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7 Mar 2018, 00:40 (Ref:3806401)
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2018 Round 1: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, 9-11 March.
2018 Round 1: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, 9-11 March.
The waiting and the long off season are almost over, as this Sunday's 2018 season opener at St. Pete is nearly upon us. Three year's ago, saw the introduction of aero-kits from the two engine manufacturers, Chevrolet and Honda. The idea was to produce some visual variation and brand identity for both manufacturers, in what is a spec car. Chevrolet produced the dominant package, winning the Driver's Championship and Manufacturer's Cup from 2015 - 2017, though Honda won the Indy 500 in 2016 and '17. This year will see the Univeral Aero-Kit make its race debut. A lot of praise has been heaped on the new aero-kit by drivers, teams and fans. For the drivers, the car is more challenging to drive, for teams it is much cheaper and for fans it is visually appealing, with the appearance similar to the cars that raced before the split. Obviously, there is much anticipation and it will be interesting to see if it will live up to its expectations. This will be the 15th running of the race on the current course and the 14th as an IndyCar race. The event was first held as part of the SCCA Trans-Am Series, on the downtown waterfront circuit, from 1985-1990 but when local residents and businesses complained about the noise it was cancelled. It returned briefly from 1996-1997 on a new course around Tropicana Field. After a second hiatus, the event returned in 2003 but as a Champ Car race, using a modified layout of the original 1985–90 waterfront circuit. In 2004, the event was cancelled due to a dispute between the promoters but returned in 2005, this time as part of the IRL IndyCar Series, making this the first non-oval event for the Indy Racing League. Some trivia: The driver with most wins: 3, Hélio Castroneves, 2006, 2007, 2012. The team with most wins: 9, Team Penske, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016. Track layout:  Length: 1.8 Miles (2.9 Km) Turns: 14 Lap record: Will Power, March 12, 2016. 1:00.245, 107.561 Mph (173.102 Km/h). Team Penske, Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6. Verizon IndyCar Series. Last year's race: During qualifying, Will Power took his seventh Pole at St Petersburg breaking his own lap record, which he set the previous year. Team Penske repeated 2015's top-four shutout, with all four drivers finishing in exactly the same order as they did in 2015. The start of the race saw Power take the lead from Pole, as Hinchcliffe passed Dixon for second place. The field made it through Turn 1 but Rahal and Kimball made contact coming through Turn 2, putting Rahal into a spin and sending Kimball towards the wall in Turn 3, where he collected Muñoz. Castroneves, Jones and Aleshin also sustained damage in the incident, bringing out the first full-course yellow. On lap 5, Hinchcliffe immediately took the lead on the restart, pulling away and extending his lead to over four seconds by lap 12. On lap 14, Power suddenly came into the pits with a puncture, sending him to the back of the field. As he left the pits, he ran over the air hose, incurring a drive-through penalty, which put him further behind Hinchcliffe and moved Dixon into second place. The first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 20 with a few drivers, including Bourdais and Pagenaud who were further down the field, being some of the first in. However, on lap 26, in the middle of this round of stops, the second full-course yellow came out as Kanaan and Aleshin made contact in Turn 4, littering the track with debris. This forced the top seven placed drivers to pit, losing track position and giving Pagenaud the lead, with Bourdais and Andretti in second and third. Pigot, who was running fifth up until his pit stop, retired when the left-rear brake on his car exploded. The race resumed on lap 30 with no incidents among the leaders. Further back, Dixon briefly lost acceleration on his car, sending him down the field. In turn 2, Conor Daly and Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact, but were able to avoid significant damage. On lap 37, the lead of the race changed hands again when Bourdais passed Simon Pagenaud in Turn 1, with Bourdais quickly pulling away. The second round of scheduled stops began on lap 50, with Bourdais and Pagenaud still in first and second respectively. Meanwhile Power moved up to third, though he was off-sequence with the other leaders, due to a combination of his tyre stop, the drive-through penalty and the full course yellow during the first round of stops. With no concerns about saving fuel, Bourdais began to extend his lead even further than on the previous stint. Meanwhile, Dixon began to move back up through field and into seventh place by lap 75. The last round of green flag stops began on lap 77 without major incident, though Sato had a delayed pit stop after a wheel-gun jammed, causing him to lose a few positions. Bourdais was still in the lead and Dixon continued to climb through the field, emerging from his stop in fourth place. Shortly after the end of the pit-stops, Power dramatically slowed on track with a fuel-feed issue and despite efforts to get it fixed, without bringing the car into the pits, he was black flagged for running too slowly and eventually retired from the race, giving Dixon third place. Bourdais won and by the end of the race had pulled out a lead of over 10 seconds. Pagenaud was second, with the third podium spot going to Dixon. Bourdais' victory came after starting in last place and was his first race driving for Dale Coyne Racing since 2011. The win marked his 36th in American Open-Wheel Racing, breaking a tie between himself and Bobby Unser for sixth on the all-time winners list. It was Bourdais' first win since Detroit in 2016 and Dale Coyne Racing's, first since 2014, when Carlos Huertas won Race 1 of The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. Pole: Will Power. 1:01.064, 106.12 mph (170.12 Km/h) Winner: Sébastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing, Dallara DW12-Honda HI17TT Laps: 110 Distance 198 Miles (318.65 Km) Race Time 2:04:32 Average Speed 95.391 Mph (153.517 Km/h) Caution periods: 2 Caution laps: 8 Race Broadcast: ABC Sunday, March 11. 12:30PM ET. Last edited by bjohnsonsmith; 7 Mar 2018 at 01:00. |
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"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman. 
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7 Mar 2018, 01:58 (Ref:3806412)
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Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 12,236
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Hooray! Race week!
Always enjoy this event and find the track to be a decent Street circuit. Nice post # as always bjs |
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley
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7 Mar 2018, 08:44 (Ref:3806518)
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 748
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I haven't been very active here during the winter. But now...only 5 days to go!
Excellent opening post btw. |
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7 Mar 2018, 12:46 (Ref:3806600)
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,515
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Looking forward to the season. First race is on ABC. O/u on times Indy 500 is referenced during the race: 24. O/u on times the rest of the season or the championship is mentioned during the race: 4.
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7 Mar 2018, 22:54 (Ref:3806736)
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Thank God, I'm tired of watching Lanky Turtle's videos on a constant loop!
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9 Mar 2018, 15:41 (Ref:3807076)
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Race Official 20KPINAL
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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9 Mar 2018, 17:00 (Ref:3807091)
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Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,701
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__________________
Nitropteron - Fly fast or get crushed! by NaBUrean Prodooktionz naburu38.itch.io
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9 Mar 2018, 18:27 (Ref:3807115)
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,515
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I'm pleasantly surprised to see 24 cars, an increase from last year. Are all of these full season? Or at least enough partial season teams to get to 24 or so every race?
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9 Mar 2018, 21:31 (Ref:3807151)
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Rookie
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Quote:
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9 Mar 2018, 22:10 (Ref:3807161)
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Race Official 20KPINAL
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,815
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Quote:
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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10 Mar 2018, 08:36 (Ref:3807192)
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Rookie
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Quote:
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10 Mar 2018, 13:55 (Ref:3807237)
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Race Official 20KPINAL
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,815
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Quote:
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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10 Mar 2018, 20:34 (Ref:3807272)
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,515
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Not much interest for qualifying I gather. Interesting session. Completely shook up order.
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10 Mar 2018, 20:45 (Ref:3807276)
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 600
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Cracking fast 6 shootout, 3 rookies in the top 4 outdoing more experienced teammates. I didn't think Wickens would top Power but what a lap.
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11 Mar 2018, 00:22 (Ref:3807293)
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,892
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And in one of the earlier stages, King (I think it was) set a new outright lap record for the track, despite the aero changes. I'm curious to see the onboard telemetry; the last year or two, top speeds down the front straight were about 165 mph, and I'm guessing that's up a bit with the new package.
Assuming this is the case, it will be interesting to see the impact at subsequent street circuits, as well as a road course like Road America. I am concerned that the increased accordion effect and more difficult cornering will hinder racing at places like Barber and Sonoma. I also hope the cars are able to continue to run fairly close to one another at Indy, Texas, and Pocono (though I'd be fine if they were just a bit more spread out at Texas than was the case last year). |
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The only certainty is that nothing is certain.
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11 Mar 2018, 00:48 (Ref:3807295)
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,892
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Just for the heck of it, here's a sample of the 1986-90, 2.0-mile course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvr1ROghXRA And the 1985, 2.1-mile course. (That corner out on the pier could make the Long Beach hairpin cringe.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y63UkztI87U&t=477s Ought to be an interesting race tomorrow with the new package on the cars, new drivers, and a jumbled grid. It should be fun. |
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__________________
The only certainty is that nothing is certain.
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11 Mar 2018, 02:23 (Ref:3807301)
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Rookie
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 7
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Great to see new blood doing so well. The Brazilian with the German name, who drives for Super Tex, will surprise a few people this season.
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11 Mar 2018, 03:47 (Ref:3807304)
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,642
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No disrespect intended but, who is Robert Wickens?
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11 Mar 2018, 08:56 (Ref:3807319)
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,431
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Canadian driver. Probably should have got to F1 but didn’t make it.
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11 Mar 2018, 09:44 (Ref:3807323)
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Quote:
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11 Mar 2018, 15:59 (Ref:3807370)
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Race Official 20KPINAL
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,815
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Qualifying
A bit of a shake up, with rookie Robert Wickens getting his maiden IndyCar pole, plus rookies Matheus Leist and Jordan King also in the Fast 6. Though there are some familiar faces, notably Will Power in second spot. Jordan King broke the lap record in the first round of qualifying, with a time of 01:00.047, 107.914 Mph (173.670 Km/h). 1 Robert Wickens, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.6643s 2 Will Power, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.7346s, 0.0703s 3 Matheus Leist, AJ Foyt Enterprises. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.7631s, 0.0988s 4 Jordan King, Ed Carpenter Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.7633s, 0.0990s 5 Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.8821s, 0.2178s 6 Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 1m02.0385s, 0.3742s 7 James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Dallara/Honda. 1m00.9986s, -0.6657 8 Gabby Chaves, Harding Racing Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.1191s, -0.5452 9 Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.6527s, -0.0116 10 Tony Kanaan, AJ Foyt Enterprises. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.7213s, 0.0570s 11 Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m04.6739s, 3.0096s 12 Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 1m07.0377s, 5.3734s 13 Josef Newgarden, Team Penske. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m00.4320s, -1.2323 14 Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing. Dallara/Honda. 1m00.9587s, -0.7056 15 Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport. Dallara/Honda. 1m00.4585s, -1.2058 16 Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m00.9668s, -0.6975 17 Ed Jones, Chip Ganassi Racing. Dallara/Honda 1m00.5009s, -1.1634 18 Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.3013s, -0.3630 19 Jack Harvey, Michael Shank Racing. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.0270s, -0.6373 20 Max Chilton, Carlin. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.3360s, -0.3283 21 Charlie Kimball, Carlin. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.1868s, -0.4775 22 Zachary Claman, Dale Coyne Racing. Dallara/Honda. 1m01.8567s, 0.1924s 23 Rene Binder, Juncos Racing. Dallara/Chevrolet. 1m01.7003s, 0.0360s 24 Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Dallara/Honda. 1m04.0990s, 2.4347s Last edited by bjohnsonsmith; 11 Mar 2018 at 17:35. Reason: Edit. |
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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11 Mar 2018, 16:46 (Ref:3807372)
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#22 | ||
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Race Official 20KPINAL
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A clean start but the first FCY on lap 3 as it looks like Kimball went off.
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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11 Mar 2018, 16:49 (Ref:3807373)
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#23 | ||
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Jordan King takes the lead on the restart and another FCY as Pigot stalls it on Turn 1.
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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11 Mar 2018, 17:17 (Ref:3807375)
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#24 | ||
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3rd FCY as Leist goes hard it into the tyre wall at the exit of Turn 3.
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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11 Mar 2018, 17:29 (Ref:3807378)
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#25 | ||
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The 4th FCY as Dixon clips Sato, going into Turn 1. Meanwhile Bourdais is now leading.
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__________________
"If you're not winning you're not trying." Colin Chapman.
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