2024 IndyCar Series Discussion

RtN · PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:11 pm

There is also testing today on the IMS road course - this is the first open test of the hybrid system which is now available to all teams instead of just the big 4.

pending · PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:41 pm

TBH I never thought I'd see Forsythe in the news regarding IndyCar again. Good to hear the old fox is still around.

Juihi · PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:21 pm

wooohooo

codename_47 · PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:24 pm

Forsythe is a legend and I miss his presence in the sport a lot, how much I wish there was still a blue Forsythe car or two in the series right now

But, the dude is 82, so all we've done with this is kick the can down the road slightly....

mclaren2008 · PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2024 1:02 am

Those at NASCAR are probably bawling their eyes out since they won't get wrecks at the fountain turn and/or hairpin :lol:

RtN · PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2024 4:10 pm

Prema have reportedly secured two engine leases from Chevy and will soon announce an entry for 2025. Abel and Pratt Miller continue to work on their plans.

https://racer.com/2024/03/29/growing-gr ... r-to-have/

SecretAgentHarvick · PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 3:47 pm

RtN wrote:

There is also testing today on the IMS road course - this is the first open test of the hybrid system which is now available to all teams instead of just the big 4.

I was actually there Thursday on vacation to take a tour of the speedway! Saw cars being unloaded and pit boxes being set up and wondered what the heck was going on. Hate that I didn't stick around now! Could've witnessed some history!

RtN · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 11:32 am

The charter system is nearly ready.

https://racer.com/2024/04/03/the-devils ... structure/

The basic proposals are this;
-25 charters will be issued, a maximum of three for each current full-time team. The cars missing out will be Ganassi's #4 and #11.
-The charter will guarantee a starting spot at each race except the Indy 500, which may or may not be included in this. The series is sensitive to the backlash that came from the initial proposal, but the teams are very keen on guaranteed 500 spots.
-The grid size at every other race will be fixed at 27, meaning that if Prema do commit for next year, they (and anyone else who joins in such as a 4th SPAM car, Pratt Miller or Abel) will need to fight those 2 Ganassi cars to get on the grid.
-No decision has been made on whether or not to require payment for purchasing a charter or whether Penske Entertainment gets a cut of any charter sale.

RtN · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 12:04 pm

Something else that was tested at IMS last week is a new aeroscreen, which appears to be less boxy than the current design.

https://www.autohebdo.fr/actualites/mon ... polis.html

amq55 · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 9:35 pm

Pourchaire is likely to be in the 6 for Long Beach as Malukas is still injured and Illott has a conflict with WEC.

ZeroX · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:10 pm

RtN wrote:

The charter system is nearly ready.

https://racer.com/2024/04/03/the-devils ... structure/

The basic proposals are this;
-25 charters will be issued, a maximum of three for each current full-time team. The cars missing out will be Ganassi's #4 and #11.
-The charter will guarantee a starting spot at each race except the Indy 500, which may or may not be included in this. The series is sensitive to the backlash that came from the initial proposal, but the teams are very keen on guaranteed 500 spots.
-The grid size at every other race will be fixed at 27, meaning that if Prema do commit for next year, they (and anyone else who joins in such as a 4th SPAM car, Pratt Miller or Abel) will need to fight those 2 Ganassi cars to get on the grid.
-No decision has been made on whether or not to require payment for purchasing a charter or whether Penske Entertainment gets a cut of any charter sale.

If this goes ahead I can't see any reason why any new teams will want to enter. If, out of the 27 cars entered now, the 2 that will be required to qualify on time are also 2 of the best prepared cars that will almost certainly always qualify on time ahead of any new teams, what's the point? Why the fuck would you bother spending a shit ton of time and money putting an entire team together to enter every race when there is basically no chance you will ever get to race?

Why can't they use a system that F1 used to use for pre-qualifying where your guaranteed entry into main qualifying was based on actual performance/results?

Your pre-qualifying would include the bottom two finishing cars from teams with more than 3 entries, and any new entries. Your "favoured" entries would always be guaranteed entry through to main qualifying and the race at first until an arbitrary point later in the season where it would be re-evaluated, and the entries outside the top 25 in points (should it be any different) would be required to pre-qualify.

I don't even know why I am bothering to write this, I feel like I am the only person who gives a shit about this kind of thing anymore.

peterohanrahanrahan · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:20 pm

RtN wrote:

-The grid size at every other race will be fixed at 27, meaning that if Prema do commit for next year, they (and anyone else who joins in such as a 4th SPAM car, Pratt Miller or Abel) will need to fight those 2 Ganassi cars to get on the grid.

Don't get why series need to "fix" the amount of entries in a series. Supercars do it with their charter system, F1 obviously has 20. The more the merrier as long as they're not dragging the series down by being slow as all shit.

If race tracks can accomodate 28, 30 or 32 cars why not have them? Have pre-qualifying for tracks that can't.

RtN · PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:46 pm

Two of the tracks can only accomodate 27 cars (Mid Ohio and Toronto). To be clear, as many cars can be entered as the owners want to, but if they don't have a charter they would have to be in the top 2 non-charter cars in qualifying.

RtN · PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2024 4:34 pm

TV rights news.

https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/mo ... 206835007/

-The battle is between NBC and Fox.
-Before St. Pete, the perception was that a move to Fox was all but signed. Since then, NBC have come back to the table with an improved offer.
-NBC are supposedly offering a minimum of 10 races on network TV plus a small bump in the yearly fee ($25 million). Fox are offering fewer races on network TV but more money ($35 million).
-Any move to Fox would open up questions regarding on-screen talent. Diffey is firmly tied to NBC and would need to be replaced - Bestwick, Adam Alexander and Mike Joy are floated. At least one of Hinch and TBell would likely be made an offer to come across.

RtN · PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 3:20 pm

Prema announce their entry.

https://racer.com/2024/04/09/prema-conf ... -for-2025/

Assuming that no-one drops out or downsizes, this would make 29 full-time entries.

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Katherine Legge will drive Coyne's #51 at the Indy 500.

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Theo Pourchaire is on standby for SPAM if Malukas is not fit for Long Beach.

codename_47 · PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:11 pm

RtN wrote:

Prema announce their entry.

https://racer.com/2024/04/09/prema-conf ... -for-2025/

Until the franchises come in, then we're limited to 27

RtN · PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 5:47 pm

Prema would be entitled to show up at every race and attempt to qualify as there will always be at least 2 non-charter spots at each event.

RtN · PostPosted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:59 pm

Malukas will miss both the open test at IMS (to be replaced by Ilott) and the Long Beach GP (no replacement yet named, but it is expected to be Pourchaire).

Swede · PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2024 2:18 pm

Open test at Indianapolis underway.

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2024 IndyCar Series Discussion

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