No IRL Road Course Testing Yet.

[Brickman]

www.tracksideonline.com

"As TSO reported Monday, look for the IndyCar Series to have a test at Sebring in September.



There are a number of rumors that IndyCar Series teams have already conducted road course tests, one of the rumors that gets the most mentions on the Internet has Penske testing at Mid Ohio.



TSO checked with IRL Vice President Brian Barnhart about possible road course tests and was told:



"No one has tested any road course configurations yet, and no one will until early September. There are no differentials built for the gearbox, we have not finalized which brake package we are going to run and neither chassis manufacturer has produced any suspension, fuel pickup, or steering bits. When we test for the first time, it is not going to be with one team, we will make sure all manufacturers, engine and chassis, are represented."

[Chaos]

sounds late...but no matter. IRL will be on road courses eventually.

[Madmaxfan2]

I do not think that the IRL will go road racing, despite the talk. This has been rumored for about a year, yet no race scheduled. I think they did have a test, and th results were so embarrassing the EARL is in a stall mode right now.

[SteveH]

I think the 'test' was Indy. Not enough money to field a full grid, how can there be enough to support the changes required for road/street course racing? If the IRL heads down that path, it will further dilute the teams resources.

[racer2c]

Penske has the resources to 'equip' a crapwagon to do some laps around M-O, despite BB saying otherwise. (my, how the mighty have fallen.) I think the IRL on road courses will be another failed experiment. If they go to Mid-Ohio, or Laguna, or RA, the cars will be ridiculed by the purest fans who 'know' real road racing. It will be a farce. No one will attend. I predict that they will try to obtain a street course in hopes to of a crowd. Maybe then we will finally learn if city folk 'know' their racing.

[oddlycalm]

Penske has the ability to produce complete chassis, so modifications of this type to the cars would present no challenge. History would suggest that Penske would seek to discover how the cars are going to work sooner rather than later. It may even be that Penske is who the EARL officials are relying on to provide final specs for the changes, which would explain some amount of testing. He's certainly the driving force behind going roadracing.

If Brainfart is indeed saying that nobody anywhere is doing any component testing prior to adoption of the final specs, then he is a bloody fool, a liar, or as the evidence has long suggested, both. How would anyone know if the differential would make it through a race, the brake package handle repeated stops from speed, or how large the cooling ducts need to be? As usual, the EARL's public statements insult the intelligence of anyone that knows anything about race cars and how major changes get implemented.

oc

[racer2c]

Remember who he's talking to. The guys at TF. They don't couldn't pick out a turbo from a hair dryer.

[Napoleon]

I know nothing at all about IRL testing rules, if they have them (in the past the IRL did not publish their full rules to the public so it was difficult to know what the rules were).

Serious question: could Penske test on a course not used by the IRL without violating any testing ban? If he change the car enough would it be legit. to claim that the car was not an IRL spec car and therefore not subject to testing restrictions. What if the car he used was a testing sled that had not been blessed by the IRL (say a chassis built by a chassis manufacturer but not issued a serial number or homologation papers?).

BTW, with my contacts I would think I would have heard of the test through back channels. I would guess that Rabbit may have similar back channel sources.

[cart7]

The only tracks I even see open they can run on without creating a conflict with OWRS next year are the Glen, Road Atlanta and M/O. Everything else means underbidding OWRS and having to prove they can even put on a road race with their current chassis. Watkins has got the obvious safety considerations (if the earl would even care), Road Atlanta is a possibility even though the "wall" is a safety issue as well as OW not pulling well down there and I can't imagine the lumbering earl cars running the 3.0's putting on a show anyone would even care about at M/O.

[Napoleon]

..>>and I can't imagine the lumbering earl cars running the 3.0's putting on a show anyone would even care about at M/O.

I disagree, MO is all but Honda's "home" track and they are heavy advertisers their. If Honda cares I bet that is enough for MO (well that and the check I bet is forthcoming for the Honda GP at MO).

[Car-B-Q]

I do not think that the IRL will go road racing, despite the talk. This has been rumored for about a year, yet no race scheduled. I think they did have a test, and th results were so embarrassing the EARL is in a stall mode right now.
I think they have unzipped their fly, so to speak, and will force a couple of road races upon everyone no matter if the track is safe and/or capable, the cars are safe and/or capable, or if their is interest (real or manufactured).

The arrogarance of the IRL to embark upon this path is just another episode in the vision-revision. IRLRoadRacing 1.0 will be a tremendous failure, but will be hailed as a tremendous success by the TFers et.al. Worse yet will be the IRLs persistence on shoving that substandard crap upon everyone.

[pchall]

If Brainfart is indeed saying that nobody anywhere is doing any component testing prior to adoption of the final specs, then he is a bloody fool, a liar, or as the evidence has long suggested, both. How would anyone know if the differential would make it through a race, the brake package handle repeated stops from speed, or how large the cooling ducts need to be? As usual, the EARL's public statements insult the intelligence of anyone that knows anything about race cars and how major changes get implemented.

oc

Bingo

If they road race in 2005 on data collected and specs announced after 9/04 they are crap.

So it goes.

[Don Quixote]

If Brainfart is indeed saying that nobody anywhere is doing any component testing prior to adoption of the final specs, then he is a bloody fool, a liar, or as the evidence has long suggested, both. How would anyone know if the differential would make it through a race, the brake package handle repeated stops from speed, or how large the cooling ducts need to be? As usual, the EARL's public statements insult the intelligence of anyone that knows anything about race cars and how major changes get implemented.

oc

Maybe Raywhore is in charge of the testing, ala Texas a few years ago. As I recall he did a bang up job of it.

[RichK]

I could see ISC packaging the Earl with a GrandAm weekend. That way, they double the interest! 1,000 fans + 1,000 fans = enough to break even on hot dogs!

[Brickman]

I would guess Mid-Ohio and Sears Point. Throw in Watkins Glen, after that they will attempt to steal Champ Car venues through a bidding war. I never bought the all oval concept so I will look at the testing results with interest. They may be comparable to Milwaukee testing, or they could surprise us all and actually put on a decent show even though the performance won't be there. Never say never in the wide wacky world of open wheel racing. Time will tell...

[RTKar]

You don't suppose the earl could be a support race for the USGP do you? :saywhat: :eek: :thumdown:........ Heaven forbid.

[Brickman]

You don't suppose the earl could be a support race for the USGP do you? :saywhat: :eek: :thumdown:........ Heaven forbid.

It would be a mistake. So that probably means a 50 50 chance. If they ever ran a race there other than the 500 it would be the death nail of the series.

[Robstar]

You don't suppose the earl could be a support race for the USGP do you? :saywhat: :eek: :thumdown:........ Heaven forbid.

*shivers*

[Railbird]

With the Honda/Mid Ohio connection I'm hoping our "back channel" guys keep their ears to the ground.

Plain white transporter and car with a helicopter or two landing?

I believe that has happened before.

Although they can re-map th engine without too much sweat, from what I've heard the chassis modifications needed, particulalry on the Dallara, are quite extensive and the brakes and gearbox are way out of spec for what is needed.

[Car-B-Q]

With the Honda/Mid Ohio connection I'm hoping our "back channel" guys keep their ears to the ground.

Plain white transporter and car with a helicopter or two landing?

I believe that has happened before.

Although they can re-map th engine without too much sweat, from what I've heard the chassis modifications needed, particulalry on the Dallara, are quite extensive and the brakes and gearbox are way out of spec for what is needed.
They're probably reverse engineering the brakes, suspension, etc. from one of Rahole's Lolas. How else could they come up with something unless they steal it (like everything else)?

[oddlycalm]

BTW, with my contacts I would think I would have heard of the test through back channels. I would guess that Rabbit may have similar back channel sources.

Agreed, however, if Penske wants to test without prying eyes, or risking rule violation sanctions, my guess would be that he would do it on a secondary track in the UK rather than over here.


Although they can re-map the engine without too much sweat, from what I've heard the chassis modifications needed, particulalry on the Dallara, are quite extensive and the brakes and gearbox are way out of spec for what is needed.

Absolutely right 'bird. That's what is being glossed over by the EARL when it talks with promoters. It's gonna take a lot of development work and cost the teams a lot of money to make the necessary changes. As of now, it's all just blue sky marketing talk for the suckers.

Even once they make the changes, it will take several seasons to get close to optimizing the package on a road course. Initially they will be noticably slow everywhere. Even when full developed, compared to a Champ Car, which the turbo boost making huge torque at relatively low Rpm's, the EARL 3.0L cars will be bog slow off corners. Down a bit on horsepower is one thing on an oval, but massively down on torque on a road course.

Gentilozzi was on the 11pm news last night pointing out that EARL cars have never turned a wheel on a road course, and by contrast CCWS put up $3 million of their own money to bring back the same cars to Portland this weekend that have run here the last 21yrs. Gentilozzi made about as clear and succinct a statement as anyone could make, and to the credit of that particular new organization, they ran it.

oc

[Napoleon]

Agreed, however, if Penske wants to test without prying eyes, or risking rule violation sanctions, my guess would be that he would do it on a secondary track in the UK rather than over here.

Or a secondary track over here like Gingerman (I think Tracy in a Penske still has the track record), Heartland or VIR.

[JT265]

Or a secondary track over here like Gingerman (I think Tracy in a Penske still has the track record), Heartland or VIR.


I suspect that it's already happened. No love for Penske, but they didn't label him the "Captain" just to blindly follow in Mumbles shadow.

And to answer your earlier question Nappy, if Penske used even an '03 chassis after the season, or one that wasn't registered with earl's sanctioning body, he isn't violating anything concerning their testing rules. Of course, all this is assuming that earl sanctioning operates like a real racing series.