All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

Paul Tracy, dumbass:





Well … yes. Yes, he did.

Actual injuries, per the team and family (released today):

• Thoracic spinal fracture
• Spinal cord injury
• Neck fracture
• Tibia and fibula fractures to both legs
• Fractures in both hands
• Fractured right forearm
• Fractured elbow
• Four fractured ribs
• Pulmonary contusion

Robert Wickens has more surgeries, will transfer to rehab facility; full list of injuries released

https://jalopnik.com/robert-wickens-family-releases-his-exact-injuries-becau-1828871189

 

Saw the story from Pockrass this morning and my heart sank. Was hoping for a complete recovery and resumption of his career, but the extent of the injuries had me concerned. Wickens was amazing to watch in his first year in the series, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. And yeah, Stewart back to the 500 was probably a pipe dream anyway, but can't imagine Tony expending the effort now.

Also, Alonzo hasn't ruled out a return to Indianapolis in 2019, but that's still a longshot in my opinion.

 

Had the great fortune of roaming around Laguna Seca on Friday afternoon during testing ahead of Sunday's "California 8 Hours" which was staged by some version of sportscar racing that appeared to be to WSC as Bellator is to UFC. Anyway, what an awesome track! The famed Corkscrew is everything it's known to be, and the view of the track offered from up high on the hill is surpassed only by the awesome roar of the engines echoing everywhere.

 

Saw some TV coverage of it and man, without any vegetation in the runoff areas, that's one dirty, dusty track. Wonder how they'll keep from throwing gravel and sand all over the place at next year's IndyCar event. But yes, the Corkscrew is amazing, especially when CanAm raced there. Even TransAm used to put on a heck of a show. Sounds like you found the prime viewing spot, like we did when I first went there in 1982. Higher is better at a road course, from what I've learned.

We also got lost getting out of there after one of the CART races in the mid-80s and wound up getting stopped and escorted by military police. We realized we wound up on Fort Ord, in a place where intoxicated civilian race fans weren't welcome. Yes, sir, Mr. Army Guy.

 

Funny enough, Fort Ord is no more and we stayed at a new Marriott built in the middle of the new PUD development there known as The Dunes.

 

That’s not a second-tier sanction — it’s a major FIA GT event. Intercontinental GT is fun, but is serious competition — and as ever, speed costs money so how fast do you want to go? All cars in the main class have to meet FIA GT3 spec (or GT Cup spec, no big difference), which opens it up to a lot of easily obtainable hardware (IMSA’s GT Daytona class is straight GT3, while GT Le Mans is equivalent to the ACO’s GTE and is something along the lines of the old GT2 spec), along with GT4 and TCR (think “compact touring cars”).

The Stéphane Ratel Organisation runs this series, along with Blancpain GT (FIA’s top GT series replacing FIA GT1, currently running GT3-spec cars modified “up” for more performance), and several other GT3 and GT4 series for FIA (I think Stéphane has part of nearly every FIA-sanctioned GT event). The Bathurst 12 Hours at Mount Panorama in Australia is also part of Intercontinental GT, as are the 24 Hours of Spa and the 10-hour race at Suzuka.

SRO also runs the FIA GT Cup portion of the annual Macau clusterfuck.

 

It's not F1 or even NASCAR, but bless its demented little heart, it looks like fun.

The Glorious Madness of Japanese Dodge Van Racing

 

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was destined to become a subdivision before her father decided to buy it in 1945. Mari Hulman George was 11, and her passion for the sport of auto racing is grateful for her stewardship. I met her once -- when she was following her grandson in the NASCAR stepladder series. She was standing all by herself in the infield at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but easily approachable and willing to chat about racing.

Mari Hulman George, longtime head of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dies at 83

 

Always a good thing. Alonso says let's try Indy again.

Alonso and McLaren returning to Indy in 2019