GP of Indy: First Practice Report (Update)
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05/07/15
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| Tony Kanaan running the new LED light system |
| Rob Chinn/AR1.com |
Sebastien Bourdais edged out Will Power and Scott Dixon to lead the first IndyCar practice session for Saturday's Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The top 5 cars (8 of the top 10) are Chevy powered, with Honda powering 9 of the bottom 11. Takuma Sato was the fastest Honda for the session.
Before the session began I caught up with Josef Newgarden, who was the winner two weeks ago at Barber. He told me that the buzz has long since disappeared — "Two weeks is a long time, and you're only as good as your last race" were the words he kept repeating, although he allowed as though he was greatly relieved with his first victory. "We've been so close and I knew it was just a matter of time."
The consensus of the discussions on the problems with Honda at IMS is that the motors aren't down on horsepower, but rather, they are still suffering the effects of getting their aero kits weeks after the Chevy teams got theirs. The issue, however, is clouded by the obvious fact that the better teams this year (Penske, Ganassi) are running Chevy engines, and Honda-powered Andretti is weak compared to past years.
Despite their struggles, Honda maintains a large lead in the manufacturers points standing due to the repairs needed by Chevy motors prior to races, and managed to win the rain-soaked New Orleans event.
Number of the Day: $4000. That's the cost of a FIA-spec helmet used in IndyCar. Actually, that's the lowest price — some drivers are opting for helmets that cost as much as $8000. And after a crash (depending on the readings from the accelerometer that each driver wears in their ear) the helmet is inspected, and possibly written off, even if there was no direct impact to the helmet.
Number of the Day Part B: 90%. There is a 90% chance of afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday. Last nights, severe storms spawned tornadoes in Nebraska, and it looks like that weather system is heading this way.
Number of the Day Part C: 5. Which is the approximate attendance here at IMS on a day when there was free admission. I recall a day when I studied for finals here at IMS, and the grandstands behind the pits were pretty much full…. — Tim Wohlford, reporting from IMS