[INDYCAR] 2008 #2 - Zonder Indy500 op RTL7

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Op donderdag 31 juli 2008 09:46 schreef m1155 het volgende:

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De regie is altijd erg gefocusd op de coureurs vooraan en helaas gaan ze tussendoor ook zomaar driver-profiles laten zien...

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Gister de Texas race uit 2003 gezien, die was toch wel erg goed met continu strijd aan de kop. Op het einde die mega klapper van Kenny Brack (ik dacht trouwens dat die was overleden bij deze of een andere crash?)

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The IndyCar Series in DIRECTTV HD will open and close its 2009 season in Florida. In between will be 16 exciting events, including two first-time venues under Indy Racing League sanctioning.

The IndyCar Series - with a 2009 schedule featuring races on 10 ovals, three permanent road courses and five temporary street circuits - continues to offer the most diverse set of challenges to drivers and teams in motorsports, which resonates with fans around the world. This season already has produced seven different winners on the array of ovals and street/road courses.

Developing the schedule also was challenging for series officials, who met with groups representing venues all seeking an IndyCar Series event.

"We often refer to developing the schedule as three-dimensional chess because you can't just move one (event) and expect another one to drop in at the exact right date," said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights. "It has been a challenge, but a wonderful one to have because of the number of venues that are capable of hosting our races."

Four prime-time races will be featured, including the first IndyCar Series race under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway. The season will be extended by a month, with four consecutive weekends being the longest stretch of racing. Angstadt said another venue could be added toward the end of the season. Earlier in the day, Surfers Paradise, Australia, was added to the 2008 schedule for an Oct. 26 non-points race.

"When unification was announced earlier this year, we talked about the opportunity of developing future schedules on a blank piece of paper and with today's announcement we have a solid foundation for developing a consistent, long-term schedule for the IndyCar Series," Angstadt said.

Here's a capsule look at the foundation.

First and last

The season opener will be the fifth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 5. This year, Graham Rahal became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing history by taking the checkers in his first IndyCar Series event. The event was the first non-oval in IndyCar Series history and now will be the first non-oval to kick off a season.

The season finale has been moved to the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 11, with the speedway and series developing a championship weekend celebration. Homestead-Miami Speedway had been the season-opening race since 2002.

First-time visits

The Grand Prix of Long Beach will be contested April 19, marking the IndyCar Series' debut at the 35-year-old event. The IndyCar Series will debut in Toronto on July 12. The Indy Toronto, which dates to 1986, will be the first of back-to-back temporary course events in Canada, with the second Edmonton race scheduled for July 26.

"We're very excited about hosting the IndyCar Series here next April as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "It will be a great opportunity for our fans to see some of their old favorites like Helio Castroneves, who won here in 2001, plus all the other stars that make up the competitive IndyCar lineup."

With trips to Toronto and the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the series will add two large markets with strong open-wheel racing fan presence.

Shifting

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event will move from July to Aug. 9, allowing the series to break up what was six consecutive weeks of racing in 2008. With the date change, the Kentucky Speedway event will move back one week to Aug. 1.

The Raceway at Belle Isle Park and Chicagoland Speedway will exchange weekends, with the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval being utilized Aug. 29 (Saturday night race) and the temporary street event in Detroit on Sept. 6.

The Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi is moving to Sept. 19, which presents more favorable weather, after being held in April since 2003. Danica Patrick became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race on the 1.5-mile oval this year.

Indy and the summer

The IndyCar Series will be a part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Centennial Celebration with the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race scheduled for May 24. Month of May activities will again feature qualifications weekends and the Firestone Freedom 100 on Carb Day May 22. The complete 2009 Firestone Indy Lights will be released in the immediate future.

The IndyCar Series will return to Kansas Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, Texas Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Infineon Raceway at approximately the same time on the calendar as 2008.

"First, I have to commend the Indy Racing League officials for creating such a fair and balanced schedule for 2009," HVM Racing owner Keith Wiggins said. "I think any progress towards a closer stability between road courses and ovals is welcome, as it is for HVM Racing, and I suspect most people feel the same way. Teams, drivers and most importantly, the fans, will be happy to see a more even mix, and this allows for a better job of encompassing open-wheel racing.

"This is a series with fans spanning all over the globe and the schedule is allowing for growth of our sport."

The 2009 IndyCar Series schedule:

Date Track Layout
Sun 5-Apr Streets of St. Petersburg 1.8-mile street course
Sun 19-Apr Streets of Long Beach 1.968-mile street course
Sun 26-Apr Kansas Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 24-May Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval
Sun 31-May The Milwaukee Mile 1.0-mile oval
Sat 6-Jun * Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 21-Jun Iowa Speedway .875-mile oval
Sat 27-Jun * Richmond International Raceway .75-mile oval
Sun 5-Jul Watkins Glen International 3.4-mile road course
Sun 12-Jul Streets of Toronto 1.721-mile street course
Sun 26-Jul Edmonton City Centre Airport 1.973-mile airport course
Sat 1-Aug * Kentucky Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 9-Aug Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2.258-mile road course
Sun 23-Aug Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course
Sat 29-Aug * Chicagoland Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sun 6-Sep The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 2.906-mile street course
Sat 19-Sep Twin Ring Motegi 1.5-mile oval
Sun 11-Oct Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mil oval

* - night race
Schedule subject to change.

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Op zondag 10 augustus 2008 18:36 schreef Atreidez het volgende:
Wat een finish weer op Kansas Maakt het toch wel weer leuk...

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Op donderdag 14 augustus 2008 11:40 schreef NED het volgende:
Ik vond het wel zielig voor Helio

Hij had echt zoiets van: "WTF meot ik doen om een keer 1ste ipv 2de te worden?!?! "

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Op donderdag 28 augustus 2008 21:19 schreef Atreidez het volgende:
Oh, was er een race geweest zondag?

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Op woensdag 3 september 2008 16:42 schreef Migue het volgende:
Mja toch wel opvallende hoe Target Chip Ganassi Racing de laatste tijd aan het klungelen is.

Dario Franchitti vervang Dan Wheldon volgend jaar overigens, voor wie het nog niet gehoord heeft... Dan Wheldon naar Luczo/Dragon Racing met Tomas Scheckter?

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Franck Perera will audition for a potential 2009 IndyCar Series ride at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend in the No. 41 ABC Supply Co. Honda-powered Dallara for A.J. Foyt Racing.

Perera, 24, has made nine Firestone Indy Lights starts in the No. 55 CJ Consulting Guthrie Racing car since June, posting one victory (Infineon Raceway road course from the pole) and four top-10 finishes. He competed in the first two IndyCar Series races of the season car before sponsorship issues forced him out of the No. 34 Conquest Racing car.