2015 IndyCar schedule

[NaBUru38]

Good to see Pocono, Fontana and Iowa in the calendar - although having Pocono in August and Fontana in June is crazy.

Toronto clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Fontana clashes with the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.

[Purist]

Le Mans will be over before Toronto starts, thanks to time zones. Fontana is on Saturday, while Watkins Glen is on Sunday. So, there isn't any actual overlap between those races.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

See, they did think it through! Good to see they plan to eventually get the calendar to spread across more than 10 hours of the year, although I'm not sure they'll find a huge international audience, even if they do get a good Colombian venue.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by Purist

Le Mans will be over before Toronto starts, thanks to time zones. Fontana is on Saturday, while Watkins Glen is on Sunday. So, there isn't any actual overlap between those races.

I meant that drivers can't do both.

[August]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I meant that drivers can't do both.

Interesting to see if Conway gets a WEC seat or even tries to get one instead of driving IndyCar road/street courses.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by August

Interesting to see if Conway gets a WEC seat or even tries to get one instead of driving IndyCar road/street courses.

WEC I would say. He's not in contention for any major in Indycar. In WEC, he is. WEC also a far firmer status internationally.

[Purist]

Not much in the article itself about the track, but the photo at the top gives some clear indications.
http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/11/...a-this-weekend

I'm hoping what happens with regards to this other event is mostly good.
http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/11/...its-IMS-Museum

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Purist

Not much in the article itself about the track, but the photo at the top gives some clear indications.
http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/11/...a-this-weekend

I'm hoping what happens with regards to this other event is mostly good.
http://www.indycar.com/News/2014/11/...its-IMS-Museum

How long is the straightaway?

[Yannick]

On another forum, somebody posted an onboard video of a lap of Brasilia from a recent track day. This track needs a lot of refurbishment work: new kerbs, more runoff in places, guardrail, the whole lot. There is enough time for the organisers to do the work but Dubai Autodrome is probably in better shape at this point just because it's a newer track than Brasilia. It's all feasible in time and it can become a great venue. Here's wishing the organisers all the best for getting the circuit up to standards again.

[Purist]

BJS, using both bypasses on the back side of NOLA, the straight itself will be around 2,000ft. If they only used the second short-cut, it would be more like 1,200ft.

Honestly, I think they'd only need the second one, and could still use the first part of those esses, while also getting a longer, straight run into the braking zone to improve overtaking opportunities. It's really a shame to cut out all of those nice, high-speed corners, if you don't have to.

With the full set of esses, the track is 2.75 miles around, and this double-bypass brings that down to 2.67 miles to the lap.

[Purist]

Yannick, yes, they probably do need new barriers all the way around. The curbs, if they are a much older spec, are still a much smaller concern, by comparison.

The main place where walls/guardrails could use pushing back is outside of Turn 4. From Turn 3 to Turn 12 though, they almost certainly need to add barriers in a lot of places, to keep the guys from being able to freely roam the infield.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by Yannick

On another forum, somebody posted an onboard video of a lap of Brasilia from a recent track day. This track needs a lot of refurbishment work: new kerbs, more runoff in places, guardrail, the whole lot. There is enough time for the organisers to do the work but Dubai Autodrome is probably in better shape at this point just because it's a newer track than Brasilia. It's all feasible in time and it can become a great venue. Here's wishing the organisers all the best for getting the circuit up to standards again.

If the onboard I saw, which was a bikes track day, is recent, the whole thing probably needs repaving as well (although we know that IndyCars are happy walloping over bumpy street circuits, so maybe not ).

[Purist]

Here's what must be a fairly recent one, since it's onboard a Corvette C7. Make of it what you will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6jibae4S5Q

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by Purist

Here's what must be a fairly recent one, since it's onboard a Corvette C7. Make of it what you will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6jibae4S5Q

Thanks. That looks similar to what I watched. Patches and seams everywhere. Could be interesting if it's not re-paved...

[Purist]

Here's a bit more on Brasilia, including an apparent visual of the new layout.
http://www.racingcircuits.info/south...l#.VJDLE6b3CIU

I'm not sure why they didn't just rebuild/extend the existing pits, instead of throwing them away, and demolishing the go-kart complex as well.

That new esse in the infield, presumably to provide more room for the new pits/paddock, would seem to royally muck up any overtaking into that tight, 90, left-hander that follows.

Also, the realignment of the old first and final corners looks like it will make going side-by-side through them more difficult than with the previous configuration. This more the case with the re-work of the old final turn than the prior first corner.

(You know, Barber's flowing turns with very few sharper apexes seems to work quite well with the DW12.)

[August]

Originally Posted by Purist

That new esse in the infield, presumably to provide more room for the new pits/paddock, would seem to royally muck up any overtaking into that tight, 90, left-hander that follows.

Also, the realignment of the old first and final corners looks like it will make going side-by-side through them more difficult than with the previous configuration. This more the case with the re-work of the old final turn than the prior first corner.

I agree with you about that esse in the midfield. I think it's there because of the limited runoff in the long left-hander but keeping the pits in their old location would've enabled a bigger runoff.

The last two corners are a bit like Juncao at Interlagos, they've added a runoff in a similar way.

[Yannick]

Thank you for the track map of the forthcoming upgrades to the Brasilia road course. The Sao Paulo Sambodrome circuit still looks better on paper but it still remains to be seen if it really is.
From the look of the track, I expect Brasilia to have racing that's somewhat similar to Magny-Cours. So surprise winners are not out of the question. We'll see.

Yet, with 2015 arriving with full speed ahead, the 2016 schedule thread shouldn't be too far away either. And as always, it would contain suggestions about where this series should be heading for the upcoming season. The usual suspects like Phoenix (oval), Gateway (oval), Nashville (oval), Kentucky (oval), Chicagoland (oval), Elkhart Lake (road), Portland (road), Cleveland (airfield), Houston (street), Adelaide (street), Boston (street) should be namedropped again there and then. But the tracks which are really going to be added, most likely won't show up until the deal is complete. At least, that was the case with the latest addition to the calendar: NOLA (road). So why start such a thread after all? ;-) Why not?

[BudLightJaguar]

Honda Indy Toronto organization hasn't started selling tickets yet but if the area in 2015 matches with the 2014, which grandstand would be the best? Turn 3 looks like a nice spot but it's a bit far away from other activities. Or else, if I just buy GA ticket plus paddock pass, will I see only tons of thick debris fence?

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Honda Indy Toronto organization hasn't started selling tickets yet but if the area in 2015 matches with the 2014, which grandstand would be the best? Turn 3 looks like a nice spot but it's a bit far away from other activities. Or else, if I just buy GA ticket plus paddock pass, will I see only tons of thick debris fence?

There are spots you can see through the fence just fine but only at "ground level", so you will be looking through crowd control chain link plus the trackside catch fencing. A grandstand seat would be nice.

Turn 3 as you noted is a good spot but that's all you can see from there and it's a bit far from other things. About the only decent photo I found is this one. The grandstand is facing the braking zone at the end of the straight but doesn't really look down into the corner itself. Photo by my friend Paul.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57645759075504

The turn 11/Dr. Pepper grandstand is not bad. Here's a shot that shows you where it is in relation to the Honda Bridge. Good view of the last turn and pit in plus across into the beginning of pit lane (out of shot to the left):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57645759075504
View from that grandstand by my buddy Patrick:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703372912/

For the main grandstands I think the ones above pit lane would be better than the start/finish ones as they have much easier access to the infield, food, activities, paddock, etc.

Turn 10 gives you a view down into Winners' Circle if you like that kind of thing. Otherwise it's not bad either, you can see the cars come through the esses of nine-ten and into 11 or pit in. Here's the view of Winners' Circle from the top of that grandstand (photo by my friend Evgeny):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57634622432143
And toward the track (Patrick again):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703375402/
And showing a wider view (Chris P):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703086182/

Track map for reference (you've probably seen this already):
http://www.hondaindytoronto.com/seatingmap

Renewal tix on sale today, general public on the 19th of February:
http://www.hondaindytoronto.com/more...general-public

Take a look at the HIT Flickr stream and you'll see a lot of views of the various grandstands and what else is around:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy

Tons from the pit lane grandstand on the first page, also showing the start/finish one on the other side of the front straight.

Feel free to PM or email me richard_wintle [at] yahoo [dot] ca and maybe I can answer other questions or dig out some different photos to show things.

Cheers,
Richard.

[BudLightJaguar]

Originally Posted by rwintle

There are spots you can see through the fence just fine but only at "ground level", so you will be looking through crowd control chain link plus the trackside catch fencing. A grandstand seat would be nice.

Turn 3 as you noted is a good spot but that's all you can see from there and it's a bit far from other things. About the only decent photo I found is this one. The grandstand is facing the braking zone at the end of the straight but doesn't really look down into the corner itself. Photo by my friend Paul.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57645759075504

The turn 11/Dr. Pepper grandstand is not bad. Here's a shot that shows you where it is in relation to the Honda Bridge. Good view of the last turn and pit in plus across into the beginning of pit lane (out of shot to the left):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57645759075504
View from that grandstand by my buddy Patrick:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703372912/

For the main grandstands I think the ones above pit lane would be better than the start/finish ones as they have much easier access to the infield, food, activities, paddock, etc.

Turn 10 gives you a view down into Winners' Circle if you like that kind of thing. Otherwise it's not bad either, you can see the cars come through the esses of nine-ten and into 11 or pit in. Here's the view of Winners' Circle from the top of that grandstand (photo by my friend Evgeny):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondai...57634622432143
And toward the track (Patrick again):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703375402/
And showing a wider view (Chris P):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy/14703086182/

Thanks, that was really helpful grandstand FAQ.

Take a look at the HIT Flickr stream and you'll see a lot of views of the various grandstands and what else is around:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hondaindy

Off-track activities look really...ultra-Canadian. Lumberjack competition, (poutine) eating contest, summer hockey shootout

Feel free to PM or email me richard_wintle [at] yahoo [dot] ca and maybe I can answer other questions or dig out some different photos to show things.
Cheers,
Richard

Sure, I'll send some PM if I need any further help.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Off-track activities look really...ultra-Canadian. Lumberjack competition, (poutine) eating contest, summer hockey shootout

My pleasure. I'd expect the layout of Winners' Circle and the grandstands to be the same this year but you never know (Winner's Circle has made one major move in the past five years).

The activities... yeah. Also the firefighter challenge. There are other things going on but those were the ones we were asked to cover most extensively, so that's why there are so many photos of them. Getting up close and personal with the poutine eating contest... not for the faint of heart! Fortunately no poutine on the camera lens.

Hope you decide to come, will be happy to say hello in person if you do.

[TheMightyM]

Marshall Pruett writes that “Brazilian promoter announces event cancellation”:

RACER is continuing to gather facts, but according to Terracap, the government agency that owns the Autodromo International Nelson Piquet circuit that was scheduled to host the Verizon IndyCar Series season opener on March 8, the event has been canceled.
The decision to cancel the event was apparently made in response to ongoing local financial troubles.

More here.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by TheMightyM

Marshall Pruett writes that “Brazilian promoter announces event cancellation”:



More here.

It has been cancelled, not what IndyCar needs in what may be a pivotal season, regarding the future if the series.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2015/01/...-Brasilia-race

[Yannick]

Oh dear. This cancellation has been likely, ever since the photos of the circuit had been posted which were taken before the start of the renovation. Maybe Mark Miles put it on the calendar because getting a contractual fee from the local promoter was better than nothing? We'll never know but one question remains. With IndyCar still being very popular in Brazil, is this a terminal cancellation or does the contract run for several years, so running there next year would be likely, with the track reconstruction then having been completed?

[NaBUru38]

Barnhardt, Brasilia... Who's next, Barnes?