Alonso to miss Monaco to race Indy 500

**Jag_Warrior** · 30th May 2017, 15:22

Originally Posted by zako85

There won't be real innovation in the IndyCar until more people watch it. Poor TV ratings mean poor sponsorship and that most teams outside of the top three must run on a shoestring budget. Most teams can barely afford to buy and service their spec chassis right now.

Even though they'll still be spec cars, I'm pretty impressed with the bodywork changes being proposed for the near future. From what I understand, the IRL is making a sincere effort to pick up styling cues from the CART era and Champ Car... including the roll hoop and losing the airbox, as well as losing the baby buggy bumpers. From the renderings, it looks like a very clean and attractive design.

**Owain** · 30th May 2017, 19:47

Originally Posted by zako85

Alonso should pull a Nigel Mansell by signing up full-time in IndyCar in 2018 (like Mansell did in 1993) and winning the championship.

I followed his progress in the Indy 500 and I was cheering him on until ...

But, having been a fan since his very first season in F1 in 2001, I want him to stick around longer. I'm convinced that he's better than both Hamilton and Vettel, and even if he's not, he still deserves more than the two championships he has.

**Starter** · 30th May 2017, 21:12

Originally Posted by zako85

Indy 500 is a fun race, but things that went in it underscore just how dangerous this form of racing is. Nothing has really changed since 2011. Drivers get injured on regular basis. First, Bourdais crashed in the qualifying requiring surgery from broken hip and fractured pelvis. He is confident he can return to racing for the season's end. Next, Dixon's crash looked horrendous. While Scott Dixon was able to walk away, I suspect we were lucky those two crashes weren't worse.

I'm not sure what else you could expect when the lap speeds are consistently well over 200 mph for the whole lap. That's a lot of energy to dissipate when something goes wrong. Still, those crashes weren't bad at all compared to not all that long ago when a regular feature of the event was a death or two.

**gm99** · 31st May 2017, 22:37

Originally Posted by Starter

Still, those crashes weren't bad at all compared to not all that long ago when a regular feature of the event was a death or two.

The last driver to be killed in the Indy 500 was Swede Savage in 1973, 44 years ago. Since then, three more drivers (Smiley in 1982, Marcelo in 1992 and Brayton in 1996) have died during the month of May and one (Renna in 2003) during testing at another time.

So fortunately, the days when a death or two was a regular feature are indeed long ago.