Hefty Penalty

Oriol Servia enters this weekend's qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park with a heavy penalty due to engine troubles.  Read here for more.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Initial Impressions

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  As another IndyCar season commences, I can’t help but be reminded of a little organization some of you may remember known as Championship Auto Racing Teams, aka CART.  Remember the turbocharged engines -- oh, the sweet, sweet turbochargers?  Check!  Remember the competition between engine manufacturers?  Check!  While a lot of internet forums out there criticize CART/Champ Car fans for “holding onto a dead sport,” I just say to them, “what goes around, comes around.” 

Following the season opener at St. Petersburg, it’s obvious that the series is already experiencing some growing pains.  And none are so glaring as those seen by the teams which are still coping with an underperforming engine package (Hint: any team which now has Lotus in its title).  Click here for additional comments on engine supply and development.

Following this past weekend’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the storyline seems to be more about the new chassis/engine package than about who was actually leading the field (and rightfully so).  And accompanying these changes this season are some wins and losses:

·         Win:  the new engines sound great!  The high-pitched whines have been replaced by a thundering presence which will make even the casual fan sit up and take note.  Now if only the reliability were there as well.

·         Loss:  while change can be a positive thing, the new chassis design is still taking criticism from many.  Though safety and handling issues are being addressed bit by bit, some may say that (at the rear anyway) the chassis no longer resembles an open-wheel racecar.

·         Win:  safety issues are being addressed.  Following the loss of Dan Wheldon, safety is again brought to the forefront in a sport where the drivers risk their lives every time they take to the track.

·         Win:  the new camera angles introduced will provide audiences with a keen new perspective of what it is like to ride onboard one of these technical Trojans.  Now, if only they were utilized more during the broadcast, programming would be greatly enhanced.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad start to the season (provided you weren’t cheering for a Lotus driver – which pretty much excludes anyone reading this blog), and Helio’s tribute to Dan Wheldon upon his win was very touching.

We are treated to Round 2 this weekend from scenic Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama as the DW 12s take to the 16-turn, 2.38 mile road course.

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer

Working Out the Kinks

Following the first practice sessions of the 2012 IndyCar season on Friday, one can't help but notice the glaring gap which again exists in the race of engine manufacturers, in particular that of Lotus versus Chevy and Honda. 

They say that nice guys finish last (not that Will Power isn't one of the nicest guys in the paddock), and that seems to be glaringly apparent already this weekend when looking at Team Lotus drivers Oriol Servia, Alex Tagliani, Simona de Silvestro, Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge who, up to this point in the weekend anyway, have demonstrated that they are severely handicapped from the rest of the field due to Lotus's late-stage development.

What does that mean for Servia who finished fourth in last year's championship standings?  It means that for the time being, until Lotus can catch up in development, he's going to have to use his proven ability to race smart, avoid on-track incidents, and bring the Lotus-DRR machine home in one piece to bank points slowly but surely. 

Stay tuned this weekend as the new DW12 Dallara IndyCars take to the track at St. Petersburg for Round 1 in what will most certainly be an interesting season!

Posted by Shelly Paul, Servia Squad Feature Writer