A chicane?

[cameraman]

CCWS just posted the official track map with the timing segments, etc.

It shows a chicane just prior to turn 2 that isn't on any of the other track maps that I have seen. It would be right in front of grandstand 2, at or just past the pedestrian bridge.

Is that chicane really there or did somebody sneeze while they were drawing up the timing map?

The pdf file is here (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/CONTENT/PDF/Results/2006/20060511PDFR_0001.pdf)

[cameraman]

From the ALMS


Note: A change to the entrance to turn 2 was completed at 4:15 am this morning. A new chicane has been added to slow the cars near the end of the front straight. The chicane is a quick left, right and was put in because the run-off area in turn two was not sufficient for the speeds the cars were carrying into the corner during test runs. This lengthens the course slightly to 1.69 miles.

[rabbit]

This has Michelin written all over it. :gomer:

[cameraman]

Practice 1 is on Race Director right now.

Oh boy...

Andrew Ranger - "It's so bumpy everywhere I have no idea what the car is doing. I don't know if I have understeer or oversteer or if it's just the bumps."

Legge: "It is really incredibly bumpy out there. It's hitting pretty hard everywhere but I think we'd have to raise the car way way too far up if we wanted to avoid bottoming."

Tracy: "It's so bumpy the steering wheel is coming out of my hands."

[nrc]

Of course there was no way they could have anticipated the runoff issue. :shakehead
http://www.offcamber.net/forums/showpost.php?p=136764&postcount=11

[jonovision_man]

Good call nrc...

If internet posters can spot it, shouldn't the "professionals" have figure it out too? Other than Edmonton, they've really sucked at this circuit-planning business. :thumdown:

Did someone different do the Edmonton layout? Or did they just have more room to work with since it's an airport?

jono

[cameraman]

Are they planning a merger with the WRC? :saywhat:


Tracy: "The car is undriveable and getting worse as the track rubbers in. It feels like half the time the car isn't even on the ground."

Legge: "I was following A.J. (Allmendinger) and saw a few different lines I'll try next time. It seems like it's more important to avoid the bad bumps rather than stick to the ideal racing line."

"Prior to pitting, Bourdais was experimenting with lines through the long, fast right hand Turn 4. Instead of hugging the traditional line on the inside of the corner, he was right up against the outside wall looking for a smoother surface through the quickest corner on the track."

[Dr. Corkski]

Let's hope they install some railroad tracks too. :gomer:

[racer2c]

And a loop d loop. They always used to say how these cars could theortically drive upside down. I want a loop d loop dammit! :flame:

[cameraman]

A little ALMS whine...


Rinaldo Capello (#2-P1 Audi R8 TSI Power) (first impressions of the track) "In one word, bumpy. At the moment this course may be too aggressive for sports cars. The last bump at the end of the back straight (corner 9) is very dangerous and for the Champ cars it will be even more (so). Right now the GT cars can go through it faster than us because their cars can be more aggressive. Allan (McNish) warned me about the bump, but that's not the same as driving through it."

[FCYTravis]

I've heard from someone down there that the undertrays are just getting destroyed - "It's going to be an expensive weekend."

[pferrf1]

Didn't the last night road course race in Cleveland have the teams using skidplates to create the spark effect? I wonder if any teams opted to do that this year.

[Gnam]

Until they break a pop-off valve, San Jose is still 'King Track.

At San Jose, Newman-Haas tore their cars apart Saturday night and replaced/inspected every part. Gonna be the same drill at Houston.

[coolhand]

I've heard from someone down there that the undertrays are just getting destroyed - "It's going to be an expensive weekend."

ALMS or CC?

[coolhand]

Didn't the last night road course race in Cleveland have the teams using skidplates to create the spark effect? I wonder if any teams opted to do that this year.

What skid plates they use depends on what balast they want depending whether it is set-up related or due to the weight of the driver.

light drivers run Brass, and then little heavier guys run Aluminum, and the paul tracy's run various types of wood for the skid plates.

They spay paint the wood white to see where they are scraping the ground and the metals get a black shine to see where they are scraping.

At Clevland you probably only saw a few cars running metal.

[Spicoli]

I'll bet the damage on any of these cars is less than Rice did hitting turn 2 today. :cry:

[nissan gtp]

I'll bet the damage on any of these cars is less than Rice did hitting turn 2 today. :cry:

I thought you were in Houston ? :laugh:

[cameraman]

Didn't the last night road course race in Cleveland have the teams using skidplates to create the spark effect? I wonder if any teams opted to do that this year.

In 2003 Chris Pook suggested that all the teams use titanium bolts with protruding heads to attach the skid plates to the cars for the Cleveland night race. The idea being that the boltheads would spark even if the car was running wood skid plates. I don't remember if they actually went as far as handing out the bolts or if that was just Pook rambling on....

[FCYTravis]

ALMS or CC?
Champ Car.

[Spicoli]

I thought you were in Houston ? :laugh:

KK..,,,,, left me here to,,,,keepan eye on,,,,coke-boi. :gomer:

[nissan gtp]

KK..,,,,, left me here to,,,,keepan eye on,,,,coke-boi. :gomer:

sure, spicoliski

[Spicoli]

sure, spicoliski


Crapus lite?

:laugh:

[coolhand]

Even though KK is indy, i feel the series is in good hands in houston,,,,,,

[nissan gtp]

Crapus lite?

:laugh:


:rofl:

[Spicoli]

:rofl:

http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/content/pic3441.jpg

[rabbit]

http://sports.yahoo.com/cart/news;_ylt=AqdzsP_9Q9QDB4hhpJhimwu0v7YF?slug=ap-champ-houston&prov=ap&type=lgns


The racers had some criticisms for the new layout, set up on the giant parking lot next to the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans.

Bourdais said the surface was so bumpy, it felt like driving on railroad tracks.

"We're actually damaging the chassis," he said.

Bourdais toured the track in April and recommended changes. He discovered on Thursday that nothing had been done.

"I said, 'This place is going to need extensive grinding,'" he said. "I guess I've not been heard.

"It's a shame. This place is just beautiful. It has everything it needs to be one of the best street courses we've ever had. Unfortunately, it's bumpy enough that it ruins the attraction."

At the request of several drivers, a crescent-shaped chicane of orange cones was placed near the sharp second turn, which was set up without a straight-line runoff. The barrier forces the racers to slow down, bend around the barrier and make the dangerous turn at a safer speed.

"It's unfortunate the track was designed the way it was," said Tracy. "It's very frustrating that you show up here and they put a corner right in front of a building with no runoff. We had to makeshift this chicane that is so slow, it really doesn't do any justice for the cars at all." What a joke. :shakehead

[cameraman]

I read that concrete grinders are working tonight. No details beyond they are working on the track tonight.

[Wheel-Nut]

The track is rough and hopefully the people in the know will get it worked out. We watched CC practice in the long right hand sweeper. It seems about mid-way through there is a good bump that gets the cars wheels off the ground. Some drivers found it right away and adjusted accordingly, some drivers (PT) (Legge) hit it several times . . . :D

Turn 1 is a good passing area. The Atlantics were running 3 wide at times, the CC never lifted.

[BobN]

A little ALMS whine...

Sounds a little more like "Audi whine" not ALMS.

Here is a snippet from dailysportscar.com from James Weaver:
We asked James Weaver – a pundit if we’ve ever met one – about the track, and we got chapter and verse. As usual, it makes a lot of sense.

“A bump is just a vertical corner, isn’t it?” asked the Englishman. “That’s why you’ve got an engineer in the pits armed with a hammer to fix it, after all. At the end of the day, they’re all equipped with a throttle, aren’t they? And you can alter your line. If someone can set up the car to hold it (the speed) a bit longer (over the bumps) they’ll have won fair and square, won’t they?"

[CART T. Katz]

if the bumps are not a safety issue, shut up and race.

[Turbodog]

Let's hope they install some railroad tracks too. :gomer:

I was sitting in 4 and the Champ Cars along with some of the ALMS cars rear ends came about 3 inches off the ground.

[NismoZ]

I guess the grind did nothing. Dominguez was showing off his new blisters, saying he noticed no difference. :shakehead Oh, boy. Already talk of a change in layout for next time, Danny Clarke up to 6th fastest (!) this afternoon with Bourdais back on top. 29,000 showed up Thurs. That beats a few League Sunday gates doesn't it?

[nrc]

I guess the grind did nothing. Dominguez was showing off his new blisters, saying he noticed no difference. :shakehead Oh, boy. Already talk of a change in layout for next time, Danny Clarke up to 6th fastest (!) this afternoon with Bourdais back on top. 29,000 showed up Thurs. That beats a few League Sunday gates doesn't it?

Depends on who's counting. :)

[NismoZ]

Yeah, now they're hoping for a 3-day 85,000 total which would lead me to believe the 29k Thurs. figure was a little...optimistic? Sure looked more like 29 hundred on the Fri. qualifying show.

[KLang]

I didn't bother taking the crowd counting class in college but there were a lot off people at the track yesterday. Our seats are at the start finish line and it was pretty crowded for the ALMS race. We were sitting in the shade under a tree during Champ Car qualifying.

[Wheel-Nut]

We are also at the S/F line, Section S. Grandstand 1 faces west if that tells you anything. We too were seeking shade. After dark it is the place to be!!

[Turbodog]

Yeah, now they're hoping for a 3-day 85,000 total which would lead me to believe the 29k Thurs. figure was a little...optimistic? Sure looked more like 29 hundred on the Fri. qualifying show.

there was not 29k on thursday. Mayby 29k last night

[Turbodog]

I didn't bother taking the crowd counting class in college but there were a lot off people at the track yesterday. Our seats are at the start finish line and it was pretty crowded for the ALMS race. We were sitting in the shade under a tree during Champ Car qualifying.

from what I was told it emptied out at 9pm on fri

[Sean O'Gorman]

from what I was told it emptied out at 9pm on fri

Honestly, can you blame them? That race had to be pretty confusing for the casual fan, with so many classes, but so few cars, and it gets hard to tell who is chasing who and on what lap.

[KLang]

from what I was told it emptied out at 9pm on fri
I was there for the whole thing in Grandstand 1. There was no 'emptying out' where I was sitting.

[KLang]

That race had to be pretty confusing for the casual fan, with so many classes, but so few cars, and it gets hard to tell who is chasing who and on what lap.

Don't know if you would consider me a casual fan but I had a tough time following it and I was really trying. I assume it must get easier if you watch them more frequently.

[Sean O'Gorman]

The first time I saw multi-class sports car racing was USRRC in '98 and I had no clue what was going on after 10 minutes. After going to Petit Le Mans for two years in a row, and the addition of the timing lights, it got easier, but its still a tough thing to follow.

[Turbodog]

I was there for the whole thing in Grandstand 1. There was no 'emptying out' where I was sitting.

ok well Ank said so :gomer:

[Ankf00]

there was a massive exodus of epic proportion down at my end of stand 1. it was 3/4's or more full at the start. Watched about 45 mins then took one of my buddy's to the CCWS paddock to show him around. Came back around 9:15'ish and the place was no more than 10-15% full by 9:45. I was actually counting ratio of empty seats to bodies for all the rows in the immediately surrounding sections b/c I couldn't believe it would've emptied out that much.

oh well, the 7 n00bs I brought w/ me seemed to enjoy it all aside from the monotony of the end of the ALMS race.

[KLang]

Maybe they were all waiting in line for a beer or a pee? ;)

[Ankf00]

Maybe they were all waiting in line for a beer or a pee? ;)

or up the street at Goode Co. Barbecue :) mmmmmmmmmm....

[rabbit]

http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=10227
"These Champ Car guys who complained about the track being too bumpy are prima donnas," said Atlantic driver Leo Maia. "Just drive it man. You think AJ Foyt would give a hoot about the bumps? He probably wouldn't even notice them. People are whining about nothing. I wouldn't change a thing."

John Lopez, a sports writer for the Houston Chronicle agrees. "This is the Houston Grand Prix, not the Malibu Grand Prix. So long as the bumps and tricky Turn 2 do not pose a danger - and none of the races indicated severe peril - leave it alone."