Road America

[KLang]

Practice about to start.

First time since about '91 that I haven't been at the track. :(

[Wheel-Nut]

You picked a good year to miss, it's raining!

[KLang]

You picked a good year to miss, it's raining!

Rain is OK, done that a few times. The cold would have been the issue. Earlier they said it was only 53. The wife would NOT have been pleased. :eek:

[Wheel-Nut]

53!! That's a hard winter for us!!

[dando]

53!! That's a hard winter for us!!

It's 58 with light rain, you pussies. :p I hope it snows on yer asses again this winter. :gomer:

-Kevin

[Wheel-Nut]

Come see us next August :D. . . BTW, stoopid Mario is DFL in the first practice.

Edit: Up to 14th

[Methanolandbrats]

It's 58 with light rain, you pussies. :p I hope it snows on yer asses again this winter. :gomer:

-Kevin58 it t-shirt and shorts weather. How's the crowd? Compared to 04, anymore commercial stuff in the paddock?

[KLang]

58 it t-shirt and shorts weather. How's the crowd? Compared to 04, anymore commercial stuff in the paddock?

If we were there we wouldn't be posting. :p

[Wheel-Nut]

Checkered first practice. Rocketsports brings up the rear. Sounds like a few went off during the session.

Tracy takes P1 at the end.

[KLang]

End of practice 1.

PT
SB
Wilson
Will Power :eek:
Speedy Dan
Tag
AJ
Servia

[KLang]

Sounds like a few went off during the session.


3 reds to pull people out of the gravel. Two at turn 6 and one at 3. Less then I expected.

[Wheel-Nut]

Do you get the full commentary? I get only what I see when clicking back and forth.

[KLang]

Do you get the full commentary? I get only what I see when clicking back and forth.

Yes, I open it up in a window of its own. It is the Race Notes tab in RD.

[Methanolandbrats]

If we were there we wouldn't be posting. :p I'm hoping somebody will jump in and post from the track :D I can't go and live two hours away :mad:

[G.]

Some are posting from the track at other forums.

Leaving in about 4 hrs. Set up tent in the dark (ETA approx 8:00PM)

Bringing the 8 yr old.

One thing that I forgot (I read somewhere) is that they don't allow campfires on the ground. Uh oh. My converted junk chacoal grill has been pitched. Huddle around the propane grill??

Mrs. G. may be able to get a cheapy at the store. I might even get one of those aluminum foil disposable grills. Gotta have flames! Once you get a chill in the wet air, you're done for.

[Ed_Severson]

Here, I'll jump in and post from the track.

It's cold and wet here.

You're welcome. :gomer:

[Ed_Severson]

Lots of inactivity in the first 30 minutes or so of practice. Power had a good run in P4, but was out there a lot longer than most of the other kids. Same for Clarke.

Tracy put up his fast lap after the checkers ... bad boy.

So far, Mario's new team doesn't seem to be on par with his old team.

Supposed to clear off this afternoon, but it still looks pretty nasty out there so far.

Lunch was good, but a little cold.

I forgot my backup socks. :(

This real-time at-the-track posting is great stuff, no?

[Cam]

Lunch was good, but a little cold.

I forgot my backup socks. :(

This real-time at-the-track posting is great stuff, no?

I feel like I am right there! BBBRRRR.... Now if ya would go and smack Spikkly upside the head for me I will really feel like I am there! :p

[KLang]

This real-time at-the-track posting is great stuff, no?


Thanks for the updates :thumbup:

How does the crowd look? (besides wet ;) )

[KLang]

Good afternoon from Road America! The morning rain has stopped but the track is still drying. We'll have a brief practice session, immediately followed by the first round of Qualifying. Bridgestone Weather: Cloudy, Air 56F/13C, Track 54F/12C.

This could be interesting as the track dries and no one has practiced a dry setup.

[Wheel-Nut]

This car should look interesting during the broadcast.
http://www.champcarworldseries.com/Content/Photos/2006/By400/20060922P_0005.jpg

[KLang]

Nice pic of Legge:thumbup:

Don't know about pink for a race car color though.

[KLang]

Pink seems to agree with her.

19 min Katherine Legge is currently quickest of the rookie crop in P5.

[Opposite Lock]

Rookies at P1 and P2 :eek:

[KLang]

Speedy Dan and Zwolsman sneak out on slicks and take 1 and 2.

Edit:


Dan Clarke may have passed the checkered flag and is taking an extra lap. If so, he could be penalized.

Edit 2:

Rookie Dan Clarke takes a chance with slick tires on a damp track and claims Provisional Pole! Practice gets underway at 10:30am local/CT (11:30am ET, 15:30 UTC).

Way to go Speedy Dan!

[extramundane]

Dumbinguez rockets to P15 with his new team! :rofl:

[Insomniac]

Time for PT to retire! He didn't try out the slicks. I'm extremely disappointed that two rookies did and he didn't.

[cameraman]

Why risk the car on a Friday?

Time spent fixing an unnecessarily wadded up car isn't going to help him beat SeaBass on Sunday.

[Ed_Severson]

Time for PT to retire! He didn't try out the slicks. I'm extremely disappointed that two rookies did and he didn't.

Trust me ... that was not his decision.

[cameraman]

A wee bit irritated when told "no"?

[Insomniac]

Why risk the car on a Friday?

Time spent fixing an unnecessarily wadded up car isn't going to help him beat SeaBass on Sunday.

For a guaranteed front row starting position. It's a Lola, who cares about it and he's not going to win the championship. He's PT, that's what he does. He hasn't won yet this year. So many reasons. :)

[Insomniac]

Trust me ... that was not his decision.

That's good to know.

[Ed_Severson]

Honestly, I sat here all afternoon wondering why more teams weren't trying it. The track looked to still be substantially wet in the 12-13-14 area, but was pretty dry everywhere else. HVM and Conquest played it perfectly, so good for them.

It's beautiful here this morning, but I've heard from several places that the skies are supposed to open up this afternoon, so Clarke could very well end up on pole.

Cheesy eggs and peanut butter toast for breakfast. :drool:

After the rain quit yesterday, the crowd looked pretty respectable for a Friday. Carousel campground is much more crowded than in recent years.

More to come as it happens ,,,,,,, you heard it here firstest! :gomer:

[Insomniac]

Looks like it will be another wet qualifying session. Might be just looking to top their Q1 times at best. (And get that other front row start) Tags got down to 1:57.517 on the rain tires. If it stays real wet, could be an interesting race. PT P11, Bourdais P5, rookie on the front row, AJ in P4 and Wilson in P6.

[Insomniac]

I'm also sure if it starts to dry, everyone gambles. And I expect it to be pointless because there will be tons of red flags.

[Fio1]

So, who thinks Clarke will become another first time winner at Road America tomorrow? :cool:

[grungex]

Tags will take out the first two rows in turn 1 and AJ will win... :p

[KLang]

According to the Weather Channel forcast the rain should end by race time. Should be an intesting start. :)

[pchall]

Local and regional radar looks very promising this morning. Of course, I'd prefer a day in the rain at RA to a sunny day down here in SW Ohio any time. I hope the race is in August next year so I can drive up.

[B3RACER1a]

Prayers are with Katherine. That looks really bad.

[skaven]

Way to go AJ. Nice donuts too ! ! ! :thumbup:

Off to Australia. :)

[Insomniac]

"I'm not letting a French guy clinch on American soil." :thumbup:

[Fio1]

"I'm not letting a French guy clinch on American soil." :thumbup:

:laugh: But, it would have been fun if Bourdais's motor was on par with AJ's....

2007 will be fun if Bourdais stays.....:thumbup:

[nrc]

:laugh: But, it would have been fun if Bourdais's motor was on par with AJ's....:cry:
Didn't get to see the last laps, but I did see Bourdais whining during the red flag. Everyone puts the same mileage on the engines, Seabass. The engine was good enough for pole, but lame in race? Complaining that your teammate was basically a lapped car but he got ahead of you? :cry:

[Insomniac]

:laugh: But, it would have been fun if Bourdais's motor was on par with AJ's....

2007 will be fun if Bourdais stays.....:thumbup:

When you use TC, things are bound to go wrong. ;)

Where would Bourdais go?

[TKGAngel]

Bourdais just needs to put on his big boy underwear and deal with the fact that not every race is going to go his way. The whining is getting old. Is there something in the water at NHR that makes every driver for them get a case of whineritis?

Did Philippe actually make it back around on three wheels? No one really mentioned that after Legge had her accident.

[grungex]

:cry:
Didn't get to see the last laps, but I did see Bourdais whining during the red flag. Everyone puts the same mileage on the engines, Seabass. The engine was good enough for pole, but lame in race? Complaining that your teammate was basically a lapped car but he got ahead of you? :cry:
He was gaining two seconds a lap early on, hardly the sign of a lame engine. Lame personality, poor loser, for sure. :thumdown:

[grungex]

Did Philippe actually make it back around on three wheels? No one really mentioned that after Legge had her accident.
Yeah, and without a yellow being thrown.

[grungex]

I took a few pics over the weekend, posted 'em here (click on the pink car): --Linky-- (http://turboesprit.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album06)


http://i9.tinypic.com/402ou9l.jpg

[KLang]

:cry:
Didn't get to see the last laps, but I did see Bourdais whining during the red flag. Everyone puts the same mileage on the engines, Seabass. The engine was good enough for pole, but lame in race? Complaining that your teammate was basically a lapped car but he got ahead of you? :cry:

I didn't get his comments either. Just a whiner, but aren't they all at times?

[Accipiter]

:laugh: But, it would have been fun if Bourdais's motor was on par with AJ's....



Even Craig Hampson sounded skeptical about that complaint.

[Andrew Longman]

Most important, RM reported that CC will be back at RA next year:thumbup: :D

[Tifosi24]

Bourdais's complaints are a little strange, because he had the field covered for the whole race up until the last pit stop. With only a five or six laps left we were wondering why that stop took so long. My opinion is that the regular compound tyres threw off his handling somewhat, because he had been running the options most of the day.

On race day, I was watching from the outside of five, and I can say that the crowd was pretty strong. I have never been to Road America before, but all day Saturday and Sunday the T5 area was milling with people. The news that the weekend is returning is great, because even without ideal conditions there was an acceptable turnout. Being in Milwaukee, I only saw one commerical for the race weekend, and that was on ESPN Saturday night.

[Chiphead_Dave]

My opinion is that the regular compound tyres threw off his handling somewhat, because he had been running the options most of the day.



My Thoughts exactly.

SB has never been as fast on blacks as he is on reds.....unlike some drivers
who are faster on blacks and some that are about the same on both.

It all comes down to car setup and driving style.

[Redwing]

I just got back today, here are some observations:

-Good crowd both days, and it will only get better next year.

-Saturday was almost as rainy as '86, with rivulets running all through the paddock. It rained from 2pm to the time I left, about 7pm. All the races were run, which is commendable, since it was a monsoon during Saturday's Barber Dodge race. Saturday was why you don't go racing in Wisconsin in September, Sunday was why you DO go racing in Wisconsin in September.

-Supermoto event was actually pretty cool. After all the talk about noise regulations at RA, it amazing to think they set up a course on the back side of the valley to do additional racing. Those bikes are LOUD!

-I saw David and Greg Hobbs at the Gearbox on Sunday. Then I ran into Tonis Kazamets at the Starbucks on Hwy. 50 in Kenosha on Monday.

-The cars look great; loads of big sponsors on each paint job. The new Panoz DP01 looks great. It's a beautiful design, and several other fans noticed that it sounds different as well. It has a very distinctive high-pitched howl, which is really cool. Any speculation on why?

[RHR_Fan]

Apparently there were 61000'ish people for the entire weekend, which is pretty good considering the weather definitely drove the locals and others away Friday and Saturday.

~Nicole

[grungex]

The new Panoz DP01 looks great. It's a beautiful design, and several other fans noticed that it sounds different as well. It has a very distinctive high-pitched howl, which is really cool. Any speculation on why?

Traction control.


,,,,,,,,,,,







:)

[Dr. Corkski]

SB has never been as fast on blacks as he is on redsBourdais is a democracy-hating communist.

[G.]

-The cars look great; loads of big sponsors on each paint job. The new Panoz DP01 looks great. It's a beautiful design, and several other fans noticed that it sounds different as well. It has a very distinctive high-pitched howl, which is really cool. Any speculation on why?no popoff valve.

[nrc]

-The cars look great; loads of big sponsors on each paint job. The new Panoz DP01 looks great. It's a beautiful design, and several other fans noticed that it sounds different as well. It has a very distinctive high-pitched howl, which is really cool. Any speculation on why?Probably because (as I understand it) they now have twin turbos - one for each bank of cylinders. That means smaller, smaller turbos, and maybe a higher resonance to the exhaust. I doubt that they would raise the RPM much, but it's possible.

[SteveH]

No, its the 2006 Cosworth in the DP-01. Testing w/ that for now. And I don't believe the engine for 2007 will be twin-turbo. In fact, I'm pretty sure it won't be.

[Insomniac]

Probably because (as I understand it) they now have twin turbos - one for each bank of cylinders. That means smaller, smaller turbos, and maybe a higher resonance to the exhaust. I doubt that they would raise the RPM much, but it's possible.

I thought they were just upping the RPM for a little more HP? They were dropping the pop-off valve since there's no need for them to regulate the boost with one manufacturer. (And that the twin turbo idea was scrapped.)

[trauma1]

Probably because (as I understand it) they now have twin turbos - one for each bank of cylinders. That means smaller, smaller turbos, and maybe a higher resonance to the exhaust. I doubt that they would raise the RPM much, but it's possible.

they decided against the twin turbo

[mueber]

It was wet, it was cold, it was windy, it was beautiful, it was Road America in September, and once we got the now mandatory first turn of the first lap accident out of the way, it was a good race.

Glad I went, even if it meant driving around Chicago to and fro, and I’ll be there next August, that’s for sure.

[grungex]

I thought they were just upping the RPM for a little more HP? They were dropping the pop-off valve since there's no need for them to regulate the boost with one manufacturer. (And that the twin turbo idea was scrapped.)

No HP or RPM increase, no twin turbo, no popoff valve next year. The only significant changes being made are internal, strictly for increased mileage and reliability.

[nrc]

No HP or RPM increase, no twin turbo, no popoff valve next year. The only significant changes being made are internal, strictly for increased mileage and reliability.
So are the still burying the single turbo in the tranny? One of the big cost improvements was supposed to be reducing the complexity of the transmission and the exhaust plumbing.

[grungex]

Oops, I forgot to ask about that. They did have the engine cover off a few times, maybe someone else here took a closer look. Judging from this photo (taken by RARules), I'd say it's comparable in design to the current car. As far as cost improvements to the transaxle, I'd hazard that the biggest cost reduction is probably not having to buy the case from Lola... ;)

http://i9.tinypic.com/2mflrwp.jpg

[Insomniac]

No HP or RPM increase, no twin turbo, no popoff valve next year. The only significant changes being made are internal, strictly for increased mileage and reliability.

That's a shame there isn't going to be more power.