What a great race (1 Viewer)

[Seth Paxton]

Passing, lots of it.
Strategy, lots of it.
Bad and good luck, plenty of that too.
Oh, and more mild weather sunshine than I've seen at Indy in years.
The F1 race was great. Several drivers made those great turn 1 moves. We actually had at least 4 drivers in the hunt (RB, Montoya, Shuey, Mika).
A Jag actually got points. And how about Trulli and Heidfeld (both hung in with the leaders at times). Heidfeld ran on DC's butt most of the early part of the race.
The race was clean and fast. The crowd was really geeked up for Montoya, lots of flags, and when he made his pass after his only pitstop it seemed to be just a matter of time before RBari had to come in and JM would be in first. Alas, it was not to be. He couldn't even make it to Shuey's stop.
Crowd was really let down on that.
I was wondering how long the Mercedes were going to wait to stop. When RB made his 2nd stop, we all knew it was a race to see if Mika could beat RB's exit (which he did). But after that it really looked like Mika and RB were in for a dogfight. It also got close between Coultard and Shuey.
Like Montoya, RB had a bad hit of poor luck.
It seemed like within a few mid-race laps it had gone from utter defeat for Mercedes in the Contructor's Points to BMW, to grabbing a comfortable spot in 2nd instead.
A very fine F1 race with lots of action and competition all day long. I know I'm selling the hometown product, but I don't think people realize how good it is. I really hope Tony George can keep F1 coming back because it is a blast.
I still prefer the 500, but we sure do love to have all the international community in for a visit.
And like the Cubs, it's "next year" for Jag.

PS - when I dropped off our rental van (we had lots of family in and 2 seat convertables don't get it done ), I dropped it off at a downtown hotel that works with Hertz. Well, the Arrows team was staying there. They all piled out of their team vans (about 30 guys) as we were getting ready to leave. I didn't know what to say for a 13th spot (good job? tough break?), so I said nothing at all.
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Greetings from the Humungus! The Lord Humungus!
The Warrior of the Wasteland!
The Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah!

 

[mark_d]

Glad you enjoyed it. I was disappointed Montoya couldn't manage the double, although obviously through no fault of his own. Doing the Indy double is something that'll be an extremely rare feat to accomplish. I guess a triple (NASCAR, IRL, F1) will just never happen
Anyway, I was glad to see that my fave of recent years managed to lift himself out of the doldrums before his sabatical.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay to get in and what was the traffic like? I have not seen an F1 race in the flesh due to the high cost of admission and the fact that traffic at Silverstone is a Nightmare. Saw a practise session there once - hardly anyone there and it still took an age to get out...
Personally I can't wait for the CART guys to come back to Rockingham - if they do at all, that is...
Mark

 

[Iain Lambert]

That was one quality race. As we continue to get such great ones as this the US Grand Prix is a really welcome addition to the F1 calender; thats one sweet track you have there. Absolutely loved the track, and I never even hoped my favorite team would take 1st and 3rd! Mika demonstrated that when he really wants to, he can pull stuff like this out of the bag; its a real pity he has become so unreliable.
Daveyboy had a mixed race, but a podium from 7th on the grid isn't to be sneezed at either.
Elsewhere, it seemed the crowd there went as wild as we did at home on that brilliant overtaking manoever from Montoya - that guy continues to amaze; its a pity that the Williams engine is so barely reliable in its push for the absolute maximum of power. And yes, Eddie back in the points was a real cause for celebration too.

 

[MikeAlletto]

The race was good...the tv feed was good (gotta love that world feed). The ABC announcers absolutely sucked. That's what you get when you get IRL announcers doing a F1 race...Jason Priestly? wtf??? They couldn't even tell who the drivers were half the time. Hire the Speedvision guys for the day instead ABC.

 

[Seth Paxton]

COME TO INDY!! Really.
Tickets were going 2 FOR 1. Yes, that is half off the face value. I heard the scalpers saying this, many of them. I also heard an $18 per ticket rumor. Really, tickets are cheap and plentiful over here (sadly).
You could fall ass-backwards into a decent seat for cheap at Indy and it will remain that way for the next few years I would guess. It's just not grabbing the US fans yet.
But that is no fault of the race itself. You can hardly put out the "no passing" arguement at Indy. I thought this race was wonderfully clean and competitive. I enjoyed it a lot more than last year's race (which was fine but Shuey dominated).
I was happy that Montoya did get his pass on Shuey under full race conditions (not to mention having the fastest lap).
If you come to Indy you can even catch the cheap shuttle buses over to the track. It's cheaper and easier than either the Brickyard or 500.
We sat on the front straight in pretty bad seats (that we own). Next year we are going to upgrade via scalpers.
We went to the turn 7 viewing mound for quallies, then walked to the Micky Mouse turns for the last 20 minutes of it (saw the one spin-out during quallies).
If you can get something toward turn 4 (Indy 500 version) that's the way to go. That's where the best action is.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Priestly knows American racing though. I didn't see the ABC feed so I can't comment on that performance.
Everyone here loves the British accent of the guy who shares announcing duty at the track (with our own Dave Callabero).
The flags are really catching on here. All the locals who go out all want to get a flag flying too.
The Columbian flags were numerous, about 2/3 as many as Ferrari (which is quite a lot). When Juan made his move people were shouting, flags went crazy...then a few laps later everyone was bummed.
The crowd was clearly MORE subdued with Mika winning than with a Ferrari win. Suffice to say that had Montoya done it, the place would have gone nuts. I felt bad for RB, but as much as I used to love Shuey pre-Ferrari, I'm getting a bit sick of him now. I was glad to see other teams compete. I realize that McLaren is hardly the have-nots, but lately....
Also, there is one triple winner - Mario Andretti. Of course there was no IRL at the time, but he did win in NASCAR, IRL, and F1 (at least 1 race). He is the only one. We have a local expert who answers various racing/Indy questions once a week and this one is always very popular.
There was talk a few years ago about bringing Jeff Gordan over to F1 (really, I'm serious) but it didn't happen of course. And then you here Mika's reaction to a possible 500 run where he expressed an apparent intimidation with the sheer speed that the 500 produces. His vibe seemed to be that the 500 was for guys a bit more crazy (I don't think that's really true). Just shows how different the circuits are at this point.

 

[Iain Lambert]

Well Seth, you've got me mighty tempted there. My girlfriend (well, by that point wife) and I have been talking about going to an F1 race next year, and the UK grand prix is pretty much out - tickets are ludicrous here. We had been talking about going to Hockenheim as she has been there once before and says its a great circuit for watching, but this is sounding a pretty attractive alternative visit.

 

[mark_d]

And then you here Mika's reaction to a possible 500 run where he expressed an apparent intimidation with the sheer speed that the 500 produces. His vibe seemed to be that the 500 was for guys a bit more crazy (I don't think that's really true). Just shows how different the circuits are at this point.

I guess it's down to exposure. If Mika had come through the ranks in the States I'm sure he wouldn't have thought twice about it. He's not a timid fellow. A few years ago he had a crash in the final event of the season so bad that it was reported up the pit lane that he had, in fact, died. He fractured his skull and was given a 10% chance of survival but was back the following year.
I must admit, though, when watching open wheel oval racing there are times when I almost crap myself.
I think it was last year at Michigan, when Montoya and Andretti were fighting over the draft of a lapped car out of the final corner of the race - if they didn't touch wheels at 220mph+ then they came damn close. It was intense and incredibly exciting, but if they'd bumped wrong... Well, let's just say I had images of Mercedes at Le Mans going through my head...
It's ironic, but Senna was apparently fascinated with the Indy 500, but couldn't bring himself to compete due to the speeds and close proximity of concrete walls...
Mark

 

[Rob Willey]

I missed the race because I was driving back from the L.A. meet, but I didn't mind since the driver's and constructor's is wrapped up for the good guys. I'll catch Speedvision's coverage next Sunday.
Next year, however, I'm there. Live and in person. The company I work for is one of the major sponsors and I haven't seen a race live since Long Beach in '83.
Rob
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"That suits me down to the ground."

 

[CharlesD]

It was a great race! I went last year and this year was even more fun. We sat in turn 13 for Saturday and it was a little chilly in the morning, but we were treated to vapor trails coming off the back of the rear wing in the first practice session.
The crowd was very enthusiastic and there seemed to be quite a few locals who had come back after last year and were really into F1 now which was good to see.
Many of the cars (Ferrari, Benneton, Jordan, Jaguar) had US flags on them and some of the drivers (both Schumachers and Fisichella) had incorporated US flags in their helmet designs. Quite a nice gesture of support I thought.
The entire weekend was a blast, and as a long time F1 fan it was an incredible experience to see (and hear!) the cars up close.
As far as the F1 drivers attitude toward oval racing is concerned its not the speed that's the problem its hitting a concrete wall that is the problem. F1 drivers are not afraid of racing wheel-to-wheel at 225 mph at Hockenheim or Monza. No form of motor racing is 100% safe and F1 has done a good job of keeping the drivers safe. No oval can be made as safe as your typical F1 course is.
mark_d:
Compared to the UK, seat prices at Indy are dirt cheap! seats are between 30 UKP and 100 UKP. Many good seats are available at $85 (approx 57 UKP) Traffic in and out is no problem. This year we were delayed an entire 15 minutes getting out and we were parked only 2 or 300 yards from the main entrance!
Be warned though, the local hotels have been gouging the F1 fans in a major way, charging twice what they do for the Indy 500 weekend. We stayed at a motel for a reasonable price but were a 45 minute drive from the track and out in the boonies nowhere near whatever nightlife Indianapolis might have ot offer.
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-- Will Work for Five Million Dollars

 

[mark_d]

Sounds like it could be cheaper to go to the States than attend the local race. It'd probably be a shorter travel time, too!
Maybe I could incorporate it into a holiday some time. That's what I did to see NASCAR at Lowes (Charlotte as was)
Mark

 

[Dave Smith]

Just got back from Indy, drove it from Austin, 2367 miles door to door

I'm from England originally and went to three British Grand Prix in the 90s. This event was MUCH cheaper and MUCH better in terms of traffic. The whole weekend cost me $105 (about 65 quid) for grandstand seats. Last time I went to Silverstone it cost more than that for general admission on race day alone. The hotel gouged me for two nights though, oh well.
Traffic was nothing getting to the circuit; if I'd gone down Georgetown on the way out it might have been nasty but I went up 30th, then Moller Road to 38th and out onto the 465. Took half an hour max.
The race was awesome Quick picture:

That's from the second Saturday practice session.
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Dave Smith
http://home.austin.rr.com/beowulf99

 

[mark_d]

That's a great shot! What kit were you using? Was it a long lens as that seems to be pretty close for an unobstructed view.
Mark

 

[Dave Smith]

Thanks Mark.
The camera was a Nikon 950 digicam, no extra lenses. There are parts of the infield at Indy where you can stand less than 20 feet from the track, albeit behind a wire fence like in this case.
This race finally taught me that I need a different camera. The 950 is great, but I use it for a lot of sports shots (autocross, airshows, F1) and it's just not right for it. I need something faster with a bigger zoom.
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Dave Smith
http://home.austin.rr.com/beowulf99

 

[Seth Paxton]

The camera was a Nikon 950 digicam, no extra lenses. There are parts of the infield at Indy where you can stand less than 20 feet from the track, albeit behind a wire fence like in this case.

Yes, you can stand at the "end" of Hulman Blvd which is really just half of it and is considered the "back stretch". Not sure during the race, but certainly during practice. For photos I would recommend the viewing mounds in the Mickey Mouse turns (8-10) since you can get several cars into the shot and they are slowed down so much. They also let you get rather close between turns 12-13 in the south short chute (normally between 1 and 2). Couldn't be against the fence, but a few feet from it.
I had family in and we had to rent a mini-van (we have virtual 2 seater cars). Normally $55 a day...$150 race weekend.
I would guess that even outside of Indy a bit they are going to pound you at even the crappy hotels. That's the one bad aspect.
As for nightlife, there isn't much (I heard the drivers were staying in Chicago and being flown in). However there are 2 fun places to be in Indy. Either get to downtown and hang around from the circle to the zoo (the 6 or 7 west-half blocks of downtown. The canal/White River Park area is great, lots of good restaurants around the mall area (Illinois/Washington) and several bars including the ones in Circle Center mall. Plus, the bus service shuttles people from this area (Capital and Washington or close to there) so that if you could just get yourself into there in the morning you could park on the street all day for free (on weekends), walk to the bus, ride it back in and hangout, then drive away late that night. The ideal way if you have the money is to simply stay at a downtown hotel which saves you the car part.
Another cool part of town is Broad Ripple. It's basically at College and 62nd St. There is no nearby interstate so you usually have to come up or down College, or Meridian and go east, or maybe 465 at the 56th St exit (east side, not west by the track) and drive west to College area. It's all college kids, yuppies, and tons of bars, meat-markets, live band bars, pool bars, and several nice restaurants. Doing this requires transportation though.
I'd let people stay with us but my family is already using up that option.
If any of you guys do plan on coming in next year, let me know and hopefully we could meet at some point.

 

[Steve Owen]

I too went to the US Grand Prix last weekend and had a great time! Maybe next year we need to have an HTF get together...
Anyway, my friend Keith and I drove out from Mass. on Thursday. 14 hr drive to our dump of a hotel in Indy (I expect nothing better than a dump for $45/night on race weekend).
Friday morning, we sat at the exit of T13 (oval T1) as the cars come toward the wall, across from the Williams pits. If anyone gets a chance next year to stand against the wall as the cars go by at speed, do it! I've been to MANY racing events and stood close to the wall as cars go by, but there's nothing like the aerodynamic "thump" you get from an F1 car as it goes by at 200 MPH.
Between 1st and 2nd pratices, we want over by the IMS museum. All of the historic F1 cars were there in a tent. Very cool to see those cars up close. Mercedes had a big tent set up with lots of stuff in there too.
For the 2nd practice, we went and sat up high in the SouthEast Vista (as they come out of the infield roadcourse section). Also a good place to watch. After practice, we left the track and headed downtown for some lunch/dinner. Found a brewpub (Alcatraz) near the new mall area. And then we headed over to the Indiana Fairgrounds for the USAC Silver Bullet cars on the 1 mile dirt track. That is COOL seeing those cars diving into the turns at about 140 MPH on the dirt! It was a 100 lap race and really fun.
Saturday we got to the track pretty early and sat up high near T1. F1 qualifying is incredibly fun to watch. I was FURIOUS when one of the Arrows car messed up one of Montoya's last qualifying runs. Grrrrr!!!!! The Porsche race was fairly uneventful, but it's worth sticking around at the track to see the historic F1 cars run around. Those things sound wonderful. We had plans of hitting the ASA race at Indianapolis Raceway Park that night, but both of us were pretty beat after two long days at the track, so we opted for dinner (same place) and some time on the Ferrari F355 simulator at the local arcade.
Sunday, of course, the race was excellent. I was dissapointed in the results of the Williams team. Toward the end, I was keeping my stopwatch on Rubens and he WAS catching up. Too bad his engine went south. Getting out of the track was fairly easy, though the police had blocked off a road we had planned to take. It ended up taking about an hour to get on the highway. 14 hours later, 7:00am, we were back in New England. Nice night to drive... nearly full moon... clear sky.
My final piece of advise is to get a scanner and listen to the SpeedVision crew for the entire weekend. They were absolutely great to listen to. Easily the best broadcast team in motorsports. They were right on top of Mika's blowing of the red light in morning warmups as soon as it happened. I'm looking forward to the SpeedVision broadcast in a few days... I listened to the ABC guys for a short bit on Sunday, but they sounded like they were in over their heads a bit. Not surprising for their first F1 race.
A great weekend. A great race. I can't wait for next year. The 2002 tentative schedule is out... Indy is scheduled for Sept. 29th, 2002.
-Steve
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Link Removed Home Theater Gear

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I was in the Paddock Box area, a little in front of the start/finish line. What a rush! Next year it's turn 1 for me, though. And next year I'll do my damnedest to make sure I have enough time availble to make it over for practice and qualifying. This year I had other commitments.
I TiVo'd the ABC broadcast of the race to watch when I got home sunday night, and Jenkins, Cheever, and Priestly did the worst announcing job I have ever seen in motorsports. I look forward to Speedvision's version, which will air this Sunday night. Speedvision is absolutely the best! If you like sportscar and prototype road racing, make sure and watch the Petit Le Mans this Saturday on SV!
The UK fans really ought to check out the Rockingham CART race next year. A lot of converts were made according to reports by both fans and the british media. CART and F1 are both so frickin' great, words fail me!

 

[mark_d]

I got out to the Thursday practise day at Rockingham this year. Problems with the track and "weepers" restricted running to 10 laps behind the pace car, but we still got the sights and sounds, so it wasn't a wasted day. The most impressive thing was being able to get into the paddock and wander through the pit garages, getting up real close to the cars and drivers.
Will hopefully make it to race day next year...
Mark

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Petit Le Mans is on Speedvision right now, and it's a heck of a race! I've got to his the road soon and will have my Tivo record the last couple of hours.
Highly recommended!