It seems like just the other day when the IndyCar Season came to a horrific end last October at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was on that day that Dan Wheldon, one of IndyCar’s most popular and successful drivers, was killed in a crash early in the race. That day was not just the end of the 2011 season, but it was also the day that ushered in a new era in IndyCar.
That new era begins tomorrow at St. Petersburg, Florida. In the time between that fateful day and now, so much has changed in the IndyCar Series. There are brand new cars, drivers on different teams, new race tracks, new officials, and new engine manufactures.
New Car
Gone is the previous Dallara race cars introduced in 2003. Now, the brand new model, the DW12, takes its place. The DW12 also brings in different engine manufactures into IndyCar for the first time in nearly a decade. Previously, only Honda supplied engines to the teams. They will now be joined by Chevrolet and Lotus. Nobody knows for sure how the new cars or engines will perform in race conditions. Although we do know that the new car is faster on the street/road courses. That is evidenced through testing and was further proved when Will Power broke the track record today in qualifying.
The new car is also easier to drive because of the down force produced by the new bodies. This is something that is not appreciated by the drivers, esp. after what happened at Las Vegas. Equal cars create pack racing on ovals and makes it harder to pass on all tracks. One of the aspects I hate about NASCAR is that nearly all cars equal. Dozens of drivers having an equal chance to win a race doesn't always produce exciting racing.
Schedule
11 of the 16 races of the schedule will be on street/road courses. Cue the complaining!!! Believe me, people have been complaining nonstop. It’s important to know that IndyCar President, Randy Bernard, is working diligently to get more oval tracks on the schedule. For now, the road courses are something we all have to live with. The first oval race is the Indianapolis 500 on May 27th. An oval track will also host the final race of the season. That track is the Auto Club Speedway in California.
First four races of the 2012 season: 3/25- St. Petersburg. 4/1- Birmingham. 4/15- Long Beach. 4/29- Sao Paolo.
Drivers
One of the biggest stories in the IndyCar season is the addition of Rubens Barrichello to the KV Racing Technology Team. Barrichello is an 11-time winner in Formula 1 and one of the most popular drivers in the world. He has over 1 million Twitter followers so you have to figure at least 25,000 of them will be tuning into each race to watch their favorite driver. That kind of exposure only helps the IndyCar Series. You will also notice a certain female driver not racing in IndyCar this series as she moved over to NASCAR.
The roster of drivers may be one of the most competitive and well-rounded IndyCar has had in a long time. There are about eight drivers that have a legitimate chance to win a championship. Then there’s around ten or twelve drivers that could win on any given day.
Engine manufacturers
As I said earlier, nobody knows how the engines will perform in each race. Honda and Chevrolet are expected to have an advantage over Lotus though. That’s only because they have more cars and a better roster of drivers.
Here's a breakdown of each manufacturer and their drivers:
Here's a breakdown of each manufacturer and their drivers:
Chevrolet: Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter, E.J. Viso, Rubens Barrichello, Tony Kanaan, J.R. Hildebrand, Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Will Power.
Honda: Mike Conway, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball, James Jakes, Justin Wilson, Takuma Sato, Simon Pagenaud, Josef Newgarden.
Lotus: Alex Tagliani, Katherine Legge, Sebastien Bourdais, Oriol Servia, Simona de Silvestro
New officials
Last year, chief steward Brian Barnhart received a lot of heat for some questionable decisions he made during races. He was removed his head of race control position but remains as the president of operations and will oversee safety development and event logistics. Taking his position will be Beaux Barfield. IndyCar also hired former drivers Arie Luyendyk, Johnny Unser, and Gary Barnard to assist Barnhart and Barfield.
Championship
The obvious favorites, Dario Franchitti and Will Power, combined to win nine races last year. Franchitti won his fourth championship last year and is chasing A.J. Foyt’s record seven championships. Power has never won a championship but has finished second the past two years. Franchitti’s Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon is also hungry for a championship. Dixon won his last championship in 2008 and has finished second, third, and third the past three years. Power’s Penske teammates, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe, will also be looking to win the championship this year. Briscoe is a good driver, but he always been considered the third-best in the Penske lineup.
Other drivers to watch: # 26 Marco Andretti, #27 James Hinchcliffe, #28 Ryan Hunter-Reay, #38 Graham Rahal, #83 Charlie Kimball, #20 Ed Carpenter, #8 Rubens Barrichello, #11 Tony Kanaan, #22 Oriol Servia, #4 J.R. Hildebrand, #98 Alex Tagliani
No comments:
Post a Comment