A Day At Indy

Waking up on race morning, it is quite a giddy feeling. The alarm was set in plenty of time, just in case. But the excitement I was feeling was more than an enough to get me up in plenty of time. A few minutes to gather my stuff and have a quick brekkie, and I was down in the lobby waiting for the bus to bring me to the airport.

There were no direct shuttles to the track from the hotel, only the airport. Getting a taxi solo would be a tad bit costly. There was a couple of guys I met on the bus to the airport heading that way too. Likable chaps, whom I had a nice chat with about the race, it been my first time and such. It was only when I arrived at the airport for the shuttle bus that I realized I was there an hour too early for the bus. Despite that, a long queue was already waiting.

The two guys I met, along with another couple, we decided to get a taxi. It was 45 dollars, split five ways, so pretty cheap looking at it like that. On the way, we learned that the couple had actually one a competition to be there and were photographed with the pole winner the day before. Actually, it wasn’t their first time to win. They had pictures of when they won an IRL contest and a few others. Definitely had me wondering if they had the luck of the Irish running through them.

Even at nine am, Indy on race day was already busy. The sun was beating down, the sidewalks were filled with people streaming to the track. I got my ticket at the booth easy enough. Another reason for wanting to be there early was that I had to pick mine up, since I only booked mine a few days before. 90 dollars for a race ticket was a great deal.

I split up from the others to mooch around outside the track and work through the vendors. It was a shame it was so warm, I didn’t really feel like lugging around a whole bunch of memorabilia I would’ve loved to picked. The one thing that really caught my attention was how drivers, mere hours before they were going to be strapped in to go racing, were out signing autographs in the haulers. Kvapil, Gilliland, Robby Gordon and Dave Blaney all had long queues of fans waiting to get their John Hancock. In hindsight, I should’ve queued – but I wanted to get in to the track.

My seat was located at the entrance to pit lane, so I had a long way to walk down the long home straight. I picked up some essentials; food, drink and more drink for the day. The last thing I wanted to do was to hope and skip down for them during the race. I took my seat nice and early and enjoyed the view, listening to the announcers as the seats filled – just waiting for it all to begin.

It’s one thing to watch motor-racing, but you can’t really experience it without seeing it live. The sights, the sound, the smell – it truly is one of a kind. The crowd too play their part. The boos hissed out for the brothers Busch and the likes of Gordon and Johnson. Cheers rang out for fan favourites Earnhardt, Kahne and Martin. Even as the cars toured around on the pace lap, the sound was epic.

And then the beasts were let loose. Standing up with who knows how many thousand people, cheering as they roared past for the first time. Then, just standing there for the first five laps. Few words can actually describe it.

So the race wasn’t a classic. The tire problems that arose shut the race down to short sprints before yellows were called out for tire changes. Despite the setback, it didn’t ruin the day. I don’t think anything could ruin the day.

The Brickyard 400 is a race I will never forget.

Special Report: Live from Indy

Greetings readers!

Today is a special report about the Brickyard 400. What makes it special? Yours truly was in attendence for the event.

It was a shame that the event was marred with tire issues. It harks back to the Formula One race a few years ago. Competition yellows had to be called every ten or so laps to ensure that drivers didn't get puntures. From early on it was apparant tires would be an issue, with drivers diving into the pits under green early on.

Pole man Jimmie Johnson battled through it all to take victory. Despite the issues with the race, Johnson was the one constant, running up front all day.

Despite the issues, it was a great event. It's one thing to talk about racing, it's another thing to actually be there and feel it. All I can say it was an incredible awesome experience. The opportunity to go over to the race came extremely late last week and involved a number of plane hops just to make it. But it was well worth it.

Walking underneath the entry arch, the smell of food been cooked and venders selling gear. Drivers like Kvapil, Gilliand, Robby Gordon, Blaney were out signing autographs a mere four hours before they were going to go racing. Up to an hour before the race began, people with pitpasses were up and down the lane, getting a birds eye look.

After paying 90 dollars for a ticket, which must be in our around 60 Euros, I was situated no more than a stones throw from the track, right at the pit entry looking across at the #00 pit. The roar of the engines, the building of the crowd and the festivites. I struggle for words to describe it. Pictures will be up over the coming weeks when developed and scanned.

The experience went to show me how elitist it seems F1 is in regards to fan partcipation. The lenghts Nascar go through on raceday to give the fans a good deal is pretty astounding.

For me, it was an experience of a lifetime.

All In His Stride

Lewis Hamilton had to do things the hard way at Hockenheim, but the end result was the same as Silverstone with victory for the Brit.

Crowd numbers seemed to be poor at the circuit, with plenty of empty seats and a general lack atmosphere since the departure of Schumacher. The first half the race matched that, in a dour affair that saw Hamilton run away with it. All that changed when what looked like a suspension failure sent Glock into the wall at the front stage.

Cue the safety car and a dash for an US-racing style pit race, one that Hamilton wasn’t a part of. While it worked out at the end, it was a dangerous call. They claimed they knew he had the pace to open up a gap (which he didn’t) but I’m sure the tire situation played on their mind.

McLaren were helped by the lethargic nature of the Ferraris. Offered an opportunity to seize victory, Felipe Massa pretty much pulled over and said ‘please sir, can I have some more” as Hamilton got by with ease. The Brazilian couldn’t even make a run at Piquet in a Renault. Whatever about the McLaren, not been able to pass a Renault is pretty pathetic. Raikkonen came out of the day with sixth place, but like his team-mate, was never at the races.

Piquet Junior benefitted massively from the safety car. On a one stop strategy he attained track position. Once there, he showed all the merits of the driver we expected him to be this year. Now can he build on it? Another to benefit was Heidfeld. From twelfth on the grid, he used the clean air to his advantage and opened up a sufficient margin to slot into fourth after his final stop. People continue to bash the German, but often overlook he entered Germany only twelve points off the lead.

In fifth was Kovalainen who had a quiet day, letting Hamilton by with ease when he came up behind him. (Must remember this, the next time fanboys scream about Ferrari using team order tactics to set their cars loose.) Kubica finished seventh, beaten by his team-mate for the second successive race and Vettel, who was strong all weekend to a hard-earned eight.

Ferrari needs to pull the finger out if they want to contend this championship. The last two races the team have been shockingly poor. With Hungry up next, a track that will suit the McLaren, Hamilton will have a great opportunity to make it a hat-trick.

PC’s Driver of the Day: Nelson Piquet Junior. He’s faced allot of criticism this year but if finally starting to turn it around. Points in France were a welcome boost and scoring his first podium will do his confidence no end of good. He’s driving to keep that seat and results like this help to cement his future. The job isn’t done though. He needs to continue to keep that car near the points from here on out.

Masterclass And Mishap

Hamilton provided another masterful drive whilst his rivals spent time dancing in the puddles.

Take nothing away from Lewis, it was fantastic drive. There was a bit of luck involved with the Ferrari strategy, but in the second half of the race, his pace was relentless. He is quickly developing the knack of been a rain-master on track. The result takes him tied top of the tables with both Ferrari drivers.

Behind him, the Ferrari strategy was nothing short of abysmal. With Raikkonen catching Lewis hand over fist, all they had to do was match him to stay in contention. I don’t know what their weather report said, but it was obviously was dodgy. The decision not to take tires ruined the Finn’s race, backed up with the decision not to bring him in when he was losing time hand over fist.
Massa was the driver of old. Every time we saw him he was going around in circles. It was a pathetic weekend for Ferrari. Not since the Schumacher era have they made a good strategic call. A head should roll for this, because the last two years the choice of race strategy has been as plain as dried bread. Not good enough.

Heidfeld got one up on team-mate Kubica. Quick Nick got his qualifying right and produced his traditional strong race. He kept his head whilst the rest around him lost theirs to pick up his second podium of the year. Rubens Barrichello benefitted from the Ross Brawn book of tactical genius to come home third. It could have been so much more if the fuel rig worked. On the extreme wets, Barrichello was light years ahead of anyone else.

Raikkonen made the best of a bad day with fourth. Kovalainen will be disappointed with fifth, on a day where to be fair, he was all over the place. Alonso provided a gutsy drive to come home in sixth, followed by Trulli and Nakajima.

Driver of the Day: Lewis Hamilton. Rubens get’s an honourable mention but it was Lewis who drove fantastic today. After the Ferrari’s decided to screw themselves over, he could have taken it easy. Instead he pushed on and despite an off track excursion, obliterated the field.

Donington New Home For British GP

The British Grand Prix will be hosted by Donington Park from 2010.

News of the switch came as surprise for most today. People seem to forget that it was recently reported that talks had happened between Ecclestone and Donington Park. It’s timing, well, definitely puts a cloud over the weekend for the organisers. That been said, it has been long known the issues between Bernie and BRDC.

Donington Park has promised a one hundred million development plan to be ready. Will that be enough? I honestly don’t know. Donington may of hosted a grand prix before, the last been the European Grand Prix in 1993, but that was a long time ago. Massive infrastructure changes need to be made to the circuit to bring it up to standard, not to mention the track. It has sort straights and tight space. By the looks of it, the circuit is hardly an advocate for overtaking in a Formula One Car.

The work starts now for Donington Park.

Another Voice In The Ear

Former world champion Jackie Stewart claims Formula One drivers need coaches.
Maybe Stewart is becoming bored with just been a passive observer and wants back into the action. All this because of the faux pas in the Montreal pit lane. Okay, it happened. It was a mistake on the driver’s part. Get over it and let’s get racing.

Seriously, the majority of Formula One drivers have survived and flourished without coaching over the years. Drivers make mistakes; it’s a fact of life. From them, they learn. Perhaps Stewart is unhappy at been nerfed by Hamilton, who earlier said he would take his own counsel on the situation.

Sure, it’s great to have former champions lining up to help, but at the end of the day, it is Hamilton’s decision on what advice he takes. Sure, his father is probably not the best choice. But, his father has been there his entire career. He is his own man, capable of making his own trail.

Stewart went on to use examples that footballers have coaches and that the former engineers would be ideal for this position. Two points, Sir Jackie. First, a Formula One driver is not alone. He has an entire team around him. Point two, regarding the position been suited to former engineers in the know of the sport. But sure what is wrong with a driver’s race engineer? Is he regarded as useless and unable to help his driver?

Can you imagine and driver having to deal with yet another voice? Madness, I say. Let them focus on the job at hand and race.

Rain Cuts Loudon Short; Ganassi Woes

Rain brought the Lenox 301 to an end with 15 laps to go with the Busch name on top of the pile. However, it was older brother Kurt who took the spoils.

The #2 Miller Lite Dodge didn’t have a car capable of winning on the day, but that didn’t matter. He chose to pit early and attempt to make it to the end without another stop. The rain, which threatened all day, finally arrived in the final stages. Nascar, after a period of waiting called the race, bringing Kurt his first win of the season.

It has been a difficult season for the former champion. After finishing second at Daytona, it has been all downhill. The chances of making the Chase are bleak, but not impossible. Kurt needs to put in a run of performances to match his brother if he wants in. He did so last year, but whether he can pull it off again remains to be seen.

Busch wasn’t the only one to benefit from the rain. Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Truex Junior, Sadler and Sorenson all benefitted from the rain stoppage to pick up valuable points. Before the rain arrived, it looked like it would be Tony Stewart’s day. But the need for a final stop, coupled with the decision to take tires while the rest went with fuel only, left him rueing what might have been in thirteenth.

Championship leader Kyle Busch, who was on the same strategy as his brother had to stop with the leaders. I didn’t pick up the reason for this over the broadcast. It ended up been an eventful finish for the #18. Running along with Montoya in the final stages, the pair rubbed sides, a norm in Nascar. The Columbian took exception and purposefully spun Busch around on the front straight. What goes around comes around for Montoya however. The spinning car of Busch came around and clipped Montoya.

A quick whine about having to touch sides to the press, the former F1 star admitted that he had done it on purpose. Nascar docked him two laps. It could have been worse for him. As the commentator’s put it, Juan has had a season of frustration, that probably finally boiled over.

It was a weekend that started with much promise for the Ganassi team. Yesterday it was announced that they were closing shop on Franchitti’s team. The #40 has struggled for sponsorship all year, despite having a name driver in the team. Franchitti, for all his effort, has failed to impress. He had the luxury of been able to start the first five races but has failed to keep the car in it. Whilst other open-wheel converts Carpentier and Hornish have made strides and showed consistent speed, Franchitti has done little.

Where he goes from now will be interesting to see. He remains committed to stock cars, but whether he is up for spending a year or two in the Nationwide at his age remains uncertain. I’m sure there may be a temptation to return to the IRL given its current strength.