Indycar News & Rumors.

[one five five]

I'd be confident of 33, maybe a late stab from a 34th car, but certainly nothing approaching the drama and excitement of the last hour in 2011

Originally Posted by FAS33

Ill say, do they have monkeys running this business to the ground? looks like it, out of all the great Road Tracks in America they had to pick this one to end it.

err, that is completely missing the point of why it is such bad idea to hold the final round of the series in Indianapolis

In terms of crowd numbers, you are likely to attract a bigger crowd at an IMS road-course finale than alot of other permanent circuits...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Kurt Busch to test DW11 IndyCar. It'll be interesting to see what he makes of it.

http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/05/...Car-Series-car

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Canada ALMS fan

I can't believe the lack of buzz for the 500. On the bright side, I think we may have coverage of qualifying in Canada this year.

Haven't seen any mention of it all.

20 years ago we used to have this thing called the Month of May and the Indy 500 and it was on ESPN and in the papers every day.

[Paradise City]

The only crackle of interest the Indy 500 got outside of the trade outlets was courtesy of Kurt Busch. For the rest - blank.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Over in Marion County:

jake query ‏@jakequery 5m
entry list for 97th running of #indy500 expected to be released tomorrow. It will include more than 33 drivers.

Entry List released, no press conference or anything, and of course no media attention:

. 1 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti D/C/F
2. 2 AJ Allmendinger (R) Penske D/C/F
3. 3 Helio Castroneves (W)Penske D/C/F
4. 4 JR Hildebrand Panther D/C/F
5. 5 EJ Viso Venezuela/Andretti/HVM D/C/F
6. 6 Sebastian Saavedra Dragon D/C/F
7. 7 Sebastien Bourdais Dragon D/C/F
8. 8 Ryan Briscoe NTT Chip Ganassi D/H/F
9. 9 Scott Dixon (W) Target Chip Ganassi D/H/F
10. 10 Dario Franchitti (W) Target Chip Ganassi D/H/F
11. 11 Tony Kanaan KV D/C/F
12. 12 Will Power Penske D/C/F
13. 14 Takuma Sato Foyt D/H/F
14. 15 Graham Rahal RLL D/H/F
15. 16 James Jakes RLL D/H/F
16. 17 Michel Jourdain Jr.RLL D/H/F
17. 18 Ana Beatriz Coyne D/H/F
18. 19 Justin Wilson Coyne D/H/F
19. 20 Ed Carpenter Carpenter D/C/F
20. 21 Josef Newgarden Fisher Hartman D/H/F
21. 22 Oriol Servia Panther DRR D/C/F
22. 25 Marco Andretti Andretti D/C/F
23. 26 Carlos Munoz (R) Andretti D/C/F
24. 27 James Hinchcliffe Andretti D/C/F
25. 40 TBA Carpenter D/C/F
26. 41 Conor Daly (R) Foyt D/H/F
27. 55 Tristan Vautier (R) Schmidt Peterson D/H/F
28. 60 Townsend Bell Panther D/C/F
29. 77 Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Hamilton D/H/F
30. 78 Simona de Silvestro KV D/C/F
31. 83 Charlie Kimball Novo Nordisk Ganassi D/H/F
32. 98 Alex Tagliani Barracuda/BHA D/H/F
33. TBA Pippa Mann Coyne D/H/F

Wow, looks like the two Buddy boys are trying to file entries but 'haven't yet', how convenient. Looks like Anton saved the day with the number 40 car making up the 33. I'm guessing Jacques Lazier or another little known has-been to drive.

[D.R.T.]

Wouldnt this be more meaninful in the actual INdy 500 entry list thread?

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Wouldnt this be more meaninful in the actual INdy 500 entry list thread?

BJSmith calls those shots, I'm sure he can move these discussions to the thread that you mention.

[D.R.T.]

Look forward to some in depth discussion.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

BJSmith calls those shots, I'm sure he can move these discussions to the thread that you mention.

The entry list is an aspect of Indycar News & Rumours but there is a dedicated 500 entry list thread, so if you can post the entry list there as well please.

If someone would like to start a thread for the 500 itself, with some history and background etc. that would be great.

[bjohnsonsmith]

IndyCar talking to Derrick Walker.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107306

IndyCar could certainly use someone with his experience.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

No wonder nobody wanted to report the Sao Paulo TV ratings, they were abysmal for the best Indycar race in a while with a .2 ratings and 224,000 viewers. A HUGE drop from last year's relatively good but still pathetic .33 and 348,000 viewers and the lowest rating of the year, which now with my math brings the average viewership below 2012 through 4 races, despite NBCSN having the advantage of the first race this year.


In comparison, NASCAR at Talladega got a 4.6 despite rain delays and during the rain delay time (basically watching Two Idiot Waltrips talking about nothing for 3 and a half hours) the broadcast got a 3.6 and 5.5 Million viewers.

The Derby performed the best with a massive 10.5 rating, NASCAR at Talladega and NBA ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

No wonder nobody wanted to report the Sao Paulo TV ratings, they were abysmal for the best Indycar race in a while with a .2 ratings and 224,000 viewers. A HUGE drop from last year's relatively good but still pathetic .33 and 348,000 viewers and the lowest rating of the year, which now with my math brings the average viewership below 2012 through 4 races, despite NBCSN having the advantage of the first race this year.


In comparison, NASCAR at Talladega got a 4.6 despite rain delays and during the rain delay time (basically watching Two Idiot Waltrips talking about nothing for 3 and a half hours) the broadcast got a 3.6 and 5.5 Million viewers.

The Derby performed the best with a massive 10.5 rating, NASCAR at Talladega and NBA ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively.

It just gets worse.

[Yannick]

It was great to see Walker's Carpenter team achieve a win last season. His previous win happened when he still had the Team Australia sponsorship in ChampCar. It's been a long time coming. I can see why Derrick does not want to give up on that for some role in officiating. I think he's right, and I feel there is a lot more Walker in the racing activities of that team than Vision, and I like that about this team. Here's hoping they hire a good driver for their 2nd car. There are still a few oval experts available and since the #40 is with a winning team, it could sure enough turn into a winning car.

I guess if Carpenter's team will run their 2nd car, and the additional data that brings, they can be contenders for the win with both of their cars.

[Paradise City]

I doubt Derrick wants to get entangled with the family. I'd be enthusiastic about his appointment otherwise.

[bjohnsonsmith]

AJ Allmendinger to race at Detroit with Penske.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107320

[bjohnsonsmith]

The IRL have hired Derrick Walker.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107414

Let's hope the IRL can use his expertise and don't squander this opportunity.

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The IRL have hired Derrick Walker.

05/13/13 An Interview with Derrick Walker, Mark Miles MODERATOR: I want to thank everyone for taking the time to join us for today's announcement. I'm Amy Konrath, vice president for public relations for INDYCAR. We are very pleased to be joined today by Mark Miles, the chief executive officer for Hulman & Company, the parent company of INDYCAR; and longtime motorsports executive Derrick Walker. Derrick Walker will join INDYCAR as its president of competition and operations beginning on May 27th. In his new role, Derrick will be responsible for all technical and competition-related elements for the sanctioning body.

We'll start here with Mark Miles, if you can, give us some insight on the decision to bring Derrick on board to oversee the racing and competition side for INDYCAR.

MARK MILES: I can and I will, but let me first say I'm looking forward to when we have Derrick back and we have the official shirt-changing ceremony as he transitions from his Ed Carpenter Racing role to INDYCAR, which is a day we're really looking forward to just after the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

So we made the decision that we really want to strengthen this organization. It's a good organization, but we've got a lot to do, and we decided to bring on the strongest horse we can find to help us with our technical and operations and racing, our product, really, and then separately to find additional leadership to help us with our commercial activities for INDYCAR.

And we sort of focused on the product first and talked to lots and lots of people. We had a number of great candidates who are interested in the job. And Derrick was one of the first I spoke to. You can't read his résumé and talk to folks about his lifetime of experience without immediately having great respect for his journey in open-wheel racing from being a mechanic to owning a team and having enormous success all along the way.

So his experience is the first thing that strikes, struck me as I got to know Derrick. But then there's a lot about this person that I really like. He's straightforward; he's got great common sense. He's got the conviction of his principles and his -- we know that he'll help make clear, firm decisions and have the strength of character to stick by them. And we've talked to a lot of people in the paddock. I know that Derrick's experience is well regarded as broadly as anybody's could be in the paddock. So we think there's a lot to do, and Derrick is the right man to lead us through it.

MODERATOR: Great. Thank you very much.

And, Derrick, congratulations on this new exciting role with INDYCAR. Can you talk about the decision to join the sanctioning body?

DERRICK WALKER: Certainly. First of all, good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

I wasn't actually thinking about working for INDYCAR at first until I was invited to go to a meeting with Mark and we were talking about INDYCAR and what it represented and what over the years had happened to it. And so I shared with him some of my thoughts. Little did I know that I was actually being interviewed for a job. (Laughter) But a couple of meetings later, he finally showed his cards and he said, yes, would I be interested. And it was a resounding yes.

I've obviously come from and am in the team mode. I'm from the team background. Never have crossed over to the official side. So this is for me not only an opportunity, but a real challenge that I'm looking forward to.

Obviously I've been around enough to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the competition sports, but that doesn't deter me. I think I've had probably a good 20-odd, maybe more, 25 years of Indy car, which has really helped me a great deal, and I feel if I can give something back to the sport in whatever way that is, then I'd love that opportunity.

So long story short, that, that's what brought me here, and I'm anxious to get started.

MODERATOR: Great, thank you, Derrick.

We'll go ahead and open the floor for questions. Just a reminder, we do have a wireless mike, so please wait until you have a microphone before asking your question.

We'll start taking questions for Derrick and Mark. Start with Rich and then Robin.

Q: Derrick, Rich Nye from Channel 13. Having been on the team side all these years, do you feel at all like you're going to the dark side?

WALKER: Funny you should say that. That is a favorite quote of mine. I am going to the dark side and happily so. It is a lot to learn. Fortunately there is a lot of good people at INDYCAR that have been around a heck of a lot longer on this side of the fence than me. So I expect to be on a very steep learning curve and find my place in how to influence or how to help steer the governing body.

I think when you look at the quality of the field of INDYCAR, it demands a strong governing body that has a vision and the leadership that is required to match the quality of our teams.

So we have a responsibility and obligation to be as good as we can as a governing body. So hopefully I can fit into that matrix somewhere there.

MODERATOR: Robin, then Annie.

Q: Derrick, do you think it's important that you go out and immediately seek more manufacturers, engines, chassis? Do we need more, do you want more? Will that be one of your first assignments?

WALKER: Well, I don't know if it will be my first job. My first job will be to understand what we've currently got and how it functions from a day-to-day, and get into the long-term stuff if and when it comes up.

Certainly as far as I'm concerned, but my personal opinion is INDYCAR is about competition. So unless there's a very good reason not to have more manufacturers or more of everything that helps make competition happen, I think that would be missing the point. That's the history of Indy car, and the sooner we can get more guys in battling it out there, the sooner the fans are going to be interested in what we're doing. The fans come, the companies come, and everybody hopefully enjoys what we do and makes money doing it.

Q: First of all, congratulations, condolences, however you want to take it. To whom do you answer, and is there more than one person?

WALKER: Well, I report directly to Mark (Miles). And so far that's all he's told me I need to worry about, is keep an eye on him. (Laughter) No, my direct superior is Mark and that's more than enough, I'm sure.

MODERATOR: Other questions?

Q: Derrick, you've had a black driver and a female driver, and so you've covered the whole length of what can take place in racing. What is it you visualize is most needed now?

WALKER: Good question, Dick. I mean, I think there's a lot -- we tend to, from my perspective being on the other side, we tend to really hit hard on almost everything in our sport. We're our worst enemy in some respects. We're very, very critical about everything we do. We tend to pull it down probably further than it needs to be. I think there's a lot of good things that are in INDYCAR. There's the competition arguably, you could say, when you look at what's happening on the racetrack, it couldn't be better. So it's not a major change, it's like everything in racing, it's an evolution. We've got to continue to strive to be better and in every way, our decision-making, our planning, our safety concerns and how we address those.

There's a whole number of things that, as I said earlier, is the responsibility and the obligation of people in the front office who's steering the ship. But I don't think there's anything more than that really, just be as good as we can.

MODERATOR: Other questions for today's participants? Yes, Robin.

Q: Derrick, a couple fans had pretty good questions the last couple weeks to me and said, "Look, the competition has never been better and everybody is clamoring, we've got to have more innovations, we've got to go back to the old days of breaking the speed record." It's a fine line and delicate balance. Where do you stand on innovation and how far it can be taken? You really probably have to lean on Will Phillips as far as aerodynamics and things like that.

WALKER: Well, as I said earlier, Indianapolis and the Indy cars was and should be about innovation. The thing that's happened over the years, if you look at the evolution of racing, we got very smart, we got very good at doing the things, and we made cars better and better and we went faster and faster.

One day, you know, there was less people in the stands for whatever reasons, and the cost of racing became a major talking point. A major concern is survival and the cost. So it's a delicate balance between innovation, the speed, the cost of racing. Any number of factors that you've got to take into account.

But I think if you look at what our goal has to be or should be, is to open up that door just enough to allow it to grow and improve and innovate, but yet keep it in a measurable amount, not only the teams but the manufacturers, every supplier that is involved in our business. It doesn't price them out of the market -- we can't have in the U.S., maybe in other parts of the world it works -- but we can't have such a super-expensive series that the fans can't afford to come along and buy a ticket. And we're racing in front of, you know, lots and lots of people that don't turn up.

So getting that balance I think is going to be key.

MODERATOR: Mike, and then Larry.

Q: Mark, can you talk a little bit about what, if anything, is going to change for Beaux (Barfield) and Brian (Barnhart) and Will (Phillips) with this?

MILES: Well, we don't anticipate changes in that team. They are committed to us and we to them. They will continue to add value, but they will report to Derrick. And I have no doubt that they can be more stitched together as a team. I think one of the things our organization can improve on across the board is the extent to which we work closely together and communicate better and break down silos and plan a little farther ahead. Without any way meaning to be critical of those folks who we will count on going forward, I think Derrick brings a practical approach that's so well grounded in the technical aspects of it, that they will be a higher-performing team under his leadership.

Q: Derrick, after what was arguably the best street race in the history of street races at Brazil, there's a lot of comments about the push-to-pass being a gimmick, you know, the limited numbers and all that. What's your feeling about that and what direction would you like to see it go in the future, with, without?

WALKER: Well, push-pass is maybe perceived as a gimmick, but in actual fact it's a response to today's world and reality that race cars become incredibly close because the technology and the know-how that migrates from team to team or the way teams structure their racing, that the cars become very even.

And we go to some tracks where it's not always possible to have the perfect racetrack that allows places for overtaking to happen. So we use a modern, relatively modern gadget in the push-to-pass that allows us to artificially give the opportunity for overtaking.

I think it's a reasonable solution. There's more ways to do it and over time, you know, those ideas become relevant to where we are. But right now I think it's a positive and it's a very efficient way to do it.

MODERATOR: Marshall.

Q: Mark, do you foresee you and Derrick working together collaborating on some of the things you've mentioned in the press, your desires to see not just technology but speed become more of INDYCAR's future, and is it more of a collaborative process you're looking at for 2014 and beyond, or do you think that's something you can jump start right away?

MILES: Our relationship, in general, will be collaborative. Derrick is a good communicator; he's an early riser, as am I. So there will be lots of contact on a daily basis, I'm sure, and I'm looking forward to that.

On the particular question of speed, I would have said -- I would reframe the question, if I could, to talk about speed and safety, which to me have to go hand in hand. I'm sure that's a widely held view. It's something that we've talked about; it's something that I believe is part of INDYCAR. We're the fastest series, and it's part of our brand, it's part of what we're about. But we're not quite as fast as we used to be, so if we can work through Derrick and through the paddock to think of ways to make incremental improvements in that, I think that's a good thing. We'll be talking more about that perhaps before long.

But, yeah, I think it will be a team effort. But we're going to count on Derrick to help shepherd us through that process.

MODERATOR: We'll take our final question from Don Kay.

Q: I guess, Mark, Brian (Barnhart) has been director or president of competition. Will he still be that and work with Derrick on that, or will Derrick be at the racetrack and director of competition? Is that the on-track product as opposed to putting it to the track?

MILES: So Brian -- it will be a team, but Brian's primary job will be what we think of as operations. Beaux (Barfield) is the guy at race control and Will (Phillips) is the guy at engineering and Jon (Koskey) is the guy in scoring and timing, et cetera, et cetera. They'll each have their specific responsibilities reporting to Derrick, and they'll operate as a team so that I think they'll have the ability to contribute to the broader challenges that they face.

But Brian's primary responsibility will be with respect to operations.

Q: And Derrick, you had mentioned the push-to-pass, you were talking about that and using it to pass in areas where cars can't. Well, I'm sure you've been observant enough to realize even though the drivers say in Brazil there's no place to pass, sure as hell they found it. At Birmingham, they found it.

It seems that this new car races extremely well, and where in the past, the older car, they had one line through a corner, they've got now two and sometimes three. The racing, it seems to me, is wide open; if you're a good enough driver you get by. You don't need the push-to-pass, maybe.

WALKER: You could definitely make that case. We've come a long way, and the cars are easier at overtaking at certain tracks, but I think the combination of those improvements in the cars and the teams with a push-to-pass is probably the best mix. But push-to-pass isn't the panacea of everything. It's an aid that you use a few times during a race. So you've got to choose your time wisely and use it in the right ways, but it doesn't necessarily out -- you know, decide the finishing position of a race. It is if you use push-to-pass, and the other guy's got it, he'll probably get you at the end if you're that close. But it's just another tool for the teams to use. I don't think it's any negative at all.

Q: I think both of them, one push-to-pass and (inaudible). The driver outbroke the other.

WALKER: No, there was other technical reasons that went with that, which was good. And that's what racing is all about and should be about. But like I say, I don't think it's, you know, necessary that you use it every time, either.

MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and conclude today's press conference.

Mark, Derrick, thank you for your time today. Thank you to everyone who joined us in the audience and online. There will be a copy of the transcript of today's announcement available. Also press releases will be available as well.

Again, thank you to everyone for joining us.

.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The IRL have hired Derrick Walker.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107414

Let's hope the IRL can use his expertise and don't squander this opportunity.

IRL or Indycar?

I thought as a Moderator of this section of the forum you would be all over that?

A great move for the series and hopefully another step to uniting everyone

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

IRL or Indycar?

I thought as a Moderator of this section of the forum you would be all over that?

A great move for the series and hopefully another step to uniting everyone

IndyCar is the brand name and the series is still run by the IRL, which in turn is owned by the Hulman George family.

Yes I am a Moderator but that doesn't preclude me from stating my point of view, as long as it's relative to the topic, though I freely admit to going off topic from time to time, as we all do.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

IndyCar is the brand name and the series is still run by the IRL, which in turn is owned by the Hulman George family.

In regards to the IRL running Indycar - didnt Randy close any reference to IRL at the end of 2010.

IMS owns Indycar and runs the Indycar series in 2013.

So not sure where the IRL fits in interms of running the Indycar series.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

In regards to the IRL running Indycar - didnt Randy close any reference to IRL at the end of 2010.

IMS owns Indycar and runs the Indycar series in 2013.

So not sure where the IRL fits in interms of running the Indycar series.

The IRL, which is the sanctioning body for the series and the IMS are both owned by Hulman and Co.

[one five five]

This article seems to back up DRT's argument completely

http://www.oddsandnews.com/autoracin...-change-116398

IndyCar makes several revisions, including name change

Tue 11th, January 2011

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The IZOD IndyCar Series is making several changes for its 2011 season, including a name change for its sanctioning body.

Series officials unveiled a host of changes during the sport's annual state address held in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy will be changed from Indy Racing League to INDYCAR.

"As I was talking to fans and press through the course of last season, it was apparent that we needed to make a name change to reflect the history and heritage of our sport," INDYCAR chief executive officer Randy Bernard said.

A new sanctioning body logo to coincide with the name change was unveiled during the address.

Starting in 2012, the IndyCar will reduce specifications for all its engines from 2.4 liters to 2.2. Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus have committed to building engines for the future Indy car, and all automobile manufacturers are represented on the INDYCAR Engine Committee. The 2012 platform allows manufacturers to produce engines with a maximum of six cylinders.

The series revealed several competition rule changes for the upcoming season.

Double-wide restarts will be used on oval tracks, and the restart area will move closer to the start/finish line. The rule change followed input from team owners and drivers, as well as feedback from race fans. The revised format for restarts will begin with the May 29 Indianapolis 500, which is the first oval race of the season. The rule won't be applied to road/street course races because of the physical characteristics of each of those tracks.

"We're trying to increase the excitement and drama around the events," said Brian Barnhart, the president of competition and operations for the IZOD IndyCar Series. "Much of it is a response to fans' expectations."

Other rule changes for 2011 include the pit order for the field based on the qualifying performance from the previous race instead of entrant point standings, a new location for the pit commit line at each track and increased time for the first practice of a race.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Looks like this Williams engineer enjoys Indycar more than his F1 job.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by one five five

This article seems to back up DRT's argument completely

http://www.oddsandnews.com/autoracin...-change-116398

I'm going to finally put this to bed and highly recommend you read this company overview, on the Businessweek website.

http://investing.businessweek.com/re...vcapId=7871144

[HJJ]

Zak says no.

http://racing.ap.org/article/apnewsb...ndycar-ceo-job