2008 Commentaries from the Paddock............
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:00 am
With the mountain winds a-blowin' and the winter chill in the air, it is time to open up a new commentaries' thread for 2008......and what better way to start than to ask a few questions to the "Iron Hand of Justice", Indy Racing League President of Operations, Brian Barnhart........................
~~Looking back, what was the one memorable thing that stood out in 2007?
--Barnhart: Someone asked me a question last year coming off our 2006 championship when we had a tie between Sam Hornish, Jr. and Dan Wheldon[Mod's. note....for the record, Hornish won on the first tiebreaker, four wins to two.....]; at the time I said that I hope (in 2007) that it comes down to the last event with as tight a championship. This year, it not only came down to the last event, but it came down to the last turn on the last lap! From a sanctioning body standpoint, the competition can't get any closer.
~~How do you handle your responsibilites on race weekends, from running race control to the overall running of the IRL? Is it stressful? Enjoyable? Or does it fall somewhere in the middle?
--Barnhart: You always try to learn from one weekend to the next, applying any lessons learned to future situations. It is incredibly stressful; I think its' from the competition being so good and so close with all the inherent dangers present in our sport.
~~How would you rate the various manufacturers that work within the IndyCar Series and the IRL as a whole?
--Barnhart: I'd be hard-pressed to name better partners. Dallara is the finest chassis manufacturer in the world, given that we took what was originally an oval-only car and (adapted) it for road and street courses is a credit to them and our technical staff. I also can't stress it enough that Firestone puts out the best tires in the world, not only from a competition standpoint but from a safety standpoint. The reliability, performance and technology that Honda has brought to the series is unprecedented in all of open-wheel racing. Finally, there's our gearbox supplier, Xtrac. Whether its' on ovals, road courses or street circuits, their gearboxes have worked flawlessly.
~~Looking ahead to 2008, how will the series' new TEAM purse payouts affect the series, both short-and-long term?
--Barnhart: The TEAM concept was a long time coming; we had effectively been paying out the same purses since the series' opener in January 1996 and we've always looked for ways to improve the value of participation in the series. After listening and discussing the issue with team owners, drivers and event promoters, we've come up with a system that rewards teams for both participation and for performance. Teams that win races and championships will continue to receive bonus money. One team that has already seen the benefits of the TEAM concept is Roth Racing coming onboard in 2008 as a two-car team; on top of that is the fact that you have an Indy Pro Series champion(Howard) moving up to the IndyCar Series as well.
~~Finally, there's been talk about the new safety features for 2008 in the racecars themselves, from reinforced side-bony panels to new driver-seat harnesses. Is there ever a time when you can look at the scene and say that the series is as safe as it can be, or will there always be room for improvement?
--Barnhart: I don't think anyone's ever satisfied with the status quo. Safety has always been, continues to be and always will be our number one priority. We're always looking at the next weakest link and looking at how to improve that particular item, whether it is the racecars or the venues and so forth. It is a continual evolution in our safety efforts and we never ever stop trying to improve safety for our competitors and participants.
~~Looking back, what was the one memorable thing that stood out in 2007?
--Barnhart: Someone asked me a question last year coming off our 2006 championship when we had a tie between Sam Hornish, Jr. and Dan Wheldon[Mod's. note....for the record, Hornish won on the first tiebreaker, four wins to two.....]; at the time I said that I hope (in 2007) that it comes down to the last event with as tight a championship. This year, it not only came down to the last event, but it came down to the last turn on the last lap! From a sanctioning body standpoint, the competition can't get any closer.
~~How do you handle your responsibilites on race weekends, from running race control to the overall running of the IRL? Is it stressful? Enjoyable? Or does it fall somewhere in the middle?
--Barnhart: You always try to learn from one weekend to the next, applying any lessons learned to future situations. It is incredibly stressful; I think its' from the competition being so good and so close with all the inherent dangers present in our sport.
~~How would you rate the various manufacturers that work within the IndyCar Series and the IRL as a whole?
--Barnhart: I'd be hard-pressed to name better partners. Dallara is the finest chassis manufacturer in the world, given that we took what was originally an oval-only car and (adapted) it for road and street courses is a credit to them and our technical staff. I also can't stress it enough that Firestone puts out the best tires in the world, not only from a competition standpoint but from a safety standpoint. The reliability, performance and technology that Honda has brought to the series is unprecedented in all of open-wheel racing. Finally, there's our gearbox supplier, Xtrac. Whether its' on ovals, road courses or street circuits, their gearboxes have worked flawlessly.
~~Looking ahead to 2008, how will the series' new TEAM purse payouts affect the series, both short-and-long term?
--Barnhart: The TEAM concept was a long time coming; we had effectively been paying out the same purses since the series' opener in January 1996 and we've always looked for ways to improve the value of participation in the series. After listening and discussing the issue with team owners, drivers and event promoters, we've come up with a system that rewards teams for both participation and for performance. Teams that win races and championships will continue to receive bonus money. One team that has already seen the benefits of the TEAM concept is Roth Racing coming onboard in 2008 as a two-car team; on top of that is the fact that you have an Indy Pro Series champion(Howard) moving up to the IndyCar Series as well.
~~Finally, there's been talk about the new safety features for 2008 in the racecars themselves, from reinforced side-bony panels to new driver-seat harnesses. Is there ever a time when you can look at the scene and say that the series is as safe as it can be, or will there always be room for improvement?
--Barnhart: I don't think anyone's ever satisfied with the status quo. Safety has always been, continues to be and always will be our number one priority. We're always looking at the next weakest link and looking at how to improve that particular item, whether it is the racecars or the venues and so forth. It is a continual evolution in our safety efforts and we never ever stop trying to improve safety for our competitors and participants.