Long Beach Grand Prix Race Thread [Archive]

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 14:01

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/longbeachlogo.jpg

Race 3 of 16

Race - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Location - Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Date - Sunday, April 15th

Time & TV Schedule - Pre-Race Show - 3:30PM , Green Flag -4:15PM - NBC Sports Network

Course Type - 1.968 Mile Street Course

Distance - 85 Laps / 167.28 Miles

Practice Sessions -

Friday, April 13th -1:00-1:30pm Group A & 1:30-2:00pm Group B / 5:15pm-6:15pm Eastern
Saturday, April 14th - 1:25 PM- 2:25 PM Eastern
Sunday, April 15th -Warm-Up - 12:15 -12:45 pm Eastern

Qualifications - Saturday, April 14th - 5:00 pm- 6;20 pm Eastern

2011 Pole Sitter -#12 Will Power - 1:09.0649 / 102.582 MPH

2011 Winner - #27 Mike Conway

** Note - All times listed are in Eastern time. California is 3 hours behind.

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 14:07

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/longbeachmap.jpg

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 14:11

Entry List..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/lbentrylist.jpg

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 14:13

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/lbpits.jpg

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 14:34

2011 Long Beach Race Statistics

Time of Race - 1 hour, 53 minutes, 11 seconds
Margin of Victory - 6.3203 seconds
Number of Cautions - 3 for 12 laps
Lead Changes - 7 among 6 drivers (Power, Tagliani, Briscoe, Hunter-Reay,Dixon, Conway)

00steven

11th April 2012, 17:06

The greatest street race in America. Can't wait to see Hinch win his first race Sunday!

Btw, DanicaFan you do a great job compiling this race information, thanks for your work.

heliocastroneves#3

11th April 2012, 17:09

Thanks DanicaFan! Once again a nice opening post. Also great news for Dutch IndyCar fans; Sao Paulo, Indianapolis, Detroit and Baltimore will be broadcast live. Great news but if the commentary is the usual crap, it's not a big deal to use my HDMI cable and to find a good HD stream to watch those races with good commentary.

I can't wait for this race; I like every street race but nothing is like this one. It's gonna be a great race!

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 17:10

The greatest street race in America. Can't wait to see Hinch win his first race Sunday!

Btw, DanicaFan you do a great job compiling this race information, thanks for your work.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I enjoy doing this.

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 17:11

Thanks Heliocastroneves3.

DanicaFan

11th April 2012, 17:37

Practice Group B is all drivers. Practice Group A is as follows...

#77 Simon Pagenaud
#10 Dario Franchitti
#5 EJ Viso
#26 Marco Andretti
#7 Sebastien Bourdais
#83 Charlie Kimball
#18 Justin Wilson
#67 Josef Newgarden
#22 Oriol Servia
#4 JR Hildebrand
#98 Alex Tagliani
#19 James Jakes
#20 Ed Carpenter
#78 Simona De Silvestro
#15 Takuma Sato
#6 Katherine Legge
#11 Tony Kanaan
#8 Rubens Barrichello

booger

12th April 2012, 15:49

DBell

12th April 2012, 16:37

So two more drivers, Hinch and Sebass are going to be penalized for engine changes even before qualifying? Can anybody explain this stupid rule to me? It effectively takes out 2 drivers who have shown flashes of greatness already this season and now they go back 10 spots on the grid after having "engine issues" in testing? These problems are with the manufacturers not the drivers for gosh sakes. With all the electronic controls, drivers can't over-rev an engine even if they tried. This rule has got to go. What happens if the pole winner at the 500 has "issues" during carb day? Makes no sense at all.

Agree. Marshall Pruett wrote about this subject at Speed today.

PRUETT: 10 Spots Of Stupidity (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/pruett-10-spots-of-stupidity/)

The mileage penalty should go away until the engines and electronics are sorted out and the whole package is more reliable. I would hate to see this become deciding factor in the championship. Engine failures and dnfs are penalty enough.

SarahFan

12th April 2012, 19:33

Chevy are changing all 11 engines ... All teams/drivers to take a 10 position grid penalty

SarahFan

12th April 2012, 19:36

We all know that the only attendees at these street races are event fans anyhow...

But how is joe six pack I'm only here for the party going to process Will Power winning the fast six shoot out on Saturday ... Then show up on Sunday and his dallara lined up 11th...

Heads might explode

garyshell

12th April 2012, 19:46

Just saw the story on Racer that all of the Chey engines are being changed, so I somehow expect this "rule" to disappear from the books in the next few hours.

Gary

00steven

12th April 2012, 20:03

Chevy are changing all 11 engines ... All teams/drivers to take a 10 position grid penalty

What the ****?!

beachbum

12th April 2012, 21:30

Chevy are changing all 11 engines ... All teams/drivers to take a 10 position grid penalty
Isn't engine diversity great?

Think about it. At least a few Lotus powered cars may now start ahead of a Chevy or two. ;)

Marbles

12th April 2012, 23:55

Dems da rules! Shouldn't be too complicated for the "event" fan to understand. Not that they could care less about or remember what the starting order should be.

Would hardly be fair to change the rules now if Honda spent the extra cash to make sure their engines don't turn to scrap metal prematurely. If the Loti were to pull this move I don't think anybody here would give a s***.

Checkered Past

13th April 2012, 00:54

So....If Will Power puts his Chevy on the pole, does he start 11th or will he move up positions from 11th for each other Chevy in the top ten as they take their 10 grid penalty?

Also, Hello to the forum! I'm a long time IndyCar fan that picked up F1 along the way and started following V8 Supercars last year. I try to watch all activity with the 3 series. Found this forum and thought I would sign up.

drewdawg727

13th April 2012, 01:25

Looking forward to this race as it was a snoozer last year (as was Barber) but hoping the new cars proves for better racing.
BTW DanicaFan - are you still playing in my fantasy competition or are you going to resort to your first race pick?

Marbles

13th April 2012, 01:46

Mad_Hatter

13th April 2012, 03:21

HOLY SNIPE SNOUTS! Lotus wasn't a complete dirtbag of a factory to skip the test?!?! Now those guys regret it? Complete craziness, absurd...
It's probably a move by Chevy to best position the teams for Indy and the engine update afterwards I'd guess...

If they ease the engine limits now what double standards does that present for new engine companies in 2013(if there are any)?

DBell

13th April 2012, 03:31

Having thought about it, I see this as a defining moment for the new Indycar. These are the rules; come and play! To do an about face -- to waffle -- would be unreservedly weak-kneed in my opinion.

Chevrolet should suck it up for the time being and as for what I believe, if Chevy can't get it right they won't be hanging around too long no matter what the rules are.

I do think IndyCar should consider consider suspending the mileage rule, though I think they should do this well before a race weekend so everyone would know the score going in. I don't think they should wave it during the weekend of a race. So if they let Chevy off this weekend and don't penalize them, I agree that would be a mistake.

garyshell

13th April 2012, 06:51

Civic

13th April 2012, 08:46

I'll be there Friday and Saturday. Hopefully I can get some good pics to share. I hope there's free wi-fi at the convention center. I posted pics before and Autosport published one I took of Paul Tracy racing a CORR truck. And I took the pics of the IndyCars featured on the banners of this forum. =)

FIAT1

13th April 2012, 12:07

It's a stupid rule that penalizes the teams not the engine manufacturers. The rule as I understand it was to insure that the engines lasted x number of miles. OK, I get that. But change the penalty to affect the folks building the engines, not the folks using the SEALED engines over which they have NO control.

Gary

Penalty on builders would affect teams anyway. I believe rules are rules and needs to be implemented, but rules for next season should be changed to five spots as ten is little bit harsh in my opinion. This weekend race sure will be interesting.

garyshell

13th April 2012, 17:02

Penalty on builders would affect teams anyway. I believe rules are rules and needs to be implemented, but rules for next season should be changed to five spots as ten is little bit harsh in my opinion. This weekend race sure will be interesting.

Sorry but I disagree. First, the drivers are the ones suffering the penalty as it is now implemented. Plain and simple that is STUPID. Second I think Indy car needs to admit a mea culpa on this and say they really hadn't thought through the impact of the rule, given the fact that these are brand new engine designs and there are bound to be teething issues with them. Issues that the drivers should not be penalized for.

I am not sure I understand how a penalty on the engine builders will penalize the teams and drivers? Rules are rule, stupid rules are stupid rules. One should be enforced, the other should be eliminated when the folly they represent is exposed.

Gary

FIAT1

13th April 2012, 17:45

Sorry but I disagree. First, the drivers are the ones suffering the penalty as it is now implemented. Plain and simple that is STUPID. Second I think Indy car needs to admit a mea culpa on this and say they really hadn't thought through the impact of the rule, given the fact that these are brand new engine designs and there are bound to be teething issues with them. Issues that the drivers should not be penalized for.

I am not sure I understand how a penalty on the engine builders will penalize the teams and drivers? Rules are rule, stupid rules are stupid rules. One should be enforced, the other should be eliminated when the folly they represent is exposed.

Gary

Agree with you that rules are stupid, more than stupid, but not enforcing the rules would be damage to credability of the series. Remember turbo pup off valve fiasco with Honda and Toyota.

SoCalPVguy

13th April 2012, 17:46

Weather update: It is raining like a mo fo here in so cal all day Friday. Forecast call for rain Sat Am possibly clearing in afternoon. Sunday is expected to be sunny and warmer... mid 60's probably. It looks like practice and qualifying will be in the rain while the race will be sunny and dry. As a result we are likely to see a "Topsy turvey" field whereby the good rain setup drivers qualify higher and the good dry track drivers start behind but in their more favorable condition. Where as Barber went true to form (heck even I picked the 1-2-3 finishers), this weeks "pick ems" will be a tough draw ...

MAX_THRUST

13th April 2012, 20:48

I agree 10 place penalty is harsh, think 5 would be more reasonable, however what concerns me, this makes qualifying difficult as even if the guy who goes fastest ends up being dropped to 10th i can understand, when the whole top ten gets dropped and 11th ends up on pole its a bit wierd. I think this is gonna cause a pile up first corner first lap......lets see how this pans out?

anthonyvop

13th April 2012, 22:14

Word from LB is that the IndyCar VP of tech Will Phillips is saying that they'll relax engine longevity going into Brazil. Lowering it to 1200 miles from the current 1800 miles

Civic

14th April 2012, 05:33

I missed morning practice because I overslept. Only the Target boys went out during the rainy second practice. They probably did maybe two laps each. Something happened to Dixon's car as it was carried out by a tow truck at the end of the session. ALMS qualifying was also cut short. GT and GTC got laps in, but not the prototypes. Will post pics in a bit.

Civic

14th April 2012, 05:59

Civic

14th April 2012, 06:01

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03632.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03633.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03634.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03639.jpg

Civic

14th April 2012, 06:02

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03644.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03646.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03645.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03647.jpg

Civic

14th April 2012, 06:08

There's still a rooster tail spray in the wet, but it's different compared to the Reynard R98s (I think 1998 was the last time it rained as hard as it did today). With the DW12, a lot of spray from the front wheels are directed over the sidepods, while the rear wheels' spray doesn't seem to be affected as much despite the rear bumpers.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03639.jpg

heliocastroneves#3

14th April 2012, 10:44

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03610.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03615.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03612.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/HybridsRacing/DSC03613.jpg
This configuration of the DW12 will be used at Texas Motor Speedway only, right?

It's going to be a very interesting race I think. I enjoyed St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park even more but this one is also going to be an interesting one. There's a huge chance, the pole sitter won't start from P1 tomorrow. But hey, if the pole sitter is a Chevy, the driver of that car will still get that extra bonus point.... If it's going to rain, then I think the race will be a sort of lottery. We'll see, can't wait!

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 15:00

My boy Marco on top...

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/lonbeach1.jpg

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 15:06

These penalties are an absolute joke. None of these engine changes were made after qualifying, practicing, or even during a race. And I thought NASCAR was bad...lol

These engine problems were completely out of the driver's hands. Until the engine manufacturers get these engines finely tuned and figured out, they should not penalize these drivers. Engine malfunction was an expected probablilty for this new season so why these infractions.

Just plain makes no sense to me. I think Indycar is dumb for doing this. I dont care what Rule 15 says...

heliocastroneves#3

14th April 2012, 16:11

These penalties are an absolute joke. None of these engine changes were made after qualifying, practicing, or even during a race. And I thought NASCAR was bad...
Isn't your boy on 19th place because he drives the GoDaddy car doesn't he? Nah, just kidding.. Well, Marco did a good job, Thumbs up to him!

Everyone can have it's own opinion about the engine change rules of course, I think very easy about it: Rules are rules. They already knew them before the season would start, so they knew they would have to build a reliable engine. Of course that's not easy but that's part of the game, isn't it? NASCAR? I watched it before the start of the IndyCar season but I totally don't care about it anymore since the IndyCar season has started. Danica was concerned about boring parades on road courses in IndyCar? Well, NASCAR's races on 1,5/2 mile ovals are real parades. The only races I could enjoy there are eventually Daytona, Talladega and Montreal. Everyone their opinion, but man... That race at Fontana was simply boring.

The engine change rule, might be bad for the drivers... But it will make this season even more interesting, I think. :)

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 16:25

Let's see...last year (the old) BB made up rules on the fly, used strange interpretations or disregarded rules on the books and was roundly blasted by most everyone. This year they're not messing with the rules whether not well thought out or not. So which is it guys? You can't have it both ways. Of course, I guess it depends on whose ox is being gored. ;)

This is a new rule because of the new engines. I dont care who is calling the shots, this is completely absurd. Like I said, everyone thought that engine malfunctions and problems were going to happen so they shouldnt restrict these teams and engine manufacturers even more. They have enough to worry about getting them fine tuned and up to speed to make them compeitive.

Like I said, these engine changes werent made during race qualifications, after a first practice, etc so no penalty should be given.

I am proud of Chevy for making a stand and changing the engines because of thier concern. Kudos to Chevy!

And Helio, yes Marco was on top of the speed charts yesterday. I know the track was wet but he was still on top.

FIAT1

14th April 2012, 16:34

This is a new rule because of the new engines. I dont care who is calling the shots, this is completely absurd. Like I said, everyone thought that engine malfunctions and problems were going to happen so they shouldnt restrict these teams and engine manufacturers even more. They have enough to worry about getting them fine tuned and up to speed to make them compeitive.

Like I said, these engine changes werent made during race qualifications, after a first practice, etc so no penalty should be given.

I am proud of Chevy for making a stand and changing the engines because of thier concern. Kudos to Chevy!

And Helio, yes Marco was on top of the speed charts yesterday. I know the track was wet but he was still on top.

Rules like these are terible and should be revised, but the fact that Indycar is standing firm is a good thing. Change can be made at onother date ,but if change would take place now would be very bad for the series.

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 16:39

Rules like these are terible and should be revised, but the fact that Indycar is standing firm is a good thing. Change can be made at onother date ,but if change would take place now would be very bad for the series.

Im glad Indycar stands firm on rules but this rule should have never been made in the first place.

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 19:19

If I was one of the penalized teams, I would save all my red tires for the race.
Why ruin them in qualifying ? You are going to lose 10 places anyways.

During the race, you just shortpit, get off strategy, and run most of the race on reds.

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 19:25

Here are the qualifying groups going out today..

Group 1

Group 2

#15 Takuma Sato

#26 Marco Andretti

#11 Tony Kanaan

#14 Mike Conway

#2 Ryan Briscoe

#4 JR Hildebrand

#5 E.J. Viso

#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay

#9 Scott Dixon

#3 Helio Castroneves

#8 Rubens Barrichello

#7 Sebastien Bourdais

#20 Ed Carpenter

#12 Will Power

#98 Alex Tagliani

#22 Oriol Servia

#6 Katherine Legge (R)

#78 Simona de Silvestro

#27 James Hinchcliffe

#10 Dario Franchitti

#38 Graham Rahal

#77 Simon Pagenaud (R)

#83 Charlie Kimball

#19 James Jakes

#18 Justin Wilson

#67 Josef Newgarden (R)

DanicaFan

14th April 2012, 19:29

Here are the groups for qualifying....

Group 1

#15 Takuma Sato
#11 Tony Kanaan
#2 Ryan Briscoe
#5 EJ Viso
#9 Scott Dixon
#8 Rubens Barrichello
#20 Ed Carpenter
#98 Alex Tagliani
#6 Katherine Legge
#27 James Hinchcliffe
#38 Graham Rahal
#83 Charlie Kimball
#18 Justin Wilson

Group 2

#26 Marco Andretti
#14 Mike Conway
#4 JR Hildebrand
#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#3 Helio Castroneves
#7 Sebastien Bourdais
#12 Will Power
#22 Oriol Servia
#78 Simona De Silvestro
#10 Dario Franchitti
#77 Simon Pagenaud
#19 James Jakes
#67 Josef Newgarden

booger

14th April 2012, 21:22

Ok, why no video feed for Lights quals? Come on man!

booger

14th April 2012, 22:05

Will nbcs broadcast quals live or tape delay? Anybody have an idea?

booger

14th April 2012, 22:09

To answer my own question. No, the b'cast at 5 Central will not be live. Quals are happening right now. Geesh MLS soccer??? Really? And no help on the Indy website. Radio is in the on off on off mode.

numanoid

15th April 2012, 00:25

Wow, bad luck for Dixon with the fire.

DanicaFan

15th April 2012, 02:57

Congratulations to Ryan Briscoe for winning the pole. However, due to the Chevy 10 grid penalty, Dario Franchitti will start at the pole. He was the fastest non-Chevy engine (Honda) at 4th quickest.

DanicaFan

15th April 2012, 03:09

Here is how they qualified. However, tomorrow, the actual starting grid will up and official. This is going to take work and time to figure out.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/longbeachgrid.jpg

Phoenixent

15th April 2012, 07:35

It will be an exciting race tomorrow with the quickest cars mid-pack and farther back. I can't wait for the start of my 21st LBGP from the Grandstands... :D

Civic

15th April 2012, 07:40

Graham Rahal almost ran me over on his scooter in the paddock today. I'll take that as a sign he's gonna win tomorrow. =)

heliocastroneves#3

15th April 2012, 11:11

It's great to see Dario up front again, despite Briscoe of course got the pole. Newgarden on the front row, that's great for him and the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team! And for the first time, a Lotus powered car will start into the top 10 as Alex Tagliani will start 10th in his Team Barracuda - BHA car. He has by far the most advantage from the Chevrolet engine change story, as he actually qualified 21st.. :p

The starting grid for todays' race can be found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Toyota_Grand_Prix_of_Long_Beach).

FIAT1

15th April 2012, 13:58

I hope that Josef and a team find a sponsor as this kid is everything that Indycar needs in the future.

DanicaFan

15th April 2012, 19:55

Here is how they will start today's race...

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/lonbeachstart.jpg

harvick#1

15th April 2012, 21:22

Newgarden tried the pass, but Dario of course had to make contact, but pretty sure no penalty will ever be made of this :/

jackmart

15th April 2012, 21:45

Is that why Darios car is bad now? Did they make contact?

harvick#1

15th April 2012, 23:15

Sato screwed out of a podium thanks to Hunter-Reay

FIAT1

15th April 2012, 23:49

Will Power is the best. Congrats dude! Josef has what it takes and idiot Dario had to put him in the wall when it was clear he lost a corner .Simon was superb and race was little weird in my opinion. Nice to see green car up front again. Ugly bumpers didn't slow Marcos flight. Sick and tired of whiners and exscuses .These cars need more hp.

jimispeed

16th April 2012, 00:01

Cars definitely need more horsepower, or P2P to increase performance in passing. Don't know if I like blocking that much, seems to be an unfair advantage until the cars get P2P. Ooooh, and I feel sorry for all of the more than capable drivers who drive with Lotus power. You have absolutely no chance of showing your competitiveness! Very sad to watch you struggle just to keep up with the middle of the pack......... Lotus, is that all you can do??

00steven

16th April 2012, 00:21

Wow, Dario looks lost this year. Power is the best right now, Paganaud is his main contender with a touch of Andretti Auto (minus Marco). A weird but great race with more passing.

Marco's crash concerns me though...

00steven

16th April 2012, 01:02

Newgarden tried the pass, but Dario of course had to make contact, but pretty sure no penalty will ever be made of this :/

Newgarden tried to pass on the outside in turn 1, that's on him.

After reviewing the Marco crash it's clear Graham Rahal flat out blocked him. It appears he launched off the side not the back as I thought in my first post so that's good.

Phoenixent

16th April 2012, 02:31

Marco's crash concerns me though...

I hope you realize that there is really no way for them to keep cars on the ground other than luck and the grace of God. You can minimize the chances but when two item impact each other at high speed they will never deflect in the same direction twice. Race cars of all type have become airborne for all sorts of different reasons and the DW12 will not stop that it will only minimize it to a certain degree. It's time to realize that racing is a dangerous sport and if it's something that bothers people than there are other sports to watch....

Phoenixent

16th April 2012, 02:35

Enjoyed the race maybe one of the best in years in regards to passing. We held our breath the last four lamp as we knew Simon was fast and was charging hard. Congrats to Will Power and Team Penske. Also Congrats to ICS officals for placing a penalty on RHR for his typical dirty driving style.

harvick#1

16th April 2012, 02:47

garyshell

16th April 2012, 04:30

Newgarden tried to pass on the outside in turn 1, that's on him.

Look at a replay, Dario squeezed him to the right. There were other similar passes today withou incident.

There is no way we will ever completely eliminate launching, but the bumpers and the sidepods certainly enabled a lot of side by side racing on a narrow course. There was one four car scramble involving Helio, Briscoe and two others that in the past would have resulted in four cars on the hook. As it played out today all four kept on going. The drivers know this and are now not afraid to push a bit harder.

RE: the Marco Rahal incident, Marco is an idiot if he thought he could make that next corner with as much speed as he was carrying. Dixon and Rahal were both on the brakes and Marco was trying a bonsai move. And true to form, just like his dad, he blames the other guy.

Gary

DBell

16th April 2012, 05:45

Look at a replay, Dario squeezed him to the right. There were other similar passes today withou incident.

There is no way we will ever completely eliminate launching, but the bumpers and the sidepods certainly enabled a lot of side by side racing on a narrow course. There was one four car scramble involving Helio, Briscoe and two others that in the past would have resulted in four cars on the hook. As it played out today all four kept on going. The drivers know this and are now not afraid to push a bit harder.

RE: the Marco Rahal incident, Marco is an idiot if he thought he could make that next corner with as much speed as he was carrying. Dixon and Rahal were both on the brakes and Marco was trying a bonsai move. And true to form, just like his dad, he blames the other guy.

Gary

Gary, did you not see Graham change his line in response to Marco in the braking zone. It was a stupid block and the kind that should be penalized at the next race. Marco gets a lot criticism, and deservedly so on many occasions, but Graham seems to get a pass on a lot of the dumb stuff he does. His weak explanation of the incident with a smirk on his face during the telecast didn't exactly make me think he believed what he was spinning. Maybe Marco's move would have ended badly, but we'll never know because Graham changed his line to block in the braking zone and caused the accident.

Phoenixent

16th April 2012, 06:36

Hunter-Reay should've been dropped behind Sato, 3 place penalty is undeserving.

Penalty was time based if it would have been done like you suggest Hunter _Reay would have finished 9th or 10th instead of 6th. In my mind he got off easy since he pulled this stuff last year. Now if the officials would do the same to Dario when he does his risky moves...

Civic

16th April 2012, 08:13

Raw video clips I took on Saturday.
2012LongBeachGP.wmv - YouTube (http://youtu.be/IOlrYzuGYrk)

heliocastroneves#3

16th April 2012, 13:10

I think Newgarden just made a rookie mistake... C'mon, the race is 85 laps.. Why is it necessary to pass the leader in the first turn of lap one, while it's not 100% guaranteed the pass will succeed?

That Marco just went airborne is nothing new, and is nothing to be concerned about. IndyCar racing can be dangerous and despite the new car is safer, it never can be 100% safe... It's nothing new and we just have to be happy, he is okay. ;)

It was a great race, and Will Power did a hell of a job. Also thumbs up to Pagenaud! And, oh boy... Dario still has a lot of trouble with the new car it seems. :(

Can't wait for Sao Paulo which is about two weeks! :)

jens

16th April 2012, 13:30

Power is awesome in combining fuel management and going fast simultaneously. With Franchitti struggling and seemingly out of the game, Will has a great chance of finally clinching the title. Fuel management of some other drivers (Barrichello, Wilson) didn't really work out by the end.

Pagenaud is the revelation of the season. He was on a risky 3-stop strategy, which enabled him to push, but he was lucky that there was no safety car in the second half of the race, which would have ruined the charge.

Sato. :( :( I'm so frustrated, because this guy never seems to catch a break in IndyCar. Whenever he is on course for a great result, something goes wrong.

DanicaFan

16th April 2012, 13:36

Congrats to Will Power. My boy Marco had a scare during that race. Im just glad that tire barrier was there because the wall behind it was concrete, that would of been real bad.

DanicaFan

16th April 2012, 13:36

The Chevy engines showed thier dominance again, even after the 10 position penalties. They took 8 out of the top 10 finishes. This doesnt look good for Honda and Lotus. ___________________

DanicaFan

16th April 2012, 13:41

Here are the final results..

1. #12 Will Power
2. #77 Simon Pagenaud
3. #27 James Hinchcliffe
4. #11 Tony Kanaan
5. #4 JR Hildebrand
6. #28 Ryan Hunter-Reay
7. #2 Ryan Briscoe
8. #15 Takuma Sato
9. #8 Rubens Barrichello
10. #18 Justin Wilson
11. #19 James Jakes
12. #5 EJ Viso
13. #3 Helio Castroneves
14. #20 Ed Carpenter
15. #10 Dario Franchitti
16. #22 Oriol Servia
17. #7 Sebastien Bourdais
18. #83 Charlie Kimball
19. #6 Katherine Legge
20. #78 Simona De Silvestro
21. #98 Alex Tagliani
22. #14 Mike Conway
23. #9 Scott Dixon
24. #38 Graham Rahal
25. #26 Marco Andretti
26. #67 Josef Newgarden

Phoenixent

16th April 2012, 18:36

The Chevy engines showed thier dominance again, even after the 10 position penalties. They took 8 out of the top 10 finishes. This doesnt look good for Honda and Lotus. ___________________

You had to be there to hear the different engines. Chevy(Ilmor) sound like it is smooth and high pitch. The Lotus(Judd) sound similar to the Chevy but is why down on the pitch and not as smooth. But the shock to me was the Honda as it sounded like the old Offy-turbo mid 70's low and throaty but kicks in hard when it does come on. Should be interesting for the Honda drivers if they don't change it by Indy as the Offy with a large turbo were a hand full when the turbo kicked in....

Phoenixent

16th April 2012, 18:41

Anyone here that attended the LBGP get asked to do a survey about the GP? I did and the covered all sorts of questions to find out the demographics of those attending. It pretty cool to do but was completely out of the blue as they were walking the GP ask people and using an iPad to input all the information.

djparky

16th April 2012, 20:08

another good race for Indy Car (helped by the excellent NBC coverage)- some decent overtaking and an exciting finish. It's not quite peak era CART but way way better than anything since 2001/02

zako85

16th April 2012, 20:39

I was considering no watching this race because of the penalties to some of my favorite drivers due to Chevy engine fiasco (even though the rule is fair IMO). However, I watched it anyways and was proven wrong.

00steven

17th April 2012, 01:13

Look at a replay, Dario squeezed him to the right. There were other similar passes today withou incident.

There is no way we will ever completely eliminate launching, but the bumpers and the sidepods certainly enabled a lot of side by side racing on a narrow course. There was one four car scramble involving Helio, Briscoe and two others that in the past would have resulted in four cars on the hook. As it played out today all four kept on going. The drivers know this and are now not afraid to push a bit harder.

RE: the Marco Rahal incident, Marco is an idiot if he thought he could make that next corner with as much speed as he was carrying. Dixon and Rahal were both on the brakes and Marco was trying a bonsai move. And true to form, just like his dad, he blames the other guy.

Gary

Dario held his line, which is his right going in to 1 as the leader. I'm sure he was surprised to see Newgarden along side since 10 seconds earlier he fell in line behind him.

Marco can be an idiot but who's to say he couldn't pull an incredible pass? Rahal blocking is what caused the crash in first place.

harvick#1

17th April 2012, 01:41

Dario completely missed the apex, he overshot the corner worse than Newgarden and used Newgardens car as the save, Newgarden had the "racing" line as he was able to outbreak Dario, but thanks to the rear bumpers, Dario clipped him and sent him in the wall, with the old car, Dario would've most likely cut Newgardens rear tire. Dario also should've known this is a young kid who was on the front row for the first time and had to have known he was gonna push to get some air time

Marbles

17th April 2012, 02:12

Great race and once again, awesome coverage by the NBC crew. Great looking and great audio, especially the in-car.

When I saw what Newgarden did, his fault or not, I couldn't help but think of a young Paul Tracy. I like the little shove-over that Dixon gave Franchitti. Tsk-tsk on Rahal although fat chance of Andretti ever making that corner. Oh Sato! I dunno... I hate these late race penalties and the one on RHR is tough to take but that's racing??? Go Hinchcliffe!

Cart750hp

17th April 2012, 05:04

My first live race to attend and watch an IndyCar since forever. Glad to see one series and it looks like although I've missed a lot, this series is heading to the right track. Everyone in one roof, just made it more fun to watch a real racing.

Civic

17th April 2012, 11:19

You had to be there to hear the different engines. Chevy(Ilmor) sound like it is smooth and high pitch. The Lotus(Judd) sound similar to the Chevy but is why down on the pitch and not as smooth. But the shock to me was the Honda as it sounded like the old Offy-turbo mid 70's low and throaty but kicks in hard when it does come on. Should be interesting for the Honda drivers if they don't change it by Indy as the Offy with a large turbo were a hand full when the turbo kicked in....

You must have good ears because they sound the same to me! I posted a YouTube link of my video clips and about 3/4 through I have footage of them coming down the main straight and I honestly cannot tell the difference. Of course, I'm also a tone deaf singer. =)

DBell

17th April 2012, 14:22

Good news is the ratings were up 21% from last year. Bad news is that it is still dismal at a .34 overnight. Pressdog has some more detailed numbers breakdown. Bad news that they couldn't even pull a 1.0 in the host city. (LA overnight .80)

pressdog.com: Long Beach Overnight TV Ratings up 21% from Last Year (http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/04/long-beach-overnight-tv-ratings-up-21-from-last-year.html)

My first live race to attend and watch an IndyCar since forever. Glad to see one series and it looks like although I've missed a lot, this series is heading to the right track. Everyone in one roof, just made it more fun to watch a real racing.

Hey Cart750, good to see you around. I haven't seen you here in a long while.

DBell

17th April 2012, 20:46

INDYCAR: Rahal Receives 6-Race Probation For Move On Andretti (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-rahal-receives-6-race-probation-for-move-on-andretti/)

FIAT1

17th April 2012, 20:50

[quote="DBell"]INDYCAR: Rahal Receives 6-Race Probation For Move On Andretti (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-rahal-receives-6-race-probation-for-move-on-andretti/)[/QUOT

I'm sure he wont be able to sleep now. Ridiculous.

DBell

17th April 2012, 21:03

INDYCAR: Rahal Receives 6-Race Probation For Move On Andretti (http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-rahal-receives-6-race-probation-for-move-on-andretti/)[/QUOT

I'm sure he wont be able to sleep now. Ridiculous.

At least it was addressed and not forgotten about. I would have rather them add a 10 grid spot penalty to the next race along with the probation, but at least it wasn't swept under the rug.

Chris R

17th April 2012, 21:33

I think it seems appropriate - the real test is if Barfield is consistent and also what he does if Rahal screws up again while on probation....

I am not sure what else you can do short of sitting the driver out for a race and I do not think the series is in a place it can afford to do that right yet and I do not think that would be the right penalty at this time.... Same goes for a $$ fine...

Personally, I think both drivers need a good talking to behind closed doors from someone they both respect and/or fear to tell them a little about themselves... and I don't think any of us need to know who said what.... A little rivalry would be a good thing but these two need to be a little better before their rivalry has any real substance......

garyshell

17th April 2012, 21:44

And Dario's move in turn one is unaddressed?? I still think there was avoidable contact there as well. We saw similar pass attempts in turn one later in the race without incident.

Gary

FIAT1

17th April 2012, 23:20

And Dario's move in turn one is unaddressed?? I still think there was avoidable contact there as well. We saw similar pass attempts in turn one later in the race without incident.

Gary

Agree!!!

champcarray

18th April 2012, 01:16

Double agree. Dario took out Josef in my eyes. (And Dario proved throughout the race that he was very passable.)

champcarray

18th April 2012, 01:51

Marbles

18th April 2012, 02:35

Great fan footage showing Dario pushing Josef into the wall, intentionally or not. Please note how the 3rd and 4th cars through held a very tight line through the corner. Franchchitti Newgarden Trun 1 TGPLB Lap 1 Hit. - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISGrFaI8woE).

You can't get away with nothing these days! "We" are Big Brother! Gadzooks!

I don't want to be looking at a post race summary like I'm looking at the penalty sheet of a bench clearing brawl in the NHL playoffs. Barfield went as far as I care for any judge in this sport to go. If he starts making calls on racing incidents such as Franchitti\Newgarden then I'll probably start tuning out. You can't call a foul on a guy being passed on the outside for not being able to hold his line to the inside -- in a corner like that -- at a speed like that. And I'm not making excuses for Franchitti, especially since that incident with Sato last year.

I'd rather cry to the Gods, whine and moan to friends, family and forum members about my heroes being hard done by rather than see any more rulings! And I sure as hell don't want to see the finishing order changed. Dock them points, fine them or grid penalties.

The only call I am absolutely comfortable with Barfield making was on Rahal (and I like Rahal)... but probation? Gimme a break. Too easy... IMO.

00steven

18th April 2012, 03:24

Rahal deserved it...

Mark in Oshawa

18th April 2012, 08:13

FIAT1

18th April 2012, 11:36

Good broadcast, but I think the Rahal penalty is spot on, even if I too think Marco was heading for a big shunt since he was WAAY late on the brakes....

AS for the kid trying Dario on the outside at lap one, I take the view the booth did...that the kid showed some guts, but that was a really scary idea to try that type of pass on lap one with sort of luke warm rubber. Dario isn't always the cleanest guy out there, but on this one, I don't hold him at fault. The kid rolled the dice, and Dario had to be somewhere and Josef didn't give him any track to work with. An outside pass on that corner on lap one? C' mon people, you dump on Paul Tracy for trying that stuff, and then want to bury Dario for it and give the kid a pass??

I do see your point , but if you take someone out by hitting other car in rear wheel you have lost a corner way before and Dario is very good at that(Will Power Toronto, no penalty). Josef I think will be next great American ace in Indycar and I hope he doesn't stop racing hard and comes to be like Paul Tracy.Great stuff.

garyshell

18th April 2012, 16:39

The kid rolled the dice, and Dario had to be somewhere and Josef didn't give him any track to work with. An outside pass on that corner on lap one?

There were similar attempts at the same sort of pass in the same spot latter in the race without incident. Lap one, lap thirty five, what difference does it make? Dario struggled all day and was struggling into that first corner. Josef saw the opportunity and pounced. Then Dario went way wide right and took him out. I am a big fan of Dario, but I think this one is clearly on him.

Gary

anthonyvop

18th April 2012, 17:11

There were similar attempts at the same sort of pass in the same spot latter in the race without incident. Lap one, lap thirty five, what difference does it make? Dario struggled all day and was struggling into that first corner. Josef saw the opportunity and pounced. Then Dario went way wide right and took him out. I am a big fan of Dario, but I think this one is clearly on him.

Gary

While I generally agree with you on this one I have to say Barfield made the right call.

At the time he had no clear video evidence of Dario actually hitting JN. You can't make what can be a race altering decision based on an assumption. Good Call.

anthonyvop

18th April 2012, 18:17

Sorry, there are 20 video screens in Race Control. There is a feed from each camera used for the TV broadcast as well as others. Each feed is DVR ed with the ability to play back on demand by RC. All feeds are recorded all the time whether the TV broadcast is showing that particular camera at the time or not. If you can see it at home RC can see it and much more.

And none of them had definitive evidence of contact.....none!

garyshell

18th April 2012, 21:46

And none of them had definitive evidence of contact.....none!

My memory maybe lyin' to me, but didn't we see the rear of Josef's car twitch to the right from contact? I guess the reality is that all we saw was the result and not the actual contact, so in that light you might be right, actual contact was not seen. But EVIDENCE of contact was seen. And that may be why the decision was made to not call it.

Gary

anthonyvop

18th April 2012, 22:19

My memory maybe lyin' to me, but didn't we see the rear of Josef's car twitch to the right from contact? I guess the reality is that all we saw was the result and not the actual contact, so in that light you might be right, actual contact was not seen. But EVIDENCE of contact was seen. And that may be why the decision was made to not call it.

Gary

Did Dario hit JN? probably!

Is there any 100% proof? Unless Dario was to confess over the radio then No.

No proof. no foul!

garyshell

18th April 2012, 22:35

Did Dario hit JN? probably!

Is there any 100% proof? Unless Dario was to confess over the radio then No.

No proof. no foul!

Yes, I see your point.

Gary

Marbles

19th April 2012, 00:01

Did Dario hit JN? probably!

Is there any 100% proof? Unless Dario was to confess over the radio then No.

No proof. no foul!

Contact or no contact -- no penalty. Did Dario initiate the pass -- no. Did Dario blatantly or maliciously run Newgarden out of room -- no judgement could possibly made on that. It can't be judged any other way than being a racing incident. Do you folks want penalties called every time these guys bump? If so than I want penalties called even when contact is made but no race is spoiled or positions lost. I want a penalty box! That's the racing you want? Let's hire Chris Kneifel as an assistant to Barfield because these guys will be busy.

That sounds harsher than I meant it to be but the point I'm trying to convey is there.

Civic

20th April 2012, 08:28

From Pagenaud's airbox camera it looked like Dario didn't hit that apex as close as Pagenaud and everyone else did. Everyone's left front tire was all over the candy cane stripes. It looked like the edge of Dario's left front tire just touched the stripes on the edge instead of going over the stripes.

On the other hand, Dario was on the inside and maybe couldn't have held a tighter apex through that turn.

Nem14

20th April 2012, 23:07

And none of them had definitive evidence of contact.....none!They said they only looked at 2 angles of the contact.

Chief steward Beaux Barfield said his race stewards, including former drivers Arie Luyendyk and Johnny Unser, told him the two camera angles available to them were “inconclusive.”

The video angle I saw in the highlights on YouTube clearly, let me repeat that, clearly show Dario hit Newgarden.

anthonyvop

20th April 2012, 23:47

They said they only looked at 2 angles of the contact.

Only 2 available at that time from the NBC feed.

The video angle I saw in the highlights on YouTube clearly, let me repeat that, clearly show Dario hit Newgarden.

I have seen many different angles on YouTube as well and have yet see one that shows Dario "Clearly" hitting JN. If you would be so kind as to post the link to that video it would be most appreciated.

Civic

21st April 2012, 09:46

Newgarden's left rear wheel guard was knocked off. However, I'm not sure if the right one breaking off at the tire barrier had anything to do with it. From what I've seen, it's one long plane/plank connecting both rear wheel guards.

Civic

21st April 2012, 09:49

garyshell

21st April 2012, 16:21

Marbles

21st April 2012, 17:03

One thing I did notice in this race is the cars seemed to get a nice tow off of one another down the front straight.

anthonyvop

21st April 2012, 17:20

View from Pagenaud's airbox begins around 1:43 in the following YouTube clip:
Veja a largada da etapa de Long Beach - YouTube (http://youtu.be/U4fG8w6HJcE)

Upon watching again, I think the impact of the right rear guard with the tire barrier also ripped off the left rear guard.

I think it is clear there is contact at 2:07-2:08 in this video as you can see the rear of Josef's car suddenly twitch to the right. Avoidable? I don't know since it looks like Josef really pinched Dario down on the apex, which may have been a contributing factor.

Thanks for the video!

Gary

Sorry guys.

I see JN car moving but the Video DOES NOT CLEARLY SHOW ANY CONTACT. The Overhead shot is too far and Pags in-car the alleged hit is blocked.

I am not a Dario fan and I believe he probably did hit JN but there is no Clear proof he did. So you cannot penalize a driver for an incident that you can't prove actually happened.

Cart750hp

2nd May 2012, 05:03

Good news is the ratings were up 21% from last year. Bad news is that it is still dismal at a .34 overnight. Pressdog has some more detailed numbers breakdown. Bad news that they couldn't even pull a 1.0 in the host city. (LA overnight .80)

pressdog.com: Long Beach Overnight TV Ratings up 21% from Last Year (http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/04/long-beach-overnight-tv-ratings-up-21-from-last-year.html)

Hey Cart750, good to see you around. I haven't seen you here in a long while.

Hey DBell, it's really been awhile. But good to see everyone here. I'll drop by again when I get a chance.

SoCalPVguy

3rd May 2012, 18:03

Re. Good news is the ratings were up 21% from last year. Bad news is that it is still dismal at a .34 overnight. Pressdog has some more detailed numbers breakdown. Bad news that they couldn't even pull a 1.0 in the host city. (LA overnight .80)

It is going to be a long road to higher television ratings when the show is on channel 1256.

anthonyvop

3rd May 2012, 18:28