"Open Test" Thread

[Tim Northcutt]

Sorry...Ganassi was 4th (Dixon) and 6th (Manning).....


can't have two 5ths in a Top 10....

[racefanatic]

Scott Dixon was 4th and Darren was 5th.

[Tim Northcutt]

Not according to the Indy Star today in the combined results...maybe they were wrong...


They had Barron at 218.6 and Manning's top speed at 218.3....

[racefanatic]

Oh! I just looked at the timing and scoring - that was probably only the last session's times. My bad!

[climb]

According to IRL website: 4th Dixon; 5th Manning; 6th Carpenter; 7th Barron

[Tim Northcutt]

Make sure you are reading times that were compiled from "Both" sessions...that is what my "Top 10 for the Day" is based upon....taking each car's fastest lap for the entire day...in either session....

Barron was 2nd quick in the morning with a 218.6....I don't think Manning or Carpenter exceeded that speed in the afternoon session...

[climb]

I'll check better than

[climb]

You were right Tim.
Interestingly, the combined standings show two unusual situation:
No Honda engine in the best ten; no Chevy engine in the worst nine.

[Tim Northcutt]

I knew the "No Honda in the Top 10"....

But did not look to figure out the "No Chevy-Worth in with Worst Nine"

an equally-significant piece of info to know....

especially since the word we had gotten after the "Engine Tests" at Indy April 2 & 3 was that Chevy was way behind and down in power...again....

If they were, they sure aren't now....

[climb]

I repeatedly declare my relief about.

[rustyfan]

Perhaps it was sandbagging at its finest during that intial test in early April?

Then again, wouldn't be much point in sandbagging and then show your hand in open testing...

[Tim Northcutt]

Thus far on Thursday a.m.:

1. Giaffone 218.8
2. Scheckter 218.7
3. Matsuura 218.5
4. Hornish 218.3
5. Castroneves 218.25
6. Dixon 218.23

all others under 218 m.p.h....with lots of track time to go!!!!

[Tim Northcutt]

UPDATE:

A yellow is out right now, but here is where it stands...

1. Dixon 219.985
2. Giaffone 218.830
3. Hornish 218.804
4. Scheckter 218.748
5. Castroneves 218.708

Matsuura is 6th with the same time as before....

[Tim Northcutt]

Reason for the Yellow:

Darren Manning had a "wallbanger" don't know where he made contact on the track...

He was checked out and released from the Infield Care Center...

[Tim Northcutt]

I didn't catch much of the afternoon session...

But Hornish & Castroneves topped 220...

According to the various noon newscasts here...

Besides Manning, Buddy Rice made contact with the wall, and very late in the morning session, Barron hit the wall, too...

Don't know about any incidents from the afternoon...

Please advise if you know anything...

[rustyfan]

AP has this report;

Three drivers crash in 500 testing
Associated Press
April 29, 2004


Three drivers crashed today on the second day of open testing for next month's Indianapolis 500.

None of the drivers were seriously hurt, and all were cleared to drive again by the track hospital.

Driver Buddy Rice hit the wall exiting Turn 1, then slid down across the track before stopping near the inside wall. Practice was stopped for about 40 minutes while track workers fixed a safety barrier.

Rice, who drives for Team Rahal, had completed just five laps with a top speed of 213.967 mph when he crashed.

Darren Manning, a driver for the Target Chip Ganassi team, later crashed in the same turn, hitting the outside wall with the left side of his car.

The third crash occurred with Alex Barron, a Cheever Racing driver, crashed in Turn 2, just before morning practice session was scheduled to end.

[GP Racer]

Glad everyones alright, but the big news about that story, is that AP thought enough of it to print it!

Didn't think the Indy 500 registered with them...

[Team Owner]

Tim, the rev limit is still 10,300. Remember that none of these cars were run over the tech pad after Wednesday.

[climb]

At the end of the day, still the Penskies on top exceeding 220 mph with Hornish.

And still Giaffone doing very good.

[Testure]

When you have such an old track, where most teams have lots of data, car setup becomes all-important. I think that explains why the Cosworth engine isn't necessarily at such a disadvantage, at least at this early point. They can claw back some time with an experienced engineer. For the same reason, Penske are looking fairly good and I wouldn't bet against them winning comfortably. Again.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally posted by Team Owner
Tim, the rev limit is still 10,300. Remember that none of these cars were run over the tech pad after Wednesday.

Thanks, Team Owner...I thought that might be the case on the revs, but didn't want to post it to start a "misinformation campaign"

Incorrect info takes on a life of its own on the internet....

and the second point is an important one, too....one that always has been in my mind as May approaches each year following the "Test Days"

[Team Owner]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
Thanks, Team Owner...I thought that might be the case on the revs, but didn't want to post it to start a "misinformation campaign"

Incorrect info takes on a life of its own on the internet....

and the second point is an important one, too....one that always has been in my mind as May approaches each year following the "Test Days"

Yeh, they have to get "legal" in the " room of doom " starting Friday May 7th which is when tech officially opens.