TBK-Light.com

Shank is trying to run Paul Tracy and from what I've read they have the budget but can't get an engine. Lotus engine that is. It seems they won't make it to St Pete, they'll start running later on hopefully.

The engine shortage is as a result of the series mandating a maximum sale/lease cost for the engine along with the requirement to supply the specific amount, so basically the manufacturers are building each engine at a loss, really slowly, and building only as many as needed.

I know what you mean about the crash tests, you can usually tell by just looking at a car where it's weak points are, or where it's been beefed up to take an impact better, and the general lack of anything other than good old air around the driver (in comparison to the old tanks) should be more of a concern to the drivers than whether they race at Texas or not, side on impacts with concrete walls could be really nasty in this car compared to the old one.

At least NASCAR built a few dozen cars and drone drove them into walls at 200mph to see what would happen to the driver before finalising their COT design, you have to wonder if they did any sort of crash tests on these cars given their weird shape or just relied on a computer to tell them it was ok.

great! thanks for the info guys. and ya i agree ian. i was pretty surprised to see these cars developed and put on the track without any crash testing! especially with how much focus they supposedly put on its safety features. how can they fully know these new features work without testing it??

All this cynicism... you know that things, since Vegas, can only get better. Can't wait for the season to start.

one thing I've noticed about the new car is how close the front suspension arms are in relation to the cockpit. It may be a potential danger in front suspension collisions.

The Indy 500 ticket envelope came in the mail today, and I finally saw the tickets my dad's been waiting to have for a long time.

He's got two tickets in the Stand E Penthouse (Turn 1) in the front row. The start is going to be awesome as hell.

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If you screw up while skydiving, you have the rest of your life to figure out how to fix it.

Not really any closer than most single seaters. The old car just had a longer nose, so the suspension was further down.

Oh i love the old cars

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2010 Indycar Series Pick'em up Champion with 104 points

IndyCar Fan since 1996
[i]

Was it really too much to ask to just build that? I don't mind the new cars, but man, that Bud ride is just about perfect.

Dreamworks & IndyCar have announced a new animated movie "Turbo", to be premiered in 2013, that tells the story of a snail that dreams of winning the Indy 500, and after a freak incident, he gains the speed to attempt it.

Can't wait

Full article from RACER.com,

IndyCar and DreamWorks team up for "Turbo"
March 12, 2012
IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have announced a movie-themed collaboration with DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., for the upcoming animated feature film Turbo, which is scheduled to be released on July 19, 2013.

As explained at the announcement, "DreamWorks Animation's Turbo is the story of an ordinary garden snail with an impossible dream: to win the Indy 500. When a freak accident gives him extraordinary speed, Turbo sets out to try to make his impossible dream come true."

"The Indianapolis 500 is a one-of-a-kind live event that has fascinated people of all ages for many, many years and Turbo is a character whose biggest ambition is to add his name to its list of international champions," commented Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. "DreamWorks Animation's alliance with the IndyCar team represents an authentic tie-in between a real-life race and an imagined adventure that is certain to culminate in a thrilling ride for the whole family next summer."

"Today is a very exciting day for us, as we announce our collaboration with the DreamWorks Animation team on 'Turbo,'" said Randy Bernard, CEO of IndyCar. "We're very honored to work with Jeffrey, his team and the incredible star power of the cast to bring the Indy 500 to the world in such a unique and engaging format.  We believe new and existing fans of all ages will be captivated by the animated depiction of Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as the wonderful characters that inhabit the universe of DreamWorks Animation's Turbo."

"For more than 100 years, the dream of competing in the Indianapolis 500 has attracted some of the greatest drivers to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," added Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and CEO. "Legendary names like Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, A.J. Foyt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti all have been fast and fortunate enough to win it. We are excited to work with DreamWorks Animation's creators, staff and cast and look forward to seeing Turbo himself race at Indianapolis in 2013!"

In addition to DreamWorks Animation, IndyCar's entertainment division is tapping into the home entertainment and sports video arenas by forming alliances with Circle King Networks, Inc., known for their work with the Full Throttle Video series and El Jefe Entertainment (producers of Jesse James video content), as well as CineSport Video Network. Circle King Networks will reach millions of motorsports fans through traditional and non-traditional home video outlets, including at mass retail in automotive and convenience stores, and on digital formats. CineSport will produce and syndicate original, exclusive highlight videos and programming to more than 100 premium local/national media web sites.

IndyCar Entertainment has also secured driver appearances as well as network and cable television programming segments, such as Graham Rahal's recent appearance on CBS's "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials," which also showcased the 2012 Indy car, and Michael Andretti starring as a member of this season's Celebrity Apprentice, Nerve Center for Discovery Networks Canada, How It's Made for Discovery, Pawn Stars on the History Channel and Day Jobs on GAC.

Do they really need the rear fenders on the Road Course car? It might help slightly on the ovals, but most of the take offs were front wing to rear wing contact anyway.

^^^jeff krosnoff is the first thing i could think of as and argument to that statement

Ralf and Barrichello, or a year earlier, Ralf and Jacques Villeneuve, to name a few, and lots more of them in lower formulas.

Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen at Valencia 2010.

And

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And

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I could go on all day with examples why the rear fenders are actually a good idea for safety reasons, though it might look ugly for some.

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

There's an possibility for IndyCar to return to Surfers after the China race in august, according to http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/201 ... t-600.html

First line in that article: "THE glamorous international IndyCar series could soon return to the streets of Surfers Paradise."

Ok, more examples than I thought. The Melbourne ones were not due to wheel to wheel contact though.

Indycars at Surfers Paradise?

Yes please, but please run it as a points race, none of this exhibition race bullshit and having to end the season on US soil, blah blah blah....

Would they put the track back to its pre-shortened length though, or are they building houses there or something?

Wasn't it tram tracks they placed there?

Yeaa it would be good to see Indycars there again.