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Written by:
David Phillips
Senior writer, RACER Magazine http://www.racer.com/speedtv
Senior writer, RACER Magazine http://www.racer.com/speedtv
05/13/2008 - 01:00 PM
Indianapolis, Ind.
Transitioning teams like PCM's are finding the learning curve at Indy made steeper by parts demand exceeding supply. (LAT photo) ยป More Photos
“Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’. . . won’t get you into his arms,” as Dusty Springfield sang once upon a time. More recently, many associated with the IndyCar Series (past and present) have, in good faith, expressed the hope that folks in the media and elsewhere will drop the “Us & Them” lingo when discussing veteran Indy Racing League and former Champ Car, aka, transitional teams.
Would that it was just a matter of semantics.
There’s no disputing the fact Graham Rahal and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing won the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; or that most of the “transitional” teams were right on the pace in the streets of St. Pete, a quantum leap ahead of where they had been in the opening round of the 2008 IndyCar Series on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval. Likewise, several drivers who were little more than mobile chicanes at Homestead were in the hunt for top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway, with Justin Wilson coming home ninth, just one lap down to race winner Dan Wheldon. When you consider that Wilson finished seven laps off the pace at Homestead and that the best finishing “transitional” driver – Oriol Servia – was five laps down in 12th, there’s no disputing
More recently, though, the two day Rookie Orientation Program at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway produced a fastest lap of 222.267 mph by Will Power. Once the veterans were turned loose on Tuesday it took Tony Kanaan just a handful of laps to top 224 mph with Marco Andretti finishing the day at 226.599 mph. Power, the fastest “transitional” driver, managed 223.893 mph.
Last weekend’s lone day of qualifying confirmed that trend, with nary a single “transitional” driver/team qualifying among the fast 11 and only Wilson, Rahal, Power and Servia coming anywhere close. Bruno Junqueira spun, while teammate Mario Moraes posted the slowest qualifying attempt of the day at 219.957 mph. Enrique Bernoldi? Mario Dominguez? EJ Viso? Jaime Camara? They didn’t even venture out for a qualifying run, knowing there was no hope of posting a top 11 speed.
Certainly that was, in part, a function of the fact that the “transitional” teams and drivers are still gaining experience, not only with the Dallara-Honda package but with the singular challenges of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But to pretend that it is not also due, in part, to a lack of go-fast bits on the transitional teams cars is simply delusional.
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