OT: Racing 2006 (Spoiler Alert)

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:12 pm

I thought maybe it would be a good idea to have a one stop 2006 racing season discussion thread. This way it doesn't annoy the non racing fans too much with multiple F1, Indycar, WRC, GrandAm, MotoGP, ALMS and Nascar threads. I added the "Spoiler Alert" tag as a precaution since there is always the chance that results could be revealed before someone has a chance to watch the DVR. Basically it just means if you know of a race you have yet to watch that has already happened, enter this thread at your own risk.

I will start out this thread by listing the DVR Alerts for this weekend. Should be some good racing.

Edit: 3/24/2006 - I am going to try to keep this first post updated with the racing for the coming weekend throughout the entire 2006 racing season.

All times are EST - (Eastern Standard Time)

Weekend of Friday March 24 - Sunday March 26, 2006

Indycar:
Sun
3/26/06 3:30pm Toyota Indy 300 Homestead-Miami Speedway - ABC

MotoGP World Championship:
Sun
3/26/06 3:00pm Spanish Grand Prix from Jerez - Speed Channel

Nascar:
Fri
3/24/06 3:30pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Bristol (LIVE) - Speed Channel
3/24/06 8:00pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Bristol (REPLAY) - Speed Channel
Sat
3/25/06 12:00pm NASCAR Busch Qualifying Bristol (LIVE) - Speed Channel
3/25/06 3:00pm NASCAR Busch Sharpie Mini 300 Bristol - Fox
Sun
3/26/06 1:30pm Nextel Cup Food City 500 Bristol - Fox

Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series:
Sat
3/19/06 8:00 pm Rolex Sports Car Series from Homestead - Speed Channel

World Rally Championship (WRC): - http://www.wrc.com/
3/24/06 - 3/26/06 Round 4 - Rally Catalunya (Spain)

V8 Supercars: - http://www.v8supercar.com
3/23/06 - 3/26/06 Round 01 - Adelaide Street Circuit

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:21 pm

I'm looking forward to Sepang this weekend. The Asian races are my favorites because the timeslot is perfect for West Coast viewers.

There are plenty of interesting story lines that were already covered in last week's F1 thread but since you're a good guy dchaps and you went through all the trouble of posting the TV schedule, I won't go all db on ya.

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:09 pm

George, Kalkhoven Confirm Merger Talks:

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/autoind ... uto/22685/

In an interview to the L.A. Times, George stated: "It's fair to say we would both like to see [a merger]. I'm one of many people who believe that open-wheel racing would be better served by a unified IRL and Champ Car."

Someone get out the shovels and snow blowers in hell.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:18 pm

I know I shouldn't get my hopes up...but as an open-wheel fan I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Also, it was good to read about Al, Jr. apparently getting himself in shape to prepare for this year's Indy 500.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:37 pm

Just the fact that TG and KK are talking (and are willing to admit it) is reassuring. Maybe nothing will come of it, but my estimation of both men has gone up by a notch. TG's cat hair metaphor must be a local thing, I've never heard that phrase used before.

I'm looking forward to Homestead on Sunday.

Neckthai · Post by **Neckthai** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:59 pm

It it's the start of the season, then it must be time to talk about unification. It's true. TG and KK are talking, but I'm not sure they are that far down the path to having one series.

As far as I know, it's only been social meetings where they've talked. Still the two decision makers in open-wheel racing talking to each other is good for the health of the sport. I just hope I'm good enough to make the all-star team if it comes to one series to rule them all.

Shameless plug time:
WATCH the Toyota Indy 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio at 3:30 p.m., Sunday on your local ABC affiliate. (Even better, find someone with a Neilsen box and watch the race there)
or
LISTEN to the Toyota Indy 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio at 3 p.m., Sunday on the IMS Radio Network. Also available on XM Radio 145 "IndyCar," and www.indycar.com

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:38 pm

Open-wheel trivia time, thanks to a media question today posed to Neck that he and I researched and found the answer:

Dan Wheldon will defend the IndyCar Series title this season with a different team than with which he won last year. Name the last major-league open-wheel champion to do that.

You're on the clock ...

Take care,
PK

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:47 pm

Schumacher when he went to Ferrari?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:57 pm

Dave wrote:Schumacher when he went to Ferrari?

In true "Family Feud" graphics style,

X X X

Good guess, but nope!

Take care,
PK

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:28 pm

Is it limited to drivers who remained in the series to defend their title?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:15 pm

Dave wrote:Is it limited to drivers who remained in the series to defend their title?

Yes. So there goes your Mansell from Williams '92 to Newman/Haas '93 idea!

Take care,
PK

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:40 pm

Damon in '96? He's the last Formula One driver to have done it, I can't think of any CART drivers defending their title with a new team since then, but the IRL...no idea.

Cheers,
Simo

Edit - '97, I suppose, not '96 since that's when he won it. How are we defining a major open-wheel series? Just those three, I assume?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:49 pm

pk500 wrote:Yes. So there goes your Mansell from Williams '92 to Newman/Haas '93 idea!

Or Villeneuve's Forsythe/Green to Williams

Actually, I was trying to think if Kenny Brack was the reigning IRL champ when he went to CART, but I don't think he was.

Simo, I had forgotten about Damon Hill's move to Arrows. That was an, uh, interesting career move.

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:05 am

Wasn't GDF reigning CART champ when Marlboro Team Penske jumped leagues?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:09 am

GB_Simo wrote:Damon in '96? He's the last Formula One driver to have done it, I can't think of any CART drivers defending their title with a new team since then, but the IRL...no idea.

Cheers,
Simo

Edit - '97, I suppose, not '96 since that's when he won it. How are we defining a major open-wheel series? Just those three, I assume?

DING-DING! Winner! Damon Hill won the World Championship in 1996 with Williams, was fired, and defended his title in 1997 in an Arrows Yamaha.

Take care,
PK

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:59 am

sfz_T-car wrote:Wasn't GDF reigning CART champ when Marlboro Team Penske jumped leagues?

Duh, could you repeat the question

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:36 am

Too bad I came late to the party, I actually knew that one! Damon was my favorite F1 driver, and I was all excited to see him race when I ordered my tickets for the first USGP. Then the bXXXXXd retired!

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:18 pm

What a very odd last season he put in as well. Clearly his heart wasn't in it but every so often something would happen - P1 in Friday practice at A1-Ring, fastest through Eau Rouge in qualifying at Spa - that made you wonder why Damon wasn't performing like that every week.

He and Johnny Herbert were my favourites but they both might have been better retiring a year earlier than they did, though at least Johnny's dismal 2000 can be blamed just as much on an evil Jag as his driving, where Damon had H-HF mounting a title challenge in the sister Jordan. It's always struck me as curious that Frentzen didn't do anything to justify Frank Williams' decision to sign him over Damon until after he left the team for Jordan.

Not seen any mention of the diesel Audi R10 winning at Sebring, which seems like a promising start, though I believe another R10 gave up moving some time before the chequered flag. While I'm thinking of things I've not seen mentioned, was anyone else extremely impressed by Takuma Sato's drive in Malaysia? His FL was half a second off the slower of the Midlands, he had the MF1s and Toro Rossos behind him at various stages of the race and his entire weekend has left me wondering where he'd been hiding that kind of drive through 2005.

Cheers,
Simo

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:04 pm

I updated the first post with this weekends major racing events (thanks for the reminder pk). I will try to keep that first post updated on a weekly basis.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:19 pm

The thread title says spoiler alert, but the only thing being spoiled here is my weekend as the Japanese Grand Prix heads to Fuji:

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=35373

There's something about the new Fuji that I find remarkably dull. The layout, I think it's called.

There'll be a more comprehensive write-up somewhere, I imagine, but until I find one I don't know how heartened I should be by the idea that Suzuka are talking to Bernie about a Pacific Grand Prix.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:50 pm

Yeah, Fuji's only claim to fame is the monsoon that handed James Hunt the title in 1976.

Please, PLEASE save Suzuka for the F1 calendar.

Take care,
PK

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:20 pm

I'm not going to claim Fuji is a match for Suzuka but it is the most famous circuit in videogame history.

With Japanese engines powering a third of the grid, I think it's pretty $afe to $ay Bernie can find it in his black heart to have a Toyota GP at Fuji and a Honda GP at $uzuka.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:24 pm

Really ugly crash during morning warm-up at Homestead. Carpenter got in the wall and Paul Dana t-bones Carpenter's nearly-stopped car at what appeared to be full speed. Very reminiscent of Zanardi's crash in Germany.

Dana taken to local level one trauma center. Keep your fingers crossed, fellas, this one doesn't look good. Carpenter was awake and alert but carried off on a stretcher.

CrazyPsycho · Post by **CrazyPsycho** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:12 pm

Ugh, from the sounds of it, shouldn't Dana have had time to get slowed down? Sounds brutal.

CrazyPsycho · Post by **CrazyPsycho** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:45 pm

The video is on ESPN.com's main page. Just a terrifying wreck, I can't believe Dana didn't get slowed down.

Gosh, they have Sharp's incar, he slows down while Dana just never lets off.

They just had the press conference on, Dana has passed away. My thoughts go out to his family.

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OT: Racing 2006 (Spoiler Alert)

OT: Racing 2006 (Spoiler Alert)

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