Q: OK, how does Rahal Letterman Lanigan (which I was pleasantly surprised and happy for in the heat races) badly miscalculate putting fuel for a 10-lap race?
Russell
MP: They made a mistake. An embarrassing one. But it happens. All teams were instructed to fill their cars before the 10-lap opener, and they didn’t with Pietro Fittipaldi’s car, but did with the other two. I’ve run an IndyCar out of fuel before; thought I had my calculations right, went one more lap than I should, and we lost out on a decent finish. Wasn’t intentional, but since we’re talking about people operating the cars, there’s always a chance someone gets something wrong.
Q: Watching this manipulated “race” where drivers not racing to save tires between 10 minutes’ break is dreadful. No racing, just an advertisement for expensive homes in Thermal, much like timeshare infomercial. I don’t know what Penske and IndyCar are thinking. Not a points race, lag back and don’t use tires (but refuel). A couple of interesting rookies but can’t see them do much. Formula 1 in Melbourne earlier that day was exciting with a Ferrari one-two. IndyCar is lost, and other points races at better venues would be advised. The announcers are terrible, also with little intelligent inputs. A new low for IndyCar.
Only thing noteworthy was Grosjean wrecked out (typical) but was hit by Dixon or someone from behind (normally a Grosjean stupid mistake). His tantrum at track workers made me chuckle — he has no class.
Craig B, Leland, NC
MP: Of the many things I’ve learned in racing, one of them is to avoid messing with safety workers, many of whom work as firemen and firewomen and EMTs and police officers or correctional officers during the week, and who can snap you in half. Romain came to that realization rather quickly and stopped trying to tussle with the wrong one.
Q: It’s currently halftime in the Thermal Challenge. I’m actually really enjoying this Supercross/sprint car format! Makes everything higher stakes and you see some guys going on wild strategies or taking low percentage moves at the start.
I really think IndyCar should embrace this format more for certain street course or an odd road course race. There’s a ton of potential in this format and it kept the drama riding at a high. If I made any tweaks, it would be introducing a LCQ race for guys that didn’t qualify (top four for a 16-driver grid) and getting rid of the ridiculous half-time break.
Otherwise, I’m a huge fan of this new format. It caters to younger people like me who have a shorter attention span!
Alex R, Michigan
MP: Great to hear. Just think of the Indy 500 as 20 10-lap heats without halftimes.
Q: Biggest reason I say no to racing at Thermal again is that the racing was just boring, not to mention gimmicky. I was also taken aback by the groveling about the place by Diffey, Bell and Hinchcliffe. I don’t know if they were angling for a free membership, or offering some kind of quid pro quo for something, but they were shameful. I’m usually Diffey’s biggest fan… not today.
I live in a town where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Ferrari, Lambo, or Porsche. It’s not that big a deal. With their backgrounds, I assumed they felt the same.
John, Boca Raton, FL
MP: Stop swinging dead cats, John. We’ve asked nicely. Twice.
Q: My question is, what won’t IndyCar do for money? Thermal Club featured racing before few fans in a bunch of rich guys’ backyards on a featureless, Mickey Mouse track in a silly stop-and-start format.
It was pointless (literally) and boring and the NBC commentary team felt the need to remind us about “the cash,” “the money” and “the bucks” every 30 seconds.
I found the whole event a new low, and without any class whatsoever.
Anthony Jenkins, Ontario, Canada
MP: I wonder how much it would cost to name Paul Tracy as the winner of the 2002 Indy 500?
Q: Well, the Thermal races were interesting but rather boring. Palou still shows he is the class of the field at least on road courses, but I don’t know what else it showed. Too many variables with the way rules were written. What did the drivers think of this diversion? Did they think this format should continue? It seems to me that this gap in schedule would best be served by a regular race with points. Thermal is best suited as a pre-season warm-up like it was before. I would be surprised if ratings were mediocre at best.
Dave
MP: The drivers mostly said the kind things they should say because they care about the series and want it to do well. Rosenqvist was the most enthusiastic among those I spoke with. None of them want to go through the time and effort to race for a small purse that comes with no points. Make it a championship event, or get the purse way the hell up, and you have drivers who feel their time isn’t being wasted.
Q: The past few days I’ve been seeing an infomercial about a race destination east of Los Angeles called Thermal Club. It was surprising to see all of the regular IndyCar drivers, teams and even the NBC broadcast staff on hand to sell the concept to unsuspecting race fans who thought they were tuning in to see an actual race.
My only question is, how much was IndyCar paid to produce this farce?
For those unfamiliar with Southern California geography, there is no need to spend millions of dollars to drive on a racetrack covered in blowing sand, suffering from blazing hot temperatures and winds so strong that they affect a cars handling… Willow Springs has been doing the same thing for years for a lot less money.
Tom Patrick, Baja California
MP: Yours is my favorite email of the week, Tom. I spent the weekend in Thermal thinking about Willow Springs and how the only thing we were missing were the tumbleweeds blowing across the track, and the giant floor-puncturing rocks that line the circuit.
Q: How can any team justify racing at Thermal Club, unless they address it as a three-day test session for road courses? The $23k paid to all but the top five teams does not even cover the travel, lodging and meals for the race teams. Add to that the transport of the racing rig and car, and any consumables for the weekend.
Ronald Kintz
MP: The teams who sign the 22 Leaders Circle contracts are obligated to show up to every race in order to get that guaranteed money, and if those 22 are going, you may as well bring the other five.
Q: I’m all for trying out new ideas, especially in an era when IndyCar and specifically Roger Penske seem doggedly determined to keep things the same for eternity. But now that we tried this Thermal Club experiment, let’s never, ever do that again. From the event being a private showing for R.P. and his richest friends, to the lackluster racing, to the PR disaster that was the grand prize being half of what was advertised, nothing about this event should ever be repeated.
Please, do whatever it takes to not have a six-week gap, and fill it with a real race at a real track where fans can come and enjoy. I am so sick of IndyCar looking like a cute side note in the motorsports landscape destined to be irrelevant. It deserves better. We all deserve better.
Michael, Halifax, Canada
MP: The optics for a down-to-earth series like IndyCar weren’t a big hit for the 99%.