12 Hours of Sebring

Mar 16 - the Tudor United Sportscar Championship
held its second round of the season – the 12 Hours of
Sebring which was action packed just like any other
enduro race. This was the 62nd running of the 12
Hours of Sebring, making it the oldest form of
sportscar racing in the US.

Chip Ganassi Racing won the 2014 12 Hours of
Sebring in their Ganassi Riley-Ford EcoBoost DP
driven by Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and Marino
Franchitti. This was the first win for the new Ford
EcoBoost turbocharged engine. As for Chip Ganassi
Racing, they are now the first team in history to win
the 12 Hours Sebring, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the
Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.

Extreme Speed HPD finished second in the Prototype
class and overall in their ARX-03b LMP2 driven by
Sharp, Dalziel and Brabham. Veterans Action
Express Corvette DP settled for third in the
Prototype class.

The GTLM class was interesting to watch too with the
first spot in the podium going to CORE Autosport
Porsche 911 RSR. The car was driven by Jorg
Bergmeister, Patrick Long and Michael
Christensen. They made an early stop which proved
to be a big advantage for the team. Porsche had earlier
on dominated the Sebring winter test and this win did
not take anyone as a surprise.

The new Corvette C7.Rs also in the GTLM class
found it hard to finish in a good position. The first one,
driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Robin
Liddell finished sixth in this class. The other Corvette
C7.R finished eighth behind the SRT Viper GTS-R of
Farnbacher, Goossens and Hunter-Reay.
Meanwhile, the second spot on the podium for the
GTLM class went to the SRT Viper GTS-R driven by
Jonathan Bomarito. RLL BMW closed the podium
finishes at third.

Turner Motorsports BMW won the GT Daytona class
(GTD) ahead of the Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi
R8 LMS. Another Porsche, that of Rum Bum Porsche
finished third in this class adding more victories to
Porsche teams. Meanwhile, the Prototype Challenge
win went to CORE ORECA-Chevrolet FLM09 driven
by Colin Braun, James Gue and Jon Bennett.

Gary Bettenhausen Died

Mar 17 - Gary Bettenhausen won six USAC Indy car
races – the first in November 1968 on the one-mile
Phoenix International Raceway oval.

In 21 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race starts, Bettenhausen
posted a best finish of third in 1980 when he charged
from 32nd on the starting grid in the No. 46
Wildcat/DGS. He led 138 of the 200 laps after starting
fourth in 1972, only to incur an overheating issue with
18 laps to go.

But many would contend that Bettenhausen’s talents
were best displayed on the dirt tracks of the Midwest,
where the “Larry and Gary Show” packed the venues
for the USAC Sprints.

Bettenhausen, born and reared in Illinois, died March
16 at his Indiana home. He was 72.

1972 Indy 500 - Gary Bettenhausen in his McLaren M16

"Gary Bettenhausen was the perfect definition of a race
car driver of his time," Indianapolis Motor Speedway
President J. Douglas Boles said. "He raced
successfully in many types of cars, on every type of
track, and he possessed a work ethic that earned him
rides based on his ability and his competitive nature.
Gary will best be remembered by Indianapolis Motor
Speedway fans for the manner in which he carried the
Bettenhausen family's passion for the Indianapolis 500
and how he drove every lap at the limit when he was
competing at IMS. Our thoughts and prayers are with
Gary's wife, his family, and his friends."

A member of one of open-wheel racing’s most well-
known and respected families, Bettenhausen won the
1969 and 1971 USAC Sprint Car championship. He
also won the 1980 and ’83 USAC Silver Crown dirt
championship -- after a 1974 accident while driving a
Silver Crown car in Syracuse, N.Y., rendered his left
arm partially paralyzed.

Bettenhausen, who totaled 82 USAC victories, was
inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in
1993 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of
Fame in 1998. He also competed in eight NASCAR
Winston Cup races with four top-10 finishes.

He was the son of Melvin “Tony” Bettenhausen, a
14-time Indy 500 starter in the 1940s and 1950s (best
finish of second in ’55), the brother of Merle
Bettenhausen and the late Tony Bettenhausen Jr.,
who made 11 Indy 500 starts in the 1980s and ‘90s
and founded the team that eventually became HVM
Racing.

"I've always said there have always been drivers in it
for the right reasons and the wrong reasons, and the
right reasons are the guys who love to do it and don't
get paid to do it," four-time Indianapolis 500 champion
Rick Mears said. "He would do whatever it took to go
racing. He loved racing. He lived racing."

F1 Australian Grand Prix

Mar 16 - Nico Rosberg delivered on Mercedes'
promise with a dominant victory in the season-opening
Australian Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton retired on
lap three.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was second, but was later
disqualified for a fuel-flow rate infringement.

The decision promoted Dane Kevin Magnussen, who
made a stellar debut for McLaren, to second.

He beat team-mate Jenson Button into third, with
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso fourth from Williams'
Valtteri Bottas.

Polesitter Hamilton had a cylinder failing to fire from
the very start of the race, and was down to fourth
behind Rosberg and Ricciardo by the first corner.

The 2008 world champion dropped to fifth by the end
of the first lap and was called into the pits shortly
afterwards.

World champion Sebastian Vettel also hit early
power-unit trouble in his Red Bull, retiring a lap later
than Hamilton with an engine failure.

Eight cars failed to finish as F1 started a new era with
high-tech turbo hybrid engines and a limit of no more
than 100kg of fuel for a race distance.

Hamilton's retirement left Rosberg unopposed out front
and the German drove a controlled race in what is
clearly a dominant car to lead until the end.

Behind him, Ricciardo was able to complete a race
distance in a Red Bull for the first time since the car
appeared at the end of January.

The team had previously not managed to do more than
about 20 laps in a row in pre-season testing.

The Australian was in a comfortable second place for
most of the race but came under pressure from
Magnussen in the final 20 laps.

Magnussen was within a second of the Red Bull with
five laps to go but Ricciardo was able to hold on to the
end. Ricciardo was eventually disqualified around six
hours after the end of the race.

Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi's race ended prematurely after a collision with Felipe Massa on lap one.

Valtteri Bottas (left) managed to finish sixth even after he hit the wall on the exit of Turn 10 and broke a wheel.

Behind them, Button was unable to close on
Magnussen, but beat Alonso by jumping ahead of the
Ferrari at their final pit stops.

"It's hard to believe," said Magnussen. "It seems so
surreal. The car was so much better than it has been at
any point. I just had exactly what I needed the whole
race. The preparation we have done this winter has
been fantastic."

Williams' Bottas was fifth after an incident-packed race
in which he hit the wall on the exit of Turn 10 and
broke a wheel, triggering a safety car period.

The Finn dropped back to 16th place but used the pace
of the Williams to fight back up the field.

Force India's Nico Hulkenberg ran fourth in the early
stages after jumping up from seventh on the grid and
passing Alonso on the first lap.

But the German slipped back to finish sixth ahead of
the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

Carburation Day Concert

Mar 18 - I think the Speedway did very well this year
by booking Sammy Hagar and the Wabos to perform
at the very popular Carb Day Concert at IMS.  This
outdoor rock concert attracts tens of thousands of
people on the Friday before the Indy 500, which is ran
Sunday.  

The Carb Day Concert Stage has been located in four
different spots since this tradition began back in 2000.  
This year the stage will be moved from the 2nd turn
area behind the Museum over to the 4th turn.  There is
a building there in the infield that is now used as the
Party Deck.  The roof of this building will now be the
stage.

The rockin' usually gets started around 3:30pm, after
the other events at the speedway have been completed.  
These events include the final practice for the 33
starters in the Indy 500, the Indy Lights Freedom 100
race and the Pit Stop Challenge.  Admission is $30 this
day.

Josh Freese is an American session
drummer and songwriter. He is a
permanent member of The Vandals and
Devo having formerly played drums for
Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late
2008, for A Perfect Circle from 1999 to
2012, and for Guns N' Roses from
mid-1998 to 1999. Freese has appeared
on close to 400 records. He is currently
performing live with The Replacements,
Devo, The Vandals and Sublime with
Rome.

Eric Wilson is the original bass
player for Sublime. and also
bassist for Long Beach Dub
Allstars (1997–2002) and for the
band Long Beach Shortbus.

Rome Ramirez is about 15 years
younger than the other Sublime
band members.  He grew up in
Oalkand after his parents moved
there from Mexico.  He began
playing guitar at age 11.

Warm-up band will be Sublime with Rome.  Sublime
was an awesome band that played an irresistible blend
of ska, reggae, punk, surf rock and hip hop.  They are
famous for songs "What I Got," "Santeria" and "Wrong
Way."  After their singer died, he was replaced by  
Rome Ramirez.  They still play original Sublime tunes
as well as new material.

Sammy Hagar is a singer who fronted for Montrose
and Van Halen before starting bands the Wabos and
Chickenfoot.

Vic Johnson played guitar for
the Busboys and Sound
Barriers before starting his
own heavy metal band, Total
Eclipse.

Mona played bass with
Tommy Tutone, Gene
Parsons and Wayne Perkins
before joining the Wabos.

David Lauser has been friends
with Hagar since their teens.
He plays drums.

Sammy Hagar put this band
together in 1997, after leaving
Van Halen.

Franchitti to Drive Camaro Z/28 Pace Car

Mar 25 - Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario
Franchitti will drive a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 to
pace the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May
25, 2014

It’s the eighth time a Camaro has been the pace car,
starting in 1967 – and the 25th time a Chevrolet has
paced the race.

Franchitti won the Indy 500 in 2007, 2010 and 2012,
and he is only the third driver ever to win at least three
consecutive IndyCar titles – among four championships
overall. Franchitti’s appearance in the Camaro Z/28
pace car signals a new start in his career as he embarks
on a driver development role with Chip Ganassi Racing,
which will use Chevrolet power in the 2014 IndyCar
season.

The 2014 Camaro Z/28 is solely focused on track
capability, with up to 1.08 g in cornering acceleration.
The Camaro Z/28 logged a 7:37 lap on the Nürburgring
– four seconds faster than the Camaro ZL1 – and faster
than published times for the Porsche 911 Carrera S and
the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

The Z/28 features Brembo carbon ceramic brakes
capable of 1.5 g in deceleration. The naturally aspirated
Z/28 weighs 300 pounds less than the supercharged
Camaro ZL1, with changes ranging from lightweight
wheels to thinner rear-window glass.

Power comes from the 7.0L LS7 engine, with dry-sump
oiling, rated at an SAE-certified 505 horsepower (376
kW) and 481 lb-ft of torque (652 Nm). The engine is
built by hand at the new Performance Build Center
within GM’s Bowling Green, Ky. assembly plant.

Jim Nabors Last Indy 500

Mar 25 - Beloved actor-entertainer and legendary
Indianapolis 500 icon Jim Nabors will sing "Back
Home Again in Indiana" at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway  for the final time prior to the start of this
year's 500.

Nabors' rendition of the song became a beloved tradition
of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since he first
performed it in 1972. Always accompanied by the
Purdue "All American" Marching Band and thousands
of fans singing in unison throughout the massive facility,
Nabors has performed the song 34 times in person at
IMS.

"The first time that I ever sang at the Indy 500 in 1972,
the warmth I got from the crowd immediately made me
become a lifetime Hoosier; and I've always cherished it,"

Nabors said. "I'll see you all in May; but I've come to the
conclusion that my health doesn't permit me to travel
very much anymore. So I'll be retiring from singing 'Back
Home Again' at the Indy 500 after this year.

"I want to give a special thanks to everyone; and
particularly the Hulman George family, who have a
special place in my heart and are my wonderful friends.
I've loved every minute of it."

Nabors, 83, has performed at the Indianapolis 500 every
year since 1987 with the exception of 2007 and 2012
races that he missed due to illness. A rendition of the
song he performed at his home in Hawaii was played on
the video screens at IMS prior to the 2012 race to the
delight of his countless fans in attendance and millions
watching on worldwide television.

IndyCar Gets New Series Sponsor

Mar 27 - IndyCar needed a new series sponsor after
IZOD left.  No time was lost before IndyCar found one
in Verizon who was already involved in the sport -
sponsoring a car and sponsoring the Indy 500 Pole
Award.  They also provided there wireless phone
customers with the LTE Multicast of IndyCar races.  
Something I wish I had, but I don't have a smart phone.

The collaboration includes significant network coverage
upgrades to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of
its Project 100; short- and long-term technology
enhancements to INDYCAR Race Control; the addition
of pit lane monitors and enhancing connectivity for
spectators at each domestic race venue.

Verizon will also deploy its LTE Multicast solution at
racetracks in the future, complementing the Verizon
INDYCAR 14 app and indycar.com, the official website
of INDYCAR. This emerging technology delivers rich
multi-faceted multimedia content to multiple devices at
once rather than sending it in a separate stream to each
user.

Verizon has been an Official Partner of IndyCar the past
four years and the primary sponsor of the No. 12
Verizon Team Penske car driven by Will Power. The
relationship with the team owned by Roger Penske will
expand for the 2014 season as Verizon also will be the
primary sponsor of the No. 2 entry driven by 1999
CART champion and 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan
Pablo Montoya for at least eight races.

IndyCar Aero Kits Leader

Mar 28 - IndyCar announced that longtime development
and race engineer Tino Belli will join the sanctioning
body’s technical group as Director of Aerodynamic
Development in early April.

Belli, whose motorsports roots date to 1984 as chief
aerodynamicist at March Engineering, will oversee
implementation of the distinct aerodynamic bodywork
kits supplied by Chevrolet and Honda for the 2015
Verizon IndyCar Series season.

He also will provide IndyCar data collection to determine
track-specific configurations; provide direction and
requirements for future regulations; support on-track,
wind tunnel and straight line testing; and support the
technical inspection process.

As part of its long-range focus on innovation, IndyCar
announced last June that aero kits would be introduced in
2015 and include separate specifications for
superspeedways and road/street courses and short ovals.
Beginning with 2016, additional engine manufacturers
and/or third party vendors will be eligible to be an
IndyCar-approved supplier. Correspondingly, Chevrolet
and Honda will be able to upgrade their aero kits, which
will be approved through homologation.

“It’s a brave, new era that IndyCar is moving into,” said
Belli, who most recently was technical director at Panther
Racing. “My original background in racing was
aeronautical engineering so aerodynamics is my love in
life. I’ve had a fairly successful career as a race
engineering and technical director, and now this is a new
chapter.

“It’s exciting to be involved now developing the new set
of rules that will take IndyCar into the future. I feel as
though I’m giving something back to the series now
because the series has always been giving to me in the
past.”

Tino Belli

During his 14 years with Andretti Autosport (1999-2013)
as race engineer, senior development engineer and
technical director, the team earned four Verizon IndyCar
Series championships and 56 victories, including two in
the Indianapolis 500. Previously, he was managing
director of design, development and race engineering at
Cyber Dynamics and also chief designer at Larousse F1.

“We’re fortunate to have Tino come on board at the
advent of aero kits,” said Derrick Walker, President of
Competition and Operations, INDYCAR. “Apart from
being one of Indy car’s most experienced aero engineers,
he comes from the team environment with a lot of
current experience and knowledge, which is important.”

The bodywork components mated to the Dallara rolling
chassis will provide IndyCar a platform for performance
and efficiency developments. The forward-thinking
program is relevant to short- and long-term design and
development objectives of the global automotive industry
and aligns with research and development in multiple
technology sectors. Additionally, an entrant’s aero kits
will be aligned with its manufacturer, with the car
incorporating the name given by the supplier.

“Aero kits will improve the diversity of the fan
experience and renew technical engagement, while
providing a controlled cost structure,” Walker added.

IndyCar Race #1 - St Petersburg

Mar 30 - Perfect weather found Takuma Sato on the
pole at the street race that runs over airport runways,
streets and a parking lot.  It's a wide track as far as street
races go, but bumpy as they normally are.  It is situated
on the bay which is nice to look at.

Sato was passed by Will Power, who held onto the lead
to the end.  Sato finished in 7th.

Mike Conway started 12th and worked his way up to
2nd, before being passed by Helio Castroneves.  
Conway would only finish in 20th.

It was a caution free race until lap 75 of 110, when
Charlie Kimball didn't make a turn for some reason and
stalled the car.  At that point, all cars pitted.

During the restart, Power slowed to a ridiculous speed as
he led the pack towards the green flag when he should
have been accelerating.  This caused all the cars to bunch
up and resulted in another caution as several cars
incurred damage and two cars crashed out when rookie
Jack Hawksworth got into the back of somebody which
then threw him hard to the right where he took out an
unsuspecting Marco Andretti.

At the restart, Ryan Hunter-Reay passed Castroneves
for 2nd, which he held onto till the end.

Penalties were announced:
Mike Conway got a stop and go penalty for passing the
pace car.
Sebastien Bordais was penalized for not packing up.
Rookie Carlos Huertas was penalized for getting a full
service when the pits were closed.

Series champion Scott Dixon finished 4h, followed by
Simon Pagenaud and Tony Kanaan.

Carnage from Will Power's slow restart as he led the pack to the green flag.