The Alessandro Zanardi IndyCar Thread

Rabbi Gordon · Post by **Rabbi Gordon** » 26 Apr 2015, 22:27

As a HUGE Newgarden fan, today was a great day!

Amazing race and my favorite driver wins his first of (hopefully) many.

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 27 Apr 2015, 05:58

Dj_bereta wrote:I think I made a mistake in skipping this race.

You did. How Indycar should be.

Post by **Ataxia** » 27 Apr 2015, 11:12

Fantastic spectacle; great win for Newgarde, whilst Rahal drove brilliantly. I'm glad I started watching IndyCar this year!

RonDenisDeletraz · Post by **RonDenisDeletraz** » 27 Apr 2015, 11:33

Dracone may be the worst IndyCar driver since Marty Roth, but I like having at least one hopeless backmarker to get in the way

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 27 Apr 2015, 12:17

Congrats to Josef Newgarden (of CFH Racing which shares a common history with Fisher, Vision and Walker Racing) for winning his debut victory in the Verizon IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama, yesterday.
Also congrats to Graham Rahal who worked his way through the field in the latter stages of the race to a well-deserved 2nd place. That was very impressive to watch.

That was easily the best race of the season so far, and the best IndyCar race at Barber ever.

Juan Pablo Montoya of Team Penske is leading the points standings for Chevrolet, and James Hinchcliffe of Schmidt is currently the highest placed Honda-powered entry in 6th.

Here's very much looking forward to the USGP, pardon, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, where the new aero kits of these updated cars will run a race on a low downforce circuit for the first time. The different setups of the different teams should make things rather interesting there.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 29 Apr 2015, 17:23

JEFF GORDON IS DRIVING IN THE INDY 500

Okay, it's just the pace car but still

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 04 May 2015, 14:08

Is it just me, or does the Honda speedway aero kit look disappointing? The Chevy looks simple, but very clean. Nice to see the rear wing completely separate from the rest of the bodywork like they used to be.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 05 May 2015, 14:14

F1000X wrote:Is it just me, or does the Honda speedway aero kit look disappointing? The Chevy looks simple, but very clean. Nice to see the rear wing completely separate from the rest of the bodywork like they used to be.

Cant wait to see them up close at Pocono. Too bad they didn't ditch the airbox. If the bowtie had a roll hoop it'd be perfect.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 05 May 2015, 18:42

i'm still kind of peeved that IndyCar still makes them put those annoying cameras on the rear wings. and if i remember correctly and will have to be checked on this, the air-intakes are mandatory. i still have yet to see what kind of entry and exit speeds they're pulling in the turns, so for right now i can only speculate what'll be the quickest. my prediction for pole? Chevy. who do i think will win after 500 miles? Honda.
why? stability in a pack. the Chevy setup looks as though it should have decent, higher speeds due to less resistance, but because of the lack of fins and side vents on the rear wing, the air might be easily disrupted when driving in turbulent air currents. the Honda setup might have a bit more drag, but in a pack with all the turbulent air, the fins and panels on the sides of the wing should help it maintain a straight and true path at high speed.
the true test of my theories will be hard science and actually watching the race this month.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 09 May 2015, 15:20

soooo the new aero kits broke another track record.
Will Power scored the road course pole at 0:1:09.4866.
these are the times he was up against, if anything it's a testament to the raw speed of the old v10 f1 cars on the older, slower circuit.

Salamander · Post by **Salamander** » 09 May 2015, 20:54

It's occurred to me: why are we asking why is Rahal running well, and not why is Andretti running poorly? What if the Honda is actually a good car, and Andretti simply do not know how to get the most out of it?

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 10 May 2015, 15:19

ive also been thinking about that. maybe Andretti's setups are more suited to the older aero?

Post by **Londoner** » 14 May 2015, 21:35

Three big accidents at Indianapolis so far already. Helio Castroneves got loose in turn 1, slid into the wall backwards and flipped over, Pippa Mann has a big shunt on the home straight, and now Josef Newgarden's had almost a carbon copy of Helio's accident. Worrying times, especially so given that Castroneves and Newgarden are both running the same Chevy aero kit.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 14 May 2015, 22:21

i was just mentioning stability concerns with the chevy aero setup. endplates please? next season? maybe they get to use the kit update this season?

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 15 May 2015, 00:32

Anytime you run air backwards over a wing, lift will occur. It never happens in F1 as they never get backward at those speeds. It's nothing to worry about. Car doesn't flip nearly as much as the crapwagon.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 15 May 2015, 04:10

im more worried about lateral stability. keeping the yaw under control is a big issue on ovals. the hondas have the shark fin, swan necks, and endplates coupled with the front wing's endplates. the chevrolet's only have the front endplates, and that appears to be influencing the behavior of the rear end of the car, which doesnt have them to counteract any oversteer.

Post by **Londoner** » 17 May 2015, 12:32

And a third Chevy flips over during Indy 500 practice. Ed Carpenter got loose in turn 2, and had a carbon copy of Newgarden's Thursday shunt. Fortunately, he's OK, but the car is a write-off. With this effectively being Bump Day, looks like Short Bus Ed might not be racing next Sunday.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the Chevy teams having to use parts of the Dallara aero kit after this, this is getting ridiculous.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 17 May 2015, 13:23

wing endplates please!
or a shark-fin or something. anything thin and upright toward the rear of the car.

The Dutch Bear · Post by **The Dutch Bear** » 17 May 2015, 15:19

East Londoner wrote:And a third Chevy flips over during Indy 500 practice. Ed Carpenter got loose in turn 2, and had a carbon copy of Newgarden's Thursday shunt. Fortunately, he's OK, but the car is a write-off. With this effectively being Bump Day, looks like Short Bus Ed might not be racing next Sunday.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the Chevy teams having to use parts of the Dallara aero kit after this, this is getting ridiculous.

It is not entirely clear yet, but Indycar seems to be in panic. Reports are that cars now have to run race boost (down 40-50 hp) and run the race wings (wing angles can be changed) for qualifying. What a mess.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 17 May 2015, 17:44

What a joke. Cars are down 60bhp (according to Penske) and bits of the aero kits were thrown out.

And while I hate him, Graham Rahal made a good point, why do the Hondas get punished? None of them have flipped...

Indy keeps shooting itself in the foot.

pi314159 · Post by **pi314159** » 17 May 2015, 17:58

Wallio wrote:What a joke. Cars are down 60bhp (according to Penske) and bits of the aero kits were thrown out.

And while I hate him, Graham Rahal made a good point, why do the Hondas get punished? None of them have flipped...

Indy keeps shooting itself in the foot.

None of the Hondas have spun at full speed either. However, I don't think that running without the boost will fix the issue, as they were running without the boost when Helio and Newgarden flipped.

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 17 May 2015, 18:07

Aerokits are getting ridiculous. The cars are ugly as ever, bits of cars flying everywhere (most notable in the first race) and now the Chevys are getting airborne. Carpenter was very lucky, since his car hit the catch fence. BAN aerokits, at least for Ovals.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 17 May 2015, 20:24

or at least teach Chevrolet how to design one! who designs a 230mph speedway kit without lateral stability as a concern? coming down on the whole series is not the answer, especially when it's only chevrolet that's been having the issues.
seriously, guys. Chevy looked at a windtunnel model and went with top speed and low-resistance. bad idea.
the front wings hook the air hard going into the turns and that pushes down hard on the front corners a helluva lot harder than the back corners, which causes the back of the chevys to get light and swing around, removing downforce from the rear wing. we've clearly all seen what happens after that bit.
proof-positive of my theory, Pipa Mann's incident. car became unstable at high-speed, but was easy to save from spinning to to lateral force on all the fins and plates, until of course she hit the pit entry and that forced it. but AeroKit wise, the car was sound.
BIG FIX: get the chevy teams to use the older Dallara rear ends with the tiny fins. they aren't the best but they work.

Post by **mario** » 17 May 2015, 20:34

pi314159 wrote:
Wallio wrote:What a joke. Cars are down 60bhp (according to Penske) and bits of the aero kits were thrown out.

And while I hate him, Graham Rahal made a good point, why do the Hondas get punished? None of them have flipped...

Indy keeps shooting itself in the foot.

None of the Hondas have spun at full speed either. However, I don't think that running without the boost will fix the issue, as they were running without the boost when Helio and Newgarden flipped.

Carpenter was also reportedly not at full speed either - it seems he was building up to a qualifying lap when he crashed - so I'd agree that cutting the boost levels might not be enough if drivers were crashing at slower speeds.

As for the Honda's, whilst none of their aero kitted cars have crashed, there is a suggestion that their cars may also be vulnerable to a similar issue, even if their cars haven't crashed yet.
It is being suggested that one contributing factor to the crashes is the floors of the cars, which I believe are a standard design - whilst the cars were designed with vents at the front of the floor to try and prevent the front of the car from flipping at speed, if the car spins and faces backwards to its direction of travel, there is nothing to prevent the rear of the floor from generating lift and flipping the car.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 18 May 2015, 18:05

And Honda finally gets on the "bad crash" scoreboard. Bad enough Hinch is being taken to hospital, although he is awake and alert.

Indycar is quick to say that something broke and this wreck has nothing to do with the "four prior incidents". When did Pippa Man running out of talent become another aero kit wreck? Unbelievable.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 18 May 2015, 18:47

the sparks unerneath the car tell me a mechinical problem. and yes, pippa ran out of tealent, but it would've been worse. thats what i was saying
man hinch is a cool guy i've talked to him in baltimore, here's to hoping it isnt serious

Post by **Londoner** » 18 May 2015, 19:00

Get well soon Hinch. I'm getting more than just a little bit worried about the 500.

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 18 May 2015, 19:20

Hinch in surgery. Hopefully he'll race gain this season. Methinks the Oval kits need more testing.....

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 18 May 2015, 19:56

If Hinchcliffe is unable to take the start of the Indy 500, will Buddy Lazier be able to take up a place at the back of the grid?

The Dutch Bear · Post by **The Dutch Bear** » 18 May 2015, 20:44

dr-baker wrote:If Hinchcliffe is unable to take the start of the Indy 500, will Buddy Lazier be able to take up a place at the back of the grid?

If the SPM team has a back up car and most likely they have, they can start from last with the replacement driver. Given that he has already driven for SPM in the past and qualified James Davison's car, I think Tristan Vautier will replace Hinchcliffe

Dj_bereta · Post by **Dj_bereta** » 19 May 2015, 02:36

The Dutch Bear wrote:
dr-baker wrote:If Hinchcliffe is unable to take the start of the Indy 500, will Buddy Lazier be able to take up a place at the back of the grid?

If the SPM team has a back up car and most likely they have, they can start from last with the replacement driver. Given that he has already driven for SPM in the past and qualified James Davison's car, I think Tristan Vautier will replace Hinchcliffe

According with Fox Sports, Vautier will race in Europe in this weekend.

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/in ... ash-051815

F1000X · Post by **F1000X** » 19 May 2015, 05:27

Indycar and the media need to calm the bathplug down and let the week unfold. Courting a television audience that has a morbid fascination with the possibility of watching someone be maimed or killed live (something we Americans sell so well) is not the way to build interest in this race.

Idiots needs to beat Formula 1 to the punch if they want cars that will never go airborne. Big tires, no downforce, 1000HP.

CoopsII · Post by **CoopsII** » 19 May 2015, 11:59

F1000X wrote:Courting a television audience that has a morbid fascination with the possibility of watching someone be maimed or killed live (something we Americans sell so well) is not the way to build interest in this race.

Mmm. But it probably will.

Post by **Londoner** » 19 May 2015, 15:22

It turns out that James Hinchcliffe's crash was a lot more severe than first thought. 125g impact, and he was bleeding profusely when the medical crew got to him. Almost certainly won't be driving an IndyCar again this year, let alone the 500.

I guess what this highlights is just how brilliant IndyCar's medical response team are.

wmetcalf7 4 · Post by **wmetcalf7 4** » 19 May 2015, 16:32

East Londoner wrote:It turns out that James Hinchcliffe's crash was a lot more severe than first thought. 125g impact, and he was bleeding profusely when the medical crew got to him. Almost certainly won't be driving an IndyCar again this year, let alone the 500.

I guess what this highlights is just how brilliant IndyCar's medical response team are.

So it really was a life or death situation...... Just reading that made me a bit queasy. I wish that I'll never experience that if I keep moving up the Indy ladder (as I am right now, see the "Your Racing Career" thread if you are confused)....... Seems a lot like Zanardi's crash. Major leg injury, massive bleeding, and doctors using the jaws of life to save the driver. Hinch is my favorite Indy driver so it makes this even more sad to watch unfold. (That doesn't mean I'd be fine seeing someone I hate like Brad Keslowski in a situation like this, it's just when you know you won't be able to cheer for your favorite driver on race day because he's in the hospital it's just horrible.)

Wallio · Post by **Wallio** » 19 May 2015, 18:56

It seems the owners maybe (indirectly) to blame for this. The wishbones were strengthened quite a bit over the offseason as owners were tired of them breaking during wheel-to-wheel contact, so instead of failing, the wishbone pierced the chassis.

Great work from Indycar safety team, but its not unexpected, they are actually Champ Cars old team, brought over in the merger, the same team that saved Zanardi.

Post by **Londoner** » 20 May 2015, 15:54

Meanwhile, it looks like there might be an IndyCar race in Boston from next year onwards

Dom_Wings · Post by **Dom_Wings** » 20 May 2015, 20:43

I would rather want the old CART tracks back, such as Vancouver, Laguna Seca, Mexico City, Montreal, or Cleveland.

Or even Surfers Paradise, that was a superb track.

nome66 · Post by **nome66** » 21 May 2015, 00:21

East Londoner wrote:Meanwhile, it looks like there might be an IndyCar race in Boston from next year onwards

... like where? where in boston would they do that?

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 21 May 2015, 08:52

Here's to a full and quick recovery for James Hinchcliffe. It's good to find out he is stable and improving.

Meanwhile, I'm now sure I won't watch the Indy 500 this year, preferring to spend time with friends instead of trying to get a murky webstream to work. Here's hoping for a safe race and that the manufacturers are able to make their oval aerokits work safely in time for the next superspeedway race at Fontana next month.

In other news, former Toyota-F1 protegee Ryan Briscoe has been hired to drive the primary entry of Sam Schmidt's team, the #5 car, from the back of the grid in this year's upcoming Indy 500.

Also, here's further hoping that the Verizon IndyCar Series drops their plans to obliterate all speed records next year. That is just unnecessary and way too risky.