2018 IndyCar news/misc. stuff

It appears that highly regarded German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport is reporting that Fernando Alonso is set for the 2019 Indy 500, but is lukewarm to the idea of the full IndyCar season. Hmmm... maybe Jimmie Johnson could fill us in on the rest of Fernando's 2019 plans...?

 
I will say I am not sure COTA F1 layout is good for INDYCAR. I recently tried it on iRacing and it was quite a clunky ride to say the least. It’s a setup that requires a ton of downforce and 8 speeds as the turns are very sharp and sudden, and it’s difficult to carry speed through the esses.

IMO it’s similar to if NASCAR ran the Watkins Glen Indy layout, the cars would not flow nearly as well through it and good rhythm is what makes road course racing great
 
Takuma Sato is back with RLL racing again next year. Good for all of them. He's really turned out to be a pretty decent driver this year.
 
It appears that highly regarded German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport is reporting that Fernando Alonso is set for the 2019 Indy 500, but is lukewarm to the idea of the full IndyCar season. Hmmm... maybe Jimmie Johnson could fill us in on the rest of Fernando's 2019 plans...?


I'm skeptical of the Alonso/McLaren IndyCar thing for a lot of reasons, but not really for those. By leaving F1 for anywhere he's going to be in something slower and more cumbersome. Toyota LMP1s qualified 12-14 seconds off of F1 pole times at Spa and Silverstone this year; why isn't it a problem there? He raced Daytona in an LMP2, obviously even slower than an LMP2. Stock cars with tapered spacers...enough said. Super GT, F2...also double-digit seconds behind F1. F1 is the pinnacle in terms of auto racing machines. I don't know what else could possibly compare unless he wanted to do drag racing.

I think there are a lot of problems with McLaren, Zak Brown, engine supply, Alonso's relationship with Honda, etc. that can prevent this from happening though.
 
There are many obstacles to Fernando Alonso: full time IndyCar driver. Most could and would be overcome if not for what to me is the real underlying issue: in the world Alonso occupies, an IndyCar season championship doesn't carry enough prestige to be worth the effort. He also wouldn't be the favorite in at least his first season, as there is too much specific experience with the cars and tracks on the grid. It would require too much intense work for too little payoff. If he failed to win the thing, then it just looks like a bigger waste.

I say this only in an attempt to be realistic, not because I wouldn't love what Alonso's presence could do for IndyCar. The Indy 500 is the only race on the schedule with the notoriety and financial incentive for him to get enthused. If he decides to do the whole series, he really will be doing it "for the love of the game".
 
I will say I am not sure COTA F1 layout is good for INDYCAR. I recently tried it on iRacing and it was quite a clunky ride to say the least. It’s a setup that requires a ton of downforce and 8 speeds as the turns are very sharp and sudden, and it’s difficult to carry speed through the esses.

IMO it’s similar to if NASCAR ran the Watkins Glen Indy layout, the cars would not flow nearly as well through it and good rhythm is what makes road course racing great
The third sector, the clunkiest of them all, would be there no matter what. If they ran the National layout they'd take away the turn 11 braking zone and effectively the turn 12 braking zone at the end of the long backstraight. The Grand Prix layout makes the most sense if they're running there at all.
 
Dual IndyCar, NASCAR race weekend?
IndyCar and International Speedway Corp. executives discussed holding a dual NASCAR/IndyCar race weekend in 2019, according to sources, an idea that was tabled for now but hasn’t been ruled out for the future.

NASCAR and IndyCar have traditionally been seen more as rivals since they are the two most prominent motorsports series in the U.S. The idea of a joint race weekend might have been seen as unthinkable, but with NASCAR and IndyCar both trying to improve key business metrics, the idea was broached between IndyCar and track operator International Speedway Corp. as a way to create synergy.

The two sides were discussing plans for 2019 in part because ISM Raceway near Phoenix was dropped from next year’s IndyCar schedule, opening the possibility of adding a different ISC track in its place. The two sides discussed a possible stand-alone IndyCar race at Richmond Raceway or a dual race event at Chicagoland Speedway, but ultimately did not reach an agreement for 2019. IndyCar would run in the days or day before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. The sides declined any on-record comment.

It’s unclear how involved NBC Sports was in the scheduling discussions. The network becomes IndyCar’s full-time media rights partner in 2019 and also holds rights to half of the NASCAR season.

IndyCar remains open to the idea of a joint race weekend as soon as 2020, under the proper circumstances, according to a person with direct knowledge of the series’ schedule planning, while ISC’s openness was unclear. ISC is publicly traded but tightly controlled by the France family. The family also owns NASCAR, so ISC has clear influence on decisions about NASCAR’s schedule, though the two companies are separate entities.

Meanwhile, NASCAR President Steve Phelps said last week that “everything is in play” with the schedule beginning in 2020 and beyond.
https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com...Governing-Bodies/NASCAR-IndyCar-schedule.aspx

 
I feel like this kind of article is published quarterly, much like with NASCAR. Also, the cost figures seem a little low to me? Is there someone out there willing to spend money on TTV6 powerplants through 2026, rather than something with a hybrid or electric component? The clock is ticking...

IndyCar engine manufacturer talks for 2021 continuing
https://racer.com/2018/10/22/indycar-engine-manufacturer-talks-for-2021-continuing/
 
I'm gonna miss these cars. Always some of the best-looking on the grid and never changed from week to week. Sounds like Stuart Reed is no longer involved with Fuzzy's but will remain involved with ECR.

Fuzzy's Vodka leaving IndyCar, Ed Carpenter Racing
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...aving-ed-carpenter-racing-sponsor/1804897002/

Damn, I hope Ed and company can find a sponsor that has been committed like Fuzzy's. There are plenty of big companies in Indianapolis that would be willing to back the Indiana native.

This could lead to more opprotunity ford ECR, I would like to see Samsung back them more IMHO. That car looked great when it was driven by Spencer.
 
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Australia would be a good market to bring back for IndyCar, but as with any other international event, I'll take a "I'll believe it when I see it" approach first. There's a lot on the table considering Richmond, Chicagoland, Uruguay, Mexico City, are already all in consideration (I think the ISC tracks and then CDMX should be first priority).
 
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