2017 Indianapolis 500
Discussion
Jimboka said:
Nearly all the commentary was about Alonso, who ultimately failed.
Little talk about Englishman Chilton, who came very close ..
Alonso led a lot of the race and is a world champion f1 driver. Of course there would be more talk about him. Wasn't his fault his car blew up. Every interview I have seen has praised his attitude, ability and enthusiasm for the race. Little talk about Englishman Chilton, who came very close ..
He even got some milk
https://twitter.com/clarkwade34/status/86893443643...
The other studio commentator in the BT studio was Richard Williams who is a well known and highly respected motor racing (and rock) writer. He has appeared in various motor sport discussion programmes over the years, he talks in a very measured and precise way so does not come across as a very animated speaker which may not suit some TV viewers. I actually like him.
Eric Mc said:
The other studio commentator in the BT studio was Richard Williams who is a well known and highly respected motor racing (and rock) writer.
Maybe he should stick to Geology then. He didnt seem to know the sport at all.Great for Sato. I remember him in F3 in 2001. At Brands he was so quick- the only driver to take Dingle dell flat, without lifting. I have been following him since then, so very pleased for him
As well as the brilliant 360 degree car cameras they also had a couple of drivers wired up with visor cams. These were equally impressive. However I did get a bit of a shock at one point when I thought I was watching a visor cam and it rotated 180 degrees to look at the car behind. I thought I was seeing something from The Exorcist. 
Eric Mc said:
That was great entertainment. I intend to watch more Indycar races now. 20 plus years ago I was a big fan but after the Indycar/IRL split I lost interest. It certainly has upped its game again.
I started watching Indy in 93 when Mansell moved across the pond and it was great racing. I watched both Montoya's and Jacques Villeneuve's debuts and followed them through to becoming championship winners and subsequently into F1. The highlight of those years for me was watching Gil De Ferran, whom I'd watched race in F3, fighting his way over many seasons to eventually win the title. I think it was when Eurosport stopped televising all of the races that I lost interest and yesterday was the first Indy race in many years that I have bothered to watch. I think I'll make the effort to watch some more!
No disrespect to Richard Williams, as you say he knows his stuff. However the Indy 500 is all about spectacle - angry loud crazy 220mph wasps driven by heroes with a tanked up crowd cheering, waving the stars & stripes and chowing down on turkey legs and apple pie . It needed pundits in keeping with that vibe.
Incidentally, I was at the one-off 2003 CART Indycar race at Brands Hatch, a largely processional affair (although spectacular) in part due to them using the Indy circuit instead of the GP loop. Anyone else here go to that?
Also had penthouse tickets (got a refund on this and our accommodation thankfully) for the 100th running of the Indy 500 last year which was scuppered due to inadvertently conceiving a small baby. Whom I love.
. It needed pundits in keeping with that vibe.Incidentally, I was at the one-off 2003 CART Indycar race at Brands Hatch, a largely processional affair (although spectacular) in part due to them using the Indy circuit instead of the GP loop. Anyone else here go to that?
Also had penthouse tickets (got a refund on this and our accommodation thankfully) for the 100th running of the Indy 500 last year which was scuppered due to inadvertently conceiving a small baby. Whom I love.
Speed Badger said:
Incidentally, I was at the one-off 2003 CART Indycar race at Brands Hatch, a largely processional affair (although spectacular) in part due to them using the Indy circuit instead of the GP loop. Anyone else here go to that?
Incidentally, full coverage of 2003 London Champ Car Trophy at Brands Hatch is available on indycar's youtube channel.https://youtu.be/gqgk02EYCh0
Really, really impressed by Alonso's racecraft.
How he dealt with understeer at Indy was exactly the same technique as he uses in F1 - aggressive turn in and still manages a late-ish apex. But once he dialed in his car to be more neutral his steering inputs were smoother.
He picked and chose his fights. He backed out of it when cars were going three wide ahead of him and didn't want to compromise himself. He was quite aggressive at times after the red flag - IIRC he made a cracking move on the outside of turn one and another he manged to race a guy into pitwall? Reminded me a bit of Mansell/New Hampshire 200/1993 (arguably that oval race was GOAT) gaining confidence at mastering oval racing.
How he dealt with understeer at Indy was exactly the same technique as he uses in F1 - aggressive turn in and still manages a late-ish apex. But once he dialed in his car to be more neutral his steering inputs were smoother.
He picked and chose his fights. He backed out of it when cars were going three wide ahead of him and didn't want to compromise himself. He was quite aggressive at times after the red flag - IIRC he made a cracking move on the outside of turn one and another he manged to race a guy into pitwall? Reminded me a bit of Mansell/New Hampshire 200/1993 (arguably that oval race was GOAT) gaining confidence at mastering oval racing.
Speed Badger said:
No disrespect to Richard Williams, as you say he knows his stuff. However the Indy 500 is all about spectacle - angry loud crazy 220mph wasps driven by heroes with a tanked up crowd cheering, waving the stars & stripes and chowing down on turkey legs and apple pie . It needed pundits in keeping with that vibe.
Incidentally, I was at the one-off 2003 CART Indycar race at Brands Hatch, a largely processional affair (although spectacular) in part due to them using the Indy circuit instead of the GP loop. Anyone else here go to that?
Also had penthouse tickets (got a refund on this and our accommodation thankfully) for the 100th running of the Indy 500 last year which was scuppered due to inadvertently conceiving a small baby. Whom I love.
I wouldn't have used Richard Williams as the 'expert'. He may be an F1 expert, I'm not sure he's as clued up on the other categories.. It needed pundits in keeping with that vibe.Incidentally, I was at the one-off 2003 CART Indycar race at Brands Hatch, a largely processional affair (although spectacular) in part due to them using the Indy circuit instead of the GP loop. Anyone else here go to that?
Also had penthouse tickets (got a refund on this and our accommodation thankfully) for the 100th running of the Indy 500 last year which was scuppered due to inadvertently conceiving a small baby. Whom I love.
ClockworkCupcake said:
FourWheelDrift said:
That is a deliberate wing setting, many used it during qualifying. Alonso tried it during practice, the Chevys needed to run slightly less wing to be close to the Hondas running more wing.
Ah thanks for that. 
Here's a pic of Alonso during one of the practice sessions.
I’m just back from a trip to America taking in the NASCAR All-Star Race and the 101st Indy 500 (also managed to slip in the USAC Silver Crown Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway). I’ve been lucky to attend hundreds of events around the world but I reckon Indy was just about the best I’ve ever seen. The race was just mesmeric and the sheer spectacle of the cars at that speed and proximity was spell-binding. My last experience of these cars was the 2002 CART event at Rockingham. That was great but being in the stands surrounded by 300,000 other fans was just awesome. Would highly, highly recommend. I'll get a bit of a report drawn up with a few photos in due course.
chevronb37 said:
I’m just back from a trip to America taking in the NASCAR All-Star Race and the 101st Indy 500 (also managed to slip in the USAC Silver Crown Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway). I’ve been lucky to attend hundreds of events around the world but I reckon Indy was just about the best I’ve ever seen. The race was just mesmeric and the sheer spectacle of the cars at that speed and proximity was spell-binding. My last experience of these cars was the 2002 CART event at Rockingham. That was great but being in the stands surrounded by 300,000 other fans was just awesome. Would highly, highly recommend. I'll get a bit of a report drawn up with a few photos in due course.
Glad you enjoyed it. Where did you sit? Did you enjoy any of the pre race entertainment that happens in Indy during the week? We sat on the grass bank outside Mike's bar on 16th st drinking beer and people watching until 2am the night before the race one year. The bikers put on quite a show. Hope you experienced the famed Hoosier hospitality and come back again.Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff