Q: We were at the 12 Hours of Sebring. After looking at the cars during the grid walk, we went over and looked at the pit boxes. As we walked past the MSR pit box I saw a race engineer reviewing some data. I just happened to have a tire pressure gauge with me, so I placed it on a laptop computer and told him that the team needed it more than I did. He gave me a dirty look, but they must have used it during the race because I never read anywhere that they had any tire pressure issues. There’s a sense of satisfaction knowing I did my part to protect the integrity of the sport.
Anyway, during the race on Saturday, on more than one occasion a team was penalized for spending less than the required time refueling. I saw your pre-Rolex explanation of this and I get it, but I don’t totally get it. In this day and age of fuel efficiency, fewer carbon emissions, green this, green that, etc., it seems to me that the less time a team spends refueling, the less carbon-based energy they are using. Isn’t that one of the main things that makes racing relevant to the manufacturers? Finding ways to be more efficient?
It seems to me that as cars use hybrid systems more and more they will consume less and less carbon-based fuel. Imagine if a manufacturer got to the point where they were using half the amount of carbon-based fuel as they otherwise would because they have designed such an efficient hybrid system? I would think that sort of technology would eventually make its way to street cars. If efficiency is going to be penalized, why bother spending the money to develop the technology? And ultimately, don’t they run the risk that manufacturers will say “why bother spending the money at all?”
IndyCarFan
MP: The tire pressure gauge gag was savage.
Efficiency isn’t being penalized. IMSA has come up with an equivalency construct for all aspects of the GTP formula: ICE power, ERS power, downforce, drag, weight, and more. Every GTP manufacturer opted into this formula willingly and with enthusiasm. They agreed to run under an equivalency formula for pit stop durations as well, but there’s no restriction on how long teams can stretch their stints and that, not pit lane stationary time, is where manufacturers are looking to demonstrate their efficiency.
Q: I’m emailing just after reading about the McLaren Path to the Pits program. Why do the race teams keep pushing these initiatives to find people from diverse backgrounds (or women) to work in racing? It’s frustrating when I email teams with no response, or I form a connection with an individual only for nothing to happen, and then I turn around and see these portals for the diverse initiatives which simply exacerbates my problem.
I’ve put in a considerable amount of work over the last several years just for a chance to break in. I wish more racing teams would have a dedicated “young person” portal rather than just for the diverse groups. To be clear, I have nothing against women or underrepresented people working in motorsport — in fact I encourage them to pursue motorsport, especially as someone who spent a considerable amount of time overseas. It is just frustrating that I run into wall after wall after wall and then a door is set up for other people. Good news is, I will be volunteering throughout May for IndyCar Ministry, so maybe an opportunity to work in engineering will open up from that.
My apologies for the little rant. I simply don’t know what to do because I have tried everything, even going as far as to buy a pit pass for the expressed purpose of forming connections (which worked but then the connections lost interest and I can’t figure out why).
Jack
MP: I would hope that in 2023, I don’t need to explain why creating inclusionary programs in motor racing is a good and long overdue thing. When IndyCar’s pit lane is 97 percent white and male, complaining about an initiative like the one aligned with Arrow McLaren to improve that three percent is everything I wouldn’t expect from someone affiliated in a ministerial capacity.
If we’ve learned one thing in recent years in IndyCar, it’s that every team is starving for talent. If you have racing experience, you’re almost guaranteed to get a job. And if you don’t, but you have the training or degrees in a field that they need and can be taught, you’ll also get a look from teams.
Making connections will get you nowhere if you lack job-specific talents that are needed. Might be worth focusing less on who you’ve met and more on finding out why nobody will hire you and improving your employment worth. The three percent are the problem? Come on, man.
Q: Looking at the 3/29 Mailbag, you mention not having heard anything about IndyCar trying to find a Northeast U.S. location. I have a suggestion: a spring or fall race at Pease Tradeport, the old SAC base in Portsmouth, NH. Sure, it would be an airport circuit, but we all miss the good racing at Cleveland. If a layout could be developed, it would make sense and not have the local noise and community disturbance issues that sunk Boston a few years back. Pease is located almost directly adjacent to I-95, has multiple access roads, abundant nearby lodging, food and culture options, and is well under an hour from Boston.
Compared to essentially rural locations like Loudon (I was there for the test day in 2010), Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, etc., it offers better proximity to large population centers and popular nearby vacation spots. With the Atlantic seacoast just a mile or two away for sponsor hospitality events, it seems like it might be a good fit for the series.
Fred in NH
MP: Sounds like someone needs to create a sim racing track layout for folks to give it a look. Thanks for the idea, Fred.
Q: It is rare to be able to see two different series with somewhat identical cars, running at the same track, a day apart. Sebring is one of those tracks. Makes for some great comparisons.
One thing I noticed is, Sebring is a tough track, no matter what you drive. It really can make you pay for mistakes, especially mistakes made by the other racers. I also noticed that the WEC does a far better, and quicker job, of returning to green after a yellow. It is the wave around and closing pit lane aspect that does takes so long to do in IMSA. Closing the pit lane for a few laps results in so much additional time to allow the for pit stops and the wave around and re-ordering of the classes. Not so bad during an endurance race, but it can take up so much time out of the IMSA sprint races.
I know that IMSA has five classes to get set up, which is more than the WEC, but it still takes a long time. I would be interested to know if anyone was able to time the yellow flags laps in the WEC race as compared to IMSA, and is there anything WEC does that IMSA can draw from?
Paul Sturmey, Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada
MP: You’ve highlighted the one aspect of IMSA’s endurance races that I loathe. The Code 60 slow zones are brilliant and would be a wonderful adaptation for IMSA to make. Not everything requires a pace car and running through a 20-minute pit cycling procedure. IMSA also has its “fast yellow” process, but even that could be used sparingly if a stalled car, debris, or other non-crash scenarios were managed with slow zones prior to and shortly after the problem area.