Indycar News & Rumors.

[TimRTC]

Congrats to Jack Hawksworth - a Yorkshire lad getting a top drive.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Per Robin Miller, the Long Beach City Council has put off making a decision on how to proceed. More here.

It doesn't really surprise me. There will have to be modifications to the track and then there's Bernie's sanctioning fee and he's got this law suit in Germany hanging over him.

[icemachine]

Well this could be very interesting...Partial season including 500 maybe?

https://twitter.com/paultracy3/statu...86388760457217

‏@paultracy3
Very excited about the opportunity to be back at some of my favorite venues ... Stay tuned

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by icemachine

Well this could be very interesting...Partial season including 500 maybe?

Seems pretty non specific and I'd be surprised if it's an IndyCar drive. Seems like it would be more likely with an IMSA team.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

It doesn't really surprise me. There will have to be modifications to the track and then there's Bernie's sanctioning fee and he's got this law suit in Germany hanging over him.

It just wouldn't make sense financially for Long Beach. They already get a big crowd just because it's the Long Beach Grand Prix and casual fans like to attend the "big event". If F1 came, costs would soar to the moon and I don't think they would see a large pickup in attendance. Certainly not enough to fill Bernie's wallet.

[NaBUru38]

How about Tracy running at the SCCA World Challenge at Toronto?

[rwintle]

PT was in a Stadium Super Truck in Toronto last year...

[NaBUru38]

Oh. So he will switch to a chrome bumper?

[bjohnsonsmith]

IndyCar to change 500 quali format, in hope to boost fan appeal and TV figures.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112813

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

IndyCar to change 500 quali format, in hope to boost fan appeal and TV figures.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112813

Lame. All this does is stretch what should be a simple process out over an incredibly long period of time.

[HJJ]

I will agree with "lame" comment. And it effects Busch.

Changes to Indy 500 qualifying will impact Busch: The new qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500 will include three rounds over two days, with the pole-winner emerging from a "Fast Nine Shootout" on what used to be Bump Day. Qualifying for the Indy 500 this year will begin on May 17 when the fastest 33 cars are locked into the field. All entries will be guaranteed at least one four-lap attempt to qualify, and the fastest nine drivers will move into the shootout. On Sunday, the previous days' times will be erased and entries 10 through 33 will complete another four-lap qualifying attempt to determine their starting position. The fastest nine drivers from Saturday will then make one four-lap attempt to determine the prestigious pole winner and starting front row.
It makes life a little more difficult for NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who will attempt to become the first driver in 10 years to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Busch will now have to qualify in Indianapolis on Saturday, fly to Charlotte, N.C., for NASCAR's All-Star race that evening, then return to Indianapolis to determine his starting spot in Sunday's qualifying session. Under the old format, had Busch locked himself into the field on Saturday, he would not have necessarily have needed to return to Indianapolis following the All-Star race unless he was in danger of being bumped out.(Associated Press)(3-7-2014)

.

[NaBUru38]

I think that the new qualifying format is great.

I think that Kurt Busch doesn't need to run on Sunday. I guess that if any team misses that day, they will get behind the other drivers in the grid, or lose some prize money.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Lame. All this does is stretch what should be a simple process out over an incredibly long period of time.

The purpose of which is to create interest and increase the fan base and TV viewing figures. If it succeeds then good.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The purpose of which is to create interest and increase the fan base and TV viewing figures. If it succeeds then good.

Agreed... however, I wonder if making such a long process will increase viewing? Won't most people who are interested just tune in to the one session anyway?

Just questions, I don't know, really.

However it does seem silly to me to have a day to set the 33 qualifiers, then chuck all those times out and start again. And even more silly that fastest lap is the benchmark except in the fast 9, where total time is used. Why the inconsistency?

I know, drama as people's tires fall off, and the potential of somebody pulling a super-fast fourth lap out of somewhere and juggling the order. I suppose.

[TheMightyM]

It's qualifying. What I — and I would argue most other people — care about is who is on the pole. Not who is starting 10th. This new process asks me to spend way too much of my time watching something that can have no effect on the issue I really care about. I'm sorry, but I have better things to do with my time.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I think all race fans are interested in who is going to get pole but what I also find interestinq aout qualifying is how the rest of the field is made up as well and sometimes it can be the driver who is 10th on the grid who wins the race, not necessarily the driver on pole.

[NaBUru38]

Especially if top drivers like Dixon, Kanaan, Montoya and Power don't get into the Fast Nine.

[bjohnsonsmith]

The powers that be at the IMS want to see the track record broken by 2016. Arie Luyendyk broke the record in 1996 in a Reynard with a 2.65L Ford Cosworth XD V8. It will be interesting to see if this can be achieved by 2016 as the DW12, though a good race car, which has produced some excellent close racing, is not a Reynard and the current engine spec is a 2.2L V6.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112819

[bjohnsonsmith]

Unlikely RLL will run third car at Indy.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112823

[ger80]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The powers that be at the IMS want to see the track record broken by 2016. Arie Luyendyk broke the record in 1996 in a Reynard with a 2.65L Ford Cosworth XD V8. It will be interesting to see if this can be achieved by 2016 as the DW12, though a good race car, which has produced some excellent close racing, is not a Reynard and the current engine spec is a 2.2L V6.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112819

As if it would make a difference to the racing.
Hopefully we will not see accidents at that speed

[TheNo1F1Fan]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Kurt Busch to race at Indy this year with Andretti Autosport.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112761

This has got to be good for IndyCar's profile.

Wow. From NASCAR to IndyCar.

[HJJ]

New title sponsor said to be Verizon.

http://www.racer.com/index.php/lates...-title-sponsor

[joeb]

I wonder what the delay in the announcement is? Just waiting to closer to the first race to drum up interest?

[Salamus]

It might have something to do with this:

IZOD was credited for heavy activation and national promotion during the first two years of its IndyCar Series sponsorship, but a noticeable change was visible in 2012 and 2013 when its commercials and print ads seemingly disappeared. Annual payments were still made to the series, but with a lame duck sponsor on its hands, few marketing dollars were spent by IZOD as it waited for its contract to run its course.

RACER has learned the series has rectified this problem in the contract with its new title sponsor, which includes specific language and obligations that will require significant advertising expenditures to be made on an annual basis.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Salamus

It might have something to do with this:

IZOD was credited for heavy activation and national promotion during the first two years of its IndyCar Series sponsorship, but a noticeable change was visible in 2012 and 2013 when its commercials and print ads seemingly disappeared. Annual payments were still made to the series, but with a lame duck sponsor on its hands, few marketing dollars were spent by IZOD as it waited for its contract to run its course.

RACER has learned the series has rectified this problem in the contract with its new title sponsor, which includes specific language and obligations that will require significant advertising expenditures to be made on an annual basis.

They certainly need to rectify this, especially as Verizon, if indeed they are to become the series sponsor, will be a much more visible sponsor than Izod ever was, due to the industry they are in.