News for the Month of September 2015
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Trackside podcast 9/29/15 – 1070 The Fan’s popular Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee show from 9/29/15 is a great listen as always. Sebastien Bourdais joins the pair during the show. – 1070 The Fan – (9/30/2015)
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Miller’s Mailbag 9/30/15 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (9/30/2015)
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INDYCAR community honors Wilson with celebration – “Steely determination and dedication that marked a varied motorsports career was remembered alongside humility, humanity and a zest for life during “Celebrating the Life of Justin Wilson” on Sept. 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The program, which was streamed live on IndyCar.com, paid tribute to the veteran Verizon IndyCar Series driver who succumbed Aug. 24 to a head injury sustained in a freak accident the day before in a race. He was 37. A funeral was held Sept. 10 at St. James the Great Church in Paulerspury, England.” More at the link. – INDYCAR – (9/30/2015)
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Honda working hard on ’16 aero improvements – Though their participation in the series is yet to be confirmed Honda is working hard on aero improvements for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay ran new aero pieces in their test at Road America on Monday. “We’re allowed, just like Chevrolet, to test concepts and ideas before we homologate those aero kit pieces, and we have a series of tests planned to find directions on what we want to use,” HPD vice president Steve Eriksen told RACER. “We’ll continue testing prototype pieces during the offseason.” – RACER – (9/30/2015)
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Cavin Q&A 9/29/15 – The Indianapolis Star’s Curt Cavin’s fan Q&A covers questions on Tony Stewart’s INDYCAR-involvement after retirement, Pocono and/or Gateway races on the ’16 schedule, and more. – Indianapolis Star – (9/29/2015)
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Boston condo owners upset with GP plans – Condo owners along the planned route for next year’s Verizon IndyCar Series race in Boston are upset with the City for scheduling the race and believe the process to award the race was illegal. “Because the City of Boston has not sought competitive bids, the race is illegal,’’ attorney David E. Lurie wrote. “Had it sought competitive bids, the developer may well have offered to pay the City a substantial sum of money for exclusive use of its public ways.’’ The residents are concerned about noise, fencing, and ability to access their homes/parking lots/roads during the events. – Boston Globe – (9/29/2015)
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Hinch returns to the track in RA test – James Hinchcliffe enjoyed his return to the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock on Monday in a test at Road America with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Hinch was joined on track by Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Sebastien Bourdais, and Tristan Vautier. A visor cam video is included at the link. – INDYCAR – (9/28/2015)
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Pigot excited for the future after Lights title – Juncos Racing’s Spencer Pigot rose through the Mazda Road to Indy ladder as a champion with a brilliant performance in the final weekend at Mazda Raceway to win the Indy Lights championship and earn the Mazda scholarship for a Verizon IndyCar Series program. Needless to say, he’s excited for his future. “What a program with this Mazda Road to Indy. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to take advantage of it. It takes me to my ultimate dream, which is the Indianapolis 500. All my family, all my supporters… I can’t thank everyone enough.” – NBC Sports – (9/28/2015)
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Julia Wilson speaks about her husband and the INDYCAR community – Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star has an excellent article with the late Justin Wilson’s wife, Julia, as she answers questions about her husband and the support of the INDYCAR community. Great read. – Indianapolis Star – (9/28/2015)
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Tan looking to move up to Lights – Weiron Tan is looking to move up to Indy Lights after a largely successful season in Pro Mazda with Andretti Autosport. “For most drivers, making it to Formula One is the ultimate dream,” said Tan. “But, if you look at it today, I think it’s getting unrealistic because it’s so expensive. Finding the backing to compete is so difficult in the current climate. IndyCar has a huge following, just like Formula One, and even the lower tier events attract massive crowds. Motor racing is media-driven in the States.” – The Star Online – (9/28/2015)
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INDYCAR’s Damian Power series debuts w/Hinch – INDYCAR’s well-hyped video interview series with Will Power’s comedian brother, Damian Power, debuts with SPM’s James Hinchcliffe. The hilarious interview is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (9/28/2015)
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“Indianapolis” entered into Jalopnik film festival – IndyCar photographer Shawn Gritzmacher has created a short film, “Indianapolis”, that will be entered into the 2015 Jalopnik Film Festival. The trailer for the film is available at the link. Update: The entire film can be seen here. – RACER – (9/25/2015)
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Dixon, Bourdais, Hawksworth, Briscoe, and Bell confirmed for Petit LeMans – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Scott Dixon, Sebastien Bourdais, Jack Hawksworth, Ryan Briscoe, and Townsend Bell have each been confirmed as drivers for next week’s Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta. Conor Daly is expected to drive in the race as well. – NBC Sports – (9/24/2015)
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Hinch returns to INDYCAR at Road America 9/28 – James Hinchcliffe will make his return to the Verizon IndyCar Series in the second Road America test on Monday, September 28th. “This is obviously the day that has been the goal and the motivation to get through the last four months,” said Hinchcliffe. “And the fact that it is at Road America, one of my favorite road courses in the country, makes it that much better.” Also expected to test are Andretti, Hunter-Reay, Vautier, and Bourdais. – INDYCAR – (9/24/2015)
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RACER confirms Newgarden will drive for CFH in ’16 – RACER’s Robin Miller reports he “can now report that Josef Newgarden is definitely returning to CFH Racing for 2016. The 24-year-old native of Hendersonville, Tennessee is expected to be confirmed this week for a one-year deal to again drive the No. 67 Dallara/Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter, Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman.” – RACER – (9/23/2015)
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Newgarden visor cam from Road America – INDYCAR has posted a video from Josef Newgarden’s visor during Tuesday’s test at Road America. It’s amazing.
– INDYCAR – (9/23/2015)
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Trackside podcast 9/22/15 – 1070 The Fan’s popular Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee is a great listen as the pair talks about all of the speculation regarding the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. – 1070 The Fan – (9/23/2015)
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Miller’s Mailbag 9/23/15 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (9/23/2015)
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Drivers enjoy Road America test – Tuesday’s Verizon IndyCar Series test at Road America was a big hit with the drivers. “It’s good to be back here, but quite strange coming back to such a large track,” said Scott Dixon. “It’s nice to be back in this area and see so many fans out today, especially for a test day for the first time. The race itself should be pretty good and racing here is the heart of American road racing.” – INDYCAR – (9/22/2015)
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Rayhall targeting INDYCAR future – Sean Rayhall enjoyed a successful debut half-season in Indy Lights with new team 8Star Motorsports and is unsure of his future plans as he works on his options for 2016. Asked which future he’d prefer, sports cars or INDYCAR, Rayhall’s answer was easy: “IndyCar – I love Le Mans, but IndyCar.” – motorsport.com – (9/22/2015)
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INDYCAR at Kentucky won’t happen until repave – Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Simendinger says INDYCAR won’t come to Kentucky Speedway until the track is repaved. “I think they could probably do OK, but I’m not even going to worry about it until we do a re-pave,” Simendinger said. “We’re not that far away from a re-pave. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, because this track isn’t going to last that much longer. I think at that point in time, we’re a viable alternative for them.” – The Courier Journal – (9/22/2015)
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Well-educated Hildebrand offers opinion on improving safety – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has posted an excellent interview with JR Hildebrand on improving safety in INDYCAR. Hildebrand’s brilliant combination of an engineering background, INDYCAR experience, and communication skills read well as he breaks down all of the considerations in improving INDYCAR as a whole moving forward. A must read. – RACER – (9/22/2015)
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Andretti Autosport promotes Kellet to Lights program for ’16 – “Andretti Autosport announced today that Canadian driver Dalton Kellett will return to the team’s Mazda Road to Indy roster for the 2016 season. Kellett, who has completed two seasons in the Pro Mazda Championship, moves up the ladder to pilot the No. 28 K-Line Insulators USA machine in the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires program. “I’m very excited to return with Andretti Autosport for the 2016 season in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires,” said Kellett, a recent graduate from Engineering Physics at Queen’s University. “2015 marked my first year with the team in the Pro Mazda Championship, having the opportunity to grow that relationship in the upcoming season is an immense honor.”” – Andretti Autosport – (9/22/2015)
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INDYCAR teams to test at Road America on Tuesday – Road America is hosting a Verizon IndyCar Series test on Tuesday with 11 car/driver combinations scheduled to take to the track. The test is open to the public and is scheduled to run from 8:30AM-4:00PM CT. More at the link. – INDYCAR – (9/22/2015)
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Dixon narrowly misses karting sweep – “Scott Dixon nearly pulled off a weekend sweep of karting events at New Castle Motorsports Park. A day after winning the Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Race honoring Justin Wilson, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion teamed with Verizon IndyCar Series star Josef Newgarden to finish second in the 12th annual RoboPong 200, endurance karting event. In a race that was decided by fuel mileage, the KartSport North America / AMR entry of Jake Donald and Brandon Jones kept up a blistering pace while making just three stops for gas put them out front for the victory and $10,000. Dixon and Newgarden were 47 seconds behind the winners.” – INDYCAR – (9/22/2015)
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Dixon wins 3rd Annual Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am – Scott Dixon’s hot streak continued on the kart track as he won the 3rd Annual Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Race Honoring Justin Wilson on Sept. 19 at New Castle Motorsports Park. Dixon took a late lead over Matthew Brabham and Will Power after Marco Andretti’s kart flipped early in the race. “We all want to win here,” Dixon said. “But just being part of the race is the biggest part. With everyone out here and supporting means the most to us. It’s fun to hang out with everybody. Dan (Wheldon) was a huge personality and it was great to honor him and Justin (Wilson) as well.” – INDYCAR – (9/21/2015)
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Miles comments on 2016 schedule – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has posted an article on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule after a conversation with Mark Miles. The biggest news is Miles’ optimism over potential new races in Mexico City (February) and Phoenix (April) and that INDYCAR is willing to consider helping the State Fair Board as a co-promoter after Michael Andretti decided to end his promotion of the race at Milwaukee. Great read at the link. – RACER – (9/18/2015)
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Wilson auction totals already almost over $200k – Despite having only launched on Monday evening, September 14th, the totals for the active auctions to benefit the Wilson Children’s Fund on eBay were almost to $200,000. “It’s amazing to see some of the numbers that are posting on some of the helmets; right now we’re just in the phase of Sonoma IndyCar helmets and it blows your mind to see how much has been raised,” said Stefan Wilson. “To be close to the $200,000 mark already is incredible. I saw [2015 IndyCar champion] Scott Dixon’s helmet was added recently and it went to the top of the bids, and I’m really excited for the rest of the items to start coming out.” – RACER – (9/17/2015)
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RHR to host driving school in December – “Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how to race Formula cars with instruction from 2014 Indy 500 Champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay and other Verizon IndyCar series professionals at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA! This intensive two-day racing school is only the beginning of your experience! You will also have private access to a special reception and beautiful dinner in the Peninsula, transportation to and from the race track and organized dinners, as well as the opportunity to play a round of golf at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course with IndyCar pros!” – Racing for Cancer – (9/17/2015)
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Robin Frijns named as Andretti Formula E driver – Andretti Autosport has announced that Robin Frijns will join Simona de Silvestro as drivers for their Amlin Andretti Formula E program. Frijns has plenty of single-seater success and could be a candidate for their INDYCAR program somewhere down the road. – Andretti Autosport – (9/17/2015)
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Hinch to return to racing at DW Pro-Am – James Hinchcliffe will race in this weekend’s third annual Dan Wheldon Memorial Pro-Am Karting Race Honoring Justin Wilson. From INDYCAR: “Professional drivers and sponsors scheduled to participate in this year’s event include: Newgarden (Big Machine Records); Dixon (Target); Power (Indianapolis Motor Speedway); Andretti (Bell Helmets); Hinchcliffe (Novitec 1); Carpenter (Machine of Awesome); Chaves (American Honda), Sage Karam (Comfort Revolution); Sebastian Saavedra (Firestone 1); Sarah Fisher (Firestone 2), Briscoe (Novitec 2); Jay Howard (Motorsports Graphic Designs), James Davison (Dan Wheldon Foundation/Bill Simpson 1); Pigot (Dan Wheldon Foundation/Bill Simpson 2); Jack Harvey (Performance Tire Service); Matthew Brabham (AFS/Stellricht).” – INDYCAR – (9/17/2015)
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Miller’s Mailbag 9/16/15 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (9/16/2015)
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Miller reports Newgarden likely to stay at CFH – RACER’s Robin Miller reports that free agent Josef Newgarden is likely to remain with CFH Racing for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. “But there aren’t any openings at Team Penske’s four-car armada for next year, Chip Ganassi is currently only committed to three cars, and while Andretti Autosport might relish the chance to sign Josef, it requires sponsorship that he doesn’t have. Honda made it clear that it wanted Newgarden back in its lineup and there was serious talk of helping him become teammates with Graham Rahal at RLL Racing, but that has also gone quiet. It’s believed that another Honda team, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, was interested in pairing Newgarden with James Hinchcliffe for 2016, but wasn’t willing to offer a one-year contract – which supposedly is what the 2011 Indy Lights champion wants.” – RACER – (9/15/2015)
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Wilson eBay auction begins Monday night – RACER’s Marshall Pruett has posted an excellent story with more details on what will be included in the eBay auction to benefit the Wilson Children’s Fund. This story will be updated with a link when the auction goes live on Monday. – RACER – (9/14/2015)
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Power makes early ’16 title claim – Talking to the Detroit Free Press about double points in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Will Power makes a claim that he’ll win the 2016 championship before the season-ending race: “I think the Series has produced great racing until the very end over the years. When you get four people at the last race of the year at Sonoma with a chance to win the title, I call that pretty exciting. Then, again, I think I’m going to wrap up the championship in 2016 long before the last race.” – Detroit Free Press – (9/14/2015)
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Pigot wins Lights Race 2 and the championship at Laguna Seca – Juncos Racing’s Spencer Pigot won Indy Lights Race 2 at Mazda Raceway on Sunday and won the series championship with a dominant drive. Pigot led every lap of the race after taking the lead through the hairpin as Harvey and Chilton struggled to hold their temporary advantage. The Top 5 was Pigot, Rayhall, Chilton, Jones, and Blackstock. Full results here. – NBC Sports – (9/13/2015)
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Chilton to start on pole for Laguna Seca Lights Race 2 – Max Chilton earned the pole for Race 2 of the Indy Lights weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Championship leader Spencer Pigot will start in P2 while fellow contenders Jack Harvey and Ed Jones will start in P4 and P5. Full starting order at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/12/2015)
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Pigot wins Lights Race 1 at Laguna Seca – Juncos Racing’s Spencer Pigot won Indy Lights Race 1 at Mazda Raceway on Saturday after an early mistake by Max Chilton. Chilton clipped the tires at the corkscrew and spun forcing himself into an early pit stop. Pigot takes over the points lead by 8 points. The Top 5 was Pigot, Kaiser, Jones, Rayhall, and Harvey. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/12/2015)
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Max Chilton takes pole in Laguna Seca – Max Chilton maintained his dominance from the second practice session and won the pole at Laguna Seca. Kyle Kaiser, who was quickest in the first practice session, had to settle for P2 in qualifying. The Top 5 was Chilton, Kaiser, Pigot, Jones, Hrvey. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/12/2015)
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Max Chilton Fastest in the second Lights practice in Laguna Seca – Max Chilton led Ed Jones, RC Enerson, Shelby Blackstock, and Jack Harvey in the second practice session with a time of 1:15.8720. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/12/2015)
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Rahal confirms Wilson auction starts Monday – Graham Rahal has confirmed that the online auction benefiting Wilson Children’s Fund will launch on Monday, September 14th on eBay. The goal is to race $1 million. – NBC Sports – (9/11/2015)
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Kaiser P1 in first Lights practice Laguna Seca – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser was once again the quickest Indy Lights driver at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Friday with a lap of 1:16.0457 in the first official practice of the weekend after Thursday’s testing. The rest of the Top 5 was Jones Rayhall, Pigot, and Chilton. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/11/2015)
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St. Pete city council wants a review of race financials – Per a local newspaper the city council wants to review the financials of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete. “Several city council members are asking for a financial review of the Grand Prix road race promoters, but a city development official warned Thursday that initiating such a study might risk losing the race. The city contributes about $150,000 to the annual St. Petersburg Grand Prix, including $60,000 to Albert Whitted Airport, which has to close as the three-day downtown race uses one of its runways.” Reading through the article the situation doesn’t sound dire but City Development Administrator Alan DeLisle points out that such a conversation and loss of city funding could result in the end of the race. However, DeLisle also said this: “When you have a model that works, you generally want to stay with and strengthen that model.” – The Suncoast News – (9/11/2015)
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IMS announces MotoGP won’t return in ’16 – “Following eight years of delivering world class motorcycle racing, the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix will not be on the 2016 event schedule for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The award winning MotoGP event was first hosted at IMS in partnership with Dorna Sports in September of 2008. The cancellation of the race was a mutual decision by both parties. “This outcome reflects the best interests of both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Dorna Sports,” said J. Douglas Boles, President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We are proud of our efforts to increase attendance in recent years and successfully host a truly international sporting and cultural event. We’re also thankful to Dorna Sports for its strong support and partnership since 2008. However, the timing is right to pursue other opportunities that drive greater revenue for both the Speedway and our Central Indiana economy.”” More at the link. – IMS – (9/11/2015)
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Kaiser fastest again in second Lights test session at Laguna Seca – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser posted the fastest lap of the second test session for Indy Lights at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Thursday with a lap of 1:15.7060. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/11/2015)
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INDYCAR officially announces Road America test – “Race fans will have a chance to preview of the return of Indy car racing to Road America on Sept. 22, as several teams from the Verizon IndyCar Series will take part in a test session. The test session is being held in advance of the series’ return to the revered road course for the Road America Grand Prix, June 23-26, 2016. Admission to the test session is $20, with 50 percent of every ticket sold going to the Wilson Children’s Fund to benefit the family of the late Justin Wilson. Fans will also have the option to make additional contributions on site. Road America Season Pass holders will be admitted with a $10 donation to the Wilson Children’s Fund. The test session will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. Entrance to the test session for fans and media will be at the main gate located off of Highway 67.” – INDYCAR – (9/10/2015)
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Kaiser fastest in first Lights test session at Laguna Seca – Kyle Kaiser’s lap of 1:16.6880 was the fastest lap of the first session of Indy Lights testing on Thursday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca ahead of the championship-deciding races on Saturday and Sunday. Full results at the link. – Indy Lights – (9/10/2015)
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Wilson laid to rest on Thursday in England – The funeral for Justin Wilson was held on Thursday in England and NBC Sports’ Luke Smith has posted a summary of the event. “On Thursday, Wilson was laid to rest in a service at St. James the Great church in Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, near Silverstone where his wake was held later in the day. Four-time IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti was one of Wilson’s pallbearers, as was former Jaguar F1 teammate Mark Webber. Wilson’s wife, Julia, read a poem called “Today I Washed You Away”, and said: “It’s not fair you had such a short life.”” – NBC Sports – (9/10/2015)
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Miller’s Mailbag 9/9/15 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (9/9/2015)
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Honda Indy Toronto names new president – “Green Savoree Racing Promotions (GSRP), organizers of the Honda Indy Toronto, are pleased to announce the promotion of Jeff Atkinson to president of the Honda Indy Toronto. Formerly the vice president of GSRP, Atkinson has spent the past 10 years managing sponsorship, ticket and hospitality sales, earning the respect of his colleagues, peers and members of the auto racing and business community across Canada and the United States. Throughout his career, he has consistently exceeded sales and revenue targets, and has helped nurture a high ratio of recurring sponsors and partners at GSRP race properties in Toronto, Florida and Ohio.” More at the link. – Honda Indy Toronto – (9/9/2015)
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Ganassi recovering from bicycle accident – NBC Sports’ Dustin Long reports that Chip Ganassi “suffered a broken clavicle when he wrecked riding his bicycle Saturday in the Pittsburgh area.” Ganassi expects to have a quick recovery and to attend the NASCAR race this weekend at Richmond. – NBC Sports – (9/9/2015)
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RACER explains X1 Group/INDYCAR interaction – RACER has posted a report on the interactions between INDYCAR and X1 Group. X1 Group, led by Michael Earle, approached INDYCAR to see if the Verizon IndyCar Series was for sale and was told it was not. However, X1 Group has remained interested in working with the series in some capacity. “The X1 Group is now motivated to join forces with IndyCar to revolutionize the series’ business model through an online gaming platform. X1 claims to have massive financial resources at its disposal. It also has a vivid, multi-tier marketing plan that centers on creating a new, futuristic chassis that would serve as the real-world connection to its proposed online racing/gaming business. More on that later.” – Part 1 / Part 2 – (9/8/2015)
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TK explains the mentality of a racer – Tony Kanaan has wrote an excellent piece for The Players’ Tribune on his approach to dealing with tragedy in racing. It’s a must read. “If Dan Wheldon or Justin Wilson or Ayrton Senna or any of the other drivers we’ve lost in past years could stand in front of the rest of us drivers and tell us how they’d want us to cope with their deaths, they’d all say the same thing: “Get your ass back in the car. Go do what we do and make it better.” So that’s what we do. It sounds twisted, but you have to be a little crazy to do what we do. We’re okay with that. We wouldn’t have it any other way.” – The Players’ Tribune – (9/8/2015)
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SPM adds fifth entry for Choi for Lights finale – “Seven-time Indy Lights championship-winning team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) announced today that Korean driver Heamin Choi will make his Indy Lights debut in the Indy Lights Grand Prix presented by Cooper Tires at Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca. Thirty-one-year-old Choi is recognized as the first Korean to have raced in the Mazda Road to Indy Series (Pro Mazda, USF2000) and the first Korean driver to have participated in any race held in the U.S. His other achievements include the 2005 BAT Championship (Formula Korea), 2006 Korea GT championship (GT1), and 2013 Super Race GT driver’s title. He was also the Samsung Everland scholarship driver from 2003 to 2005. “I am very excited to participate in the Indy Lights event this weekend since it is my first time in Indy Lights,” said Choi. “However, I am quite anxious since I have been racing with the GT car, which is heavier than the open wheel car, for the past two years and now I need to see how I adapt to the Indy Lights car.”” – SPM – (9/8/2015)
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Changes ahead at KV – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports that big changes are coming at KVSH Racing/KV Racing Technology as part-owner James “Sulli” Sullivan is expected to become more involved. “There are a few moving parts with the KV and the SH that are super positive,” Vasser told RACER. “We’re bringing Sulli more into the fold. Moving forward, everything will be KVSH. There’s a potential sports car program we’re working on, a potential second IndyCar entry next year – all as KVSH.” Vasser also gives an update on his two-car program moving forward: “You’ll see some downsizing [on the No. 4], but you will see the No. 11 car remain essentially intact,” Vasser said. “It’s not going to be easy, but you’ll see most of the familiar faces over winter on the 11 car. I’m pretty pumped up about the budget and plans for that car moving forward.” – RACER – (9/8/2015)
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Excellent Dixon interview – The Huffington Post has posted an excellent interview with 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon. Check it out at the link. – Huffington Post – (9/8/2015)
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Busy offseason ahead for INDYCAR – NBC Sports’ Tony DiZinno has an excellent summary of the decisions and activities ahead now that we’ve reached the offseason of INDYCAR. – NBC Sports – (9/8/2015)
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Justin Wilson eBay Charity Auction set for September 14 start – Largely through the efforts of Graham Rahal there will be a large eBay auction of outstanding motorsports memorabilia with proceeds benefitting the Wilson Children’s Fund beginning on Monday, September 14th on eBay. “We’ve received incredible support from the entire IndyCar series, and drivers and teams from throughout the world, and we’ll start the auction off with all of our helmets from Sonoma, which includes the helmet Scott Dixon wore to win the championship,” Rahal said. More details at the link. – RACER – (9/6/2015)
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Honda and Firestone make big donations to Wilson Children’s Fund – “American Honda and Honda Performance Development, whose engines propelled the late Justin Wilson throughout his Verizon IndyCar Series career, pledged $50 for each lap completed by their 13 entries at Sonoma for the Wilson Children’s Fund during the 85-lap event, and the final tally of $53,950 will be sent to the charity…IndyCar’s official tire partners also pledged to support the Fund by contributing $25 for every Firestone tire used at Sonoma. With 1179 tires consumed, Bridgestone Americas/Firestone Racing have donated $29,475 to assist Wilson’s wife Julia and his daughters Jane and Jess.” – RACER – (9/6/2015)
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Hinch nearing full comeback – “I’ve been getting clearance in stages in terms of physical activity to get back in the gym,” James Hinchcliffe told MotorSportsTalk. “There’s only one more stage left to clear, so hopefully we will begin that next week or the week after, to get properly after it. The team is planning to test late September, early October… so it’s soon. I’ve got a goal. That’s the plan. So hopefully we can make it work.” – NBC Sports – (9/3/2015)
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Trackside podcast 9/2/15 – 1070 The Fan’s popular Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 9/2/15 recaps the end of the Verizon IndyCar Series season and looks forward to 2016. A great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (9/3/2015)
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INDYCAR announces post-Sonoma infractions – “INDYCAR announced the following post-event infractions following the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, which was held Aug. 30 at Sonoma Raceway:
* The No. 22 Team Penske entry was fined $2,500 for violating Rule 7.9.17.1 (courtesy zone) and Rule 7.10.1.1 (lane usage) of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.
* The No. 67 CFH Racing entry was fined $500 for violating Rule 7.10.1.6 (contact with another car’s pit equipment).
* Following the deduction, Chevrolet won the manufacturer championship with 1,645 points; Honda finished with 1,179 points.” – INDYCAR – (9/2/2015)
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Ganassi’s budget allows for 3 cars in ’16 – RACER reports that Chip Ganassi Racing Teams has secured a budget for three cars for 2016 at the moment. “It’s a work in progress for us,” Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull told RACER. “We have sponsorship in place for three cars next year, which is no different than last year at this stage. We have a planning meeting in two weeks to address the fourth entry.” – RACER – (9/2/2015)
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Miller’s Mailbag 9/2/15 – RACER’s Robin Miller’s weekly fan Q&A is a great read as always. – RACER – (9/2/2015)
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NBCSN gets record viewership for Sonoma finale – Sports Media Watch reports that NBCSN’s telecast of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma earned earned 841,000 viewers making it far and away the most viewed INDYCAR race on the network. The previous record was 666,000 for the tape-delayed broadcast of the 2015 Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio. Another great result for the positively-trending viewership for INDYCAR on NBCSN. – SMW – (9/1/2015)
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Cavin Q&A 9/1/15 – The Indianapolis Star’s Curt Cavin’s fan Q&A answers questions on the season finale, Dixon, and Miles’ contact info. – Indianapolis Star – (9/1/2015)
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Kirby offers insight on Walker/INDYCAR relationship – Legendary motorsports journalist Gordon Kirby posted an excellent piece after an interview with the outgoing Derrick Walker on his time with INDYCAR and his relationships with those in the organization and the teams. Too good to summarize. Enjoy the piece at the link. – Gordon Kirby – (9/1/2015)
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Awards doled out at the Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Celebration – Plenty of awards were officially handed out at the Verizon IndyCar Series Championship Celebration on Monday night at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. Scott Dixon was given his award as the championship driver, Gabby Chaves was named Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, Justin Wilson was named Verizon IndyCar Series Fan Favorite Driver, among many awards. Read the full summary at the link. – INDYCAR – (8/31/2015)
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Gonzalez’s P9 keeps No. 18 in Leaders Circle spot – Rodolfo Gonzalez finished a career best P9 at Sonoma on Sunday and that was enough for the No. 18 car to top the No. 4 entry in the entrant points for P22 keeping both Dale Coyne Racing cars in the INDYCAR Leaders Circle program next year. “I am really happy with the result. I think we got absolutely everything out of the car and the team today,” said Gonzalez. “I want to give a big thanks to the team and to Dale Coyne Racing. They have made me feel at home all season and helped me adapt and learn as much as possible about the series.” – Dale Coyne Racing – (8/31/2015)
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Montoya not happy with double points after losing the title at Sonoma – “It sucks, but when you make the last race double-points on a road course and you change the tyre and you do everything you did for this weekend and you put so many variables, it doesn’t even matter what you do all year,” said Montoya. “Dixon had a shit season all year and had one good race, and we paid the penalty.” – RACER – (8/31/2015)
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Rahal’s great season ends with disappointing Sonoma finish – “Car was just miserable today, just miserable. I don’t know why. We’ve been pretty strong on road and street courses all year, but we found a bad day to be bad. But that doesn’t overshadow the year we had,” Rahal said. “We have nothing to be ashamed of this year. Steak ‘N Shake rescued this team and gave us the chance to race this year.” – NBC Sports – (8/31/2015)
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Dixon wins race and championship at Sonoma – Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Scott Dixon won the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma in dominating fashion and won the Verizon IndyCar Series championship on the number of race wins tiebreaker over Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya. The rest of the Top 5 was Hunter-Reay, Kimball, Kanaan, and Briscoe. Montoya finished in P6 and would have won the title if he finished in P5. Full race results at the link. Click here for our live blog of the race. – INDYCAR – (8/30/2015)
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Brilliant NBCSN/Robin Miller tribute to Justin Wilson – NBCSN and Robin Miller’s excellent tribute to Justin Wilson is a must watch and available at the link. – NBCSN – (8/30/2015)
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Verizon IndyCar teams to test at Road America in September – According to RACER’s Marshall Pruett many Verizon IndyCar Series teams are planning on testing at Road America in late September. The testing would not be an official INDYCAR test so some teams have mentioned a date of September 22nd while others are targeting the 28th. – RACER – (8/30/2015)
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IndyCar looks to finish 2016 season in Sonoma – As details slowly emerge on the 2016 IndyCar schedule it looks as though things are coming together for the season to end in the same place it concludes this year, Sonoma Raceway. Curt Cavin, of the Indianapolis Star, has confirmed IndyCar and Sonoma Raceway’s intentions of ending the 2016 season together, but nothing at this time is finalized. – Indianapolis Star – (8/30/2015)
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Power wins the pole at Sonoma – Will Power set a new track record and edged Josef Newgarden for the pole for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma with a lap of 1:16.2597. The full Firestone Fast 6 finishing order was Power, Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Pagenaud, Montoya, and Rahal. Scott Dixon will start in P9. Full qualifying results at the link. – INDYCAR – (8/29/2015)
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