Practice starts this weekend for this year’s 94th Indianapolis 500. Qualifying takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 22-23, with the race on May 30. But most of the talk in Indycar circles is about the future, as the IRL debates its new formula for 2012. In Tuesday’s Indianapolis Star, the IRL’s new CEO Randy Bernard declared the time has come to leave the IRL brand behind and find a new, more fan-friendly identity for Indycar racing. Mario Andretti says he hopes Bernard can achieve the many goals he’s set for himself.
“I’m excited with the prospects for Randy Bernard,” said Mario. “The jury is still out, but he’s beginning to show the elements of leadership that we’ve all been hoping for for so many years. He’s talking to a lot of people and I think he’s listening.
“Look at what he said recently about it’s time to bury the reference to the IRL. I talk to a lot of people and so many of them can’t bear to hear the IRL name. Unfortunately, the IRL entity just keeps all the old wounds open. There are probably millions of open-wheel fans who have migrated away from the series and don’t even turn the TV on anymore because they have such bad feelings about the IRL name.
“I called and left a message with Randy when I read what he said in The Star. It takes cojones to do that, to recognise the fact that the IRL name destroyed what was good about Indycar racing. I’m so happy that Randy is addressing this issue because it’s one of many things that need to be put to bed before we move on.
“Randy (above) has got a lot of good ideas and I’ll do everything I can to support the guy. I’ve said to him don’t try to reinvent the wheel. This is a series that had its glory days. A lot of us know what the formula was and we’ve got to get back to that formula. It was a series that everyone took notice of, including NASCAR and Formula 1. But right now it’s reduced to almost a club series. The drivers are barely making a living and nobody cares or knows who they are. There’s no appeal or dimension to it. We’ve got to get back to the level we had 10 and 15 years ago.
“But you can’t do that by copying NASCAR or Formula 1. We’ve got to redevelop the formula that worked for us. We’ve got to get back to venues like Laguna Seca, Elkhart Lake and Milwaukee. These are the traditional venues that are very appealing to the fans and sponsors.
“And they’ve got to get away from all this talk about Scott Dixon being the most successful Indycar driver in history. Why do they take themselves away from their tradition so that everything before the IRL doesn’t count? Where are Foyt, myself and the Unsers? By only quoting the IRL winners you’re giving up the essence of what the sport is all about.
“Indycar racing goes back to the beginning of the 20th century and no other racing organisation anywhere in the world can make that claim,” Mario concluded. “Scott Dixon is a fine driver, but let him fall in line with the rest of the great drivers. Let him go up against Ralph De Palma, Pete de Paolo, Jimmy Murphy, Bill Vukovich, Rodger Ward and all those great drivers who were part of creating the aura of what Indycar racing was all about.”
Right on Mario, IRL is a tainted identity and Champ Car has a core of dedicated fans who would not have a problem telling others that they are “Indycar” fans.
I am also sure that Scott, Dario and TK want there records to stand with Mario, Billy V. the Unser boys and others.
I want to encourage Randy to move ahead and I think he is on the right track.
yes, yes and yes again.
powerful cars, (relatively) basic chassis tech and great drivers. in the 90′s i enjoyed indycar as much as F1.
Dont dismiss the past!
They key is to not be afraid of breaking the mould. Good luck Randy.
Go Mario!
This is definitely the best thing IndyCar can do!
They should make a big deal of it throughout Indy to move forward. Even display the new logo the morning before the race starts. I’m sure there will be a huge ovation!
Next step- tackle the car performance problem. 900hp on road/street courses, restricted to 650hp on ovals. Another simple solution- turbo engine with common ECU that restricts boost on ovals. It’s also a green solution that encourages manufacturer interest.
Thankyou Mario-I think they should take it one step further back and call the series “CART”.Oh how we indy car fans miss the good old days.
Typical Mario – telling it like it is.
Get the cars and the tracks right and the drivers will follow. It used to be a great series and it can be again.
Mario speaks the truth!
Various chassis – with various engines of the same displacement. Minimum weight … otherwise OPEN formula! May the best man (woman) win, whether they be designer, constructor, crew chief or driver.
Thumbs up and toes as well for Mario. He is right on. The glory that was Indy can be regained!
I have read the comments on the deltawing concept car, and I know people reacted violently against it. However, this was based ENTIRELY on looks, like a bunch of 12 year olds looking at the latest Hot Rod magazine.
I admit this car is a little retro looking. Comparisons to Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America are not too far off. But remember that car went over 600 mph! Perhaps that only indicates advanced aerodynamic solutions end up at the same place.
The other cars are cooler looking, but aren’t really very innovative.
Regardless, if you assume that some minor stylistic changes and paint schemes will make it “look cool” (just connect the wing to the cockpit, and it will look like the latest F1 cars), we can forget the looks and focus on how really cool the engineering is.
The simple fact is that wings and open wheels create turbulence, whereas undercarriage downforce does not. Get rid of the wings and open tires (which are really anachronisms anyway), and you have cars the can race together, and pass frequently. Add with the torque vectoring you can pull the front wheels into the chassis, and still steer it effectively, so you get very interesting handling characteristics on road courses.
The lack of turbulence also reduces drag enormously, so a 300 hp engine gives you Indianapolis speeds. Imagine putting a 500 hp engine in the thing!
IRL needs to do something radical to recapture people’s imaginations. F1 is stuck in a morass of politically motivated rules changes, and have left the door open for the IRL to take the technological lead. Besides, it is all applicable to road cars: low drag, smart torque application, are more efficient.
After looking at this car for awhile now, F1 cars are starting to look old. All those stupid little winglets are kind of ugly and effeminate (if that’s possible). Even the main wings look like desperate attempts to make the car work. F1 reduced the undercarriage downforce by putting the plank under there. This led to all the weird wing development. Perhaps that was wrong: get rid of the wings, and let the downforce do the work. Much simpler, and cleaner.
I must say I find it odd that racing fans are so reactionary, and resistant to new technology. But I say drag them kicking and screaming into the twenty first century. Go with the delta wing!
Tony George set up the IRL to protect the Indy500 from the then agressive and threatening managment of CART. Were mistakes made,yes but he used Hulman George money and to his undying credit developed the Speedway way beyond what it was when he acquired control.The CART team owners were responsible even in the early 1990′s for the proliferation of non American drivers, the IRL particularly with unification inhereted the teams reliance on this position. Also over the last fifteen years NASCAR embarked on a well funded and agressive circuit construction and marketing campaign that started before the split, so do not blame Tony for things that were outside his control.Tony George spent an enormous amount of money trying to make it happen yet has had to endure unfair criticism for all his efforts.I salute him.The fact remains that NASCAR has become the dominant form of motorsport which only reinforces the need to have the draw power and recognition of the Indy500 to keep open wheel racing at the forfront.Tony George and the Hulman family are almost solely reponsible for this.
DDT “IRL needs to do something radical to recapture people’s imaginations.”
sorry but i disagree completely, Indycar HAD peoples imagination captured, chained up and nailed to a wall in the mid 90′s with nothing very radical at all. What they did have was a formula that got all the basics right, sexy cars, a varied calendar, international drivers and engines and close racing.
For all the talk of F1 being technology led you only have to look at its “golden years” in the 70′s when 90% of the grid had a DFV and a hewland box. NASCAR is prehistoric but draws huge crowds. Go to any racing forum and you’ll find a hundred threads on drivers, teams and racing, how many people queue up to discuss a new damper design?
Forget the fancy bits and high tech, just get the basics right because all we really want to see are sexy cars driven wheel to wheel by charismatic racers on great tracks.
Speaking as a fan of F1 and motor racing in general. I hope that Indycar can go back to how it was when the Indy 500 was a greater race. Some of the things mentioned here, such as returning to circuits, I’m hopeful they work, for two reasons
1) It’ll be good for the new Indycar series to be at great tracks such as those mentioned
2) Maybe it may rub of a bit on F1 (OK, but I hope that some of the great circuits that are no longer on the GP calendar can come back too)
The name change is only a start. But not anywhere near what’s fully needed to return the sport to where it belongs. It sorely needs innovation that will spark interest. If you don’t think innovation will bring attention then you should have been at qualification when the turbines ran at Indy. Both years were a packed house. There needs to be diversity, multiple chassis and engines. Engines that have too much horsepower, you can never have enough. Chassis that are attractive to look at and can be modified by the teams. Create a formula that exceeds the drivers’ capabilities and let’s see who really is the best on a variety of courses. Not just who has the best engineer. The way it is now, it looks like it did last year, and the year before that. And the year before that. And so on. And so on. No wonder people are turning away in droves. I don’t care what you call the series, the current formula is a major detriment.
And let’s quit worrying about protecting Indy. Its time to worry about protecting the sport. Once that’s done then Indy can return to its prominence. But not until then. A rising tide lifts all boats. Concentrate on the big picture, not just what is now two weeks in May.
Bravo Mario……we have a new “Comandetorre”…….this is the begining unfortunatly it will take a generation to heal all that has happened………but it is a start.
I fully agree with Mr Andretti. The Indy car racing should recognise its past history to be successful. Furthermore, please forget a field of “radical” Delta Wings and try to find a formula that can attract several chassis manufacturers. If someone would like to compete with a Delta Wing concept in such a formula it is okay with me but a “Delta Wing only” is 100% rubbish.
agree 100%! Mario has the right perspective. Paul Newman would say the same if he were still with us.
been thinking about this some more…..and what made indy really interesting when I was a kid was that because it was the greatest spectical in racing they got that because.
a. the money……biggest pay day…in the day.
b. the names…..were from all the series
c. the formula…..was always unpredicatable…turbines, roadsters….coopers?
Put enough money up to attract the great ones from all the series drivers and manufacturers, select a formula and format with some do-able sex appeal,,,like F5000 was…..every manufacturer has a small block V8 ……open it up. diesels, hybrids wfc…and let em run. With Mario as honorary Chief Steward.
I loved CART Championship Auto Racing Teams, and I had this jacket that had those initials on it,Huge! And people would ask what is CART and I would say! You ever watch the Indy 500 or heard of it! They would say yes! And I would reply, cars that race there! or at least they did! The Indy 500 is what people know! But we need to go back to cars hitting almost 250mph and no pit lane limits, or at least speed it up a little more! Make it our country against yours! Make it unpredictable, and give the teams a choice on chassis, and motors! Yes it used to cost more, but CART used to pack out Fontana, and everywhere they went! And the prize was 1 million,and a million to a fan back in 1998-2001.Thats it for now I’m tired!
Bravo Mario- whom i had the distinct pleasure of meeting once [many years ago] and have been so impressed with this guy as a racer and as a commentator of life etc-
i was very fortunate to see the Indy 500 in 1995 the last great year and having been a fan since the great Jimmy won in 1965 and for so many years it produced the best racing and best racers – the awesome turbos were mind blowing fast and so wonderfully American – lots of grunt not so worried about the subtilety but really fair – and i converted from my fisrt love F1 to CART ]via a divorce or two] – but for whatever reasons and in truth i didn’t care and don’t care – this was taken away from us all motor racing fans worldwide and replaced with what…
please bring it on Mario + M Bernard and pref on terrestial TV – it brought us so many great drivers, circuits and racing – which after the last F1 race is something we need to see please
Great comments.
The answer as stated is the cars must be diverse and faster than the drivers or the course. More options on tires, parts, etc will give less predictability. Less rules equal more inovation.
DID I SAY LESS RULES!!! OPEN THINGS UP !!
I want to go to the races again. I want to turn on the TV.
Please help me do this.
I hope Indycar gets back to what it was. Upto about the time Montoya left, peaking between say 89 and 95, Indycar was way ahead of F1 in terms of entertainment. Those big cars with small wings and huge power meant big entertainment, be it on a street circuit or a huge oval. They had big name drivers too, Mario himself, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy, Al Unser Jr, Jacques Villeneuve, Bobby Rahal etc. The way I look at it Indycars should be quicker (in terms of top speed) and more powerful than F1 cars, if not so technologically advanced. I don’t think it should be a one make series.
I think if Indycar is to be succesful (I might be wirng here) it needs American involvement, its no use having Brazilians and European drivers dominating in Italian chassis powered by japanese engines. They need to get Ford and Chevrolet involved with engines and Riley or Penske with chassis maybe. But most importantly of all they need a big sponsor to pay the big wages of the big drivers the fans want to see, starting with Tony Stewart, JP Montoya, Paul Tracy & Sam Hornish
Per Jon’s comment above, the reason non-US drivers became dominant in CART is due to the fact that the US does not have a proper training process. Even the best new US drivers often go to England to be properly schooled before coming back.
We do not have a proper feeder system. The SCCA club racing is for the ‘gentleman racer’ more for the hobbyist and business executive than a training ground for professional drivers.
If we want more home grown drivers, we need to develop a career path for these youg prospects.
With me, a funny thing happened on the way to the 2010 season… With Tony George no longer “anywhere” in terms of IMS, The 500 and IndyCar, I’ve noticed a slight up-tick in my interest – which had been lost for 15 years now.
Now, that Delta-Wing “thing”… NO!
methinks Richard is right and the lack of single-seater American drivers seems a real travesty- i think of all the great drivers [Dan, Phil, Richie] then the 70′s and 80′s F1 drivers [Mario etc] then….Scott Speed? travesty –
Until the Americans actually go back to basics, very very powerful cars [at ;east 1000 bhp- limited aero packages, lots of spills and thrills and most importantly money - then its gonna struggle-
i was so fortunate to see the great times and feel F1 really needs some direct competition from you Yanks [as a travelled Brit i adored CART etc] with a real balls-out racing series that doesn’t have a lid – these current cars may be very fast in astraight line but well- didn’t JPM say soemthing like they are like F3000 cars? but quicker? but boring?
again one of my huge bug bears, one make series – really think its overdone and Indy cars are basically a one-make series- sorry guys you proved it can be done in IMSA so do it again in Indycars –
and as a footnote – P L E A S E – we miss ya
My fingers are crossed – there appears to be a real will to make this happen and most fans are totally behind Randy, Mario and everyone else who remembers Indycar racing at its peak. Let’s have real circuits, technical variety, and cars that will attract all of us who are totally bored by the banality of one-make racing series, something that will also attract top teams and drivers. There was a time when the US Indycar series was giving Formula One ( or is it Formula Bernie?) a real fright and, personally, I’d love to see it happen again.