Alonso to drive Indianapolis 500 for Andretti/McLaren (OT)

[mistermo]

Originally Posted by bobswire

I'm a casual observer for auto racing but I was glued to the tv for last 100 miles after having turned it on channel surfing and was rooting for Alonso (just because bicycle).

Scott Dixon's Shimano clad Colnago CXX was at LBS.

[MaraudingWalrus]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

k

Not sure Ham possesses best talent since Hak..That he has been with Merc has made him look very good. Vettel on the good days in the same car would be a hoot. Senna was in another league at car control. Watching him at Monaco from an in car on you tube and you would swear he is going to crash. Raikkonens Pole lap was extraordinary this year. I just want better engine sounds!

Do you remember his rookie season with McLaren? or his WDC in 2008? It was magical, especially that rookie season.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by MaraudingWalrus

Do you remember his rookie season with McLaren? or his WDC in 2008? It was magical, especially that rookie season.

Ya. In 2008 he beat Massa by 1 point that year. Not exactly a Schumacher performance but I see your point. Not saying hes not incredibly talented. I think Vettel does it this year for his 5th championship. Its great to see the prancing horse back.........

[Plum Hill]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Yep.
Covered over at www.racer.com .
Perhaps Andretti could send Sato to Monaco.

What side goes with crow?

[fuzzalow]

Originally Posted by MaraudingWalrus

Do you remember his rookie season with McLaren? or his WDC in 2008? It was magical, especially that rookie season.

Hamilton always had raw speed. His rookie season at McLaren even put the fear of that speed into someone as savvy and seasoned as Alonso. It made Alonso fall back into political backstabbing in claiming number 1 driver status in the team rather than beating Hamilton on the track to make credible his dominion over Hamilton. Of course, because this is F1, Alonso might well have been assured by Ron Dennis of number 1 status in the seduction of being wooed over to McLaren. But that was Ron-speak and worth nothing more than the breath of its utterance.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by MaraudingWalrus

Do you remember his rookie season with McLaren? or his WDC in 2008? It was magical, especially that rookie season.

I would like to see Hamilton have to drive a poor car for a season. He has timed his team choices well and has never really driven a dog of a car. From what I have witnessed since his 2007 debut, I don't think he'd be able to hack it. I think he would crumble mentally.

[Bruce K]

Just the way his season is going may yet show us how mentally tough Hamilton is.

Ferrari and Red Bull are both strong and his partner at Mercedes is giving him all he can handle without the BS from the last 2 seasons.

It will be an interesting season for sure.

BK

[gasman]

I think Hamilton is plenty mentally tough. I think to drive at that level takes way more guts and focus than any of us can imagine. When Hamilton doesn't win or podium he doesn't pout like Rosberg seemed to do or Kimi yesterday, he just moves on. I think his apparent lack of reaction hides a resilience and a desire to win.
It's going to be an interesting season with some good competition. I just wish they would go back to the early 2000's V-10's. I loved the sound of those engines.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by mistermo

If you knew all this, I'm truly impressed. If you gleaned this from the google, I'm still impressed. Mark Donohue is still my favorite driver ever. I have an autographed framed picture of the #66 car. Didn't know he drove F1, but am not surprised. He drove everything. Like Mario, like AJ, like Tony Stewart.

I had to fact check who tested for what F1 team, but knew which of the recent winners had F1 ties. I'd forgotten Penske had the 66 number. I associate it with Chaparral. I have an autographed copy of Donahue's book somewhere.

The race went as I expected with Andretti and Ganassi cars pretty much dominating, though Sato was a bit of a surprise, as was Max Chilton. Ed Jones put in a fantastic drive for Dale Coyne.

Alonso's visit was great exposure for the series. It still has a long way to go to reach the popularity of the CART series but the racing is great. I don't like the single chassis formula but it sure levels the playing field. Another engine manufacturer or two would be welcome.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

I don't like the single chassis formula but it sure levels the playing field. Another engine manufacturer or two would be welcome.

As a follower of F1 since 1986, I appreciate the technical diversity of it and the political battles that go on within the sport. That said, American sports have a way of engineering entertaining and equitable sporting contests. Revenue sharing in the major sports ensures that no team can dominate due to money. It's the total antithesis of something like the English Premier League where the small money clubs have little change to regularly compete with the big guns.

And with Indycar it's the same. I watched the IndyCar race at Watkins Glen last Fall on the tv and damn if it wasn't the most entertaining car race I had seen in years. You get used to snore fests in F1, and even in WEC to an extent, but the action at the Glen was fantastic to watch. The 500 was spectacular viewing and made a great contrast to the blue riband F1 event earlier in the day, which was dull by any standard.

American sports seem to realize that the main goal is to entertain the fans. If you don't, they won't stick around. F1 seems to have finally figured this out only after being bought by an American media company but, sadly, they cannot do much to change things for some years to come due to locked in bi-lateral agreements that Bernie made with the teams.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

As a follower of F1 since 1986, I appreciate the technical diversity of it and the political battles that go on within the sport. That said, American sports have a way of engineering entertaining and equitable sporting contests. Revenue sharing in the major sports ensures that no team can dominate due to money. It's the total antithesis of something like the English Premier League where the small money clubs have little change to regularly compete with the big guns.

And with Indycar it's the same. I watched the IndyCar race at Watkins Glen last Fall on the tv and damn if it wasn't the most entertaining car race I had seen in years. You get used to snore fests in F1, and even in WEC to an extent, but the action at the Glen was fantastic to watch. The 500 was spectacular viewing and made a great contrast to the blue riband F1 event earlier in the day, which was dull by any standard.

American sports seem to realize that the main goal is to entertain the fans. If you don't, they won't stick around. F1 seems to have finally figured this out only after being bought by an American media company but, sadly, they cannot do much to change things for some years to come due to locked in bi-lateral agreements that Bernie made with the teams.

Watching Jones and Sato run side by side through the length of turns 1 and 2 - and Chilton holding off a couple of challengers in similar fashion was amazing to see. I wish we could have seen more of the racing back in the pack.

I've been following F1 since the 60s, and can see it moving in the same direction as Indycar. F1 is down to four engines and 10 teams. How long can former powerhouses like Williams and McLaren survive without podium finishes? They, along with Sauber are being funded on the basis of past results. It seems to me that cost reduction is going to come to the forefront in F1, just as it has in open wheel racing in the USA. It's a fine line to walk for the rules makers, trying to keep costs down for the competitors while making the cars interesting for the race fans. I think the Tony George era has been a big negative for open wheel racing in the USA, but Indycar is making progress. They have the schedule back to a mix that's similar to the CART days, pretty much equal between traditional road courses (the Glen, RA, Mid Ohio, Barber, Sonoma), street courses (Long Beach, St. Pete, Toronto, Detroit), short ovals (Phoenix, Iowa) and speedways. I'd like to see the series add the Milwaukee mile, Portland, Laguna Seca, and Mosport (?), or another road course in Canada. The Cleveland airport race was another that was always fun to watch.

[TimD]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

raikkonen's pole lap was extraordinary this year. I just want better engine sounds!

+2