What is the IRL?

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Julian Mayo
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Post by Julian Mayo » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:10 am

mlittle wrote:Hey, that's what we used to call the Chevy Indy engines they ran the first half of the 2003 IndyCar season...before the geniuses at GM Racing decided to sell their souls to Cosworth for a bow-tie badged engine.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:21 am

Well, thank you, dear friend. 8)
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IndyCar Series Qualifying 101

Post by mlittle » Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:21 pm

Even though the IRL IndyCar Series travels to seventeen different venues, from Homestead to Indy, Texas to Michigan, and even over to the land of the rising sun, for the race at Motegi, the qualifying formats used are interesting as well. There are three different formats used, and here's a brief explanation of each.

1)Non-Oval Format. Used at St. Pete, Infineon, and Watkins Glen. Following the end of the second(or third) practice session, the racers are lined up based on slowest-to-fastest practice speeds. Each one gets a warm-up lap to prepare, then one flying lap at speed. Once all 22 or so have made their run, there's a 15-20 min. break and then those listed P6-P1 go back out for a 10-min. shootout; it is this shootout that determines the first three rows, as well as who wins the pole for the race.

2)Oval Format(Indy excepted). For thirteen of the fourteen oval-track venues, the format is simple. Each racer gets two laps to qualify, and the fastest of the two laps is used to determine the starting grid.

3)Indianapolis. Although the qualifying format has changed over the years, the manner of how each of the 33 cars on the grid for the Memorial Day Sunday classic is unchanged. On each of the 4 days of qualifying, anyone can make up to three attempts to qualify. After 4 laps around the Brickyard, the speeds are averaged, and it is this avg. speed that determines not just the starting field, but whether anyone is "bumped" from the field.

Just in case anyone wonders where each qual. format is used, here's a brief list of where:

1-St. Petersburg, Infineon, and Watkins Glen
2-Homestead, Phoenix, Motegi, Texas, Richmond, Kansas, Nashville, Milwaukee, Michigan, Kentucky, Pikes Peak, Chicagoland and Fontana
3-Indianapolis
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Post by Julian Mayo » Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:24 pm

By crikey that is a lot for this ol' country boy to take in. Why have the different systems, Indy aside? :shock:
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Post by mlittle » Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:32 pm

Good question, julian, I'm still trying to figure it out. Best guess...well, Indy's always had its' own qualifying format(which they change every so often) and until this year, it got to be very boring(no bumping, no shot at pole unless you drove a Chevworth or Honda, etc).

The other formats...well, the oval format is the easiest, and w/road courses on the schedule, they came up w/that format to distinguish those races from the other 13 oval races. You're right, though, it is confusing at times.
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Brakes, brakes and brakes....

Post by mlittle » Wed Aug 24, 2005 9:54 am

When the three non-oval races were added to the 2005 IRL Schedule(St. Pete., Infineon and Watkins Glen), the biggest concern series officials had was with the braking systems used. The last thing anybody wanted, it seemed, were "follow-the-leader" type races with little passing or overtaking. So, what was their solution.....well, series tech manager/chief inspector Kevin Blanch explains it thus.."The major changes are in the brakes and the brake calipers. We've had to go to a much bigger caliper to stop the car because on an oval you're not trying to go from 140 mph to 30 mph." In addition, he pointed out that, "You're getting another 30% more brake pressure (on the road/street package). Also, the brake scoop actually sticks out the side of the wheel to let the air in and cool down the upright."

So what changes have made they for the non-oval races in regards to the brakes?
1}Steel-drum rotor brakes. Instead of the more tech-advanced carbon-fiber brakes normally used, the teams will instead use the older steel-rotor brake system. The main advantage, besides cost, is that it takes longer to slow the cars down, meaning there's both more overtaking zones on the tracks and, in turn, more passing areas for drivers to attempt passes during the race.

2}More calipers and pistons. The standard carbon-fiber brakes use 4 piston calipers, along w/a small brake scoop. The steel-rotor brakes will use 7 larger piston calipers, along w/multiple brake scoops. The end result...in order to accomodate the extra weight of the brakes(and suspension components), the cars will be heavier by 75 lbs. over their current weight limit(1525 lbs. on ovals, 1600 lbs. on road/street courses).

Blanch also noted that safety and cost were factors in selecting the steel-rotor brakes for the 3 non-oval events. "The steel rotor is a known rotor; we know they work and everyone's used them. We didn't (select) the best brake that you could get because we felt that it would take away from the racing." In regards to the future, Blanch pointed out that, "We'll continue to look at developing a carbon rotor because the ultimate would be to run a thicker (carbon) rotor on the road courses and it wears down it would become an oval rotor, which would in turn save teams money because it would stay in their inventory longer."

As to their efforts....well, they worked out well in St. Petersburg, and we shall see how they work at Infineon and Watkins Glen.
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The Flex-Wing Debacle....

Post by mlittle » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:09 pm

During the IRL's most recent race at Chicagoland, all three Target/Ganassi Racing entries were stripped of their qualifying times and placed at the rear of the fireld for having an illegal flex-wing setup. From what I've gathered on the topic, it was a flagrant violation of the series' tech rules. Why?

Let's say that you're standing next to one of the three TGR Panoz/Toyotas'(it doesn't matter whether its' Dixon's, Briscoe's or J. Lazier's). When people talk about a "flex-wing" the first assumption is that the rear-wings on the car somehow "flex" when the car is in motion. What they're really talking is about are the mounting points where the wing attaches to the chassis. The reason the IRL tech officials are so scrict when it comes to a "flex-wing" violation is because when the wings are mounted with a "movable" mount, the wings actually will lower as the car travels around the track. The lower the wings, the less drag on the car, the faster the car goes. That's why Ganassi's team got nailed in tech.

The sad part is that, from what has been said on the topic, none of the team's senior officials(race engineers on up to ole' Chip himself) were NOWHERE to be seen in the post-tech inspection area, meaning that when "Rocketman" Blanch, who runs the tech line, caught them cheating, it was the chief mechanics and the pitcrews who got called on the carpet for it. One final thought on this....the scary thing about the whole mess is this. Could this have contributed to Briscoe's crash Sunday which has taken him out of the last two races this year? I hope it isn't so...but if one of Ganassi's teams got caught "soaking tires", then any of his teams could cheat. And that can't be tolerated. The IndyCar Series needs to punish TGR, but not the drivers. At the very least a heavy fine is warranted, perhaps a larger one than Andretti-Grren Racing got for "Autograph-Gate" back in Milwaukee; it's the least they could do.
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Ethanol 101

Post by mlittle » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:12 pm

When the IRL IndyCar Series closed out its' 2005 season, it also closed out the exclusive use of methanol as a fuel for its' engines. Beginning in 2006, the series will be using a 90-10 mix of methanol/ethanol fuel, with a 100% ethanol-based racing fuel to be used starting in 2007. But what is ethanol?

Ethanol is, quite frankly, one of the newer environmentally-friendly fuels that has come onto the American market in recent years, and while it has ancient origins, it is a remarkable product. Essentially, ethanol(chem. symbol CH3-CH2-OH[Apologies in advance if the symbol's incorrect.], is made from the fermentation of sugars with the addition of yeast enzymes which convert the sugars into two separate items, ethanol and carbon dioxide. It's the same basic process that is used to create alcoholic beverages, along with over 50% of industrial-grade ethanol. Ethanol is also used in the production of perfumes, paints and lacquers. Here are some facts about ethanol.......

1}By Jan. 2007, ethanol production in the United States(centered in the Midwest) is expected to reach over 4 bn. gallons; by 2012, the amount will reach around 7.5 bn. gallons.
2}Ethanol production benefits farmers as well; for instance, just one ethanol facility in Minnesota processes around 12K bushels of grain, producing over 33K gallons of ethanol along with 95 bushels of high-quality livestock feed.
3}Ethanol is already used in many parts of the United States in E15 & E85 "flex-fuel" mixes(E15 is 85-15 gasoline/ethanol, good for usage in all vehicles, while E85 is 85-15 ethanol/gasoline, and can only be used in vehicles designed for "flex-fuel" usage). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the high O2 content of ethanol can help reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide(the "greenhouse gases").
4}While ethanol is safe to drink, the racing fuel the IRL will use isn't. It's denatured w/3.5% gasoline, and would seriously harm anyone who drank a swig of it.
5}When Henry Ford built his Model T Fords', did you know.....they were originally designed to run of ethanol? He had the cars' engines designed to run of ethanol because it allowed the engines to run higher compression ratios than was possible using gasoline.
6}Finally, ethanol has made two appearance prior to this year's Indianapolis 500. In 1927, Leon Duray ran an ethyl-alcohol fueled car in that year's 500. And in 2005, Jimmy Kite ran demonstration laps in an IndyCar fueled w/the 90-10 methanol/ethanol mix, turing laps very comparable to those set during the 2005 race.
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A Hybrid Pace-Car....

Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:19 am

For three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, it only took a few minutes to get acquianted with the new pace-car that the IRL IndyCar Series is using this year, a 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid, and "Lone Star J.R." was impressed, to say the least....
It's quick, responsive and handles well. I think it's going to do well.
There were a few mods to the car, though.....an IRL-mandated safety roll-cage, and high-performance Firestone slicks for the track. The cars will be used at all IRL events stateside except the Indianapolis 500(where a 2006-spec Corvette ZO6 will pace the field before the race, and an upgrade 2005-spec Chevy Z71 truck will pace the during caution periods).

In going to the hybrid, the Indy Racing League is the first major open-wheel series in the world to utitlize hybrid technology in its' safety and rescue vehicles. Indeed, the Delphi safety team which accompanies the series to all venues will utitlize hybrid-powered vehicles, from several upgraded Honda Ridgelines and a Honda Pilot, all carrying all the medical and rescue material the safety personnel need during a race. As for the Hybrid.....it provides an SAE-rated 252hp and 233 ft-lbs of torque for its' drivers, along with several other features, from electronic-throttle assist, to a hybrid air-conditioning unit that runs on the car's electrics rather than use gas, to a combo Intregated Motor Assist/Variable Cylinder Mgt. system which will help regulate the runnings of the electrics and gas-powered Honda V6 engine to provide optimum power to the driver. As series president Brian Barnhart noted when the series introduced all these vehicles....
The IndyCar Series has long been recognized for its' leadership in motorsports safety and innovation. We are proud to partner with Honda in rolling out the Accord Hybrid Safety Car, a motorsports first.
Last edited by mlittle on Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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2006 IRL Spotter's Guide

Post by mlittle » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:51 am

Here is the driver/sponsor lineup for 2006(as of 24 March 2006).......

#2 Tomas Scheckter, Vision Dallara/Honda
#3 Helio Castroneves, Marlboro-Team Penske Dallara/Honda
#4 Vitor Meira, EcoNova Dallara/Honda
#5 Buddy Lazier, RollCoater/Escort Radar Dallara/Honda
#6 Sam Hornish, Jr., Marlboro-Team Penske Dallara/Honda
#7 Bryan Herta XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda
#8 Scott Sharp Delphi Dallara/Honda
#9 Scott Dixon Target Dallara/Honda
#10 Dan Wheldon Target Dallara/Honda
#11 Tony Kanaan Team 7-11 Dallara/Honda
#14 Felipe Giaffone ABC Supply Co. Dallara/Honda
#15 Buddy Rice Argent/Pioneer Panoz/Honda
#16 Danica Patrick Argent/Pioneer Panoz/Honda
#17 Paul Dana(R) Ethanol Panoz/Honda
#20 Ed Carpenter Vision Dallara/Honda
#26 Marco Andretti(R) NYSE Dallara/Honda
#27 Dario Franchitti Jim Beam/Klein Tools Dallara/Honda
#51 Eddie Cheever, Jr. Cheever Racing Dallara/Honda
#55 Kosuke Matsurra Panasonic/ARTA Dallara/Honda
#91 P.J. Cheeson(R) Hemelgarn Dallara/Honda
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IRL acclimation test at Iowa Speedway set for 2 Aug.

Post by mlittle » Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:14 am

One of the things that any racing series does when looking at new venues is to run the cars there, check all the nuances of a track and ensure that the venue in question can actually run there......which is exactly what the IRL plans to do next week, when Target/Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Brian Stewart Racing's Wade Cunningham will head for the 7/8ths' mile Iowa Speedway to do the requisite tests for the IndyCar and Indy Pro series'. What will they looking at?

~~how are the transitions from pitlane to the racing surface?
~~do there need to be changes to the engines/tires ?
~~how are the paddock/pit facilities?
~~how does the track actually drive?

As IRL Vice President of Development John Lewis explained.......
A compatibility test is due diligence by the League to make sure our equipment is compatible with the track. IndyCar Series cars are the most versatile in motorsports; this test will allow both the IRL and Iowa Speedway to make adjustments as needed. We look at everything from the track surface, pit lane to race track transitions, the walls and pit and paddock areas. Whether the track is in Motegi, Japan or Newton, Iowa, the Indy Racing League conducts such tests to assure the best possible product to our fans.
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Managing 20K in horsepower.........

Post by mlittle » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:44 am

Question: Whose job is it to manage hordes of racecar drivers in 650-hp rocketships?

Answer: It is the job of the pace-car driver, and the IRL has one of the best racers of his generation at the wheel. 8) :D

Specifically, it is the job of three-time(1974, 1976 and 1980) Indy 500 and two-time open-wheel series champion(1974-USAC, 1980-CART) Johnny Rutherford(a/k/a Lone Star J.R.), who opines that "it ain't rocket science or brian surgery. It's just knowing what is going on."

How does a typical weekend at the track for Lone Star J.R. go? Well, just as the drivers practice, practice and practice, so does Rutherford, who takes to the track each day of the event weekend in the series' Honda Accord Hybrid pace-car(except at the Brickyard, where the vehicle is either a Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 or a Chevy Z71 Silverado truck). Doing so helps him gauge the track's "foibles", such as how the pace vehicle will handle the track, the transitions to/from pitlane, and so on.

On raceday, Rutherford's day doesn't just end when he peels off of the final turn to release the hounds, so to speak. The moment he leaves the track(usually at the very last moment..... :shock: :shock: :shock: ...), he heads straight for the end of the pitlane, where he waits until race control calls out the words, "Yellow, yellow, yellow..." and then Rutherford takes off, headed for the spot on the track where the race leader is, then gets in front of that particular car and, well, paces the field. Usually race control will give Rutherford a specific speed to follow, but that speed can depend on the track, the conditions, whether the series' Delphi Safety Team has completed their work. On road courses/street circuits, however, it is a tad different. :shock:

Say, for instance, a car spins out at the Glen going around the Carousel(turn 6), but the leader is halfway through the Glen's boot section? Then it is the job of one of several "pace drivers", who are strategically placed around an IndyCar Series road or street course and whose job is to assist the lead pace car(i.e. Rutherford's). When a yellow goes out on a non-oval circuit, the nearest pace driver in front of the leader will pick up that car, pacing them to the start/finish line where Rutherford will take over; the pace driver then continues along until reaching their appointive spot, whereupon they wait until another caution.

Just another day at the office........... :lol: :lol: :D 8) :shock: :shock: :lol: 8) :shock: :lol:
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Practicing safety............

Post by mlittle » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:42 pm

You can never rest on the skills you learned last year.
So says IRL track safety coordinator Dave Brown in discussing the exhaustive and extensive training that the series' Delphi Safety Team goes through during the year. The team consists of several dozen individuals with years of training in cockpit extraction, emergency medicine, track cleanup, tow hookups and other things vital to the smooth operation and success of a race weekend. During a series event weekend, the personnel are divided into several teams, with the two largest designated Rescue 1 and Rescue 2(they're the ones you see on-track following an accident.....) with the rest stationed throughout the track facility, from the pitlane to the paddock. But as Brown points out, it's not just about procedures, it's about "working within a protocol". This way, everyone becomes, to an extent, "cross-trained" so that they provide as much assistance as necessary.

To ensure that their training is as up to date as possible, all Delphi members undergo extensive classroom training as well as hands-on training in driver extraction, re-starting stalled race cars, tow/wrecker hookup and other things vital to on-track safety.
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A Review of the Qualifying Primers...........

Post by mlittle » Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:05 pm

From the Brickyard to Sonoma to Richmond, IndyCar Series drivers will face many obstacles during the season...one of which being the qualifying procedures used at Indianapolis, all additional oval events and street/road courses. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Here is a quick primer on the three..........

1} Oval-Track Qualifying..........
With the exception of the Indianapolis 500, the qualifying procedure is relatively simple; each driver gets three warm-up laps to get their car up to speed, then they're given the green flag to begin their run. Each driver gets at least one lap and a maximum of two to set their fastest qual. time, which in turn helps set the grid for the race. In the event that two or more drivers post identical times, the drivers will be gridded according to when they posted said times; in the event qual. is cancelled, grids will be set based on entrant points going into the event weekend.

2} Road and Street Course Qualifying........
With the addition of road/street courses to the schedule in 2005, new qualifying procedures were instituted. The qual. procedure begins following the second practice session, when the driver with the fastest time on the combined chart is asked whether they'll go first or last in qualifying. Once that's done, when qualifying begins, each driver gets one out-lap, then one flying lap at speed to determine their time. When qualifying ends, there is a 10-15 minute break, then the drivers who qualified P1-P6 go back out on track in the Firestone Shootout, a 10-minute session that sets the grid from P1-P6.

3} Indianapolis 500 Qualifying........
Befitting the status of the 500 as "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing", series officials changed the qual. procedures used in 2005. Here's a brief review.....
--Pole Day: positions 1-11 are determined by the drivers' average 4-lap speed around the Brickyard
--Second Day: positions 12-22 are determined
--Third Day: positions 23-33 are determined
--Bump Day: any driver that posts a time faster than the slowest driver regardless of day 'bumps' that driver from the grid; drivers 'bumped' are allowed to re-qualify and 'bump' their way back in, time permitting
--during each qual. day, once the positions are set, drivers can 'bump' into/out of those positions until the session ends at 6 pm EST each day
--each driver is allowed three attempts per day to qualify; teams may also elect to withdraw a qualified car from the grid and attempt another qual. attempt, but must wait until all remaining cars have made at least one attempt
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Chassis Integrity..........

Post by mlittle » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:15 am

After watching numerous highlights of his scary, frightening crash at Michigan this past weekend, current IndyCar Series points leader Dario Franchitti had these words to say......
I should buy stock in Dallara; I've always been a friend of theirs. They've given us fast cars that are very strong as well. I have to say that the car absorbed all of the impact; it is because of that car that I'm here today with nothing but just a bruise on my nose. It is just incredible.
For those who were asleep over the weekend, Franchitti was involved in one of the most frightening crashes in series history, when, after tocuing wheels with the Dallara of TGR's Dan Wheldon, flipped upside down, landed on the car of Wheldon's TGR teammate Scott Dixon, then proceeded to flip a few times before landing and resting on the car's roll hoop. All told, six drivers were involved in the accident and none were injured with anything worse than minor bruises and contusions. That they survived(especially Franchitti) such an accident is testament to the safety protocols the IRL has built into its' series, borne from thousands of hours of testing that meet all existing FIA crash and safety standards.
(Mod's note....the emphasis above is in response to various other auto-racing sites[most notably autoracing1.com] that have insinuated in years past that close-quarter, open-wheel oval racing is dangerous and unsafe. From what I know, the FIA's safety standards must be passed for ANY chassis manufacturer to compete in NA open-wheel racing; furthermore, the FIA, through its' US representative, ACCUS[Automobile Competition Committee of the United States] has allowed open-wheel oval racing to take place outside the U.S. at both EuroSpeedway in 2001 and 2003 AND at Rockingham, UK in 2001 and 2002. IMO, if any critics of open-wheel oval racing have questions, they should IMO take up those complaints to the FIA. Period. )
We have a number of mandatory structures (in place) to create the safest environment we can for the drivers
Quoting IRL technical director Les Mactaggert.
The current chassis has to undergo a number of mandatory tests having to do with the crushibility of the cars, how the cars absorb energy in side impacts and how the roll hoop performs, especially in regards to how the structure underneath the roll hoop performs.


In regards to the roll hoop section on the car, IRL testing protocols require it to withstand the following load pressures:
--18000 lbs vertical load
--6500 lbs lateral load
--15000 lbs horizontal load
--in addition, the area where the roll hoop is joined to the moncoque MUST pass all testing standards put forth by series officials

In addition, every time an IndyCar Series racecar is involved in an accident, series officials along with officials from Dallara will investigate all aspects of the accident, much like NTSB investigators pour over crash data from incidents involving aircraft, trains, transportation infrastructure, etc. If the damage is severe enough, the IRL will send the damaged racecars back to Dallara Automobili in Italy for repairs to the chassis and monocoque. Once repaired, series officials must approve of the car's safety by subjecting it to crash-safety testing just as they would for a new chassis(if approved, a safety tag is placed on the car and it is delivered back to the team to whom the car belonged to).

In the end, though, after watching the video of his accident at Michigan this past Sunday, all Franchitti could say about it was.......
I have to say that it did its' job. It really saved me; I owe that car a lot.
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