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many of the surviving cars looked like they had just finished a
NASCAR event at Martinsville, there were more wheel donuts on
the sidepods than the AGR drivers cut in post-race celebrations.
By the time I cleared the Media Center and got to the paddock,
most of the cars were packed away in the transporters, but the
Matsuura car wasn't, this damage was from contact with Scott
Dixon at the entrance to turn 13. Dixon's car may have looked
like he got the worst of it, but he finished 6th, Matsuura
failed to finish and was listed 13th. Kosuke was already on
probation, and in race coverage it was mentioned that he was
"black flagged," but I don't think he did anything
more in his altercation with Dixon than Franchitti and Kanaan
did more than once. Here are two sides on the SAF Panoz Honda of
Matsuura. The first picture is of the "good side."
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| The aero add-on is gone, as was
the "wheel flip." street racing is a contact sport.
Minor semi-donut at the bottom corner.
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Dan Wheldon may have been the
big winner yesterday at St. Pete, but he wasn't the only one,
the IndyCar series won new attention and respect; and the City
of St. Petersburg was a big winner as well. This major racing
event couldn't happen without a city that wanted to host it as
much as the series wanted and needed another warm-weather event,
In spite of setbacks in the past hosting racing events, St. Pete
wanted to have another go at it and now, after more than 20
years of trying, St Pete has gotten their message out, they are
no longer a retirement community, they have a new, fresh image
of beauty and excitement. The city also now has an
exciting auto race they can count on and look forward to every
year at this time. I have finished my TiVo review of the
race, it is posted
here...
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(4-03-05) And what a beautiful
day it is, clear and cool so far. The Indy cars are about to go
out for the morning warm up. I heading for pit road, back when
it's over. Coverage of today's pre-race activities can be seen here...
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Ryan Briscoe leads the cars of
Bryan Herta, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti into turn 10, one
of three possible places to pass during today' s Honda Grand
Prix of St. Petersburg. The race will be televised on ESPN, and
brought to on radio via the IMS Radio Network webcast here,
starting at 3:00 PM EDT (2:00 in Indy). Another helpful link is
IndyCar T&S...
I will cover the race in Live
Running Recap format here.
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(9:30) AJ Foyt IV has just made
another "adjustment" to the front of his Panoz Toyota,
now I think I know the real reason his grandfather didn't bring
one of his Dallara's. If you'll recall, young Anthony got his
first "nose job" Friday morning, the supporting photo
can be found among others here...
Anyway, I was standing at the end of the 3rd
"straight" in turn whatever (once they get past four I
stop counting, usually it's time to restart the count)
shootin' digital when I heard the "voice of
Firestone." I looked up and saw Foyt sideways, but at first
I thought it was just another spin close to the runoff area.
Then they called for "the hook," so I changed
positions as they parked the car behind the tire barrier to get
this shot.
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Then I heard a familiar voice
call out to the safety crew, "how bad is it, upper, lower
or both." It was AJ and some of his crew. When told
"both" he asked, "it ain't pulled out of the tub
is it? "No, just bent." AJ got back in his golf cart
and returned to the pits. Actually he was pretty calm about it,
just another "learning experience" for the kid. While
I know Anthony has talent, at times I wonder what his thought
process is? He was either going to be the last car running if he
finished anyway, or a spot in front Carpenter, why not just go
out and practice staying out of the way?
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Coverage
of Saturday's practice
and qualifying session's can be found here...
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(4-02-05, 8:30 AM EST) FRIDAY
AFTERNOON CONTENT AND PICTURES CAN BE SEEN
here...
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(4-02-05, 8:30 AM EST)
FRIDAY MORNING COVERAGE, INCLUDING PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE TO THE
RYAN BRISCOE CAR CAN BE SEEN
here...
Remember that the best way
to follow the day's action is through the live T&S link, http://scoring.indyracing.com/html/results_only.php
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(4-01-05) The day some IndyCar
fans have always dreaded is finally here, the first series
street race weekend starts today. Since I was once one of those
that distained road and street racing, I feel qualified to sympathize for them, but hope
most have had the same change of mind as I. What brought that
about was the realization that these cars now represent the best
total chassis/engine package in series history. Now it is time
to see if that package will elevate the enjoyment and excitement
of road and street racing in the same manner as it did for oval
track racing. It is time to take the action and attention away
from the "happening" crowd and return it to the track!
Check out my rankings and forecast here...
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(3-31-05) Live from the Media
Center at The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. I have spent
the day roaming the pit area snooping around and taking
pictures. The photo essay can be seen here...
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(3-28-05) The picture above
offers just a hint of the beauty of the Bayfront Area, just
south of Downtown St. Petersburg. This is a rather old picture,
the round structure at left center was what once was "The
Bayfront Center," it is no longer there. The diagonal
runway shown in the top photo will serve as the main
straightaway, and my Airport Guide lists "runway 6/24"
as "3677 feet long." Even if you whittle 800 feet off
that total to serve as usable raceway, you still have a 75-foot
wide, half-mile plus "place to pass." Looking at an
enlarged view of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
track,
http://www.gpstpete.com/assets/trackmap2.jpg
and doing the math, I come up with 2850 foot passing
opportunity, or 5/8ths of a mile, exactly the length of both
straightaway's at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The key to
passing on the runway will be in keeping the speed up in the
hairpin approach as well as who is the bravest going in braking
coming off the runway for the 90 degree right turn at the end. I
suspect that this "run" will peg the fastest cars at
close to 200-mph, and turn one will slow them to more than half
that! In addition, the run between turns 9 and 10, with
the "kink" in it, is 4/10ths of a mile long as well.
This portion of the track was used for all but the last Trans Am
races of the '80's, and offered not only a spectacular view of
the cars at speed, but one of two passing places on that track
layout, one that didn't use the airport at all. That stretch
also proved exciting as well, as a place where some over-eager
drivers got in trouble. As for speed, in 2003, the series
formerly known as CART raced in St. Pete, and although I can't
find a track map for that event to compare, their lap speeds
were in the 105 mph range, one of their fastest street venues.
What was then CART and the IndyCar Series differed in how they
measured track distances and the resulting lap speeds, which
were CART-distorted, but I suspect on a street course, there
would be little difference. When the cars of the two series
tested at like-venues, the cars of what now is the CCWS usually
posted faster straightaway speeds, but the IndyCars, with more
downforce, usually cornered faster. On the watch though, the
cars of both series usually posted close to equal lap times. I
expect the IndyCars to lap the course at St. Pete at above 100
mph. On my private forum here, open to all after a registration
approval, I'm going to offer a "guess the pole speed"
thread. I'm opening with a 103.2 mph educated "SWAG!"
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(3-27-05) Considering where
they are all headquartered, Sebring can't be deemed as "on
the road to St. Pete" geographically, but in a race preparation
sense, perhaps it is. This question begs to be asked though,
why? Going into the TitS at HMS, we were lead to believe that
the test there would be the only road race test before the Honda
Grand Prix of St. Pete, and since I was there, I can attest to
the fact that everything seemed to work flawlessly. I didn't see
any overly hot brakes, although I saw several
"lock-ups." The gearbox appeared bullet-proof, the
speeds surprisingly fast. We even had some unexpected names at
the top of the chart, names like Enge and Briscoe. There were pleasant
surprises as well, Danica at speed, impressive runs by Vitor
Meira, Kosuke Matsuura and Scott Sharp, and the
not-so-surprising domination of the final session by AGR
drivers. So again I ask, what has changed with these cars that
they must re-test before practice opens Friday morning? I
suspect brake work and changes, at HMS the comments I heard were
"not consistent," and "unpredictable."
Racing within the confines of the concrete canyons that are
street racing without breaks you can rely on is not something
any driver wants to contend with, mostly because the run-off
areas are few and far between. IndyCar must be commended for
their cost-containment related brake system regulations, and if
there are issues, I commend them for scheduling additional
testing, IF that is the reason. For whatever the reason, I'm
sure most teams welcome another testing opportunity. The cars of
the CCWS were at Sebring last week, and while I don't have any
of the results, I do have some Spring Training data from that
series past tests there. Now if I can get some numbers from the
IndyCars run there this time, even though the cars are shy some
100 horsepower, it will be interesting to compare notes. Rest
assured, even if we get zilch for data, I know people to talk to
Thursday for some answers. While no road race fan, I am fascinated
about the possibilities of the week ahead, and I have also heard
some impressive numbers regarding both the number of media
credentials issued and advance ticket sales.
As a former resident, let me
assure you that the site of the race provides plenty of
eye-candy, it is truly beautiful. If you are stuck in the
still-frozen North, or remember the warm respite from the cold
of winter IRL trips to WDW gave you, or just wish to be at a
first-ever event, why not surf the net for a great last-minute
airfare deal and "COME ON DOWN and join us at the
Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg. I have a great tip for a
little downtown coffee shop for a pre-practice or race breakfast
to get your day started. Just drive up, park on the street and
eat, just 5 minutes from the track.
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