Yvan Muller Storms To Race 2 Victory At Monza In Treacherous Conditions
Yvan Muller stormed to a sensational victory in the second World Touring Car Championship race at Monza, starting his 2013 campaign in sensational style with two consecutive race victories. Michel Nykjær finished a competitive 2nd, as Gabriele Tarquini only just hung on for 3rd ahead of rookie Marc Basseng.
Despite taking place several hours after the first race around Italy’s legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the weather conditions had failed to improve as the rain continued to lash down upon the circuit. However, the race stewards elected not to start the race under safety car conditions, unlike the first race. This saw proceedings get underway in the traditional standing-start format. Both Robert Huff and Tom Boardman started the race from the pits, with Darryl O’Young and Marc Basseng starting the race on the front row of the grid.
At the start Gabriele Tarquini enjoyed another of his absolutely sensational starts. scything his way through the order from 5th to the lead by the opening three corners. Franz Engstler ran straight on and through the escape road at Turn 1, as the field tip-toed their way through the opening lap in almost undriveable conditions. With visibility absolutely atrocious, it was no surprise that several drivers made minor mistakes on the opening lap including Fredy Barth who spun through the Ascari chicane.
After starting from 22nd and last on the grid after crashing out of the opening race, many were surprised when Stefano D’Aste had worked his way up to 12th by Lap 2. Alex MacDowall suffered a disastrous end to the second lap, after running extensively wide through the gravel at the final corner. At the start of Lap 3, many drivers ran down the escape road after striking an almighty puddle which was forming at Turn 1, including both Jean-Philippe Dayraut, Mehdi Bennani and Alex MacDowell.
By Lap 4, opening race winner Yvan Muller was already up to 2nd position after starting 9th and was clearly catching the Honda of Gabriele Tarquini. Towards the end of the lap, Muller had muscled his way around the Italian driver for the lead, whereas rookie Marc Basseng was impressing many by holding onto 3rd position. Mehdi Bennani was issued with a drive-thru penalty for exceeding track limits, just as Marc Basseng’s luck ran out as he ran down the escape road at Turn 1 and lost 3rd position to Michel Nykjær.
As the race entered its closing stages, the Danish driver began to reel in Gabriele Tarquini for 2nd. The duo battled hard for the position throughout Lap 8, before Nykjær managed to make the move stick through the Ascari chicane. Further down the order saw Tom Boardman spin at Turns 4 and 5, whereas Gabriele Tarquini began to come to under severe pressure from Marc Basseng. As Yvan Muller crossed the line to secure his second consecutive race victory of the day, with Michel Nykjær 2nd, Gabriele Tarquini only just managed to hold on for 3rd ahead of the charging Marc Basseng by less than a tenth of a second.
Despite the utterly treacherous weather conditions, the opening race weekend of the new World Touring Car Championship season was one of pure excitement, and should remain an enthralling spectacle throughout the entire season. The paddock will reconvene in several weeks time for the Race of Morocco, around the tight and twisty confines of Marrakech’s Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan.
Results - 10 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet 23m27.254s 2. Michel Nykjaer NIKA Chevrolet + 2.482s 3. Gabriele Tarquini Honda + 4.994s 4. Marc Basseng Munnich SEAT + 5.081s 5. Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet + 5.612s 6. Pepe Oriola Tuenti SEAT + 6.755s 7. James Nash Bamboo Chevrolet + 14.445s 8. Tiago Monteiro Honda + 20.573s 9. Stefano d'Aste PB BMW + 23.722s 10. Rob Huff Munnich SEAT + 25.442s 11. Tom Coronel ROAL BMW + 37.126s 12. Darryl O'Young ROAL BMW + 41.394s 13. Franz Engstler Engstler BMW + 43.904s 14. Fredy Barth Wiechers BMW + 45.921s 15. Fernando Monje Campos SEAT + 50.678s 16. Tom Boardman Special Tuning SEAT + 53.591s 17. Charles Ng Engstler BMW + 59.157s 18. Jean-Philippe Dayraut Anome BMW + 1m06.537s 19. Mehdi Bennani Proteam BMW + 1m26.721s 20. Alex MacDowall Bamboo Chevrolet + 1 lap 21. Rene Munnich Munnich SEAT + 1 lap 22. Norbert Michelisz Zengo Honda + 1 lap
Picture Copyright © WTCC
Yvan Muller Takes Dominant Race 1 Victory In The Heavy Rain At Monza
Yvan Muller sailed to a dominant victory during the opening race of the World Touring Car Championship, which was held in utterly treacherous weather conditions around the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Tom Chilton finished a close 2nd, with fellow countryman Alex MacDowall 3rd.
Due to the adverse weather conditions, the race started under safety car conditions. This decision was justified on the opening lap, when Danish driver Michel Nykjær ran off the circuit for Nika Racing. However, the safety car was soon brought in after the opening lap, allowing the race to truly begin. Poleman Yvan Muller led at the front, ahead of Tom Chilton and Alex MacDowall. Further down the order saw many drivers jostling for position in the inclement weather conditions, as Franz Engstler bumped over the kerbs through Turns 1 and 2.
The conditions failed to improve as the opening laps ticked away, as Engstler ran straight on at Turn 1 on the next lap in the worsening weather conditions. After starting 22nd and last for the opening race of the weekend, reigning World Champion Robert Huff had managed to claw his way up to 17th by Lap 3. Michel Nykjær returned to the pits after his opening lap excursion to retire with a driveshaft failure. However, the Dane’s mechanics managed to correct the issue on his Chevrolet-powered machine, and he returned to the action on Lap 6.
Fredy Barth became the next driver to make a mistake in the tricky weather conditions, as the Swiss driver spun at the Ascari chicane. Despite an impressive opening few laps from Robert Huff, both he and Darryl O’Young ran straight on at Turn 1. The safety car was called upon for a second time on Lap 5, when Stefano D’Aste spun into the barriers on the exit of the Ascari chicane. This saw the Italian driver retire from the race, after suffering damage to his PB Racing machine.
The second safety car period lasted for only two laps, before Yvan Muller once again assumed control at the front ahead of Tom Chilton and Alex MacDowall. Robert Huff continued to climb through the order, with the Briton running in an extremely impressive 9th by Lap 8. Marc Basseng ran extensively wide at Curve di Lesmo, whereas Robert Huff once again ran straight on at Turn 1 along with Portuguese driver Tiago Monteiro. Marc Basseng’s debut race in the World Touring Car Championship failed improve, as on Lap 9 the German was issued with a drive-thru penalty for failing to have all four wheels down when the three minute boards were displayed at the start of the race.
With the rain unrelenting upon the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, further mayhem continued to ensue as the race wore on. Darryl O’Young ran wide at the Curve di Lesmo, in similar fashion to Marc Basseng. Pepe Oriola retired on Lap 9, as Marc Basseng continued to struggle and flew straight on at Turn 1 at phenomenal speeds. By Lap 10 Robert Huff had managed to work his way up to 6th, despite a strong battle for position with his fellow countryman of James Nash.
The race was brought to an incident-filled conclusion, as Tom Boardman suffered a broken steering arm after a collision with James Nasr at the Curve di Lesmo. The Briton was forced to come to halt right in the middle of the circuit, however the race officials decided against deploying the safety car with only one lap remaining. Despite the carnage further back, Yvan Muller stormed to a dominant lights-to-flag victory ahead of Tom Chilton and Alex MacDowall. Robert Huff finished an impressive 6th, after starting way down in 22nd and last position.
Results - 12 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Yvan Muller RML Chevrolet 30m02.783s
2. Tom Chilton RML Chevrolet + 0.923s
3. Alex MacDowall Bamboo Chevrolet + 5.101s
4. Gabriele Tarquini Honda + 8.053s
5. Tiago Monteiro Honda + 15.261s
6. Rob Huff Munnich SEAT + 17.349s
7. James Nash Bamboo Chevrolet + 19.964s
8. Norbert Michelisz Zengo Honda + 20.338s
9. Tom Coronel ROAL BMW + 28.837s
10. Fredy Barth Wiechers BMW + 37.740s
11. Jean-Philippe Dayraut Anome BMW + 39.226s
12. Fernando Monje Campos SEAT + 41.656s
13. Darryl O'Young ROAL BMW + 48.116s
14. Marc Basseng Munnich SEAT + 50.920s
15. Charles Ng Engstler BMW + 54.412s
16. Rene Munnich Munnich SEAT + 58.733s
17. Mehdi Bennani Proteam BMW + 2m05.913s
Retirements:
Tom Boardman Special Tuning SEAT 10 laps
Franz Engstler Engstler BMW 9 laps
Michel Nykjaer NIKA Chevrolet 9 laps
Pepe Oriola Tuenti SEAT 8 laps
Stefano d'Aste PB BMW 3 laps
Aleksei Dudukalo Lada DNS
James Thompson Lada DNS
Picture Copyright © WTCC
McLaren To Switch Back To Honda Power?
Rumors linking McLaren and Honda have resurfaced within the Formula 1 paddock, amid speculation over future engine suppliers once the sport enters the new era of engine regulations in 2014. Next year, the sport will introduce turbo-charged V6s with energy recovery systems, replacing the current specification.
After leaving the sport in 2008 due to the uncompetitive results of its F1 team, Honda decided to pull the plug on its continuation in the sport. This proved a bad decision, as the outfit was then rebranded as Brawn GP and stormed to a sensational Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship campaign with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. However, the recent rumors have suggested that the Japanese marque would only return as a supplier and not as a standalone outfit.
Currently there are four engine suppliers in Formula 1 with Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Cosworth. Next season it is understood that Cosworth will not design a 2014-spec engine for Marussia, which is expected to force the Banbury-based outfit to opt for another engine supplier. Due to the team’s recent appointment of Jules Bianchi, many expect the Anglo-Russian outfit to enter a partnership with Ferrari in 2014.
However, such a partnership is understandably unthinkable for McLaren, with the two teams’ rivalry stretching back several decades in the sport. A switch to Renault engines is also out of the question, with the French marque currently supplying reigning Champions Red Bull and openly against providing for further teams’ on the grid. This leaves only Mercedes, McLaren’s current and long-standing engine supplier, however the marque is understandably eager to direct all major development to the works team, especially with the recent appointment of McLaren protege Lewis Hamilton.
This has therefore sparked recurring rumors that McLaren could enter a new partnership with Honda, one which brought both outfits’ huge successes throughout the late-80s and early-90s when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost drove for McLaren. Last month Honda added fuel to the rumor mill by stating they were pondering a return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier once again. Should McLaren strike the deal with Honda, this could see them end up as the sole team supplied by the Japanese marque, unless Marussia opt to strengthen their McLaren partnership and use Honda engines as well.
However, McLaren’s team principal Martin Whitmarsh has since played down the rumors linking the Woking-based outfit to Honda power in the future, stating that McLaren are contracted to Mercedes until 2015. Although Martin Whitmarsh has denied a future with Honda, he does believe further engine suppliers are required in F1.
“What I can tell you is we have a contract with a long-standing partner, Mercedes-Benz, for 2013, 2014 and 2015,” explained Martin Whitmarsh to Sky Sports F1’s Natalie Pinkham. “So we have a contract, they’re our partners and we’re going to try and win World Championships and races with them. We’ve got a good and long-standing commitment to Mercedes-Benz, that’s what we’re focused on right now.
“In the longer term who knows what’s going to happen? We’re delighted to be partnering Mercedes-Benz. They’ve done, certainly in the last few years, a fantastic job and we’ve won a lot of races together and we’re going to try and win quite a few more in the next few years.”
McLaren’s future in terms of an engine supplier will unquestionably remain a hot topic within the paddock, especially as such a partnership sparks a nostalgia within many who remember the glory days of Prost and Senna. However, it will be interesting to see a McLaren powered by Mercedes battling towards the front of the grid alongside the Mercedes works team in recent years to come.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
Lotus Leave IndyCar After Disastrous 2012 Season
Lotus has left the IZOD IndyCar Series after the outfit were plagued with uncompetitive results throughout their debut season in 2012, in which Lotus struggled as an engine supplier within the Series alongside Honda and Chevrolet. The outfit has been released from their contract, and will see IndyCar continue with only two engine suppliers.
For the 2012 IZOD IndyCar season, two new engine suppliers joined the series alongside long-time engine supplier Honda. Whilst Chevrolet instantly entered victory lane with four back-to-back victories with Penske, Lotus struggled greatly. Initially Lotus supplied engines to Dreyer & Reinbold, Dragon Racing, Bryan Herta Autosport and HVM Racing. However, by the Indianapolis 500 the outfit were left with only Simona de Silvestro’s HVM Racing machine, which could only finish as high as 13th at Detroit.
“We appreciate the effort that Lotus made in helping return manufacturer competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Brian Barnhart, President of Operations and Strategy for IndyCar. “However, Lotus has made a business decision not to return in 2013 and asked for its release. We wish them well and would welcome their participation again in the future.”
Although Lotus will no longer supply engines for IndyCar next season, the outfit’s Chief Operations Officer has not ruled out a return to the sport in the future. With the IZOD IndyCar Series now encouraging manufacturer competition, the future for Lotus in IndyCar remains open, however a more competitive and consistent engine would most certainly be a necessity.
“Lotus is grateful to IndyCar for the opportunity to compete during the 2012 season and for the support provided throughout.” Explained Aslam Farikullah, “The decision not to continue was not an easy one and Lotus does not discount the possibility to re-enter the series at some time in the future. For the time being, Lotus will focus on core business activities as a leading sports car manufacturer and world class engineering consultancy.”
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Jenson Button Eager To Win At Both Spa And Monza
Jenson Button has never won a race around Spa-Francorchamps or Monza, unarguably two of the most iconic circuits on the Formula 1 calendar. Both appeared on the inaugural F1 calendar back in 1950, and have both produced some of the most exciting races of the modern era.
However, a certain Jenson Button has yet to win either the Belgian Grand Prix of the Italian Grand Prix, even when the Briton romped to the World Drivers’ Title in 2009 with the Brawn GP outfit. As the Formula 1 fraternity prepares to reconvene this weekend in Belgium after the summer recess, Jenson Button has declared positivity about rectifying these stats and winning both races. The McLaren driver hasn’t won a Grand Prix since the season opener in Australia, and has since endured a relatively frustrating season, finishing as low as 16th at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to work.” Explained Jenson Button, whose personal best finish at Spa has been 3rd on two occasions. “In fact, you couldn’t really ask for a more spectacular double-header for F1’s return: Spa is the daddy of them all, one of the all-time great Grand Prix tracks, and Monza is one of the most historic and evocative circuits on the calendar. I’ve got some really great memories of both circuits, but I’ve won neither. Given our pace in the last few races, I go forward feeling positive about rectifying that over the coming weekends.”
With Lewis Hamilton taking victory last time out in Hungary, both McLaren and their drivers will eager to replicate such successes once the track again gets underway this weekend at Spa. McLaren’s last victory at Spa came in 2010, when Lewis Hamilton stormed to victory ahead of Mark Webber and Robert Kubica. A result similar to that for either of the McLaren drivers would be most welcome, as they prepare for the all-important second half of this unique Formula 1 season.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
Rubens Barrichello Still Confident On F1 Return
Motorsport veteran Rubens Barrichello has stated that there is still a way back to Formula 1, after the Brazilian driver left the sport after last season in a move to America in the IZOD IndyCar Series. After a uncompetitive debut season in IndyCar, Barrichello has recently stated he’ll be leaving KV Racing Technology for next season.
After racing in Formula 1 since 1993, Rubens Barrichello was replaced at Williams by fellow countryman Bruno Senna for 2012. This move saw Rubens Barrichello declare an interest in the IZOD IndyCar Series in America, and later saw him team-up with good friend and fellow countryman Tony Kanaan at KV Racing Technology. However, a difficult debut season for Barrichello has seen him move further away from KV Racing throughout the season, and allegedly enter talks with a Honda-powered team for 2013.
However, Rubens Barrichello has stated that had he been racing for Williams this season, he could have assisted them in achieving greater success. Although Pastor Maldonado has taken his maiden victory this season, the Williams outfit have failed to return to the podium in what has become a very topsy-turvy season for the Grove-based team.
“I think there is still a way back,” explained Rubens Barrichello in an interview with Auto Moto und Sport. “My heart bleeds that I cannot be there. I think it’s a shame for Williams because I think [we] would have had a really big year. Not just for me, also for the team. Williams would have benefitted from me. I would have been a good team-mate as a coach for [Bruno] Senna, [Valtteri] Bottas or [Pastor] Maldonado. Next to me they would have gone much better than they can now. Look at Maldonado. He had few accidents last year than this season. Pastor is super-fast and with me at his side he would’ve been a lot more controlled. Okay so they have more points to his tally than last year but with this car we would have been in the top third.”
Barrichello & Maldonado struggled to find success last season.
Williams have enjoyed a highly competitive season in comparison to 2011, where the team endured their most uncompetitive season of their entire career. Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado could only bring home a maximum of 5 World Championship points, whereas this season Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna have achieved 53 points with half of the season still to run.
Rubens Barrichello currently sits 17th in the IZOD IndyCar Drivers’ Championship, with 215 points in comparison to team-mate Tony Kanaan who has 307 points and sits 7th in Drivers’ Championship, ahead of reigning Champion Dario Franchitti. Barrichello will be hoping for more success next season, as he strives to find a seat with a more competitive team on the grid.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images & Williams F1 Team
Will Power Wins Incident Filled Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Will Power has won a highly eventful and incident filled Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 38th running of the event, even though Power suffered a grid penalty for an engine change after qualifying and started 12th.
With the Target Chip Ganassi of Dario Franchitti starting from pole alongside rookie Josef Newgarden, the start was an eventful one as the rookie tried to go around the outside of the reigning Champion. This unfortunately ended in tears as Newgarden got tagged by Franchitti and found himself embedded in the tyre barriers after only the first turn. This subsequently brought out a full course caution, with the cars barely getting up to racing speeds.
As the race returned to green flag conditions, Franchitti once again found himself under pressure as former F1 driver Justin Wilson overtook him heading into turn 1. Unlike Newgarden, Wilson was able to make the pass stick and streaked off into the distance opening up a considerable lead. As if Franchitti’s race hadn’t already got off to a miserable start, the Scot was then passed by the rookie of Simon Pagenaud, before both Takuma Sato and team-mate Scott Dixon got around the 4-time IndyCar Champion.
On lap 20 the second full course caution was caused as former ChampCar Champion Sebastien Bourdais lost control of his Lotus powered IndyCar and ended up in the wall. As soon as the caution came out, the majority of the field dived into the pits almost immediately.
On the restart, Dario Franchitti suffered a torrid getaway and lost several places heading into turn 1. Before any of the drivers’ could return to full racing speeds, Alex Tagliani was seen limping down an escape road with right rear tyre damage after a collision with E.J. Viso. All attention was then diverted elsewhere as Marco Andretti suffered a violent incident flying into the tyre barriers at high speeds. As Andretti’s crash was shown again, it became apparent the American driver was very lucky to come out of the incident unscathed after making contact with Graham Rahal and getting launched into the air, narrowly missing collecting Scott Dixon in mid air. Graham Rahal was also forced to retire, after loosing the majority of his rear-wing during the collision with Andretti.
With the Safety Car out on track for the third time in 24 laps, Katherine Legge was also seen in the wall, whereas Mike Conway was seen slowing down on track after getting a tap from behind from Rubens Barrichello. Upon making it back to the pits, Conway had the rear of his car dismantled as his mechanics set to fixing the issue.
As the field prepared to go racing once again, they were forced to wait an extra couple of laps after Scott Dixon came to a sudden halt in the middle of the track, and subsequently retired from the race. This added delay forced Sato to pit from the lead, and therefore handed the lead to Ryan Hunter-Reay. However, before green flag racing was resumed, both Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe also decided to pit, with Ryan Briscoe assuming the lead with Franchitti 2nd.
On the restart, Franchitti suffered yet another blow as he made contact with Briscoe, slightly damaging his nose. Four laps later, Dario finally pitted for a new nose, as both Castroneves and Briscoe pitted as well. After rejoining the race, Mike Conway’s Honda powered car finally gave up on lap 48, with a mechanical issue prematurely ending the Brits race.
With rookie Simon Pagenaud leading the race, the Frenchman was forced to pit on lap 48, thus handing the lead to Takuma Sato as Will Power began a charge as he passed Justin Wilson for 2nd. On lap 55, Power pitted for the alternate red sticker tyres, and a lap later Takuma Sato pitted. With the majority of the front running drivers’ all pitting within close proximity of each other, Ryan Hunter-Reay returned to the lead. However his lead was short lived as on lap 59 both he and Hinchcliffe pitted, therefore returning rookie Pagenaud to the lead.
Will Power continued his surge to the top as he scythed passed Takuma Sato for 2nd and turned his attention to catching Simon Pagenaud for the lead. With Rubens Barrichello making up ground going from 6th to 4th, Simon Pagenaud eventually pitted once again. This handed Will Power the lead and left Pagenaud in 4th behind Barrichello. The Frenchman made light work of Rubens, and eventually caught and passed Sato for 2nd much to the adoration of the crowd.
As the 38th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach came to a close, Simon Pagenaud closed the gap to Power from nearly six seconds to just under a second but to no avail, as the Australian took his second consecutive win of the season.
Further behind there was carnage on the final lap as Hunter-Reay and Sato came together and Castroneves and Barrichello also came together at the final corner, blocking the entire track! With Hunter-Reay being issued a time penalty for the collision with Sato, James Hinchcliffe came home 3rd in an unbelievably hectic final lap.
Results - 85 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevy
2. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt DW12-Honda + 0.8675s
3. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevy + 13.2719s
4. Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevy + 18.1951s
5. JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevy + 22.9947s
6. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevy + 42.5631
7. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevy + 1m40.1271s
8. Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda + 1 lap
9. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevy + 1 lap
10. Justin Wilson Coyne DW12-Honda + 1 lap
11. James Jakes Coyne DW12-Honda + 1 lap
12. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevy + 1 lap
13. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevy + 1 lap
14. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevy + 2 laps
15. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda + 3 laps
16. Oriol Servia Dreyer & Reinbold DW12-Lotus + 3 laps
17. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon DW12-Lotus + 3 laps
18. Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda + 5 laps
19. Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Lotus + 5 laps
Retirements:
Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus 74 laps
Alex Tagliani BHA DW12-Lotus 46 laps
Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda 41 laps
Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda 27 laps
Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda 23 laps
Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevy 22 laps
Josef Newgarden Fisher DW12-Honda 0 laps
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
IndyCar Receives Rules Revamp For 2012
Only a month after becoming the IZOD IndyCar Series President and Race Director, Beaux Barfield has already rewritten new rules for the 2012 season. Coupled with the new Dallara DW12 chassis and the introduction of Chevrolet and Lotus as engine suppliers with Honda, IndyCar will be slightly different in 2012.
In 2012, long-time IndyCar engine suppliers Honda have been joined by two new manufacturers’ in Chevrolet and Lotus. With this in mind, IndyCar will run a Manufacturers’ Championship. Much like the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, points will be awarded at each race and will tally up towards the end of the season until eventually a Manufacturers’ Champion is crowned.
To assist communications between the teams, race officials and race control, a new instant messaging system is set to be introduced for 2012. Coupled with the teams’ radio communications with their drivers, track conditions and other important information will be quickly transmitted from the track to the Race Director and vice-versa.
Double-file restarts, which were introduced last season, are set to be retained in 2012 with the only exceptions being races held at Indianapolis, Texas and Fontana. This particular rule requires the cars to end a caution period just how they started the race, unlike beforehand when they restarted in single file.
It has also been rumored by Beaux Barfield that standings starts could well be introduced at some races towards the end of the season, reminiscent of how Formula 1 races are started. IndyCar has always started their races as rolling starts, where the field complete a particular amount of laps behind the safety car before they begin the race. This particular tradition is completed at much higher speeds, and is the only way races can be started on ovals. Naturally standing starts would only work on street and road courses, with ovals remaining as a rolling start procedure.
Another change to the rules for 2012 is how qualifying is set to be held at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in June. Usually qualifying is held in a single-car format, however this has been changed for this race only to feature heat races to determine the grid. It has been agreed that 30-lap races will determine the grid, with races taking place in three groups. Positions for these races will be decided by practice times.
With these new changes taking place in 2012, it’s fair to say IndyCar will be slightly different when the season gets underway at St. Petersburg in March. It’ll be interesting to see which of the three manufacturers’ come out top, and how the new qualifying system for Iowa works out.
Milwaukee Mile Confirmed On IndyCar Series Calendar For 2012
The Milwaukee Mile has been confirmed on the 2012 IndyCar Series calendar, this comes after Michael Andretti’s Andretti Sports Marketing company completed a deal to promote to the 2012 race.
The race didn’t take place in 2010 due to difficulties regarding the payment of sanctioning fees, however for 2011 the race returned with limited success after low tickets sales. This therefore fueled the belief that the 2011 Milwaukee Mile would be a one off, and sure enough for 2012 the provisional calendar didn’t feature a visit to Milwaukee.
Initially IndyCar looked set to visit only four ovals in 2012 with the Indianapolis 500, the Texas Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway and the Auto Club Speedway, resulting in an IndyCar schedule which featured more road and street courses than ovals.
However that number is now set to increase to five as the Milwaukee Mile joins the list of remaining ovals still in IndyCar. The 2012 Milwaukee Mile will on the weekend of June 15-16, slotting in between the Firestone 550K from Texas and the Iowa Speedway race weekend, creating three weeks of back-to-back oval racing.
“It’s a historic track in a great city, and it’s a place that has always been a favorite for my family,” said Michael Andretti, whose company will be promoting the 2012 event, “But, more importantly, it’s an ideal track for IndyCars and always produces exciting racing for the fans.”
The 2012 IndyCar Series kicks off on March 25th with the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Formula 1 veteran Rubens Barrichello could well be on the grid, potentially racing for KV Racing Technology alongside good friend Tony Kanaan.
Barrichello To Race IndyCar Street & Road Courses Only
Rubens Barrichello has admitted that he is now waiting for sponsors regarding his move to IndyCar in America, with his eyes set on a drive with KV Racing Technology. However he may well only stick to racing on road and street circuits, missing out the ovals such as the Indianapolis 500, Texas and Fontana.
With Rubens Barrichello being replaced at Williams in Formula 1, he has now been testing with KV Racing Technology at Sebring and has now announced there are only minor details to be discussed before any final move is made.
Rubens Barrichello has said that only a small dilemma at home and the search for sponsors is all that’s halting his final decisions. It’s become clear that the dilemmas at home are mainly to do with his involvement in oval racing, something his wife is very much against, especially after the death of Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas last year.
However, even though his wife is very much against him contesting oval racing, she knows that his urge to compete is still very much alive. Barrichello has spoken out about how he’d enjoy learning the tricks to be competitive on ovals, regardless of how dangerous that particular form of motor sport is.
IndyCar visits a mixture of ovals, road and street circuits throughout the year, many of which have been a part of IndyCar for countless years such as the Indianapolis 500 and the Honda Grand Prix of Long Beach.
“It would be a great challenge,” Commented Barrichello on potentially racing in America. “I’ve been racing 19 years in F1, but this would be something I would have to do without any experience. It would be fascinating.”
Whether Barrichello races a whole year in IndyCar or just the street and road courses, it seems almost a certainty that Rubens Barrichello will become the latest Formula 1 driver to try his hand at racing in the IndyCar Series.
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