Racing Mania Podcast #1

Welcome to the first edition of the Racing Mania blog podcast, sadly our contributors, Matt Bauer and Ross Fujibayashi couldn’t be on tonight, but they will be back for future podcasts. We’ve got another host that was able to make it, James Beavers. Our guest this week is RACER web-editor, Tony DiZinno.

At the beginning, there were some technical difficulties and the first question got cut out. I was asking the question: “Thoughts on Ryan Hunter-Reay winning three straight races.” It finally picked up in the middle of DiZinno’s answer and once again I take all blame for that difficulty. We discuss IndyCar, Formula One, SportsCars and NASCAR.

Podcast 1

Enjoy!

My Day at the Milwaukee Indy Fest

Today has two words to sum it all up. Great day. It all started at 6:30am central time, that is when I started my 40 minute drive from my house to the Wisconsin State Fair Park.  It was about 8:00 by the time I got into the State Fairgrounds. Once I got checked in I went straight to the Fan Village located in the infield. Once I made the walk down there  I had about an hour to kill before the autograph session at 9:15am.

Me by Will Power’s car and Verizon Station

The first station was the Verizon station, it had a Will Power car by it got a picture by it. Then I was challenged to change his tires on an I-Pad. My mom beat me, but I did win a Will Power backpack. Next up was the National Guard station, it had an IndyCar painted in J.R. Hildebrand’s scheme. You just had to answer to questions and you got a key-ring and a lip balm stick. After that was the Fuzzy’s Vodka station, once you checked in there you putted two times to try to win merchandise, I didn’t win.

My fourth station was Honda, where I got a picture of myself in the Honda two-seater. Lastly was the Firestone station, where I had to spin a wheel to make it turn by using my feet.

At the time I had about 15 minutes  before my interview with a driver. I met up with Tony DiZinno from RACER, Tony and I talked for a few minutes, we’ve been friends for a while and he’s from Wisconsin so we have a connection. Then he helped me find Ed Carpenter Racing’s PR guy, Tom.

Tony introduced Tom and I, then I went over by Ed Carpenter during the autograph session, I got to sneak my way through there and I talked to Helio, Briscoe, Marco, Graham and Legge before I sat down with Ed. Here is the interview with Ed.

Ed Carpenter and I with Katherine Legge behind me.

Q: Do you like the Milwaukee Mile?

EC: Yes, because of the history and I’ve always ran good here.

Q: What’s your favorite oval, and road or street course?

EC: Indy, and probably Sonoma and Toronto because we’ve had good runs there in the past.

Q: Thoughts on where IndyCar should go to replace China?

EC: Kentucky, but like they would listen to my opinion, haha.

Q: What are some challenges of being a driver/owner?

EC: I don’t think there are many challenges, I have great management and with Derrick Walker’s help its going great.

Q: Favorite driver growing up?

EC: Al Unser, Jr

Q: Favorite racing memory?

EC: My first win at Kentucky last year.

I would like to thank Ed Carpenter for taking some time out of the autograph session to sit down with me, he is one of the nicest drivers out there.

After the interview with Ed Carpenter, I went to Bryan Herta Autosport’s tweet up event. It was very interesting, then I left to make my way on the outside of the track. Before I left the track, I got some pretty good pictures of the motor scooters that drivers rode in.

Helio’s transportation

Marco’s transportation

Iwas trying to line-up an interview with Charlie Kimball, then I went to the security guards and asked if I could get down there fast enough. They were kind of upset, but I got to ride down in a go-kart back down the track’s infield.

I tried getting to Kimball andI had no luck. Then, Tony DiZinno and I met up again , and we went over and talked to some of Penske Racing’s top management, it was cool.

I went to the store, that is where I got a Marco Andretti shirt and hat. I stopped by Charlie Kimball’s Novo Nordisk tent, I signed the pledge and I won a Charlie Kimball backpack and got to sign his car.

After that, I worked my way up to the stands to get my seat, it was about 11am. I ran into the Firestone Firehawk mascot!  Itstarted raining. I over heard a conversation and they said it would take two hours to dry the track.

I ran over to a tent, for shelter for about a half-hour. I was getting impatient because it was raining and I didn’t want the race to get cancelled. I started texting friends and went up to the top of the steps in the tent to look at the track it was pooring. It was about 1pm by the time I got back to my seat. Track workers were drying the track, they said green flag by 2pm. I got excited then.

Then came pre-race picture fest, I saw cars coming out of the garages onto the pit-lane. I started snapping pictures like crazy. I was sitting right across from Charlie Kimball, Helio Castroneves, EJ Viso, Ryan Hunter Reay and Rubens Barrichello’s pits so most of the pictures were of them.

When the race started, it was great. Dario took control and there was a ton of passing. Caution came out for a crash involving Simona de Silvestro in Turn 4 on lap 67 in the middle of green flag stops. Then Justin Wilson’s engine caught on fire on lap 96. After that, Takuma Sato and James Jakes crashed in turn 2 on lap 125 or so, and J.R. Hildebrand blew up on the same lap. Then, Dario crashed and the crowd just roared! Ryan Hunter-Reay took the victory in the #28 DHL-Sun Drop Chevrolet/Dallara.

RESULTS:

1. Ryan Hunter-Reay
2. Tony Kanaan
3. James Hinchcliffe
4. Oriol Servia
5. Helio Castroneves
6. E.J. Viso
7. Alex Tagliani
8. Ed Carpenter
9. Graham Rahal
10. Rubens Barrichello
11. Scott Dixon
12. Will Power
13. Simon Pagenaud
14. Ryan Briscoe
15. Marco Andretti
16. Mike Conway
17. Charlie Kimball
18. Katherine Legge
19. Dario Franchitti
20. Takuma Sato
21. James Jakes
22. J.R. Hildebrand
23. Justin Wilson
24. Simona de Silvestro
25. Josef Newgarden

Overall, the Milwaukee Indy Fest was a great event to attend, the racing was great, the promotion was great, everything was great. I’m happy and hope I can go next year.

Thanks to Michael Andretti and his Andretti Sports Marketing for promoting the race. Ed Carpenter and Tony DiZinno who helped me get a lot of things done at the track.

Kent

Roundtable: IndyCar Schedule Debate

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the IndyCar schedule and what it should look like. For more answers to this I am doing a debate with the following people:

• Robin Miller (SpeedTV)
• David Malsher (RACER)
• Tony DiZinno (RACER)
• Mike Knapp (15 Days in May)
• Leigh O’Gorman( The F1 and Motorsport Archive)

Q: This year, we have five new or reinstated races. Out of the five (Baltimore, Fontana, Belle Isle, Milwaukee and China) which one/s get dropped in 2013?

 RM: Not sure but I would think Fontana is the biggest question mark because it’s the first time back in several years and it’s all contingent on what kind of crowd it can draw.

DM: None of them. All promoters will be given a chance to build the market.

TD: Ideally none, but I think Fontana (possible low crowd) or China (depending on how the sponsor value is or lack thereof) could be vulnerable. Belle Isle and Milwaukee have two invested promoters who are also team owners, Baltimore’s a wild card as a great event but with financial issues stemming from the original promoters and now the new ones.

MK: That’s a hard call. Baltimore only gets dropped if the promoters cannot get their act together as it should grow even more after a solid first race. I don’t have a lot of faith in Fontana as it isn’t even a good NASCAR stop any more. Like a presence in LA but it needs to draw to stay. Belle Isle will stay as long as sponsorship stays on because it is Roger Penske’s baby. China stays because the series and sponsors want a presence in Asia. So the short answer is Fontana is on the bubble, as is Milwaukee unless it has better attendance than last year.

LG: None.  Milwaukee may be the weakest, but I believe Andretti can do enough to get another year or two out of the project at least. Of the least, this would be mainly multi-year deals, so even if they did fail, I can’t see them being pulled.  Remember, if the contract is broken, someone may have to fork out big bucks.

KM: I’d have to say China because I see ZERO point in going over there at all. Michael Andretti’s promotions of Baltimore and the Milwaukee race will be good. Belle Isle will go back to the old CART layout which is a good thing. Fontana is a question mark.

Q: Fans want the historic races back (Phoenix, Portland, Cleveland, Road America, Surfer’s Paradise, Michigan and Pocono. Which historic races have a chance to comeback in 2013?

RM: I think Phoenix is the leading candidate but Road America has the most public support along with Cleveland (but they need a big title sponsor)

DM: Road America. Hopefully NOT Phoenix as it has such high grip surface, you’ll get a similar situation as we saw in Vegas. JR Hildebrand and Marco were easy flat and low-line around there after just a couple of laps in testing. Would love to see Pocono back but doubt it. Same with Cleveland and Portland – not for 2013, at least. Surfers is a bit more possible but don’t bank on it.

TD: I think Phoenix and Road America have the best chance on that list.

MK: In 2013 I would see Phoenix and Road America as they have seem to have been the two that have progressed the furthest in talks.

LG: 2013 is not very far away.  For any of these events to truly succeed, the series really needs to look at 2014, in order to make sure all the right pieces are in the right places.

Phoenix, Michigan, Portland, Cleveland and Road America would all be very nice, but it’s not going to happen unless there is a desire from both sides to make it happen.
Demanding that race should take place, purely on the basis that it was once a classic event is a foolish endeavour.

KM: I’d say Phoenix, Road America, Cleveland and Pocono all have chances.

Q: Should it be a 50-50 or 60-40 split.

RM: I’d love 7 ovals, 7 road courses and 7 street circuits like the old CART sked but we’ve got to be realistic and go where people want Indy cars nowadays.

DM: 60-40 would be good, but let’s just go to the markets where you can get interest. No point in holding an oval race just to say we’ve got a better balance on the schedule, if only 10,000 people turn up.

TD: 60-40 is fine in this day and age.

MK: I say 60-40 is fine. Ovals should always be the majority in the series if it is possible, but I like the road/street aspect to still be a factor because it means the champion has to be a very well-rounded driver.

LG: I couldn’t care less.  As long as the circuits are good, that should be the only thing that matters.

All the arguments about percentage split is merely political grandstanding that holds the series back.

KM: I’d prefer 50-50 but in this age of the racing 55-45 is fine with me.

Q: Out of the races that weren’t transferred in unification, which one should be added to IndyCar’s schedule?

RM: Surfer’s Paradise because it was a huge event, paid a big sanction fee and now INDYCAR has three stars from Down Under who the Aussies would cheer for.

DM: Road America or Surfers

TD: I’d say Cleveland and Road America, but Road America should be easier to bring back.

MK:  I’d love to see Michigan again. That was the site of some awesome racing back in the day.

LG: I have not thought about it to be honest.  That was then, this is now – the future is the only thing that matters.

KM: Road America and Cleveland.

Q: Should the European leg of the schedule happen in the future, why or why not?

RM: think INDYCAR needs to try and get solvent here before going back to Europe, although Brazil and China makes sense moneywise (at least to INDYCAR).

DM: If the market is there, yes. But let’s wait until these cars have higher baseline power and a decent push-to-pass. No point in going any place where they could get shown up by Euro formula cars.

TD: A race in Europe seems to make more sense than one in China, but might not be worth it financially. I’d rather the series establish a consistent schedule of U.S. races where there isn’t year-to-year turmoil and then and only then head there.

MK: No. I don’t see the need unless the sponsors wanted a race there.

LG: There is absolutely no need for a European leg.  Who on Earth would it possibly serve?

There is no need for an extra series in Europe – we are already massively oversold with championships.  In fact, series’ are falling by the wayside, because there is simply so much going on — and IndyCar would only be another “thing” going on.
A European leg would not serve the European market, it certainly doesn’t help the US market and it doesn’t help IndyCar.

I’m aware that there may be one or two company’s in IndyCar that may garner some benefit, but that really only points to their lack of direction.
If a company in IndyCar is looking for European activation, then why are they in IndyCar in the first place.

KM:  Yes but once we grow the American market. I only say yes because there are two ovals over there that have hosted IndyCar races.

Q: How many races would you want to see internationally in IndyCar. 

RM: No more than three.

DM: Two: one in Surfers Paradise, one in Mexico City. But the two final races need to be a road/street course in America and an oval in America – don’t care which way round.

TD: Three or four, no more than 20 percent of the schedule. In a perfect world, Surfers’ Paradise comes back and there’d be one or two European races. Then the rest domestic in North America plus the Brazil event.

MK: I think that IndyCar should focus on staying a mostly North American series. That said, if there is an interest in the series elsewhere, be it due to fan support (like Brazil or Surfer’s) or an interest of the sponsors (China) then they should look for events in those areas. Otherwise I think the US and Canada should always been the main focus.

LG: The series does not really need any more than they already have.  The focus should be on building its home market.

KM: No more than 4. Canada and Mexico don’t count.

Q: Your Dream Schedule, now?

RM: Phoenix, Long Beach, St. Pete. Trenton, Indy, Milwaukee, Barber, Cleveland, Toronto. Iowa, Springfield (dirt), Richmond, DuQuoin (dirt), Mid-Ohio, Indy (dirt), Elkhart Lake (with ALMS), Edmonton, Michigan, Mt. Tremblanc, Surfer’s Paradise, Mexico City and Laguna Seca

DM: 

1. St. Pete
2. Barber
3. Long Beach
4. Mexico City
5. Indy
6. Milwaukee
7. Watkins Glen
8. Toronto
9. Edmonton
10. Texas
11. Iowa
12. Mid-Ohio
13. Road America
14. Vancouver
15. Fontana
16. Surfers Paradise
17. Loudon
18. Dover Monster Mile
19. Baltimore
20. Las Vegas STREET race

TD: My dream schedule would be all 2012 races except Texas and China (I’m no longer a proponent of these cars on 1.5-mile ovals, but that’s just my opinion), add Phoenix, Cleveland and Road America, two European rounds back-to-back (the Rockingham or Lausitz oval plus a non-F1 permanent road course) and Surfers’ Paradise for an even 20.

MK: I would love a series with 20-22 events. This is personal preference, I’m not thinking in terms of business, ratings, etc. Ovals — Indy, Milwaukee, Iowa, Texas, Michigan, Phoenix, Chicagoland, Kentucky, Pocono, Richmond, Fontana. Road — Road America, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Alabama. Street — Toronto, Houston, St. Pete, China, Baltimore, Rio.

LG: My dream would be circuits that deliver good racing.  Everything else is just detail.

KM: 

• St. Petersburg
• Long Beach
• Edmonton
• Baltimore
• Cleveland
• Toronto
• Road America
• Palm Springs
• Watkins Glen
• Sebring
• Mid-Ohio
• Barber
• Phoenix
• Milwaukee
• Cleveland (oval)
• Loudon
• Iowa
• Richmond
• Indianapolis
• Kentucky
• Rockingham (UK)
• Euro Speedway

I would like to thank all of our guests for taking time out of their day to do this roundtable.

 

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!