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

Good race in Alabama today, somewhat surprisingly. I'm just amazed Dixon is doing so well when Dario is struggling so bad.

 

There are some points to be made about promoting oval races in the first decade of so of the IRL. NASCAR ISC was happy to oblige.

It's going to take a while to rebuild the oval fanbase.

 

Will Power starts mid-pack, still pulls out a second straight win. If not for strategy backfiring in the season opener, Power would be 3-for-3 to start the IndyCar season.
Looked like Marco made an incredibly optimistic move on Rahal and took both out.
Still can't believe how bad Franchitti has been looking this year. Holy smokes, best finish after three races is a 10th? Wow.

 

DRS has transformed China from a ho-hum snore fest to must-see TV. Fun race yesterday. Mercedes finally busts through.

 

It was a great race. Always cool to see a first-time winner. Bummed that Schumacher went out -- I've never been the biggest Schumi fan, but it would have been fun to see where he ended up.

And while I've been occasionally critical of the Speed team the last couple of season, the IndyCar Long Beach coverage reminds me of just how good Speed typically is. The Robin Miller grid run is painful enough as it is; the fact that so far, after three races, he has managed to do the run (a) during the pre-race prayer, and (b) during the drivers parade (while yelling "Where are all the drivers?") has almost made the coverage entertaining in a "Manos: Hands of Fate" kind of way.

 

That's the second year in a row China was super-exciting. So long as DRS is used, I have accepted it as a must-have venue.

And LOL McLaren pit crew. Button had a shot if they hadn't screwed up his last stop.

I like how pit stops have become so fast that any error in the pits has become that much more crucial. In the days of 12-second-plus pit stops, a one-second fuck-up hurt, but it wasn't as fatal as a 10-second stop when a seven-second stop (or better) is the norm.

 

I think a lot of it is down to the tires, too. DRS definitely helps, but a lot of the action was away from the DRS zone.

There are seven drivers still without a point after three races: the two Caterhams, the two Marussias, the two HRTs, and Felipe Massa. So, does Ferrari dump him in the three weeks between Bahrain and Spain, or wait until the month-long summer break between Hungary and Spa?

One other mockery of the Long Beach coverage: the leader wrecked in turn one at the start... and they missed it live. Nice work.

 

Given that Speed had a choice, it seemed unwise to me to split the audience by airing the Long Beach race and the China GP at the same time - I picked F1.

Kind of liked the Shanghai track - first time I've seen it.

 

Wasn't home in time to catch it, but sounds like Will Power dominated again in Brazil. He could easily be 4-for-4 to start the year if strategy in the opener hadn't backfired.
Now the intrigue ramps up. Indy is the first oval of the year. Word is Honda will have the upper hand, so we'll see. Also wondering if they will indeed get 33 cars this year. Lotus appears to be in pretty big trouble, so far at least.

 

From Dave Calabaro comes word that Jim Nabors will not song "Back Home Again in Indiana" at the Indy 500. Nabors needs a heart valve replacement.

I am very sorry to hear this.

 

That also happened in 2007 when Nabors was ill. Instead of bringing someone else in, they had the Purdue Marching Band lead the crowd in singing it. I'd like to think they do something similar this year.

Here's a question for people with a lot more experience with the 500 than me: how much do they deviate from the traditional on-track festivities to honor Dan Wheldon? Anything beyond something special during the playing of "Taps"? My first instinct is that of course they would, but I also know that you might not want to put too much of a pall on the race before it starts. What's the right balance this year?