March 30, 2011

IndyCar round one: lessons learned.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. With the first round of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series in the books, it's clear that Randy Bernard is on a mission to shake things up and it is good to see. This isn't the same-ol' IndyCar Series, because Bernard and Co. are going to try things and keep trying things to make the racing - and the show - first rate. But about those changes...

First of all, double-file re-starts are good in theory, at least in NASCAR country anyway, but on a tight road course with open-wheel Indy cars? Not. So. Much. I applaud the effort, but suffice to say it's not going to work here. IndyCar has to be careful when they go looking at NASCAR for ideas, because I've seen this movie and it usually doesn't end well. Memo to IndyCar: Know and understand what works best for you. Double-file re-starts on street courses should be banned permanently. You're going to be in Long Beach in less than a month, and I don't expect to see it there, or ever again, for that matter. Please just say no.

And I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague Robin Miller, who wants to bring the standing starts back that Champ Car used back before the implosion. I would make standing starts standard operating procedure for IndyCar on all road courses. Yes, there are a set of different dangers associated with them, but if you want to spice up the show for television, I know of no other way to do it swiftly or more dramatically than that.

Another area for IndyCar to consider is the starts themselves, as in where they happen on a particular road course. They need to adopt to the track presented to them, instead of showing up with a hard and fast set of rules that clearly aren't going to work at every track. For instance Turn 1 at St. Petersburg is a disaster waiting to happen, and true to form, drivers will be idiots going into the first turn no matter what, so what happened Sunday was predictable. But you can't have caution laps dominate the first laps of a race, you just can't. Yes, I know shit happens, but the first 11 laps at St. Pete's was a disaster for the fans in attendance and an instant turn-off for TV viewers too.

IndyCar and its drivers need to seriously look at the Big Picture when it comes to these street races and understand that caution laps kill the action and the mood. And they also need to understand that IndyCar has a very narrow window of opportunity to strut their good stuff when it appears on TV. If the race looks promising and interesting, then viewers - both casual and hard core - will tune in. If the race is a processional caution-fest, then that sound you hear will be people clicking their remotes to find something else.

That all said, once the race st St. Pete's settled down into a battle between Dario Franchitti, Will Power and Tony Kanaan, it was all good, exactly the kind of racing we need and should expect from IndyCar. With that in mind, the usual suspects - Ganassi and Penske - will be strong again this year. And with Dario already having one race win under his belt this early in the season, watch out. Special recognition needs to go out to third-place finisher Tony Kanaan (see more coverage/pictures from St. Pete's in the Line - Ed.) who was simply superb after an off-season filled with financial twists, turns and tribulations. The guy deserves to be in the series in a front line car, and he proved it yet again on Sunday.

Then again you expect excellence from guys like Franchitti, Power and Kanaan, but to me the real flat-out star of the race was Simona de Silvestro, who finished a very racy fourth. This woman has it all: on track savvy, coolness under pressure and oh yes, she's blistering fast too. If I were Mr. Bernard & Co. I'd stop worrying about Danica so much and start promoting Simona, a big-time racer in every sense of the word who's going to make her mark in this series, and soon.

I'm glad the IndyCar season has begun and I'm really glad that Randy Bernard & Co. aren't going to give up until the IndyCar Series is worth watching every time they take to the track. 

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Portland International Raceway, 1992. Michael Andretti wins the first CART race for the Ford-Cosworth XB Turbo V8 engine, his third of three in a row at the Portland, Oregon, racing facility.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

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