IMSA Race DETROIT GRAND PRIX 2018

[joeb]

There is qualifying about to start and the race is tomorrow. I know there isn't much interest in this round given the test day this weekend, but it is the only IMSA race of the year featuring Protos and GTD.

Looks like a tight battle during practice between the Caddy, Acura, and Nissan teams.

[Juntos]

Originally Posted by joeb

Looks like a tight battle during practice between the Caddy, Acura, and Nissan teams.

In Detroit a Caddy win is expectable!

[Purist]

Mazda was in there on the time sheets as well.

Already, the Prototypes are more than a second under the previous lap racord, and GTD is close to a second under theirs.

The 2.35-mile, 14-turn, Belle Isle parkland circuit is about as quick as Laguna Seca on average speed.

And I wonder if the pick-up in speeds we've seen already is partly a result of surface improvement. Yes, it's still quite bumpy, but I think a good portion of that, especially when compared to the old CART days, is that much more of the course seems to be paved in concrete rather than asphalt.

[joeb]

It's qualifying time!

I'm getting the video stream quite nicely right now but no sound.

[joeb]

Qualifying delayed a few minutes while track is getting cleaned up after a crash in the Porsche race.
Magnus won't be qualifying due to an engine failure.

The camera crew is showing extended coverage of a squirrel.

[broadrun96]

Nothing like IMSA timing and scoring, it's over, no wait, more time, no wait curfew, it's over.

And what's the penalty for hitting a car on track in qualifying? Think Montoya spun Derani a bit there at the end. Pipo is crushing it, .5 sec faster than everyone else like a switch

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[joeb]

Drama in proto qualifying, Alon pits the bananaboat in the wall and then some teams didn't follow proper red flag proceedures. But Derani puts it on pole! Looks good for ESM tomorrow.

[Maelochs]

What a mess ...

But I think everyone ended up pretty much where they belong.

A couple quick laps from the P2s too.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Nothing like IMSA timing and scoring, it's over, no wait, more time, no wait curfew, it's over.

And what's the penalty for hitting a car on track in qualifying? Think Montoya spun Derani a bit there at the end. Pipo is crushing it, .5 sec faster than everyone else like a switch

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I think it was sharp in the same that got hit. Looks like rain is coming to Belle Isle this evening.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by joeb

I think it was sharp in the same that got hit. Looks like rain is coming to Belle Isle this evening.

Yeah, they (picture and audio) were keeping up with the action like it was their first time. And I'm watching on the phone so not exactly giant picture

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[Maelochs]

With Castroneves and Sharp, it is hard to know who to blame .....

[Maelochs]

Anyone find a link don't tell me ... I Like more commercials than racing.

[Maelochs]

There's a new leader up front ... but we know you would rather have seen the middle of the GTD pack.

[deggis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqLsCiJ8Lsc

Not my stream.

[Maelochs]

Thanks .... better to have Hindy shouting all the wrong info than endless sales pitches.

[Akrapovic]

Not entirely sold on the penalty for the 99. He was put there by the Caddy.

[J Jay]

Same for me, and (unusually) for both members of the booth.

Looks like the stewards are on their own on this one.

[Akrapovic]

A fair bit of debris on circuit. If they called a yellow then I think it'd be justified, but to IMSAs credit, they're doing their best to keep it green. How times change over the years eh.

[J Jay]

I know it used to be a theme with last-lap greens of old, but if there was one more lap then the #6 may have just had the time to get past.

A great effort from Nasr in particular to keep the #31 in front.

[Maelochs]

Nothing stellar, but a good race with a few incidents to create controversy, a few disappointments, and a few pleasant surprises.

What was not a surprise? "The Mazda is having a problem" ... "The remaining Mazda is slowing on track ..."

Those people have been adding two and two and getting three for about eight years now.

Still ... glad I watched it and glad I got to do the e-version.

[joeb]

I recorded the Fox sports broadcast and watched it on delay. I hate having to do this because I can't listen to the Imsa radio stream or follow T& S.

I was amazed how bad the coverage was. The announcers do a pretty good job, and this was no exception, but the overall production was bad and it was difficult to follow what was actually going on. Some examples, the scrolling leaderboard on the top of the screen was often wrong. Not sure why it was taking multiple laps at times to catch up to the onscreen action. We also missed the final lead change during commercial breaks with little reference and no replay of what happened. I'm still unsure how the 31 jumped to the lead with their pit strategy.

Overall, I liked seeing the cars there but won't be upset if they never race at Detroit again. It is a Monaco style parade. And the penalty on the 99 was bad.

[Maelochs]

Originally Posted by joeb

I was amazed how bad the coverage was. The announcers do a pretty good job, and this was no exception, but the overall production was bad and it was difficult to follow what was actually going on.

What is even scarier is that this was only two classes.Add another class and another half-dozen stories, and another sponsor who needs time for a puff-piece, and basically we are watching a series of snapshots with disjointed narration ... not a race report but a series of random reminiscings illustrated with unrelated photographs.

To follow the race you need a race-fan director with big ... attachments, someone who can pick a few stories and tell the rest, "You want coverage, run up front, or work through the field. We cannot devote time to every car and every driver---if you aren't changing the race, you are filler and will be overlooked."

You cannot do slivers of stories and endless jump-cuts ... the director needs to sometimes follow a few cars for a few minutes, and not jump to something else unless something else really happens.

What we have now is "Look over here! Look over there! No, look over there!---No, watch three commercials and an infomercial ... and we won't have time to explain what you missed because we need to get back to our speed-freak story slivers. Sorry."

When a car wins the race because of strategy, people want a Thorough explanation of the competing strategies, what the crews did, who did the hot in- and out-laps ... How did the car get the lead? isn't that the second question?

Who won? How did they win?

If those questions don't have clear and thorough answers at the end of the coverage, the coverage failed.

Somehow soccer can run for 90 minutes without a commercial. IMSA can sometimes do 90 seconds.

[Purist]

I'll be waiting for the stream to be posted to watch, like usual.

Yeah, I get the whole bad coverage thing; I guess it just gives me a reason to miss cable TV that much less.

I really don't understand the ire that gets leveled at Belle Isle. Yes, it's not Road America, and no, it doesn't have palm trees like Long Beach. But seriously, the racing there isn't THAT bad, especially since they went back to the long course in 2013. "A Monaco-style parade", no, that would be the 1982 variant of the downtown street circuit, maybe.

[TzeiTzei]

Originally Posted by joeb

I recorded the Fox sports broadcast and watched it on delay. I hate having to do this because I can't listen to the Imsa radio stream or follow T& S.

Sure you can

Imsa radio replay

Live timing replay

[Maelochs]

Originally Posted by TzeiTzei

Sure you can

Imsa radio replay

Live timing replay

Big TY for that stuff, friend.

I am sure syncing everything will be easy, right?