The unofficial start to the motorsports season, The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, took place over the weekend, and for the second year in a row I was greatly entertained by the event. I look forward to this race not only because it brings racing back after a too-long absence, but also because it has a bit of an all-star feel to it. Drivers from many different motorsports series, view the Rolex 24 as a prestigious endurance challenge, so you'll find drivers from IndyCar, NASCAR, sports cars, Formula One, and others participating. This year, fans were treated to an entertaining race with a little bit of drama and controversy at the end. And there were plenty of IndyCar drivers to watch.
I counted ten active full-time IndyCar drivers who participated: Mikhail Aleshin, Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Graham Rahal, and Justin Wilson. Bourdais was on the overall winning team, and RHR found himself atop a podium with a third-place finish in the GT LeMans class. In addition to these regulars, there were also 12 other drivers who were behind the wheel of an IndyCar or an Indy Lights car at least once last year: AJ Allmendinger, Townsend Bell, Gabby Chaves, Conor Daly, Sage Karam, Katherine Legge, Lucas Luhr, Tristan Nunez, Sebastian Saavedra, Alex Tagliani, Tristan Vautier, and EJ Viso. There seemed to be a lot more IndyCar drivers participating this year, and I imagine we will see even more in the future. This marks the fourth year in a row that an IndyCar driver has been on the overall winning team. Last year, after winning the Rolex, Charlie Kimball had his best season yet. Will Bourdais follow suit? Given his history and mad driving skills, you have to like his chances in 2014.
For those who have never watched the Rolex 24 or any sports car race, it can be confusing and overwhelming. With four different classes and at least three drivers for each car (necessary for a 24-hour race), trying to follow everything is a daunting task. But if you like technology and performance cars like Porsche, Ferrari, and Corvette, this is the place to see some of the best. I'm not here to discuss all of that, because much of it is over my head, but it was nice to see Corvettes sweep the top four spots.
This year's Rolex 24 will be remembered for two things, both of which IndyCar fans are all too familiar with: a scary crash between Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli, and a controversial call from race control at the end of the race. First, the crash, which should serve as an important reminder of how dangerous racing is, and how we should keep pursuing safety innovation. After seeing the crash live, I have to say it is truly miraculous that Gidley survived. Granted, he has a broken back and had surgery on both his left arm and left leg, but he is fortunate to be alive. It's difficult to assign blame for the crash, so I won't presume to do so. I know Gidley was not happy when he saw the replay, though. He has a long recovery ahead of him, so I hope he thinks positively rather than dwell on those angry demons. Perhaps a call or visit from Alex Zanardi, whose courage I greatly admire, might help?
Second, the call at the end of the race. Initially, race control called a 70-second penalty on Alessandro Pier Guidi's (teammate of Townsend Bell) car for "avoidable contact" with Markus Winklehock. The call temporarily handed Winklehock's team the win, and Twitter blew up. Literally. Read Bell's feed from yesterday and you'll see what I mean. Fans were outraged because there was no actual "contact" to be avoided. Bell proceeded to forward these tweets to IMSA, who actually seemed to listen. Race control officials reviewed the decision and eventually overturned it.
It's interesting to note that the racing between Alessandro and Markus was 1) incredibly exciting and 2) the result of a late, unnecessary full course yellow. Driver Leh Keen spun and landed in the tires with less than twenty minutes to go, but he was able to recover quickly and get back on course. Nonetheless, officials threw a caution flag, which set the stage for a close finish. Some might call this manufactured drama, and they'd probably be right. One has to wonder if this is the future of racing: late caution flags to create dramatic racing and close finishes. We've already seen it happen in NASCAR. Is this what fans want? Is it necessary to keep people interested in auto racing? All good food for thought, and things to keep an eye on this year in all motorsports series.
All in all, I would highly recommend all IndyCar fans check out the Rolex 24 next year. You can catch an early glimpse of your favorite drivers, experience real racing in January, and maybe, just maybe, get a side of controversy with your main course.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Book Review: Rapid Response
I have just finished reading Rapid Response: My Inside Story as a Motor Racing Life-Saver by Dr. Stephen Olvey and I think this book will help others fulfill the long wait until the new season starts up again.
Dr. Olvey has been an integral part of IndyCar safety and rescue teams since the 1960s. As he acknowledges in the book, he helped research and design many of the life-saving equipment now featured on all race cars, not just IndyCars. He has a clear passion for motorsports, especially open wheel racing. He was one of the doctors who saved Alex Zanardi's life, and Alex provides a heartfelt forward in the book describing his gratitude. He was also the doctor who broke the difficult news to Dario Franchitti that he should not race again.
The book is full of stories from IndyCar's "glory days" when they were known as CART, and if you've been a fan of IndyCar racing for a long time, you'll love these trips down memory lane. Even if you haven't been a fan for years, I think you'll appreciate the historical context and insight into such colorful characters as Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi. The stories are truly fascinating, and the book is a page-turner and a quick read. At times the book lacks continuity of thought, but it mostly moves in a chronological order by chapter.
However, this book is not for those with weak stomachs. Dr. Olvey goes into great detail on some occasions describing his rescue efforts and why some fatalities occurred. I can deal with descriptions as long as there are no pictures of such graphic information, which there are not. (There are pictures, but not of anything gruesome.) He goes into more detail than I have heard or seen explained anywhere. While some might say we don't need to know these details, I think it helps us understand what happens when we see a massive wreck, whether it's on the highway or on the race track. One of the most compelling descriptions comes from Dr. Olvey's account of Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona. His initial reaction mirrored mine as I watched it, but without being too technical (as doctors often are), he explains why the crash was so fatal. That crash was a wake-up call for many in motorsports, particularly NASCAR, who, if you are to believe Dr. Olvey, neglected or ignored safety for a long time. I think, through Dr. Olvey's graphic descriptions, we learn how fragile our bodies really are, and that we should not assume we are ever safe in a moving vehicle.
I especially appreciated Dr. Olvey's account of "The Split," because I was not privy to the rationale for or the implementation of it. I watched IndyCar racing as much as I could in the 90's but I was in college at the time, then after graduation I did not have cable TV, and then I worked in retail so I wasn't able to view the races on the weekends. I remember tuning in to the Indy 500 one year and being very confused. I think the announcers were trying to explain the 25/8 rule, which I didn't and really still don't fully understand. I realized I knew very few of the drivers, and that turned me away for a few years. But once I was finally able to watch the races regularly my enthusiasm was reignited. Through Dr. Olvey's summary of those years I understand why many fans left and still have not returned. But slowly I think they are now, just like me.
Unfortunately Dr. Olvey's book ends in 2010, before the loss of our beloved Dan Wheldon. I would have loved reading his perspective of it, especially after he applauds IndyCar racing for improving safety and reducing the number of serious injuries. But as he reminds us in this book, the quest for safety innovation must carry on and he and others will continue to carry the torch for it. All in all, I recommend Dr. Olvey's book for anyone interested in auto racing of any kind. It will give you a renewed appreciation for the individuals behind the scenes, the ones who rarely make the post-race interviews, but who serve such an important role in making sure the drivers will be there at the end to complete them.
Dr. Olvey has been an integral part of IndyCar safety and rescue teams since the 1960s. As he acknowledges in the book, he helped research and design many of the life-saving equipment now featured on all race cars, not just IndyCars. He has a clear passion for motorsports, especially open wheel racing. He was one of the doctors who saved Alex Zanardi's life, and Alex provides a heartfelt forward in the book describing his gratitude. He was also the doctor who broke the difficult news to Dario Franchitti that he should not race again.
The book is full of stories from IndyCar's "glory days" when they were known as CART, and if you've been a fan of IndyCar racing for a long time, you'll love these trips down memory lane. Even if you haven't been a fan for years, I think you'll appreciate the historical context and insight into such colorful characters as Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi. The stories are truly fascinating, and the book is a page-turner and a quick read. At times the book lacks continuity of thought, but it mostly moves in a chronological order by chapter.
However, this book is not for those with weak stomachs. Dr. Olvey goes into great detail on some occasions describing his rescue efforts and why some fatalities occurred. I can deal with descriptions as long as there are no pictures of such graphic information, which there are not. (There are pictures, but not of anything gruesome.) He goes into more detail than I have heard or seen explained anywhere. While some might say we don't need to know these details, I think it helps us understand what happens when we see a massive wreck, whether it's on the highway or on the race track. One of the most compelling descriptions comes from Dr. Olvey's account of Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona. His initial reaction mirrored mine as I watched it, but without being too technical (as doctors often are), he explains why the crash was so fatal. That crash was a wake-up call for many in motorsports, particularly NASCAR, who, if you are to believe Dr. Olvey, neglected or ignored safety for a long time. I think, through Dr. Olvey's graphic descriptions, we learn how fragile our bodies really are, and that we should not assume we are ever safe in a moving vehicle.
I especially appreciated Dr. Olvey's account of "The Split," because I was not privy to the rationale for or the implementation of it. I watched IndyCar racing as much as I could in the 90's but I was in college at the time, then after graduation I did not have cable TV, and then I worked in retail so I wasn't able to view the races on the weekends. I remember tuning in to the Indy 500 one year and being very confused. I think the announcers were trying to explain the 25/8 rule, which I didn't and really still don't fully understand. I realized I knew very few of the drivers, and that turned me away for a few years. But once I was finally able to watch the races regularly my enthusiasm was reignited. Through Dr. Olvey's summary of those years I understand why many fans left and still have not returned. But slowly I think they are now, just like me.
Unfortunately Dr. Olvey's book ends in 2010, before the loss of our beloved Dan Wheldon. I would have loved reading his perspective of it, especially after he applauds IndyCar racing for improving safety and reducing the number of serious injuries. But as he reminds us in this book, the quest for safety innovation must carry on and he and others will continue to carry the torch for it. All in all, I recommend Dr. Olvey's book for anyone interested in auto racing of any kind. It will give you a renewed appreciation for the individuals behind the scenes, the ones who rarely make the post-race interviews, but who serve such an important role in making sure the drivers will be there at the end to complete them.
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