Chip Ganassi Racing (IndyCar Series)

There's nothing questionable about the photo: it was the best shot I could get of the standardized tunnels on a Dallara IndyCar. This is Scott Dixon's car on the Tech Inspection pad at Homestead, 2009.

This is Mario Andretti in an interview with Gordon Kirby, 4/28/08:

"I don't think most of the people writing the rules understand what creates competition," Andretti said. "To stay flat on the throttle all the time like the IRL does, where do you go, where does the driver reach to be able to pass? You've got to have it so you're quick down the straightaway and have to slow-down and back-off for the corner. It's just a question of how much are you going to back off? That's what's going to make a difference and create some passing, which is so damn difficult right now in the IRL."

The story was the same this weekend at Kansas, and all the oval races of last year: in a car with a decent setup, a driver can lap with the throttle flat. All day long.

What has eroded over the years since Mario's last oval track victory at Phoenix in April, 1993...well, just about everything. To sum it up best in one word, what is missing are Variables.

In spite of his 1994 retirement, Andretti is not out of touch. He last drove a Dallara / Honda in 2003. Although uniform revisions have been made since, the cars we watched at Kansas are substantially unchanged. And nearly identical to each other.

You and I are not going to see the variety of chassis and engines that Mario last experienced in competition. All of the variables are gone: horsepower output, fuel consumption rate, tire compound, aerodynamic drag and downforce levels are all now...well, virtually level. An overtake assist of 9 HP does not constitute a solution.

And the most important variable of them all has thus been eroded: car control. Oval track racing has been reduced to what is largely an engineering exercise for the driver to actuate, foot to the floor.

There are two ways to answer the questions that Mario posed above. The most obvious, and the least likely, is to increase the power output. That won't cut it today: top speed is already governed for safety concerns with the mandated addition of drag to consume the extra horsepower.

So now we go back to Motegi 2009, and the quotes of current drivers re-printed in my previous article. Scroll down to begin with Scott Dixon:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/385140-stay-on-track-p2-right-track-wrong-setup

To sum it up best in one word, what these comments point out are variables. Differences in setup for mechanical grip, tire wear, and most of all... car control.

The cars are flat on the straightaways at Twin Ring Motegi. Not through turns three and four, where on entry Dixon lifts early and Franchitti trail brakes. Each must assert their skills to maintain cornering speed and carry it onto the front straight.

Here is a brief look at the circuit, from the IndyCar qualifying highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32SYxxF1sY8

The 2009 rule book specifies a rear wing flap angle minimum of 15 degrees for Motegi with at least a 1 inch wicker. For comparison, the rear wing at Kansas and Kentucky is 12 degrees, same wicker minimum.

This means that you can add more downforce by increasing the flap angle or wicker if you choose...and of course balance the car with more adjustable front wing as well. Perhaps you could add enough downforce be able to go through three and four at Motegi flat. So what? You'll get waxed from all the added drag down the straightaways. 

The answer does not rely on firing up the bulldozers to reconfigure the other tracks on the IICS schedule. Reduced downforce levels will get the job done, so that negotiating turn three at Kansas requires the same choice of variables. Mainly, car control.

If you are with me so far, you're already "On It" with the arguments. "Too dangerous" might be the first one, if the expectation is to run an oval track without sufficient downforce to corner flat. Apparently Motegi is not considered as too dangerous, nor are a number of road course corners where lifting early or braking deep is required.

"Too fast" is the next argument, if the minimum wing specifications are reduced to the point where the big lift is necessary: less wing = less drag = higher straight-line speed. Too high.

That's why the tunnels are pictured above. Let the drivers request as much or as little wing as they need to best negotiate the turns. That immediately establishes a greater variety of straight-line and cornering speeds. But reducing the ground effect component of the total downforce, by decreasing the size of the tunnels, ends the prospects of flat out cornering.

There is a lot more to this picture, so please be patient with the rest of your arguments. All of the details are intended to reintroduce variables, and to do it with the existing Dallara/ Honda without significant modification. These are the same cars we will be watching for the balance of 2010, and 2011, and now perhaps 2012.

Is the argument that no changes are necessary? Better check with Mario on that one.

Link to other "Stay On Track" entries: 

http://bleacherreport.com/users/268808-andy-bernstein/archives/newest?rel=nofollow

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Firestone Indy Lights team owner Sam Schmidt has challenged Jim Guthrie, co-owner of Guthrie Meyer Racing to a race before this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.  This race won’t be taking place through the streets of St. Pete, but on the picturesque, blue green waters of Tampa Bay aboard SKUD-18 Sailboats this Thursday, April 2 out of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

Schmidt, who is disabled from the chest down, founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which has become one of the most successful teams in the short history of the Infiniti Pro Series, winning the 2004, 2006, and 2007 series championships. 
 
“I am really excited to race against Jim once again,” said Schmidt, who competed against Guthrie in the IndyCar Series in the late 1990s.

“Jim and I both drove for Blueprint Racing in 1997, and Jim earned the title of Rookie of the Year in 1997.”
 
Jim Guthrie, who was the 1997 IRL rookie of the year, apparently suspects a setup.

"When Sam called me and asked if I wanted to race him in a sailboat, I said sure,” Guthrie said.

“But then I thought, wait, he chose me because I'm from the desert and don't know anything about boats or water. I'm going to have to Google how to drive/sail a boat so I know which end of the boat is the front."
 
The SKUD 18 is a strict, one-design class which was selected as the boat for two-person Paralympics competition in Beijing. Sailors are seated on the centerline for Paralympics events, but the boat can be sailed with or without either of the seats and configured to suit different sailors’ needs.

On board will be two able-bodied sailors who will be trimming the sails, as Schmidt will be at the helm of the boat using a tiller that is adapted to be sensitive to his movements.

The SKUD-18, used for the match race, is one of three Paralympics sailing boats that are used by the U.S. Disabled Sailing Team.

The SKUD-18 is a lead-assisted skiff. With a tube-launched asymmetrical spinnaker and a modern high performance stayed rig, the boat is an exciting addition to World and Paralympics Competition. The SKUD-18 was designed so that both able-bodied and disabled athletes, including more severely disabled sailors, can compete on an equitable level.

As American open wheel racing's first united season is well on its way, many are left watching the races after the Indianapolis 500 wondering, "What is this series all about? There is lots of speed...but who the *$%& are all these foreign guys?" Here's hoping after this, things become slightly clearer.

Overview: Following a nasty split in 1995, the IndyCar Series (formerly the Indy Racing League) and Champ Car World Series (formerly CART) have since made amends, although it wasn't because times had changed, CCWS had simply lost the battle and was going broke.

Tony George heads the series, which has struggled to find viewers and compete with NASCAR in the 2000s. IndyCar is dominated by wealthy race teams, such as Penske Racing, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, and Andretti-Green Racing, however, relative unknowns are able to race on a race-by-race basis.

Tracks: IndyCar has chosen to race mainly on ovals, however, five road courses are on the schedule, including Watkins Glen, New York and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Its crowning jewel, however, is Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the greatest spectacle in racing: the Indianapolis 500. Other tracks include the Milwaukee Mile, Iowa Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Teams/Drivers: These are the main drivers, subdivided by major teams first, minor and single car teams last.

Penske Racing: Team Penske, owned by Roger "The Captain" Penske (of NASCAR and open wheel fame), is home to Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe. Castroneves, known to many non-racing fans for winning 'Dancing with the Stars,' is a previous Indy 500 winner and always a contender for a win. IndyCar fans know him as "Spider-man" because he climbs the fence after a win (he was doing it prior to Tony Stewart).

Briscoe is an up-and-coming driver who also drives Penske's Porsche in the American LeMans Series. He scored his first win at Milwaukee this season. Penske is always a team to watch.

Target-Chip Ganassi Racing: Target-Chip Ganassi Racing, obviously owned by Chip Ganassi, is home to Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon, and Alex Lloyd. Wheldon, a Brit who won the championship in 2005 with Andretti-Green, is also known for his stunningly good looks and charming personality.

Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter and winner, is cruising towards an IndyCar championship and is always a contender. He was poised to win the title in 2007, but ran out of fuel on the last lap at Chicagoland, giving the win and championship to Dario Franchitti.

Lloyd is relatively unknown. However, he won the Indy Pro Series in 2006 (the development series of IndyCar).

Andretti-Green Racing: AGR, co-owned by Michael Andretti and Kim Green, is known widely as the 'superstar' team. The stable is home to Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Hideki Mutoh, and Danica Patrick. Andretti, son of Michael and grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti, won his first race in 2006 at Infineon, but has struggled slightly since, yet always manages to attract a crowd. He was leading the 2006 Indy 500 when Sam Hornish, Jr. of Team Penske passed him at the finish line to take the win.

Kanaan, one of the sport's most popular drivers, is always a contender for a race win. Mutoh, a rookie from Japan, qualified extremely well at Indy, but is still learning how to race on ovals. He has taken over the #27 car that Dario Franchitti piloted to the 2007 IndyCar Championship, before moving to NASCAR.

Finally, Danica Patrick is in the media spotlight as the only competitive female in the series, and is arguably the face of IndyCar. The first woman to lead the Indy 500 in 2005, she may be better known for her temper tantrums and antics. Danica did score her first career IndyCar win this season at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan.

Vision Racing: Vision, owned by IndyCar President Tony George, is home to Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV. Carpenter is a conservative driver who earned a top 5 finish at Indy this year, but is known for having superb equipment yet doing little with it. Foyt IV is grandson of the legendary Anthony Joeseph (A.J.) Foyt, Jr., 4-time Indy 500 Champion. He hasn't raced well, but could show promise with better equipment. An engineering switch could be just what he needs to improve his results.

Others: Sarah Fisher is one of three female drivers in IndyCar (joining Danica Patrick and Milka Duno). She is running her own startup team, but has widely publicized funding issues-keeping her from racing the full 2008 season.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: The highest finishing rookie at Indianapolis, he is an up-and-coming driver for Rahal-Letterman racing, co-owned by 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal and talk show host David Letterman.

Rahal's son Graham is now in IndyCar, having come aboard with the reunifcation with Champ Car, though he drives for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Graham won the second race of this season in the rain at St. Petersburg-his first IndyCar race (he crashed his car and withdrew from the season-opener at Homestead-Miami).

Vitor Miera: An always-high finisher for Panther Racing, he currently sports the series' longest winless streak but is one of its most popular drivers. Miera's #4 car carries the National Guard colors.

You can learn more about this exciting form of open-wheel racing at the IndyCar website: www.indycar.com