Am I the only enthusiast that doesn't really care that Alonso didn't qualify for Indy

[herr_oberst]

Because I'm beginning to wonder if my enthusiasm for racing cars is diminishing when I read all the headlines promising stories on why he/they missed the boat...and I really have no interest in drilling deeper.

I do think it's interesting that not much has been discussed regarding Helio getting yet another one-off deal to race for the Captain. He hasn't been lighting up the track like his teammates or the Carpenter team, but he's quietly placed himself in a good position to add to his collection of rings...

Oh well. Too bad for Alonso. Yawn. What do you think about how well Danica did during her career?

[stealthn]

There’s no “gimme” in top level sports...

[Gogar]

So when you say "didn't qualify" do you mean he didn't make it in some qualifier or do you mean he didn't qualify as some kind of political thing?

Sorry for the stupid question, I don't watch motorcycle racing.

[smadsen]

Even Lord Penske failed to make the show in 1995 or so, with Fittipaldi & Mears no less. The boss was not amused as they rolled out of town.

[black73]

Kind of funny to start a thread to announce your indifference.

I would rather see him not qualify than be a backmarker.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by stealthn

There’s no “gimme” in top level sports...

Actually there is. McLaren could buy out a back row qualifier and still get into the race.

Alonso learned they were contemplating buying into the race to appease the sponsors, he was OK with it, then he learned it would displace a driver that qualified and he said hell no.

I am not a huge fan of his, he won some of my respect for taking that stand.

[Clint Lando]

Am I the only enthusiast that doesn't really care that Alonso didn't qualify for Indy

Si

[legion]

I think one of the interesting things about the Indianapolis 500 is that it has a bigger grid than any of the other races on the IndyCar calendar. Because of this and the prestige of the race, you get some interesting entrants. 36 cars showed up this year for 33 grid spots. Americans love to see an underdog win. Make no mistake, Alonso was very much an underdog this year at Indy.

[Scott Douglas]

I was more upset last year, or was it the year before, when Hinch didn't make the race.

As for Helio, I think the Captain has a great appreciation for the history of Indy and realises H has a chance to make some of it if he were to win. He may not be tearing it up like he used to do, but he's got a good sense of what it takes to win the race, even if he's not the fastest. The Captain isn't stupid in that regard.

[GH85Carrera]

No doubt Alonzo is a great driver. But driving the Indy is nothing like anything else he has done. He has won Monaco, Le Mans, and 24 Hrs of Daytona. To get the win at Indy takes more than just a great team, it takes a lot of practice going 200+ MPH with two or three other cars just inches from you.

I had the fun of puttering around the track at 60 to 70 MPH in my 911 and seeing the track from the driver's seat. I can't fathom going 200+ wheel to wheel with 250,000 fans watching.

[racer]

I would be more inclined to watch or follow the race if he were in it, simply due to how well he did last year. But overall, I am not sad or upset that he didn't make it in.. and I like how he didn't want to "buy his way" in either.. that, afterall, is his employer, McLaren's responsibility to provide him a car that could get in.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Jims5543

Actually there is. McLaren could buy out a back row qualifier and still get into the race.

Alonso learned they were contemplating buying into the race to appease the sponsors, he was OK with it, then he learned it would displace a driver that qualified and he said hell no.

I am not a huge fan of his, he won some of my respect for taking that stand.

Yep, at Indy it's the car that qualifies, not the driver. But why would Alonso get in a car that has no speed? At this point there ain't no rabbits being pulled out of hats.

A back marker that manages to stay out of trouble can get 15th place, no sweat and make it a profitable day. That's not Alonso.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Yep, at Indy it's the car that qualifies, not the driver. But why would Alonso get in a car that has no speed? At this point there ain't no rabbits being pulled out of hats.

A back marker that manages to stay out of trouble can get 15th place, no sweat and make it a profitable day. That's not Alonso.

I misunderstood then I thought you could buy out another team to take their spot with your car.

Agreed, Alonso was not getting into a back marker car. Although the McLaren was not exactly a front runner.

He should have tried to get a ride from Andretti again.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I was more upset last year, or was it the year before, when Hinch didn't make the race.

As for Helio, I think the Captain has a great appreciation for the history of Indy and realises H has a chance to make some of it if he were to win. He may not be tearing it up like he used to do, but he's got a good sense of what it takes to win the race, even if he's not the fastest. The Captain isn't stupid in that regard.

Amen...Penske knows well how to hedge his bets. Never discount Penske.

Gotta confess..not into it all as much as in previous years...but I'll be watching come Sunday. This coming from a guy who would listen on radio before it was televised. Fond memories of listening to the roar of offy powered roadsters as they went past the corner announcers.

[GH85Carrera]

I was watching the F1 Practice 1 session. They were showing the action, but interviewing Zack Brown the CEO of McLaren. They were discussing the Indy try and failure. It was interesting to hear a someone admit his failures and what happened.

It was a cascade of errors like many big failures. The car was initially painted the wrong color, and it took two days to get that right. They were trying to make their own steering wheel and finally realized it was not going to be done in time, so they bought an off the shelf steering wheel. During qualifying after they were running they discover the big problem. They had the wrong gear-set in the transmission. It was just too many errors and Zack took the blame for them. They will try again next year.

[racer]

While its great to "own up" to your failures, McLaren has been "failing" for quite a while and I find it a little sad honestly. When you read about Penske and his "one off" Mercedes engined car in 94(?) there was so much work/effort being spent on just a few cars for a single race effort. Took em a year. I get the feeling McLaren simply underestimated how hard this "american spec" series race would be and when you are only running the crown jewel of the series, you have to be even more on top of your game. Not sure how involved they were in Alonso's effort last year (wasn't it an Andretti car?) and to realize how much prep they really needed to do.

That said, I heard they have a fantastic sponsor's facility

[javadog]

I don’t think McLaren took this effort anywhere near seriously. They certainly didn’t hire the right guy to manage the program.

Andretti knew just how good Alonso was and he made sure to give him a car that was worthy of his driving abilities. It’s a shame the Honda engine let them both down, but such is life.

[ckelly78z]

I can't seem to muster the enthusiasm for the race, or the pagentry like I used to. If I happen to be watching TV , and see it on, I may watch part of it, but open wheel racing doesn't thrill me.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by racer

While its great to "own up" to your failures, McLaren has been "failing" for quite a while and I find it a little sad honestly.

Agreed... the only thing that separates McLaren from Williams right now is nicer digs, more saudi funding, and a thriving sports car business... In terms of F1, they are probably worse off than Williams on average over the past 10 years...

Alonso didn't make the Indy Grid (and thereby cratered international interest) because McLaren screwed up royally (paint, ride height, slow to repair, zero experience, overinflated ego).. When Andretti fielded his car, he led the race... it's clearly not him. It's McLaren. I don't hate Zak Brown but he's not exactly accomplishing miracles. I'm shocked Alonso hasn't split from McLaren altogether after this debacle.