2022 NTT IndyCar series - News, gossip, bantz and the rest

[John]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Only reasoning as I see it that his contract was tied together with the Palou situation and when a certain date had passed without Felix knowing where to drive in 2023, an out-clause was activated, alternatively, the terms changed.

[MonteCristo]

I...

I don't even know where to begin at this stage.

Zak Brown has a Midas touch of shitfuckery.

[MonteCristo]

Simona De Silvestro is back at Paretta Autosport/Ed Carpenter Racing for the final time this year.

It was all lies!

A little bit of good news:

Paretta Autosport and its partners at Ed Carpenter Racing will add a fourth event to its NTT IndyCar season with the No. 16 Chevy.

https://racer.com/2022/08/07/paretta-au ... silvestro/

There's a decent amount of talk of them being full time next year, which would be great.

[MonteCristo]

With Power and Ericsson both rather useless this weekend at Crashville, all this race achieved was to further tighten the championship standings!

With 162 (I think) points still in play, plenty of possibilities. But I'd say that McLaughlin (-81 points) in 7th place is now out of it. Palou in 6th (-52 points) would have a tough time with another five drivers ahead of him needing to hit regular trouble, but it's possible.

Quite likely that four drivers will still have a shot going into the final round.

[MonteCristo]

Today's episode of Friends is called...



The one where Scott dies.

[John]

[MonteCristo]

I'd be slightly sad if it wasn't for the PJ1.

[John]

https://racer.com/2022/08/16/rll-extend ... aard-deal/ RLL extends with Lundgaard. Nice. Far and away the best driver out of the rookies this year.

[MonteCristo]

Everyone's favourite three time winner, four time fence-climbing Indy 500 winner returns for Shank full time in 2023:

https://racer.com/2022/08/19/meyer-shan ... -for-2023/

[MonteCristo]

https://racer.com/2022/07/26/andretti-e ... y-in-2023/

DeFrancesco shaky at Andretti.

Not sure if he'd be able to land elsewhere (Foyt, etc) if money isn't an issue (and rather pace is).

And now apparently he'll stay:

https://racer.com/2022/08/26/defrancesc ... t-in-2023/

Money required for the new Andretti HQ me thinks.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Power goes fastest before off-track incident at Portland IndyCar test

Will Power has set the pace before coming to grief in an incident-filled private IndyCar test at next weekend’s race venue of Portland.

The series leader clocked a 58.296s on his 79th lap before going offroad in the #12 Team Penske entry and incurring damage.

In what was a nine-car test, featuring all of the full-time entries from Penske, Andretti Autosport, and AJ Foyt Racing, Power would end up a quarter of a second up on next-best.

Power was followed by Colton Herta, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, with Scott McLaughlin completing the top five.

The long day of running saw multiple offs and a few crashes, but all nine from Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, and A.J. Foyt Racing were able to continue running after repairs were made.

Herta believes he could have come close to Power’s best lap, but his fastest run was halted by one of the many red flags.

Rossi was among those who left the circuit during the day, although he completed a high of 115 laps.

Team-mate Romain Grosjean, on the other hand, notched up the low of only 61, his cause not helped by two off-track excursions, one of which broke the left-front suspension on the #28

Ganassi, McLaren SP, Dale Coyne Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing, and Andretti rookie Devlin DeFrancesco will all test at Laguna Seca on Monday, August 29

Results: Portland private test Unofficial

Pos Driver Team Engine Fastest lap
1 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 0:58.295
2 Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda 0:58.543
3 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Chevrolet 0:58.596
4 Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda 0:58.620
5 Scott McLaughlin Team Penske Chevrolet 0:58.634
6 Devlin DeFrancesco Andretti Autosport Honda 0:58.656
7 Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda 0:58.951
8 Kyle Kirkwood AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet 0:59.397
9 Dalton Kellett AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet 1:00.101

More detail : https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/08/27/po ... ycar-test/

or https://racer.com/2022/08/26/power-lead ... ycar-test/

(My report uses the best bits of both reports....

[MonteCristo]

Tatiana Calderon might be out after Mid Ohio after this weekend. Apparently her sponsor - Rokit - are being dodgy.

Yet now she has enough money to do F2.

Very odd.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Palou tops Laguna Seca IndyCar test, Ericsson crashes

Last year, it was an absence of IndyCar’s E85 ethanol fuel that kept teams off track for a few hours during a private test at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and this year, it was the absence of tyres that left 13 drivers sitting idle for most of the morning in Monterey.

Once the truck with all of the new Firestone tyres meant to be used arrived, rapid mounting began and after a quick lunch break from 11-11:30 a.m., the field of 13 drivers took to the 2.2-mile road course and ran until 7 p.m.

Alex Palou has set the pace i at Laguna Seca ...... Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Marcus Ericsson crashed.

Ericsson had a lose at the Turn 6 left-hander, causing left-rear suspension and wing damage to the #8 Honda which sidelined the Swede for a chunk of the day. He lost 3 hours undergoing repairs.

A total of 13 cars across six teams took to the venue which hosts the season finale in a week-and-a-half from now, with Palou going quickest at a time of 1:11.440s.

McLaren SP’s Felix Rosenqvist, who was fastest for much of the day, ended up second on a 1:11.677s, from team-mate Pato O’Ward on a 1:11.710s in his Chevrolet-powered car.

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) claimed fourth on a 1:11.801s, while Ericsson got back out after his prang and set a 1:11.824s on his third-last of 69 laps to round out the top five.

At the bottom end JJ was slowest, by near enough a second from anyone else, 2 seconds off the leaders, and the only one in the 13's. He seems to struggle turning right and left


Results: Laguna Seca private test Unofficial

Pos Driver Team Engine Fastest lap
1 Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 1:11.440
2 Felix Rosenqvist McLaren SP Chevrolet 1:11.677
3 Pato O’Ward McLaren SP Chevrolet 1:11.710
4 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 1:11.801
5 Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 1:11.824
6 David Malukas Dale Coyne Racing Honda 1:11.893
7 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 1:11.967
8 Devin DeFrancesco Andretti Autosport Honda 1:11.999
9 Callum Ilott Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet 1:12.011
10 Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 1:12.061
11 Christian Lundgaard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 1:12.299
12 Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing Honda 1:12.531
13 Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 1:13.449

Full Report. https://racer.com/2022/08/29/palou-fast ... ycar-test/

[John]

https://racer.com/2022/08/31/indy-light ... next-move/

I really can't see Linus racing Indycars next year.

[MonteCristo]

https://racer.com/2022/08/31/indy-light ... next-move/

I really can't see Linus racing Indycars next year.

Full time? Difficult.

Can see him going the way of Kyle Kaiser, sadly, after 3-4 races.

[MonteCristo]

Jimmer hoping to return full time next year:

https://racer.com/2022/09/02/johnson-ho ... n-in-2023/