| COMPARISON! |
| April 2008 |
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Apr 1 - IndyCar driver Danica Patrick first appeared in FHM magazine in 2003, showing off in some skimpy outfits
and swimsuits. After garnering a ton of fame over the last three years in IndyCar, she made an appearance in
Sports Illustrated's legendary Swimsuit Issue a few months ago. Only one thing could top that and she's going for
it! Danica will be appearing NUDE in Playboy magazine next month!!!
and swimsuits. After garnering a ton of fame over the last three years in IndyCar, she made an appearance in
Sports Illustrated's legendary Swimsuit Issue a few months ago. Only one thing could top that and she's going for
it! Danica will be appearing NUDE in Playboy magazine next month!!!
Apr 1 - ESPN2 earned its highest rating ever for an IndyCar Series race for coverage of Saturday
night’s season-opening event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The show averaged a 0.8 rating and 815,070 household impressions.
The rating was up from 0.7 last year, previously ESPN2's highest rating for an IndyCar Series event.
Also today, The IndyCar Series announced a major multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola North
America that will make Coca-Cola, one of the world's most recognized brands, an official sponsor of
the IndyCar Series through 2010.
night’s season-opening event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The show averaged a 0.8 rating and 815,070 household impressions.
The rating was up from 0.7 last year, previously ESPN2's highest rating for an IndyCar Series event.
Also today, The IndyCar Series announced a major multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola North
America that will make Coca-Cola, one of the world's most recognized brands, an official sponsor of
the IndyCar Series through 2010.
| April Fool! |
Apr 1 - Max Mosley, the FIA president, is embarrassed, as well as bare assed, in the new video
that surfaced showing him with some S&M prostitutes. Evidently Mosley likes to be tied up and
whipped. I thought he was Ecclestone's whipping boy, but Bernie is not in the video. Anyway the
media is claiming Mosley has Nazi sexual fantasies and that is making some people call for his
resignation. Bernie said it shouldn't affect his job, what goes on behind closed doors, etc....
P.S. This is not an April Fools joke.
that surfaced showing him with some S&M prostitutes. Evidently Mosley likes to be tied up and
whipped. I thought he was Ecclestone's whipping boy, but Bernie is not in the video. Anyway the
media is claiming Mosley has Nazi sexual fantasies and that is making some people call for his
resignation. Bernie said it shouldn't affect his job, what goes on behind closed doors, etc....
P.S. This is not an April Fools joke.
Apr 6 - The ex-Champ Car drivers showed what they got today in St Petersburg where six finished
in the top 10 and Graham Rahal won the rain-shortened race in his IRL debut for Newman Haas
Lanigan! Andretti-Green and Penske were the top finishers for the IRL veterans.
None of the new guys that came over from Champ Car finished in the top ten at the first race at
Homestead, which is an oval. But if they can do this on the street circuit, it won't be long I bet
before they are competing hard on the ovals too.
in the top 10 and Graham Rahal won the rain-shortened race in his IRL debut for Newman Haas
Lanigan! Andretti-Green and Penske were the top finishers for the IRL veterans.
None of the new guys that came over from Champ Car finished in the top ten at the first race at
Homestead, which is an oval. But if they can do this on the street circuit, it won't be long I bet
before they are competing hard on the ovals too.
QUALIFICATION PROCESS ENHANCED FOR ROAD AND STREET COURSES
Three-stage elimination process will determine starting order
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - The IndyCar Series will enhance its popular Firestone
Fast Six qualifying format for road and street courses beginning with the series' visit to St.
Petersburg, Fla. April 4-6. Single-car qualifying, which previously preceded the Firestone Fast Six
shootout, will be eliminated on road and street courses in favor of group sessions that will
progressively narrow the field to the fastest six, who will then enter a 10-minute shootout for the
pole.
Preparations for qualifying at road and street courses will begin with two Friday practice sessions in
which all cars will participate together for a total of 2 ½ hours. On Saturday morning, the cars will be
randomly divided into two groups for a final practice session. Each group will get 30 minutes of
practice time.
Qualifying begins Saturday afternoon with the two groups competing for 20 minutes each. The
fastest six cars from each group will advance to another round of qualifying while positions 13 down
will be established for the race by the fastest laps turned by the remaining cars.
The 12 advancing cars will then enter a 15-minute group qualifying session with all previous times
erased. Following that session, the fastest six cars will advance to the Firestone Fast Six shootout
while the remaining six cars will fill positions seven through 12 on the starting grid based on their
fastest laps from that session.
Once again, all times will be erased and the six finalists will battle for 10 minutes to win the PEAK
Motor Oil Pole.
"Qualifying for our road and street courses has been full of drama ever since we introduced the
Firestone Fast Six concept in 2005," said Brian Barnhart. "Expanding the group format into several
stages will add additional levels of intrigue and strategy that will keep fans entertained throughout."
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg also will mark the first time two off-season enhancements
are used on a road/street course. IndyCar Series cars are now equipped with a paddle shift system
and an optional variable-assist steering rack. Both improve driver safety. The paddle shift
system allows drivers to keep both hands on the wheel while shifting, and the steering rack makes
it easier to turn the wheel the farther it is turned.
Three-stage elimination process will determine starting order
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - The IndyCar Series will enhance its popular Firestone
Fast Six qualifying format for road and street courses beginning with the series' visit to St.
Petersburg, Fla. April 4-6. Single-car qualifying, which previously preceded the Firestone Fast Six
shootout, will be eliminated on road and street courses in favor of group sessions that will
progressively narrow the field to the fastest six, who will then enter a 10-minute shootout for the
pole.
Preparations for qualifying at road and street courses will begin with two Friday practice sessions in
which all cars will participate together for a total of 2 ½ hours. On Saturday morning, the cars will be
randomly divided into two groups for a final practice session. Each group will get 30 minutes of
practice time.
Qualifying begins Saturday afternoon with the two groups competing for 20 minutes each. The
fastest six cars from each group will advance to another round of qualifying while positions 13 down
will be established for the race by the fastest laps turned by the remaining cars.
The 12 advancing cars will then enter a 15-minute group qualifying session with all previous times
erased. Following that session, the fastest six cars will advance to the Firestone Fast Six shootout
while the remaining six cars will fill positions seven through 12 on the starting grid based on their
fastest laps from that session.
Once again, all times will be erased and the six finalists will battle for 10 minutes to win the PEAK
Motor Oil Pole.
"Qualifying for our road and street courses has been full of drama ever since we introduced the
Firestone Fast Six concept in 2005," said Brian Barnhart. "Expanding the group format into several
stages will add additional levels of intrigue and strategy that will keep fans entertained throughout."
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg also will mark the first time two off-season enhancements
are used on a road/street course. IndyCar Series cars are now equipped with a paddle shift system
and an optional variable-assist steering rack. Both improve driver safety. The paddle shift
system allows drivers to keep both hands on the wheel while shifting, and the steering rack makes
it easier to turn the wheel the farther it is turned.
Apr 13 - The maiden victory for Jorge Lorenzo has been expected since the preseason testing. The
rookie for the Fiat Yamaha Team in the MotoGP series has been hot since he first jumped from the
250cc bikes to the powerful 800cc ones. His learning curve was impressive and in the first three rounds
on the 2008 calendar, he has snatched the pole from the MotoGP veteran riders. Today, on the Estoril
circuit, he scored his first career victory in the Continental Circus.
rookie for the Fiat Yamaha Team in the MotoGP series has been hot since he first jumped from the
250cc bikes to the powerful 800cc ones. His learning curve was impressive and in the first three rounds
on the 2008 calendar, he has snatched the pole from the MotoGP veteran riders. Today, on the Estoril
circuit, he scored his first career victory in the Continental Circus.
Apr 17 - The town of Speedway is planning some major remodeling.
They plan to realign 16th Street. The street realignment is part of a $500
million redevelopment project that became public in June after two years of
work. The town plans to revitalize 350 acres south of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
Town officials want to overhaul a decaying Main Street, bring in more industry
and create a racing-related theme to draw tourists and businesses and to
compete with cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Daytona Beach, Fla., for
tourism dollars.
Town leaders hope to have many of the changes in place by 2011 for the
100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Public-private funding and bonds
could help pay for them.
The plan calls for a new roundabout at Main Street and Crawfordsville Road.
Planners intend to shift 16th Street away from the track to the southeast,
eventually meeting Holt Road in a second roundabout.
The space where 16th Street currently touches the track would be converted
into a campuslike setting for tourist attractions, which could include a
relocated Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum and a hotel or conference
center.
The plan also calls for Georgetown Road to be closed from 16th Street to
25th Street and made into a pedestrian walkway.
They plan to realign 16th Street. The street realignment is part of a $500
million redevelopment project that became public in June after two years of
work. The town plans to revitalize 350 acres south of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
Town officials want to overhaul a decaying Main Street, bring in more industry
and create a racing-related theme to draw tourists and businesses and to
compete with cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Daytona Beach, Fla., for
tourism dollars.
Town leaders hope to have many of the changes in place by 2011 for the
100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Public-private funding and bonds
could help pay for them.
The plan calls for a new roundabout at Main Street and Crawfordsville Road.
Planners intend to shift 16th Street away from the track to the southeast,
eventually meeting Holt Road in a second roundabout.
The space where 16th Street currently touches the track would be converted
into a campuslike setting for tourist attractions, which could include a
relocated Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum and a hotel or conference
center.
The plan also calls for Georgetown Road to be closed from 16th Street to
25th Street and made into a pedestrian walkway.
April 20 - The IRL split up this weekend as the IndyCar veterans headed to
Japan's twin-ring Motegi and the Champ Car guys headed to Long Beach for the
leagues swan song, both races of which will pay out IndyCar points.
Danica Patrick won in Japan. She has become the first female to win a major
open-wheel race. This was her 50th IndyCar race.
Japan's twin-ring Motegi and the Champ Car guys headed to Long Beach for the
leagues swan song, both races of which will pay out IndyCar points.
Danica Patrick won in Japan. She has become the first female to win a major
open-wheel race. This was her 50th IndyCar race.
At Long Beach, Will Power won the last ChampCar race.
The IRL's Indy Pro Series has changed it's name to Firestone Indy Lights.
The Indy Pro Series was originally called the Infiniti Pro Series, back when
Infiniti supplied the engines. This league was created by the Indy Racing
League as a feeder series to act as a stepping stone for drivers wishing to
one day compete in IndyCar.
The Indy Lights name has been used before and was associated with
CART. It dissolved in 2001. CART became ChampCar and they are now
defunct. They still have a feeder series running however, called the Toyota
Atlantic Series.
The Indy Pro Series was originally called the Infiniti Pro Series, back when
Infiniti supplied the engines. This league was created by the Indy Racing
League as a feeder series to act as a stepping stone for drivers wishing to
one day compete in IndyCar.
The Indy Lights name has been used before and was associated with
CART. It dissolved in 2001. CART became ChampCar and they are now
defunct. They still have a feeder series running however, called the Toyota
Atlantic Series.
Apr 23 - <RUMOR> - I don't usually publish rumors, but this is a
good one.
35 year-old Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello to come
to Andretti-Green Racing (AGR) in 2009 to switch places with
21 year-old Marco Andretti. Barrichello races for Honda and
of course all the IndyCar's have Honda engines.
Barrichello is set to celebrate setting a record 257 starts in F1
at the Turkish Grand Prix on May 11. He will surpass the
longstanding mark of 256 established by Italian Riccardo
Patrese. Barrichello has won nine races, reached 61 podiums
and earned 13 pole positions. He is the only currently active F1
runner to have raced with four-time World Driving Champion
Frenchman Alain Prost and three-time driving titlist Brazilian
Ayrton Senna, whom Barrichello regarded as hero.
Barrichello maintains a close friendship with Andretti Green
driver and countryman Tony Kanaan. The two formed the
Barrichello Kanaan Institute, which works with social
organizations to help children, young adults and senior citizens
in need, and to promote family relationships.
good one.
35 year-old Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello to come
to Andretti-Green Racing (AGR) in 2009 to switch places with
21 year-old Marco Andretti. Barrichello races for Honda and
of course all the IndyCar's have Honda engines.
Barrichello is set to celebrate setting a record 257 starts in F1
at the Turkish Grand Prix on May 11. He will surpass the
longstanding mark of 256 established by Italian Riccardo
Patrese. Barrichello has won nine races, reached 61 podiums
and earned 13 pole positions. He is the only currently active F1
runner to have raced with four-time World Driving Champion
Frenchman Alain Prost and three-time driving titlist Brazilian
Ayrton Senna, whom Barrichello regarded as hero.
Barrichello maintains a close friendship with Andretti Green
driver and countryman Tony Kanaan. The two formed the
Barrichello Kanaan Institute, which works with social
organizations to help children, young adults and senior citizens
in need, and to promote family relationships.
| I tried to find a photo with both Kanaan and Barrichello together. This is from Nov 2004 - the Granja Viana 500. Dan Wheldon, Felipe Giaffone, Gil de Ferran, Oswaldo Negri Jr., Rubens Barrichello, Ruben Carrapatoso, Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan |
Apr 24 - Danica Patrick was on David Letterman again last night.
Letterman complimented Patrick on her Indy Japan 300 win, calling her role
“transcendent” in the sport. He said her accomplishment in a usually male-
dominated field might inspire others — young and old, men and women — to
say, “ ‘By gosh, I’m going to try something and maybe I can succeed as well.’ ”
He presented her with roses. Patrick used to drive for Rahal Letterman Racing.
Letterman complimented Patrick on her Indy Japan 300 win, calling her role
“transcendent” in the sport. He said her accomplishment in a usually male-
dominated field might inspire others — young and old, men and women — to
say, “ ‘By gosh, I’m going to try something and maybe I can succeed as well.’ ”
He presented her with roses. Patrick used to drive for Rahal Letterman Racing.
| INDY 500 TROPHY 150 lbs 5' 4.5" 72 y/o |
| DANICA PATRICK 100 lbs 5' 2" tall 26 y/o |
Apr 27 - Scott Dixon led most of the IRL race in Kansas today, but Dan Wheldon
pulled off the win.
Tomas Scheckter's team had a bad day. While in the pits, his right front tire
changer got hit by an out of control Marty Roth. The pit crew member
miraculously was not injured. In a move I have not seen before, one of Scheckter's
pit crew guys went over to Roth's car and punched him in the head! Later back on
track, Scheckter moved up through the grid, but would tangle with EJ Viso and end
up out of the race.
Danica Patrick had a lot of trouble with her car's handling today and narrowly
avoided hitting the wall. She came into the pits and her right rear lug nuts were
sheared off, ending her day with only twenty some laps to go in the race.
pulled off the win.
Tomas Scheckter's team had a bad day. While in the pits, his right front tire
changer got hit by an out of control Marty Roth. The pit crew member
miraculously was not injured. In a move I have not seen before, one of Scheckter's
pit crew guys went over to Roth's car and punched him in the head! Later back on
track, Scheckter moved up through the grid, but would tangle with EJ Viso and end
up out of the race.
Danica Patrick had a lot of trouble with her car's handling today and narrowly
avoided hitting the wall. She came into the pits and her right rear lug nuts were
sheared off, ending her day with only twenty some laps to go in the race.
| Roth getting helped out of Scheckter's pit |
Apr 27 - Juan Montoya finished 2nd at the NASCAR race in Talledega.
Apr 27 - Ashley Force is the latest woman to write her name in the motorsports history
books. Force became the first woman in NHRA history to win a Funny Car event and she
did so by defeating her father, John, in the finals, who was going for his 1000th win in 500
NHRA events. This event was the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA.
books. Force became the first woman in NHRA history to win a Funny Car event and she
did so by defeating her father, John, in the finals, who was going for his 1000th win in 500
NHRA events. This event was the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA.
| Ashley Force and John Force |
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