Mid-Ohio this weekend

[Bob U]

I'm feeling the need for a good old fashioned Welsh binge this weekend.
.

That ties in very nicely with the "OK who was it" thread Randy

[chop456]

for the time being we're stuck with the crap spec Dallara chassis- Honda engine combination until then.  If Indycar has any sense it will open things up to multi chassis and engine constructors, as in the good old days, but with the current economic climate, I fear spec cars will be what they'll opt for.

Here's a partial combined grid from the ALMS and Indycar <ack> this weekend.  ALMS cars in bold.  The "best" that American open wheel racing has to offer can't get out of the way of a big, fat sports car.  Keep in mind, the IRL is the series that will be more popular than F1 in 10 years - just ask the idiotgrandson^(TM)  George should be jailed for fraud.

1 DE FERRAN MOTORSPORTS   Gil de Ferran/Simon Pagenaud    1:07.969
   1 Tony Kanaan    1:08.0301
   2 Helio Castroneves    1:08.0731
2 PATRÓN HIGHCROFT RACING   David Brabham/Scott Sharp    1:08.193
   3 Scott Dixon    1:08.2328
3 PENSKE RACING   Timo Bernhard/Romain Dumas    1:08.238
   4 Justin Wilson    1:08.2432
4 ANDRETTI GREEN RACING   Franck Montagny/Marco Andretti    1:08.320
5 AUDI SPORT NORTH AMERICA   Lucas Luhr/Marco Werner    1:08.357
   5 Ryan Briscoe    1:08.4379
   6 Hideki Mutoh    1:08.4521
6 LOWE'S FERNANDEZ RACING   Adrian Fernandez/Luis Diaz    1:08.507
   7 Buddy Rice    1:08.5086
   8 Marco Andretti    1:08.5232
   9 Vitor Meira    1:08.6261
   10 Dan Wheldon    1:08.6627
7 AUDI SPORT NORTH AMERICA   Dindo Capello/Emanuele Pirro    1:08.960
8 PENSKE RACING   Patrick Long/Sascha Maassen    1:09.614
9 DYSON RACING   Chris Dyson/Guy Smith    1:09.912
10 DYSON RACING   Marino Franchitti/Butch Leitzinger    1:10.029   
           24 Mario Moraes                1:10.8747
   25 Marty Roth    1:12.1395
   26 Milka Duno    1:13.3922
26 BLACK SWAN RACING   Tim Pappas/Anthony Lazzaro    1:23.729
27 TAFEL RACING   Alex Figge/Jim Tafel    1:24.047
28 PRIMETIME RACE GROUP   Joel Feinberg/Chris Hall    1:24.957

[Boorish Grobian]

Hi H, sorry it took so long to get back to you. Yes, still peddling, but not as much as I should, and its showing.  Sporting a few extra kilos of ballast these days.
The ALMS show was terrific Saturday, a few more full course cautions for my taste, but a good hard fought race.  Shame about the fire in the De Ferran pits, I didn't see it, but my cousin Dan was on the pit balcony just down from their pit and said it was pretty damn scary when it broke out.  Fortunately the fire crews are well drilled and delt with it swiftly.
Biggest shock of the weekend was the size of the crowd, it was absolutely massive!  Both Sat & Sunday.  The largest car crowd I've seen at Mid-Ohio since the heyday of CART.  They always attract a huge crowd for the two bike weekends, but this weekends mob was every bit as large, probably larger.  It looked like the Mid-Ohio folks were probably caught off guard a bit by this as well, lines for the bogs, and concession stands were silly long, and were perhaps a little understaffed.
Fax

[Andy Zarse]

So Fax, in your opinion were they all there for the ALMS or - to paraphrase you - to watch Uncle Tony George's lame dog 'n' pony show?

[Boorish Grobian]

Hi Andy, yes, as painful as it is to admit, the place was pretty damn full on Sunday for the Indycars.  I put this down to a couple of reasons.  First of all, with no USGP this year, if your a single seater road racing fan, and live in the midwest, this is about as good as its going to get this season.  Also there was a good supporting card on Sunday, including Speed Touring, and GT races.  I suspect this was done partially to keep some of the sportcar fans around to boost Sunday attendance the numbers.  To be honest I didn't really see that many fans wearing Indycar apparel, there were probably alot casual fans attracted by the "big event" hype.  Looked like far more of a purist road racing crowd on Saturday.
Fax

[BigH]

Wotcher fax,
I rode in something called the Marmotte a couple of weeks ago, and bumped into a lot of your mid-western countrymen over for the event, - sadly once the mountains started the chatting stopped. Apart from the Spanish that is, they managed, somehow, to talk for the whole duration. A magnificent, if brutal ride, - put it on your list of things to do!
H

[Fran]

Wotcher fax,
I rode in something called the Marmotte a couple of weeks ago

I always knew you were bluffing with that newbie on a bicycle routine H - didnt fool me for a minute.  You are proper hardcore mate.

F

[smokie]

Fran's right - http://www.cyclosport.org/article.aspx?id=202&eventid=149

H, did you do the Long (174km, 5000ft altitude) or the short (76km, 2000 alt)?

I love this bit, about the arrangements.

Adequate Car Parking Facilities : no
Changing Rooms : no
Showers : no
Food & Drink : no

At least it's honest...

[Andy Zarse]

I really don't know what all the fuss is about. I've just been out for a nice cycle ride this evening, it was great. I got my dog to tow me up a steep mile-long hill by means of a retractable lead attached to his collar. I sat on my mountain bike yelling encouraging "MUSH" noises whilst beating him with another lead. At the top of the hill I called in to the local pub where I had a refreshing pint of cider, and the dog had a bowl of water to soothe his hacking cough and bleeding paws. This cycling lark's a piece of piss I tell you.

[BigH]

H, did you do the Long (174km, 5000ft altitude) or the short (76km, 2000 alt)?

Hmmm...
The long one mate, and I believe at one point I really did see Jesus. And Elvis, with all of his disciples. The pic is of the last 9km, the wiggly bit in the middle.
It was quite a day.
H

[Fran]

the last 9km, the wiggly bit in the middle

Were you wiggling upwards or downwards?! 

[Leftie]

Aaaahhhh !
That sure hit the spot.
Better go get another one trays though,I'm feeling the need for a good old fashioned Welsh binge this weekend.
Anyone care to join me?

Randy The Welsh.

What part of God's Country do you come from Randy?

I'm a valley's boy myself born in Merthyr, lived in Abervan and Trelewis.

'British by birth, Welsh by the grace of God'

[Steve Pyro]

What part of God's Country do you come from Randy?

Leftie, here's a link to some idle banter we had around this subject back in August 2005 (By the cringe, that was 3 years ago.  Where's the time gone!)

http://www.clubarnage.com/forum/index.php?topic=4146.0

[chop456]

Hi Andy, yes, as painful as it is to admit, the place was pretty damn full on Sunday for the Indycars.  I put this down to a couple of reasons.  First of all, with no USGP this year, if your a single seater road racing fan, and live in the midwest, this is about as good as its going to get this season.  Also there was a good supporting card on Sunday, including Speed Touring, and GT races.  I suspect this was done partially to keep some of the sportcar fans around to boost Sunday attendance the numbers.  To be honest I didn't really see that many fans wearing Indycar apparel, there were probably alot casual fans attracted by the "big event" hype.  Looked like far more of a purist road racing crowd on Saturday.
Fax

Last year Honda gave away tens of thousands of tickets.  Hear any talk of that?

[BigH]

Were you wiggling upwards or downwards?! 

I believe I was wiggling upwards Fran, - I'm not sure which way these young chaps were wiggling though.....
H