State of Racing Mania

Monday marks Randy Bernard’s State of the Sport address for IndyCar. Mr. Bernard will be discussing a number of topics. So I (Kent) thought it would be a good idea for a State of Racing Mania address. This will cover a number of topics. Let the fun begin.

Bloggers:  We here at Racing Mania are up to two primary bloggers and one part-time blogger. As you readers know I brought Ross over from Triple League Racing and added IndyCar fan Tony Tellez to the mix.  Hopefully, we can get some roundtables together to preview some season(s).  On a quick note I’m looking for a NASCAR guy. If you’re interested… Email me at km2598@yahoo.com. Like always I will cover basically everything, Ross will predominately cover Sports Cars and Open Wheel. Tony will be covering IndyCar.

What to Expect For This Season:

ALMS: I believe this season in ALMS will be very good. The car counts in LMP1 are bad but competitive. LMP2 looks okay, GTE and GT are going to be similar to last season. The thing that hurts ALMS is losing the race with the World Endurance Championship at Road Atlanta to end the season. This year’s Petit should be boring. The car counts will be low, but still okay racing.  This year there will be some live races that can be caught on the ESPN family of networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3). All races can be seen live on ESPN3.

Champions

LMP1: Muscle Milk Pickett Racing

LMP2: Level 5 Motorsport

LMPC: Core Autosport

GT: Rahal Letterman Racing

GTE: Black Swan Racing

Grand-Am: After Michael Shank Racing pulled of the unthinkable at the 24 Hours of Daytona… It looks like the same battle of last year in Daytona Prototype (Ganassi, SunTrust and Gainsco Bob Stallings). The new Chevy chassis look great except for the problems at Daytona. The Ford-Riley’s look super fast. We’ll just have to see what happens. The season is long. In GT, it looks like TRG, Magnus and Autohaus will battle for the championship. You can catch races on Speed.

Champions

Daytona Prototype: Ganassi

GT: Autohaus

World Endurance Championship: This is a series that saw some transition during the off-season. It got re-named from ILMC to World Endurance Championship. The schedule saw a mini makeover. No San Marino and Road Atlanta. The series will be divided into four classes (LMP1, LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am). The series will race with the American LeMans Series at Sebring in March. The biggest news in the off-season is the close up of Team Puegeot. They’ll definitely be missed. More later…

Champions

LMP1: Audi

LMP2: Oak

GTE-Pro: AF Corse

GTE-Am: Larbre

DTM: I am fairly new to DTM, I know that its mostly ran around Germany. I’ll try to cover a lot of it this year. I am excited that Joey Hand is going to run in DTM for BMW.  No predictions.

Formula One: Now to the great stuff (haha). There have been many changes in Formula One for 2012. The new United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Driver changes include, Kimi Raikkonen back in Formula One in the Lotus, his new teammate will be last year’s third driver for the team in Romain Grosjean. Toro Rosso brought in developement drivers in Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo for Jaime Alguesari and Seb Buemi. Buemi stays as the third driver. Force India let go Adrian Sutil for 2011 third driver Nico Hulkenburg. HRT brought in veteran and McLaren third driver Pedro de la Rosa for Tonio Luizzi. At Williams, Pastor Maldanando stays but veteran Rubens Barrichello goes in favor of Bruno Senna. Maurissa swapped Jerome D’Ambrosio for Charles Pic.

The top 3- Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari- Red Bull unveiled the RB8 for 2012 last Monday. The team keeps double reigning World Champion Sebastien Vettel and Mark Webber. McLaren brings back both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari retains both drivers from 2011. I expect Red Bull to be strong as normal but McLaren wins the constructors’ title. In my opinion, I believe that Ferrari is in a re-building mode. Fernando Alonso is a consistent driver, Felipe Massa not so much. I believe if Massa doesn’t perform he’ll be out in 2013. They could possibly slip to fourth in the Constructors Standings if Massa doesn’t show up and Alonso works his butt off.

Middle Fight: Lotus, Mercedes Force India, Toro Rosso and Sauber- Lotus is re-vamped for 2012 with veteran and World Champion Kimi Raikkonen joining the squad after a few years off. GP2 Champion Romain Grosjean joins the team. They looked great in the first test in Jerez, Spain. Lotus needs to go back to the form they were in the early 2000′s with Fernando Alonso winning championships. Could Grosjean deliever? Or will Kimi be consistent.  In the Mercedes camp, Nico Rosberg is on the breaking point. I believe he picks up his first ever win this season. He has really matured as a driver since his rookie season in 2010. Michael Schumacher. The ageless wonder. Will he get the coveted eighth championship? Will he win a race? Will he retire, eventually? Those are all the questions that could be answered this season. If he has a bad season, you can see retirement coming in 2013. Good season maybe not. Force India looks very good in the early testing session. Paul di Resta will have a breakout season in my opinion. He was very strong at the end of last season. I think he can carry the momentum into Melbourne in late March. The addition of Nico Hulkenburg aka “the Hulk” just makes the team stronger. They will be battling for fourth in the constructors this season without a doubt. Can Toro Rosso’s young talent deliver? Well, there is no doubt about the talent of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo. If the STR7 is fast they will be in the points almost every week. Sauber brings back both drivers. Kobayshi is always a strong and fearless driver but can Perez come out of his shell? Predictions: Lotus and Mercedes are the best teams out of these teams listed.

The Bottom 4- Can Williams recover from the dismal season from last year? If Pastor Maldanando can stop crashing they’ll be in good shape. Caterham, Maurissa and HRT have to score points to stay in the fight for 2013.

Champion

Sebastien Vettel (Red Bull)

IndyCar: IndyCar needs to come back strong in 2012 after losing Dan Wheldon on the final day of the season in 2011. Obviously Dan will be missed. The recovery process is looking pretty good, Three engine manufactures (Chevy, Honda and Lotus). New competition director in Beaux Barfield. Anything has to better than Brian Barnhart. In some of the changes, Instant Messaging will be used to communicate from race control to teams to give out warnings, penalties and general information. The word ‘discretion’ has only been used six times in 2012′s rulebook compared to eighty-seven times in last year’s. That has to be good. The new DW12 chassis look fast. We’ll find more out on this at the open test in early March. Some driver changes. Danica is gone. Dragon Racing gets Katherine Legge and Seb Bourdais. Bryan Herta Autosport gets Alex Tagliani. Newman Haas closes down. Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing picks 2011 IndyLights Champion Josef Newgarden to pilot the 67 car. Ed Carpenter forms his own team. Oriol Servia goes to DRR. Wilson is back at Coyne. Rahal is back with Takuma Sato piloting the car. And finally Hinchcliffe to replace Danica. On the schedule side, Belle Isle, Fontana and Milwaukee make returns. China is new. Gone is Loudon, Kentucky and Vegas.

The top teams will be Penske and Ganassi. Will Power will be there on the twisties and short ovals. Dario and Dixon are great. Is this Helio’s last year at Penske? Will Briscoe win a few races? Graham Rahal will be better this year and so will teammate Charlie Kimball. Andretti brings back Marco and RHR. They sign James Hinchcliffe to replace Danica that has to be good. KV re-sign TK and Viso but Rubens Barrichello might be coming to the team. Panther brings back Hildebrand. Will RLLR be strong? Will MSR Indy, Dragon and ECR be good? How many cars will make it on the grid at St. Pete?

Will Indianapolis finally see a halfway decent start? I don’t know that but I sure hope so.

Champion

Will Power (Penske)

Other stuff: Racing Mania will be your source to TV show and Video Game reviews (for XBOX360). I plan on giving Forza 4 and F1 2011 reviews shortly. Top Gear USA reviews. NASCAR, Moto GP, WSBK, i1 SuperSeries and Australian V-8 SuperCars occasionally.

Interview with Tony DiZinno

Today I had the opportunity to interview motorsports writer Tony DiZinno of racer.com. If you do not know who he is here is a quick bio blast for you. Tony started as a fan of motorsports in 1996 at age 7, won a Red Bull-sponsored, Chris Economaki judged journalism competition in 2005 and have covered the sport since 2006, first with motorsport.com, later as a blogger for Michelin’s ALMS program and as of August this year, started as web editor for RACER magazine and RACER.com. Now 22, graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. in May of 2011.

This interview will cover sports car series, open wheel and some NASCAR related questions. Here are the questions with Tony.

Q: What are your expectations for the World Endurance Championship? 

It might take a year or two to really establish traction, but undoubtedly they have the huge manufacturer interest in P1 and should be very strong by 2014, when Porsche enters Le Mans with its new prototype.

Q: Who will have the better season in American Le Mans for 2012; Dyson Racing or Muscle Milk Racing? What is your surprise team for the ALMS season (all classes) and why?

Dyson’s package is an evolution of its title-winning one this year as opposed to a brand new package like Muscle Milk will have, and I expect them to win more rounds than they did in 2011. Surprise team? I’d say Falken but they performed that role last year. If I had to pick, the PR1/Mathiasen team in LMPC – very strong lineup of Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco. They have a similar lineup for all rounds and a full season planned, neither of which they did this year.

Q: Who do you see winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and why?

Hard to not see Ganassi winning another one, but a sentimental pick would be GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing with its “Red Dragon” Corvette DP and Alex Gurney winning the 50th anniversary – since his father Dan won the first. Any of TRG, SpeedSource or either Autohaus or Stevenson should figure in GT – I don’t see the new cars (Ferrari, Audi, Dodge) figuring in the winning outcome.

Q: What are your thoughts on Conquest Racing going to the ALMS? Is this a bad move for the team and will it affect the IndyCar side of the business?

If they add an ALMS program, I don’t see it being overly successful. They would be there more to make up the numbers. But Bachelart’s occasionally pulled rabbits out of his hat and punched above his weight. They’re all but certain to have a paying driver in IndyCar anyway so I wouldn’t expect much there.

Q: What sports car series will be more successful (racing wise) in 2012; ALMS, Grand Am or WEC?

I expect ALMS to have the strongest overall racing, Grand-Am to have an uptick in interest thanks to its new GT cars and the WEC to be the most viewed one from an international perspective. How’s that for being decisive?

Q: What team will be more dominant in WEC; Peugeot or Audi? 

Both have a few questions on their driver lineups but based on their 2011 performance, Peugeot. Audi should be much improved from this year though, when they made some amateurish errors and couldn’t seem to string a whole race together.

Q: Who will have the better season in Grand Am for 2012; Ganassi, SunTrust Racing or GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and why?

Out on a limb I little bit, I think SunTrust. Ricky Taylor really matured in qualifying this year and the team is solid, plus I think Corvette will be keen to win more rounds. I’d almost go so far as to say SunTrust takes the title with Ricky and Max “The Ax” Angelelli.

Q: What are your thoughts on the United States Grand Prix in Austin and the 2013 race in New Jersey? What track is better? Also which race will be more successful on the business side of things?

I’ll believe both when they happen, but on the surface, the New Jersey one appears to have a tougher challenge of a track and a lesser margin for error (as a street circuit), has the Manhattan skyline backdrop and Bernie’s full support. Austin’s been a political and financial football that has only succeeded in frustration, much like the USF1 effort. I’m inclined to think New Jersey almost by default.

Q: Who will have the better rookie season; Daniel Ricciardo or Romain Grosjean and why?

Ricciardo. Although both have had partial seasons, Ricciardo’s matched against a fellow rookie and Grosjean against Kimi. It will be a lot easier for Ricciardo to shine even if he scores fewer points than Grosjean, which is likely. Both Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will push each other in a quest to see who could replace Webber in 2013, if the Australian retires. He’ll be motivated.

Q: Can Red Bull Racing be stopped in 2012?

Doubtful. The bigger question is will Webber step up and improve his relationship with the Pirelli tires.

Q: Did Lotus Renault deserve to keep Bruno Senna? Will Kimi Raikkonen come back weak or strong?

I wouldn’t say “deserve,” Senna was decent but unspectacular in his stint. If his name was different, his dismissal wouldn’t be what it is. Kimi’s comeback is purely down to his motivation – if he wants to push and give the maximum, he’ll be great, but I fear it could end up like Mansell’s abrupt comebacks in the mid-‘90s, although Kimi should be able to fit in the new Lotus unlike Mansell in the 1995 McLaren.

Q: What is your reaction to the Dan Wheldon Investigation results and the 2012 schedule news? 

I think the right things were said, I still think there are a few questions going forward. As for the schedule, it’s really not much different from 2011’s – but Belle Isle and China aren’t ovals, and understandably, that upsets some people.

Q: Where do you stand on the IndyCar oval dilemma?

I wouldn’t rush into thinking that 2012’s likely small number of ovals is a foreshadowing of what’s to come in the future. There has to be a balance because the series’ top race is an oval and American open-wheel racing has featured ovals as such a strong point of its history. It doesn’t need to be 50/50 but I think they need at least 5 or 6 ovals going forward.

Q: What races would you like to see on the IndyCar schedule and why?

Sentimentally I’d love to see any of my home tracks – Phoenix, Milwaukee and Elkhart Lake – make comebacks. Cleveland would be great, too. But whether any of those are feasible financially remains to be seen, and ultimately, that’s going to determine what makes the cut on future schedules. Ideally, I’d like to see most if not all IndyCar road and street races partner with ALMS or Grand-Am, as it provides more bang for the buck for fans and observers over the course of a weekend. The road racing-based series in this country need each other more than they realize for long-term survival and potential growth.

Q: What new/returning IndyCar team will have a better year; Ed Carpenter Racing, Michael Shank Racing or Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing?

Carpenter’s team has Derrick Walker and Michael Cannon – two of the best at their respective positions of team manager and engineer. If Ed can improve on road courses, they are a sleeper for success. But from a purely results standpoint, it’s hard to see either new team beating Rahal Letterman Lanigan.

Q: What is your reaction to the news of Newman Haas Racing shutting down? Do they go back to IndyCar in 2013 and follow a similar path RLLR did?

It was disappointing but not entirely unexpected, and I think it would have made more sense had it happened when the team was struggling in either 2009 or 2010, and not during a mini-resurgence. I sure hope so, but I don’t think it’s a similar situation to Rahal – Rahal’s team never shut down, it always kept a program going, and right now, there’s no guarantee NHR does likewise.

Q: Does Danica Patrick run the Indy 500 in 2012? If she does, what team will she run it with?

No, but if she did, a Stewart/Andretti GoDaddy Chevrolet.

Q: What can we expect out of Josef Newgarden this season, does he run full time or part time?

I could see them full-time with maybe missing a round, a Brazil or a China for instance. Their new co-owner has money and they just announced a major new shop. Newgarden is a very talented and mature driver well beyond his years, and I think he scores a podium on a road or street race.

Q: Does Oriol Servia or James Hinchcliffe land full time rides for 2012? 

Both do. Don’t know where Servia lands but I hope “Hinch” gets the GoDaddy Andretti seat.

Q: What are your thoughts on Kurt Busch being gone at Penske Racing?

He shot himself in the foot enough times for Penske to stand it any longer. Wasted talent; good riddance.

Q: Will Kasey Kahne be successful next season in Hendrick equipment?

Yes. He’s a bona fide Chase for the Cup contender, but I don’t think he wins it.

Q: Will Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finally get a win next season and if he does where?

I think so, probably at Talladega.

Q: Who replaces Kurt Busch at Penske?

Likely David Ragan – but nobody matches up career stats or talent-wise to Busch, even though his maturity level is subpar.

Q: Where does A.J. Allmendinger wind up for next season since his Best Buy sponsorship could be going to Matt Kenseth? Does he stay at Richard Petty Motorsports?

I don’t see ‘Dinger getting the shaft that quickly – he’s made huge strides in Sprint Cup since his rookie year. But he might be the odd man out if RPM signs Busch. Perhaps a fledgling group like a Phoenix Racing or a Front Row Motorsports. I don’t think Penske would gamble on him in a straight swap.

Q: Does the Chase system need to be re-formatted?

No, but NASCAR came perilously close to a guy winning five races in the Chase and not winning the title, so perhaps they need to make Chase wins worth more than regular season wins. I’m surprised they haven’t tried this yet.

Q:  What was your favorite racing moment from 2011 (all series) and your worst moment (all series)?

Both involve Dan Wheldon, having been at both Indianapolis and Las Vegas. As much as I hated it for JR at the time, it was an amazing finish that caused everyone to gasp and then exhale when we saw Wheldon pull the upset win.

And then we gasped all over again, but for obviously different reasons, at Vegas. Being in Dan’s pit at the time, on a radio, was probably one of the sickest moments of my life, and just to see the immediate reactions of the crewmembers and family was gut-wrenching.

Q: Did you enjoy doing this?

This is fun, and will be especially fun to look back on at the end of the year when I see how many of these I was off the mark on, haha. But appreciate the opportunity.

I want to thank Tony for doing this. He has been one of my writing mentors of late and we got kind of a connection because I live only 35 minutes away from Marquette University and I am a huge fan of their athletics.

For more of Tony’s writing’s go here.

Enjoy!

What is the World Endurance Championship?

Photo Credit: lemans.org

What is the World Endurance Championship exactly? For people that haven’t heard about it. The series is the former Intercontential Le Mans Cup.  The car classes will remain the same. LMP1 and LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am. The schedule features a joint event with the American LeMans Series to start the season at the 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Mobil 1.  Here’s the schedule.

12 Hours of Sebring- Sebring International Raceway -USA- March 17, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of Spa- Spa Francorchamps- Belguim- May 5, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

24 Hours of LeMans- LeMans- France- June 16/17, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of Silverstone- Silverstone Circuit- England- August, 25, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of Sao Paulo- Interlagos- Brazil- September 16, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of Mt. Fuji- Fuji Speedway- Japan- September 30, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of Bahrain- Bahrain International Circuit- Bahrain- October, 20, 2012

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

6 Hours of China- TBA- China- November 11 or 18, 2012.

TBA

The teams are looking pretty clear for next season. Speedtv.com’s John Dagys has more on this topic.

The 24 Hours of LeMans Invites have been confirmed also here.

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to this series for next season I think because A. I haven’t really followed it and B. Its a brand new series. Time well tell if it is good or not.