Indycar News & Rumors.

[Bobby_status]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Honda Performance Development, or HPD, is involved in IndyCar and the WEC. Its parent company is American Honda Motor Company, Inc., which in turn is the North American subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Ltd., whose hq is in Tokyo.

Honda Racing Corporation, or HRC, is involved in motorcycle racing and was setup in 1982. It's parent company is also Honda Motor Company, Ltd.

I wish HPD(Indycar & LMP2) had more resources to implement into there programs I'm pretty sure Honda Racing which run in F1, Super GT, Super Formula, WTCC have bigger budgets.

[Salamus]

Originally Posted by gert

is car #4 available? It was not used in 2013 IIRC.

If so, Roger can have #1, #2, #3 and #4 next year.

Apparently he'll be driving #22.

[rwintle]

I'm liking the Pagenaud/Penske hookup. Will be good to see what Simon can do in a well-funded team (although I hope he doesn't wind up with "fourth driver" status).

Seems strange he's parting ways with Honda, but they've not exactly been his primary sponsor. Hope Schmidt can sign someone good (or maybe it's Gabby Chaves' time to shine?).

[Salamus]

Hawksworth may be headed to Foyt's team in a second car.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Bobby_status

I wish HPD(Indycar & LMP2) had more resources to implement into there programs I'm pretty sure Honda Racing which run in F1, Super GT, Super Formula, WTCC have bigger budgets.

Honda Racing doesn't exist anymore. Honda Racing Corporation is involved in motorcycle racing.

I'm sure HPD have their fare share of resources, not only do they manufacture and supply engines but they'll be also developing and supplying aero-kits.

[NaBUru38]

Honda also races in Super GT and Super Formula.

[Nikki Katz]

Originally Posted by Salamus

Hawksworth may be headed to Foyt's team in a second car.

That'll be good if it's true. Hope that Herta finds someone else.

The off-season's not looking too bleak at the moment, the lack of sponsorship at Rahal seems to be the main issue (personally I think that the team is somewhat hampered by having to field Rahal in their car). It's a long time until the next race though.

Does anyone have any idea whether or not Aleshin would be back? I saw that he tweeted a video of the accident a couple of days after it, he at least seems to be positive about the whole thing.

[kurski]

http://www.autoracing1.com/rumors.asp?tid=12517
Jacques Villeneuve will definitely run next year's Indy 500. Might we see the former World Champ in more IndyCar events?

[Formulahistory]

Again für Sam Schmidt?

Will be nice to see him driving when I will be in Indianapolis live!!!

[NaBUru38]

I'd rather have more young drivers.

Will Rahal find funding for 2015?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Marvin Riley, Ex HPD, is appointed as director of engine development.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116199

[bjohnsonsmith]

Hinch to Schmidt Peterson for 2015.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/116211

[NaBUru38]

I wonder now about Wilson (Andretti?) and Briscoe (KV?).

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I wonder now about Wilson (Andretti?) and Briscoe (KV?).

I also wonder about Simona De Silvestro returning to IndyCar, after her drive with Sauber failed to materialise?

[Paradise City]

I don't see her returning to Indycar. I'd say she'd retire.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

I don't see her returning to Indycar. I'd say she'd retire.

She's only 26.

[Nikki Katz]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I wonder now about Wilson (Andretti?) and Briscoe (KV?).

That'd be good if it happens. Wilson's been somewhat overlooked in the silly season for the past few years and had a not terribly good season this year, but he's won multiple times in backmarker teams. I wonder if Honda would place him in an Andretti as some sort of attempt to fight the generally better driver lineup of the top Chevrolet teams.

I'm not too fussed about Briscoe, although I'd prefer to see him in the second KV than Saavedra.

[icemachine]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

I don't see her returning to Indycar. I'd say she'd retire.

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

She's only 26.

Definitely don't see her retiring yet, whether it's Indy, Sports cars or another season of F1 reserve, she's going to be keeping her feet in it

[TheMightyM]

As Racer notes:

The move by FOX to pare down its live TUDOR Championship endurance racing broadcast from its Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 cable channels into a two-hour package for mainstream distribution after an NFL game has been transformational.

TUSC's two-hour Petit Le Mans highlight package a day after the race on Fox after the NFL drew 1.159 million viewers. The CotA highlight package two weeks earlier drew 1.1 million viewers.

Rather than disappearing during football season, TUSC has found a way to make football season work for it. Is IndyCar paying attention?

[NaBUru38]

The Southern 500 (Sunday 6 Sept) will air on NBC.

The previous week is off. The other August and September races are on NBCSN.

So NBC could air an IndyCar highlights show before Sunday Night Football.

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

The Southern 500 (Sunday 6 Sept) will air on NBC.

The previous week is off. The other August and September races are on NBCSN.

So NBC could air an IndyCar highlights show before Sunday Night Football.

A couple of problems: What Fox and TUSC is doing makes sense as it attracts viewers who don’t change the channel after the 1pm NFL game on two weeks in which Fiox only has a NFL 1pm game. An IndyCar broadcast before Sunday Night Football won’t do quite so well. The actual game is on at about 8:30pm, the NBC pregame show starts at 7:00pm. People won’t tune in that early to watch the race…

And then there’s the contract issue. Can NBC even carry a Sunday highlight package or race? ABC has the broadcast TV rights to the series with NBCSN having the cable rights for the races ABC doesn’t want.

If IndyCar goes this direction, the logical move would be to pair with a network with Sunday afternoon NFL games to provide races to be shown after the NFL on weeks in which the network only has an early game. And as most IndyCar races are shorter than sports car races, such an IndyCar race could even be live as this would fit in the same 2 hour window. So this really is a medium term item, something that could happen with the next TV contract. Maybe.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

As Racer notes:

TUSC's two-hour Petit Le Mans highlight package a day after the race on Fox after the NFL drew 1.159 million viewers. The CotA highlight package two weeks earlier drew 1.1 million viewers.

Rather than disappearing during football season, TUSC has found a way to make football season work for it. Is IndyCar paying attention?

Following on from that, http://www.roadandtrack.com/voices/c...?src=soc_fcbks.

[bjohnsonsmith]

There's news on aero-kits at the end of this Racer.com podcast from Robin Miller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO8EL-AMpn0

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

So NBC could air an IndyCar highlights show before Sunday Night Football.

I wouldn't be surprised is Indycar races showed up on CNBC next year after NBC/NBCSN start their Nascar schedule.

[Canada ALMS fan]

Marshall Pruett has a pic of Penske testing at CoTA. At first I thought it was National Guard livery but on closer inspection it appears to be the Chevy aerokit. Too bad the air box above the driver appears to have been retained… so far. Sidepods look different but the rest is disappointingly similar to what we have now.