Racing Year in Review

by Tammy

Simon and I are taking a blog hiatus for the end of the year (going dark for 2 weeks over the holidays), and when I return, it will be January 6, 2014. Leaving aside that I'm not prepared for the new year, at that point, we'll be less than two weeks to the 24 Hours of Daytona, the first race of the year and the first race of the TUSCC (the Tudor United Sports Car Championship). Big stuff.

So it's time to reflect on what I thought was significant about 2013. Chime in with your thoughts and anything I've missed....

• Daytona 24: I was embedded in a race team, and it was fabulous.
• Daytona 500: Danica on pole, which set a bar too high for her to meet the rest of the year. By the stats, I think she did well for a rookie, but of course, the Danica lovers or haters will believe what they believe, no matter what. We'll see if she improves in 2014.
• Long Beach Grand Prix: the introduction of Team Kate! And the start of the long good-bye to the American Le Mans Series (the merchandise trailer was absent from this race, for instance).
• Indy 500: Kanaan wins!
• Le Mans: the death of Allan Simonsen (which, as I noted in a blog post, eerily reflected a plot idea I'd hatched just the night before), the triumph of Audi. Leena Gade as a rock star.
• Baltimore GP: what a bus-wreck of accidents.
• IndyCar: A more contentious year between drivers and Race Control? The oval races were mostly uninteresting? Dario retires.
• Petit Le Mans: farewell to the ALMS. Hello to the Corvette Stingray. A great time had by all.
• Formula 1: a total snoozefest. I'm not sure I watched more than 10 laps of a single race.
• NASCAR: Jimmie wins 6. Danica receives hate mail. Smoke breaks a leg. 

What did I miss? What do you remember as being the most significant racing events of 2013? Overall a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?

Hey, while you're ending the year and prepping for 2014, make sure you're following me on Facebook and Twitter (@tkaehler and @katereilly28)!

Planning the Racing Year

by Tammy

When the leaves are off the trees (except here in Southern California). When the last racing champion has finally been crowned. When there's nothing on television on Sundays but football ... you know what time it is, right?

Time to plan what races you'll get to in 2014!

So let's talk. We've got NASCAR, IndyCar, and the new United Sports Car Championship. Oh, and don't forget the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The givens for me in 2014 are Long Beach and Le Mans. I'm considering at least a pre-race trip (is that a travesty?) to the 24 Hours of Daytona to double-check some last details for the next book and lay eyes on the new C7.R, so I'll add that one in.

Then there's talk about a trip to Indy to hook up with some of my new racing besties, Glass Hammer Racing ... and that's more likely to be the IndyCar road race, given the proximity of the 500 to Le Mans.

Then I start getting tempted by all kinds of other options ... Laguna Seca's just up the road (USCC May4) . We have family in the Detroit area (USCC May 30-31—wait, too close to Le Mans). Petit is always an E-ticket ride (USCC October 4). NASCAR's out here March 23 (nope, I'll be in Monterey at a mystery convention). IndyCar's out here August 30 (doable).

And that's not even considering Houston or Austin (family, friends, and a great mystery bookstore in the state) for any number of types of racing. That's not considering F1 at all. But I don't think it's the year for either the Indy500 or F1. Maybe 2015.

Because the big one is going to be Le Mans. June 14-15. Wahoo!

So here's my schedule so far:

• January 24-26, Daytona 24 (USCC
• April 11-13, Long Beach (USCC/IndyCar)
• ?May 10, Indianapolis? (IndyCar)
• June 14-15, Le Mans

And the rest, TBD. So tell me, what am I missing? Where are you going in 2014?

Boring, Impressive, and Surprising

by Tammy

The last week in racing was a little bit of everything.

In Formula 1, not content with wrapping up the championship with 3 (or was it 4?) races still to run, Vettel ground the rest of the field into so much dust under his tires, winning the USGP, making it his 12th win of the season and his 8th in a row.

Impressive? Absolutely. Boring? No doubt. As I've said before, I've got massive respect ... but I also had better things to do than watch the race. Again.

In NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson won his sixth championship in smooth style, finishing the final race of the year in 9th place, for a 20-some point margin in the championship. It was a nail-biter down to the end, though, given that he needed to finish 23rd or better to win, and given Matt Kenseth (2nd place) doing all he could. The commentators reported Jimmie having said he wanted 8 championships (the record of 7 is held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt) ... and no one who's watched him over the last decade would be surprised to see him achieve that.

Surprising? Nope. Impressive? Definitely. Boring? Depends on your point of view.

And in IndyCar, the news that took plenty by surprise, and dismayed many, many fans, was of Dario Franchitti's retirement from racing. The bottom line is that he got one-too-many concussions, and he hasn't been recovering as quickly as hoped from the last one. The medical opinion seems to be that any more such bell-ringers and he risks brain damage (Is this sounding familiar, Simon?), and he made the wise choice to stop. (It does make me wonder how many racecar drivers have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain disease that the world of football is just beginning to recognize.)

Surprising? For sure. But rational and understandable.

Lastly, in the media, former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb dredged up the years' old question of whether drivers are athletes. Jimmie wouldn't be drawn into the controversy, but Jeff Gordon had a great response (image).

Surprising? Yes. Boring? Completely. Aren't we past this by now? And seriously, even the notoriously unfit Tony Stewart could take most defensive linemen, am I right?

Best two Twitter hashtags of the week: #peoplewhoaremoreathleticthandonovan and #ThankYouDario.

Racing Dominance

by Tammy

Was it boring when Michael Schumacher was winning? Because I have to tell you, I'm finding Formula 1 so boring these days I can't even be bothered to DVR the races—I used to always DVR them and watch if the reports were of a good race, but "the exciting battle for 5th" doesn't count.

Partly, I assume, it's a matter of whether I like the driver or not. Take Jimmie Johnson. I tend to like him, so I'm glad to see him winning ... then again, it was less liking than awe and respect when he was steamrolling the competition to five consecutive championships. The last one and this year have been different, more clutch performances. Down to the wire.

But I just can't get excited about Vettel. Is it that he's cold, aloof, reserved? Is it that he's kind of a brat? I figure he's outgrown that by now, but I'm still not warming to him.

I think my problem is the combination of open-wheel cars, fragile cars, no refueling strategy, and then the dominance of one specific driver that means I just don't engage. If I'd been a lifelong viewer perhaps—then again, a friend of mine who's a lifelong viewer isn't watching the end of this season anyway.

I caught a tweet today where someone blamed Jimmie's dominance for NASCAR's viewer woes. But I don't think it's entirely on his shoulders. After all, he's not dominating this season, and someone else won last year. Plus, plenty of other racing series (hello, IndyCar) have seen declining viewership and attendance numbers, so I'd be more inclined to blame the economy and strange broadcast channels (who else misses SPEED?).

But I want to know what you think? Is it boring when a driver or team dominates a particular series? Or just when it's a driver you don't like?

And do you think Jimmie will take it this year?

The Controversial Call

by Tammy

I had another blog topic picked out and ready this weekend ... but then I watched the IndyCar race at Sonoma. The bump-fest, new-nose-festival, yellow-flag party that was the Go Pro Grand Prix.

And then there was THE CALL.

The two leading drivers, Will Power and Scott Dixon, were pitted one after another. Dixon, in the rear, pulled out first as a crew member crossed between the two cars carrying a tire. The tire in the crew member's hand and Dixon's side pod and left rear tire made contact. The tire spun out of the guy's hand and he went flying into another crew member, who also fell over and dropped the air gun in his hand, which flew over and banged into a third crew member's leg. They're all fine.

The question was, who gets a penalty. Did the crew member deserve some fault for not paying enough attention or for making himself as wide an obstacle as possible? Or did Dixon bear all of the blame because the rules say you get a penalty for hitting another team's equipment? (Here's Jalopnik's funny take on the incident, with a video.)

Cue the wailing and gnashing of Twitter teeth. And the wringing of hands by the television commentators.

In the end, Beaux Barfield up in Race Control penalized Dixon for hitting the other team's equipment. He was (to his credit) available immediately after the race to the media for an explanation, saying that the overhead camera showed Dixon to be in Power's space.

Cue more wailing and gnashing of teeth, because the only lines laid down in the pit lane are for the NASCAR race, and there aren't painted lines for the IndyCar pits. Plenty of calls for crappy officiating, etc.

My opinion is that there are hard decisions to make, ones that not everyone will agree with, and sometimes ones that don't have a right/wrong answer. And one guy has to make them. That's Beaux. He owns them and is willing to explain them. And he knows more than I do about how the pits and the cars and the rule books work. So I'm going with his call.

Also, I live in California where a pedestrian always has the right of way—ALWAYS. Even when they dart out in the middle of the block. The pedestrian is always right and the car driver is always wrong. So I get that even if the crew member was deliberately being an obstacle (which I don't think was the case, I think he just wasn't being as thoughtful as he could have been), the driver who hit him gets the penalty.

But plenty of other people disagree. What do you think? Did you see it? Do you have an opinion?

Throwing Things

by Tammy

In a move that has made the rounds on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter a few times by now, IndyCar driver Will Power—after being wrecked by Sebastian Bourdais in Sunday's race at the Detroit Grand Prix—stalked along the side of the track and, despite the best efforts of the safety crew to restrain him, threw ... his gloves.

Now, I understand he was pissed. And Will Power has never been one to hide his emotions (the photo was from last year when he expressed his mild annoyance with Race Control, I believe).

But throwing his gloves? What did he think they'd do? Get caught in the air vents or something? Or was it just a symbol?

But it started me thinking ... what would I throw?

Would I go the Will Power route and throw gloves? Maybe? But it's not much of a statement?

Would I go the Tony Stewart or Robby Gordon route and throw a helmet? I don't think so; too costly.

How about the other Will Power route and throw double birds? That's more likely, honestly.

Or the [insert most any driver name here] route and throw a hissy fit? Yeah, also likely.

What about you all? What would you throw to the person who wrecked you and is still on track? Any other good ideas?

I might just have to put a good old tantrum and item-toss into the next book....

Indy 500 Planning

by Kate Reilly (special guest blogger)

I can't tell you how exciting Pole Day for the Indy 500 was on Saturday ... well, maybe I don't have to, because maybe you were watching. But I can assure you, it was a hell of a lot more exciting from the pits!

Then again, it was also depressing, because I wanted to be in one of those cars so badly I could taste it. Jack just smirked when he looked at me, but that was because he wanted to be there too, with a team on the wall and a stopwatch in hand.

I was really excited for Women of Pressdog® Pippa Mann, Simona de Silvestro, Ana Beatriz, and Katherine Legge to ALL make the field! You go, girls! That's some #SteelOvaryNation action, especially for Katherine, who had almost zero practice time. I expect to see those women be patient at the back and work their way carefully forward during the race.

And damn, but I wanted to be in there trying to be the fifth woman (and only American) in the field. What racer doesn't want a chance at the greatest spectacle in racing? Maybe next year ...

In the meantime, Jack and I are both fired up to talk with some teams and sponsors over the next couple days. He keeps saying, "You never know what can happen."

Well, I know two things that're going to happen for sure this week.

1. I'm going to have a pretty cool announcement to make later this week. That's all I'm going to say, except that it's a partnership and a mission I can really get behind—or in front of, with the boys behind me? (HINT)
2. I'm going to get some wheels on that track. I'm not sure how soon or in what car exactly—or how many times—I might get out there, but it's going to happen. So you just keep your eyes peeled! There are plenty of cars that'll be circling the track, between now and 12:12 p.m. next Sunday. 

As Gramps would say, I can guaran-damn-tee you some excitement in the coming week. Stay tuned!

Let the Racing Begin

by Tammy

I know, some of you will argue the racing year has begun already. I could argue that myself, having attended the first race of the year. But it feels like so long ago now that I was in Daytona for the 24 Hours. And NASCAR hasn't done much for me lately.


But next weekend ... it really begins.

Saturday at 10:45 a.m. Eastern the green flag will fly on one of the world's best endurance races: the 12 Hours of Sebring (poster image from sebringraceway.com). I estimate about an hour and fifteen minute break before coverage of the Formula One opener begins, live from Australia. 

Once you sleep off your racing coma and get a couple work days in ... the next weekend brings you the second F1 race of the year, from Malaysia (home of the afternoon typhoons that always seem to impact the racing), and on Sunday, the first IndyCar race of the year from St. Pete.

Racing is finally back!!

I've got a sportscar racing bias, right? So I'll tell you what I'm looking forward to: the all-out battle for the last American Le Mans Series title. I'd love to see Dyson get it, for their hard work, commitment, and longevity. And I'd love to see Corvette Racing repeat. It'll also be interesting to see how various teams and suppliers start positioning themselves for 2014's combined sportscar series. (Stay tuned this Thursday for the announcement of the new Series name....)

On the IndyCar side, I'm more curious to see how fans react to the seemingly ongoing chaos that is Series leadership—though, as always, props to Beaux in the booth.

In F1? Well, I'll be mighty interested to see how Hamilton's going to fare with his new team. Was his move the mistake many (including me) thought it? Will he have the pace to play with the leaders? Will we see anyone but Vettel and Alonso at the top of the boards this year?

Anyone have any opinions, predictions, or different hopes? Bring it on, 2013, we're ready for you!

Wrapping Up Our Predictions

by Tammy

Early in the year, Simon and I set out our picks for who we thought would win season championships in various series. Along the way, a couple friends jumped in with their picks. I figured it's time to see how good we were at telling the future ... though let's just say, none of us should quit our day jobs.

Formula 1 Driver

SIMON: Jenson Button

TAMMY: Lewis Hamilton
RICK HUNT: Jenson Button
RICK HELMS: Sebastian Vettel

Verdict? Rick Helms pulls this one off, while Tammy and Simon/Rick Hunt are almost in a dead heat (2 points apart) for the McLaren drivers. 

Formula 1 Manufacturer

SIMON: Red Bull

TAMMY: McLaren

RICK HUNT: McLaren
RICK HELMS: Red Bull

Verdict?Simon and Rick Helms correctly pick Red Bull. Hey, at least Ferrari didn't win, right?

IndyCar Driver

SIMON: Dario Franchitti

TAMMY: Will Power

RICK HUNT: Will Power
RICK HELMS: Scott Dixon

Verdict? None of us picked the ultimate champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay, but Tammy and Rick Hunt got closest with Will Power.

IndyCar Team

SIMON: Chip Ganassi

TAMMY: Penske (gotta go with the combo of Power, Castroneves, and Brisco)

RICK HUNT: Penske
RICK HELMS: Ganassi

Verdict? Tammy and Rick Hunt again; Penske drivers had a 422-point average to Ganassi's 348.

ALMS GT Driver

SIMON: Jan Magnussen (b/c I raced against him--once)

TAMMY: Patrick Long (maybe that's just hope)

RICK HUNT: Joey Hand
RICK HELMS: --------

Verdict? Simon comes the closest, with Jan Magnussen, who finished third in the GT drivers' ranks.

ALMS GT Team

SIMON: Paul Miller Racing

TAMMY: Corvette Racing!

RICK HUNT: Team RLL BMW
RICK HELMS: --------

Verdict? Corvette Racing, all the way! It was their year.

NASCAR Cup Driver

SIMON: Jeff Gordon (he's a local boy)

TAMMY: Carl Edwards (honestly, the bigger question is if Junior will win a race this year)

RICK HUNT: Jimmie Johnson
RICK HELMS: Greg Biffle

Verdict? Tammy fail. What happened to Carl this year, honestly? Jimmie, Biffle, and Gordon were all in the Chase with a chance. Kudos to Rick Hunt for the call (at least Rick Helms got his ABJJ result ... Anyone But Jimmie Johnson). (Photo from @keselowski.)

NASCAR Cup Team

SIMON: Chip Ganassi

TAMMY: Hendrick Motorsport
RICK HUNT: Hendrick Motorsport
RICK HELMS: Hendrick Motorsport

Verdict? Hendrick swept the board, placing all four of its drivers in the Chase, compared to neither of Ganassi's two. But we do have to give Montoya the moment of the year, however, for his wreck with the jet dryer back in February....


OVERALL TALLY? Tammy and Rick Hunt picked 4 winners correctly, Rick Helms picked 3, and Simon picked two. None of us should quit our day jobs.... Thanks for participating, all of you! Everyone start considering your picks for next year.

Big Shots Versus Poor Relations

by Tammy

Will Buxton, SPEED Channel's pit-lane reporter for Formula 1, posted a blog last week about the experience he had visiting the IndyCar race in Sonoma, CA, the other weekend. (Read the post.) To paraphrase, he loved it. 

Now, you have to figure that WillB (I hope he doesn't mind me calling him that) had the best treatment possible--access to all drivers, owners, bigwigs. But even so, he spent part of the race in the stands and he visited the fan zone. One of his comments is this: "It really feels like a community, not just between the teams, drivers, and media, but among the fans too." Then he says this: "The simple fact is, Indycar works. It works because it is fun. It works because it understand how racing should be and what the fans should get for the price of their ticket." 
I have two points to make about this: 

1. His post confirms my growing impression of Formula 1. Sure, it's technologically advanced and impressive, and the biggest, most everything. But it takes itself pretty seriously. Pretentiously. It doesn't seem like much fun. WillB doesn't say this explicitly, just implicitly.
2. I think that IndyCar v. F1 is a lot like ALMS v. NASCAR. One side of that equation seems bigger, cooler, more, and the other seems like the poor relation. But the poor relations in these cases give you a better experience and more access to the action. 

I know I've been spoiled by my experiences with the ALMS and the access I have there. In part, I've resisted attending more NASCAR races (only been to one) or any F1 races (not that any have been nearby), because I know I'm used to a lot of access, and I won't have that with NASCAR or F1. But I'm beginning to suspect I just won't enjoy them the same, with or without the access. 

So for everyone out there who loves watching live racing, I'm going to encourage you to go see the "poor relations." I'm talking about the ALMS and IndyCar, but also Grand-Am, World Challenge, Indy Lights (or whatever they call it now), SCCA weekends, historic races, or whatever. Sure, the lure of the money and the stars is appealing. But if you like to watch racing, there are plenty of places to get right up next to the action.

Green-White-Checker?

by Tammy

Two races this weekend finished under yellow (were there more? the two I watched did), the ALMS race at Lime Rock and the IndyCar race at Toronto. In both cases, there were terrific battles taking place for key positions. In both cases, accidents happened with only a handful of laps/minutes to go in the race, and the races went full-course-caution.

Cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth from disappointed fans who watched a safety-car parade to the checkers, instead of last-lap battles.

So here's the question? Should other racing series adopt NASCAR's green-white-checker rule?

For those who don't know what it is, in brief: NASCAR makes one attempt for the race to finish under green, no matter the lap count, by throwing a green flag for cars, then a white the next time by, then the checker. If there's a caution on that first lap between green and white flags, they try again. If there's a caution after the white flag waves, the race is over (aka, once the white flag waves, the next flag ends it).

Gimmicky? Perhaps. But it does combat the disappointment of teams not fighting it out until the end.

Problematic? Possibly, especially for the ALMS, which is based on time, not laps. But that could probably be surmounted.

What do you all think? Should more series adopt the G-W-C?

Checking Our Predictions

by Tammy
I decided it was time to check in and see how we were doing with the fantasy picks we've made. I'll take them category by category ...
F1 Driver
I'm kicking some behind here, with my pick, Lewis Hamilton, scoring 88 points to Jenson Button's 49 (the pick of both Simon and Rick Hunt).


F1 Team
But Simon's got me and Rick beat here, with his Red Bull pick scoring 176 to McLaren's 137 (my pick and Rick's).
IndyCar Driver
Again, Rick sided with the light (that would be me) with the pick of Will Power, who's outscoring Simon's pick of Dario Franchitti by 70 points (286 for Will, 216 for Dario).
IndyCar Team
I made an executive decision on scoring here, averaging driver totals, since Simon's pick of Ganassi has two drivers to my (and Rick's) pick of Penske. Result? Penske 251, Ganassi 244.
ALMS GT Driver
My sentimental choice of Patrick Long isn't working out so well for me (but the season is still young!), with 19 points, but Simon (Jan Magnussen 48) and Rick (Joey Hand 52) are neck and neck. Advantage: Rick.
ALMS GT Team
I'm pleased to say that my Corvette Racing pick (62) is dominating the season so far, over Rick's Team RLL BMW (55). Simon's Paul Miller Racing (20) needs some encouragement or luck....
NASCAR Cup Driver
Rick has the pick of all of us, with Jimmie Johnson (610) ranking above my Carl Edwards (503) and Simon's Jeff Gordon (453). But the most amazing statistic here is Junior in second place, with a race win to his credit! That answers my biggest question. (And I agree with Rick that we should pick anew once the Chase field is set.)
NASCAR Cup Team
Another average of driver totals, to compare the two drivers of Ganassi (Simon) to the four of Hendrick (me and Rick) ... and Hendrick is outscoring Ganassi by more than 100 points, 537 to 424. If only JMP got points for taking out the jet dryer.
So by my tally, Rick and I both have top picks in five categories (overlapping, obviously), and Simon has a top pick in one. What does this mean? Not a thing, except I get to needle Simon some....
Anyone else want to play along? Just submit your picks in the categories.

The Simple Life (According to IndyCar)

SIMON: A couple of months ago I moaned about the British Touring Car Championship and their overly complicated racing regulations which include weight penalties and reverse grids and lottery draws for grid spots. Well IndyCar is getting in on the fun with the race in Iowa this weekend. The second practice session will determine qualification groups for qualification races. The 1st qualification race one will then be made up of even-numbered positions starting from the 10th-quickest practice time, and will decide the grid from 10th downwards. The 2nd will feature the odd-numbered positions and include the 9th fastest time down. The 3rd race will feature the top eight drivers from practice and they will duke it out for the top eight places on the grid. I hope some of this makes sense to you as it made my head hurt.

I understand IndyCar is trying to inject a little extra drama into the race weekend, but I shouldn’t need a slide rule and a responsible adult to explain it. This is racing. First passed the post wins. We don’t need the razzmatazz. It’s got enough already. Do you agree or disagree Tam Tam?

TAMMY: Well, in theory, I agree with you. However, IndyCar has an image problem, and they're trying a lot of different approaches to lure viewers. I think it actually sounds kind of exciting, you know, a chance to see four races instead of one--and given the (short) length of an IndyCar race, that's kind of cool. Though you're right, the formula for all of this seems ... arcane. At least it's better than the random-draw starting grid from the Texas doubleheader last year. The drivers hated that.

I suppose my feeling is sure, give me variety. I like when NASCAR runs road courses (yay for Sonoma this weekend!). I like that ALMS race lengths vary from 2:45 to 4:00 to 6:00 to 10:00(ish) to 12:00. So I like the idea of shaking things up and seeing how the drivers and teams respond ... writing that makes me think of my Monday blog where I wrote that part of what I like about watching endurance racing is seeing how teams and drivers fare when pushed to their limits. Well, this is pushing IndyCar teams and drivers out of their comfort zone. So let's see how they do.

What do the rest of you think? Looking forward to the show? Or do you think it's all a big gimmick the racing series doesn't need?

Memorial Day

by Tammy

If you don't have barbeques today, than you're probably dealing with a meat hangover from yesterday. Certainly we've all got racing hangovers ... what a day of racing! Monaco, the Indy 500, and the Coke 600. All of that, and I'm focusing on Petit Le Mans for the story I'm writing.

I'm going to keep this brief except for a few shouts-out:

To Dario Franchitti for the Indy 500 win. I saw a tweet from someone saying they were tired of him winning, but I'm more tired of Chip winning. Besides, Dario sure can drive.

To Oriol Servia and DRR Panther Racing who took fourth in the Indy 500 and celebrated (I hear) like it was a win. A great job for a one-car team that isn't one of the big boys.

To Beaux Barfield for officiating his first Indy 500. You keep doing your new job with humor, grace, and skill. Have a great rest of the season. I hope you enjoyed it.

To Mark Webber for the F1 Monaco win. Nice to see him get his first win of the season (because the person I'm really tired of seeing win is Sebastian Vettel).

I'm sure there are plenty of others who deserve recognition for the weekend. Who were you impressed with or happy for?

Indy Weekend!

This weekend is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indy 500. Will you all be watching?

TAMMY: I'll be watching ... with one eye, while watching my writing with the other (damn, these deadlines). I expect it to be a lot of things, including sad (as they celebrate last year's winner, Dan Wheldon), intriguing (as they cover the penalties handed out to 13 teams for rules violations), relevatory (as several teams race brand new engines after switching manufacturers to get away from the under-performing Lotus), and exciting (because, come on, Indy!). But I'm not sure I expect it to be a good race. This car and the engine packages are still very new. Plus, how often does a finish like last year's (when Wheldon won in the last turn because rookie J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall) happen? Not very.

SIMON: Yeah, I'll be watching betweening editing session.  I don't know what kind of race we can expect.  The 500 is like that.  My eye will be on Sara Fisher's team.  She has a promising driver in Josef Newgarden.  I think the most interesting thing is whether Honda can compete with Chevy.  It looked as if they were catching up, but Chevy's engines are the thing to beat this year.

TAMMY: I agree with you on the promising drivers. I like Newgarden also, and James Hinchcliff is absolutely hilarious out of the car ... so far he's translating that charisma into talent in-car as well. I'm also with you: I think it'll be a Chevy getting milk-doused at the end. 

What do our readers think? Do you agree with us? What are you excited to see?

Inspiration on the Web

by Tammy

I didn't watch the racing action this weekend (because I'm endlessly writing and revising), but I followed all of it online. I was also doing all kinds of research (again/still), and creating a Pinterest board for the book I'm working on, Kate Reilly #2. Its title is BRAKING POINTS, which I'm using before Simon can (I'm sure he'll get me back with some title in the future). You're welcome to check out the full Braking Points board.

But all of that got me thinking about how much fantastic stuff there is online. I flipped to racecontrol.indycar.com and watched little numbers zooming around the virtual Indy track, showing me how drivers were doing on Pole Day and Bump Day. I watched the Preakness streaming online (I'm an equal-opportunity racing fan). And I followed Twitter for reports on IndyCar, NASCAR, and everything else at once.

But the best thing I found was this video, from Racer magazine's Pinterest board, about drivers and fitness. Because the description of what it's like to be driving a car is so fantastic ... and then they film a guy doing it (which is the goofy cover image).

To summarize: "You're riding a stationary bike that's balanced on the edge of a cliff, wearing a diving suit, sucking [air] through a straw, and they've got heaters on you. If you make one mistake, you fall off the cliff."



The point being this: they're athletes, with an incredible ability to focus. If this is the teaser, I look forward to the full video!

What was exciting for you guys this weekend?

Favorite Racing Reprise

We're both scrambling to deadlines, so we're going to reprise one of our very first conversations from about a year ago for those of you who might not have seen it or commented at the time. Tell us your opinion!


What's Your Favorite Kind of Racing? 

It's really the first discussion to have, isn't it? You need to know if you're talking to an open-wheel fanatic, an oval-lover, a NASCAR diehard, a rallying afficionado, or some other breed. Not that you (or we) can't be more than one at the same time. But it sets the stage....

TAMMY: I'll come right out and say it. I don't get ovals. Open-wheel is OK, but my heart is with sportscars on road courses. Even sportscars on street courses. But ovals ... sure, I'll watch them ... but I don't understand the appeal.

SIMON: From a spectator's point of view I get ovals. People want to see the whole track to take in all the action and ovals provide that. Most of the tracks in the UK are shrouded in trees and you get to see one corner, maybe two. Brands Hatch's "Indy" circuit is probably the only track in the UK with a clear view of the whole circuit. But as a driver, I'm with you, I'm a road course boy. Road courses have personality and that goes a long way with me. I'll drive a sports car, but I'd prefer open wheel. I hate the additional weight sports cars carry compared to a single seater. It's such a drag in comparison to a formula car that weighs as much as Blooming Onion at Outback. I'm all about power to weight and the less weight the better. I do have a soft spot for rallying too. I always to be a rally driver, but I found I was better on tarmac than dirt. But the unpredictability of a rally stage that varies from moment to moment is the ultimate driving experience. 

TAMMY: Rally drivers are nuts. Bonkers. Loopy. I mean, I sort of get it? But there's no real course, there are spectators everywhere, and you're highly likely to run straight into a tree. You people are nuts. But really, my fundamental problem with anything that isn't sportscar racing is single classes! Boring. Look how much fun it is to watch the strategy and the passing and the (controlled) chaos of multi-class racing. Two to five classes of cars on course at the same time, crazy speed differentials? Awesome. Just look at Le Mans last weekend. Awesome! I think multi-class racing requires an extra level of skill in planning on the driver's part that I find really, really cool to watch.

SIMON: I hear what you're saying about rallying--and what's your point? Everything you've described is awesome. Unpredictability of the the course, elements and the spectators is what makes it the ultimate driving challenge. Sounds like heaven on earth. I get what you're saying about multi-class racing. Some of my fondest memories of driving was 'mixed testing' where they'd let everyone and everything out on a track at once. So I'd be out there in my Formula Ford up against F3, Sports Prototypes, 911s, Ferrari Challenge cars, every kind of sedan based championship. It was organized chaos. The great thing about it is that you got a feel for how cars measured up. My Formula Ford could outlap most sports cars, but Sports Prototype could beat me on a 1/2 mile straight with a 1/4 mile head start. So I get it, multi-class racing is exciting. The downside is who's leading? It can get confusing for the spectator. And who really cares who wins in class. It's all about who's first over the line. Class matters when you're in the big one.

TAMMY: Hitting a tree, Simon! That's my point. So now you're saying the "ultimate driving challenge" is cheating death? I thought this racing was a sport (or maybe it isn't, but that's another blog topic), not just a means of proving manhood by outwitting death. I see your "who's leading," and toss it back to you: how can you tell who's leading in IndyCar or NASCAR or any single-car class when they're all lapping each other anyway--and when the cars all look the same? In all racing, you've got a leaderboard on-site or in a banner across the screen or the television coverage is focusing on the leader. At least in sportscar racing, you're watching cars that look different. And class wins don't count? You going to tell Ron Fellows that his Le Mans (class) wins didn't count? Sure they count. Sure they care who wins in class, especially now when some of the best racing is happening in the GT class. Sportscars, baby! At least the cars look different. 

SIMON: No, I'm not saying it's cheating death. I'm saying rallying has an extra component in that you're not only racing the field, you're racing the elements and a literal changing playing field. Now that's exciting. I'm telling you most people aren't going care as much about a class win than the outright winner. That's a fact. You tell people that you were 1st in class, but came 18th overall. People will want to meet the guy who came 1st overall. I can always tell who is leading. It's a Jedi thing. You wouldn't understand. :-)

TAMMY: I see, Obi Wan. What about the rest of you? What kind of racing is your favorite?

Thoughts on GPLB

by Tammy

Long Beach's days in the sun (and one in the pouring rain) have come and gone, and the racing world is starting to pull out of Southern California. If I didn't already, I'd know the race was over because of the increase in the number of private small jets taking off from the Long Beach airport between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Surprisingly, even the appearance of F18s taking off from the airport (30 min before scheduled flyover time) isn't unusual; we get those every weekend (the jets, not the flyovers--or maybe it's that they do flyovers at my house EVERY weekend).

The race weekend was short (rain-shortened this year), packed with storylines, and full of amazing racing. I assume all of you watching will agree?

First, the ALMS race. I ran into Doug Fehan, program manager for Corvette Racing in the paddock on Saturday morning and asked him how everyone would deal with so little on-track time before the green flag (maybe 45 min of wet running Friday morning and about a lap of puddles during qualifying; that was it). Fehan assured me they weren't too worried, as "Corvette is usually pretty good right off the truck." Boy, was he right. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner in the #4 carried a commanding lead to the checkers, and even the troubled #3 (missing a hood after a first-lap incident) almost held on to the podium, ultimately finishing fourth.

The battles were fun to watch, the passing was well done, and there was only one full-course caution. Well done, boys! (The photo above was taken from my vantage point in one of the apartment towers overlooking the course, looking down onto the back straight and around to the hairpin.)

Then the main event.

The story of the weekend for IndyCar was of course the engine changes for all teams running Chevrolet motors, and associated 10-grid-position penalties. Most drivers took it philosophically, as growing pains for the new car and engine packages they're working with this year. And in the end, Chevy drivers needn't have worried: they filled seven of the top ten spots, including the top step of the podium (go, my fantasy pick, Will Power!). The IndyCar race featured passing, wrecks (but nothing drastic), fuel strategy, pit lane strategy, post-race penalties, a roadblock in the hairpin as the second half of the field tried to take the checkers, and some unbelievable driving (I'm lookin' at you, Simon Pagenaud). A little something for everyone.

And I even got to see the cars up close (pictures above and below). I still think they're weird looking, for instance, that back wheel is only nominally "open." What do you all think? And what did you think about the weekend's racing?

Go Grand Prix of Long Beach!

The trucks have rolled in, the drivers and teams have arrived, and the banners are almost posted. It's time for some racing!

First, however, it might be time for some rain, so it's going to be interesting to see what the ALMS teams do for their only practice session Friday morning if it's raining. It makes the most sense to not go out and risk the car when race day promises to be dry. But qualifying and/or racing with no other on-track minutes? Wild.

And a testament to how much the teams and Series want to be here in Southern California.

IndyCar teams should be in better shape with more practice time over three days. But I think so far weather is the story of the weekend. I'll be on-scene and will report back!

Here are a couple photos from the very tight ALMS paddock (lots of cars means not much space for their rigs!).

Simon, anything you want me to investigate for you?




Simon: I want to know how those Lotus powered IndyCars sound. I think they've bitten off more than they can chew racing in F1 and trying to be an engine builder. I'd like to know if those engines are on song. If they sound like a bag of nails, it's going to be a long season for 6 drivers. It'll also be interesting to see how the Indy cars perform this year on a tight street circuit. Remember the cars have more power, smaller wings and are weigh less. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the bumps.

Tammy: I'll try to report back. Of course, the breaking news I didn't hear until dinner is that Chevrolet replaced all engines on the cars they supply, so the (possibly better?) third of the field will all take a 10-spot penalty after qualifying. Someone was speculating that if Hondas are all up front, Lotuses are in the middle, and Chevys are at the back ... the first corner could be extremely messy. We'll see!

Our Fantasy Picks

We're back to our Friday discussions! We know we're a little late with our picks, since the season's already begun, but we've decided on a friendly competition. You're all welcome to play along!

Here's how it will work. We'll each make picks in the categories below, and we'll check in monthly to see how each of us is doing, based on actual earned points/places for our picks. At the end of the seasons, we'll see who made the best predictions and ... well, the winner should get a prize. Maybe someone will have a good suggestion.

Formula 1 Driver

SIMON: Jenson Button

TAMMY: Lewis Hamilton

Formula 1 Manufacturer

SIMON: Red Bull

TAMMY: McLaren

IndyCar Driver

SIMON: Dario Franchitti

TAMMY: Will Power

IndyCar Team

SIMON: Chip Ganassi

TAMMY: Penske (gotta go with the combo of Power, Castroneves, and Brisco)

ALMS GT Driver

SIMON: Jan Magnussen (b/c I raced against him--once)

TAMMY: Patrick Long (maybe that's just hope)

ALMS GT Team

SIMON: Paul Miller Racing

TAMMY: Corvette Racing!

NASCAR Cup Driver

SIMON: Jeff Gordon (he's a local boy)

TAMMY: Carl Edwards (honestly, the bigger question is if Junior will win a race this year)

NASCAR Cup Team

SIMON: Chip Ganassi

TAMMY: Hendrick Motorsport

Tell us your picks and follow along!