2012 IndyCar Grand Prix of Baltimore
- This topic has 24 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 7 months ago by Keith Collantine.
- AuthorPosts
- 30th July 2012, 19:14 at 7:14 pm #131872Keith CollantineKeymaster
IndyCar will not use the temporary chicane on the long straight at Baltimore on its second visit to the circuit this year.
You can see the chicane in question – a particularly unsightly affair, it must be said – in the background at the start of the highlights from last year’s race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5QQxP9eK-I
The changes will mean higher top speeds at the first corner which should increase overtaking opportunities at turn one, which will also be widened.
But with that comes added danger. There was a particularly nasty crash at that corner in practice last year involving Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hNZmxHcCq0
There will be other minor alterations to the track as well as grinding to alleviate some of the bumps. Details here:
http://www.racer.com/construction-begins-on-baltimore-gp-circuit/article/252440/
30th July 2012, 19:36 at 7:36 pm #206418AnonymousInactiveI can sense why the chicane was added. But it is also obvious why they want to increase the amount of overtakes at the expense of safety.This will never happen in F1…
30th July 2012, 19:39 at 7:39 pm #206419BasCBParticipantI remember that turn 3 mainly for the traffic jam close to the end of the race, good if they widen it.
As for the accident, wasn’t it partly caused by the chicane?
28th August 2012, 13:27 at 1:27 pm #206420Keith CollantineKeymasterSadly much of the excitement in the championship battle has been extinguished thanks to the blunders of Castroneves and Tagliani at Sonoma.
Heading into the penultimate race at Baltimore Power has a 36-point lead over Ryan Hunter-Reay and can clinch the title this weekend.
A win from pole position with most laps led would give Power a total of 475 points. In that scenario Hunter-Reay would be the only driver who could keep him in range going into the season finale at Fontana. He would have to score at least 36 points and the only way he could do that would be by finishing second behind Power. Castroneves, Dixon and the rest would be unable to stay in contention.
It’s crunch time for Power’s rivals – they have to finish in front of him to keep their title hopes alive. But Power dominated this race last year, winning from pole position and leading 70 of the 75 laps.
Here’s the points standings:
1. Will Power – 422
2. Ryan Hunter-Reay – 386
3. Helio Castroneves – 381
4. Scott Dixon – 368
5. Simon Pagenaud – 337
6. Tony Kanaan – 327Points system:
1 point for pole position, 2 for most laps led. Finishers awarded 50, 40, 35, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13 then 12 for 18th-24th and 10 for 25th-33rd.
28th August 2012, 15:51 at 3:51 pm #206421Valentine KhorounzhiyParticipantI’m pretty sure that if Power wins the Baltimore race, where RHR finishes won’t matter. Like, there’s little doubt that Will will start in the Fontana race, so he’s guaranteed at least 10 (usually 12) points. If he wins Baltimore and starts at Fontana, the lead he has will be unassailable.
28th August 2012, 22:47 at 10:47 pm #206422Keith CollantineKeymasterBruno Junqueira will substitute for Josef Newgarden who broke his finger in his crash with Sebastien Bourdais at Sonoma:
Out for weekend: @josefnewgarden (surgery finger). In his place: Junqueira
— Curt Cavin (@curtcavin) August 28, 2012
29th August 2012, 20:41 at 8:41 pm #206423Keith CollantineKeymasterIndyCar are scrapping the push-to-pass delay for this race. They used a five-second delay at Mid-Ohio and a 3.5-second delay at Sonoma, neither of which were especially popular with the drivers:
http://www.indycar.com/en/News/2012/08-August/8-29-No-delay-in-overtake-activation
30th August 2012, 3:22 at 3:22 am #206424Prisoner MonkeysParticipantthere’s little doubt that Will will start in the Fontana race, so he’s guaranteed at least 10 (usually 12) points
Maybe, but Power has been knon to be weak on ovals before. If he gets a dud result in Baltimore, he’s going to be under a lot of pressure at Fontana.
30th August 2012, 21:49 at 9:49 pm #206425Keith CollantineKeymasterOne of the ALMS drivers reckons the chicane may have to make a return:
http://twitter.com/SpencerPumpelly/statuses/241288256543657985
I'm not hoping for a chicane. That was the biggest negative last year. I just don't have high hopes that the grinding will be enough.
— Spencer Pumpelly (@SpencerPumpelly) August 30, 2012
31st August 2012, 14:40 at 2:40 pm #206426Keith CollantineKeymasterSure enough concerns about the state of the track materialised during practice:
http://twitter.com/kvracing/statuses/241543804635734016
http://twitter.com/kvracing/statuses/241544794600513538
http://twitter.com/PantherDRR/statuses/241545129180135424
Session has now been given checkered flag, driver reps, @TonyKanaan @dariofranchitti & @justin_wilson off to race control to discuss #GPofB
— KV Racing / KVSH (@kvracing) August 31, 2012
31st August 2012, 15:35 at 3:35 pm #206427Keith CollantineKeymaster…and the decision is to put the chicane back. Which is a pity but at least they’ve taken the decision early:
#IndyCar to put the chicane back on Pratt Street overnight b/c it worked last year. Tires or something going in there today to simulate.
— Curt Cavin (@curtcavin) August 31, 2012
31st August 2012, 23:08 at 11:08 pm #206428Lin1876ParticipantWas the train tracks where Pagenaud nearly took off? If it is, I can absolutely see why they want to put a chicane there.
31st August 2012, 23:13 at 11:13 pm #206429CarlitoxParticipantMade me remember this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJcq8KzjKyM
The chicane is indeed ugly as hell, but given the nature of the surface, it’s necessary. Sad but imagine passing by at full throttle and the car jumping…31st August 2012, 23:50 at 11:50 pm #206430Prisoner MonkeysParticipantSome of the jumping cars in action here:
1st September 2012, 10:15 at 10:15 am #206431Prisoner MonkeysParticipantHere’s a nice article on why the chicane was installed in the first place, what it was removed ahead of this weekend, and why it was put back in:
- AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.