Fumes

Stunning news from Indy, along with some lingering realities.

2013-05-20T12:33:33Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. A couple of weeks ago I wrote that "Indy will always be Indy" and there's truth to that, good and bad.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a magnificent place, its mammoth edifice drawing you in and its sheer imposing presence providing an aura of history that's unmatched by any other racing facility in the world. People have been coming to The Speedway since 1911 to compete in machines designed to go 500 miles as quickly as possible, and the sense that it is truly one of this country's - and the world's - historic places is palpable everywhere you turn.

And all of this is still intact - and great - which in this day of nanosecond attention spans and faux gravitas being attached to insignificant events and vacuous "celebrities" is refreshing and worth noting. But yet there are clear signs that the powers that be at The Speedway and in INDYCAR racing have to take a long hard look at the events leading up to and surrounding "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Robin Miller mentioned it again over the weekend and I've discussed it in past columns as well, but the festivities surrounding the "month of May" are antiquated and need to be completely revamped. The drawn-out, two-week schedule that has drivers pounding around The Speedway in front of the cavernous - and empty - grandstands is simply nonsensical and plays to the notion that major league open-wheel racing in this country is on life support.

What to do? The Speedway and INDYCAR have to get together and compress the schedule. We should be looking at a one-week schedule that unfolds like this: The teams unload and set-up their garages the Sunday before the race. Rookie orientation would take place on Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday would be set aside for open practice. Friday would be qualifying, with "Bump Day" fading to the history books. Saturday would be reserved for the parade and other festivities, including the Indy Lights race. And Sunday, the Indy 500 would take place. Even one week is too long, but at least it's a schedule that makes sense and I believe it would bring larger crowds out on the Friday before the race.

But enough of the frustrating part of what's going on at The Speedway. The good part? The stunning performance by Ed Carpenter in qualifying over the weekend. Fighting against the Team Penske (three cars) and Andretti Autosport (five cars) juggernauts in final qualifying, Carpenter - the lone team owner/driver in the IZOD INDYCAR Series - recorded a four-lap average speed of 228.762 mph (with a blistering best lap of 229.347 mph; 39.2418 seconds) during the Fast Nine shootout in his No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet to capture the coveted pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the $100,000 bonus and 15 IZOD INDYCAR Series championship points.

Carpenter's team is managed by Derrick Walker, who has been orchestrating the underfunded team out of his own shop for the past year and a half. Walker assumes his new duties as INDYCAR's president of competition on June 1, but in the meantime he and engineer Matt Barnes and team manager Matt Broyles were absolutely thrilled to see Carpenter grab the pole.

Carpenter, an Indiana resident and Butler University grad, became the first American driver to win the pole at The Speedway since Sam Hornish Jr. did it in 2006. He is also the first owner/driver to win the pole since A.J. Foyt did it in 1975 and the first Indiana driver to start first since Pancho Carter did it in 1985. (Scott Sharp lived in Indianapolis when he won the pole in 2001 but has lived most of his life in Connecticut and Florida. Indiana native and resident Tony Stewart started from the pole in 1996 after his teammate Scott Brayton died in a practice crash after winning the pole.) Ed Carpenter's four-lap average pole speed of 228.762 mph was the fastest since Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole in 2006 with a four-lap average of 228.985.

"... I wasn't sure we'd be able to do a 229 and we did two of them, and that was the key in the shootout," said Carpenter. "I knew we had a shot at it, but the field is so tight and Chevy brought such a great engine, and I wouldn't have been surprised if we were outside the top 10, too. It's an honor to win this pole because it is a really competitive field. This is a good start. I want to make sure we keep the team focused. I hope this is part one of a really magical month, and we're here for race day. This is awesome, and it's bigger than our wins and it's huge for the team, huge for Fuzzy's Vodka. It's definitely a landmark day, but I don't want to get overly focused on this because we have a lot of work to do yet... It's really fun. I've lived here since I was 8 years old, went to school at Butler University and probably will never leave. It gives me confidence knowing people are behind you, and I'm blessed to have a great family. A lot of them are here. Unfortunately my parents and sister are up in South Bend because Lauren graduates from Notre Dame tomorrow, which is awesome, so it's a big weekend for our whole family."

And there you have it. Despite all of the politics and the money and the cynical stuff that has come to dominate racing - all of racing - the one thing that never changes is the ebb and flow of human emotion that runs through the sport. It is the sport, frankly.

Talk to anyone who has been involved in racing and their memories are always dominated by the stories of the people they raced with and worked with. Sure it's the cars and the achievements and some of the bitterness, too, but it's ultimately about the people.

The Ed Carpenter story at Indy reminds us all that sometimes it's possible to triumph against impossible odds.

And it reminds us, too, that in spite of all of its travails - most of which are self-inflicted
- the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a track like no other in the world, and the Indianapolis 500 is the one race that everyone wants to win.

(Jim Haines/INDYCAR)

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1965. Colin Chapman and Jim Clark confer with a Firestone tire engineer before practice for that year's Indianapolis 500.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

New hope for INDYCAR.

2013-05-13T21:42:40Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Robin Miller broke the story last week and it was formally announced at a press conference today (Monday) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that longtime motorsports executive Derrick Walker will join INDYCAR as its president of competition and operations beginning on May 27th, immediately after the Indianapolis 500 race. In his new role, "Derrick will be responsible for all technical and competition-related elements for the sanctioning body," according to INDYCAR.

Mark Miles, the chief executive officer for Hulman & Company, the parent company of INDYCAR had this to say:

"So we made the decision that we really want to strengthen this organization. It's a good organization, but we've got a lot to do, and we decided to bring on the strongest horse we can find to help us with our technical and operations and racing, our product, really, and then separately to find additional leadership to help us with our commercial activities for INDYCAR.

And we sort of focused on the product first and talked to lots and lots of people. We had a number of great candidates who are interested in the job. And Derrick was one of the first I spoke to. You can't read his résumé and talk to folks about his lifetime of experience without immediately having great respect for his journey in open-wheel racing from being a mechanic to owning a team and having enormous success all along the way.

So his experience is the first thing that strikes, struck me as I got to know Derrick. But then there's a lot about this person that I really like. He's straightforward; he's got great common sense. He's got the conviction of his principles and his -- we know that he'll help make clear, firm decisions and have the strength of character to stick by them. And we've talked to a lot of people in the paddock. I know that Derrick's experience is well regarded as broadly as anybody's could be in the paddock. So we think there's a lot to do, and Derrick is the right man to lead us through it."

It's clear that the leadership had no other choice than to bring an experienced, savvy veteran like Derrick Walker to the table. Randy Bernard did a tremendous amount of positive work for INDYCAR in his short tenure, but the one thing that kept him from really asserting his role was having a man like Derrick Walker as his right hand to smooth communications with the team owners and keep everyone on the same page. The constant sniping of Bernard was wildly unproductive and for the most part unnecessary, but if he had had a guy like Walker in his camp things would have probably been much different. Ironically enough Bernard tried to lure Walker over to his side before he left, but a deal couldn't be reached. Now? It's a different story.

INDYCAR has always been made up of a bunch of individualistic owners with disparate agendas, just like the NASCAR owners, frankly. It's part of racing. And if it weren't for the fact that NASCAR has had strong leadership - at least for the first two generations of family ownership anyway - the stock car racing series might be in the same listing boat that INDYCAR finds itself in. (As an aside, IndyCar desperately wants to be referred to as INDYCAR, which is why you're seeing it spelled out in all caps in this column. I have steadfastly avoided doing it up until now because it seemed like they were emulating NASCAR, but if that's what they want, so be it.)

The perennial problem for INDYCAR is that "for the good of the sport" only comes up when you get in a room full of INDYCAR team owners and lay out a plan for improvment. At that moment in time everyone is on the same page and it's all group hugs and kumbayas and they will all nod in agreement saying that "it's the right thing to do." But the moment those same owners leave that room something happens and all of a sudden "it's the right thing to do" gives way to "how is this going to affect me?" And as you might imagine, being competitive sorts and all the idea of collective sacrifice is anathema. The simple fact is that they all want to see change as long as it affects the other guy more. And this cycle has been repeated over and over again for years.

Now, we're back to square one and the appointment of Derrick Walker has "It's a brand new day for INDYCAR" written all over it. It will be up to Walker to cajole, strong arm and beat sense into the team owners, INDYCAR management and others if this sport is going to move forward from its classic two steps forward, five back dance of mediocrity. It will be up to Walker - who has the authority to say "look, guys, I believe in this" - because he has been there at every level of the sport and there isn't anything that he hasn't seen or experienced. Randy Bernard couldn't say that and although he did a superb job given the circumstances, the team owners held that against them at every turn. They can't do that with Derrick Walker.

"Obviously I've been around enough to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the competition sports, but that doesn't deter me, " Walker said at the press conference. "I think I've had probably a good 20-odd, maybe more, 25 years of INDYCAR, which has really helped me a great deal, and I feel if I can give something back to the sport in whatever way that is, then I'd love that opportunity. So long story short, that, that's what brought me here, and I'm anxious to get started."

I think his comment says a lot about the man. He wants the opportunity to give something back to the sport and that in itself is a revelation.

At one point Robin Miller asked the following question at the press conference:

Q: Derrick, do you think it's important that you go out and immediately seek more manufacturers, engines, chassis? Do we need more, do you want more? Will that be one of your first assignments?

And Walker responded: "Well, I don't know if it will be my first job. My first job will be to understand what we've currently got and how it functions from a day-to-day, and get into the long-term stuff if and when it comes up. Certainly as far as I'm concerned, but my personal opinion is INDYCAR is about competition. So unless there's a very good reason not to have more manufacturers or more of everything that helps make competition happen, I think that would be missing the point. That's the history of INDYCAR, and the sooner we can get more guys in battling it out there, the sooner the fans are going to be interested in what we're doing. The fans come, the companies come, and everybody hopefully enjoys what we do and makes money doing it."

More of everything that helps make competition happen?

Finally.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)

Indianapolis, Indiana, May 31, 1965. Dan Gurney (No. 17 Yamaha Lotus-Ford) talking to Carroll Shelby before that year's Indianapolis 500. Gurney qualified third at 158.898 mph but finished 26th when a timing gear broke. A.J. Foyt (No. 1 Ansted-Thompson Racing Sheraton/Thompson Lotus-Ford) qualified on the pole but dropped out of the race with a broken rear axle. Jim Clark dominated the race in his No. 82 "Lotus Powered by Ford" winning handily. Parnelli Jones (No. 98 J.C. Agajanian Hurst Lotus-Ford) was second and Mario Andretti (No. 12 Al Dean/Dean Van Lines Hawk-Ford) finished third. Watch a video here.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

Indy will always be Indy.

2013-05-07T16:22:51Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. After one of the best IndyCar races in recent memory took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, last weekend, the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar - the famed Indianapolis 500 - is up next. I've made no secret of my affection for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and what I consider to be the greatest automobile race in all of motorsport. Through all of the trials and tribulations that the sport of open-wheel racing has endured in this country over the past ten years, the Indianapolis 500 is still vibrant and it is still great, which is remarkable considering what the sport has been through.

Are there problems? Absolutely. Despite the best efforts of the team owners, tracks, drivers and sponsors, IndyCar is still on the ropes. Will great races like last weekend in Brazil save the series? It's very possible. If IndyCar could consistently deliver the best show - and when I say "show" I'm talking about real, live racing with a capital "R" - then I believe the long-dormant television ratings will start to improve. But in the meantime, the sport struggles mightily, so the arrival of Indianapolis on the IndyCar calendar helps tremendously.

For me, talking about the glory days in the 60s when crowds of 200,000 people would show up for Pole Day to see the upward march of lap speeds is irrelevant. It was a different time and a different era and we'll never bring it back. But make no mistake, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is this nation's "Cathedral of Speed" and the historical significance of that magnificent edifice at the corner of W. 16th Street and Georgetown remains powerfully important.

It is not only IndyCar's only internationally significant race, it's one of the three greatest races in the world (along with Monaco and Le Mans). And even though I rate Indy over the other two, I get the sense that a lot of American racing fans have lost sight of the fact that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 are revered around the world by racers and racing enthusiasts of all stripes.

Is it because many of our homegrown fans have learned to take The Speedway and the "500" itself for granted? Yes, I think there's something to that. And the rise of NASCAR to prominence - especially with the American stick and ball media - just when the sport of Indy car racing sunk to its lowest during the Dark Years, didn't exactly help.

But the powers that be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy car racing didn't exactly help their cause during that "dark" period either. Spec cars and spec engines basically sucked the life out of The Speedway and the "500." True racing fans bemoaned the lack of mechanical and aero diversity and the excitement that was traditionally such a part of the race waned with each passing year, along with fan interest, I might add. And I can relate because that most interesting part of the sport - or lack thereof - as it plays out at The Speedway is still a sore spot with me too.

In spite of all of that and the incessant hand-wringing that the sport of open-wheel racing in America could and should be so much better, Indy is still Indy, thankfully.

And I say this every year but I don't mind saying it again, if you haven't been in a long time or have never been, you owe it to yourself to go.

If you do go, perhaps you will be reminded like I am that there really is nothing like the start of the Indianapolis 500.

To me it remains the most electrifying moment in all of sport.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1963. Dan Gurney prepares to go out for a practice run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his Lotus-Ford. Gurney brought Colin Chapman at Lotus and the Ford Motor Company together to plan an onslaught on the Indianapolis 500. Gurney was convinced that Chapman's design brilliance and Ford's compact new 256 cu. in. push-rod V8 would make a potent combination. Chapman's team built three cars based on the 1962 Lotus 25 Formula One car. The new-for-Indy Lotus 29 would have a longer wheelbase (to accommodate Gurney's lanky frame), an offset (to the left) chassis and a higher fuel capacity. Chapman's Grand Prix star, Jim Clark, would qualify the No. 92 Team Lotus Powered by Ford machine in fifth position. Gurney would qualify his re-numbered No. 93 team car in twelfth. The race was won by Parnelli Jones in his No. 98 J.C. Agajanian-owned, Willard Battery sponsored, Watson/Offenhauser, with Clark finishing a close second. But there was controversy, as oil was leaking from Parnelli's car and the USAC officials let him get away with it lap after lap. Chapman and Clark declined to file a protest, but there were bitter feelings after the race, the implication being that if it had been anybody else in second place - except for the new mid-engine boys on the block - the race result may have been different. Watch videos here and here.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

Oversaturation is killing NASCAR.

2013-04-30T13:09:04Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. I realized long ago that expecting the France family and its leadership regime that rules NASCAR to affect serious change at any meaningful level or pace was a fool's errand. Kind of like herding fireflies. Yet I still write about it on occasion just to reengage. Not that I like beating my head against the wall, but it's good to know that some things never change and there is a need to point that out once in a while.

Now NASCAR operatives will immediately crow about the new Gen 6 cars as being proof positive of their willingness to change, except those cars only came about after not-so-subtle threats from high-level executives at Ford and General Motors about the need for cars that look more production-like. But how the Gen 6 cars materialized isn't the point of this column, for the record I'm glad they're here now and they are a dramatic improvement. And if NASCAR wants to take full credit for them, it doesn't really matter.

The real point of this column is NASCAR's relentless unwillingness to deal with one major issue: oversaturation. The NASCAR schedule is killing what's left of the high-flying golden goose that for a brief moment in time was NASCAR in the early to mid-2000s. The TV networks haven't helped because by signing new deals with NASCAR the powers that be in Daytona Beach think they're actually doing "just fine," as Brian France always says, when in reality they are a fair piece away from being "fine." (The TV deal was the result of one driving force: the networks insatiable desire for original content. If it wasn't for that, we might be looking at a very different media landscape for NASCAR at this juncture.)

Oversaturation is the Bad News slowly but surely weaving its tentacles in and around NASCAR, tightening its grip on everything they do. For instance oversaturation leads to the embarrassing in-person attendance at last Saturday's night's Richmond show. What's behind the lagging in-person attendance at NASCAR races? It is because the mind-numbing oversaturation has deleted the specialness about NASCAR to the fans over time. As in, if you don't feel like making the effort to attend a race, wait until next week and go to another one. Oh wait a minute, you can just watch it on TV, why bother making the effort, right?

Oversaturation is a plague for all sports leagues, hell, even the NFL is worried about it even though their in-person attendance is still right around 85 percent. But then again the NFL is by far the savviest sports entity in this country, and visionary thinking is never in short supply. NASCAR? Well, it depends on the day and it also depends on who you're talking to. Yes, some of its leadership is relentlessly clueless but there are very smart people engaged on NASCAR's behalf as well. The problem is translating the bright thinking into meaningful change for the sport, while leaving the cluelessness at the side of the road.

There is one thing that NASCAR can do to fight off oversaturation, and that is to take an axe to one of the most tedious schedules in all of sport, one easily as tedious as the NHL and the NBA. But that requires everyone - the teams, drivers, sponsors, track owners and promoters - to basically take 25 percent financial haircuts and start over. If the NASCAR schedule was compressed and reduced, maybe you wouldn't see front line teams scrambling to fill sponsorship voids at this point in the season.

The bottom line is that the NASCAR schedule is too frickin' long. Too many races and too many repeat visits to the same tracks doesn't lead to continued success, it leads to oversaturation and fan ennui. And it's the one thing that is killing NASCAR to the point that if they don't do something about it they might just find themselves falling back to becoming a regional sport again.

Not Good.

(For the record, here is my take - below - on a radically revamped NASCAR schedule. The new proposed schedule would have 26 total races, including the addition of two more road races.)

February - The Daytona 500 (however the Sprint Unlimited and the Twin qualifying races are deleted)

February - Phoenix (once on the schedule)

March - Las Vegas (once on the schedule)

March - California (the Bristol daytime race is deleted)

April - Martinsville

April - Texas (Kansas and Richmond spring races are deleted)

May - Darlington (Talladega spring race is deleted)

May - Charlotte (although all the support races are deleted)

June - Dover (once on the schedule)

June - Pocono (once on the schedule)

June - Michigan (once on the schedule)

June - Sears Point

July - Daytona

July - New Hampshire (once on the schedule)

July - Indianapolis

August - Watkins Glen

August - Kansas

August - Bristol (night weekend)

September - Atlanta

September - Elkhart Lake (Road America)

September - Richmond

October - Martinsville

October - Braselton (Road Atlanta)

October - Texas

November - Talladega

November - Charlotte

Editor-in-Chief's Note: We normally don't print reader emails in this place on the AE site, but I think this note from old friend Mike Joy is worth contemplating, followed by my response. - PMD

No easy answers for NASCAR.

Problem with reducing the schedule is... how do you maintain the income (from sponsors) that everyone in the sport depends on to keep going.... teams, TV nets, NASCAR, tracks, etc. ???

Mike Joy

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Back in ancient history, Mike and I worked together at one of my advertising agency stops, oh for a cup of coffee or so. He brings up the essential point. How do you make people used to having more become used to accepting less for the overall health of the sport? It would be like David Stern announcing that the NBA would be cutting back to a 60-game schedule (from 82) and oh by the way, all administrative salaries, player salaries, coaching salaries, TV revenue, sponsor revenue, etc., etc., would be reduced also. Applied to the NASCAR model, how could we expect local promoters, big track owners, teams, drivers and everyone else associated with NASCAR to deal with less? Plus dealing with correspondingly reduced sponsorship packages and TV revenue as well? Extremely difficult and highly unlikely. NASCAR is operating at a level that was justified when things were booming, but learning to live in a world of reduced expectations is damn-near unfathomable for everyone involved. - PMD

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Atlanta, Georgia, April 11, 1965. Leonard Wood (lower left) Marvin Panch (left) Miss Atlanta 500 (middle) and A.J. Foyt (right) celebrate in victory lane after winning the Atlanta 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (although back then it was called Atlanta International Raceway). During the race, Foyt's Wood Brothers-prepared No. 41 Ford DNF'd with throttle issues, but when pole-sitter Marvin Panch (No. 21 Wood Brothers Augusta Motor Sales Ford) became ill, the Woods Brothers asked A.J. to finish the race for them. He did and he won, although Panch was credited with the win.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

Closing in on greatness.

2013-04-22T17:14:51Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Sebastian Vettel, the 25-year-old phenom, scored his 28th Formula One victory in the Grand Prix of Bahrain on Sunday. Think about that for a moment. Vettel will be 26 on July 3rd, and he already has more race wins than Jackie Stewart (27). Stewart, the talented Scot, accomplished his wins in 100 starts, while Vettel has started 105 Grand Prix races. But still, Vettel is clearly on a path to become one of the all-time greats in the sport.

I don't want to dwell too much on the black hole that comparing drivers from different eras leads to, but if you go by winning percentages in F1 Vettel is already moving up the list. The top drivers are Juan Manuel Fangio (24 wins in 52 starts, for a winning percentage of 46.15 percent), Alberto Ascari (13 wins in 33 starts, 39.9 percent), Jim Clark (25 wins in 73 starts, 34.25 percent), Michael Schumacher (91 wins in 308 starts, 29.55 percent), the aforementioned Jackie Stewart (27 wins in 100 starts, 27.0 percent), Vettel (28 wins in 105 starts, 26.67 percent), Ayrton Senna (41 wins in 162 starts, 25.31 percent) and Alain Prost (51 wins in 202 starts, 25.25 percent).

The other black hole of this discussion that's almost impossible to avoid is: Is it because of a great car, or pure talent? It's no secret that we've seen talented drivers rise to the occasion at the very moment they're handed all-conquering machines. Look at what Mario Andretti did with the Lotus 78 and 79 Grand Prix machines. The ground-effects Lotus F1 machines were tremendous cars, but if it weren't for Mario's car development skills, would he have been able to win his World Championship in 1978? Doubtful. In that case it was the car and the driver coming together in perfect harmony to dominate the sport.

Then again the top drivers seem to gravitate to - and attract - top talent. Look at the winning team that Ferrari forged during the Michael Schumacher era. The best of the best for the best. Could someone else have delivered the wins that Schumacher had, given the same equipment? Possibly. But then again we'll never know, will we?

But at this very moment in time, it's Vettel. Yes, Red Bull Racing has some of the best technical talent if not the best in the business, but nonetheless the other teams and drivers are very, very good as well. It just seems that Vettel has that certain "magical" quality when he's on point and at his best.

I remember talking to the great Super Vee driver and eventual owner of Summit Point, Bill Scott, one day (way back when) about the possibility of drivers having the "magic," that elusive and yet almost mystical quality behind the wheel that sets a certain driver apart from the rest. For him (and for back in that era) it was Jackie Stewart. "He was the only one I've seen who had the 'magic,'" Bill said, thoughtfully. "He not only did it better than the rest, but it was the way he did it that was pure magic."

The modern era of Formula 1 is far different than any other era that came before it. Any of the romantic notions attached to the sport from previous eras have been swept aside long ago. The money needed to feed these teams is exponentially greater, the political atmosphere is even pettier and the traveling carpet-bagging feel to the whole show is undeniably depressing at times.

But at the end of the day it's still about drivers pushing themselves and their machines to the limit.

And right now, Sebastian Vettel does it better than anyone else.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Kyalami, South Africa, March 3, 1973. Jackie Stewart (No. 3 Team Tyrrell ELF Tyrrell 006/Ford Cosworth DFV) charges to his first win of the season in the 1973 South African Grand Prix after starting back in sixteenth position. Peter Revson (No. 6 Team McLaren Yardley McLaren M19C/Ford cosworth DFV) was second and Emerson Fittipaldi (No. 1 Team Lotus John Player Lotus 72D/Ford Cosworth DFV) finished third.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

A "Rush" comes to the movies.

2013-04-08T20:59:16Z

Editor-in Chief's Note: I will be back next week with a new "Fumes" column. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the hate mail I received for failing to mention Alessandro Zanardi at the same time I discussed Niki Lauda's return to racing after his horrific accident. I certainly didn't mean to demean Zanardi's sheer force of will and tremendous courage in any way. - PMD

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. The new trailer for the movie Rush - the film about Grand Prix racing during its most meteoric era as defined by the battle between James Hunt in the McLaren and Niki Lauda in the Ferrari - has burst on the scene this week and the initial look is spectacular. Directed by Ron Howard, this will be the first major league film about racing that merits serious consideration from enthusiasts in decades.

When you really think about it we've only had two major films about racing that were worth talking about. The immortal Grand Prix, to this day one of the most riveting racing films of all time and one single handedly responsible for fueling many a young man's passion for racing when it debuted in 1966. And Le Mans, which started out as a vanity project for Steve McQueen but ended up delivering some of the most fantastic racing scenes ever recorded on film. That's it. Two memorable films about a sport that is well over 100 years old.

Rush promises to be different for several reasons. First of all Ron Howard lends an air of gravitas to the project that other half-assed attempts since Grand Prix and Le Mans could never come close to equaling. Howard is an Academy Award-winning director who doesn't get involved in just any project, but rather, the subject must move him. And when it moves him he has a track record of making excellent movies. In other words, this new film will have the utmost in production values, technical expertise, script writing and cinematography. And that is quite apparent when viewing the trailers (see below).

It also means that the story in Rush will have to be first rate as well, because Howard isn't making a racing film directed at a narrow group of racing enthusiasts. He's making a first-rate film that happens to be about an era of racing filled with intensity, punctuated by drama and defined by bravery. And the passion that lurks in the hearts of men.

The subject itself is compelling, with the epic battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda that played out throughout the 1976 F1 season front and center, including the horrific wreck at the Nurburgring, which burned Lauda severely, almost costing him his life. And Lauda's incredible return to the sport just four weeks later against impossible odds, an achievement that remains simply unequaled in terms of bravery and the sheer force of will. Hunt and Lauda couldn't have been more different, polar opposites in the most intense pursuit in the world, one that magnified their every move and made them larger-than-life characters in a speed-warped world already defined by some of the most outlandish characters in sport.

I hold out high hopes for Rush, and given the scope of the official trailer here, and the behind-the-scenes trailer here, my optimism seems cautiously justified. I remember seeing Grand Prix when it opened at a theater specially-modified for wide-screen "Cinerama" viewing here in Detroit, and it remains one of the most moving experiences on film I have ever witnessed. It fueled my passion for the sport back then, and it still holds true for me to this day.

I hope Rush does the same for a brand-new generation.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Watkins Glen, New York, 1976. James Hunt at the U.S. Grand Prix East in Watkins Glen, New York. Hunt (No. 11 Team McLaren Marlboro McLaren M23-Ford Cosworth DFV) had a fantastic battle with Jody Scheckter (No. 3 Team Tyrrell ELF Tyrrell P34/Ford Cosworth DFV) during the race and eventually prevailed, winning for the sixth time that season. Niki Lauda (No. 1 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 312T2) finished third. Watch the video here and notice how Watkins Glen looked without the Bus Stop chicane.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

IndyCar needs more.

2013-04-01T13:52:05Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Editor's Note: Peter will return next week with a new installment of Fumes. - WG

Detroit. Now that the tire smoke has cleared from St. Petersburg - it was terrific to see James Hinchliffe get his first win - once again the paddock buzz revolves around a new "savior" for IndyCar lurking in the transporters, one Zak Brown. The peripatetic entrepreneur and head of Indianapolis-based Just Marketing Inc., who seems to make all of the world's racing business his business, is now on the short list for a new IndyCar CEO. A list of one, in fact, according to the reports and the ever laser-accurate paddock gossip. But Zak Brown is a busy guy, so busy that even F1 is courting him to be what's next after The Era of Bernie. So...

Can Zak Brown be The Answer for IndyCar? He could be. He does have the racing "credentials" that the anti-Randy Bernard camp said Randy Bernard lacked. He gets racing and he knows everyone of any importance in the sport globally and he understands how marketing plays an inexorable role in racing's fundamental existence, which, when it comes right down to it is absolutely essential. And for a lot of people intimately involved in the sport of IndyCar racing, a feeling of "righting the ship" would be an immediate result if Brown came on board.

But then again there are so many issues facing IndyCar can one person fix them all? That is highly debatable.

To begin with, the lack of innovation and diversity of technology has crippled Indy car racing. Anyone who doesn't think the notion of "spec" racing has done permanent damage to the sport is kidding themselves. Some car owners understandably might vehemently disagree with that general statement, because they can remind anyone who writes about these issues and doesn't have any cash in the game that without reined-in technology the sport would be prohibitively expensive. Point taken, but each year that IndyCar goes forward with more of the same technologies they've recycled over the last fifteen years, the opportunity to make the sport more relevant and interesting to hard-core and casual fans alike becomes more remote. As I wrote in a past column ("Diversity of Thought and the Concept of Free'), IndyCar and the participating manufacturers need a total rethink of what they're doing in this sport... and why.

Together they must reinvent the sport around the foundation of proving advanced automotive technologies that will ultimately benefit the industry and car buyers of the future. As I said in that previous column, "Racing in this country is showing signs of deep decline and worse, the overall interest in the sport seems to be slowly but surely fading with each passing year. The sport of Indy car racing cannot possibly survive this slow march to oblivion, as it barely registers on the media radar screens now (except for the Indy 500, of course)."

Make no mistake, the car owners can't do it themselves. Multiple - not just one or two - manufacturers would have to embrace and fully support the idea in order for it to come to fruition. That means that the raison d'etre for IndyCar must transform from being a forum for restrictive sameness to a competitive arena that rewards innovative thought and blue-sky creativity. Yes, a very tall order, especially in this "if it's not F1, put a production-appearing body on it" era of racing we find ourselves in.

As I watched and listened to a replay of the IndyCar broadcast from St. Petersburg, the prevailing tone from the announcers went something like this: "How could this not be popular? It's so good!" And it was a good race. But in this nanosecond-attention-span world we exist in today, that's not good enough, unfortunately. Especially when you have all of the media attention in this country focusing on the last lap NASCAR contretemps at California Speedway on Sunday.

Whoever is the next person to run IndyCar - and Zak Brown seems to have the job if he wants it - that person has to begin with the premise that IndyCar has become a niche within the sliver of a niche that defines motorsports coverage as presented by the stick-and-ball media in this country. In the current media environment that deifies NASCAR, while ignoring everything else except for a few mentions of F1, IndyCar doesn't even register on the radar screen, except for the Indy 500.

What will change that? What will be the hook for IndyCar that captures the imagination of the hard-core and casual fans, corporate America and the general media in this country?

I can safely assure you of one thing, and that is that just doing what has been done for the better part of three decades isn't going to cut it.

Zak Brown or no, IndyCar must generate excitement and technical intrigue. The kind of intrigue that would come from a headline like this: "Indy 500 winner averages 160 mph and gets 22 mpg!"

Just staging a cracking good race isn't enough.

IndyCar will need more to survive than that.

Much, much more.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Riverside, California, October 28, 1967. Mario Andretti sits in the Holman & Moody-built "Honker II" during practice for the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix, the fifth round of that year's Can-Am series. Largely funded by Ford and utilizing some Ford GT40 parts - and with a body that was shaped by substantial aero development in the wind tunnel - the Honker II was powered by a 6-liter, fuel-injected Ford V8. Andretti was widely quoted as saying it was the worst car he had ever driven, but he managed to qualify in fifth in the star-studded field, only to DNF with gear selector fork issues. Dan Gurney qualified on the pole in his No. 36 All American Racers Lola T70 Mk. 3B powered by a 6.2-liter AAR-Weslake Ford, but he would DNF with a blown engine. Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren Cars Ltd. McLaren M6A Chevrolet) qualified in second and won the race, followed by Jim Hall (No. 66 Chaparral Cars Inc. Chaparral 2G Chevrolet) and Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Lola T70 Mk. 3B). Besides those drivers, other notables in the field included Parnell Jones, Peter Revson, Mike Spence, George Follmer, Chris Amon, John Cannon, Sam Posey, Lothar Motschenbacher, Jerry Grant and John Surtees. Want to know why the Can-Am cars are legendary to this day? Watch this video of Jim Pace driving a McLaren 6B Chevrolet for a hot lap at Road America (refresh page if error message comes up). Spectacular in every sense of the word.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

IndyCar needs more.

2013-03-25T21:18:55Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Now that the tire smoke has cleared from St. Petersburg - it was terrific to see James Hinchliffe get his first win - once again the paddock buzz revolves around a new "savior" for IndyCar lurking in the transporters, one Zak Brown. The peripatetic entrepreneur and head of Indianapolis-based Just Marketing Inc., who seems to make all of the world's racing business his business, is now on the short list for a new IndyCar CEO. A list of one, in fact, according to the reports and the ever laser-accurate paddock gossip. But Zak Brown is a busy guy, so busy that even F1 is courting him to be what's next after The Era of Bernie. So...

Can Zak Brown be The Answer for IndyCar? He could be. He does have the racing "credentials" that the anti-Randy Bernard camp said Randy Bernard lacked. He gets racing and he knows everyone of any importance in the sport globally and he understands how marketing plays an inexorable role in racing's fundamental existence, which, when it comes right down to it is absolutely essential. And for a lot of people intimately involved in the sport of IndyCar racing, a feeling of "righting the ship" would be an immediate result if Brown came on board.

But then again there are so many issues facing IndyCar can one person fix them all? That is highly debatable.

To begin with, the lack of innovation and diversity of technology has crippled Indy car racing. Anyone who doesn't think the notion of "spec" racing has done permanent damage to the sport is kidding themselves. Some car owners understandably might vehemently disagree with that general statement, because they can remind anyone who writes about these issues and doesn't have any cash in the game that without reined-in technology the sport would be prohibitively expensive. Point taken, but each year that IndyCar goes forward with more of the same technologies they've recycled over the last fifteen years, the opportunity to make the sport more relevant and interesting to hard-core and casual fans alike becomes more remote. As I wrote in a past column ("Diversity of Thought and the Concept of Free'), IndyCar and the participating manufacturers need a total rethink of what they're doing in this sport... and why.

Together they must reinvent the sport around the foundation of proving advanced automotive technologies that will ultimately benefit the industry and car buyers of the future. As I said in that previous column, "Racing in this country is showing signs of deep decline and worse, the overall interest in the sport seems to be slowly but surely fading with each passing year. The sport of Indy car racing cannot possibly survive this slow march to oblivion, as it barely registers on the media radar screens now (except for the Indy 500, of course)."

Make no mistake, the car owners can't do it themselves. Multiple - not just one or two - manufacturers would have to embrace and fully support the idea in order for it to come to fruition. That means that the raison d'etre for IndyCar must transform from being a forum for restrictive sameness to a competitive arena that rewards innovative thought and blue-sky creativity. Yes, a very tall order, especially in this "if it's not F1, put a production-appearing body on it" era of racing we find ourselves in.

As I watched and listened to a replay of the IndyCar broadcast from St. Petersburg, the prevailing tone from the announcers went something like this: "How could this not be popular? It's so good!" And it was a good race. But in this nanosecond-attention-span world we exist in today, that's not good enough, unfortunately. Especially when you have all of the media attention in this country focusing on the last lap NASCAR contretemps at California Speedway on Sunday.

Whoever is the next person to run IndyCar - and Zak Brown seems to have the job if he wants it - that person has to begin with the premise that IndyCar has become a niche within the sliver of a niche that defines motorsports coverage as presented by the stick-and-ball media in this country. In the current media environment that deifies NASCAR, while ignoring everything else except for a few mentions of F1, IndyCar doesn't even register on the radar screen, except for the Indy 500.

What will change that? What will be the hook for IndyCar that captures the imagination of the hard-core and casual fans, corporate America and the general media in this country?

I can safely assure you of one thing, and that is that just doing what has been done for the better part of three decades isn't going to cut it.

Zak Brown or no, IndyCar must generate excitement and technical intrigue. The kind of intrigue that would come from a headline like this: "Indy 500 winner averages 160 mph and gets 22 mpg!"

Just staging a cracking good race isn't enough.

IndyCar will need more to survive than that.

Much, much more.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)

Watkins Glen, New York, July 20, 1973. The No. 2 Gulf Research Racing Co. Mirage M6 Ford Cosworth driven by Mike Hailwood/John Watson prepares for a practice session the day before the Watkins Glen 6 Hour race. The duo would finish fifth overall in the race. The No. 33 Equipe Matra MS670B driven by Gerard Larousse/Henri Pescarolo would take the win, followed by the No. 10 Ferrari SEFAC SPA 312B driven by Jackie Ickx/Brian Redman and the No. 11 Ferrari SEFAC SPA 312B driven by Arturo Merzario/Carlos Pace.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

The tides of March.

2013-03-18T14:08:51Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Sebring. The central Florida road racing extravaganza - otherwise known as the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida - lived up to its billing as America's premier endurance road race, at least in every class but the top-ranked P1 class. The factory Audi R18 e-tron quattros used the punishing airport-based Sebring circuit as a twelve-hour live-fire test for all intents and purposes, as they had no competition in their class. It would have been nice had the factory Toyota prototypes showed up but that group is focusing on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where they will square-off against Audi in the world's most prestigious endurance race. The GT race was plenty spectacular enough, so racing enthusiasts on-site were pleased (we'll have more Sebring coverage in "The Line" - WG).

But then again, this 61st running of the 12 Hours of Sebring was significant beyond its usual place in American sports car racing lore (and central Florida headquarters for Spring Break revelry), because last Saturday's event served as the beginning of the end of the American Le Mans Series era in North American sports car racing, as the blending of the ALMS and NASCAR's Grand-Am series begins next February at the Daytona 24 Hour race in the form of USCR, or United SportsCar Racing. (Not a catchy name or logo to put it charitably, but then again this new road racing series must be all about the on-track product, so I am choosing to not dwell on the less-than-inspiring name and logo at this juncture.)

Much was made of the looming 2014 series as Jim France and other Grand-Am operatives were highly visible throughout the weekend at Sebring. The biggest news to emerge was the fact that the French racing officials from the ACO - the people in charge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans - were officially endorsing the new USCR racing entity as being eligible to supply entries to the annual French endurance classic, thus continuing the role that the ALMS had fought hard to establish and nurture over the years of its existence. (It also didn't hurt that IMSA was announced last Thursday as the sanctioning body for USCR, a move that everyone acknowledged was key for any number of reasons.)

I was asked plenty of times over the weekend if I thought that USCR would succeed and my comments always revolved around the fact that having one, unified, major league sports car racing series was huge. People tend to forget how debilitating and counterproductive having two road racing series was in the North American market, and just how precarious the entire sport of road racing had become because of it. It simply could not have continued and the fact that the two sides got together will ultimately be beneficial for all.

The connection to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, plus the sanctioning by IMSA, ensures that this new road racing series will have the legitimacy that it needs going forward, but it will not guarantee its success. The existing events that were successful in the past - Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans - will be successful again right out of the gate, but building up true momentum and burgeoning fan interest will take time. I see it taking at least two full seasons for USCR to find its footing with sponsors and racing fans alike and by the third season, I expect to see real dividends in terms of increased fan attendance, sponsor interest and television viewing numbers. Anything less will be a crushing disappointment for all involved.

All that said, I'm happy to report that Sebring was well and truly Sebring, thankfully, with packed spectator areas and swarms of people everywhere, and there was a real sense of optimism in the air that was well-founded.

The bickering had stopped and the focus had returned to making the racing - now and in the future - as good as it can possibly be.

And for a warm weekend in mid-March, it really doesn't get any better than that.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1963. Dan Gurney confers with crew chief Bill Fowler while others crowd around his Lotus-Ford during a test session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for that year's Indianapolis 500.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

If you can win here, you can win anywhere.

2013-03-12T22:46:03Z

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. This weekend marks the annual knock-down, drag-out twelve-hour battle at the historic - and brutal - road racing circuit in Sebring, Florida. The most important endurance race in North America and one of the top endurance races in the world, the 12 Hours of Sebring is simply a slug-fest from green to checker. What makes Sebring particularly tough? The competition, for one thing. The world's best factory teams contest this event and it's a flat-out sprint race punctuated only by pit stops, driver changes and the inevitable full-course cautions.

But that's only one dimension to Sebring.

The other? The circuit itself. This isn't the billiard-table smooth circuit that defines Le Mans, oh no. Sebring is more akin to racing on some of the pock-marked streets that pass for roads up here in the Midwest. There are even sections of the old airport circuit where the cars can get airborne from the imperfect terrain, it's that rough. There's a reason that top teams from Europe come over here to conduct 12- and 24-hour tests in private at Sebring; they've found out that if their cars can perform - and survive - here, they should be able to win anywhere.

Oh, and there's the Spring Break dimension to Sebring, too, and that adds to the, ahem, "color" of the event as well. As in it's an atmosphere unlike any other road race you'll ever go to, thus making it a "must-see" event.

I consider the 12 Hours of Sebring to be the premiere road race on the North American calendar (with the ALMS race at Road America a close second). It's the best teams vs. the best teams, the best drivers vs. the best drivers, the best cars vs. the best cars - and the tough Sebring circuit vs. them all.

The 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida (part of the 2013 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón) gets the green flag on Saturday, March 16. The race starts at 10:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 16. SPEED's live coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET.

(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)
The spectacular Audi R-18 quattros (shown above in last year's race) will make what's purported to be their final appearance at the historic Sebring track this coming weekend. Audi will be bringing a pair of updated R18 e-tron quattros to this year's event.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Sebring, Florida, March 26, 1966. The Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby Shelby American No. 1 Ford GT-X1 Mk II 427 roadster during a scheduled night pit stop on its way to the win. Dan Gurney/Jerry Grant (No. 2 Shelby American Ford MkII 427) finished second and Walt Hansgen/Mark Donohue (No. 3 Holman & Moody Ford MkII 427) finished third. Watch a interesting video of the event here. And a full race report from Sports Illustrated here.

(Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives and Wieck Media)
Gurney and Grant Ford had an eventful race in their No. 2 Shelby American Ford MkII.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD