Sao Paulo Indy 300

[Quintin03]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

Agreed, Danica has the equipment. Now if she could only be presented with a competitive race car to drive....

Car=equipment. It's down to Danica not the machinery.

[JagtechOhio]

Mine was a joke...not a very good one, so you didn't miss much.

The AA cars were not on pace in testing, the AGR cars were not competitive in almost every event last year, and there is no reason to suspect that will change in 2010.

Danica has Tom Anderson as her new race strategist, and presumably is is her engineer as well. So that relationship, while it may prove to be a good one, is at an embryonic stage.

She has rarely been better that a mid-pack runner on road courses, and that segment of the grid just got a lot busier. Seeing Patrick beat Wilson, Sato, Moraes, and Viso to name a few would be unlikely. With the top five pretty well figured out, that puts her fighting it out for around tenth position, which she will have to beat her AA teammates to earn.

On ovals, Justin Wilson in a car run by oval track specialists (Larry Curry for D&R) make them a potential contender. KV has three entries that will be piloting equipment every bit as good as AA race-prepared cars.

If Patrick can finish sixth in the championship this year, she well have climbed no higher amongst better competition. I doubt it. But she is a competent race car driver, and could again win an oval track race iif she were driving in Ganassi or Penske equipment.

No shot.

[rustyfan]

Things are happening quickly now - just learned that Canal+ here in Sweden will broadcast the IndyCar races this year. Seems strange for a network swap this late, but I'm not complaining - much prefer to see it on TV

Only downside is that the new network will use Swedish commentators (including one who has made a trademark out of his absolutely ridiculous reaction whenever something happens, ugh).

[Andy77]

at least you get it rusty.
Sky Germany decided to drop Indycar and over here there is no replacement on the horizon.

btw . where is the weekend schedule . I don't seem to find it at the indycar pages

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Andy77

btw . where is the weekend schedule . I don't seem to find it at the indycar pages

Click on Schedule and a list of all the race venues appears and then click on Sao Paulo.

[JagtechOhio]

Wasn't sure if this got straightened out from reading the earlier posts...

the only place the cars are running today is through the tech line.

So with limited practice time on a new circuit: is that an equalizer, since drivers and engineers all have less time to hone in on perfection...or

Does this give the advantage to the engineering team who can interpret and exploit the data most efficiently?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

the only place the cars are running today is through the tech line.

So with limited practice time on a new circuit: is that an equalizer, since drivers and engineers all have less time to hone in on perfection...or

Does this give the advantage to the engineering team who can interpret and exploit the data most efficiently?

I would have thought the latter; anything to gain the advantage.

[marcostraz]

It's just my impression, or Kanaan is really a little fatter?

[mz2k]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

Wasn't sure if this got straightened out from reading the earlier posts...

the only place the cars are running today is through the tech line.

So with limited practice time on a new circuit: is that an equalizer, since drivers and engineers all have less time to hone in on perfection...or

Does this give the advantage to the engineering team who can interpret and exploit the data most efficiently?

I'd say that and how well the driver and engineer(s) work together.

[JagtechOhio]

Agreed, it first dawned on me that this was a new track, so everyone would be at the same disadvantage...

But after the first session, the best teams will still make the most gains from the data they get, so the big boys will be on top by he time qualifying begins anyway.

I think it was five rookies in this race (although that includes Sato, so he doesn't really count, right?)...and Alex Lloyd is not a road racing vet, at least not in an IndyCar. Might make for some excitement from that perspective, too.

[Road America Fan]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

Wasn't sure if this got straightened out from reading the earlier posts...

the only place the cars are running today is through the tech line.

Thank you for this. It explains why I could not find any practice session lap times anywhere.

[JagtechOhio]

Yep, all the city traffic doesn't get the sign until midnight.

Track looks pretty cool though, don't it?

[Tim Northcutt]

The big equalizer this weekend could be rain on a new surface.

From what I've read, thunderstorms are in the forecast for race day.

The Weather Channel says a 90% chance of showers and storms for Sunday.

In the "Circuit Revealed" thread, didn't someone from down there say that when it rains in the location where the track is, the place has serious drainage issues?

Does anyone else remember reading that, or did I read it on another forum?

[Juarez Jed]

You're right Tim.
The track was meant to get major drainage works done before the repave but I don't think it was done for this year.
If any of the drivers have experience in jet boat sprints it could come in handy if your weather prediction is correct.
Maybe the weather conditions will allow a smokey to emerge from the field, but I would expect the usual road race experts to be up front.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Juarez Jed

You're right Tim.
The track was meant to get major drainage works done before the repave but I don't think it was done for this year.
If any of the drivers have experience in jet boat sprints it could come in handy if your weather prediction is correct.
Maybe the weather conditions will allow a smokey to emerge from the field, but I would expect the usual road race experts to be up front.

It wasn't my weather prediction...I got it from the Weather Channel

[skells22]

well. no rain if go by the BBC forecast as the two main days are sunny so someone right and someone wrong. but we do know it does rain there!

[Juarez Jed]

Originally Posted by skells22

well. no rain if go by the BBC forecast as the two main days are sunny so someone right and someone wrong. but we do know it does rain there!

Thanks for the update skells.
I guess if it was damp we mightn't notice the track breaking up so much
I'm looking forward to this anyway, I just hope there aren't too many safety car laps to spoil it, be they due to accidents or track conditions.
I'm still waiting for Danicafan to give us Danica's lap times from the practice that he insisted she would be doing on Friday, although I guess you would have to mark them with an asterisk if they were done in her Lambo amongst the traffic

[bjohnsonsmith]

If it does rain, I can't really think of anyone who is particularly good in the wet, except maybe Dario Franchitti.

[skells22]

when you mean safety car you mean full course yellows and i going to guess that as it is a street track you might see a few of them. is there a time limit on the race this weekend?

[Silk Cut Jaguar]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

If it does rain, I can't really think of anyone who is particularly good in the wet, except maybe Dario Franchitti.

Taku isn't bad in the rain but I doubt that counts for much while still learning the car.

[mz2k]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

If it does rain, I can't really think of anyone who is particularly good in the wet, except maybe Dario Franchitti.

Graham Rahal won his first start at St. Pete in the wet.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I don't think he's racing at Sau Paulo, not according to the Indy Car website.

[DanicaFan]

Practice Session 1 is over. Scott Dixon was the fastest. He had a lap time of 1:31.7707.

Here are the results of Session 1..

1. #9 Scott Dixon - 1:31.7707
2. #6 Ryan Briscoe - 1:31.9731
3. #11 Tony Kanaan - 1:31.9753
4. #12 Will Power - 1:32.3009
5. #24 Mike Conway -1:32.6446
6. #37 Ryan Hunter-Reay -1:32.7943
7. #2 Raphael Matos - 1:32.8537
8. #3 Helio Castroneves - 1:32.9402
9. #77 Alex Tagliani - 1:33.1523
10. #22 Justin Wilson -1:33.3587
11. #8 EJ Viso -1:33.3998
12. #78 Simona De Silvestro - 1:33.4757
13. #26 Marco Andretti - 1:33.4808
14. #32 Mario Moraes -1:33.5580
15. #06 Hideki Mutoh - 1:33.6684
16. #14 Vitor Meira - 1:33.6970
17. #10 Dario Franchitti - 1:33.8456
18. #19 Alex Lloyd - 1:33.9907
19. #5 Takuma Sato - 1:34.0126
20. #4 Dan Wheldon - 1:34.4779
21. #34 Mario Romancini -1:34.6577
22. #7 Danica Patrick - 1:34.7795
23. #23 Ana Beatriz - 1:37.4300
24. #18 Mika Duno -1:43.4555

[Purist]

Uncharacteristic to see Dario that far down the order. Simona is putting in a good showing though.

That lap by Dixon comes in at 102-mph average. It'll be interesting to see how much times drop in subsequent sessions.

[Andy77]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Click on Schedule and a list of all the race venues appears and then click on Sao Paulo.

OK thanks .
I guess I need glasses soon.