It is time for the IZOD IndyCar’s annual trip below the equator. And no Jack Arute I am not talking about Japan!!! We are going to the home of half the field Brazil. Okay it is not quite half and when I said “we” I really mean them, as I could not even go to Barber, even though I won free tickets and paddock passes, because of the price of fuel, which seems cheep now only three weeks ago. So like, I would expect everyone reading this, I will be stuck at home watching this one on Verses.
The track layout for Sao Paulo is absolutely brilliant! Anyone who knows me or well get to know my through this blog, knows that I am a oval guy but as far as road courses go this lay out might just be the best I’ve ever seen and that includes all of the F1 tracks around the world. Too bad the track surface cannot live up to the layouts potential. I am not too concerned about the start/finish straight from last year. I am sure they learn their lesion and are prepared this year so: 1) the cars can get grip on the concrete and 2) it is not a dust bowl and the drivers can actually see where they are going. No my complaint has to do with street courses in general. There are ways to make a “street” course work and that is to do it like F1 does it. Require the streets to be FIA approved racing surface. If you want to run in the streets that is find but make sure the streets are acceptable. St. Petersburg is a good example of this. They paved their streets to make a usable racetrack. In contrast, look at Long Beach last week. That track is just like the roads I travel on every day along with the bumps and man whole covers that my streetcar. What is the problem you ask? Well if my streetcar, with a ground clearance of about eight inch and travels at a typical speed of 62 mph, his a man whole cover I probably would not even notice it. If a racecar however, hits a man whole cover he is sent into the tire wall. Just ask Josef Newgarden who while leading the Firestone Indy Lights race at Long Beach hit a man whole cover and out of the race. Can we all agree that there is no room for a man whole cover on a true world class racing circuit! Sao Paulo may or may not have man whole covers on or near the racing line, I do not remember from last year but I do remember that is was way, Way, WAY too bumpy to be considered as a world class racing circuit. Last year was a great race but how much better could it have been on a smooth surface?
Let us move to predictions. It is a road / street course to my prediction for pole is the same as ALL road / street courses and that is Will Power. I am not saying Power is going to take every pole on the twisties this year, as I am sure he’ll faultier somewhere, and end up as far back as P2 but I’ll never pick against him for pole when it comes to the road and street courses. To take the “twin checkers”, I want to pick a Brazilian and I WANT to pick TK but I am not going to. TK just does not have the killer attitude this year. Blame it on the new team where he does not know all of the guys yet. Blame it on EJ Viso for tearing up so much equipment that Tony feels he just has to bring the car home what ever it is he is just not the same TK we all know and love. Prove me wrong TK prove me wrong I would love it!!! Therefore, if I still want to go with a Brazilian then I will look towards Helio. Lord knows he needs a good, clean race and a win would sure go a long ways to getting his confidence back before Indy. So sure, why not I will go out on the limb and pick Helio for the win. Besides if, he is already in front then he will have no one to run into from behind! To come in P2 I am going to go with Power. He cannot be too far down the order and with Power behind him; there will not be any “getch’a back” moves to take Helio out. I would hope no IndyCar driver would do this these guys (and girls) are better then NASCAR driver that way too not just in their talent levels. But you never know with some of the mid-field and back. For P3 I am looking at the “Major of Hitchtown” to come home with the podium locking out all of the Ganassi cars shutting out the Penske podium sweep. Hitch was my pre-season pick for Rookie of the year even though I knew he would miss St. Pete and I am not backing off of him now. He was faster then Oriol at the preseason test at Barber all the way till the low fuel new tires qualifying sims at the very end. However, in his two races so far he has been out preformed by “Milk’s Favorite Cookie” (My own personal nick name for Oriol Servia is “Oreo”) This week Hitch turns it around and starts to out perform his teammate race in and race out. For the “Story of the Race” I am going to say keep an eye out on Vitor. He may not be able to back up his podium finish from last year but with a top ten maybe even a top five he can show us all that last year was not a fluke and he still has what it takes to be an elite IndyCar driver. Last but not least the “Legend In His Own Mind” award I am going to pick EJ Viso to put it in the wall again! Not much of a stretch I know but hey if I am picking Helio to have a good race. Who else can I count on to do something stupid?
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