SAE SoCal Presents Engineering For The Blancpain GT World Challenge America

For those of you who watched yesterday’s video stream [from St. Petersburg], you saw what a hard hit the KTM took. The Marco Polo Motorsports crew had a long night but excited that Nicolai was fine and then had a spare chassis to build overnight and roll through tech this Morning! #spgp #srogt4 #sroamerica Image & Caption Credit: Jim Jordan SRO America via FB Timeline (2019)

SAE SoCal Presents Engineering For The Blancpain GT World Challenge America

A presentation by SRO Motorsports America hosted by SAE SoCal Section and Automobile Driving Museum through the support of the Motor Press Guild's Motorsports and Car Culture Committee.

Nicolai Elghanayan Steps Out Of Marco Polo Motorsports No. 71 KTM X-Bow after striking the wall in Turn 3. The accident was caused when a wheel on the left-side of the KTM X-Bow came off as driver Nicolai Elghanayan was traveling through the short chute between turns 2 & 3 at an estimated 85 mph. Track safety and SRO World-Challenge personnel helped Nicolai to the responding emergency vehicles for a physical assessment before transferring to the mandatory visit at the track's medical center. Nicolai was cleared to participate in Race 2 of the 2019 Pirelli GT4 America Sprint Series sanctioned by SRO Motorsports America. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks via CBS SRO Motorsports America Live Stream (2019)

The following video is the live stream posted at Facebook of the roughly 90 minute presentation put on by SRO Motorsports America (formally titled the Pirelli World Challenge) entering its 30th season of sanctioning sports car focused racing events.

The 2019 season represents a new era in GT and Touring Car racing for North America now with three distinct series – Blancpain GT World Challenge America, GT4 America, and TC America – SRO Motorsports America offers a wide-range of customer racing based series at top-tier circuits throughout the United States.

The SAE is the leader in connecting and educating mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We promote education in automotive and aerospace technologies for today’s and future engineers.

AUDIO Begins At The 8 Minute Point Of Presentation Video 
Blancpain Engineering Begins At The 24 Minute Point Of Presentation Video

Great to have Robbie Montinola and Honda talk racing with SAE SoCal. Thank you to the SRO for sharing with Jim Jordan and Greg Gill of SRO Motorsports America.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: SRO Motorsports America, SAE SoCal Section, SAE, ADM, Automobile Driving Museum, Motor Press Guild, MPG, Motorsports And Car Culture Committee, Dean Case,Robbie Montinola, Jim Jordan, Greg Gill, The EDJE

Is NTT IndyCar Series Ready For A Six-Time Champion In Scott Dixon?

Race fans line the streets of Saint Petersburg, some wishing continued success to the reining 2018 NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon. Image Credit: Chris Owens via NICS (2019)

Is NTT IndyCar Series Ready For A Six-Time Champion In Scott Dixon?

Last weekend was witness to the beginning of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season-opener through the municipal airport and streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The main characteristic that will have an overlay effect is that there is nothing new in terms of engine or aerodynamic body parts (other than the usual off-season tweaks to skirt the rules) from the configurations allowed last year. Every team is on the same page given the platform from last year so one would suspect that the strongest teams drivers will percolate to the top of the charts through Practice sessions, Knock-Out Qualifications, and the eventual race end assuming all other things are equal with accidents and track condition Flags (Yellow, Red, or Black).

The eventual race ending Podium reflects this exact predictable result with 2017 IndyCar Champion and Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden at P1, the reining 2018 IndyCar Champion and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon at P2, and 2019 Firestone Fast Six NTT P1 Pole Award winner 2018 INDY 500 winner 2014 IndyCar Champion and Team Penske driver Will Power at P3.

One would think that the past early successes that leads to the humming of "Old McDonald Had A Farm" ... as in Penake, Ganassi, Penake, Ganassi Ee - I - Ee - I - Oh ... would be a boring enterprize to turn their attention to and follow all weekend long, but it is anything but boring given the stories that come forward through the struggles of actual competition.

Ganassi Racing's Swedish Rookie driver Felix Rosenqvist fastest during Practice 1 at St. Petersburg. Andretti Autosport drivers outpace Team Penske drivers who are struggling for pace in Practice 1. Scott Dixon at P4 fastest. Image Credit: NTT IndyCar Race Control (2019)

Practice 2 had the cars prepared by, or associated with, Andretti Autosport begin to crowd the top 10 of the speedcharts. Scott Dixon at P13 with Team Penske drivers Newgarden and Power in at P9 and P10 respectively. Image Credit: NTT IndyCar Race Control (2019) 

Penske Racing places all three of their drivers in the top 5 in Practice 3 with Ganassi Racing placing their two drivers at P7 and P8 respectively. Image Credit: NTT IndyCar Race Control (2019)

While the three serious practice sessions give a clue to what may happen during the three round Knock-Out Qualifications format used for street and road courses, nothing is conclusive since there are always those nasty unpredictable factors as track condition Flags, tire wear, weather, and mechanical reliability.

Round 1 Group 1 featured two Red Flags - one for Andretti Autosport Honda No. 98 Marco Andretti who seemed stalled at pit in and one brought out by Dale Coyne Racing Honda No. 19 Santino Ferrucci when he went off course into the tires at Turn 13. The second Red Flag ended the session early and had the effect of knocking out 2016 IndyCar Champion Team Penske Chevrolet No. 22  Simon Pagenaud and 4-Time IndyCar Champion  Dale Coyne Racing Honda No. 18 Sébastien Bourdais.

Turn 4 spin by the Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon had him finish the Round 1 Group 2 Knock-Out Qualifying session at P7. Image Credit: Snipped from NTT IndyCar video (2019)

Round 1 Group 2 featured an on-track spin by Scott Dixon and had Dixon be able to post a lap time but at the end of this session due to his spin, did not post a time quick enough to advance. A penalty was called after the session was over on Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda No. 30 Takuma Sato for going off track, and impeding another driver upon re-entry, allowing the driver at P7 to advance to the next round. That was Scott Dixon. Without being able to move forward, Dixon would have had to grid up for the race at P14.

Round 2 Knock-Out Qualifications session ended with a PENALTY - Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda No.88 Colton Herta has been penalized for qualifying interference. Loss of 2 Fast Laps and will not Advance,  (Rule 8.3.6.1). Advancing to Firestone Fast Six are: Team Penske Chevrolet No. 2 Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet No. 12 Will Power, Andretti Autosport Honda No. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda No. 9 Scott Dixon, Andretti Autosport Honda No. 27 Alexander Rossi and Chip Ganassi Racing Honda No. 10 Felix Rosenqvist.

Firestone Fast Six finishes with 12-Power wining the NTT P1 Award for Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Scott Dixon, five-time and 2018 NTT IndyCar Season Champion driving for Chip Ganassi Racing,  follows eventual 2019 season-opener Firestone Grand Prix Of Saint Petersburg race winner, Penske Racing's and 2017 NTT IndyCar Series Season Champion, Josef Newgarden through Turn 1 at the end of the Saint Petersburg Albert Whitted Municipal Airport. Image Credit: Chris Owens via NICS (2019)

This Excerpted and edited from Firestone Fast Six IndyCar Media Conference - Saturday March 9, 2019

THE MODERATOR: Now joined by the two Chip Ganassi Racing teammates, Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda, and Felix Rosenqvist, driving the No. 10 NTT Data Honda. Actually sharing the second row, but Scott, a fourth-place qualifying position for you in tomorrow's race. Your outlook on how qualifying went today? Obviously very action-packed for you but also just the strength of your team with such a strong start for tomorrow.

SCOTT DIXON: Yeah, that was like Christmas, I guess. I don't know. It was scrappy. I think we changed front springs three times, front rear toes, the front wing. It was a bit of a mess. We struggled to get the balance a little bit. Q1 I think we were knocked out until the infraction with Sato and had a spin in Q1, so it was almost like first day back at school and was just a mess.

But all in all, I think the car is pretty strong. It's just not real nice to try and piece together. So I think over the longer run, it seems pretty suitable. Guys in Q1 I think got a little bit lucky with some fresher tires later on with the crash sesh that happened in that one, as well.

But we made the most of it. We could have been 14th, but we're starting fourth. Good spot. Great to have Felix here. He did a hell of a job, and hopefully we can have a podium finish for both the 9 and the 10.

Pitstop and tire selection strategy played a very important role in in the final results. Further, an on-track pass of Will Poser for P2 through Turn 1, Turn 2, and ending before Turn 3 delivered the best points for a car that qualified at P4. It's performances like this that deliver championships at year's end. Image Credit: Chris Jones via NTT IndyCar (2019) 

This excerpted and edited from Post Race IndyCar Media Conference - Sunday March 10, 2019 - Scott Dixon

THE MODERATOR: We will get started with the NTT IndyCar Series post-race press conference for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, joined by our second-place finisher, Scott Dixon.

THE MODERATOR: Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Honda for the team, finishing second, the reigning series champion, matching his best finish here on the streets of St. Pete.

I know a second-place finish always feels a little bit bitter at the end, but are you happy with the way your team has started off the season?

SCOTT DIXON: We always come to these races to win. We came up a little bit short. It was an interesting race. I think between at least the Penske cars and Ganassi cars, it was a bit opposite.

I felt our cars were strong for the first 15, 20 laps, especially on restarts, as well, but the last sort of five to ten, it flipped the other way and they had some really good speed.

Had some great battles out there. Lap traffic was interesting, Will and I had a really tough fight in one, two, and then all the way to three I think it was, and then, you know, it worked out for us.

Scott Dixon hakes hands with his long-time race strategist Mike Hull. Is a sixth championship in the works ... along with a defence of an existing championship title? Only Mike Hull and the driving of Scott Dixon know for sure. Image Credit: Chris Jones via NTT INdyCar (2019)

But all in all, I think strategy-wise and pit stops, it was a clean day for us. I think any of us got out front, as Will [Power] said, had some really good pace, you would have been able to capitalize and Josef's [Car] did that in their strategy, they were able to run and start on new Reds and scuff Reds later. Their pace opened it up. Interesting day, and good points for us and hopefully we can keep maintaining that.

Q. Good racing today out there, a lot of good racing out there today. What is it that you like when you come here and about this course?

SCOTT DIXON: I think it's fun. It's technical. I think it's the atmosphere. The city, as they say, embraces the race and they do. Even walking around downtown, I think everybody, for me, at least living in Indianapolis, it's nice to get some warm weather, especially this week.

But I don't know, the traffic has passing opportunities, turn one, turn four you can maybe get sneaky occasionally, but a lot of circuits don't have that combination. You've got to give Kim (Green) and Kevin (Savoree) a lot of credit, obviously Firestone, too, for sponsoring this event but it just has a great feel about it,, kicking off the season, I think everybody is happy to start the season.

Q. Scott, you mentioned your drink bottle didn't work during the race. In this heat, do you think that had any sort of impact on your mind, body, 110 laps?

SCOTT DIXON: Kept pushing the button a lot thinking it was going to work at some point. It was kind of annoying. It was definitely a physical race, lots of green laps. It was pretty hot out there and the car is moving around a lot, especially on a slight downforce situation, and you have to push the whole time, right, to try to close these gaps. For me it was physical. I think I've had about six bottles of water, so nice to finally get some water.

But yeah, that happens occasionally. Hopefully doesn't happen again.

A Podium P2 finish for the first of 17 races this season which has a new venue in Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) purpose built Formula 1 race course near Austin, Texas as the next race with the season ending at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca being added this year after a 15 year absence. Image Credit: Chris Owens via NTT IndyCar (2019)

Q. I know you've got time to be satisfied, soak in today's race, but looking ahead, a racetrack unlike any other on the circuit, going to COTA, how big a race can that be, and what's your outlook toward that event?

SCOTT DIXON: Yeah, hopefully, we get some good traction there. First time I'd ever been there for the open test. It's definitely a fun city. I think the track itself should race really well for our cars just because the sheer size of it.

Yeah, we'll have to see how it goes, push on the marketing size and get bottoms in seats and keep pushing but I think the race itself should be really good.

Q. How is the dynamic with Felix?

SCOTT DIXON: That's a little hard to compare, to be honest. I think it's been a lot of fun. Felix has worked with the team for two or three years now with open tests we've done with him as a rookie. The guy has got a ton of experience in so many different cars, so it's been really refreshing, actually, to not be in the same ecosystem and thinking of the same things. It's kind of thinking outside the box which has been really refreshing.

But yeah, he's a strong guy, very committed and obviously very talented and he's going to be a hell of a fight for the whole year, and it's nice to be working with somebody really close as far as on the speed side.

Q. Regarding the scarcity of yellows that the NTT IndyCar Series might be heading towards.

SCOTT DIXON: I totally agree. You know, it's nice, if it's random and it falls your way, but the possibility of that is pretty slim. We'd seen that the last two years here with the result. It was just kind of random, flipped the field, and makes for an interesting race maybe.

But as Will kind of said, it's not completely fair, and the teams that are really fast, qualify up front, the ones that get hurt, the leaders always get hurt.

If there's consistency there, that's great. I think we've had a glimpse of that in the past and then kind of went haywire there for a little bit so hopefully, I think as a driver, all you want is it to be a consistent call the whole time.
ENDS

So, is the NTT IndyCar Series ready for a repeat and defense of the 5th Championship posted by New Zealander Scott Dixon which will result into a very rare 6th NTT IndyCar Series Championship? If the resilient and opportune performance put in by Chip Ganassi Racing's Mike Hull and Scott Dixon, combined with the childhood fan heart shown in the home-made sign trackside (image above) the answer almost looks like a simple ... YES.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: NTT IndyCar Series, Scott Dixon, Mike Hull, Chip Ganassi Racing, Team Penske, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Tim Cindric, Takuma Sato, Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud, Felix Rosenqvist, The EDJE

Auto Club 400 - NASCAR's Saint Patrick's Weekend With ACS President Dave Allen

Pitlane at Auto Club Speedway. Image Credit: ACS

Auto Club 400 - NASCAR's Saint Patrick's Weekend With ACS President Dave Allen 

Auto Club Speedway is celebrating 22 years of racing during St. Patrick's Day weekend at Southern California’s premier motorsports venue March 15-17, 2019 when NASCAR makes its only stop in Southern California for Auto Club 400 Weekend.

For the first time ever on the NASCAR circuit, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will line up five wide during the pace laps prior to the drop of the green flag for the Auto Club 400 on March 17, 2019. The “Five Wide Salute” not only pays homage to Saturday night short tracks, but will celebrate Auto Club Speedway’s signature racing style of flat out and five wide.

Welcome, DAVE ALLEN, President Auto Club Speedway ...

1) Auto Club Speedway is one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit - Everybody in NASCAR is talking about a new rules package that is expected to enhance the quality of competition, given the limited exposure shown so far during the race at Atlanta that had Brad Keselowski winning for Team Penske, what will you be looking for out of the new rules as they will be tested at Auto Club Speedway during the Auto Club 400 weekend and race on Sunday?

2) Since this track was originally a vision from the house of Roger Penske, and Brad Keselowski just became winningest Penske Racing driver of all time with 61 victories eclipsing Mark Donohue's multi-discipline mark of 60, does Auto Club Speedway plan to stage a recognition of this unique mark in motorsports history?


3) Event Weekend schedule - what do fans need to be looking for?

⦁ The NASCAR Auto Club 400 is scheduled for Sunday, March 17, 2019 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Weekend Schedule:

Thursday, March 14: NASCAR Hauler Parade (Free community event)
⦁ Hauler Parade at 6:30 pm
Friday, March 15: NASCAR Qualifying Day
⦁ Gates open at 9:30 am
⦁ Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying at 2:40 p.m.
Saturday, March 16: NASCAR XFINITY Series NXS 300 Race
⦁ Gates open at 8:00 am
⦁ NXS 300 starts at 2:00 pm
Sunday, March 17:  Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400
⦁ Gates open at 7:00 am
⦁ Auto Club 400 starts at 12:30 pm

----

NEW

Five Wide Salute
⦁ For the first time ever on the NASCAR circuit, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will line-up for a “Five Wide Salute” during the pace laps prior to the drop of the green flag for the Auto Club 400 on March 17, 2019.
⦁ The “Five Wide Salute” is a tribute to Saturday night short tracks, but also celebrates Auto Club Speedway’s signature racing style of flat-out and five wide.

Fan Favorites include:
⦁ Monster Energy athletes perform incredible motorcycle and truck stunts at their home track during their famous Monster Energy Smoke Show
⦁ Catch the famed high-flying maneuvers and acrobatic acts of lucha libre wrestling in the Viva La Fiesta Zone
⦁ Lefty’s Fun Zone for family-friendly games and motorsports fun designed all for kids!
⦁ Pre-Race Concert always rocks the fan zone.  Headliner will be announced soon. Past performers include Bush, Switchfoot, Smash Mouth and More!

Race Day Ticket Packages:
Whether it’s taking a behind the scenes tour of NASCAR garages, watching the Auto Club 400 race from an all-inclusive pit road Busch Lounge, or attending a NASCAR driver Q&A with Chase Elliott or Jimmie Johnson…there are a variety of unique race day experiences.  Ticket Packages are available with special pricing through March 2. 

 4) The Los Angeles basin has now experienced its coldest month of February, not one day reached 70 degrees since records have been taken starting in the late 1880's - what are the weather forecasts telling you as to what to expect for the St. Patrick's Day Auto Club 400 weekend of activities.
ENDS

March the Seventeenth ... Sleep the Eighteenth

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: #autoclub400, #bradkeselowski, #daveallen, #edmundjenks, #fivewidesalute, #jimmiejohnson, #markdonohue, #monsrerenergycup, #motorsportsjournal, #nascar, #penskeracing, #performanceandracingtechtalk, #saintpatricksday, #theedje, #ticketpackages, #xfinity

As Official Artist, Randy Owens Named Poster Artist For 45th Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach

As Official Artist, Randy Owens Named Poster Artist For 45th Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach 

Prolific American racing artist Randy Owens has been named Official Race Artist for the 2019 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

As Official Race Artist, Owens has created the poster artwork for the 45th annual event, which will also grace the covers of the event program, Fan Guide, T-shirts and other race-related materials.

Owens has established himself in the American racing art scene, having produced over 300 handmade serigraph editions in his realistic style -- modern and evolutionary, with color and motion as the central theme.

He has created poster art for Long Beach races eight times, including the Grand Prix’s 40th anniversary edition in 2014, as well as posters for the Miami Grand Prix, US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Road America Historic Races and the Bahrain International Circuit.  And, since 1991, he has also produced an annual motor racing calendar for Bridgestone. ​

Randy Owens poster of the 40th Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach. Image Credit: GPALB

Born in Baltimore, Md., Owens grew up in Virginia and majored in fine art at Northern Virginia Community College. He was drawn to the vibrant colors, clean form and crisp edges of serigraphy (silkscreen printmaking), and after being introduced to auto racing in 1978 began making serigraphs of motor racing subjects in his own unique style.

Over the years, Owens has staged over 200 exhibitions of his work in five countries, including the Axis Galleries in Tokyo and 10-year retrospective shows at the famous l’art et l’automobile Gallery in New York City and the National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV.

Owens will have a display booth at the 2019 Acura Grand Prix and will be available to sign posters for race fans throughout the weekend. Official posters will sell for $10 at the event, as well as in the weeks prior to the event at gplb.com.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will be headlined by the fourth round of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series, as well as the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix, featuring the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In addition, the weekend will include the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge under the lights on Friday and Saturday nights; SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks, the powerful sports cars of the Pirelli GT4 America and the new-for-2019 Historic IMSA GTO Challenge. There will also be concerts, free to race ticket holders, on Friday and Saturday nights.

Fans can select and pay for their Grand Prix 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.  Also featured on gplb.com is the latest Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach news and racetrack information, photos and ongoing announcements of special race week activities.

Ticket prices range from $33 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $147 for a three-day ticket that includes Sat./Sun. reserved seating in grandstand upper levels.  Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, NTT IndyCar Series Paddock passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of hospitality packages.

Fans can also follow the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook (GrandPrixLB), Twitter @GPLongBeach (#AGPLB) and Instagram @GPLongBeach.
[ht: AGPLB]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Randy Owens, Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach, 45th, AGPLB, Race Artist, Acura, The EDJE

COTA NTT IndyCar Series Spring Training Has Everyone Anxious For 2019 Season To Begin

Last year's NTT IndyCar Series champion, and now 5-time champion, Scott Dixon. gets ready to take to the track in testing for the 2019 IndyCar Series season. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

COTA NTT IndyCar Series Spring Training Has Everyone Anxious For 2019 Season To Begin

If 11 hours and more than 8,000 miles of on-track testing over two days showed anything, it's that the NTT IndyCar Series fits in marvelously at the sparkling Circuit of The Americas and the competition will be deep and intense in the 2019 season.

Twenty-five drivers completed 2,367 laps at INDYCAR Spring Training, the only officially mandated testing prior to the NTT IndyCar Series season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10. Rookie driver Colton Herta surprised many by turning the fastest lap on the 3.41-mile permanent road course and topping the timesheet in three of the four sessions in the No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda.

Savvy veterans were close on Herta's heels, however, with Alexander Rossi, who led Wednesday's final session, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud rounding out the top five on the combined-session speed chart. It left drivers and fans alike itching for the season to begin and the return next month for the INDYCAR Classic on March 24, the first Indy car race hosted by COTA.

"The track is phenomenal," said Power, the 2014 series champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. "I love it, love it, love it! Very technical, obviously a lot of complexes. ... Great facilities, all the drivers are stoked to be here."

Herta, the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires runner-up who made his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Harding Steinbrenner Racing in last year's season finale at Sonoma Raceway, set the overall best lap of 1 minute, 46.6258 seconds (115.132 mph) in Tuesday's afternoon session. The 18-year-old Californian backed it up by leading Wednesday's practices and running second to Rossi in the afternoon session.

Runner-up in the 2018 Cooper Tires Indy Lights series championship Colton Herta confers with the Harding Steinbrenner Racing team between test sessions. Colton had to have made his father Bryan Herta very happy with his P1 showing overall. Image Credit: John Cote via NTT IndyCar (2019)

"This track just suits my driving style a lot," Herta said. "The team has been working really hard to get the car where it needs to be. Obviously, they've made really big gains in the winter time compared to last year, and we're kind of seeing that. Really stout job by the boys."

Herta and fellow NTT IndyCar Series rookies the likes of Felix Rosenqvist (sixth on the combined speed chart), Marcus Ericsson and Santino Ferrucci have only added depth to a full-season field of drivers already considered the deepest in motorsports.

"Every year it just gets better and better, which is a testament obviously to the series and the value that drivers are placing on it," said Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner and 2018 NTT IndyCar Series championship runner-up. "We've seen guys come over from Europe, which is a super positive thing. I would completely agree that 2019 will be the most competitive season that I've been a part of.

Alexander Rossi on course during the Open Test at Circuit of The Americas. He was second fastest overall and about 14 seconds from the fastest laps set by Formula 1, 2 seconds slower than a fastest Porsche 919 lap, .and about 1.5 seconds slower than the 2013 Audi R18 lap time. Image By: John Cote via NTT IndyCar (2019)

"If you look at the top 15, top 20, in reality there are a lot of really good guys. That's pretty much unlike any other series when you look at it, and I fully expect there to be 10 to 12 guys every single weekend to beat in the race."

The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series calendar features 17 races, all airing live on NBC or NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network. Opening with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10 (1 p.m. ET, NBCSN) and followed by the INDYCAR Classic at COTA on March 24 (1 p.m., NBCSN), the schedule is highlighted by the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on May 26 (11 a.m., NBC) and closes with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (2:30 p.m., NBC).

SPRING TRAINING DAY 2 QUOTES:

COLTON HERTA (No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda): "Another good day of testing at COTA. We were quickest this morning and P2 by a tenth (of a second) this afternoon. And there's still more to find. We are still working on getting the balance as it gets colder. When it was warmer, we were really good, so I think we'll be fine for the race as it should be warmer. Overall the team had a great test. I'm really happy with how everyone is working so hard and putting in so much effort to get everything done. I can't wait for next month when this No. 88 Honda-powered car hits the Streets of St. Pete."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "We made good strides today. Generally, the whole day we just kept chipping away at it, moving in the right direction. In the end, it went red (red flag condition] during our sticker tire run so we had to finish the day off on used Firestone tires and we did our fastest lap of the day. I think it's a good point to come back with - we're quick on used rubber. Hopefully, we can turn that into a good race weekend here in late March."

Swedish Rookie Felix Rosenqvist begins to debrief with his Chip Ganassi Racing team on pit lane during the Open Test (P6) at Circuit of The Americas. Image By: Shawn Gritzmacher via NTT IndyCar (2019)

FELIX ROSENQVIST (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "It's been positive. Yesterday we had a big gap to the front guys, so I had to do a bit of homework last night. My NTT DATA car has seemed to be quick in every session this year. I think we can really fight in the top five, but there are still things we have to learn and work on. For me, I kind of learn every time I'm out. But after two days here, it feels like we're done and it's time to move on to Sebring."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda): "Two great days of testing here at COTA. We ended up fifth and there is a lot for us to be happy about. We found a lot over the past two days. Starting where we did yesterday morning, for us to be fifth is a great accomplishment. I think we learned a lot. When we go back to Laguna Seca, when we go to a lot of other tracks there is a lot that we can take from here. I'm really proud of my guys. They really worked hard. This United Rentals car looks awesome. I'm really happy with how things went and looking forward to coming back."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We had a big break before the last 45 minutes (of the afternoon test session). We tried a few different things, but I don't feel like we really got - it kind of just feels really disconnected for me in some portions of the track, quite good in others. I don't think I did a really good job in piecing together a lap either. It seems like there is something wrong with the suspensions too. That is what we were kind of chasing before. The steering wheel is kinked to the left and then also when it brakes, it brakes funny. We're trying to figure that as well."

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "Another productive day. Obviously, we closed the gap to the guys in front, and it's even closer than it looks on the timesheets because we kind of got hosed by that red flag at the end on our last set of tires when everyone was getting quicker and quicker. I'm really happy with the progress that we made, the direction that we found, and we'll keep chipping away at it. Hopefully, by qualifying day here on the race weekend, the Arrow Electronics cars will be right up there."

American Santino Ferrucci pulls into his pit stall during the Open Test at Circuit of The Americas (P10). Ferrucci drove in four races with Dale Coyne Racing last year and this will be his first full rookie year.
Image By: Chris Jones via NTT IndyCar (2019)

SANTINO FERRUCCI (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda): "It was another really good day for us at Circuit of The Americas. A lot of learning to be done. In the morning session, realistically we were P4, but a red flag came out right before we crossed the line. Luckily, we have the lap on data but it didn't show on the time sheets. At the end of the last session, right when we thought we were kind of getting lost a little, we went back in the right direction. It feels good to end up P9 and to have a good lap time to end the test before heading into the race weekend next month. It was a great job by all the guys, it was a busy two days and we're looking forward to the season opener in St. Petersburg."

TONY KANAAN (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "We had a productive day today. We made big changes and we tried to separate the changes between the cars so at least we are learning as a team now. Matheus (Leist) is helping quite a bit, so a happy day for us. We came here trying to learn what we did over the winter on the shaker and on the simulator and things were pretty close, so we'll take it from here and try to improve it until the first race. This is our first test and we have three more before St. Pete, so I'm excited."

MATHEUS "MATT" LEIST (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "We just finished here for the second day at COTA. We had a lot of fun at this beautiful track. A lot of progress made with the team. I think we still need to keep working hard, still need to figure out new stuff, but I'm pretty happy with these two days of testing here. I think we made some good progress compared to last year and now we're looking forward to the next test and also to the first race of the year."
[ht: NTT IndyCar Series]

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: NTT IndyCar Series, COTA, Spring Training, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi, Will Power, Circuit of The Americas, twenty-five drivers, 2,367 laps, over 8,000 miles, Anxious, The EDJE

Rookie Herta Sets Pace On Day One Of NTT IndyCar Series Spring Training

Colton Herta sets his earpieces along pit lane during the Open Test at Circuit of The Americas. Image Credit: Chris Jones - NICS (2019)

Rookie Herta Sets Pace On Day One Of NTT IndyCar Series Spring Training

Colton Herta wasted no time making his presence felt in the NTT IndyCar Series. The Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie was quickest in both on-track sessions on opening day of INDYCAR Spring Training at Circuit of The Americas.

Herta, driving the No. 88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda, logged the best lap of anyone among the 25 drivers participating Tuesday in the official series open test on the 3.41-mile permanent road course. The 18-year-old son of retired Indy car driver Bryan Herta, who's now an NTT IndyCar Series team co-owner, navigated the COTA course in 1 minute, 46.6258 seconds (115.132 mph).

"I'm super happy with how the day went," said Colton Herta, the 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires runner-up who made his NTT IndyCar Series debut in last September's season finale at Sonoma Raceway and is slated to run the full season this year.

"We did some great things to the car and I'm very happy with how the boys got everything together in time for this test," he added. "Everyone did a fantastic job and there were no issues with the car; it was perfect. We kept chipping away and kept finding time. By the end of the day, we were quickest by quite a margin. I can't wait for tomorrow now."

A second day of testing is set for Wednesday, with six more hours of on-track time. The NTT IndyCar Series will return to COTA from March 22-24 to conduct its first race on the spectacular road course, the INDYCAR Classic.

A total of 1,034 laps were turned by the drivers on Tuesday. Following Herta on the combined timesheet were Team Penske drivers Will Power and Helio Castroneves. Power, the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner, ran a lap of 1:47.1044 (114.617 mph) in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Castroneves, who will try for a record-tying fourth Indy 500 title in May, was clocked at 1:47.6949 (113.989 mph) in the No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet.

"We were trying to get it into a good (setup) window where you can make small adjustments on the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet," Power said. "We took some big swings at it today and (were) trying to understand when the tire comes in and how long it lasts, and what package we want to run. We wound up with a lot of big changes.

Will Power on course during the Open Test at Circuit of The Americas. Image By: John Cote - NICS (2019)

"I think the track is phenomenal," the 2014 NTT IndyCar Series champion added. "It's got every sort of corner you can dream of. I think all the drivers are going to love to keep coming here."

Chip Ganassi Racing teammates came in next on the speed chart, with rookie Felix Rosenqvist fourth at 1:48.0451 (113.619 mph) in the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda. Scott Dixon, the reigning and five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, was fifth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda (1:48.0474, 113.617 mph).

Test sessions are scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-6 p.m. ET Wednesday. Live timing and scoring is available at RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
[ht: IndyCar]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: NTT IndyCar Series, COTA, Circuit of The Americas, Day One, Spring Training, Colton Herta, No. 88, Harding Steinbrenner Racing, Honda, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, NICS, The EDJE

Bugatti Type 32 - 1923 GP Automobile Club de France Racecars

Bugatti Type 32 - 1923 GP Automobile Club de France Racecars

From left to right - #16 Pierre Marco & #18 Prince de Cystria

A quick look into the digital window of the web netted the searcher this gem from pinterest showing a third Bugatti Type 32 of #11 Pierre de Vizcaya.

Image Credit: Pinterest

This excerpted and edited from Jalopnic -

The Short-Lived 1923 Bugatti Type 32 is the Fastest Baby Shoe You'll Ever See 

Open up a dictionary, and under the definition for ‘class’ you’ll probably find a picture of a Bugatti. These are cars that generally radiate elegant beauty through their sleek curves and undeniable speed. But… not everyone can always be perfect all the time.

Case in point: the 1923 Bugatti Type 32. Aka, The Tank.

I think you can see why.

It’s not the most visually appealing car in the world, but it was something of an engineering marvel of its day. Think of other cars from the early 1920s. They tended to be clumsy-looking and boxy, or plain ol’ cigar-shaped; they were big, angry, heavy machines. This was an era before we knew all those fancy aerodynamic terms. Back then, people weren’t as inclined to think “downforce” as they were “well it’s top-heavy but it goes fast”.

Unless, of course, you were Ettore Bugatti.

Bugatti Type 32 `Tank de Tours` - Image Credit: The-Blueprints.com

According to Hemmings, the Tank was an early experiment in aero. If the shape of an airplane’s wing provides an upward force, then why don’t we reverse that shape on our race car body? A streamlined car won’t have those extra bits that catch in the wind, and it’ll be nice and stuck to the ground.
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The Tank was originally designed with the specific intention of winning the 1923 French Grand Prix. A French marque competing against the likes of Fiats, Sunbeams, Voisins and Delages, Bugatti was fiercely determined to create a car that was going to steal the show and cement his brand as being the most competitive in the world.

Bugatti drew on the Type 30 road car for some of the Tank’s basic components. The chassis and inline-eight engine with a two liter capacity were the same across the board between the two. It provided a solid starting point for a little extra experimentation.

Almost more interesting than the shape itself were the front brakes. They featured a hydraulic assist, which was pretty much a first in the world of motorsport. The only problem was, there was no brake pedal. Drivers had to use a lever in an already-cramped cockpit.

Grand Prix de France 1923 - Image Credit: Wikipedia

The race, though, was fruitless. Bugatti hadn’t done much with the engine, and using an outdated model in competition against the supercharged Fiats was never going to work. It was only through the retirement of all three of their entries and a last lap spin by the driver of the third place Sunbeam that the last remaining Bugatti on the circuit - #6 Ernest Friderich - was able to steal a [P3] podium position.

In addition to the underpowered engines, the Tank just wasn’t low enough to the ground. The fact that a significant amount of air could still get underneath the car meant that as soon as a driver started cruising at a high speed, he started generating lift. Not exactly a comforting feeling when you’re trying to push the limits of speed.

Despite the car’s failure in its task, the Type 32 started to kick off some changing times in racing. Now, manufacturers were wondering what they could do with that odd, curving shape or that fancy braking system. Ettore Bugatti simply used the basis of his design to craft the Type 35—a car so successful it finally earned the man behind the marque the renown he’d been seeking.
[Reference Here]

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti, Type 32, #6, #11, #16, #18, Ernest Friderich, Pierre Marco, Prince de Cystria, Automobile Club de France, The Tank, Grand Prix de France 1923, Will Ellingham, The EDJE