Simona

[hondacom]

DeSilvestro has been costing her sponsors a lot of money rebuilding cars. Will she ever learn how to drive?

[Andrewmcm]

EJ Viso has been costing his sponsors a lot of money rebuilding cars. Will he ever learn how to drive? Maybe he should stick to some sexist stereotype as well.

[ShiftingGears]

trollolololol

[chuck34]

Wow, I've actually never put someone on ignore before (I generally like to hear other points of view). But hondacom just became the first. That was the most insane statement I've ever heard. And that's saying a lot around here.

[banshee74]

A critical part of racing at any level is constantly trying to improve the "template" in your mind of the speed of entry, apex, and exit of all turns on any track. If you don't keep trying to move that template into a faster regime, you never really get better. Danica is more than content in driving around any track with a quality set up car, without regard to moving this template further.

On the contrary, you can see where Simona is always pushing this "template". If they had the same quality cars and set-ups, Simona would be constantly pulling away from the princess. You're not fast until you're on the very limit of this control. Sometimes you push the template too far in this quest, and you see the results in a damaged car and/or driver. Simona can do several things that you probably can't........have the aggression to be a real racer, push this template, even though you have second degree burns on your hands, and then someday eventually make babies.

[SoCalPVguy]

DeSilvestro has been costing her sponsors a lot of money rebuilding cars. Will she ever learn how to drive?

So what, you want her to put super-high down force on the car and tool around the track about 5-mph slower than the leaders, hope for a lucky pit stop sequence and maybe get a top 10 finish every week. Sorry we already have one of those.

"If you ain't crashing you ain't pushing".

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think Simona in the end will be proven to be someone worthy of attention on her ability. I think her latest issues probably still go back to Indy where her confidence was hurt as well as her hands....

[garyshell]

DeSilvestro has been costing her sponsors a lot of money rebuilding cars. Will she ever learn how to drive?

I see Starter has edited the sexist portion of your original post but let me remind you of something you wrote to someone else right here on this forum:


If you are a racing fan, why do you hate so many drivers ? It`s OK not to like some drivers but keep it to yourself.

Gary

[beachbum]

I think Simona in the end will be proven to be someone worthy of attention on her ability. I think her latest issues probably still go back to Indy where her confidence was hurt as well as her hands....Anyone who has ever raced with pain (as she has since Indy) knows how difficult that is. Not just physically, but mentally challenging. But it doesn't matter much what a few "experts" with a keyboard think. What matters is the view in the paddock. Quite a few drivers have been very complimentary to her and about her. Just follow her twitter. Drivers such as RHR, TK, Dixon, Dario, Hinchcliffe and others have seen her very positive messages. It is obvious she has their respect.

[nigelred5]

Far greater drivers have wadded up more than one car at Milwaukee. Driving with what I understand were fairly badly burnt hands and some pretty sore body parts is a challenge. Racing isn't cheap and well, wrecking is still geting the sponsor mentions and TV time. If Danica shaved her head, go daddy might as well advertize with 12 year old thai trannies, they wouldn't get a word based on her performance at most races.

[markabilly]

Far greater drivers have wadded up more than one car at Milwaukee. Driving with what I understand were fairly badly burnt hands and some pretty sore body parts is a challenge. Racing isn't cheap and well, wrecking is still geting the sponsor mentions and TV time. If Danica shaved her head, go daddy might as well advertize with 12 year old thai trannies, they wouldn't get a word based on her performance at most races.

who is danica?

[RJL25]

How many champcars did Will Power wreck when he first came to the US? How many Target cars did Ryan Briscoe tear up in his rookie season? Hell I even remember way back when Dario first came on the scene in champcar, lots of crashes for him too! She's still, basically, a rookie. OK shes in her second season now, but she still has less then 30 starts to her name, young drivers crash, thats just what they do!

I'd much rather a fast young driver who crashes then a young driver who never crashes, because he/she isn't trying very hard.

As said previously, you could always blaze out there running heaps of wing so the car is rock solid all the time and hey, when you weigh 45kg compared to most drivers who weigh around 70kg, I guess you've still got a bit of HP up your sleeves to balance it out don't ya! Not naming any names ofcourse... but then theres other drivers who actually have a bit of a go! Simona falls into this catagory...

[banshee74]

A critical part of racing at any level is constantly trying to improve the "template" in your mind of the speed of entry, apex, and exit of all turns on any track. If you don't keep trying to move that template into a faster regime, you never really get better. Danica is more than content in driving around any track with a quality set up car, without regard to moving this template further.

On the contrary, you can see where Simona is always pushing this "template". If they had the same quality cars and set-ups, Simona would be constantly pulling away from the princess. You're not fast until you're on the very limit of this control. Sometimes you push the template too far in this quest, and you see the results in a damaged car and/or driver. Simona can do several things that you probably can't........have the aggression to be a real racer, push this template, even though you have second degree burns on your hands, and then someday eventually make babies.

Hondacom has edited his original post to delete his "making babies" comment. To set the record straight... my response was to counter his sexist comment.

[garyshell]

Hondacom has edited his original post to delete his "making babies" comment. To set the record straight... my response was to counter his sexist comment.

Actually a moderator (starter) did it for him. So hondacom is still a "sexist pig".

Gary

[nigelred5]

How many champcars did Will Power wreck when he first came to the US? How many Target cars did Ryan Briscoe tear up in his rookie season? Hell I even remember way back when Dario first came on the scene in champcar, lots of crashes for him too! She's still, basically, a rookie. OK shes in her second season now, but she still has less then 30 starts to her name, young drivers crash, thats just what they do!

I'd much rather a fast young driver who crashes then a young driver who never crashes, because he/she isn't trying very hard.

As said previously, you could always blaze out there running heaps of wing so the car is rock solid all the time and hey, when you weigh 45kg compared to most drivers who weigh around 70kg, I guess you've still got a bit of HP up your sleeves to balance it out don't ya! Not naming any names ofcourse... but then theres other drivers who actually have a bit of a go! Simona falls into this catagory...

Didn't they enact a rule to equalise driver weights a couple seasons ago to aDRESS that problem?

[bblocker68]

Yup.


Did you expect anyone to drive "Porkchop" competitively? I commend her for even getting into that pile of junk and giving it her all.

[Jag_Warrior]

Hondacom has edited his original post to delete his "making babies" comment. To set the record straight... my response was to counter his sexist comment.

As one of the (I hope) several people who reported his original pathetic post, I'm just sorry that from this point on I'll know him as "that guy". When you do or say something good or positive, it's great to be "that guy". But when you do or say something bad, you don't want to be "that guy". Simona de Silvestro has done absolutely NOTHING to warrant the type of comment that he made in the OP. She's never conducted herself in a manner that suggests that she's used her gender to gain favor (quite the opposite), and all she's ever tried to be is a race car driver. So why the sexist hate? Should I assume that the OP is not a fan of Lewis Hamilton (a Black) or Rubens Barrichello (a Jew) either?

And anyway, considering that Viso and/or Sato have trashed more race cars in a weekend than de Silvestro has in the ENTIRE time she's been in this series, the original post is (IMO) rather stupid and ill informed.

[garyshell]

And anyway, considering that Viso and/or Sato have trashed more race cars in a weekend than de Silvestro has in the ENTIRE time she's been in this series, the original post is (IMO) rather stupid and ill informed.


And the post was NOT edited to remove the offensive content by "that guy". Starter stepped in and removed it.

Gary

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Yup.


Did you expect anyone to drive "Porkchop" competitively? I commend her for even getting into that pile of junk and giving it her all.

Sorry for my ignorance but what is Porkchop?

[nigelred5]

IIRC porkchop is someting like an 05 tub and quite the "porker".

[vintage]

IIRC porkchop is someting like an 05 tub and quite the "porker".

Do you actually know this or are you just spreading the urban legend?

[Dr. Krogshöj]

IIRC porkchop is someting like an 05 tub and quite the "porker".

Just because it's an 05 tub it doesn't mean it's slow, the Indy 500 this year was won by an 03 tub. What else wrong with it?

[Chris R]

Just because it's an 05 tub it doesn't mean it's slow, the Indy 500 this year was won by an 03 tub. What else wrong with it?

Are you sure of that??? I wonder what was the oldest car to win the Indy 500 ever?? (not counting the car that won in 1946 since the war made that pretty old in years even if ut wasn't in races).....

[Dr. Krogshöj]

It's not the age so much as the crash damage that's been repaired. It makes the tub heavier and more flexible,

I see.


Are you sure of that??? I wonder what was the oldest car to win the Indy 500 ever?? (not counting the car that won in 1946 since the war made that pretty old in years even if ut wasn't in races).....

Yes. Here is the story Tracking lineage of the Indy-winning IR3007 - IndyCar.com (http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/43383-tracking-lineage-of-the-indy-winning-ir3007/).

[nigelred5]

Do you actually know this or are you just spreading the urban legend?


My understanding as Starter also mentioned is yes, it is quite heavy from a ton of repairs over the years and is also an older tub. Call it what you will, that name for that chassis isn't new. I while back, someone posted a list of the teams current inventory of Dallara tubs with the serial numbers and build year of every tub, as well as the logged crash repairs if you really want to go digging for it. It was either here or at TF, I don't remember which.

[beachbum]

Just because it's an 05 tub it doesn't mean it's slow, the Indy 500 this year was won by an 03 tub. What else wrong with it?At both Milwaukee and Iowa, teams that had to go to backup cars had "issues" with older chassis. Simona and Tags at Milwaukee, Viso and Vitor at Iowa. In most cases, the backups are older chassis that may not have all of the "good" stuff. So is the cause the older chassis or the backups just don't have all of the latest pieces? Does it even matter?

With this being the end of the line for these cars, the general economy climate, and the need to spend big bucks next year for all new equipment, teams are going to run whatever that have when possible. By Vegas, there may be a number of teams running old stuff and not being as competitive as they would like.

[vintage]

My understanding as Starter also mentioned is yes, it is quite heavy from a ton of repairs over the years and is also an older tub. Call it what you will, that name for that chassis isn't new. I while back, someone posted a list of the teams current inventory of Dallara tubs with the serial numbers and build year of every tub, as well as the logged crash repairs if you really want to go digging for it. It was either here or at TF, I don't remember which.

So you're spreading the urban legend.

[00steven]

DeSilvestro has been costing her sponsors a lot of money rebuilding cars. Will she ever learn how to drive?

What the hell kind of post is that?!

I heard of a rumor that said Penske is courting her. Probably knows Danica is leaving and wants to find the next media sensation.

[Anubis]

So you're spreading the urban legend.

For this to be an urban legend, the REAL story must exist somewhere. You seem very confident that the reasons given thus far aren't true, so presumably you a) know the real story and b) have empirical data to support your assertion. Dare I suggest sharing this data might add to the thread more than just parroting "you're spreading the urban legend"?

[nigelred5]

So you're spreading the urban legend.

No, I've read it and heard it in interviews from the mouths of team members and credible sources in the past. I've reviewed detailed lists of chassis numbers that appeared to have been from Dallara and Indycar on multiple occasions, and I can do the math. I'd say a report of documented tub repairs from Indycar combined with the list of chassis in the hands of each team is good enough for me. If Simona was listed as having 1 back up car, and I've heard HER refer to her BACKUP as PORKCHOP in interviews, I'll take that as credible and not URBAN LEGEND. Quite heavy, and more to the point, flexible can be a major issue I douby anyone will dispute. IIRC She DID have at least one brand new tub earlier this season.

Some of the equipment running around is the same well used equipment that was given to champcar teams when they merged. They got some "fresh" stuff, and some far from fresh stuff, and some of the teams have been much harder than others on even the "fresh" equipment. Everyone is stretching equipment as far as they can this season.

Call it urban legend, call it Bull$#*! if you want. i really could care less. I'm no insider, and I don't have time to search posts looking for it but, I know who I believe on this forum and multiple others who I don't. If you have proof otherwise, spill it. I'm not th one calling her a bad driver. She certainly is out there mixing it up.

[vintage]

I spoke with Dallara some time ago and got the following information.

Differences between the older and newer cars - they believe there is no measurable performance difference. Teams have a mixture of old and new chassis, and some have preferences for one car over another. In some cases the preferred car is an older chassis, in others it is a newer one.

There are some slight differences in weight between cars build before mid-2004 and those built after. This change was the result of 1) having to make some changes to the layup due to materials availability and 2) improved efficiency in the layup.

According to the records maintained at Dallara, the difference between the oldest and newest monocoques is about 4 kg (9 lb). Teams have claimed differences of 15-20 lb, but Dallara believes that is because they can never get the cars back down to the "brand new bare" condition seen at the factory.

Per Dallara, the chassis stiffness is not affected by the differences in layup between the old and new monocoques. In recent tests, Dallara found that the difference between the best and worst tubs is less than 5%. Among groups of older and newer tubs, both the best and worst were from the newest cars.

The weight can be affected by many things other than the original weight. For example, crash repairs and poor maintenance can result in more weight than the original difference between new tubs. Since the car is designed to be underweight, cars carry ballast. The disadvantage of having a heavier car is that you have less freedom to add ballast in a way that will favorably affect the weight distribution.

Those are the fact that I have at hand. So I guess that if HVM has done a bunch of poor repairs and poorly maintained the car, then it could be at a slight disadvantage. Based on my investigation, I believe that most of the discussion on "Porkchop" is urban legend, not fact.

If someone has the actual knowledge that the weight difference is significantly more than 20 lbs, that the chassis has been tested for stiffness and failed, or some other information based on fact, I'm all ears. So far, in the past few years, all I have seen is hearsay. As someone once told me, one should have strong opinions, but be open to new facts that might change your view.

Btw, I never called her a bad driver, but her oval performance record is a bit suspect.

[garyshell]

Didn't Graham Rahal talk about stiffness issues with and older chassis last season. As I remember they tried all sorts of settings on a car one weekend and could not get it to perform worth a damn. He and the engineers were beside themselves questioning why nothing worked. Latter when time permitted they tested the chassis and realize it lacked the proper stiffness. Of course this is not the same chassis (or is it??) but it does lend a bit more credibility than the PR that Dallara seems to be spoon feeding when queried on the subject.

Gary

[vintage]

Didn't Graham Rahal talk about stiffness issues with and older chassis last season. As I remember they tried all sorts of settings on a car one weekend and could not get it to perform worth a damn. He and the engineers were beside themselves questioning why nothing worked. Latter when time permitted they tested the chassis and realize it lacked the proper stiffness. Of course this is not the same chassis (or is it??) but it does lend a bit more credibility than the PR that Dallara seems to be spoon feeding when queried on the subject.

Gary

Yes, let's ignore the manufacturer's point of view and instead rely on a driver making excuses. And btw, it wasn't from PR, it was from their technical dept. I am not sure how Fisher having a bad chassis, if true, somehow verifies the urban myth. Also, I seem to recall the story from Graham (and perhaps SFR) was that was a chassis that was cracked. Hopefully HVM would have discovered that by now!

Please keep trying (with facts) please.

[garyshell]

Please keep trying (with facts) please.

Please explain to me the difference in second hand reporting of "facts" and urban myth. I am not saying they are wrong, but we have no more way to verify them than we do any "urban myth".

Now that you nudged my memory a bit, you are right, it did turn out that chassis was indeed cracked. But we have heard lots of other reports from various teams of stiffness variance in the older cars. Has Dallara tested all of the tubs for stiffness in the variance numbers you mentioned? They don't seem to discount the notion that repairs will indeed affect stiffness, no?

Gary

[beachbum]

Please keep trying (with facts) please.This reminds me of the old "links please" that always popped up on the old Indy Car forum when a poster didn't believe anything presented.

When is something factual? If a team reports something in the media, that isn't fact? What exactly is the litmus test for determining factuality?

[vintage]

At some point last year people were saying on forums that her car weighed 100 to 200 lbs more than a new one. I contacted Dallara because that sounded ridiculous to me, given that I figured the tub couldn't possible have that much extra carbon fiber on it. I would accept as fact if someone that sounded like they knew what they were talking about talked directly with HVM and that HVM said the car weighed xx lbs more. I personally think that her poor performance on ovals has to do more with some combination of driver skill and car setup than a bad tub. Based on what I have seen and my experience, trying to separate the effect of driver skill and car setup is usually an exercise in subjectivity.

So has the team reported how much heavier the tub is in the media? The only thing I recall reading is some general comment made by Bachelart that it was old or heavy or something like that.

What tub did she race last year at Texas?

[beachbum]

At some point last year people were saying on forums that her car weighed 100 to 200 lbs more than a new one. I contacted Dallara because that sounded ridiculous to me, given that I figured the tub couldn't possible have that much extra carbon fiber on it. I would accept as fact if someone that sounded like they knew what they were talking about talked directly with HVM and that HVM said the car weighed xx lbs more. I personally think that her poor performance on ovals has to do more with some combination of driver skill and car setup than a bad tub. Based on what I have seen and my experience, trying to separate the effect of driver skill and car setup is usually an exercise in subjectivity.

So has the team reported how much heavier the tub is in the media? The only thing I recall reading is some general comment made by Bachelart that it was old or heavy or something like that.

What tub did she race last year at Texas?Not sure where you heard 100 lbs, but I never saw that anywhere. Do you believe everything you read on the internet? 20-30 lbs maybe depending on the number of repairs. Most reports suggest Pork Chop was the backup they ran after the Texas "incident". It has been reliably reported as a 2003 chassis

One of the issues with the older cars is they had a required update in 2005 when the cockpit safety rules changed and side intrusion panels were added. That added a reported 25-30 lbs, but the problem was the location of the weight relatively high in the chassis. Since the 2005 chassis were designed around the panels they are lighter and the weight is distributed differently. That weight difference has different impacts at different tracks. About the only track any of the the updated chassis were competitive was Indy. So not only is Pork Chop 8 years old with an uncertain lineage, it is heavier that most of the other cars.

[vintage]

I'll try to check that info with Dallara. Wouldn't the newer chassis have to have the same extra intrusion protection? Has anyone got a quote from HVM about the chassis weight?

So with the "newer" chassis at Texas last year she qualified dead last.

[vintage]

Not sure where you heard 100 lbs, but I never saw that anywhere. Do you believe everything you read on the internet?

Why aren't you taking my word for it? I said I saw it on the internet.

[Chris R]

What Dallara told Vintage still pretty much jives with "Porkchop" being a problem car... Dallara gave some reasons that a car could easily be 5-20 pounds "overweight" - even if some of those reasons are not flattering to the team.... They also seem to have admitted to a 5% variation in stiffness.... that is HUGE when you consider that a half pound of tire pressure can be the difference between pole and back row at some tracks (ok - maybe that is an exaggeration - but you get the point).... My guess is wealthier teams would reject a measured difference of more that 1 or 2% from "spec"...

[nigelred5]

Why aren't you taking my word for it? I said I saw it on the internet.

lol.

100lbs is certainly exaggeration by anyone, but the 03/05 mods sounds about right, and even 20-30 lbs as you know can be a huge weight penalty, especially where it is carried. 5% differences if chassis rigidity I would think is also HUGE when trying to set up a car for consistent handling.

[chuck34]

Vintage, with all due respect, I'm not sure you fully understand the situation. Yes Dallara tries (and probably does) to make every chassis as close as possible from 2003 to now. However, the differences in a NEW 2003 chassis and a NEW 2008 chassis are not what we are talking about. And that is clearly what the PR piece (yes it was PR even if you got it from a "technical" guy) you got from Dallara was saying, that NEW 2003 chassis aren't much different than a NEW 2008 chassis, and again this is probably true to an extent.

Porkchop is clearly NOT new anymore.

Therefore Dallara no longer has any control over it's weight, nor it's stiffness. As Chris R says, stiffness is everything. And 5% is pretty darn big for these types of chassis. As for the intrusion panels, yes all the chassis out there have them. The difference is that the pre-05? chassis all have the panels stuck on as an after-thought, ie heavy and not optimized. After that the panels were included into the design. That means that they are done in such a way as to minimize the weight and maximize the stiffness. Again, this may not seem like a big deal, but when you are talking about hundreths or thousandths of seconds any little bit helps.

[nigelred5]

I certainly don't have the track history on porkchop, but Considering HVM was new to the series in 08 with the other Ex CC teams, it's very likely there was considerable mileage on the chassis when they took delivery of the chassis, if it was even one of their original Dallaras. I don't recall who else has owned that chassis.

[chuck34]

Nigel brings up a good point about mileage. Say two cars are the exact same stiffness coming out of the factory. Chassis A sits around for 5 years doing minimal or no mileage, and chassis B does every race every year. Chassis A will be significantly stiffer than B even if B was never wrecked.

[vintage]

Look, my problem with all of this is that many of you seem to be assuming the worst with little or no real information. As far as I have seen, no one actually knows how much heavier, how much less stiff, how much anything about the actual chassis she is using. No one knows how much it's been used, how many wrecks, etc. But many seem to be comfortable saying that the chassis is bad and the cause of her issues.

There are at least as many facts pointing toward a conclusion that it's not the chassis - such as the fact that Wheldon qualified up front and won the 500 in a 2003 chassis (which would potentially have all of the same issues of add-on intrusion, etc.), the fact that she qualified last at Texas in the newer chassis, etc.

Whatever.

[Chris R]

Look, my problem with all of this is that many of you seem to be assuming the worst with little or no real information. As far as I have seen, no one actually knows how much heavier, how much less stiff, how much anything about the actual chassis she is using. No one knows how much it's been used, how many wrecks, etc. But many seem to be comfortable saying that the chassis is bad and the cause of her issues.

There are at least as many facts pointing toward a conclusion that it's not the chassis - such as the fact that Wheldon qualified up front and won the 500 in a 2003 chassis (which would potentially have all of the same issues of add-on intrusion, etc.), the fact that she qualified last at Texas in the newer chassis, etc.

Whatever.

Vintage , you are right - we must avoid the DF like rush to praise Simona as the anti-Danica..... I suspect the chassis issues are a legitimate thing - but you are right - there is no proof.... I suspect the bigger factor now is that she is pretty much driving hurt and driving spooked as well (a few too many accidents - regardless of cause) - not a good combo to drive fast.....

[chuck34]

Look, my problem with all of this is that many of you seem to be assuming the worst with little or no real information. As far as I have seen, no one actually knows how much heavier, how much less stiff, how much anything about the actual chassis she is using. No one knows how much it's been used, how many wrecks, etc. But many seem to be comfortable saying that the chassis is bad and the cause of her issues.

There are at least as many facts pointing toward a conclusion that it's not the chassis - such as the fact that Wheldon qualified up front and won the 500 in a 2003 chassis (which would potentially have all of the same issues of add-on intrusion, etc.), the fact that she qualified last at Texas in the newer chassis, etc.

Whatever.

It seems to be pretty well know that that particular chassis is named porkchop. As such I would think that someone at some point has weighed it (a fairly standard thing, especially in the offseason). If it is heavy, and that extra weight is due to crash damage repair then it is an easy assumption that it has lost some rigidity. Do I know these things through first hand knowlege? No. Has this been widely reported as an accepted fact? Yes. Has anyone, other than "vintage" disputed this? No. So until you come up with proof as to why this chassis is not heavier etc, I think I'll go with what is being reported as an apparently accepted fact throughout the garage.

Now as for Simona's driving on ovals, you may be right. Perhaps she isn't the best. I would suggest that she has yet to get a fair shake in a good chassis with a good set-up, so we may not know for sure. But some of the set-up could in fact be attributed to her as well. Also her confidence has been shaken quite a bit of late. Confidence goes a long way to determining performace.

[Jag_Warrior]

Vintage , you are right - we must avoid the DF like rush to praise Simona as the anti-Danica..... I suspect the chassis issues are a legitimate thing - but you are right - there is no proof.... I suspect the bigger factor now is that she is pretty much driving hurt and driving spooked as well (a few too many accidents - regardless of cause) - not a good combo to drive fast.....

Good, reasonable post. :up:

Many of us, myself included, want to see Simona do well (or at least better than NASCAR's overhyped Princess Lapped-a-lot). She seems like a person who is very focused and is working JUST to be a better racer. No hype. No B.S. No tight sweaters. She, to me, is in the Angelle Sampey mold (attitude wise). But she is struggling right now on ovals. And I think your post sums up the likely reasons for that very well. But no, we can't criticize DanicaFan, and then do the same with our favorite driver, whether it be Simona or Paul Tracy or whomever.

[champcarray]

When Simona was interviewed at Indy about the car that broke during practice, I seem to remember her or an announcer commenting that the old chassis she was forced to qualify was not only missing the latest improvements, it was 50 lbs heavier. But I could be wrong. Anyone else remember what was said?

[beachgirl]

When Simona was interviewed at Indy about the car that broke during practice, I seem to remember her or an announcer commenting that the old chassis she was forced to qualify was not only missing the latest improvements, it was 50 lbs heavier. But I could be wrong. Anyone else remember what was said?

I don't remember that particular interview. But just to throw this out - Simona does have an accent and her 15 lbs. could sound like 50 lbs. 15 lbs. would be a lot more reasonable figure.

[Marbles]

I recall an article on an excited Fisher taking delivery of a new tub and references made to the weight and flex of the old tub due crash damage repairs.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Calling a race car "porkchop" doesn't bode well for performance, but most of Simona's recent issues are mental I suspect. Hit too many walls and have weird accidents and it would strike down anyone's confidence.

I wont be a DF and say the girl cant do no wrong. But as said above, Simona is trying to do things the right way..

[slorydn1]

Do you actually know this or are you just spreading the urban legend?

No I'm sure he knows it. They reported during the race broadcast at Texas (or was it Milwaukee, I'm having trouble remembering now) that this last particular chassis was several years old and much heavier than the newer "oval" chassis most teams are running these days-I thought they said it was an '03 but what do I know, I cant even remember which race it was reported in :p

[slorydn1]

As for Simona- I like her moxie. The practice crash at Indy wasnt her fault, the suspension broke. And why is it every time she crashes it seems like the car becomes a freakin Roman Candle? That's gotta be rough for anyone to take-yet she keeps jumpin right back in for more. I wanna see what she can do in a Penske, Gnassi or even an Andretti quality car before I make up my mind for sure, but I believe that she is a good driver. Obviously, she needs some more work on the ovals, I can't dispute that. But her wrecks, for the most part seem to be because of an ill handling car or parts failures and not from getting in over her head making an ill advised pass like Viso and company.

[bzcam]

And, Simona drives Porkchop to a solid, error free 10th at Toronto. Put this girl in a real car on a good team and she'd be awesome. She should get Briscoe's ride next season. Why not trade one girl for another one if she's better, right?

BZ

[Mark in Oshawa]

And, Simona drives Porkchop to a solid, error free 10th at Toronto. Put this girl in a real car on a good team and she'd be awesome. She should get Briscoe's ride next season. Why not trade one girl for another one if she's better, right?

BZ

Nasty!!


I do think Simona proved yesterday that on road and street courses she is tough enough and strong enough to hold her own...even with an older car on a small limited budget team. I would like to see what she can do with a good quality ride.

[ykiki]

We all know she's really talented on Road/Street courses, but the thing that has impressed me most about her this season is that she went out and put Pork Chop solidly in the show at Indy - with burned hands none the less, while others struggled with top-notch equipment.

[Phoenixent]

We all know she's really talented on Road/Street courses, but the thing that has impressed me most about her this season is that she went out and put Pork Chop solidly in the show at Indy - with burned hands none the less, while others struggled with top-notch equipment.

By doing that at Indy she has become part of the Legend of Indy and has become part of the hearts and mind of those at Indy and the rest of the world of Indycar Racing. I for one am not worried about her on ovals as oval racing will come to her either with more help from her team or a better team. You can't take a good oval driver and make them into a good road course driver.

[Phoenixent]

We all know she's really talented on Road/Street courses, but the thing that has impressed me most about her this season is that she went out and put Pork Chop solidly in the show at Indy - with burned hands none the less, while others struggled with top-notch equipment.

By doing that at Indy she has become part of the Legend of Indy and has become part of the hearts and mind of those at Indy and the rest of the world of Indycar Racing. I for one am not worried about her on ovals as oval racing will come to her either with more help from her team or a better team. You can't take a good oval driver and make them into a good road course driver.

[vintage]

By doing that at Indy she has become part of the Legend of Indy and has become part of the hearts and mind of those at Indy and the rest of the world of Indycar Racing. I for one am not worried about her on ovals as oval racing will come to her either with more help from her team or a better team. You can't take a good oval driver and make them into a good road course driver.

Hyperbole is great. She has "moxie" - wow!