in IndyCar but these were the first laps taken at serious speeds in the DW12, whereas Alexander Rossi was the first American driver to take to the track as a test driver for F1 (2013 driving for Caterham) and later raced as an end of 2015 season replacement for Marussia Ferrari where he posted his highest finish in a Formula 1 race at P12.

REMARKS - Tony Kanaan - Excerpted and edited from Autoweek & Racer ...

[TK] admits he was “caught out” by a few things on the 20-turn, 3.427-mile road course.

“The blind corners, and going up the hill caught me out,” Kanaan said. “I was here and from the outside it looks steep, but in the car, it looks even steeper. To try to find my way there in the first couple of laps, where is the apex? After you get used to it, it’s a lot of fun.”

The track also features some tremendous elevation changes that make a lap around the facility feel like a roller-coaster ride.

“It is a cool thing because the first few laps, you are backing off the brakes but then you realize, you are going up the hill, so the inertia is helping you stop so you go deeper and deeper,” Kanaan explained. “Then, it gets to the point where there is a limit there and I found it. I went straight a couple of times. It’s a fun corner because it’s that type of braking zone where sometimes you go through there you think you could go a little quicker, but then you try a little harder and it’s too much. It’s fun.”
[Reference Here >>>]

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“The track was awesome. It’s a proper race track, and the facility is beautiful,” Kanaan told RACER. “It’s a mix of Road America, Laguna Seca, and a little bit of Sonoma. We did more than 100 laps and it was badass.”

The 2013 Indy 500 winner believes the field of Chevy-powered and Honda-powered Dallara DW12s will put on a quality show featuring close racing.

“It’s a road course, so I don’t want to give the wrong impression that we will always be passing there, but there are two places that will be easier to pass and some others to try,” he said. “And I think our racing will be exciting because there’s less discrepancy on lap times with our grid, and 20 cars have a chance to win the race.”

Renowned for his extreme fitness and muscle mass, Kanaan admitted there’s more work to do before his next visit to COTA.

“The neck, for sure,” he said with a laugh. “Turns 16, 17, and 18, the carousel before the pits, it’s like Elkhart Lake – really long. We did a lot of new-tire runs. By the end of the day, it was like, ‘OK, we’ve got some work to do on the neck…’”
[Reference Here >>>]

REMARKS - Alexander Rossi - Excerpted and edited from Motorsport, Autoweek & Racer ...

Rossi was testing a variety of tire compounds and also turbo boost levels, and both he and the teams have agreed with IndyCar to not disclose lap times.

“With the various programs Tony and I were doing, it was hard to tell where we were at comparatively,” Rossi told Motorsport.com. “But I can tell you that our car around that track is awesome! I had a smile on my face for the entire 90 laps and the package is great.

“It’s challenging, it’s technical, but there’s also a lot of high-speed corners. It’s a perfect circuit for us.

“From Turn 1 to Turn 9 is just mega. The first bit of it is pretty close to flat and each one subsequently gets tighter so you kind of decelerate as you go through them and if you’re a little bit off on the first one, you pay a big penalty six corners later! So it’s definitely a drivers’ track.”
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Rossi said today’s test was primarily focused on providing information to Firestone, so he did not, for example, try drafting the other two cars nor push-to-pass boost.

“I literally didn’t see the other two all day when I was out on track,” he said. “Firestone wanted data and feedback on the tires on a variety of length of runs, so they didn’t want external influences, in order to get a true comparison between compounds.

“We weren’t really told [by HPD engineers] what the deal was with the extra boost, but there wasn’t a time when we changed a setting and suddenly found a huge bunch of laptime. It was active the whole time, didn’t use push to pass.

“Anyway, it was just good to get out on track – and that track in particular. Austin, COTA is a strong addition to the IndyCar schedule, and I think we’ll put on a good show for the fans, I really do.”
[Reference Here >>>]

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Rossi is actually the first driver to ever run laps around the race course when he participated in the first practice session of the 2012 USGP when he was with Caterham F1. On Monday, he got to run laps at COTA in an Indy car.

“To be an American driver to be associated with it was here on day 1 and it was really cool,” Rossi said. “I know a lot of the people that work here at the track. It’s something cool to have part of my history. I’m very proud that IndyCar is here. It’s a representation of how the premier open-wheel series in the United States needs to be at one of the premier venues.”

Rossi said he cannot draw comparisons between his F1 experience with Monday’s run in an Indy car but the first practice session in 2012 was in the rain. But, the winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016 believes there are some challenging areas of the race course for the Indy car.

“Probably, turns 3-7 because it’s very high speed,” Rossi said. “You have to be right in Turn 3 because if you are a quarter of a foot wide in turn 3, you are two feet wide in Turn 7. You have to be able to control yourself because of the entry speed you are carrying in the initial part of that sequence because if you overdrive it, it’s a pretty big penalty. If you underdrive it, it’s actually the way to go quicker.”

For the race fans that have attended the Formula 1 race at COTA, what can they expect to see that is different from IndyCar?

“You can expect a lot more fun and a lot more access,” Rossi said. “Formula One, you are watching some of the fastest race cars on the planet, which is great, but there is also a pretty big discrepancy between first and 20th as we saw last weekend. Here, the top 15 can be within seven-eighths tenths of a second of each other. That guarantees a great show, no matter what.

“And the fans can get up close and personal with the cars and drivers and be able to interact on a different level than told to go to turn 1, section 3, seat 4. You can go all around and get different perspectives and build a connection with the drivers and teams. That is unique and something IndyCar prides itself on.”
[Reference Here >>>]

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On the engineering side, Andretti’s Jeremy Milless enjoyed learning with Rossi on Monday.

“We unloaded with a setup that we are familiar with,” Milless said. “Before we came here I asked Alex what he thought about the track, and he felt it was a lower grip surface, so we went toward one of our road course setups that was bland. And all we ended up doing was adjust rear ride height and we were smokin’ fast, so it was pretty awesome.”

Milless found COTA to be a unique challenge compared to other natural terrain road courses on the IndyCar calendar.

“I just went through and did a bunch of metrics looked at what COTA was like versus the other tracks we go to, and man it has like six Turn 11s from Sonoma,” he continued. “It’s actually a super-slow track. There’s one second-gear corner, five first-gear corners, and then the high-speed corners are really fast. There’s no medium-speed corners for us here. And the long straights are all fed by slow corners, so we just worked on slow-speed stuff and it was worth it.”

With the stickier Firestone alternate tires affixed for qualifying and more than one day to learn the setup needs at COTA, Milless believes the leading IndyCar drivers will be faster once the race weekend arrives.

“The primary focus today was on the primary tire, so there’s a second or more coming from the tires, and everyone was on practice power, so I would say we’ll be at least two seconds quicker when we come back,” Milless added. “But I’m not worried about it. We put on a pretty good race, and there’s such a huge difference to those [F1] cars that you can’t expect us to be the same.”
[Reference Here >>>]

Alexander Rossi registered an unofficial IndyCar CoTA lap time of 1:47.800 and this was said to be fastest of the test day working with Firestone to develop a primary tire for the March 2019 race [NOTE: Rossi's qualification lap time for the 2015 USGP race was 2:04.176 in the wet - fastest lap for the 2015 USGP race was set by Nico Rosberg at 1:40.666 - for perspective].

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: AJ Foyt Enterprises, Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, CoTA, Firestone, Tony Kanaan, IndyCar, Motorsport, David Malsher, Autoweek, Bruce Martin, Racer, Marshall Pruett, Motorsports Journal, Honda, Chevrolet, The EDJE