Living nearby, I've been to the race many times. My old legs won't let me walk long distances anymore so I won't be there this year. The thing I don't like is the spec aspect on all the cars. Jim Hall and Smokey Yunick would not be welcomed to the track at all. I miss the innovation of the past. Years ago, Danita Patrick ran her entire run with her foot to the floor so it is not at all hard to drive.

Dumb post of the month. Yes, you need to drive flat. It'll bite your ass quickly. Don't insult anyone who has done it unless you have. Poser.

Alonso ran flat, five times, didn't make the show.

Running flat out for four qualifying laps is the goal of every team and driver . When the setup and track/environmental conditions are perfect this can be achieved . But make no mistake about it doing this " easily " is a pipe dream . The car is on the ragged edge , just a slight change in wind conditions or being just slightly offline can have very bad results very quickly . Remember that the " slow drivers " are averaging 220 mph + over four laps that is really cranking along .

[QUOTE=rfuerst911sc;10465483 The car is on the ragged edge , just a slight change in wind conditions or being just slightly offline can have very bad results very quickly . Remember that the " slow drivers " are averaging 220 mph + over four laps that is really cranking along .[/QUOTE]

Yeah, Keyser was talking about how a 2.5 mph wind blowing parallel to the straight is enough to make each direction feel different. Ragged edge indeed.

wrong gear set in the final drive in his t-car

at least that is the official Mc excuse :rolleyes:

princess sparkle pony was very lite compared to the guys
and driver weight was not in the rules just the car was weight
that was corrected the next year and no more poles for her
after the driver weight was added to the total car weight limits

f-1 vs indycar weight is a big factor as indycars are a lot heavier by hundreds of pounds

All you folks dissing Danica-how many Indycar wins do you have? Yes, it was fuel strategy, but still...

Hey all you disser's. I've been around the track and been to the race and the month leading up to the race many many times. Yep, the track can bite you but also a well setup car can be a breeze to drive. I'm comparison, racing the Monaco grand prix takes lots more balls than indy. That's what I'm referring to. Lack of innovation is the death of racing, it keeps people coming back and I wish every team could think of different things to do, but it's a spec series.

I wish they'd change the rules. Put them back on skinnier tires, take away all the computers/driver's aids and really put the onus on driver competence.
Right now, it's a 2.5-3 hr long sprint race. What's the fun in that?

This type of comment always comes up when someone says something negative about Danica. I gotta say I would hope she is better than all of us here but she should be she's a pro with millions of laps in a car. The fact that she was only one 1 race in her entire career is a reflection of her talent compared to other drivers.

Danica was a good driver but not a great driver there is quite a difference . She worked hard , stayed out of trouble and tried to improve her craft. But she reached a point where this is as good as she will be . And that point was not good enough to consistently win .

She was a media darling , an attractive face with a decent body and some attitude . But again limited talent to be a winner . I am looking forward to the day of seeing great female driver's in various series. I don't think it is that far away.

RE: McLaren not qualifying. That's what makes Indy unique. Remember 1995? Penske failed to qualify a car, after having won the race in 1994. 1994 was the year they brought the super-secret Mercedes pushrod engine to the race. I was there for qualifying. Nobody knew anything about it. They built the car just for the 500. There was a HUGE crowd. Penske absolutely dominated.

So I think McLaren may come back strong next year ....

I was a big Danica fan when she hit the grid and I believed that she would dominate. I was sorely disappointed when she did not. I feel the depiction above is accurate.

Well, in today's world Hambone could simply put on a skirt & heels tomorrow and say he's a woman. And suddenly, the official records would indicate that a woman is dominating F1. :rolleyes: But I digress :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1558470312.JPG

I'm hearing of a catalogue of basic, school boy mistakes :rolleyes:

McLaren name is very dear to me but sadly the team deserved to go home

Wouldn't have happened on Ron's watch as he always put the teams interest first :(

That's an interesting comment to me--or at least that last part of it. Not debating, but just curious as you have a better understanding of the people involved: what did you mean by Ron having the team's interest first? Zak Brown doesn't?

Ron was McLaren, McLaren was Ron, he's a racer from way back when F1 teams were race team's not businesses being headed up by people trying to make a name for themselves ........

I'm pretty sure Ron wouldn't have entered McLaren into a distraction like the Indy 500, taking effort away from F1, especially considering where the F1 team is today

McLaren out sourced the preparation/running to Carlin who appeared to be woefully unprepared/out of their depth running 3 cars as all drivers didn't qualify

I feel sorry for all the Indy, Alonso and McLaren fans :(

I agree that Danica was a good, not great driver, but there's no shame in that. There are a lot of great drivers in Indycar, with more coming up every day. I think she is a terrific commentator, though--she has the experience, understands what Indy means to the contestants, and adds stuff to the broadcast that only a driver could. Sort of like Paul Tracy, who I think is the best commentator out there.

Indy is like no other race, and I like it that way.

So, how many open wheel car wins does Townsend Bell have to justify him as a good Indycar commentator?