A collection of technical images from the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana race weekend. All photos courtesy of INDYCAR PR photographers, unless otherwise watermarked.
Month: April 2015
IndyCar Mandates Structural Upgrades to Manufacturer’s Bodywork Components
IndyCar announced on Thursday that it has “mandated structural upgrades to strengthen designated Honda and Chevrolet bodywork components” ahead of this weekend’s race at NOLA Motorsports Park, according to a press release.
 |
| Photo: Chris Owens |
The modifications include the addition of components that will improve the overall strength of the bodywork for both manufacturer entries, Chevrolet and Honda. The components have been redesigned by each manufacturer and approved by IndyCar for implementation.
“We applaud both Honda and Chevrolet for their efforts to implement these changes,” said Derrick Walker, IndyCar President of Competition and Operations. “With a quick turnaround from St. Petersburg, our partners were very diligent in making these enhancements in time for this weekend’s event,” he said.
“We will continue this collaboration and expect additional improvements in the future.”
The upgrades introduced to the aero kits “were implemented to minimize the amount of damage to bodywork components in the event of car-to-car contact.”
“IndyCar delivers a quality racing product and we will always be proactive to implement changes that benefit our fans,” Walker added.
“These upgrades are a good first step that will make immediate improvements to the race this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park.”
Tech Focus: Rear Exhaust of Chevy’s Aero Kit
We finally got our first look at aero kits on track and racing during the Grand Prix of St. Pete last Sunday.
 |
| A look at the rear of Charlie Kimball’s Chevy aero kit during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. — Photo: John Cote |
Chevy power dominated the day and locked out the first two rows of the grid during qualifying.
In the image above we get a look at the rear exhaust system of the No. 83. You can see the bumper pods and the exhaust pipe (center of frame, near ground). The rear suspension is also visible connecting to the center of the bodywork. On the left side of the rear wing you can see the Chevy-specific grilled endplates.
Indy 500 pace car stolen, crashed through dealership window
In the report: A man stole an Indy 500 pace car from a dealership in Indiana and crashed it down the stairs and through a glass window.
IndyCar: Man steals Indy 500 pace car, drives through dealership window (Fox Sports)
“The car is currently undriveable, and it remains to be seen if it can be repaired.”
IndyCar: Bourdais, Dixon get new colors for NOLA (Racer)
“This weekend, Sebastien Bourdais will race the Mistic E-Cigs car with a new livery in the Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park from April 10-12.”
IndyCar: NOLA kicks off crazy stretch of 10 weeks in a row for IndyCar (Motorsports Talk)
“Starting this weekend, the series will be on-track every weekend between now and June 15, with plenty of more weekday track time in-between.”
IndyCar: NOLA president executes the details with surety (IndyCar)
“Events of any kind are very chaotic by nature. We have no expectations that everything will go off perfectly, but you don’t learn if you don’t make mistakes.”
Formula One: Alonso doesn’t regret leaving Ferrari despite win (Grand Prix Times)
“Fernando Alonso says he’s yet to regret leaving Ferrari for McLaren, despite Sebastian Vettel’s win for the Italian outfit last time out in Malaysia.”
Race Notes: Grand Prix of Louisiana
2015 Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana Race Notes
 |
| Photo: Chris Owens |
IndyCar heads to NOLA Motorsports Park this week for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. Juan Pablo Montoya has the early points lead over Will Power and the rest of the Penske crew who currently hold four of the top five positions in the points standings.
Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 5:15 p.m. EDT and the green flag waves on Sunday at 3:37 p.m. EDT.
At St. Pete Penske proved that they are the team to beat this year. They led sessions throughout the weekend and nearly swept the top four places during the race. Tony Kanaan of Chip Ganassi Racing broke up the Penske team with a third place finish.
Being that the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana is a new event this year, the only time drivers have run on this course is during pre-season testing at the track which took place in March. At the test, Scott Dixon posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:18.140 lap. Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya were just .05 and .250 seconds behind him, respectively. The latter will be looking to claim his second win of the season on Sunday.
Then, unlike what we saw at St. Petersburg, we had a Honda finish in fourth position. Graham Rahal posted a 1:18.353 in his Honda powered and aero kit equipped machine and slotted himself into the top five. Chevrolet seem to have the early advantage over Honda, but it is still early. With rain expected for qualifying and the race, things could get quite shaken up this weekend. Don’t be surprised if a wet race causes Honda and Chevy to run closer together this weekend.
Other than that, there’s not much to discuss with a new race on the calendar.
Weather Forecast There are chances of rain and thunderstorms all throughout the weekend and the temperature warms up for qualifying and the race. For more information about the forecasting process, you can view our interview with Doug Schneider of RaceCast Weather here.
Off The Track
Sunday’s race at NOLA Motorsports Park is the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. It’s a blank canvass for drivers to make their mark on the track in the Verizon IndyCar series. Who do you think will win in New Orleans? Can Montoya win his second race this year? Let us know in the comments below and vote in our pole here.
The Single Seater 