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

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John
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#16

Post by John »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Get K-Mag in that RLL car now.
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#17

Post by MonteCristo »

Test at Sebring:

Kirkwood turned a fastest lap of 52.49s, while DeFrancesco produced a 52.85s.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/motorsp ... hp&pc=U531

Their respective thoughts after driving an Indycar for the first time:
https://racer.com/2021/10/13/kirkwood-u ... ycar-test/

https://racer.com/2021/10/14/defrancesc ... -to-learn/
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#18

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

MonteCristo wrote: 2 years ago Test at Sebring:

Kirkwood turned a fastest lap of 52.49s, while DeFrancesco produced a 52.85s.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/motorsp ... hp&pc=U531

Their respective thoughts after driving an Indycar for the first time:
https://racer.com/2021/10/13/kirkwood-u ... ycar-test/

https://racer.com/2021/10/14/defrancesc ... -to-learn/
Is this Kirkwood dude the real deal? I have heard his name a few times now.
Or do we need to see him u against a quantifiable current driver of note first?

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#19

Post by MonteCristo »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 2 years ago
MonteCristo wrote: 2 years ago Test at Sebring:

Kirkwood turned a fastest lap of 52.49s, while DeFrancesco produced a 52.85s.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/motorsp ... hp&pc=U531

Their respective thoughts after driving an Indycar for the first time:
https://racer.com/2021/10/13/kirkwood-u ... ycar-test/

https://racer.com/2021/10/14/defrancesc ... -to-learn/
Is this Kirkwood dude the real deal? I have heard his name a few times now.
Or do we need to see him u against a quantifiable current driver of note first?
He's done absolutely everything he can possibly do.

He won F3 US first time out (though that wasn't hard), US F2000 first time out, Indy Pro 2000 first time out, and now Indy Lights first time out.

Of course the question is what sort of competition he was up against. But in terms of young drivers I'd easily rate him higher than Askew, for instance. Whether he's a Herta or O'Ward or Palou, who knows?

I personally would love to see him full time in Indycar for two seasons to see what he's got.
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#20

Post by Cheeveer »

Not sure I've seen it reported elsewhere, but Ericsson has everything signed and confirmed for 2022. He also intends to race at the Daytona 24 hours (which seems likely).

https://bloggar.aftonbladet.se/f1blogge ... ycar-2022/
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#21

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Cheeveer wrote: 2 years ago Not sure I've seen it reported elsewhere, but Ericsson has everything signed and confirmed for 2022. He also intends to race at the Daytona 24 hours (which seems likely).

https://bloggar.aftonbladet.se/f1blogge ... ycar-2022/
I must admit I have become quite a fan of Marcus in Indy, something I perhaps was not in F1. Wish him all the best with his goals.

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#22

Post by Cheeveer »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 2 years ago
Cheeveer wrote: 2 years ago Not sure I've seen it reported elsewhere, but Ericsson has everything signed and confirmed for 2022. He also intends to race at the Daytona 24 hours (which seems likely).

https://bloggar.aftonbladet.se/f1blogge ... ycar-2022/
I must admit I have become quite a fan of Marcus in Indy, something I perhaps was not in F1. Wish him all the best with his goals.
Same here. After speaking with him on multiple occasions, he's way more easy-going than what comes across in English speaking interviews. Very laid-back, very methodical in his work ethic, never spectacular, just has a clear idea where he is in his career and what he wants to do. I think he knows that his talent is not the most God-given, but he can't be faulted for doing the most of what he has. I don't think he has reached his peak just yet, I think he'll be a top 5 contender for a long while longer.
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#23

Post by MonteCristo »

Barber testing:

P1: David Malukas, No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, 76.398s
P2: Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy, 76.698s
P3: Devlin DeFrancesco, No. 29 Andretti Autosport Honda, 76.781s
P4: Kyle Kirkwood, No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda, 76.995s
P5: Nico Hulkenberg, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevy, 77.454s
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#24

Post by MonteCristo »

Michkov wrote: 2 years ago Belle Isle seems to be on the way out for 2023 Detroit wants to go back to the Renaissance Center. Cant say the new track looks all that exciting though.

Image

I should probably ping @Antonov too.
https://racer.com/2021/11/03/detroit-gp ... p-forward/

Detroit GP return to downtown moves a step forward
The Detroit Grand Prix’s requested move of its NTT IndyCar Series event from Belle Isle back to a downtown street circuit venue has been approved by the city council.

The proposal was presented by DGP leadership in a public meeting held Wednesday afternoon where city officials heard the change requested for 2023 and beyond and backed the shift from the Belle Isle park to the use of some of the same streets where Formula 1 and the CART IndyCar Series raced from 1982 through 1991.

Mild revisions to the new 10-turn, 1.7-mile layout were also presented to the city council, which received approval. Event organizers expect more than 50-percent of the circuit, which revolves around General Motors’ global headquarters and runs along the Detroit river, will be accessible for free viewing.

“The council approved the contract with little discussion at Wednesday’s meeting,” according to the Detroit Free Press. “The only comment came from Irvin Corley, fiscal analyst with the council’s Legislative Policy Division, who noted that a recent University of Michigan study estimated that the move downtown will bring an additional $10 million in spending at Detroit businesses.”

The benefit of relocating the event to the downtown area was also emphasized in a statement released by the event.

“Over the last five weeks, Grand Prix representatives have participated in numerous listening sessions and information sharing meetings with Detroit residents, business leaders, community groups and individual district representatives on the idea of returning the race to its roots on the streets of Detroit,” it read.

“The positive reaction and the excitement that we have seen from the community about the Grand Prix coming back downtown reinforces our belief that this relocation will provide a significant benefit to the city, its residents and our local business for the future.”
And updated layout:

Image

Prefer version 1.0, sadly. Not sure how long the pit straight will be now.

Might have just lost a passing spot.
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#25

Post by Ruslan »

I attended the Belle Isle CART race once. I think holding it in downtown Detroit would be better for a number of reasons. John Watson had no problem passing there.
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#26

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

The Hulk rules out Indycar future

Any hopes McLaren SP had of Nico Hulkenberg racing for them in the IndyCar Series have seemingly been put to bed.

Hulkenberg described the turbocharged V6-powered car as “steering monsters” after a recent test with the squad at Barber Motorsports Park in which he completed 108 laps.

McLaren has indicated plans to run a third entry in the back end of the 2022 IndyCar Series and full-time in 2023, although Hulkenberg appears to have ruled himself out.
“Quick update regarding IndyCar,” Hulkenberg wrote on Twitter.

“It was exciting to test an IndyCar two weeks ago and I am grateful to Arrow McLaren SP for this opportunity.

“However, for personal reasons, I decided not to go ahead with it. [I’ll] keep you posted on my future plans.”

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#27

Post by MonteCristo »

Everso Biggyballies wrote: 2 years ago The Hulk rules out Indycar future

Any hopes McLaren SP had of Nico Hulkenberg racing for them in the IndyCar Series have seemingly been put to bed.

Hulkenberg described the turbocharged V6-powered car as “steering monsters” after a recent test with the squad at Barber Motorsports Park in which he completed 108 laps.

McLaren has indicated plans to run a third entry in the back end of the 2022 IndyCar Series and full-time in 2023, although Hulkenberg appears to have ruled himself out.
“Quick update regarding IndyCar,” Hulkenberg wrote on Twitter.

“It was exciting to test an IndyCar two weeks ago and I am grateful to Arrow McLaren SP for this opportunity.

“However, for personal reasons, I decided not to go ahead with it. [I’ll] keep you posted on my future plans.”
In the latest Indycar silly season update on Racer a couple of days ago, Marshall Pruett said the test went okay, but nothing amazing.

So maybe that decision was made for him.
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#28

Post by MonteCristo »

Not sure if Silly Season gossip, or regular gossip and news.

But apparently Vasser/Sullivan are leaving Coyne. The long term goal is to be their own standalone team (they own different assets like a chassis and rigs). But they're not there yet.

Not sure if it's a sponsorship thing with Sealmaster or something else going on. But I guess we'll see if they partner with another team in 2022 to stay afloat.

But Coyne is fine because he's got Rick Ware now.

https://racer.com/2021/12/06/vasser-sul ... rtnership/
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#29

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Tracy dropped from IndyCar commentary line-up
Long-time IndyCar Series commentator Paul Tracy will not return to the broadcast line-up in 2022.

The Canadian has been a staple of the commentary team alongside Australia’s Leigh Diffey and American Townsend Bell.

However, the 2003 Champ Car World Series winner has announced he and the broadcaster have parted ways.

According to RACER, a deal couldn’t be done to allow Tracy to commentate and compete in the Superstar Racing Experience and IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Fellow Canadian James Hinchcliffe is reportedly the favourite to replace Tracy in the commentary booth.

Hinchcliffe made his full-time IndyCar Series return this year with Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport.

It was a largely unsuccessful year, recording a season-best finish of third in a chaotic Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. He was otherwise never a top 10 finisher.
https://www.speedcafe.com/2021/12/09/tr ... y-line-up/

(I only copied the fact not the "Ive had a fab time met some ace people etc but sometimes things dont workout..." quotes you can find on that link

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#30

Post by MonteCristo »

Apparently PT is no longer the boss, applesauce...
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#31

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Sato confirmed at Dale Coyne Racing with RWR for 2022 IndyCar season

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato will spend his 13th IndyCar season with Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing.
Sato confirmed at Dale Coyne Racing with RWR for 2022 IndyCar season
The 44-year-old Japanese driver, who spent the last four seasons at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and racked up three wins including the team’s – and his – second Indy triumph, will drive the #51 entry vacated by Andretti Autosport-bound Romain Grosjean.

As first rumouredt in September, Coyne and Sato have been negotiating for several months, growing more earnest as the driver’s talks with Rahal Letterman Lanigan ended in impasse.

I dont know why but I have always liked Sato so am glad he has got the deal rather than heading into retirement.

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