Round 10: Kohler Grand Prix. Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. 24th-26th June.

[bjohnsonsmith]

The first caution of the race, with 10 laps to go.

[gert]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I'm watching the NBCSN feed and at least they continue to show the race in the box next the commercial.

I'm watching a Hungarian or Russian feed (I thought it was Russian but it shows Magyar as language, which is Hungarian for Hungarian I think)

I don't understand a word of it, but at least it is HD quality and without any commercials at all.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by gert

Something broke at the back while he was passing RHR.
Too bad. While maybe not a world-class driver, he is showing some good stuff.

I wonder if there was contact earlier, between Daly and RH-R because Daly was standing at the side of the track, clapping his hands as RH-R went by under caution?

Edit:
Apparently not.

[gert]

Is he American, Conor Daly? His dad used to be Irish, right?
I didn't know he switched nationalities.

[Paradise City]

BT Sport here. Other than one 20 second betfair commercial its been commercial free for the duration of the green flag.

They're using British commentary all the way through, Ben Evans and Keith Collantine.

[gert]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I wonder if there was contact earlier, between Daly and RH-R because Daly was standing at the side of the track, clapping his hands as RH-R went by under caution?

Edit:
Apparently not.

Apparently Daly thought he was hit. But that wasn't the case it seems.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by gert

Is he American, Conor Daly? His dad used to be Irish, right?
I didn't know he switched nationalities.

Derek Daly is a naturalized US citizen. And if Conor Daly was born in US, then he's American, whichever his father's nationality was back then.

[gert]

The safety crew is trying to make sure there will be no more racing laps left when they have finally removed the car.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by gert

Is he American, Conor Daly? His dad used to be Irish, right?
I didn't know he switched nationalities.

He must have been, born in the USA.

[bjohnsonsmith]

It's all happening now.

[gert]

Pagenaud is dropping like a stone

[bjohnsonsmith]

Congrats to Power and what a drive from Newgarden, especially in those last few laps.

[Paradise City]

It certainly makes sense to be an American if you want to raise the kind of cash to go racing.

Anyway, I enjoyed the race. Good stuff from Power. Very successful return to RA overall.

[bjohnsonsmith]

This is just what IndyCar needs. A return to a proper road course, no more of these street races like Baltimore, Houston and thankfully Boston. They do nothing for the sport.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

This is just what IndyCar needs. A return to a proper road course, no more of these street races like Baltimore, Houston and thankfully Boston. They do nothing for the sport.

Exactly. Just look what Petit Le Mans did for sports car racing (at least before 2014), it became an instant classic even without a clear historical continuity. IndyCar can do the same with the RA race.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Exactly. Just look what Petit Le Mans did for sports car racing (at least before 2014), it became an instant classic even without a clear historical continuity. IndyCar can do the same with the RA race.

I just hope that the race at the Glen is equally successful and that the Glen, becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar. The series will then have added two iconic road courses.

[fieldodreams79]

Bonkers last few laps after a nice clean race. Fantastic watching Indycar at Road America and fantastic looking crowd. Great for the series.

What wasn't great was what has already been mentioned; the insanely, ridiculous amount of annoying commercials. I don't understand the need and am frustrated they haven't attempted any alternate to more product placement during the coverage. I'm no marketing expert but I know I don't watch or get convinced to purchase products from television ads. Especially poorly timed ones.

[Yannick]

I've been really impressed with Josef Newgarden's recovery and performance today. What a driver. May he heal completely and quickly.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Race Result:

Not the race he would have wanted, as Pagenaud's bid for the championship stutters but he's still in the lead. Good to see rookie Spencer Pigot in the top 10 and Honda on the podium, with Graham Rahal.

1 Will Power, Team Penske, Dallara/Chevrolet. 1h39m103044s
2 Tony Kanaan, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dallara/Chevrolet. 0.7429s
3 Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing. Dallara/Honda. 5.9608s
4 Ryan Hunter-Reay. Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 9.3597s
5 Helio Castroneves, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 10.5340s
6 Charlie Kimball, Chip Ganassi Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 10.9966s
7 Juan Pablo Montoya, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 12.6191s
8 Josef Newgarden, Ed Carpenter Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 13.8835s
9 Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 15.7290s
10 Carlos Munoz, Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 17.1132s
11 Jack Hawksworth, AJ Foyt Enterprises. Dallara/Honda. 18.7152s
12 Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 19.9030s
13 Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 21.1530s
14 James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Dallara/Honda. 22.1333s
15 Alexander Rossi, Andretti Herta.Dallara/Honda. 22.5908s
16 Mikhail Aleshin, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Dallara/Honda. 23.5531s
17 Takuma Sato, AJ Foyt Enterprises. Dallara/Honda. 35.3665s
18 Sebastien Bourdais, KVSH Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1 Lap
19 Gabby Chaves, Dale Coyne Racing. Dallara/Honda. 1 Lap
20 Max Chilton, Chip Ganassi Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 2 Laps
21 Conor Daly, Dale Coyne Racing. Dallara/Honda. Contact
22 Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. Mechanical

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

This is just what IndyCar needs. A return to a proper road course, no more of these street races like Baltimore, Houston and thankfully Boston. They do nothing for the sport.

I think Boston could have done a lot for the sport and I wouldnt rule out racing in big cities if they are well supported and sustainable. Eg. Long Beach, Toronto.

A balance between road courses, street and ovals in what makes Indycar.

[Artur]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

This is just what IndyCar needs. A return to a proper road course, no more of these street races like Baltimore, Houston and thankfully Boston. They do nothing for the sport.

totally agree. Races on half assed street courses are very boring with their endless cautions and difficulty in overtaking.

The only bad thing about RA was the appalling marshalling which took 10% of the race.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

I think Boston could have done a lot for the sport and I wouldnt rule out racing in big cities if they are well supported and sustainable. Eg. Long Beach, Toronto.

A balance between road courses, street and ovals in what makes Indycar.

Long Beach and Toronto both have a long racing tradition so they are well supported. But I think Boston would've been a different story - following the paths of Washington and Baltimore with lots of underlying problems. IndyCar didn't run at D.C. but I used that as an example of how not to hold a race meeting in urban area.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

I think Boston could have done a lot for the sport and I wouldnt rule out racing in big cities if they are well supported and sustainable. Eg. Long Beach, Toronto.

A balance between road courses, street and ovals in what makes Indycar.

Yes IndyCar needs that balance and having the variety of tracks is what makes IndyCar unique, compared to F1. The problem with street races like Baltimore and Houston, is they have proven to be unsustainable and in the case of Boston a non starter. I think the overall problem of sustainability arises because these street races are a bit gimmicky and a quick fix, rather than a long term solution in helping and promoting the series. Holding a race in a big city must also be costly, in terms of organisation, setting up the infrastructure and disruption to the city itself.

IndyCar is healthier than it has been but it is far from being in the clear. I'm quite sure Boston would have drawn a big crowd for its first race, just because of the novelty factor alone. However, looking at Baltimore and Houston, I have my doubts as to whether Boston could have done that again next year and the year after and the year after that and so on.

Racing at a traditional road course and a classic like RA is part of that balance and is what AOWR has been crying out for. The crowd attendance over the weekend spoke for itself and they will be back. I can't help but feel this will have a positive effect on Watkins Glen, later in the season.

[bjohnsonsmith]

RA will be on next year's calendar. That's such good news.

http://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125006

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I just hope that the race at the Glen is equally successful and that the Glen, becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar. The series will then have added two iconic road courses.