The Alessandro Zanardi IndyCar Thread

[Londoner]

Dave Steele, who did a couple of races in 1998 in what we affectionately refer to as "scrub-era IRL", passed away in a sprint car crash earlier this week.

[Wallio]

http://autoweek.com/article/indycar/new ... car-design

More pictures of the design for the 2018 "universal" body kit are out. I have to say that while I still disagree with the universal kit, especially considering Honda blackmailed Indycar into it, I LOVE this.

Proper rollhoop, no ridiculous rear bumpers, but still have protections from interlocking wheels, cleaner front wing. It looks like a late 80's Lola or March. I'm still skeptical about there claims for underbody downforce (Dallara promised the same thing) but I'll give it a shot.

[Yannick]

RIP Dave Steele.

Didn't know him at all, but sprints and midgets appear to be the most dangerous auto racing categories around these days. Don't know much about these categories either, so I cannot really comment any further on what kind of safety improvements would be possible.

[Wallio]

RIP Dave Steele.

Didn't know him at all, but sprints and midgets appear to be the most dangerous auto racing categories around these days. Don't know much about these categories either, so I cannot really comment any further on what kind of safety improvements would be possible.

While I don not know the particulars of Mr. Steele's crash, I have run sprints a few times. They are very light (1200-1500lbs only) with exposed wheels on very very small (1/4-1/2 mile) tracks with 20-30 cars in each heat. Touch wheels and you go end over end very easily. Plus sprints have only one way out, which is damn near impossible if your upside down. God forbid you over turn on fire.....

[Alextrax52]

Long Beach ROTR goes to Andretti Autosport with all 4 of their cars having tissue paper reliability

[Dj_bereta]

Bourdais still leading the championship with Dale Coyne!!! If he wins the title, will be one of the most impressive ones of the history! But it's too soon to say something.

I need to watch the race, I missed it. Congrats to Hinch for winning again.

[nome66]

i'm definitely rooting for Bordais' title run this year!
always wanted to see him tack on another championship to his collection.

while everyone's still buzzing about Alonso, i'm kind of interested to see if he may or may not have a crack at the roadcourse at Indy. that chicane in oval turn 1 looks a bit nice, dunnit? just for giggles?

anyways Fernando's got a long way to go between now and memorial day if anyone anywhere thinks he's got a shot at placing above 18th on his first oval race.

[Salamander]

while everyone's still buzzing about Alonso, i'm kind of interested to see if he may or may not have a crack at the roadcourse at Indy. that chicane in oval turn 1 looks a bit nice, dunnit? just for giggles?

Unfortunately, Indy GP clashes with the Spanish GP. I don't think Alonso would ever forego his home GP, no matter how useless McLaren-Honda is.

[pasta_maldonado]

while everyone's still buzzing about Alonso, i'm kind of interested to see if he may or may not have a crack at the roadcourse at Indy. that chicane in oval turn 1 looks a bit nice, dunnit? just for giggles?

Unfortunately, Indy GP clashes with the Spanish GP. I don't think Alonso would ever forego his home GP, no matter how useless McLaren-Honda is.

Button's a man with time on his hands, however

[dr-baker]

while everyone's still buzzing about Alonso, i'm kind of interested to see if he may or may not have a crack at the roadcourse at Indy. that chicane in oval turn 1 looks a bit nice, dunnit? just for giggles?

Unfortunately, Indy GP clashes with the Spanish GP. I don't think Alonso would ever forego his home GP, no matter how useless McLaren-Honda is.

Button's a man with time on his hands, however

Yeah, when he first announced his sabbatical, he seemed to suggest that he could try a few different things, like Le Mans or WRX as examples. Why not chuck an Indy race in to the mix Jenson?

[girry]

Doubtful since Jenson called Indycar "too dangerous" just a year or so ago - and I wouldn't blame him, given that he's lost two friends in Indycar accidents.

[watka]

Would have thought rallycross was definitely his thing given his father's career.

[Dj_bereta]

This season definitely not Will Power season. Three problems in three races. Lost a potential victory today.

[CoopsII]

I try to keep tabs on Indycar from time to time so this morning I went to the website to see who won yesterdays race. After that I had a quick look at the Drivers standings and was surprised to see Alonso looking back at me near the bottom already

[Dj_bereta]

I think it's safe to give the ROTR of Phoenix race to Aleshin for spinning in the first lap and collecting several cars, including Bourdais.

[golic_2004]

I think it's safe to give the ROTR of Phoenix race to Aleshin for spinning in the first lap and collecting several cars, including Bourdais.

And I guarantee if he read that Aleshin would agree with you on that. He was quite apologetic about it in the interview.

[Wallio]

Indycar is reporting that there were just under 1.1 million views of Alonso's test yesterday with roughly 820,000 "unique" viewers.

Robin Miller claimed on the broadcast that the amount of media at the test was far more than at Phoenix, going so far as to compare it to Mansall's first test (which I think is a bit of an exaggeration).

The Indy Star is reporting that tickets sales have now roughly equaled the pace of last year, which while a ratings disappointment, was actually a sellout with an attendance of roughly 400k.

Dare I say that Alonso will #MakeIndycarGreatAgain?

[Alextrax52]

This season definitely not Will Power season. Three problems in three races. Lost a potential victory today.

Can't argue with that. As much as I enjoyed Newgarden getting his maiden Penske Victory he would not have won without Power's puncture. We all know that Will is one of the masters of controlling races out in front and if he doesn't win the title then he'll look back on Saint Pete and Barber with regret. A little premature I know but every point counts

[Londoner]

Bourdais cracked the 233mph barrier during Fast Friday earlier today. For comparison, they were averaging low to mid 232s at this point last year.

While I don't think Luyendyk's record will fall this year, it's surely only a matter of time, especially with the new cleaner aero kits coming in next season.

[mario]

Indycar is reporting that there were just under 1.1 million views of Alonso's test yesterday with roughly 820,000 "unique" viewers.

Robin Miller claimed on the broadcast that the amount of media at the test was far more than at Phoenix, going so far as to compare it to Mansall's first test (which I think is a bit of an exaggeration).

The Indy Star is reporting that tickets sales have now roughly equaled the pace of last year, which while a ratings disappointment, was actually a sellout with an attendance of roughly 400k.

Dare I say that Alonso will #MakeIndycarGreatAgain?

They certainly are putting him first and foremost in their advertising, whilst he has created a significant buzz around the event elsewhere.

However, what I am not sure about is whether they will be able to hold onto many of those viewers in the longer term, or if the boost in interest is a temporary one mainly driven by the novelty factor. Outside of the US, it looks like Indycar is mainly broadcast via pay per view channels - they have tapped into the advantages that come with online streaming, though I presume that is mainly for the Indy 500. In some ways the Indycar series suffers from the same problem that the WEC has with the 24 Hours of Le Mans too - those races are effectively the tent pole that supports the rest of the series, as they significantly overshadow everything else on their respective calendars.

With that in mind, I am perhaps more pessimistic - I think that the series will have a short term boost in interest, but without viewers being able to easily access the series, I can see them struggling to sustain long term interest in the series.

[dr-baker]

However, what I am not sure about is whether they will be able to hold onto many of those viewers in the longer term, or if the boost in interest is a temporary one mainly driven by the novelty factor. Outside of the US, it looks like Indycar is mainly broadcast via pay per view channels - they have tapped into the advantages that come with online streaming, though I presume that is mainly for the Indy 500. In some ways the Indycar series suffers from the same problem that the WEC has with the 24 Hours of Le Mans too - those races are effectively the tent pole that supports the rest of the series, as they significantly overshadow everything else on their respective calendars.

With that in mind, I am perhaps more pessimistic - I think that the series will have a short term boost in interest, but without viewers being able to easily access the series, I can see them struggling to sustain long term interest in the series.

How long did the effects of Mansell-Mania last? Did it hold onto extra viewers until The Split, or was there already a drop-off in interest in 1994/5?

[andrew]

Holy shite, that was huge for Bourdais, looks as though he is fine.

[dr-baker]

Holy shite, that was huge for Bourdais, looks as though he is fine.

Trip to the Methodist Hospital, but awake/conscious.

[Dj_bereta]

I've never seem a driver be hit with so much bad luck like Bourdais in the last three events. He was taken out in Phoenix and his engine blew up in Indy GP. Now a hard crash in qualify for Indy 500. Hope he will recover and be able to race, but I'm wondering if Dale Coyne will be able to fix his car. The team struggled to fix it from the crash in Phoenix.

[Wallio]

Multiple pelvic features, broken hip for Bourdais. He's stable but he will require multiple surgeries and his season is over. Scary stuff.

[Yannick]

Here's wishing a quick and complete recovery to Sebastien Bourdais. May he get back to full health soon.

To put this crash into perspective: Bourdais was fastest on Fast Friday, the only car above 233 mph, so he was clearly going for the pole when his car got out of control.

Here's wishing him continued success once he is able to continue with auto racing.

[mario]

Here's wishing a quick and complete recovery to Sebastien Bourdais. May he get back to full health soon.

To put this crash into perspective: Bourdais was fastest on Fast Friday, the only car above 233 mph, so he was clearly going for the pole when his car got out of control.

Here's wishing him continued success once he is able to continue with auto racing.

At the time, he had just set two laps with an average speed over 231mph - I think that he was the only driver who had managed to set any laps with an average speed of over 231mph - so he would have had a very good chance of taking pole. Although his injuries are still quite serious, thankfully they are not worse given the force with which he struck the wall - hopefully he should make a full recovery with time.

However, what I am not sure about is whether they will be able to hold onto many of those viewers in the longer term, or if the boost in interest is a temporary one mainly driven by the novelty factor. Outside of the US, it looks like Indycar is mainly broadcast via pay per view channels - they have tapped into the advantages that come with online streaming, though I presume that is mainly for the Indy 500. In some ways the Indycar series suffers from the same problem that the WEC has with the 24 Hours of Le Mans too - those races are effectively the tent pole that supports the rest of the series, as they significantly overshadow everything else on their respective calendars.

With that in mind, I am perhaps more pessimistic - I think that the series will have a short term boost in interest, but without viewers being able to easily access the series, I can see them struggling to sustain long term interest in the series.

How long did the effects of Mansell-Mania last? Did it hold onto extra viewers until The Split, or was there already a drop-off in interest in 1994/5?

That is a good question - unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much clarity about what the viewing figures were in 1994 and the effect that Mansell might have had on Indycar at the time.

I've seen a hint that viewing figures might have dipped slightly in 1994 and 1995, but that could well be due to the internal ructions which were taking place at the time in the run up to the series splitting. There are a few hints that viewing figures for the Indy 500 had peaked in 1992, with just over 14 million viewers watching that year, and had slipped back to around 11 million over the years up to 1995. Even so, those are still very strong viewing figures and they suggest that the market for Indycar was already close to saturation by that time, at least in the US.

Unfortunately, there seems to be very little data on the international viewing figures for Indycar at the time, and it is probable that any impact from Mansell's arrival and departure might have had more impact in Europe, given he would have been more widely recognised there, than in the US. Furthermore, Mansell became increasingly unpopular in 1994 as he vented his frustrations in public, so the same figure who might have drawn in viewers to begin with might have then put off some viewers later on.

[Londoner]

BUDDY LAZIER HAS OUTQUALIFIED AT LEAST THREE OTHER DRIVERS WHAT IS THIS

[Wallio]

Bourdais has tweeted a photo of him walking (with assistance) in the hospital, so that's great news. He claims he will be back for the last race of the year in Sonoma, but most people, including his team owner, seem doubtful.

[Dj_bereta]

I'm not surprised by the fact Lazier outqualified someone despite his team being the worst of the field by a huge margin, but the fact he still running at Indy.

[AndreaModa]

I don't follow IndyCar too closely but what I want to know is this - in previous years all the old veterans would dust off the cobwebs for a shot at the big one, the Indy 500. Lazier has done it this year, but no-one else has. Is that for any reason in particular?

[girry]

Servia is in the field as well and he should qualify as a veteran dusting off the cobwebs. Yeah Tagliani and Bell are not there this year unlike the last two years, but Townsend is no longer interested in running without a good ride, and Tags didnt get any sort of a ride, and they were the only veterans in '15 and '16 doing one offs.

[Salamander]

Don't forget Montoya now qualifies as a veteran one-off. I'd say he more than makes up for Tags and Bell not taking part this year.

[Londoner]

And let's be honest, Tagliani not having a drive is no real loss in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it's a positive for this year's race.

[Londoner]

FERNANDO ALONSO LEADS THE INDY 500!

[good_Ralf]

Poor Dixon's out, what a crash! The race has been stopped.

[Londoner]

That's like something out of an action film, not a race. I dread to think what that accident would've been like had they still been using the IR-05 chassis.

[Dom_Wings]

Thank goodness Dixon is okay after a crash like that!

[Londoner]

Buddy Lazier.

[Enforcer]

All eyes on Alonso, but Castroneves lurks with intent.

Taku and Montoya are also sniffing around the top positions too.

EDIT: Chilton leads

EDIT 2: Chilton 1st, Sato 2nd. C'mon Sato...