Welcome to the Unified American Open Wheel Forum

[mountainstar]

I think most anyone wants one series.

Probably what is of interest now is where it goes from here. The irl in it's current format doesn't interest me. I don't like the cars or the engines or the "spec" rules. Nor does many of the current venues like Richmond for instance appeal. I'll watch with interest how it develops over the next year or two.

I can see history repeating itself and a new "white paper" happening.

[fieldodreams79]

PT just called Helio C. "Twinkletoes" on WIND TUNNEL
i hope he finds a ride!

[indycool]

This thread has gone a long, long ways. It's gone from rules to venues to insults to rights to wrongs to grumpies who don't realize that the SPORT has won by becoming one series.

Growth? Time will tell, but it has a much better chance of getting a series sponsor as one, it has a better chance of putting on a better show with the other teams included, TV will be much more focused, there will be no more confusion and the more the merrier.

But this will come in small steps...an autograph session, an appearance, a TV interview, couple tenths of a TV rating point, Helio dancing, Danica in SI....I hope PT gets a decent ride because he's the "character" the SPORT needs who isn't always PC and he has a great Canadian following. All these things and others will cause the SPORT to grow as one series. But it won't happen overnight.

[wills]

And no stupid gimmicks like push to pass or red tyres.

[Red Bulldog]

I missed Paul Tracy on Windtunnel last night - did he say anything interesting?

[Purist]

Until we nip blocking in the bud, Wills, I think pust-to-pass is a reasonable option on road courses. If you have it set like it was at Mexico City, drivers will eventually find blocking to be fairly useless. The option tires will be useful as long as we have a spec, of de facto spec, series. With the cars so even and blocking being tolerated at some level, you almost need that something extra to create a differential between the cars.

Until we get a new rules package and new cars from multiple manufacturers, I think push-to-pass is a good option at road courses, and option tires would be useful at all tracks.

[Knowlesy]

Isn't there a no blocking rule anyways?

It's a stupid rule mind you... just wave everyone past, jeez...

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Red Bulldog

I missed Paul Tracy on Windtunnel last night - did he say anything interesting?

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

PT just called Helio C. "Twinkletoes" on WIND TUNNEL
i hope he finds a ride!

PT needs a ride.
the cars need a COMPLETE redo come 09 (just start over); engine and chassis---long live Panoz!
push to pass should be as unlimited as possible (just put a big NOS tank in there and press the button til its all gone)
fast speedways w/ some flat tracks---not short tracks unless they are dirt
street courses and the NA, OW, natural terrain road courses that everyone likes
run 30 races a year starting in March and Ending in Sept with at least 25 cars on the gird for every race
make it happen

[icemachine]

run 30 races a year starting in March and Ending in Sept with at least 25 cars on the gird for every race

If only there was the sponsorship to do it, I'd be in heaven, an Auto Race season that fills time between the Hockey Season

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Isn't there a no blocking rule anyways?

It's a stupid rule mind you... just wave everyone past, jeez...

never really fully grasped those rules, either.

[Purist]

What blocking rule? I am aware of a few things, but if there was a serious rule, it was never, or almost never, properly enforced. In which case, it may as well have been as if there was no rule.

[Down F0rce]

There is a blocking rule in the IRL. I remember screaming in disbelief at my TV when Tomas Enge was given a drive-through for "blocking", when he was trying to get out of the way of a slower car and cut off another driver by mistake.

[JohnSSC]

Hopefully having Tony Cottman on board will result in fewer opportunities for screaming disbelief, Down F0rce!

[madman16]

Originally Posted by Purist

What blocking rule? I am aware of a few things, but if there was a serious rule, it was never, or almost never, properly enforced. In which case, it may as well have been as if there was no rule.

Timo Glock was forced to move over in Canada for blocking.

[Purist]

Was that Canada or Cleveland, or am I thinking of another driver?

[enemy-ace]

It was Canada. It gave Servia his first win.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Purist

The real question would be, how fast would the Indycars be going on approach to Turn 3 (after they've been flat or nearly flat for a mile and a half). The start/finish straight itself is 4700ft. The straight between Turns 1 and 2 is 1350ft, and the straight from Turns 2 to 3 is 1300ft. I don't know how much length the corners add to that, but that must give an overall length of that run that is spmewhere over 8000ft (and Turn 1 is noticeably banked).

The main straight from end of the exit of the final turn to the start of turn one, has been listed as five thousand feet for decades.
Were they inflating the numbers for press purposes?

Turn one banking is eighteen degrees. Mark Donohue drove off it with the Porshce 917 when a tire deflated.
He walked away, unhurt.
The straight was briefly named after Grey Young, when he was the first one to hit two hundred miles per hour on it, with a Can-Am car.

If they can handle Road America, they should have no problems at Donnybrooke.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

In what way, pray tell?

Oh dear.

Because your post was in response to other posters who rather than move on were whining about how evil this, that or the other had been, BUT rather than just say "let's move on", you have to insert your own--I did not lke the IRL and wish CART had crushed it-- rhetoric

THat makes your--let's move on--statement a farce as even you could not let a sleeping dog lie.
Bob

[Purist]

Bob, the numbers I used are from the BIR website itself. I am curious though, where exactly did you find the precise banking for Turn 1? I didn't spot it on the track website offhand, then again, I could have missed it.

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by Purist

Bob, the numbers I used are from the BIR website itself. I am curious though, where exactly did you find the precise banking for Turn 1? I didn't spot it on the track website offhand, then again, I could have missed it.

I have known the banking numbers for decades, but I did again read it just recently but I do not have the faintest idea where I read it.

IT was within the past three weeks I again saw the banking numbers, arrrrh.
It might have been in one of the books I disposed of recently, or perhaps one I went through to see if it was worth keeping, but that is guessing, I am sure it was not off the net.

I am guessing that the five thousand feet is if one includes the banked curve, which would make sense. I guess I heard it so often it became an automatic respnse.
Some gents have kept the pedal to the metal all through the corner. (They asked Miguel duHamel why he did not keep the throttle open, he said it was because his skirt kept blowing up over his head.)
Bob
PS--The short track was cut because of the goo the NHRA puts down turns into grease when it get wet, and even with the squared turn nine for bikes, they never did like going under the bridge.
I hope they are done screwing with it. (Although watching formula vees on the looooong straight was a matter of patience, or how many beers you could dring before they made one lap.

[Jonerz]

With this chassis shortage where are all the Panoz (would the plural be Pani?) chassis? Second, will the drivers be racing for the Vanderbilt cup any time soon or is that dead and gone?

Chris

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

I have known the banking numbers for decades, but I did again read it just recently but I do not have the faintest idea where I read it.

IT was within the past three weeks I again saw the banking numbers, arrrrh.
It might have been in one of the books I disposed of recently, or perhaps one I went through to see if it was worth keeping, but that is guessing, I am sure it was not off the net.

I am guessing that the five thousand feet is if one includes the banked curve, which would make sense. I guess I heard it so often it became an automatic respnse.
Some gents have kept the pedal to the metal all through the corner. (They asked Miguel duHamel why he did not keep the throttle open, he said it was because his skirt kept blowing up over his head.)
Bob
PS--The short track was cut because of the goo the NHRA puts down turns into grease when it get wet, and even with the squared turn nine for bikes, they never did like going under the bridge.
I hope they are done screwing with it. (Although watching formula vees on the looooong straight was a matter of patience, or how many beers you could dring before they made one lap.

A good friend of mine is an instructor at Donnybrooke and he tells me the banking is going to have a chicane put in front of it to slow the banking way down. There are going to be some other major fixes as well but construction hasn't begun yet. It does sound like when construction is done it is going to be a nice place.