Honda Indy Toronto

[DanicaFan]

Race 10 of 17

Race - Honda Indy Toronto

Location - Streets of Toronto - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date - Sunday, July 18th

Time & TV Schedule - 12:30PM Eastern -Green Flag -1:00PM Eastern -ABC

Course Type - 1.755 (2.82km) Mile Street Course

Distance - 85 Laps / 149.175 Miles

Practice Sessions - Friday, July 16th - 9:55-10:55AM Eastern & 1:50 -2:50PM Eastern , Saturday, July 17th - 9:10AM-10:10AM, Warm-Up Session, Sunday, July 18th - 8:35 - 9:05AM Eastern

Qualifications - Saturday, July 17th - 12:50 - 2:20PM Eastern

2009 Pole Sitter - Dario Franchitti -Lap Time - 1:01.0249 / Speed - 103.532mph

2009 Winner - Dario Franchitti

**Note - All Times listed in Eastern Time

[DanicaFan]

Here is a map of the track layout...

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/Torontomap.jpg

[NickFalzone]

"I expect Danica to get a solid top-5 finish, as long as they give her a good car."

Just saving DF the time :)

[TURN3]

"I expect Danica to get a solid top-5 finish, as long as they give her a good car."

Just saving DF the time :)

LOL, I had the same thought after seeing what he posted in the NASCAR forum, you beat me to it.

She will be top 5 easy though, counting backwards from last. I think it really is time we all start considering if she'll be in ANY ride next year. I realize that if GoDaddy is writing the checks...blah blah blah BUT...I really don't see JR Motorsports embarassing themselves another go 'round and Mikey has really got to be considering what this makes his organization look like.

[Tazio]

She'll have a reality show lined up before she hangs up the gloves.
I'm sure her agent is working on it "post haste" :)

[TURN3]

Trust me on this, Mikey is just happy to see her checks clear as they're helping to pay for the other cars he's fielding.

I'm certain that is true but at some point you have to wonder what he's thinking. Certainly putting Carroll in a car has to point in the direction that he wants to be a solid team at some point. I'm not 100% certain that Danica is feeling too comfortable with Mr. GoDaddy at this point myself...they may at some point realize the joke that surrounds them and pull their sponsorship package.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I must admit, can we just put the Danica beatings on hold for a while? Not that I disagree...but it is old.

I am looking forward to Toronto, although I miss the days of the final corner being in its old configuration where it was a lightning fast dog leg with a potential for serious pain. 140 plus was the common trap speed as they clipped the Apex and 180 going into the braking zone at one was possible.

For a street course, Exhibition place works pretty darn well, but I do miss the older version. Of course, I like the facilities on this one, so I guess it is a saw off!

Just wish the people running it didn't have their head's up their rear about how to run and promote it...but that alas is an argument for another day.

[Easy Drifter]

Mark, that is why I won't go. I will stay up here and watch on TV and curse ABC and TSN. Then maybe go for a swim in Georgian Bay.
There is a lot of interest in racing up here but no promotion of the race.

[TURN3]

I must admit, can we just put the Danica beatings on hold for a while? Not that I disagree...but it is old.

And deprive me of all my fun!? C'mon Mark!! The only thing old is the fact she's still around.

I hate hearing how you guys talk about the Molson Indy these days. It's a little difficult for me to get to that part of the continent these days but to me, Toronto was even more fun than Long Beach. I miss it and would hope the promoters could take advantage of the gem they have there.

[garyshell]

...Toronto was even more fun than Long Beach. I miss it and would hope the promoters could take advantage of the gem they have there.


Ah, but the problem is that they HAVE, to excess and its detriment.

Gary

[00steven]

Toronto is excellent, I look for a good race.

[harvick#1]

after Watkins Glen, it looks like Briscoe was really right with Will this time, Toronto is gonna be quite interesting and I believe it could be a toss up between the 2 Penske drivers.

Dario, Dixon, and Helio are the obvious next 3, Wilson, TK, and RHR should be threats.

and Sato and Matos continue to show improvement. I hope Simona puts a solid effort from start to finish, cause she has a skills to crack the top 10.

[TURN3]

after Watkins Glen, it looks like Briscoe was really right with Will this time, Toronto is gonna be quite interesting and I believe it could be a toss up between the 2 Penske drivers.

Dario, Dixon, and Helio are the obvious next 3, Wilson, TK, and RHR should be threats.

and Sato and Matos continue to show improvement. I hope Simona puts a solid effort from start to finish, cause she has a skills to crack the top 10.

Don't forget about PT...he showed really well here last year. If KV is tuning their street setup in for their bogus regulars, I'd think he runs top 8 or so.

Wait! Who is this an impression of. It's a podium for him easy!

[DanicaFan]

Tomas Scheckter will be driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in this Toronto race. He will be in the #24 MonaVie car.

[harvick#1]

Don't forget about PT...he showed really well here last year. If KV is tuning their street setup in for their bogus regulars, I'd think he runs top 8 or so.

Wait! Who is this an impression of. It's a podium for him easy!

PT might be podium material, but the team's pitwork have been absolutely killing themselves.

Sato went from a top 5 to crap all because of the team not knowing how to do pitstops

[TURN3]

PT might be podium material, but the team's pitwork have been absolutely killing themselves.

Sato went from a top 5 to crap all because of the team not knowing how to do pitstops

Sato went to the back because he came in 2 laps ahead of when the team told him too. Either this guy's head is as dense as it appears on most days or the team should have a Japanese interpreter. Either way, he restarted 19th and finished 15th...PT restarted 22 and finished 14 by comparison. 2 of the 3 KV cars did show speed throughout the weekend though so I'm assuming the team has a respectable setup.

[Marbles]

Looking forward to the race. I'd go if I was in town but I'll be away so I'll catch it in a week on the PVR. Avoiding catching the results in the mainstream media is pretty easy these days. So no spoilers for a week, please! :)

The only promotion I've heard for the race is in the traffic reports in the last two weeks on how lanes are closed on the Lakeshore "due to construction for the Toronto Indy".

Not the best way to attract fans.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I hear the commercials on Fan590 and other radio, and have heard them since Mid May, so they are covering the basis there, and I have seen ads on TV at times...

The problem is the people running the Honda Indy Toronto are not the old promotors and they came in with the disease of "we can do this better" and they scrapped everything. They told the volunteer army organized on a yearly basis by BARC ( a member club of CASC) basically to not bother, and put their own organization together. This was done likely at great cost, and little success. Then all the ads last year only featured the Andretti Drivers, with you know who as the poster child. Funny, A native son was committed to driver in the race from FEBURARY and they never took advantage of him.

So last year's race didn't quite work..

This year, they are advertising more, and not just the AA guys although they are still the most obvious people promoted in the radio ads. Of course, it is Andretti's organization doing the race, so they wont change that much, but it still speaks to an arrogance and naivety that they know what they are doing. The volunteer base that was at the track isn't going to buy tickets after working the Molson Indy for years. We might watch on TV, but we wont venture down to sit in the stands when we used to have a purpose.

The reality is Andretti's organization took this event over and tried to fit their St. Petersburg template on it, and this is a different market, one that was kicked in the teeth when the IRL/CCWS merger took place as it was one of the races not held that first year. You take one of the most loyal and best racing crowds and take their race away from them to protect the poorly attended race down at the Glen that first year, and then ask for their loyalty back a year later? It doesn't work.....

I think with the right promotors, the Honda Indy Toronto might have made a comeback, but too many people ignored this city for a year, and then last year, it was obvious there was no respect for the local hard core of fans and how things were done.

Add in the malaise that surrounds the future of the IRL in a market that doesn't like 2nd rate anything....and you have issues.

The city is a great one to visit, the weather is always hot and welcoming for the most part, and it is a decent ticket price for people, but the magic is lost....

[Mark in Oshawa]

AS for the radio people saying "Traffic is delayed for Indy Setup" Marbles, they were saying it 20 years ago when the race sold out too.....I doubt anyone pays much attention. It is Toronto, there doesn't need to be a reason for traffic to be snarled on the Lakeshore or the Gardiner Expy....

[NaBUru38]

Does anyone have a map of the old course?

[the bro]

Map from 1986

[NaBUru38]

Thanks, bro! The front straight was faster then?

[the bro]

As Mark said that turn on the front straight was really fast. I recall at the time it may have been one of the fastest road course turns of the tracks that CART visited. Mario Andretti called it "pucker corner" because he had to pucker his lips going through there or something.

The corner now is more or less 90 degrees, the old corner was more open. They had to change that part of the track when they constructed the Direct Energy Center. Probably a lot safer now, there was no runoff there just a cement wall. Also probably the entry for turn one was faster then too. I can recall a couple of bad accidents at turn one in the early days.

[Chamoo]

I'm really looking forward to this event. Hoping my schedule works out well so I can attend Sunday.

[Mark in Oshawa]

As Mark said that turn on the front straight was really fast. I recall at the time it may have been one of the fastest road course turns of the tracks that CART visited. Mario Andretti called it "pucker corner" because he had to pucker his lips going through there or something.

The corner now is more or less 90 degrees, the old corner was more open. They had to change that part of the track when they constructed the Direct Energy Center. Probably a lot safer now, there was no runoff there just a cement wall. Also probably the entry for turn one was faster then too. I can recall a couple of bad accidents at turn one in the early days.

The new corner has a steady radius but is taken about 50 mph slower. The upside is, the front straight is now that much longer, so going into 1, they really are hauling the mail pretty good...likely as fast I think in retrospect. I don't have loop data from over the years but I know as a spectator who always stood in one for the most part, I didn't see any lack of velocity after they made the changes.

[Marbles]

I hear the commercials on Fan590 and other radio, and have heard them since Mid May, so they are covering the basis there, and I have seen ads on TV at times...


I guess we live in two different worlds Mark. Out here at the Uni-bomber shack, I've heard absolutely nothing... zilch, zip. I imagine, already being a fan of the sport, they've cunningly managed to save a few dollars on tageting me.

I saw Lance Brown do a buffoon bit with an open-wheel two-seater last Thursday on local CTV sports but that's been it.

[Easy Drifter]

Here in the boonies, less than 100 miles from Toronto there has been zip. Nothing in our local papers (dailies) and nothing on A Channel Barrie which everyone in northern Simcoe County and all of Muskoka watches. Of course Muskoka is so depressed are there are only 3 areas known as millionaires row.
The CDN. Tire NASCAR support race is being shown on TSN.
The IC race is relegated to TSN2. Wow!
At least I can watch it on ABC. Well maybe a 1/3 of of it since the rest will be commercials or Danica Mania if she gets into the top 20.
I will not go to a race where I cannot even take my own water or food, especially water. And I could get a media pass plus Fri. is free!

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well, they will have empty seats, and it serves them right. You cannot treat Toronto with disdain by taking the race away for a year ( for the sake of The GLEN) and then handing it to a promotor who comes in and annoys the hell out of just about everyone.

I have seen ads in the Sun, I have seen ads on TV on TSN...but it isn't as pervasive as the old Molson campaigns were...but then again Molson's knew how to promote...

[Tex]

I just wanted to jump in and clarify something Mark said, Andretti Autosport doesn't promote the Toronto race anymore. It's Greene Productions (or some such name).

If you recall, Michael and his partners seperated with them taking the promotions business and Michael taking the racing business.

So you can bash Michael for last year but not this year. Same group, different ownership (sorta).

Kinda sad to see what the Indy has become. Even the last couple years of CCWS sucked big time. Like you said Mark, Molsons knew how to promote the race!

[the bro]

Official name of the promoter for the race is Green Savoree Toronto ULC.

As far as the promotion this year, they seem to have a lot of ads on The Fan 590. They seem to run it quite a bit, the ad I find is a bit annoying. Lots of ads in the Sun.

They have a big display down at Dundas Square for 2 days. I was down there yesterday and there were a lot of people around. Whether this translates in to people in the seats, who knows.

Overall I would say the promotion is better than last year, better support races.

[DanicaFan]

Here is the entry list for the race...

Car # & Driver / Car Name / Team

#2 Raphael Matos / HP Luczo Dragon / DeFerran Dragon Racing
#3 Helio Castroneves / Team Penske / Team Penske
#4 Dan Wheldon / National Guard Panther Racing / Panther Racing
#5 Takuma Sato / Lotus-KV Racing Technology / KV Racing Technology
#6 Ryan Briscoe / Team Penske / Team Penske
#7 Danica Patrick / Team GoDaddy.com / Andretti Autosport
#8 EJ Viso / PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT / KV Racing Technology
#9 Scott Dixon / Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 Dario Franchitti / Air Wick / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#11 Tony Kanaan / Team 7-Eleven-Nestle Pure Life / Andretti Autosport
#12 Will Power / Verizon Team Penske / Verizon Team Penske
#14 Vitor Meira / ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt Racing / AJ Foyt Enterprises
#15 Paul Tracy / Make A Wish -KVRT / KV Racing Technology
#18 Milka Duno / CITGO / Dale Coyne Racing
#19 Alex Lloyd / Boy Scouts of America / Dale Coyne Racing
#22 Justin Wilson / Team Z-Line Designs-DRR / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#24 Tomas Scheckter / MonaVie-DRR / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#26 Marco Andretti / Team Venom Energy / Andretti Autosport
#32 Mario Moraes / KV Racing Technology / KV Racing Technology
#34 Mario Romancini / Conquest Racing / Conquest Racing
#36 Bertrand Baguette / Conquest Racing-RACB / Conquest Racing
#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay / Team IZOD / Andretti Autosport
#77 Alex Tagliani / Bower & Wilkins-Hot Wheels / FAZZT Race Team
#78 Simona De Silvestro / Team Stargate Worlds-HVM / HVM Racing
#02 Graham Rahal / NHR- Quick Trim / Newman Haas Racing
#06 Hideki Mutoh / Formula Dream-Panasonic / Newman Haas Racing

[Mark in Oshawa]

That Green is Kim Green, who is Andretti's partner. Name change, but the guts of the people who screwed up last year are still there.

When you promote a race only pushing ONE team (and we know which team that is), you show your cards...

[NaBUru38]

Green was Andretti's partner.

[DanicaFan]

Here are the pit assignments..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/torontopits.jpg

[garyshell]

That Green is Kim Green, who is Andretti's partner.

Not his partner any longer. The two parted ways. The Whiner got the race team and Kim got the promotion company.

Gary

[Mark in Oshawa]

My bad...
I forgot about that split...

All the ads though still push the Andretti guys and Danica, so I really feel like not much has changed too radically...

[D28]

In Ottawa, a few hours east of TO, I only heard about the race on this forum.
Also note it is not covered ny TSN (basic) for whatever reason. This is an incredible comedown from pre IRL days, when the event was really promoted.
I don't watch regularly, but would, if I could, to see Paul Tracy.

[MDS]

Check out Tag's sweet ride and new sponsor

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs200.snc4/38336_443733385794_146914540794_6387783_6393861_n. jpg

[Easy Drifter]

D28: I believe ABC are broadcasting it so you should be able to see it. If not I am scuppered too.

[NickFalzone]

MDS, hard to tell completely from that angle, but imo that's one of the coolest looking Dallara IndyCars ever made.

[AussieV8]

Is that only for this race? Far better looking than some of the plain colours we've seen recently in Indy Car. It would be great if someone came on board for a full season with a livery like that.


Check out Tag's sweet ride and new sponsor

[SarahFan]

5 minutes into the first practice and marco is the runoff and sato takes the back wing off

[DanicaFan]

5 minutes into the first practice and marco is the runoff and sato takes the back wing off

I saw that, no suprise with Sato.

[DanicaFan]

Early in the session but Viso is outclassing Tracy pretty easily. ;)

[SarahFan]

Early in the session but Viso is outclassing Tracy pretty easily. ;)
your stoopid...

6 laps each and ej is .001 faster... p1 and p2

6 laps in and danica is p13.....didnt you say danica would dominate paul this weekend

[DanicaFan]

your stoopid...

6 laps each and ej is .001 faster... p1 and p2

6 laps in and danica is p13.....didnt you say danica would dominate paul this weekend

It wasnt that close a few minutes ago.

[SarahFan]

It wasnt that close a few minutes ago.

paul was on a out lap....

pay attention if your going to post with the big boys...


BTW as long as were keeping track.....danica currently p16 and the gannassis and penskes arent out yet (although helio just went out)

[SarahFan]

danica just finished her second run... and didnt improve her time... thats just not very good is it?

[DanicaFan]

Helio is not out, Franchitti has only run 2 laps as well.

[SarahFan]

my bad... that was will who went out not helio

[DanicaFan]

Helio finally out.

[SarahFan]

does p22=dominate?

[DanicaFan]

That was nasty.

[DanicaFan]

Dixon got into Sato, stopped and got rear ended by Baguette.

[DanicaFan]

Scott Dixon was fastest in this first practice session. Here are the results..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/texaspractice-1.jpg

[DanicaFan]

Here are the results of practice session 1..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/torontopractice1.jpg

[TURN3]

Go SarahFan Go! Some of best posting I've seen yet!!

Haven't seen the final results yet but followed on Twitter. Obviously the big and/or fast teams waiting for the track to rubber in. Seems PT has some speed her this weekend although I know he ended up P12, my guess would be tire conservation. If the balance is as good as it seems he'll be looking good this weekend. Graham looked strong early also.

So where did Princess ESPY end up? Anybody....(DanicaFan answers)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Early in the session but Viso is outclassing Tracy pretty easily. ;)

Early on a Friday....the Toronto phone book has people who might be faster than Tracy on a Friday morning.

I now know why you say some of the things you do...you give importance to things that don't matter...


I note in the end Danica 22nd, Tracy 12th...

[DanicaFan]

Early on a Friday....the Toronto phone book has people who might be faster than Tracy on a Friday morning.

I now know why you say some of the things you do...you give importance to things that don't matter...


I note in the end Danica 22nd, Tracy 12th...

Paul Tracy was 15th, look again.

[TURN3]

Paul Tracy was 15th, look again.


FYI whipper snapper there are some boards and reports out there that are off for whatever reason and have Tracy 12th. The do all have Princess ESPY in 22nd though, which is the point....of which you to this date and going on 5 years have no explaination for.

[Easy Drifter]

Milk and Donuts speed or lack thereof is scary. Toronto is no place for that sort of difference with its slow no room sections and also very high speeds, on the Lakeshore in particular.
If they let her start it will have to be a 'start and park' deal.

[SarahFan]

suprise of the session is will power in p8....

*although its clear the penske boys only did one stint while most of the others did 2

**Sato has been underwhelming this season

[harvick#1]

**Sato has been underwhelming this season

He was 4th at Watkins Glen and in the top 5 until he had the mistake in coming in 2 laps early. hes still a rookie on all these tracks, thats my only excuse for him.

[bblocker68]

Sato is just like the other KV drivers: Prone to crash and not finish races.

I don't think Power will have trouble getting up to speed after more rubber is laid down. Good to see Tags up at the top end of the times, I was getting worried that FAZZT had lost their way after a few disappointing results, lately.

PT was good here last year, so I see his ties to improve.

Danica, not so much. She should try drag racing so she doesn't have to make any of those annoying turns..........

[TURN3]

Danica, not so much. She should try drag racing so she doesn't have to make any of those annoying turns..........

Good one! Hadn't heard that one yet!! Nice :rotflmao:

[DanicaFan]

Here are the groups for qualifications tomorrow..

Group 1

#3 Helio Castroneves
#4 Dan Wheldon
#7 Danica Patrick
#8 EJ Viso
#10 Dario Franchitti
#11 Tony Kanaan
#12 Will Power
#18 Milka Duno
#19 Alex Lloyd
#22 Justin Wilson
#24 Tomas Scheckter
#34 Mario Romancini
#78 Simona De Silvestro

Group 2

#2 Raphael Matos
#5 Takuma Sato
#6 Ryan Briscoe
#9 Scott Dixon
#14 Vitor Meira
#15 Paul Tracy
#26 Marco Andretti
#32 Mario Moraes
#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#36 Bertrand Baguette
#77 Alex Tagliani
#02 Graham Rahal
#06 Hideki Mutoh

[DanicaFan]

Danica laying down some flyers right now, currently P2.

[TURN3]

Danica laying down some flyers right now, currently P2.

Must have been after running 2 or 3 laps with 1 other car on the track because she's only done 6 laps at last check.

Here some free advice for you. Don't ever use the words Danica and Flyer in the same conversation. That is like putting a golf ball on the tee and when you smack it, turns out it is one of those fake balls that blows up in your face.

[DanicaFan]

She was P2 after 6 laps Turn3, at least let me enjoy that spot for a moment. ;)

[TURN3]

She was P2 after 6 laps Turn3, at least let me enjoy that spot for a moment. ;)

LOL, ok. At least you indicate by your statement that some logic was used there. But will you please quit "winking" at me?

[DanicaFan]

LOL, ok. At least you indicate by your statement that some logic was used there. But will you please quit "winking" at me?

Sorry for the wink...lol

Look at Baguette showing some speed.

[DanicaFan]

Yellow... Hideki Mutoh had contact with the wall.

[TURN3]

Anybody have clue why PT has turned 8 laps in the session? He's been sitting in pits and less than 10 minutes to go.

[TURN3]

Wow, Danica actually ended P11 in that session. Something must be up, I doubt we'll see her advance through first qualy.

[DanicaFan]

Much better session. Danica had some speed. Here are the results..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/torontopractice2.jpg

[SarahFan]

mikla is 8 1/2 seconds off the pace.... you have got tobe kidding me.....I could give her a run for her money in my infiniti

[harvick#1]

mikla is 8 1/2 seconds off the pace.... you have got tobe kidding me.....I could give her a run for her money in my infiniti

yeah, this is pretty pathetic, why has the IRL not told the team to put a new driver in that car for atleast the road courses, I know money talks, but seriously, I'd be ashamed being a crew member on the team knowing you are a laughing stock because of your driver

[SUBARUTEAM]

8.5 seconds off the pace - she'll get lapped by the 6th lap. that is unacceptable.

if she kept her lines that wouldn't be so bad but she is all over the road - my fear is that someone will ride over a wheel and end up in the fence with another broken back. she should go buy herself a go kart. there are 26 cars entered this weekend so this series no longer needs field fillers.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

LOL, Milka would be the slowest in the Indy Lights field as well! Anyway, I'd be glad with a race result like this.

[Easy Drifter]

No drinks or food allowed to be brought in and it was so advertised ahead of time.
One report has a bottle of water being sold at $3.
Some smart people are bringing in empty bottles which are allowed and there are 'filling stations', I gather free.
The Media room just has pitchers of water so anyone going out to trackside has no water. Last year they had bottled water for the media.

[the bro]

Anybody have clue why PT has turned 8 laps in the session? He's been sitting in pits and less than 10 minutes to go.

I saw PT smack the wall entering turn 3, not sure if that is the reason. It just looked like he brushed it, but at the speed they enter turn 3 I guess that could do some suspension damage. It looked like he lost it under braking and brushed the wall on the left, was still able to make the turn.

[the bro]

Some lunacy from the no food or drink policy. Just outside the gate they are handing out free cans of Dr Pepper, which the security are promptly confiscating from people as they try and enter the gate. The ground outside the entrance is covered with DR Pepper cans, must of been hundreds of them. The sponsor must love that.

[TURN3]

What a bunch of idiots...why would they not allow people to have WATER. Do they make that much off of $3 bottles that it is worth driving more fans away that would've bought tickets? Make ZERO cents (sense).

[Easy Drifter]

To add to the complete stupidity they are giving out free Dr. Pepper in a new grandstand and free T shirts.
I wonder what will happen tomorrow when people have to pay to get in.

[the bro]

Actually I am sitting in this Dr Pepper grandstand. As much Dr Pepper as you can drink. At this point I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight after all those Dr Peppers. Although I think there is a problem with the seat numbers in the grandstand. My ticket has only a seat number and row. When I look at the grandstand there are 4 sections. I have no idea where I am sitting? Hopefully they will straighten that out by tomorrow.

Oh by the way they were giving out free cans of Dr Pepper outside. In the grandstand you get 600ml bottles.

The variety of food inside is not that great. I saw pizza and burgers and corn. Not much variety. The trade center has only a paddock for the cars and a Honda display. No where to buy food in there. Which is too bad because a lot of people hang out in there to get out of the sun.

[beachbum]

There are two possible reasons for the team leaving her there.
1) They really, desperately, need the money and will close without it.
2) Depending on her contract with them - I assure you there is one - they may not be able to get her out of the car without a very expensive court fight, which they don't have the resources to pursue.

As for the IRL ?????The IRL has somewhat quietly handled this is the past with early "requests" to the pits if the driver can't make minimum speed and retirements do to "handling" The never specify if the handling issue was with the car or the driver.

I suspect she may not go out in qualifying (what's the point of burning up tires), and last only a few laps in the race. That is, if any logic is applied. Being a hazard in practice is one thing, but getting in the way in qualifying and the race is inexcusable.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Milka is becoming an issue that Randy Bernard will have to address. I think in the end, she has to be subject to a 105 percent rule or be pulled.

AS for PT, his brushing the wall would explain his fall from grace in practice. Today meant little though. Tomorrow, the cards will be revealed after the chips are on the table.

Danica was on the radio saying how much she liked Toronto's track, so I am sure this will lead to great things.....................until it doesn't.

I don't know...the way this series is now, no one can afford to have a bad day and see the top 10 anymore....and it was that way before the merger. I think we may see some upsets. It was a crazy race last year.....

[NickFalzone]

Dario was pretty blunt about her in his interview with ABC after the Glen, and basically said she cost him at least a spot in the final results. He has a history with her though, back in 07 at the Chicagoland finale she almost cost him the championship when she came out of pit lane super slow and he had to slow down to avoid hitting her. Despite this, I think she is adequate enough, like some previous IRL chicanes, to run on the ovals. But should definitely not be on the roads/streets until she can get up to speed. Regularly running slower than the entire Lights field is a sign she should not be on the track imo.

[NickFalzone]

Milka is becoming an issue that Randy Bernard will have to address. I think in the end, she has to be subject to a 105 percent rule or be pulled.

AS for PT, his brushing the wall would explain his fall from grace in practice. Today meant little though. Tomorrow, the cards will be revealed after the chips are on the table.

Danica was on the radio saying how much she liked Toronto's track, so I am sure this will lead to great things.....................until it doesn't.

I don't know...the way this series is now, no one can afford to have a bad day and see the top 10 anymore....and it was that way before the merger. I think we may see some upsets. It was a crazy race last year.....

Although I certainly do not agree with DanicaFan's assessment, I am starting to wonder about PT. He has perhaps not been in the fastest equipment this season, but his quals and finishes have been fairly poor... hopefully he gets it together for this race because the 14th place and worse finishes are not going to get him anywhere near a season ride next year, and likely not going to even get him the few races he's made this year.

[00steven]

Milka is an abomination to all that is holy in racing.

[Easy Drifter]

Just what condition is PT's car in?
KV have been crashing cars every race.
How many times has his tub been repaired and how overweight is it?
We know, for example, that Sarah had a tub 120 lbs overweight from repairs.
I suspect it is a bit of a flexi flyer as well.
Nobody is buying new tubs except maybe Ganassi and Penske.

[SarahFan]

some interesting times so far this wekend....

the red cars re all top ten....but only one top five in this morning practice

Wilson p1!!!!

[DanicaFan]

Here are the results of practice session 3..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/toronto3.jpg

[DanicaFan]

After seeing Danica practice this weekend, I truly believe she will be in the Firestone Fast 6.

[TURN3]

After seeing Danica practice this weekend, I truly believe she will be in the Firestone Fast 6.

She has performed extremely well the past 2 sessions for her standards but as usual, you can't take that for what its worth. The likelihood she gets out of the first round is slim and zero based on her group and further, she's 11th and 12th on the charts at best...not sure how you get top 6 from 11th or 12th.

[SarahFan]

After seeing Danica practice this weekend, I truly believe she will be in the Firestone Fast 6.

so does that mean that you DON"T TRULY believe she is a future indy500 and daytona500 winner?

that DIDN"T TRULY believe all of your past rediculousness?

[beachbum]

She has performed extremely well the past 2 sessions for her standards but as usual, you can't take that for what its worth. The likelihood she gets out of the first round is slim and zero based on her group and further, she's 11th and 12th on the charts at best...not sure how you get top 6 from 11th or 12th.I think we need to give DF a break and let him have his illusions. It has to be hard every week to make projections and almost always be wrong, often by a wide margin.

[DanicaFan]

Danica moves on..

The 6 moving on are..

Will Power
Dario Franchitti
Justin Wilson
Helio Castroneves
Danica Patrick
Tony Kanaan

[DanicaFan]

Milka Duno is not qualifying. Have some rain moving in it looks like.

[DanicaFan]

Vitor Meira and Paul Tracy have caused a yellow this session.

[TURN3]

Wow, wonders never cease...Danica actually did get into the next group. What is that first time in 3 years?

[DanicaFan]

Wow, wonders never cease...Danica actually did get into the next group. What is that first time in 3 years?

Trust me on this one Turn. Im telling you, she is on her way to the Fast 6.

[Easy Drifter]

Makes sense for Milk and Donuts not to go out. She would be last no matter what and just get in the way. Also saves wear and tear on the car.
There is a good chance of thunderstorms tomorrow.

[TURN3]

Trust me on this one Turn. Im telling you, she is on her way to the Fast 6.

I should trust you based on your glorious history of being wrong? I should trust you based on the fact she hasn't cracked 11th yet?

[DanicaFan]

The next 6 moving on are...

1. Scott Dixon
2. Ryan Hunter-Reay
3. Ryan Briscoe
4. Marco Andretti
5. Alex Tagliani
6. Raphael Matos

[TURN3]

I'm having a really hard time believing that Tracy is that far off pace. He wasn't that far off Justin at The Glen when he teamed with DRR. Watching him wheel that car around Toronto with shades of Indy has be of the belief KV has nothing to offer him but junk. Just my thought, who really knows. Given he was competitive last year with them I'm don't believe it is driver.

[Easy Drifter]

As I said earlier with the number of crashes KV have had this year the odds are it is an oft repaired and heavy car and possibly still weak making it a flexi flyer.

[TURN3]

As I said earlier with the number of crashes KV have had this year the odds are it is an oft repaired and heavy car and possibly still weak making it a flexi flyer.

I'm thinking there is much validity to that. PT himself has stated that he worries about what car he's getting from KV based on the carnage they've had this year.

[Easy Drifter]

By the way as well as water being $3 a bottle a beer is $8.50. With TO being over 30C I bet sales of both are brisk.

[TURN3]

By the way as well as water being $3 a bottle a beer is $8.50. With TO being over 30C I bet sales of both are brisk.

I have no probs paying $8.50 Canadian for a tasty Canadian beer...some of the best...wait it's probably Budweiser.

[DanicaFan]

The 6 moving on to the Firestone Fast 6 are..

Justin Wilson
Helio Castroneves
Dario Franchitti
Will Power
Scott Dixon
Ryan Hunter-Reay

[garyshell]

I have no probs paying $8.50 Canadian for a tasty Canadian beer...some of the best...wait it's probably Budweiser.

WHAT? Remember $8.50 Canadian is just about $8.50 US these days. I drink nothing but craft beers but I'll be damned if I would pay $8.50 for any beer they would serve at a race track.

Gary

[DanicaFan]

Pretty phenomenal, Justin Wilson making it without using any red tires and got the fastest lap of the 2nd session.

[TURN3]

WHAT? Remember $8.50 Canadian is just about $8.50 US these days. I drink nothing but craft beers but I'll be damned if I would pay $8.50 for any beer they would serve at a race track.

Gary

I don't care if it is American or Canadian dollars...Canadian beer is some of my favorite.

[DanicaFan]

The best beer is Corona with a lime, 2nd best...Bud Lite Lime and I dont like Budweiser...lol :)

[DanicaFan]

Justin Wilson on top right now with a speed of 104.827 !

[TURN3]

Pretty phenomenal, Justin Wilson making it without using any red tires and got the fastest lap of the 2nd session.


You know what else is phenomenal? Your driver can't even get credit for miraculously making round 2 because of your stupid proclamations that she'd be fast 6. How'd that work out for her anyway?

I'd be thrilled if I were you, she's been all but dead last at every road and streets this year. For her to advance 1 round is almost the hi-light of her season yet you still don't get it.

[Easy Drifter]

Our big breweries beer tastes almost the same a most US beers just higher alcohol content. The independent and craft breweries do have good stuff but you can be sure that is not what they are serving.

[TURN3]

The best beer is Corona with a lime, 2nd best...Bud Lite Lime and I dont like Budweiser...lol :)


LOL, what truly is funny is...here in Arizona, people that drink Corona with a lime or worse yet Bud Light Lime get made fun of and it is pretty much a girl thing. Go figure it would be your favorite.

[DanicaFan]

Turn, Im still proud of Danica making it to round 2. Im drinking a Dad's Root Beer right now. :)

[DanicaFan]

Congrats to Justin Wilson for the getting the pole.

[harvick#1]

The best beer is Corona with a lime, 2nd best...Bud Lite Lime and I dont like Budweiser...lol :)

bud light lime????

I'll take a Guiness or a Sam Adams Boston Lager, 2 very good beers

[garyshell]

Well done Justin. P1.

Gary

[garyshell]

I do enjoy a Corona with lime on a REALLY hot day. But my favorites are the IPA's. Lagunita, Bells Two Hearted, Dog Fish Head, Sam Adams new Lattitude 48.

Gary

[TURN3]

Look for Justin and Will to check out tomorrow early. There is going to be lots of carnage with 25.5 cars on the streets. You can pass here though, should be fun to watch.

[Easy Drifter]

I drink mostly Scotch or Brandy straight up. Sometimes Rye (Cdn.) also straight up.
At the track on a hot day Red Baron Lime made by Brick Breweries, an independent. Muskoka Lager is also good.

[TURN3]

Whoa! Go Randy Bernard!! Just slammed Milka saying it isn't a rich man's club and she hurts the credibilty of the IZOD Indycar Series. Good Man.

[DanicaFan]

Whoa! Go Randy Bernard!! Just slammed Milka saying it isn't a rich man's club and she hurts the credibilty of the IZOD Indycar Series. Good Man.

100% agree, so they should do something and not let her start tomorrow.

[Easy Drifter]

I very much expect it will be start and park. Handling or brake problems will be official reason. A black flag may not be shown as it likely will be done by radio.

[TURN3]

100% agree, so they should do something and not let her start tomorrow.

Remember what I told you about agreeing with me right? You'd be right much more often!

Later guys, going to be a fun race tomorrow. It's 115 here so I'm going to go get myselft a Bud Lime!!! :cool:

[DanicaFan]

Here is your starting grid..

Row 1

#22 Justin Wilson
#12 Will Power

Row 2

#3 Helio Castroneves
#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay

Row 3

#10 Dario Franchitti
#9 Scott Dixon

Row 4

#6 Ryan Briscoe
#11 Tony Kanaan

Row 5

#77 Alex Tagliani
#26 Marco Andretti

Row 6

#2 Raphael Matos
#7 Danica Patrick

Row 7

#8 EJ Viso
#02 Graham Rahal

Row 8

#4 Dan Wheldon
#36 Bertrand Baguette

Row 9

#34 Mario Romancini
#5 Takuma Sato

Row 10

#24 Tomas Scheckter
#32 Mario Moraes

Row 11

#78 Simona De Silvestro
#06 Hideki Mutoh

Row 12

#19 Alex Lloyd
#15 Paul Tracy

Row 13

#18 Milka Duno
#14 Vitor Meira

[Easy Drifter]

TSN has just bumped coverage of the Cdn Tire race from TSN to TSN2 which I and most Cdns. do not get. It is a premium channel. It was supposed to be on TSN.
At least I can watch the Indy race on ABC tomorrow as again in Canada it is on TSN2.
Shows what our sports network thinks of racing.

[DanicaFan]

Not only did Justin Wilson get the pole, he set the new track record with a lap time of 1:00.2710 and a speed of 104.827 mph. Kudos Justin.

[TURN3]

Not only did Justin Wilson get the pole, he set the new track record with a lap time of 1:00.2710 and a speed of 104.827 mph. Kudos Justin.

Justin ran a 58.182 in '06...not sure what recored book you're looking at.

In fact, in '07, the entire field was faster than the pole time today.

[TURN3]

Different cars, different engines, different series. Of course you knew that.

Of course I do, but I also know that the records and record books were officially combined with the merger...so, the official track record was not set today, unless you qualify it with an asterik or something. Of course, we all knew that too.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Of course I do, but I also know that the records and record books were officially combined with the merger...so, the official track record was not set today, unless you qualify it with an asterik or something. Of course, we all knew that too.

Were the record books really combined? I remember a big fuss about Scott Dixon becoming the winningest IndyCar driver... I don't know what A.J. thought about that.

[FormerFF]

Although I certainly do not agree with DanicaFan's assessment, I am starting to wonder about PT. He has perhaps not been in the fastest equipment this season, but his quals and finishes have been fairly poor... hopefully he gets it together for this race because the 14th place and worse finishes are not going to get him anywhere near a season ride next year, and likely not going to even get him the few races he's made this year.


As a person ages, there are certain physiological changes that affect his ability to be a racing driver. The field of vision narrows, acuity lessens, and moving objects are seen less clearly. I stayed in Formula Ford until I was 40, and at that time I could begin to notice the decline. I get the impression that as long as a driver is at speed frequently that the rate of decline is less, but if you're out of the car for an extended period of time that your visual acuity declines from that of a racing driver to what a non-driver experiences.

I've noticed that most open wheel drivers begin to lose pace at about age 35. I think that HCN is experiencing that right now. He's still plenty racy, but I think you'll see that he wins fewer races than he used to, and when he does win it will be from a combination of speed and racecraft.

PT is 41, and will be 42 in December. During the last years of ChampCar, he didn't have the ultimate pace of some of the other drivers. Since then, he's been mostly out of racing. Undoubtedly, much of his poor showing is due to less-than-topnotch equipment, but I'd suspect that age and his limited schedule are part of the issue.

[NickFalzone]

As a person ages, there are certain physiological changes that affect his ability to be a racing driver. The field of vision narrows, acuity lessens, and moving objects are seen less clearly. I stayed in Formula Ford until I was 40, and at that time I could begin to notice the decline. I get the impression that as long as a driver is at speed frequently that the rate of decline is less, but if you're out of the car for an extended period of time that your visual acuity declines from that of a racing driver to what a non-driver experiences.

I've noticed that most open wheel drivers begin to lose pace at about age 35. I think that HCN is experiencing that right now. He's still plenty racy, but I think you'll see that he wins fewer races than he used to, and when he does win it will be from a combination of speed and racecraft.

PT is 41, and will be 42 in December. During the last years of ChampCar, he didn't have the ultimate pace of some of the other drivers. Since then, he's been mostly out of racing. Undoubtedly, much of his poor showing is due to less-than-topnotch equipment, but I'd suspect that age and his limited schedule are part of the issue.

yeah, it's disappointing, but probably true. PT is 3-4 years past his prime and his recent results are not just due to poor equipment. I am only 31 but have noticed that sometimes I need to turn my head more to see traffic when making turns, my field of vision is definitely a few degrees less than it once was. I'd guess that in top equipment, PT could still be a threat, but the combination of time off, age, and so-so equipment has really come together this year in a negative way.

[Tex]

Different cars, different engines, different series. Of course you knew that.

It's a series track record, not the official track record. The official track record is the 58.182 set by JW in a Champ Car.

Maybe once the new cars come out in a couple of years, they will be able to set 'a new track record'! ;)

[edv]

Props to JW for pole. But a lap record???

I expected it to be against the laws of physics for a crappwaggon to hold a lap record.

[controlledchaos]

So JW manages to beat the fastest time from last year - big deal. The IRL has only raced at Toronto once before, in 2009.

It would be a bigger suprise if they weren't able to beat last years time.

Call me when they get close to the Champcar record.

[beachbum]

As a person ages, there are certain physiological changes that affect his ability to be a racing driver. The field of vision narrows, acuity lessens, and moving objects are seen less clearly. I stayed in Formula Ford until I was 40, and at that time I could begin to notice the decline. I get the impression that as long as a driver is at speed frequently that the rate of decline is less, but if you're out of the car for an extended period of time that your visual acuity declines from that of a racing driver to what a non-driver experiences.

I've noticed that most open wheel drivers begin to lose pace at about age 35. I think that HCN is experiencing that right now. He's still plenty racy, but I think you'll see that he wins fewer races than he used to, and when he does win it will be from a combination of speed and racecraft.

PT is 41, and will be 42 in December. During the last years of ChampCar, he didn't have the ultimate pace of some of the other drivers. Since then, he's been mostly out of racing. Undoubtedly, much of his poor showing is due to less-than-topnotch equipment, but I'd suspect that age and his limited schedule are part of the issue.PT once was a force to contend, especially when he had good equipment. But even he has admitted in recent articles he was mostly a "feel" driver who just pushed to the limit (and often beyond), not a technical driver who had very precise lines, braking markers, etc. That made him fun to watch as he just hustled the car around a track, but age seems to have hurt him more than some others, especially since he has gotten so little seat time,

Some drivers managed to run very well at even older ages, but many, like Rick Mears were known as very precise drivers who used their experience to anticipate what the car would do and were prepared to react even before the car made a move. If their reflexes slowed a bit, it didn't hurt them very much. But if you are relying on quick reflexes to save the car rather than anticipating, slower reactions due to age could really hurt. That was also in an era where G-forces and the cars reactions were a bit slower.

Most drivers have mentioned how "edgy" most modern race cars have become as they have been honed to very fine degrees. It takes very quick and conditioned reactions to get the most out of them. In almost all series (even NASCAR), it is becoming more of a young person's game.

As we get older, it seems often the mind is willing, but the body just doesn't cooperate. ;)

[Easy Drifter]

Report from the track is attendance is up from last year but still light compared to earlier years. The ban on your own food and especially water is really annoying a lot of people.
Hot Dogs $4 and a Burger $5. Not really out of line there.
Trans Am field is pathetic. 8 cars and only 5 anywhere near competitive.
Be interesting to see the crowd today. There is a threat of thunderstorms but supposedly not until late afternoon. With the heat and humidity they can pop up anytime, especially near any of the Great Lakes.

[TURN3]

PT once was a force to contend, especially when he had good equipment. But even he has admitted in recent articles he was mostly a "feel" driver who just pushed to the limit (and often beyond), not a technical driver who had very precise lines, braking markers, etc. That made him fun to watch as he just hustled the car around a track, but age seems to have hurt him more than some others, especially since he has gotten so little seat time,

Some drivers managed to run very well at even older ages, but many, like Rick Mears were known as very precise drivers who used their experience to anticipate what the car would do and were prepared to react even before the car made a move. If their reflexes slowed a bit, it didn't hurt them very much. But if you are relying on quick reflexes to save the car rather than anticipating, slower reactions due to age could really hurt. That was also in an era where G-forces and the cars reactions were a bit slower.

Most drivers have mentioned how "edgy" most modern race cars have become as they have been honed to very fine degrees. It takes very quick and conditioned reactions to get the most out of them. In almost all series (even NASCAR), it is becoming more of a young person's game.

As we get older, it seems often the mind is willing, but the body just doesn't cooperate. ;)

While nobody is going to aruge that PT isn't past his prime, and many statements you and FormerFF have made are absolutely true, I think PT even today is one of the top 8 or so best drivers on today's grid. No doubt, and best said, that lack of seat time and some less than stellar equipment are contributing here. Lets not forget that as a part time driver now for 3 years he has been competitive each and every race with some teams that aren't known to be toward the front. His drive at Edmonton under all the circumstances in '08 was spectacular and he was pretty much the best of the non-Ganassi and Penske cars from Toronto, Edmonton, and Mid-Ohio last year. I know his Toronot finish didn't show it last year but we all saw how he raced....my God the IRL hasn't seen that much passing on a street course in its history.

It sounds to me like PT is working on positive momentum to have himself a full-gig next year if you follow him and his associates on all the boards and Twitter. That could fall through but sounds positive at least. If he gets in a car for a full year and struggles week in and week out then it is time to hang it up but I don't see him struggling on a consistent basis like some other big name drivers today.

[TURN3]

Report from the track is attendance is up from last year but still light compared to earlier years. The ban on your own food and especially water is really annoying a lot of people.
Hot Dogs $4 and a Burger $5. Not really out of line there.
Trans Am field is pathetic. 8 cars and only 5 anywhere near competitive.
Be interesting to see the crowd today. There is a threat of thunderstorms but supposedly not until late afternoon. With the heat and humidity they can pop up anytime, especially near any of the Great Lakes.

ED, my GF and I were discussing this last night 9along with making fun of Bud Lime) as she's never been to the Toronto event. We were comparing it to Long Beach and she says she's had her water/Gatorade and stuff confiscated at least 2 of the past 3 years. I personally don't remember taking anything in, got tons and tons of stuff there that is a staple of going in the first place. Maybe it isn't as uncommon as we suspect.

[Will Rogers]

Some posters have been full of praise for Randy's criticism of Milka's lack of pace--but jeez, what a pathetic display to say they'll evaluate it at the end of the season! It's like watching a shoplifter take something right in front of you and say you'll evaluate whether to go after them when the store closes... Someone should explain to him how to stand up on his hind legs and act like the leader of the Series.

Changing the subject radically-----Bud Light Lime--isn't that what you use to clean your car's wheels?

[Hoop-98]

It's a series track record, not the official track record. The official track record is the 58.182 set by JW in a Champ Car.

Maybe once the new cars come out in a couple of years, they will be able to set 'a new track record'! ;)

They beat that back in the 90's I believe....99 was a 57.143, GdF. 03 Was around a 58.90 PT.

[drewdawg727]

PT once was a force to contend, especially when he had good equipment. But even he has admitted in recent articles he was mostly a "feel" driver who just pushed to the limit (and often beyond), not a technical driver who had very precise lines, braking markers, etc. That made him fun to watch as he just hustled the car around a track, but age seems to have hurt him more than some others, especially since he has gotten so little seat time,

Some drivers managed to run very well at even older ages, but many, like Rick Mears were known as very precise drivers who used their experience to anticipate what the car would do and were prepared to react even before the car made a move. If their reflexes slowed a bit, it didn't hurt them very much. But if you are relying on quick reflexes to save the car rather than anticipating, slower reactions due to age could really hurt. That was also in an era where G-forces and the cars reactions were a bit slower.

Most drivers have mentioned how "edgy" most modern race cars have become as they have been honed to very fine degrees. It takes very quick and conditioned reactions to get the most out of them. In almost all series (even NASCAR), it is becoming more of a young person's game.

As we get older, it seems often the mind is willing, but the body just doesn't cooperate. ;)


Roberto Moreno? Won a race (or two) in his 40s, no?

[Hoop-98]

Warm-Up

http://i30.tinypic.com/2uemjpg.jpg

[beachbum]

While nobody is going to aruge that PT isn't past his prime, and many statements you and FormerFF have made are absolutely true, I think PT even today is one of the top 8 or so best drivers on today's grid. No doubt, and best said, that lack of seat time and some less than stellar equipment are contributing here. Lets not forget that as a part time driver now for 3 years he has been competitive each and every race with some teams that aren't known to be toward the front. His drive at Edmonton under all the circumstances in '08 was spectacular and he was pretty much the best of the non-Ganassi and Penske cars from Toronto, Edmonton, and Mid-Ohio last year. I know his Toronot finish didn't show it last year but we all saw how he raced....my God the IRL hasn't seen that much passing on a street course in its history.

It sounds to me like PT is working on positive momentum to have himself a full-gig next year if you follow him and his associates on all the boards and Twitter. That could fall through but sounds positive at least. If he gets in a car for a full year and struggles week in and week out then it is time to hang it up but I don't see him struggling on a consistent basis like some other big name drivers today.Not saying PT isn't still one of the better drivers on track, he just isn't what he once was. With a very tight field, even being a "tick" off can be 10 spots. He is still a racer who may not have the ultimate speed, but knows how to get the most out of what he has. He is also always still fun the watch. I was never much of a PT fan when he was younger, but today I admire his dedication and that fact he still has the desire and drive to win.


Roberto Moreno? Won a race (or two) in his 40s, no?That illustrates what I was saying. Moreno was a very skillful and precise driver, which is why he was a great test driver and a "super-sub". He was a thinking driver who could extend his career - and did. He was also very very good when he was younger.

[Hoop-98]

http://i29.tinypic.com/21ms1er.jpg

Milka's off

[TURN3]

Watching PT's in car and radio...nice moves. Really surprised to see Marco holding up an absolute freight train. The group is just ahead of PT and Schekter.

[TURN3]

LOL!!! LOL!!! 2 KV cars crash each other...now that is efficiency. They're going to crash anyway..might as well do it together!!!

[Hoop-98]

For restart, PT on alternate strategy

http://i25.tinypic.com/miz9yq.jpg

[Hoop-98]

Helio misjudged that 1!

[Nikki Katz]

Ah, it's an ABC race, so the online footage is just the helicopter wobbling above the track. It only focusses on a few cars, has no replays, loses cars behind buildings, and missed the start because it was shooting some planes. Great.
What happened to Castroneves?

[Nikki Katz]

Oh come on! Some racing would be nice. Moraes again, have these incidents all been his fault?

[Lousada]

Ah, it's an ABC race, so the online footage is just the helicopter wobbling above the track. It only focusses on a few cars, has no replays, loses cars behind buildings, and missed the start because it was shooting some planes. Great.
What happened to Castroneves?

But Watkins Glen was also an ABC race and that had the normal race footage? :s I'm seriously pissed with this though! :mad:
There is not much racing on anyway, it's been almost nonstop yellow since lap 18...

[DazzlaF1]

Getting a good green run at the moment

TOP 5 after lap 43

1. Franchitti
2. Power
3. Wilson
4. Hunter-Reay
5. Dixon

[DazzlaF1]

Great work from Wilson's crew, he's now jumped both Power and Franchitti to take the lead

TOP 10 after lap 58

1. Wilson
2. Power
3. Franchitti
4. Dixon
5. Hunter-Reay
6. Kanaan
7. Briscoe
8. Rahal
9. Andretti
10. Patrick

[DazzlaF1]

Briscoe crashes out of 7th, hit Rahal

EDIT: GR simply drove into the back of Briscoe, very naughty piece of driving there

[harvick#1]

Rahal punted Briscoe

[DazzlaF1]

Tracy, Viso and Matos all crash within 2 corners of each other

Yellow out again

[TURN3]

These are professional race car drivers? What a joke, all of them. Every single one of them...well maybe Will and Dario.

[DazzlaF1]

Hunter Reay slams into Dixon
Wilson spins out of 2nd
Tagliani and Scheckter crash out in turn 1

Very hectic 2 laps eh? :laugh:

[harvick#1]

it a demo derby out there

[DazzlaF1]

Plenty of beneficiaries from the madness out there, most notably Simona de Silvestro having her best run of the season up in 8th

Wilson's on a charge too already getting back up to 9th

[DazzlaF1]

Has Moraes ever heard of Blue Flags?

[DanicaFan]

Congrats to Will Power for the win! Danica ran a great race, finishes P6!!

[jackmart]

wow i missed the crash with briscoe, my two favorite drivers hitting each other, sad day. anyone have a clip of that crash

[DazzlaF1]

Not the best advert for driving standards but at least it was decent entertainment

Wilson's late charge up to 7th just made me think what he could have done had he not spun out of 2nd a while back.

[harvick#1]

outside of the top 5 that finished, and Justin Wilson, it was a pretty poor showing by every other driver out there today, although Simona did a great job getting her first top 10, but much like with Danica, all the passing came pretty much with the expense of everyone else racing hard and crashing.

I think Danica only passed Marco for a position and that was it.

Will Power just showed hes the man in the Indy Cars this year, so glad to see him get another victory

[MDS]

Good race, good crowd, enough crashes and close racing for the casual fan, it was a good race to have ABC. Will Power looked excited, showed some personality and Verizon will do some adds next week congratulating him on his win... everything's good.

More like that please

[harvick#1]

Wilson's late charge up to 7th just made me think what he could have done had he not spun out of 2nd a while back.

one more lap and he would've finished 6th. Justin did a great job charging back through the field

[DanicaFan]

Here are the final results..

1.#12 Will Power
2. #10 Dario Franchitti
3. #37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
4. #11 Tony Kanaan
5. #02 Graham Rahal
6. #7 Danica Patrick
7. #22 Justin Wilson
8. #26 Marco Andretti
9. #78 Simona De Silvestro
10. #4 Dan Wheldon
11. #14 Vitor Meira
12. #06 Hideki Mutoh
13. #15 Paul Tracy
14. #32 Mario Moraes
15. #24 Tomas Scheckter
16. #36 Bertrand Baguette
17. #77 Alex Tagliani
18. #6 Ryan Briscoe
19. #8 EJ Viso
20. #9 Scott Dixon
21. #2 Raphael Matos
22. #34 Mario Romancini
23. #19 Alex Lloyd
24. #3 Helio Castroneves
25. #5 Takuma Sato
26. #18 Milka Duno

[TURN3]

I agree with MDS that it was exciting, entertaining, and all the good press that comes with it. Glad also to hear the crowd was good, remember they are rebuilding this event. The track certainly lends itself to entertaining racing. Lots of drivers benefitted today from the lunacy out there. I wish PT could've kept his rig running, he ends up somewhere between 5th and 8th if no for that miscue. Sorry for J-Dub though....ugggh. Danica did run well, not 6th place well, but she was competitive in the top 12 all day and most of the weekend so easily her best road/street race.

[DanicaFan]

It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

[TURN3]

It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

Everytime she does something halfway respectable you say something stupid and ruin it for her. Just stop talking/posting and she'll retain more fans. The way part timers PT and Graham drove away from her and Justin caught her on that last stint, if she has the course mastered I'd like to know what their classification is.

[Saint Devote]

I thought I would watch the IRL race today at Toronto - BIG MISTAKE.

The last time I watched the Indy 500 was when Montoya showed just how good he is and how inferior the rest of the drivers were.

Today the Indt 500 is dead and buried. I do watch the races at Texas because THAT is the only track where this one make formula works well.

Today demonstrated that either its a stupid short circuit or the drivers are pretty substandard.

This single-seater series has become the home for non-American drivers unable to find a drive in European racing.

No matter what they do it is not going to work. The original idea was for an oval series using American machinery and with lots of American drivers - thats a good formula.

If it were 10 races on oval tracks that could put on shows as they usually fo in Texas, then people like myself and others from the lower echelons of racing such as NASCAR would watch.

Indy racing is finished because there is essentially no connection to anything American witin the series.

You think that American race fans are stupid? There is a reason why the Indy series is where it is today and it is not going to be improved by silly gimmicks as announced this past week.

I had good will towards this series - I remember the CART days which were just superb.

But when CART collapsed the idea for an oval openwheel series was sound.

Where exactly does Indy fit today? Nowhere, and ridiculous road street circuits where every corner looks the same and the drivers too incompetent to drive without a caution every handful of laps is just a road to nowhere.

Openwheel racing deserves to die in the US and it will not be missed - today was a display of incompetent driving at its worst dominated by the only teams that are going to win anything in that series - Ganassi or Penske - yawn.....zzzzzz!

[Easy Drifter]

Good driving by about 6 or 7 drivers including the Princess and Simona. The rest of them would be at home in a figure 8 race.
Milk and Donuts should have been flagged off sooner. Even the commentators said so.
A lot of repair work for a lot of teams with a long haul to Edmonton.
Been there, done that!

[00steven]

Will Power wins again ... yawn.

[SUBARUTEAM]

it was a competitive race with lots of passing and a bif of bif - what more do you want?

[SUBARUTEAM]

I thought I would watch the IRL race today at Toronto - BIG MISTAKE.

The last time I watched the Indy 500 was when Montoya showed just how good he is and how inferior the rest of the drivers were.

Today the Indt 500 is dead and buried. I do watch the races at Texas because THAT is the only track where this one make formula works well.

Today demonstrated that either its a stupid short circuit or the drivers are pretty substandard.

This single-seater series has become the home for non-American drivers unable to find a drive in European racing.

No matter what they do it is not going to work. The original idea was for an oval series using American machinery and with lots of American drivers - thats a good formula.

If it were 10 races on oval tracks that could put on shows as they usually fo in Texas, then people like myself and others from the lower echelons of racing such as NASCAR would watch.

Indy racing is finished because there is essentially no connection to anything American witin the series.

You think that American race fans are stupid? There is a reason why the Indy series is where it is today and it is not going to be improved by silly gimmicks as announced this past week.

I had good will towards this series - I remember the CART days which were just superb.

But when CART collapsed the idea for an oval openwheel series was sound.

Where exactly does Indy fit today? Nowhere, and ridiculous road street circuits where every corner looks the same and the drivers too incompetent to drive without a caution every handful of laps is just a road to nowhere.

Openwheel racing deserves to die in the US and it will not be missed - today was a display of incompetent driving at its worst dominated by the only teams that are going to win anything in that series - Ganassi or Penske - yawn.....zzzzzz!

you get out of the wrong side of your bed this morning?

[beachbum]

you get out of the wrong side of your bed this morning?There has been a LOT of silliness on many racing forums today for some reason. I attribute it to hot weather and adult beverages.

Either that, or there was a mass release from psychiatric hospitals.

[SUBARUTEAM]

There has been a LOT of silliness on many racing forums today for some reason. I attribute it to hot weather and adult beverages.

Either that, or there was a mass release from psychiatric hospitals.

LOL!!!

i agree. I beleive its very simple - if you don't like it, don't watch it.

[SarahFan]

Mastered ?

You have got to F'en kidding me

[DazzlaF1]

It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

Mastered? If she "mastered" the weekend, why was she not on the top step on the podium?

[harvick#1]

It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

I kinda laugh that you still think shes a rookie of some sort. shes been in the IRL long enough to know these cars inside and out, yet still got outrun by Rahal who was running with his 3rd team this year. and if there was another lap, Justin would've passed her.

the media loves going gaga over her for her awesome 6th place finish, but seriously, shes a veteran now, 6 years in the series and post a decent finish, albit around 8 drivers ahead of her in the race all crashed.

Graham drove a silent 5th place finish and so did RHR with a 3rd, yet the media could talk about his how amazing this "deadbeat" is with a 6th.

Simona took a 9th, and she did a good job, but I dont believe she passed a single soul either, but with her being in her first season with the car and at the track, I give a bigger thumbs up to her over a 6 year vet who can only manage this when everyone in front crashs out.

not to burst your small bubble, but she'll be back in the norm at Edmonton, basically lost on the track

[Scotty G.]

This was a typical Danicker points-collecting race.

Stay out of the way and wait for all the boneheads (and we have a TON of boneheads in this series) to screw up. Keep moving up the order and get a good finish.

[Anubis]

This was a typical Danicker points-collecting race.

Stay out of the way and wait for all the boneheads (and we have a TON of boneheads in this series) to screw up. Keep moving up the order and get a good finish.

I can actually accept that as a street course tactic. Won't win you the event, but it'll get you decent points so isn't necessarily to be dismissed quite so readily. That said, to use it as an example of track mastery is clearly absurd, especially when 11 people qualified better and 5 people finished higher, but then I think we've all come to expect that now.

[SUBARUTEAM]

This was a typical Danicker points-collecting race.

Stay out of the way and wait for all the boneheads (and we have a TON of boneheads in this series) to screw up. Keep moving up the order and get a good finish.

i'd call that smart racing. if she was a man, would you guys be so critical of her?

the issue is that the top guys are really good racers who would not look out of place in F1. to be able to race against these guys is a credit to her.

I say cut her some slack.

[DazzlaF1]

i'd call that smart racing. if she was a man, would you guys be so critical of her?

the issue is that the top guys are really good racers who would not look out of place in F1. to be able to race against these guys is a credit to her.

I say cut her some slack.

We're not criticising her directly, its the almost constant bigging up by certain fans and the media we're sick of. We'd still get it if she finished 2 laps down in 20th only because she is the supposed "big attraction"

[TURN3]

This was a typical Danicker points-collecting race.

Stay out of the way and wait for all the boneheads (and we have a TON of boneheads in this series) to screw up. Keep moving up the order and get a good finish.

FYI, you can only count Moraes once.

[Saint Devote]

you get out of the wrong side of your bed this morning?

:D

After watching Robin Miller's take on the race it made me wonder if we saw the same race?!!!

I think there is a fundamental difference between people like myself who have been reared on British-European racing with Formula One as the standard and those in countries like the US and Canada.

Last season in the DTM there was a period which culminated in a particular race which was almost as boisterous as Toronto and it resulted in very strict groundrules being laid down - to the point that some said it would discourage overtaking attempts.

I guess its like the BP versus US situation. Someone like myself have been disgusted at how the US governmnt led the attack in America on a private company as if BP WANTED the spill and did not have the MOST to lose if it was not plugged qucickly as possible.

I think the cultural difference between people in the US and so many other countries is very real - so it was today.

[TURN3]

:D

After watching Robin Miller's take on the race it made me wonder if we saw the same race?!!!

I think there is a fundamental difference between people like myself who have been reared on British-European racing with Formula One as the standard and those in countries like the US and Canada.

Last season in the DTM there was a period which culminated in a particular race which was almost as boisterous as Toronto and it resulted in very strict groundrules being laid down - to the point that some said it would discourage overtaking attempts.

I guess its like the BP versus US situation. Someone like myself have been disgusted at how the US governmnt led the attack in America on a private company as if BP WANTED the spill and did not have the MOST to lose if it was not plugged qucickly as possible.

I think the cultural difference between people in the US and so many other countries is very real - so it was today.

So I'm clear on our cultural divide, you're saying that ZERO on track passing and constant post race manipulation are the standards for "excitement" in motorsports? If that is what makes European racing special, you can keep it over there.

[DBell]

:D
I guess its like the BP versus US situation. Someone like myself have been disgusted at how the US governmnt led the attack in America on a private company as if BP WANTED the spill and did not have the MOST to lose if it was not plugged qucickly as possible.


What a load. The most to lose? Try asking all those who made their livelihood on the gulf coast. It's called responsibility. It's BP's mess, they have to own up to it.

[Easy Drifter]

I often agree with Saint Devote but not today. That said there was a lot of very sloppy driving and Hail Mary passing attempts.
Further I think the Princess drove well and a smart race. No she sure didn't master the course but she was fairly aggressive and reasonably quick. She made several runs on Tags going into 3 but was smart enough to see that if she forced the issue they would hit, unlike several others. It was clear her car was quicker down the Lakeshore but also that Tags was quicker around the twisty sections.
I think everyone on here knows my normal thoughts on her!
I agree that if Chad (Danica Fan) would tone it down she wouldn't get as much flak on here.
The regular media, especialy ABC hype her, probably with pressure from IC.
The real racing media are backing off big time, at least most of them.
I also remember Mark Webber basically getting crucified on this and other forums for basically what Helio did today!

[NickFalzone]

:D

After watching Robin Miller's take on the race it made me wonder if we saw the same race?!!!

I think there is a fundamental difference between people like myself who have been reared on British-European racing with Formula One as the standard and those in countries like the US and Canada.

Last season in the DTM there was a period which culminated in a particular race which was almost as boisterous as Toronto and it resulted in very strict groundrules being laid down - to the point that some said it would discourage overtaking attempts.

I guess its like the BP versus US situation. Someone like myself have been disgusted at how the US governmnt led the attack in America on a private company as if BP WANTED the spill and did not have the MOST to lose if it was not plugged qucickly as possible.

I think the cultural difference between people in the US and so many other countries is very real - so it was today.

If you're trolling, you're doing a very good job of it :) lol

[NickFalzone]

I'll give Danica some credit for today. She did what she does best, which is to run her own race, block, and stay out of trouble. She let all the "racers" battle it out and crash while she steadily moved up the field.

As far as the race itself, I watched it off and on and it seemed kinda amateurish at points, but it was fairly entertaining. ABC's broadcast team is definitely lacking, but overall I think the IRL came out of Toronto with another good street race on the books.

Some funny post-race reactions, particularly on Twitter between Scheckter and Tags. Rahal also went after Briscoe on there.

[jackmart]

^^Idk who side to be on, graham and ryan my two faves. However, it looks like ryan went after graham first on twitter

Wow, just checked out grahams twitter and him and briscoe are fueding back and forth, i really want to see this clip. was briscoe blocking rahal?

[SUBARUTEAM]

there was nothing much in the rahal briscoe crash - i think the line belonged to graham - but thats racing. Same with the dixon crash, he gave room to RHR but got caught in the wrong place (outside of turn 1) and got punted into the wall. No stress there from either party.

its going to happen when you have a 170mph straight leading into a 1st gear 100 degree right hander - it has crash written all over it. I'm not aware of any corners like that in F1.

[Jag_Warrior]

:D

After watching Robin Miller's take on the race it made me wonder if we saw the same race?!!!

I think there is a fundamental difference between people like myself who have been reared on British-European racing with Formula One as the standard and those in countries like the US and Canada.

Last season in the DTM there was a period which culminated in a particular race which was almost as boisterous as Toronto and it resulted in very strict groundrules being laid down - to the point that some said it would discourage overtaking attempts.

I guess its like the BP versus US situation. Someone like myself have been disgusted at how the US governmnt led the attack in America on a private company as if BP WANTED the spill and did not have the MOST to lose if it was not plugged qucickly as possible.

I think the cultural difference between people in the US and so many other countries is very real - so it was today.


Thank you for coming to this part of the forum and making all of us F1 fans look bad through guilt by association (to you). You just spread love and joy where ever you go, don't you?

As for BP, we all know what would have happened if that had happened off the coast of Israel, now don't we? Yeah, the American taxpayers would still be on the hook for cleaning it up! Word? Word!!!

Now since you just came here to troll anyway, why don't you run off to the NASCAR board and insult the great nation that bankrolls and props up your little pile of sand/sorry excuse for a nation? See how well THEY treat you over there.

[garyshell]

Oh joy Saint Devote graces us with his presence and starts by telling us he never watches the IRL and then proceeds to tell us exactly what is so wrong with it. Then he goes on to try to defend BP. What a piece of work. Please folks don't feed the troll, just ignore him and maybe he'll go crawly back under the rock where he belongs. (Notice that F1 was not running this week, so the poor boy was bored and had too much time on his hands. Too bad he didn't just sit on 'em.)

Gary

[Easy Drifter]

A very critical article in the Wheels section of the Toronto Star by a reporter. Not their motorsports writer though.
However she does not even know that they run on ethanol but refers to gas.
The 6 pages of comments also showed a huge lack of knowledge and general anti racing attitude. People complaining about the shutdown of the Lakeshore when TO shuts down streets all summer long for events. Others obviously do not even know Mosport exists after 50 years of operation saying there are no tracks in the GTA.
Legit complaints were high ticket prices, the ban on your own water, high food prices, (apparently beer on Sunday was up to $10 from $8.50 earlier).
Poor promotion and advertising was also mentioned.
I know there was none up my way, including in Barrie (135,000) and Southern Georgian Bay general area another 70,000.
All Toronto area stations said it was on TSN2 but none mentioned it was also on ABC. (TSN2 just picked up the ABC feed.) Few get TSN2. This hurts future attendance although you cannot blame the promoters for that.

[garyshell]

While nobody is going to aruge that PT isn't past his prime, and many statements you and FormerFF have made are absolutely true, I think PT even today is one of the top 8 or so best drivers on today's grid.

And apparently the old dog is still able to learn a few new tricks!

http://www.racer.com/paul-tracys-toronto-blog--race-day/article/174834/?DCMP=EMC-RACER_DAILY

Gary

[the bro]

A very critical article in the Wheels section of the Toronto Star by a reporter. Not their motorsports writer though.
However she does not even know that they run on ethanol but refers to gas.
The 6 pages of comments also showed a huge lack of knowledge and general anti racing attitude. People complaining about the shutdown of the Lakeshore when TO shuts down streets all summer long for events. Others obviously do not even know Mosport exists after 50 years of operation saying there are no tracks in the GTA.
Legit complaints were high ticket prices, the ban on your own water, high food prices, (apparently beer on Sunday was up to $10 from $8.50 earlier).
Poor promotion and advertising was also mentioned.
I know there was none up my way, including in Barrie (135,000) and Southern Georgian Bay general area another 70,000.
All Toronto area stations said it was on TSN2 but none mentioned it was also on ABC. (TSN2 just picked up the ABC feed.) Few get TSN2. This hurts future attendance although you cannot blame the promoters for that.

The Star seemed pretty critical of the race, the Sun was a bit more positive.
Showing a picture of empty grandstand 45 minutes before the race, and implying this is indicative of a lack of crowd is misleading. I personally was not in my seat 45 minutes before the race. Why would you be on a hot day?

The race itself was pretty good. You had several passes for the lead, how can you beat that. Lot of carnage, but it's a street track. At least in Toronto you rarely get a follow the leader type of race. Lots of opportunity/temptation to try a pass, which sometimes doesn't work out.

I sat in the Dr Pepper grandstand and thought it was a reasonable value. Free pop all weekend, free t shirt on Sunday, free slice of pizza Sunday. The food prices I didn't think were too out of line.

[Mark in Oshawa]

i'd call that smart racing. if she was a man, would you guys be so critical of her?

the issue is that the top guys are really good racers who would not look out of place in F1. to be able to race against these guys is a credit to her.

I say cut her some slack.

I will cut her slack after yesterday. She stayed out of trouble and it was all around her. Then again, it points to the reality that she is a reasonably fast driver on some tracks if the engineers get the setup under her, but she cannot RACE for position. PT passed 6 guys in the first 2 laps. Even if you accept one of them was Duno, (ok 5 guys and one girl), he still was finding ways around people. Now, we all know he wasn't going to win from back there, and the lead was a gamble, he still was battling for position. Danica on the other hand was good in qualifying and held her own. Good for her, but I don't see any point this season where I call her a contender....

THat was what yesterday was all about. People trying to make things happen, and it is partially the nature of street racing you have incidents, but when you have people like Moraes and Viso out there, the carnage is going to happen. Not to mention Helio misjudging the usually well behaved Meira going into 3 and clipping him.

It was an entertaining mess, and I enjoyed it. From my chair up north in the cabin, because it was clear I had no interest in going downtown for it.

This race is a shadow of what it once was, and for that I blame the split ( Toronto fans were CART loyalists and have a vehement dislike of TG) and the inept marketing and management of this race. The point is, commercials and ads in the paper were up this year, but they really have to do something new to get people back.

As for Drifter's talk of an article in the Star about this from a non-racing writer, you should stop reading the Toronto Star once you are past Norris's column Drifter. IT is a birdcage liner and nothing more for the most part. If I had a nickel for every story the Toronto Star had factually wrong, I wouldn't need to work...

[Easy Drifter]

I normally only read Norris' column on line. This one was brought up in the Cdn. Motorsport Historical Group so I looked at it.
McNulty in the Sun may know his stock cars but he makes constant mistakes when writing about other forms of racing.

[Jag_Warrior]

i'd call that smart racing. if she was a man, would you guys be so critical of her?

the issue is that the top guys are really good racers who would not look out of place in F1. to be able to race against these guys is a credit to her.

I say cut her some slack.

I really don't think it's fair or right to suggest that people are hammering Danica because she is a female. If someone is doing that, then let's point out their post and I can jump on them too. But I just haven't seen that. I think that the truth is, if Danica was Dan, we wouldn't be talking about him period. Why would we be talking about some schmoe who's won only ONE pro auto race in his life? Why would ABC be following this guy for lap after lap (when I turned my set on). Let's compare her to her equally annoying teammate, Marco. Each has won but a single IRL race... under rather "interesting" circumstances - though Marco has several wins in other formulas. But still, we don't see Marco being followed lap after lap after lap (unless he's right up front)... not that I want to see him anymore than I do. When I turned on the set, Danica was back in 10th or 11th. All people are saying is, why is so much time devoted to a driver who continues to run mid to back of the pack?

But I do give her credit. Though she only seems to have one bullet in her gun: as long as someone sets her car up JUST right for her, she'll cruise around in the middle of the pack, keep her nose clean, and hope/wait for cars ahead of her to crash out or break. As long as that happens, or she gets a lucky pitstop break, she'll get a Top 10. If not, she'll finish in a position more indicative of her actual race pace. That's the Danica Strategy that I believe Scotty G. is talking about. And it's happened WAY too many times for me to be able to disagree with him.

As for the top IRL runners being "F1 quality"... er... nah uh. IMO, that ship sailed for Franchitti and most of the others (who had that potential) many moons ago. Will Power is about the only one who I could see even being offered an F1 test - and not with a top team. I don't see him even in Bourdais' league, much less in Montoya's (in his prime). There really are some good drivers, no doubt. But I wouldn't go so far as to say that Danica is racing against guys who wouldn't be out of place in F1... sorry, I just can't see that. I'm watching Michael Schumacher get eaten alive by his teammate and others most every race now. It's beginning to look like even The Great One is out of place in F1 these days. Helio, Dixon, Briscoe, TK and Franchitti would be killed at the gates and left for dead. People like Marco, Danica and Mario Moraes don't have enough talent to even be considered a light snack in F1 - though with enough money, any of them could drive for HRT or maybe Virgin. There may have been a time when a couple of them had that potential, but Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, et al would slaughter them now. The current IRL Dallara is too similar to the current GP2 car in terms of horsepower/weight. IMO, that's a big part of why no driver using the IRL formula has ever gotten a serious look from an F1 team. When AOWR cars were beastly, raw and required harder core skills, F1 teams did give tests to our guys. Da Matta and Bourdais didn't do so well. But Montoya sure did raise some hell. But Danica... she'd only get into an F1 race the same as I would: by buying a ticket.

[TURN3]

I gotta say, watching the Twitter banter going on with Schekter/Tag and Rahal/Briscoe and PT chiming in is exactly what Indycar has needed for years. Go figure it is with 3 guys help that don't even have full-time gigs. This is the type of thing we need to get the public's attention, among other things anyway.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I normally only read Norris' column on line. This one was brought up in the Cdn. Motorsport Historical Group so I looked at it.
McNulty in the Sun may know his stock cars but he makes constant mistakes when writing about other forms of racing.

he isn't always right on the Taxicabs either, but he is a good guy.....

[Mark in Oshawa]

I really don't think it's fair or right to suggest that people are hammering Danica because she is a female. If someone is doing that, then let's point out their post and I can jump on them too. But I just haven't seen that. I think that the truth is, if Danica was Dan, we wouldn't be talking about him period. Why would we be talking about some schmoe who's won only ONE pro auto race in his life? Why would ABC be following this guy for lap after lap (when I turned my set on). Let's compare her to her equally annoying teammate, Marco. Each has won but a single IRL race... under rather "interesting" circumstances - though Marco has several wins in other formulas. But still, we don't see Marco being followed lap after lap after lap (unless he's right up front)... not that I want to see him anymore than I do. When I turned on the set, Danica was back in 10th or 11th. All people are saying is, why is so much time devoted to a driver who continues to run mid to back of the pack?




This is the nub of the argument right? Danica is over promoted, and over hyped. Most of what people moan about when it comes to the Princess is the constant updates. Now some might point out, she is the most popular or known driver in the IRL, and hence deserves this coverage. I think she is the most known driver in the IRL now because they keep showing her and because people think she is cute. They don't work that hard to give me Helio updates....and I suspect my wife likes Helio a lot better than Danica due to his Dancing with the Stars appearences!

Danica is a journeywoman racer. She will never win a championship, but she likely will not ever win another race. You total up her career, and the only victory she has is a fuel mileage deal in Japan. That just isn't enough to feed the media machine enough fuel to justify the hype.

She did a good job Sunday, she kept it clean and kept it out of everyone else's mess and still kept up. That doesn't a racing driver make by itself however and that is going to be my main beef.

Racing is about passing people and showing speed. Not riding around fast....

As for the IRL's guys having enough talent to get to f1, sadly no. A few of them might have had a shot in the right circumstance in their younger days, but I think f1's mentality is why go to the US when they can dig up a guy out of GP2?

I think Helio in his younger days was F1 possible, as is Power but that is likely it...and Danica? Well she can buy a ride or a ticket, but judging how bad NASCAR is kicking her ass, f1 would be the LAST place she would go, because the Europeans wouldn't kiss her @ss AT ALL....

[SarahFan]

bottomline is she is a driver... not a racer

and the fact the league for 1/2 a decade pinned there hopes and dreams on her was a mistake all (most anyhow) of the diehards saw right thru

[SoCalPVguy]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/images/aria/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=820272#post820272)
It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

RESPONSE: Danica's Toronto: Good "driving", Bad "racing". Kept her nose clean, stayed out of trouble, didn't pass one car for position on track, finish place based on attrition ahead of her.

"Mastered course? LMAO (are you a comedy writer?)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well..she isn't no Milka Duno.....

[wedge]

I thought I would watch the IRL race today at Toronto - BIG MISTAKE.....

A year too late. Last year was a great race to watch.

Last Sunday was one of those Full Moon days where drivers were cursed to be donkeys for a day.

[I am evil Homer]

I also watched it...not a great advert for the sport. Guys (and girls) driving like Formula Ford amateurs.

I did chuckle when Sato hit the wall though.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Originally Posted by DanicaFan http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/images/aria/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=820272#post820272)
It was a crashfest today. Danica had this course mastered this weekend. Im proud of her. Look out Edmonton, here she comes!

RESPONSE: Danica's Toronto: Good "driving", Bad "racing". Kept her nose clean, stayed out of trouble, didn't pass one car for position on track, finish place based on attrition ahead of her.

"Mastered course? LMAO (are you a comedy writer?)

What you are writing is not true. She did pass Marco Andretti for position.

[TURN3]

What you are writing is not true. She did pass Marco Andretti for position.

2x actually, Marco was holding up a train on at least 2 occasions and was 2 to 4 seconds behind her once she got by. Not sure what Marco's problem was last weekend but he didn't look good....but stayed clean.

[FormerFF]

Please don't insult Formula Ford amateurs. :p :p :p

Yeah!