2023 Month of May

[Everso Biggyballies]

I know its not May yet, but there is bound to be May stuff to talk about in April so why not have a thread now.

I seem to recall last years Month of May thread started of discussing McLaren Indy 500 liveries and so be it this year, albeit only in concept form atm, with the real things to be unveiled on Friday.

What we do know is that their (full-time) cars will feature a McLaren and their Triple Crown (a Monaco, Indy 500 and LM24 win) as a theme, McLaren having won every one of the Triple Crown events.

So, the liveries will each celebrate one aspect of a McLaren Triple Crown victory.....

The first is commemorating the 1974 Indy 500 win by Johnny Rutherford in the McLaren M16C/D – the team’s first win and the second for a McLaren chassis, following Mark Donohue’s 1972 victory for Penske.

Alexander Rossi’s #7 VELO Arrow McLaren will be run in papaya as a tribute to Rutherford’s Brickyard breakthrough.

The second leg of the Triple Crown for McLaren is Alain Prost’s 1984 win at Monaco – the contentious, red-flagged race that saw the emergence of one Ayrton Senna, the pair going on to win multiple F1 titles for McLaren into the 1990s during a golden era for the team.

Felix Rosenqvist’s #6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren will run a ‘representation’ of Prost’s MP4/2 livery that won on the streets of Monte Carlo in June 1984.

The 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans is the third leg of the Triple Crown, won by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya at the wheel of the McLaren F1 GTR. It was McLaren’s first attempt at the famous race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, with the adapted version of Gordon Murray’s F1 road car outperforming its prototype opposition in one of the wettest editions of the enduro.

Current series leader Pato O’Ward’s #5 Arrow McLaren will run a tribute livery to the 24 Hours of Le Mans victory when it is wheeled out for the April 20-21 Open Test, through to this year’s Indy 500 itself.

[John]

Already hyped for Felix' livery.

[John]

Good lord the #6 is giving me a full hard-on

[MonteCristo]

Good lord the #6 is giving me a full hard-on

[Michkov]

Good lord the #6 is giving me a full hard-on

A Keke Rosberg tribute livery, how nice of them.

[John]

https://www.tracksideonline.com/2023/04 ... c-enerson/

RC Enerson becomes entry #34

[MonteCristo]

https://www.tracksideonline.com/2023/04 ... c-enerson/

RC Enerson becomes entry #34

Niiiiice.

Good luck to them.

Legge to get bumped?

[John]

https://www.tracksideonline.com/2023/04 ... c-enerson/

RC Enerson becomes entry #34

Niiiiice.

Good luck to them.

Legge to get bumped?

Probably. Can't see RLL having enough resources to keep that car afloat.

[John]

https://racer.com/2023/04/20/newgarden- ... open-test/

JoNew paces Open test

[Everso Biggyballies]

I wasnt aware but there are a few updates to the aero on the cars for Indy, some optional and some mandatory. These were first ried in testing t'other day. These were notified pre-season it seems. Slipped under my radar.

Im not sure if we have had such a raft of updates on the Dallara chassis since the addition of the aeroscreen.... happy to be corrected on that .


There will be further evolution for the season ahead, with a number of changes covering either road courses/street circuits or ovals, but predominantly affecting the Indy 500.

What is new ?

They are, as announced by IndyCar:....

Optional short oval barge boards on road and street course events
At Texas Motor Speedway, the underwing sidewall was made optional


On the IMS oval:

New optional underwing flap wicker
New mandatory stability wickers
The option of a new additional underwing inner bargeboard (also optional at other ovals)
Optional underwing road and street course strakes
Speedway infill wicker made optional (also at Texas Motor Speedway)

Furthermore, a new wing mount specification for Indianapolis Motor Speedway gives competitors an extra three degrees of adjustability, and hence a widened downforce range.

Some blah blah stuff:

“At the Indy 500, drivers in the pack can run up to 10 percent more downforce than last year,” said Tino Belli, IndyCar’s director of aerodynamic development.

“With the increased rear wing range, teams can still try and trim out the rear wing for end of race speed – and go for the win – if they have worked their way up into the lead group.

“Overall, IndyCar wants to give race teams more options going into 2023.

“The optional barge boards give them a crucial tool when they consider, strategically, what it will take to get to victory lane.”

Cars will also be fitted with mandatory rain vanes to deflect water from the aeroscreen in wet conditions which are, of course, not applicable on ovals.

Visibility became a serious issue during last year’s May Indianapolis road course race, the first of the aeroscreen era to be held in particularly heavy rain, with IndyCar committing to finding solutions after what was a chaotic encounter.

Gavin Ward, McLaren Racing Director explains.

It does seem that in IMS testing last week, with the second day of the test washed out, and the first day featuring high winds, the teams and drivers still have much to learn about the new package.

[MonteCristo]

[Everso Biggyballies]

Pictures tell a thousand words. Now I know exactly what they are talking about.

[00steven]

Best month of the year! Hope for a fast and safe one.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Its RoGro's turn to win.

[Everso Biggyballies]

A.J. Foyt Racing will carry primary sponsorship from longtime partner ABC Supply for the 500 and continue the tradition of raising awareness and donations for Homes For Our Troops.

The HFOT initiative aims to raise $1 million through the promotions on the No. 14 chevy driven by Connecticut’s Santino Ferrucci, and in kind, ABC Supply has committed to match up to $1 million in donations to build home for injured American military veterans.

Its colourful and very American, plus a nice project..... its just the Ferrucci factor. I know he is improving, its just he brings out the elephant factor in me.