2022 R17: Rumble on the Corkscrew

[MonteCristo]

It's 26 years since "The Pass" (in all its illegal glory *ahem*).



But we're not here for that.

With up to 54 points still up for grabs, a quite incredible five drivers still have a chance to walk away with the 2022 Indycar title:

1 Will Power 523
2 Josef Newgarden 503
3 Scott Dixon 503
4 Marcus Ericsson 484
5 Scott McLaughlin 482

Who will leave Laguna Seca on top this weekend?

[John]

This race is worthy of having Sirius as the hype song.

[MonteCristo]

Practice 1 times:

Rank Car Driver Name C/E/T Time Speed Diff Gap Best Lap Total Laps
1 2 Newgarden, Josef D/C/F 01:11.4103 112.824 --.---- --.---- 14 18
2 26 Herta, Colton D/H/F 01:11.8266 112.170 0.4163 0.4163 12 16
3 28 Grosjean, Romain D/H/F 01:11.8697 112.103 0.4594 0.0431 15 18
4 27 Rossi, Alexander D/H/F 01:11.9034 112.050 0.4931 0.0337 17 20
5 77 Ilott, Callum (R) D/C/F 01:11.9490 111.979 0.5387 0.0456 13 17
6 60 Pagenaud, Simon D/H/F 01:11.9821 111.928 0.5718 0.0331 10 19
7 12 Power, Will D/C/F 01:11.9858 111.922 0.5755 0.0037 14 21
8 5 O'Ward, Pato D/C/F 01:12.0333 111.848 0.6230 0.0475 9 16
9 18 Malukas, David (R) D/H/F 01:12.0418 111.835 0.6315 0.0085 16 22
10 8 Ericsson, Marcus D/H/F 01:12.0803 111.775 0.6700 0.0385 10 15
11 3 McLaughlin, Scott D/C/F 01:12.0877 111.764 0.6774 0.0074 10 15
12 7 Rosenqvist, Felix D/C/F 01:12.1036 111.739 0.6933 0.0159 8 14
13 29 DeFrancesco, Devlin (R) D/H/F 01:12.2135 111.569 0.8032 0.1099 22 26
14 10 Palou, Alex D/H/F 01:12.3102 111.420 0.8999 0.0967 6 19
15 30 Lundgaard, Christian (R) D/H/F 01:12.3193 111.406 0.9090 0.0091 17 20
16 06 Castroneves, Helio D/H/F 01:12.3840 111.306 0.9737 0.0647 13 22
17 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F 01:12.3911 111.295 0.9808 0.0071 12 16
18 51 Sato, Takuma D/H/F 01:12.4401 111.220 1.0298 0.0490 17 19
19 45 Harvey, Jack D/H/F 01:12.9774 110.401 1.5671 0.5373 13 15
20 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F 01:13.0487 110.294 1.6384 0.0713 13 16
21 21 VeeKay, Rinus D/C/F 01:13.1004 110.216 1.6901 0.0517 13 19
22 20 Daly, Conor D/C/F 01:13.1450 110.148 1.7347 0.0446 15 19
23 14 Kirkwood, Kyle (R) D/C/F 01:13.2761 109.951 1.8658 0.1311 20 28
24 4 Kellett, Dalton D/C/F 01:13.6331 109.418 2.2228 0.3570 23 27
25 48 Johnson, Jimmie D/H/F 01:13.9251 108.986 2.5148 0.2920 18 20
26 16 De Silvestro, Simona D/C/F 01:14.0544 108.796 2.6441 0.1293 25 27

Report: https://racer.com/2022/09/09/newgarden- ... guna-seca/

Joezeph blitzing it. That's a Bus Bros joke of the uninitiated.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Practice 1 times:

Rank Car Driver Name C/E/T Time Speed Diff Gap Best Lap Total Laps
1 2 Newgarden, Josef D/C/F 01:11.4103 112.824 --.---- --.---- 14 18
2 26 Herta, Colton D/H/F 01:11.8266 112.170 0.4163 0.4163 12 16
3 28 Grosjean, Romain D/H/F 01:11.8697 112.103 0.4594 0.0431 15 18
4 27 Rossi, Alexander D/H/F 01:11.9034 112.050 0.4931 0.0337 17 20
5 77 Ilott, Callum (R) D/C/F 01:11.9490 111.979 0.5387 0.0456 13 17
6 60 Pagenaud, Simon D/H/F 01:11.9821 111.928 0.5718 0.0331 10 19
7 12 Power, Will D/C/F 01:11.9858 111.922 0.5755 0.0037 14 21
8 5 O'Ward, Pato D/C/F 01:12.0333 111.848 0.6230 0.0475 9 16
9 18 Malukas, David (R) D/H/F 01:12.0418 111.835 0.6315 0.0085 16 22
10 8 Ericsson, Marcus D/H/F 01:12.0803 111.775 0.6700 0.0385 10 15
11 3 McLaughlin, Scott D/C/F 01:12.0877 111.764 0.6774 0.0074 10 15
12 7 Rosenqvist, Felix D/C/F 01:12.1036 111.739 0.6933 0.0159 8 14
13 29 DeFrancesco, Devlin (R) D/H/F 01:12.2135 111.569 0.8032 0.1099 22 26
14 10 Palou, Alex D/H/F 01:12.3102 111.420 0.8999 0.0967 6 19
15 30 Lundgaard, Christian (R) D/H/F 01:12.3193 111.406 0.9090 0.0091 17 20
16 06 Castroneves, Helio D/H/F 01:12.3840 111.306 0.9737 0.0647 13 22
17 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F 01:12.3911 111.295 0.9808 0.0071 12 16
18 51 Sato, Takuma D/H/F 01:12.4401 111.220 1.0298 0.0490 17 19
19 45 Harvey, Jack D/H/F 01:12.9774 110.401 1.5671 0.5373 13 15
20 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F 01:13.0487 110.294 1.6384 0.0713 13 16
21 21 VeeKay, Rinus D/C/F 01:13.1004 110.216 1.6901 0.0517 13 19
22 20 Daly, Conor D/C/F 01:13.1450 110.148 1.7347 0.0446 15 19
23 14 Kirkwood, Kyle (R) D/C/F 01:13.2761 109.951 1.8658 0.1311 20 28
24 4 Kellett, Dalton D/C/F 01:13.6331 109.418 2.2228 0.3570 23 27
25 48 Johnson, Jimmie D/H/F 01:13.9251 108.986 2.5148 0.2920 18 20
26 16 De Silvestro, Simona D/C/F 01:14.0544 108.796 2.6441 0.1293 25 27

Report: https://racer.com/2022/09/09/newgarden- ... guna-seca/

Joezeph blitzing it. That's a Bus Bros joke of the uninitiated.

Could do with Herta being down the order a bit. Dont need him getting too many points towards his Superlicence and causing strife in F1 land. Mind you, its only practice, and not the race. No points yet.

Also now, me being a bit of a fan of 'Davido Mucous' (As the Bus Bros have nicknamed Malukas) he could be higher

[Everso Biggyballies]

Just reading the report and they talk of it being a tyre race..... all five title contenders spent time off track.

An excerpt from the report

Sunday’s NTT IndyCar series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be a race of high tire degradation, low grip, busy hands and a delicate touch with the right foot if Friday’s opening practice session was any guide.

The championship contenders kept their power dry for the first half an hour of the 75-minute session, prioritizing tires over track time, and when they did emerge from pitlane Will Power set the tone for what was to come by immediately locking up at the entry to the Corkscrew and running wide. By the time Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden rattled off what would be the fastest time of the day with 1m11.4103s in the closing minutes, all of the five drivers in the title hunt had ventured into the dirt, joined by a pretty long list of others from along the grid.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Power takes record pole, Dixon 13th, Newgarden last row

IndyCar Series leader Will Power has qualified on pole position for a record 68th time in a disastrous session for his key rivals at Laguna Seca.

Power will start first for the final race of the season but Team Penske team-mate Josef Newgarden, who is next in the series standings, is on the very last row after a spin in Group 1 of Qualifying.

Also failing to advance from that 10-minute stanza was the man with whom Newgarden is tied for second in the series, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who is due to start 13th.

The other two mathematical title contenders fared not much better, with neither Ganassi’s Marcus Ericsson nor Penske’s Scott McLaughlin making it through to the Fast Six.

McLaughlin will start eighth and Ericsson 10th, after they both made errors during Round 2 of the session.

For Power, the pole position breaks Mario Andretti’s all-time record and hands him an extra series point, extending his lead over Newgarden and Dixon to 21, with 53 left on offer.

Full detailed report : https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/09/11/po ... -last-row/

[Everso Biggyballies]

Also from Laguna Seca Newgaden explains his mistake.....

Newgarden laments ‘very sad error’ at Laguna Seca

[MonteCristo]

Qualifying times:

Rank Car Driver Name C/E/T Time Speed Session
1 12 Power, Will D/C/F 01:11.6127 112.505 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
2 77 Ilott, Callum (R) D/C/F 01:11.6320 112.475 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
3 27 Rossi, Alexander D/H/F 01:11.7698 112.259 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
4 28 Grosjean, Romain D/H/F 01:11.7858 112.234 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
5 10 Palou, Alex D/H/F 01:12.1625 111.648 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
6 5 O'Ward, Pato D/C/F 01:12.4542 111.199 Round 3 / Firestone Fast Six
7 18 Malukas, David (R) D/H/F 01:11.6295 112.479 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
8 3 McLaughlin, Scott D/C/F 01:11.6916 112.381 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
9 7 Rosenqvist, Felix D/C/F 01:11.7285 112.324 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
10 8 Ericsson, Marcus D/H/F 01:12.1359 111.689 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
11 60 Pagenaud, Simon D/H/F 01:12.2808 111.465 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
12 06 Castroneves, Helio D/H/F 01:12.8856 110.540 Elimination Round 2 / Top 12
13 9 Dixon, Scott D/H/F 01:12.1722 111.633 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
14 21 VeeKay, Rinus D/C/F 01:12.1442 111.676 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
15 20 Daly, Conor D/C/F 01:12.2661 111.488 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
16 30 Lundgaard, Christian (R) D/H/F 01:12.2093 111.576 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
17 14 Kirkwood, Kyle (R) D/C/F 01:12.4299 111.236 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
18 26 Herta, Colton D/H/F 01:12.2720 111.479 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
19 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/F 01:12.5970 110.980 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
20 29 DeFrancesco, Devlin (R) D/H/F 01:12.2996 111.436 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
21 45 Harvey, Jack D/H/F 01:12.8366 110.615 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
22 51 Sato, Takuma D/H/F 01:12.4489 111.207 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
23 48 Johnson, Jimmie D/H/F 01:13.4172 109.740 Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
24 4 Kellett, Dalton D/C/F 01:12.8001 110.670 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2
25 2 Newgarden, Josef D/C/F No Time No Speed Elimination Round 1 / Group 1
26 16 De Silvestro, Simona D/C/F 01:13.5181 109.589 Elimination Round 1 / Group 2

Indycar pole position record to Will Power!

And with Newgarden in trouble, more good news for Power in the form of...

Alex Palou is expected to receive a six-position grid penalty for the Monterey Grand Prix after an unapproved engine change was made following qualifying on Saturday.

https://racer.com/2022/09/10/laguna-ind ... for-palou/

Dixon will do his usual thing and finish top-6.

And so far nothing amazing from Ericsson or McLaughlin.

Power earns an extra point for pole. And could well bag another one for leading a lap tomorrow.

He's most certainly in pole position at this stage. But Indycar is capable of throwing together some crazy results.

GO WILL!

[Everso Biggyballies]

Power just needs to keep his nose clean, not worry about the win knowing all he needs to do is not finish (too far) behind Dixon. He needs to drive in Championship mode rather than race mode. Also no risky strategies. If Dixon does his usual Power just needs to be aware of his position and drive accordingly. Drive conservatively with his head not his heart.

JoNew wont be an issue given his start position.

Im sure Power will know what he needs to do, or certainly what not to do.

@MonteCristo I think your man is in the box seat. I concede that it wont be JoNew so I become a day visitor to the Will Power fanclub.... just to keep Dixon's hands off the trophy!.


Qualifying highlights

[MonteCristo]

@MonteCristo I think your man is in the box seat. I concede that it wont be JoNew so I become a day visitor to the Will Power fanclub.... just to keep Dixon's hands off the trophy!.


Qualifying highlights

News just in: You've been granted a provisional day pass to Toowoomba!

Crazy qualifying session.

[John]

One final dash before six months of darkness. Silly off season.

[John]

deFransesco truly does suck ass

[John]

Ilott pulls over after 39 laps and we'll get our first caution. Palou leads Power, Felix, Pato and JoNew.

Quite decent racing so far.

[John]

Jonew with three divebombs in the cork screw on four laps.

Sign my tit, you rockstar.

[John]

30 laps left of the season

Palou leads Power, RoGro, Felix and JoNew