NTT IndyCar Series Championship Predictions Four Races Out

Beginning of the last race of the 2017 season with Josef Newgarden in command as the field gets ready - 2 by 2 - entering Turn 11 at Sonoma Raceway for race start. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

NTT IndyCar Series Championship Predictions Four Races Out

Predictions are a tricky business since this is always about placing odds on human outcomes. Variables are all over the map from driver talent and mistake performance involvement, equipment preparation and in-race support performance, track layout combined with prevailing weather, to the old adage of past performance is the best predictor of future performance and outcomes.

That being stated, there is a great portal for information about future chances that allow predictions to hit their mark much better than not. This portal is titled The Single Seater and the reason they are so good at what they do, they eliminate emotion as much as they can through mathematics ... statistics ... all that include the adage stated above.

Winner's Circle celebration as caught by NBCSN at 2:01:05 - from left to right is GoPro Grand Prix Of Sonoma race winner Simon Pagenaud being congratulated by 2017 NTT IndyCar Series Championship winner Josef Newgarden, Motorsports Journal Managing Editor Edmund Jenks, and NBCSN's Broadcaster Jon Beekhuis. Image Credit: NBCSN telecast via screengrab (2017)

This excerpted and edited from Single Seater -

State of the Championship: Assessing Newgarden’s Weak Spot
By: Drew Bennison - Aug. 8th, 2019

There are four races left in the IndyCar season. The finale at Laguna Seca has double points on offer, meaning there are at most 266 points available to any one driver. The Single Seater model currently has Newgarden in control of the championship with a 66.4% chance of winning the series title. Rossi has around a 30.9% chance of winning as he sits 16 points behind Newgarden, and Dixon and Pagenaud both hold a 1.3% chance of pulling off a late-season upset.

The helmet, gloves, and HANS device of Josef Newgarden just a minute before J-New puts them on for the final practice at the 2019 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach. The Team Penske driver finished this fourth race of the season P2 at about 20 seconds behind Alexander Rossi, his chief rival going into these final four races. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

Newgarden holds the lead
Newgarden has led the points standings for most of the year thanks in no small part to his qualifying efforts. He has the second-best average starting position this year (5.8) just behind Rossi (5.5) and was the fifth most consistent qualifier as judged by average starting deviation. Newgarden qualifies for races incredibly well, but he doesn’t start races well at all. On average he loses -0.9 places in the first two laps of the race and has only retained his starting position on 54% of race starts. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the only driver in the top-10 of the points who retains his starting position at a worse rate. This could pose a threat in the final quarter of the season as two of the last four races are on road/street courses where passing is tougher. Giving up a good qualifying effort in the opening laps puts Newgarden at greater risk of getting involved in a crash or simply being unable to pass a championship rival back. Even on the ovals where it’s traditionally easier to overtake, giving up free track position obviously isn’t an ideal way to close out a tight championship battle.

Andretti Autosport celebrates its 200th win as a racing organization in the Long Beach Grand Prix Victory Circle. This mark was secured by Alexander Rossi as he won his second consecutive Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach (2018 & 2019). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019)

Rossi’s advantage
Rossi has been an even better qualifier than Newgarden with two pole positions and retains his starting position at a much higher rate than Newgarden — doing so 85% of the time. Attacking Newgarden’s weakness on the start is going to be a solid approach for Rossi to claw back the 16 point deficit. Newgarden is not a driver that makes a ton of mistakes in the race — his overly optimistic dive to Hunter-Reay’s inside on the last lap at Mid Ohio is not a move you’ll see him go for again — so being in front of him early is so important. All drivers are aggressive at the start of the race, but Rossi can be more tactfully aggressive since he knows Newgarden struggles in the first two laps. And what might be an even bigger advantage for Rossi is if Newgarden knows he struggles on starts, leading to out-of-character driving in an effort to retain his position that could cause him to make a mistake. Winning a championship is as much a mental game of keeping your concentration high as it is a physical battle on track.

So what could Newgarden do to improve this weakness in his profile? I’m not a driver coach, but I would think that taking some time in practice to simulate the start and running on cold tires could only serve to benefit him. His teammates both retain their starting position more than 75% of the time, so maybe they have some advice for their fellow driver too. With only four races left, it would do more harm than good to try to do much more and risk psyching himself out at race starts. It’ll be a problem to deal with in the off-season.

Chip Ganassi Racing's 5-time IndyCar Racing Series Champion takes the pre-race fan greet ride just as every other driver. Here Scott rides around with sunglasses and his PNC Bank hat on backwards as her tracks around infamous Turn 9 at the Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach circuit. Vantage thanks to Doug Mockett, from his special trackside suite sponsored by Doug Mockett & Company - Fine Architectural Hardware. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2019) 

Pagenaud, Dixon round out the top-four
Pagenaud and Dixon are both longshots to win the title as they sit 47 and 62 points out of the championship lead. Their success in the title hunt is going to come down more to what mistakes Newgarden and Rossi make more than anything they can do. 

INDY 500 winner for 2019 had a hot hand at IMS winning everything the track had to offer - IndyCar Grand Prix and the INDY 500. Image Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher - NTT IndyCar Series (2019)

Pagenaud has actually been the luckiest driver this season already according to Expected Points. He is outperforming his xPoints through Mid Ohio by +72. That means he’s scored 72 more points than we would have expected him to as judged by his average track position in races. For example, in the Indy GP Pagenaud had an ATP of 6.6, led only five laps, and was in the top-five for just 41% of the race. We would have expected him to score 28.5 points that race (about a sixth-place finish) but instead he scored 51. We see drivers who overperform compared to their expected points for a stretch of time eventually regress back to the mean. This could be over the next couple of races or next season, we don’t know exactly. But if Pagenaud is really riding a somewhat lucky sequence of races, it could mean Dixon has a good shot of at least overtaking him in the points in these last four races if Pagenaud’s results start to line up with how he has been driving. Right now, our model has Pagenaud with an expected championship finishing position of 3.3 compared to Dixon’s 3.4.

Pocono is up next
In the 50,000 simulations we did of the last races of the IndyCar season, no other driver won the championship besides these four. Newgarden and Rossi head into Pocono with a combined 97% chance of winning the title. There have been just three oval races so far this year, but Newgarden has the edge over Rossi in average starting (6) and finishing (2) position on these types of tracks. He also scores better in ATP (4.2) and ATP25 (1.9). A good weekend at Pocono could give him some breathing room in the points, but it won’t be easy. Rossi has had a good start to his career at Pocono with two podiums including a win in three races there. Newgarden has two podiums and no wins in six attempts.

These aren’t huge sample sizes, and I’d say these guys are about even. Newgarden with the advantage at ovals this season and Rossi with the advantage at Pocono the past few years. A DNF from either Rossi or Newgarden would probably flip the championship odds from “lean Newgarden” to “likely Newgarden” or to “lean Rossi” depending on who DNFs, so Rossi has more to lose than Newgarden does when it comes to a strategy gamble or risky overtake opportunities. I expect both of these guys to play it relatively safe (no high-risk-low-reward moves like we saw with Newgarden at Mid Ohio) at Pocono with three races still to go after. Pagenaud and Dixon might try to shake up the race a bit with alternative strategies given their longshot status too.

The Current Championship Odds

“Expected Championship Position”
The Expected Championship Position for each driver is the average championship finishing position we would “expect” from a driver if the end of the season were repeated infinite times. It is useful to get a point estimate forecast for each driver.

Statistical Information & Image Credit: TheSingleSeater.com (2019)

[Reference Here]

Sitting on the sidelines is only fun when one is engaged and informed.

So, with four races remaining in the 2019 season - ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway - Long Pond Pennsylvania, Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway - Madison Illinois, Grand Prix Of Portland at Portland International Raceway - Portland Oregon, Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca - Monterey California it's GREEN, GREEN, GREEN and may the best of outcomes prevail for all, even if the odds strongly favor Team Penske's 2017 NTT Series Champion to chalk-up a number two for his career in the double-points race at Monterey.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: INDYCAR, POCONO, GATEWAY, PORTLAND, LAGUNA SECA, POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP, Newgarden, Rossi Dixon, Pagenaud, The EDJE 

Historic Formula Atlantic Cars To Race 2020 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach Weekend

No. 75 Al Lader - Brabham BT40 followed by No. 2 Craig Hill - BT40 No. 91 Archie Snider - BT29 at FBRace-Spdwy-73-4. Image Credit: Mike G. Adams via FB Page, ‎An appreciation of Formula Atlantic

Historic Formula Atlantic Cars To Race 2020 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach Weekend

Next April 18-19, Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach fans will get a double dose of nostalgia when the Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge, featuring open-wheel race cars from the 1970s and 1980s, lights up the track for a doubleheader weekend.

The twin 20-minute races will run Saturday, April 18 along with the IMSA WeatherTech Championship race and Sunday, April 19, the same day as the NTT IndyCar Series race, with practice and qualifying on Friday.

The Formula Atlantic series ran at Long Beach from 1978-82 and 1989-2008 as one of the premier “feeder” series to top-level open-wheel racing. Drivers such as Bobby Rahal, Michael Andretti, Willy T. Ribbs, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser Jr., Jimmy Vasser and Jacques Villeneuve all raced at Long Beach as they worked their way up through the Formula Atlantic ranks. Two former Formula Atlantic drivers, Keke Rosberg and Villeneuve, became Formula One World Champions, while 1979 Long Beach Grand Prix winner Gilles Villeneuve was also a Formula Atlantic graduate. Several other Atlantic drivers were Indy Car champions over the years. The Rosberg, Villeneuve and Rahal cars – along with many others – are expected to be in the race field at Long Beach.

The historic event at Long Beach will be sanctioned by the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA)

“Hosting the historic Formula Atlantic cars are a natural at Long Beach,” said Cris Vandagriff, president of the HMSA. “Many of the ‘movers and shakers’ in IndyCar today got their start in Formula Atlantic. It will be so exciting to see these cars on the Streets of Long Beach again and have many of the former drivers attend the Formula Atlantic autograph session. All the cars will be authentic in every detail including the livery they ran in-period.”

“We are excited to be able to showcase these vintage Atlantic cars to our fans in a doubleheader format,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “This will give our fans more on-track action and that added race will be a big part of an enhanced Sunday schedule that we are putting together for the 2020 Acura Grand Prix.”

Off the track, the Acura Grand Prix will have evening concerts, free to Friday and Saturday race ticket holders, along with the popular Lifestyle Expo and Family Fun Zone, the Food Truck Experience, Mothers Exotic Car Paddock (Sunday only) and driver autograph sessions from all race series. Fans will also see lower beer prices and healthier food options throughout the venue.

Tickets will go on public sale beginning Oct. 21, with fans able to renew their 2019 seats beginning Aug. 19. Ticket prices range from $34 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $155 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: Formula Atlantic, HMSA, Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach, #AGPLB, Cris Vandagriff, Jim Michaelian, The EDJE

Da Kine Will Rogers Competes In NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race At Sonoma Raceway

Will Rodgers (Orange No. 40 Ford Fusion) lines up through Turn 9 for a restart behind the Sonoma Raceway Official Pace Car Toyota Camry. Image Credit: Kai Robertson (2019)

Da Kine Will Rodgers Competes In NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race At Sonoma Raceway

Yes! You read this correctly. It doesn't happen that often but a person born in the state of Hawaii finds himself competing at the beginning rungs of high-level American motorsports competition, in the Levin Racing No. 40 Ford Fusion sponsored by Risk Management / Port of Tucson.

Third car from the front (Orange No. 40 Ford Fusion), Will Rodgers exits Turn 6, The Carousel, setting up for the long, uphill straight toward a potential passing opportunity at the right-hander at Turn 7. Image Credit: Kai Robertson (2019)

Will Rodgers, 24, shares a very memorable sounding name with a writer and cultural humorist from the first third of our last American century - Will Rogers, and although that he may posses a sense of humor & wit, Will is looking to make his mark as a race car driver ... from Maui!

While he competed a full season in the K&N Pro Series West in 2017 and finished 5th in points within a field of 14 drivers who drove every race in the season (total drivers who scored points - 64), his first and only race in the 2019 K&N Pro Series West season was at Sonoma Raceway's Procore 200.

Will Rodgers during pre-race press conference at Sonoma Raceway before the Procore 200, Will first K&N Pro Series West race of the 2019 season. Image Credit: Kai Robertson (2019)

During the Q & A Session on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway Will Rodgers was asked how is this year's track configuration different than last year. Rodgers stated, "With the carousel, one needs to be more conservative at coming down to the carousel [from Turn 4 through Turn 5], it's a huge rise getting over from the top [entering Turn 6] and when you do it right, the car stays planted; but if you do it wrong, it comes up out of the race track, you start to wheel hop and then you're trying to get it to land in the right spot."

Noah Grayson wins Procore 200 NASCAR Pro Series West at Sonoma Raceway. Image Credit: Kai Robertson (2019)

This kid could use a full-time ride, in many ways he has earned consideration - in this, his first race of the season, in an unfamiliar car, prepared for him by a new team, he qualified at P8 and finished the race advancing two positions ahead at P6.

Race Results >>>

This, in itself shows progression, especially understanding that the track Rodgers raced at and won on before was now in a new and more difficult configuration, he was additionally passed by two drivers from behind which means he actually bested four drivers in order to finish in this strong P6 in a field of 32 drivers who competed in the K&N Pro Series West Procore 200.

Will Rodgers leads a gaggle of cars through Turn 8. Image Credit: Kai Robertson (2019)

Aloha in the Hawaiian language can be understood as either Hello or Goodbye. For a car owner and sponsors who like to see a consistent top ten finish, Da Kine Will Rodgers should hear a welcomed Aloha before the end of the season because, for Will, there will not be an Aloha heard in regards to becoming a full time Kamaaina race car driver who hails originally from our 50th state - Mahalo.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Hawaii, Maui, Will Rodgers, Sonoma Raceway, K&N Pro Series West, Procore 200, Levin Racing, No. 40, Ford Fusion, Risk Management, Port of Tucson, Kai Robertson, The EDJE

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"

Lessons Learned In The Needs-Satisfaction World Of "Chasing Perfect"
The first half in a life lived as a motorcycle competitor, artist, pursuer of nature, perfectionist and ... mobility solutions designer, Frank Stephenson.

"Chasing Perfect" is a documentary style film production by Salon Pictures and Lionsgate UK that is a biographical look behind the curtain of the creative and commercially productive life of Casablanca born, Frank Stephenson.

So, just who is this man who was placed into our everyday mobility consciousness?

Listing of the documentary that Salon Pictures, with a distribution partnership through Lionsgate, found as the working title of an active project on the Salon Pictures website. Image Credit: Salon Pictures (2018)

Many people are not aware, but they are met with Stephenson designed solutions when outside of their homes through the traveling designs of the Ford Escort, the BMW X5, the re-birth of the MINI, the modern version of the Fiat 500, as well as the establishment of McLaren in the world of (can this be said?) everyday drive and affordable supercar - a calculation most supercar creators and purveyors do not consider when they create a near 200mph, or better, transportation solution that is meant to be reliably driven (as opposed to being tinkered with in the tune-up shop) everyday.

To label Frank as an artist minimizes the totality of what evolves through the many influences and points of information designer Stephenson has to consider and digest before he is given a target assignment objective and places a drawing instrument to a sheet of paper.

Caught in the act of enjoying pursuits of perfection in the McLaren presentation space along the 18th Fairway at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - Frank and his wife, partner, best friend, co-pilot of "Riverbreeze", and co-lover of Bernese Shepherds, Linda Stephenson. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

This documentary evolves into an enticing study in the life of an eternally young man who understands that perfection is elusive but for one convergent moment, achievable, given that ultimately, what's produced has to deliver its desired effect, one customer at a time.

This is the very reason why anyone who engages in pursuits that are designed to hit their target, be it a grocer, a lawyer, a boat builder, a healthcare specialist, a government services employee, a salesman, a teacher, a small business owner, or even a CEO would benefit from sitting down and investing an hour and thirty-one minutes experiencing "Chasing Perfect" with one who is never satisfied ... even when the project is over.

These viewing minutes will deliver many lessons when one wishes to become competent at chasing the concept of perfection throughout one's life.

"Chasing Perfect" can be acquired in North America as of July 9th, 2019 via digital download order, streaming, and DVD purchase through the following resources.

Amazon
iTunes
Google Play
REDBOX
VUDU

... or, just Search for your favorite portal of choice.

Author - Notes From The EDJE and Managing Editor - Performance & Racing Tech Talk Edmund Jenks appears in the documentary at about 3 minutes and 50 seconds stating "Between the MINIs, the Fiat 500s, the uh, BMW X5s ... when you just drive around & you are not even thinking about Frank ... Frank is in front of you everyday. Image Credit: Salon Pictures/1091 (2019)

UPDATE:

Chasing Perfect - PLEX (free streaming portal)

Chasing Perfect - CRACKLE (free streaming portal)

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Frank Stephenson, Chasing Perfect, Salon Pictures, Lionsgate UK, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, 1091, Ford, Escort, McLaren, Ferrari, Maserati, BMW X5, Mini, Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, ArtCenter College Of Design, Stewart Reed, The EDJE

Carlin Dunne Dies Doing What He Did Best At The 97th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Carlin Dunne, 36, as he gives a segment of his preparations on the final day of practice before tackling qualifications and the 97th Running Of The Race To The Clouds. Image Credit: Ducati via video (2019)

Carlin Dunne Dies Doing What He Did Best At The 97th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Santa Barbara's preeminent motorcycle dealership, Ducati of Santa Barbara, lost one of its partners last Sunday while challenging a new record time for a motorcycle on the 97th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb - Carlin Dunne.

Dunne was a four-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner. Having been crowned the motorcycle winner in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018, Dunne had achieved legendary status at the Pikes Peak race. He set the course record in 2012, though that was eventually broken in 2017 by Chris Fillmore. Dunne became only the seventh person to die during events related to practices and/or class races related to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in it 97 year history.

The race is run on a 12.42-mile public toll-road and is comprised of 156 turns as competitors climb 4,720 feet, from the 9,390 feet start line to the 14,115 feet finish line at the mountain’s summit.

We've arrived. After a long road to get here, we are starting the race week today. Stay tuned for daily updates from the crew and I. #ducati #ducatistreetfighter #ducatistreetfighterv4 #v4 #carlindunne #pikespeak #colorado Image Credit: Carlin Dunne Instagram (2019)

Simply stated, Carlin Dunne lost control in a highsiding movement of his prototype Ducati Streetfighter V4 at about 20 yards (initial reports had this at about 1/4 of a mile) from the Finish Line at the top of Pikes Peak.

At the time of the loss of control and the Ducati flew off of the mountain, race officials announced an order to all photographers - LENS CAPS!

Landscaping the corners is just one of the many techniques used to gain time on the climb up the mountain. Image Credit: Carlin Dunne FB Page (2019) 

This excerpted and edited from The Gazette -

The hour without media: Pikes Peak Hill Climb shuts down press after Carlin Dunne's crash
By: Evan Petzold  Jul 2, 2019

The moment Carlin Dunne crashed, everything changed.
----
In a moment when the only way for anyone to find out about the crash was via news reporters and photographers on the scene, race officials silenced them. For one hour and 20 minutes, there was no official information on social media or the live radio broadcast about the crash.

Photographers were told not to photograph; reporters were told not to report.

"As with all incidents on Pikes Peak, we need the scene to be clear from media and spectators so the safety team can attend to the victim in a quick and effective manner," PPIHC Executive Director Megan Leatham said.

However, the media at the time was more than 50 feet from the safety team and was never told to clear the area, just stop reporting.

Here's what happened inside the hour without media at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, told by photographers Parker Seibold and Katie Klann, reporters Lindsey Smith, George Stoia and myself.

10:29 a.m. – Dunne crashes
Katie Klann: I could hear the final racer making his way up the final stretch. I looked through my lens and saw the man waving the checkered flag drop his flags and raise his right hand to his head. I looked over my shoulder to see shrapnel, parts of Dunne’s bike, fly over the edge of the mountain roughly 20 yards before the finish line. The man at the finish line immediately started to yell into his headset for an ambulance and ran over to the outside edge of the road. Human instinct led Parker and me to follow.

Parker Seibold: I heard what sounded like a crash and saw Carlin Dunne and his bike both fly through the corner of my frame before disappearing over the side of the mountain. In those seconds that the crash happened, I captured 22 images chronicling a man at the finish line lowering the checkered flags and grabbing his head as Carlin and his bike flew across the road and approximately 30 feet down the side of the mountain.  I held my shutter down unsure of what I was even really capturing until after the moment had passed.

Lindsey Smith: I was talking to Rennie (Scaysbrook) outside the Summit House right after he had finished, and I saw the helicopter start circling. I asked a Pikes Peak official if that should be concerning, and he said, 'No.' Then he said, 'Well, maybe' and ran away. I ran over and saw ambulance lights flashing at the finish line, so I went to listen to the radio broadcast in the Summit House where I found George.

Katie: The ambulance arrived, coming from the top of the mountain, and a man and woman hopped out and looked over the edge. They put on gloves, opened the back of the ambulance, grabbed a few supplies and headed over the edge towards Dunne.

George Stoia: I was sitting in the Summit House when the crash happened. I was expecting Dunne to be the winner and was writing the quick race story when the radio broadcast said, ‘Carlin has yet to cross the finish line.’ Lindsey came in and said she thought Dunne had crashed and was going to the finish line. I kept listening to the radio, which just kept saying he hadn’t crossed the finish line. There was no mention of a crash or what exactly happened.

Lindsey: I told George to stay in the Summit House to listen to the broadcast, and I ran to the finish line. I saw stretchers being pulled out, but there was no sign of Carlin or his bike. At that point, I was midway up the pile of boulders and pulled out my phone to tweet. I was told to put my phone away. I responded that I was just going to tweet, but a female Pikes Peak worker said it didn't matter and that I couldn't report anything I saw. She said it would be better if I just left.

By the time Lindsey was getting ready to depart the scene of the accident, I had made my way to the finish line from the final turn, which is where I took the last published video and picture of Dunne. Sprinting at 14,000 feet wasn't easy, but I knew something was fishy when I hadn't received a text message from Lindsey.

When I got to the scene, Lindsey was there – clearly frustrated about the shutdown of media coverage.

In order to have a reporter at the spot of the accident, I took Lindsey's place. The moment I came into the sight of race officials, I was told to put my camera away. I didn't even have time to digest what I was looking at. When I tried to access my phone in order to message my co-workers, I was promptly told to get rid of that, as well.

10:41 a.m. – Cameras, phones away
Katie: I sent a text saying, “I’m about to cry. He wrecked right in front of me."

Parker: I climbed up a pile of rocks and got five frames of the ambulance that had just come down from the summit before hearing someone yell, “LENS CAPS.” The phrase was repeated over and over again before the race officials were sure all cameras were either turned around or had lens caps. After pulling my cameras behind my back, an official asked me to turn around a camera that was on a tripod in the rocks. I told her it wasn’t mine and tried to explain the camera was off, and she said she didn’t care. I turned it around.

While the photographers put their cameras and phones away, I spent my time chatting with a race official about what happened. By that time, there were 10 cars – three race safety trucks, one ambulance, two search and rescue vehicles, three Jeeps and one other car. Since I was at the final turn, I did not get a chance to see the accident. However, the race official's story aligned perfectly with that of our photographers. He spent time talking with two videographers from Bentley and myself, uncovering every piece of detail.

Of course, I decided to write it all down, since pen and paper don't have a camera.

10:51 a.m. – Pen, paper also banned
George: When I got to the finish line, I was immediately told to put my phone away, which I had been using to text Lindsey about what was happening. As I walked up, Evan was told to put his notepad away or else it would be confiscated.

I was confused.

George: Evan asked why he couldn’t take notes, to which a race official responded, "Hey buddy, you need to calm down or else they will escort you off the mountain." At this point, they were starting to repel down the side of the mountain to find Dunne.

Frustrated at my inability to do my job, considering we were the only print media covering the event, I argued back. Nobody from The Gazette was breaking the law or disobeying the media regulations set in place before the event, so I didn't see a reason why we weren't allowed to work in order to tell the story of Dunne's accident.

Instead, everyone sat in silence.

10:58 a.m. – Rescuers recover Dunne
George: After being told he might be escorted off the mountain, Evan finally left the finish line. I stayed and kept time stamps on my Apple Watch. Thankfully, that doesn't have a camera. At 11:01 a.m. Dunne was pulled off the mountain on a stretcher. At 11:04 a.m. he was put into an ambulance.

Katie: I told Parker that I felt sick and my knees were shaking. Parker and I looked to the top of the mountain and saw a motorcyclist who had completed the race sitting with his head in his hands. As the search and rescue team pulled Dunne up over the ledge, they moved him from one stretcher to another and put him in the back of the ambulance.

11:06 a.m. - Dunne leaves mountain
George: Everything was silent. I couldn't see Dunne. At this point, it was completely silent. Nobody was talking except for the guys pulling him up. Once they got him up, they immediately put him into the ambulance on his stretcher. I couldn't see him, his body or if he was moving. All I saw were the ambulance doors open and shut. None of this was allowed to be photographed, videotaped or posted online. Or, in Evan’s case, written on a notepad.

Katie: The officials with PPIHC announced that no one was to cross the road to take photos of the bike, which they left in the rocks as the race started up again. They sternly asked who ran across the street and wrote down our vest numbers.

While all this was occurring, I was briefing Lindsey in the shuttle bus that got us to the summit.

Lindsey: I was writing the story and was just really concerned if our credentials were going to be pulled for what we witnessed.

George: It just felt like we were walking on eggshells with what we were writing because of the sensitivity of the topic and the threatening nature of how it was being handled by race officials.

After Lindsey published her story, she instructed George to go get Parker and Katie from the scene of the accident. They returned to the bus to give an eyewitness account of what they saw.

Parker: Katie and I had a conversation about the ways we could have told the story tastefully with images of the search and rescue team, or other moments following the accident without having the ethical dilemma of running images of a racer and their bike after the crash. We discussed the censorship that was occurring and both had the realization that the censorship was putting us and the race officials in a worse situation because we now had to decide if we were going to run images of the accident itself, rather than a tasteful image of first responders doing their job in order to do the story justice.

11:42 a.m. – Dunne pronounced dead, PPIHC officials stay silent

We didn't know anything. Nobody did. I assumed Dunne might have been OK. In reality, he wasn't. 

The time of his death was not made known until Monday.

PPIHC Executive Director Megan Leatham: The time of death was not called on Pikes Peak and no one informed us he passed until much later in the afternoon. Once we heard, we were in touch with his family and Ducati North America, and then we started on the press release.

Carlin Dunne - 16th May 1983 | 30th June 2019 - May God Be With You

11:52 a.m. – Race resumes

The race resumes following a lengthy delay. Robin Shute was the first to drive up Pikes Peak following Dunne's crash.

Dunne is dead. Nobody knows.

George: I felt like there was a cloud over the race. The day was fun and quickly turned into a terrible day. It was one of the most mentally draining events, especially since I didn't know if he was alive or dead. It was a thought I had in the back of my head the whole time.

12:30 p.m. – Teammate has no clue

I went to talk with Codie Vahsholtz, Dunne's racing teammate with Ducati North America. The two are close and spent countless days training together for the Hill Climb.

Even 48 minutes after Dunne's death, Vahsholtz thought he was alive and well.

Codie Vahsholtz: I heard from another teammate that he's going to be OK. That relieved some nerves from there.

12:58 p.m. – Family member reaches out

A member of Dunne's family reached out to Lindsey and was unaware of Dunne's status, even though he had already died. The Gazette updated the family member with what Vahsholtz said in the prior interview.

Lindsey: Since there was no official information from Pikes Peak officials, I had 10 different people ask me via Twitter what was going on regarding Dunne.

1:55 p.m. – Another message from Dunne's inner circle

Nearly an hour after the first message, Lindsey received another. This time it was from another person close to Dunne's family stating the racer died in the accident.

3:37 p.m. – Everyone must leave summit

Pikes Peak officials announced on Twitter that the Hill Climb was going to a shortened course due to weather. Everyone on the mountain was quickly rushed to their vehicles , ultimately separating themselves from the scene of Dunne's accident.

3:37 p.m. – Media is informed of Dunne's death

At the exact same time as Pikes Peak officials were intently moving racers and media to their vehicles, an announcement hit the email accounts of those covering the race. The radio also reported the news at the same time: Dunne was dead.

From the moment Dunne crashed to the time he died, 73 minutes passed.

From the moment Dunne was pronounced dead to the time his death was announced, 162 minutes passed.

July 1 – No new information released

July 2, 2:40 p.m. – Dunne's accident information announced
It had been nearly 48 hours since the media was informed of Dunne's death when Pikes Peak officials sent out a press release regarding the internal investigation of the fatality. The report said there were no signs of mechanical failure, but "it appears that the rider highsided coming into the last turn before the finish line," the statement said.

Highsiding is when there is a quick jolt of the bike around the steering axis point.

The report said nothing about a bump in the road at the spot where Dunne went down – though a bump was mentioned Sunday by other racers, Vahsholtz, Lucy Glöckner and Chris Fillmore, and such a bump can cause a highside accident.

Vahsholtz: I would call it a whoops section. It's pretty smooth until you get to where Carlin went down.

Glöckner: The end of the complete track, like the last one or two miles, it's really dangerous for the bikes, and the cars. But you never control the bike because the bumps are so deep and you want smooth and fast.

Fillmore: There are a lot of bumps. This whole course, that's what makes this place unique. It's not a polished track where everything is perfect. You're battling the road and the conditions that are served up.

Race officials said they didn't consider stopping the race after word of Dunne's death.
[Reference Here]

Born into motorcycling, Dunne’s father, a South African road racer and former Isle of Man competitor, made sure there was a small bike waiting for Carlin when he was born. Living above his family’s 1,000 sq. ft. motorcycle repair shop until the age of seven, it’s no surprise that his toys growing up consisted of old engine parts.

For Dunne, a life dedicated to two and four-wheeled motorsports was almost inevitable. Being a professional motorcycle racer himself, Dunne's father understood the hardships that came along with the profession and thus never forced the same life upon his son. As a result, Carlin dabbled in all different discipline's during his youth. Competing out of desire and not out of necessity allowed for Dunne to develop a lifelong obsession for perfecting his craft.

With a storied career that has more twists and turns than Pikes Peak, Dunne has seen both brilliance and despair, spending time atop the podium and on occasion, a hospital bed. The culmination of which has honed a radically diverse skill set. One that requires a no B.S. approach to getting the job done as safely and efficiently as possible.

Rest In Peace, Carlin Dunne.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Carlin Dunne, Pikes Peak, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Ducati, Santa Barbara, Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype, The EDJE

Not So 'Simple Simon' Throws A 'Simon Says' Curve Into The Finale Of The 103rd INDY500

Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud looks skyward, with an empty milk bottle in each hand, as he completes a sweep of the NTT IndyCar Series (NICS) activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the "Month-Of-May." After having a lackluster year without wins in all of 2018, and having a dismal start through the first four races in 2019, Simon re-establishes his rightful place in the list of top accomplished drivers in the NICS. He did this by qualifying with a NTT P1 Pole Award followed by a victory in the IMS road course event the INDYCAR Grand Prix, then capturing the NTT P1 Pole Award followed by a victory in the IMS oval race known as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" - 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He started May at P11 in the driver championship points standings, and ended May by leading in the 2019 championship points race by one point over teammate Josef Newgarden. Image Credit: Tristan Vautier (2019)

Not So 'Simple Simon' Throws A 'Simon Says' Curve Into The Finale Of The 103rd INDY500

This edition of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge did not succumb to the dire predictions (as high as an 80% chance) of a rain influenced contest. The INDY500 did not come down to a precisely managed fuel consumption strategy session, thanks to accident miscues on the track late in the race, much to the chagrin of Spencer Pigot and Scott Dixon, as well as the joy  who were beginning to reel in the leaders if this test continued its long Green Flag stints.

No, this sixth race of a seventeen race NTT IndyCar Series season came down to an ample number of laps at the end to provide a real racers shootout which ended up in a ratings increase win with an online survey result at IndyCar.com insta-poll in the very high 9's on a 10 point scale.

Simply stated, Simon Pagenaud was able to cap off a Month-Of-May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that only one other competitor dreamed of and completed - the 2018 season of Team Penske teammate Will Power.

Front straightaway opening ceremonies included a very patriotic display with all of the trappings - Troops standing at attention, a couple of flyovers, the National Anthem sung by Kelly Clarkson, and the President of the Hulman & Company, Tony George announcing the call to start engines. Image Credit: Jason Porter via NICS (2019)

The following race notation was performed in real time using audio to text from cellphone into an email message. Images folded in are from the ample staff at IndyCar.com with a potential contribution from Social Media timelines.

Matt Damon and Christian Bale (L to R). Image Credit: Walter Khun via NICS (2019)

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN from Matt - GREEN, GREEN, GREEN from Christian ...

Matt Damon and Christian Bale as honorary flag starters of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge get this party started as the 10 rows of 33 cars come to the yard of bricks Start/Finish line. This marks the first time NBC has ever broadcast the INDY500 in it's 103 years of running "The Greatest Spectacle Of Racing."

Right at the drop of the Green Flags from Damon and Bale, the Honda and Chevrolet powered Dallara IndyCars begin to track at 220mph average laps for 500 miles in "The Greatest Spectacle Of Racing." Image Credit: Jason Porter via NICS (2019)

First lap is in the books without incident and Ed Carpenter is pushing Simon Pagenaud - Will Power gets a tremendous start and ends up at P3 - up from his second row outside P6 position. The racing between Will Power, Spencer Pigot and Josef Newgarden in these opening laps is superb - just excellent.

Lap 5 Colton Herta is coming into the pits and he's coming in slowly. It looks like an electronic problem.

Colton Herta did not make it all the way back into the pits so FCY - Full Course Yellow to tow the car into the pits on Lap 6.

Top 10 on restart will be Pagenaud, Carpenter, Power, Pigot, Newgarden, Jones, Bourdais, Rossi, Daly, and Castroneves.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Lap 11

Marco Andretti Sage Karam and Felix Rosenqvist are first to pit.

Colton Herta out - DNF

 Lap 20 of 200 - Top 10  are Pagenaud, Power, Carpenter, Pigot, Newgarden, Rossi, Bourdais , Jones, Davidson, & Daly.

29 laps in and already 100 passes for position on track. No passes for lead, however.

Pagenaud and other leaders begin pit stops at lap 34. Will Power assumes lead for two laps. The rest of the field will soon follow.

Marco Andretti, U.S. Concrete and Andretti Autosport showed of the No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb machine that the third-generation driver piloted during the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The day-glow red car closely resembles the 1969 race-winning livery of Mario Andretti, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his memorable Indianapolis 500 victory. Sadly, Marco finished the race as the last car running at the end - P26 - five laps behind the leader. Image Credit: Mike Harding via NICS (2019)

Marco Andretti comes in for second Pitstop - already.

Davidson comes into pits and enters pit sideways. Castroneves messes up on his Pit Stop by rear-ending Davidson and damages front wing.

Sato doing back-to-back pit stops because of a messed up tire installation.

Castroneves is penalized a drive-through penalty for tapping the back end of Davidson's car.

50 laps in the books - 125 miles of 500. Top 10 are Pagenaud, Power, Carpenter, Newgarden, Rossi, Bourdais, Pigot, Jones, Daly, & Erickson.

Lap 56 Ben Hanley comes in coasting. Tire change and mechanical issue discovered. Drive shaft disconnected.

Dale Coyne Racing's American Santino Ferrucci gained INDY500 Rookie Of The Year by being the hard charger through starting at P23 and finishing in the Top 10 at P7. In the post race press conference, Ferrucci said, "I got to battle it out almost the entire race with Hunter-Reay, who's a champion here, and I can't thank him enough because the experience that you get racing someone like that and the enjoyment and excitement of racing around other competitors like him, it was just a blast." Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2019)

Lap 60 Rookie Santino Ferrucci started at P23 and is now up to P14.

Lap 65 and race leader Pagenaud is coming in for his second Pit Stop. Other leader pit stops to follow.

Power squirrely coming into pit box - taps Fueler with left rear of car.

The Chevy-powered Indy cars may be fast but they are pitting a little earlier than the Honda-powered cars.

Alexander Rossi squirrely coming to the blend line into pit stop - coming in a little fast.

Scott Dixon is last of top drivers to pit. He went 37 Laps on his first Pit Stop stent it is now Lap 73 and he comes in.

Lap 74 - Full Course Yellow brought on by Kyle Kaiser of Juncos Racing.

Big impact on pit lane because a car comes in sideways hitting tires by Jordan King.

Before FCY, Will Power did not do well in Pitstop exchanges coming in from P2 and entering to the field P6.  Power is penalized for hitting crew member in pit box with slide, penalized to the back of the field.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Lap 79. Top 10 our Pagenaud, Carpenter, Newgarden, Rossi, Bourdais, Piggott, Dixon, Erickson, Daly, & Rahal.

Will Power, after penalty, now settles in at P21. Speaks on radio, to the pits, saying that his day may be over.

Lap 90 has Ed Carpenter at P2 taking advantage of Simon Pagenaud cutting a hole in the air.

Halfway point Lap100 - Simon Pagenaud pits from the lead leaving Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Sebastian Bourdais, Conor Daly, Simon Pigot, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Graham Rahal, & Santino Ferrucci behind.

Those pitting at the end of sequence are Alexander Rossi and Scott Dixon. Lap 112 Dixon comes into pits.

Things are getting racy as Felix Rosenqvist pits. Alexander Rossi is now at P2 challenging Simon Pagenaud for the lead.

Lap 125 of 200 - Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, Sebastien Bourdais, Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, & Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Lap 131 - Simon Pagenaud comes in to pits.

Marcus Ericsson spins in Pit Road and there's a problem with Alexander Rossi with the Buckeye fueling nozzle - it's not going in cleanly - super delay on pit stop for a Rossi of 23 seconds.

Full Course Yellow Lap 139? -  Marcus Ericsson spins as he comes into the pits and hits the wall. This Yellow may mess up Scott Dixon's race, he has not pitted yet.

Dixon, Rosenqvist, and Ferrucci come into the pits after achieving good pit strategy with fuel mileage.

19 cars on the lead lap and Alexander Rossi gets clobbered with a terrible Pit Stop placing him at P6.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Lap 149 - top 10 are Simon Pagenaud, Ed Carpenter, Josef Newgarden, Sebastien Bourdais, Alexander Rossi (up to five), Conor Daly, Ryan Hunter Reay, Charlie Kimball, Graham Rahal, and Scott Dixon.

Incredible action all around Alexander Rossi he was passed by many cars & he passed many cars back - one of them in the mix is lap down Oriol Servia.

2019 Championship points leader Josef Newgarden passes Simon Pagenaud for the lead on lap 151. First time Simon Pagenaud has been passed on-the-track for the lead all race.

For those who identify themselves as charter members of the "Short Attention Span Theater" ... the rave environment of the Snake Pit may be the best place to pass the time of a 500 mile race once the first GREEN Flag flies until the last laps before the CHECKERED Flag and the milk shower in Victory Lane takes place. Image Credit: Stephen King via NICS (2019)

Conor Daly Lap 156 moves up to P4 as the action behind him with Rossi and Oriol Servia gets crazy.

Racing becomes a little more stable but they are all tracking within a half a second of each other in the top five or six places.

Rossi is driving like a man possessed - he just now passed Conor Daly for P4.

With Josef Newgarden leading, Simon Pagenaud is able to save fuel for the first time in this race.

Simon Pagenaud comes into the pits at lap 169.

Lap 173 Pagenaud reassumes the lead in Pit Stop sequences.

The top Racers who have pitted are now nose-to-tail on Lap 177 with Pagenaud, Rossi, Carpenter, Newgarden, Bourdais, & Rahal all running together.

Big crash on Lap 178 YELLOW Flag - Crash caused when Sebastian Bourdais came down on Graham Rahal as he was attempting a pass going into Turn 3 - Rahal's right-front wheel touched Bourdais' left-rear wheel - Rahal had a bent right suspension arm, Bourdais was sent spinning - collected cars as they drove into crash.

Zach Veach and Felix Rosenqvist are also taken out. Santino Ferrucci slides pass the accidents by cutting left through the grass onto the inner circular pit-in/pit-out lane (designed by Rick Mears), misses all of the collected traffic, and gains positions.

Image Credit: Walter Khun via NICS (2019)

Race is under RED Flag stop - all cars to pit lane (no work allowed) in order to clean up the track.

Felix Rosenqvist, Graham Rahal, Sebastien Bourdais, Charlie Kimball, & Zach Veach all out. Scott Dixon gets through but has front wing damage and continues further back in the grid after service.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Lap 189 of 200 -

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com -

Engines have re-fired and the Indianapolis 500 has resumed after a RED FLAG delay of 18 minutes.

Lap 181: Leader 21-Pigot enters closed pit for fuel only. LEAD CHANGE (26): New leader is 27-Rossi.

Lap 182: Pits are open. 21-Pigot, 9-Dixon and 5-Hinchcliffe on pit road for four tires and fuel. 9-Dixon also made repairs for damage sustained in the Lap 178 incident.

 Race Control: These cars need to drive through pit lane, as they are lapped cars: 24, 60, 77, 48, 3, 7, 42, 23, 98.

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Lap 187 of 200 - 27-Rossi leads the field out of Turn 4 to start-finish. 22-Pagenaud makes pass for the lead on the frontstretch

Lap 188; 27-Rossi makes pass for the lead in Turn 1.

Lap 189: 22-Pagenaud takes the lead with a pass on the frontstretch.

Lap 190: 22_Pagenaud leads 27-Rossi by 0.1617 of a second.

Lap 195: 22-Pagenaud leads 27-Rossi by 0.1264 of a second. As Pagenaud enters each of the long straightaways of this unique rectangle style oval track, he shows that he is leading by diving to the inside track wall doing his best to throw a curve to Rossi in his attempts to catch by owning Pagenaud's draft (the hole the leading car creates which allows the car behind to gain speed through the reduced friction of no-air).

Lap 196: 22-Pagenaud leads 27-Rossi by 0.1177 of a second.

Lap 197: 22-Pagenaud leads 27-Rossi by 0.0077 of a second.  Further, Simon plays a driving game of Simon Says, by diving to the inside wall, as soon Alexander follows suit to maintain the draft, Simon pops toward the outside wall, then as Rossi begins to make his adjustment, pops back to the inside - the very opposite of blocking ... cutting the draft.

Lap 198: 27-Rossi makes pass for lead around outside of Turn 1 - Simon Says to Alexander, go on by, see you in half a lap.

Lap 199: 22-Pagenaud passes 27-Rossi for the lead in Turn 3. WHITE Flag: Pagenaud leads 27-Rossi at the line by .3439 of a second.

Lap 200: CHECKERED Flag: Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge by 0.2086 of a second over Alexander Rossi.

The 2016 NTT IndyCar Series champion, Team Penske driver, & due to his performance in The-Month-Of-May - 2019 Championship points leader - Simon Says - I Win!

Image Credit: Walter Khun via NICS (2019)

INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE QUICK NOTES:

Simon Pagenaud is fifth French-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500. The last French-born driver to win was Gil de Ferran in 2003. De Ferran is Brazilian citizen but was born in Paris. Pagenaud is the first Frenchman to win since Gaston Chevrolet in 1920.

Today’s win is Simon Pagenaud’s second win of 2019 and his 13th career Indy car victory.

Pagenaud became the second consecutive driver to win both the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Indianapolis 500 in the same season. Will Power accomplished the feat

It is the 18th Indianapolis 500 win for Team Penske, which is the most among all entrants. The team’s last Indianapolis 500 win was 2018 when Will Power won the race.

Alexander Rossi finished second, his third top-five finish in four Indianapolis 500 starts. Rossi has not finished outside the top 10 at Indianapolis

Takuma Sato finished third, his second podium finish at the Indianapolis 500. His only other podium was when he won in 2017.

103rd INDIANAPOLIS 500 presented by Gainbridge TOP THREE QUICK QUOTES:

Simple! Simon covers himself in White Gold, better, White Privilege ... the traditional bottle of milk bath of an INDY500 win in Victory Lane. Image Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher via NICS (2019)

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, winner): “It’s hard to believe right now, to be honest with you. It’s been such an intense race. I believe we led most of the race. The car was just on rails. The yellows came out perfectly. The stars are aligned. Man, wow, I’m seeing myself on TV with this. It’s pretty amazing. It’s a dream come true, a lifetime of trying to achieve this. So I’m just speechless. It’s just incredible. I never expected to be in this position, but I certainly was trying to make it as hard as I could. I want to thank the fans. The fans are amazing. It was awesome to share that with you guys on the Yard of Bricks. You’re the best, Indianapolis.” (Did questions about your job security motivate you?): “It didn’t. I’m just focused on the job, man. When you have a car like this, a team like this, you just work your way. It’s all about achieving and executing at the end, and we did execute perfectly today. No mistakes. Here we are, Victory Lane, man. We did it!”

Post race Alex taking a moment - It is always hard when one does everything that can to overtake, maintain a margin, and win when your competitor happens to have just one more tool in his box. Image Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher via NICS (2019)

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda, second): (What was the difference at the end?): “Horsepower. That’s unfortunately the way it is. They did a great job. Obviously, he was on pole and led the most laps, but I think we had the superior car. We just didn’t have enough there at the end. Huge hat’s off to the entire No. 27 NAPA Andretti Autosport team. They’ve been fantastic all month, and I’m happy to get them a result. But unfortunately, nothing else matters here but winning. This one will be hard to get over, but at the end of the day, it was a great showing for the team and good for the points overall. But today will suck for a while.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver and 2017 INDY500 Champion Takuma Sato. Sato finished in P3 Podium position only 0.3413 seconds behind winner Pagenaud. Image Credit: Richard Dowdy via NICS (2019)

TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda, third): “We had some issue on the second pace lap, and we got down. It was lucky that we got back. And the last 15 laps were great excitement. Huge congratulations to Simon (Pagenaud). A big win. We tried to get Alex (Rossi), but we were not quite there yet.” (Did you think you could run this well?): “It’s always challenging. It’s always difficult. We just kept our heads down, did our job and made the most of it.”

In the end, 35 year-old Simon Pagenaud had to fight a not so simple drive from beginning to end by leading the field in a "follow me" - "catch me if you can" - "Simon Says" snake-like lead curving drive at the end, to win against all comers by 0.2080 seconds, so as to soak in the ultimate white privilege of a bottle (or two) of milk splash tradition in Victory Lane.

He enters next weekend's two-race Detroit Grand Prix closed street course challenge leading by one point in the season championship - here's to keeping the charge alive, The EDJE says.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: 103rd Indianapolis 500, IMS, Pagenaud, Simon says, Rossi, Sato, Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing, Snake Pit, The EDJE

Niki Lauda Passes At Age 70 - Social Tributes Rich In Admiration

Favorite Lauda quote as posted by Journalist, Podcast personality, and MPG colleague Mark Greene on his Facebook timeline. Image Credit: Mark Greene via FB (2019) 

Niki Lauda Passes At Age 70 - Social Tributes Rich In Admiration

Niki Lauda, born Andreas Nikolaus Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019), was an Austrian Formula One driver, a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and an aviation entrepreneur. He was the only driver in F1 history to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport's two most successful constructors. He is widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.

As an aviation entrepreneur, he founded and ran three airlines: Lauda Air, Niki, and Lauda. He was a Bombardier Business Aircraft brand ambassador.

He was also a consultant for Scuderia Ferrari and team manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years. Afterwards, he worked as a pundit for German TV during Grand Prix weekends and acted as non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, of which Lauda owned 10%.

He passed away from complications undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney problems on 20 May 2019. Lauda died in his sleep at age 70 in the University Hospital of Zürich following a period of ill health. A statement issued on behalf of his family reported that he had died peacefully, surrounded by them.

Various current and former drivers and teams paid tributes on social media and during the Wednesday press conference session before the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix.
[ht: Wikipedia]

“But I also have everything well under control and I can analyze things properly. What drives me crazy is the amount of talking that goes on. I like to make my life simple. I get straight to the point. If it's my mistake, it's my mistake. In motor racing, you learn to achieve the best result in the shortest amount of time. It applies in life too. Be quicker than the others. And don't make mistakes. Even if things fail, have the discipline to find a new way, rather than embarking on a pointless emotional journey." ~ Niki Lauda.


James McNiff - April 17, 2015 
Flash Back Friday: In recognition of the LBGP this weekend; I am reposting this shot from 1976. Niki Lauda in his Ferrari 312T entering the Oueen's Hairpin 39 yrs. ago!


The person who liked childhood or indirectly lived the same era, or the people who were taking a big part of my memory, every time I leave the world, I feel that I am getting older too. It is the origin of the yeongmyeon-eul of the the. 

 Nikki Lauda (1949.2.22 ~ 2019.5.20) 

 The Photo was written at the time of the German Grand Prix in 1976 as a helmet of Nikki Lauda, which was held at the time of the 2012 Korea GP, and the help of the Mercedes-Benz Korea, which was taken at the time of the 2015-Year-OLD KOREA GP.

The Ferrari Museum of Maranello lit only Niki Lauda's F1 today! A great tribute, Ferrari style.

Bravo.

Ferrari's 2019 Monaco livery and helmet for Sebastian Vettel - Godspeed Grand Champion.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Niki Lauda, Ferrari, Formula 1, FIA, F1, BAR, BRM, Ferrari, McLaren, Austria, Lauda Air. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, The EDJE