Progress at IMS. The 100th keeps getting closer.

The countdown is on that's for sure and its almost April as well then the month of May and the 100th running of the Indy 500.

Round two of the IndyCar Series kicks off this weekend on the West Coast in Phoenix but work is at a real rapid pace now in the mid west at the Speedway.

From my friends at IMS I am able to bring you these latest photos of the progress work that's taking place and for those of you that know the Speedway you will clearly see the changes that's for sure.

The details on Project 100 are now as follows. 

The main straightaway area is about 80% finished and construction is now moving into the final install and clean up stages. The new seats are due any day now.

The new Hullman Terrace Club structure is almost complete now as well and the concession area upgrades are well underway. 

Gate one construction is equally in full flight and man there are changes there at the corner of 16th and Georgetown that's for sure and what a grand new entrance way.

Enjoy the photos.

Construction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is underway and ahead of schedule! Very noticeable changes in the grandstands now thats for sure and looking very impressive indeed.

Hulman Terrace Club structure, it's going to be a great viewing area that's for certain.

New penthouse seating and roof structure. Not long and these will be full. Good sun protection as well.

Gate 1 construction and what was once the intersection of 16th and Georgetown Road. Perhaps the biggest change to the eye straight away thats for sure and an impressive new entrance way.

                                              Photos are from IMS with thanks.


Plus remember if you are Indy 500 Bound in 2016.
Then check out my personal  Travel tips for race fans in my Indy Bound Book via Google and via Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BM4K71E/

2016 Indy 500 could sell out!!

Another week and more news as the countdown to the running of the 100th Indy 500 draws closer.

This week President Mark Miles of Hulman & Company ,the company behind the Speedway and the IndyCar Series said that they guarantee there will be the full field of 33 cars in the 100th Indianapolis 500, and he's also predicting the race will be sold out for the first time in 20 years. "We've got a very good chance of selling every seat and you might be surprised how soon it happens. All of the suites are already sold out and we're looking at building 12 temporary ones to accommodate the demand. And we're already way ahead of total ticket sales a year ago."

While IMS never releases crowd figures, the last full house was in 1995 prior to the Indy Racing League/Championship Auto Racing Teams split. That's when scalpers got three to five times face value and the Speedway sported in excess of 275,000 permanent seats. That number was cut back to 257,325 by 2004, according to The Indianapolis Star, and following another reduction in 2012, now stands at roughly 235,000. This is of course before you look at the infield general areas and the stand up crowd and this is how the number then tops 400,000.

"It's really good, the best it's been since the Split (ChampCar v Indy Racing League) ," said Mike Peduto, who started Circle City Tickets in the early 1980s. "It was soft last year but it seems like everyone wants to go this year to the 100th. It's going to be neat to see it full again."

Miles claims the Snake Pit in Turn 3 topped 20,000 people alone last year and has even more demand this year, but with all the parking and other entertainment in the infield, there's not a lot room for fans other than the spectator mounds.

As for the news on drives and entries this week. IMS is making sure the traditional 11 rows of three remains intact, Miles said: "We've very confident it's going to happen and we'll make sure it does."

IMS has helped out with engines, aero kits and money the past few May's and right now there are 29 confirmed driver/car combinations and this is still pretty early days in many ways.

In driver news this week Veteran Townsend Bell is certain he's going to have a ride, he's just not sure who with at the moment, and 2015 Rookie of the Year Gabby Chaves is close to having enough funding but still needs $100,000, while '96 Indy winner Buddy Lazier was at the Phoenix test and is returning with his own team.

Beth Paretta and Katherine Legge of Grace Autosport have been embraced by Chevrolet and Honda and are trying to work out a co-op deal with an established team. Simona de Silvestro and Oriol Servia are also hoping to land something by May, as is Tristan Vautier and Carlos Huertas.

The current available seats appear to be Michael Andretti's fifth car, SPM's third car and KVSH's third car. Right now as it stands Honda powers 15 cars and Chevy 14 and each manufacturer has agreed to provide 18 if needed (36) so hence the chance of a real Bump Day in 2016.

Things are without a doubt building all the time and the feeling of the field topping 33 for Bump Day weekend and this possible 36 or more still seems to have a lot of merit as people desire to be part of the biggest race the Speedway has ever hosted.

Full time teams and drivers head to Phoenix next weekend for the second round of the 2016 Championship and the first visit back to Phoenix in many years. The interesting shape oval will also mark the first short track oval of the season as well after the first round was held on the downtown streets of St Pete with Juan Pablo Montoya taking the win just two weeks ago.

Quotes are supplied form the IMS Media Service.

Photos are from the David Turner collection and were taken at both the 98th (2014) and 99th (2015 Indy 500's

Tags is back and Race Details

Really pleased to hear yesterday that my good friend Alex Tagliani is back for Indy again in 2016. He will again team up for the second year in a row with A.J.Foyt racing and what better team to be with at Indy for number 100. The thought of a Foyt driver wining the 100 is amazing and even more so in the context of the man (A.J) himself and his personal history at Indy.

Here is a really cool thing the car number Alex will use is the number. 35 and this is based on team owner A.J. Foyt's starting of 35 Indy 500s in his career and AJ was also was born in 1935.

Tagliani, is a seven-time 500 starter and he will get two races out of the arrangement he has with the team this May.

He also will compete in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis for the first time on May 14 on the infield road course at the Speedway. The car, sponsored by Wabash-based Alfe Heat Treating, will carry the classic black-and-orange Copenhagen-style livery used by Foyt in the late part of his career and the colours that Alex drove in last year for A.J.
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Tagliani won the pole for the 2011 500 as a then member of Sam Schmidt Motorsports team, which shared in Dan Wheldon’s victory that year with Bryan Herta Autosport.

Tagliani has led each of the past five 500s, finishing 17th in last year’s race. 

With this announcement it brings the number of confirmed 500 entries to 29.

That includes the 22 cars participating in last weekend’s IndyCar Series opener in St. Petersburg, plus the already known and confirmed rides for oval ace Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing), the returning new star Sage Karam (Dreyer & Reinbold/Kingdom Racing), rookie Matthew Brabham (KVSH/Team Murray), back for the 500 again with her familiar team Pippa Mann (Dale Coyne Racing), speedway dirt rack ace Bryan Clauson (Dale Coyne/Jonathan Byrd Racing) and the veteran Buddy Lazier (Lazier Partners Racing).

There is no fear of the field not reaching its traditional 33, although many more beyond that seems unlikely, but then again it is early days yet and the rumour of 37 or 38 is very possible still with both engine suppliers keen to assist.

The full break down of days leading towards May 29 is now confirmed from IMS and is as follows

May 16 – 19		Indy 500 Practice
Fri. May 20		Fast Friday
Sat. May 21		Indy 500 Qualifications
Sun. May 22		Armed Forces Pole Day
Mon. May 23		Indy 500 Practice
Thurs. May 26		Indy Lights Practice & Qualifying
Fri. May 27		Miller Lite Carb Day
		Final Indy 500 Practice
		Indy Lights Freedom 100 Race
		TAG Heuer Pit Stop Challenge
		Journey Concert
Sat. May 28		Legends Day presented by Firestone
		Blake Shelton Concert
Sun. May 29		Indy 500 Race Day
		Snake Pit presented by Coors Light

           

               Header photo above is of Alex Tagliani at the 99th Indy 500 May 2015
during the driver introductions.

From the David Turner collection

Heading to the 100th Indy 500?
Check out Indy 500 Bound travel tips for fans

Bring on the Milk

As we get closer and closer each and every day to the 100th running of the Indy 500, more great news comes on the planning of this great race. I really like this one and think its so cool and will be amazing to see.

100,000 fans will get the chance to share the toast at the end of the race this May 29th along with the race winner with this exciting news from IMS and Prairie Farms.

Drinking milk has been one of those special traditions in Victory Circle after wining the 500 and this year there will be in excess of a 100,000 strong toast and people drinking milk.

On race day 100,000 16oz pints of Prairie Farms milk will be distributed to spectators arriving in the grandstand sections along the main straight. Come post race the crowd will be asked to share the toast and "drink the milk" along with the race winner. Creating something very special indeed and an ever lasting photo of the 100th.

These pints of milk will be branded just for the event and will also be available in selected retailers around the city as well so even if you are not sitting there there is the chance to get a great take home item to mark the 100th running of the Indy 500.

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The tradition of drinking milk following a race victory dates back to 1936 with the three time champion Louis Meyer. He regularly drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day and happened to drink some in Victory Circle as a matter of normal habit. 

An executive with the then Milk Foundation was so elated by the is when he saw it the following morning in the news paper he vowed to make sure it would carry on in the coming years and that's exactly what has happened.

Yet another great Indy 500 fact.
Read more on this in my new book out soon Mystique of Indy: Inside the Brickyard and check out My Indy 500 travel tips book out now on Amazon.


                                                                   Above photo

Race winner in 2008 New Zealander Scott Dixon drinks the milk in Victory Circle. 

Photo from the David Turner collection

St Pete Results

The 2016 IndyCar season is underway.

Round 1 held today on the downtown streets of St Petersburg, Florida provided a very good gauge as to what to expect in 2016.

Penske Racing strong and fast across all four cars. The weak link maybe the team mates all racing each other as the season goes on and the risk of tripping up on each other as we saw in the season closer in 2015. The surprise on race day to see Will Power not make the start after the effects of the crash from practise and now on the concussion check list as well. He will have time to recover before round 2 but will now have no points on the board after the opening round. Stand in driver and super sub these days Oriol Servia doing a great job but very hard to do a lot with very little time in the car and forced to start from the rear of the grid. Montoya while wining the race having steering arm issues with the car in the closing stages but now a back to back winner and certainly on form in 2016 and when he wins he simply just gets stronger.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing -- Scott Dixon clearly the team leader no question of that. The weak link there maybe the support he can get from the team mates if it becomes a championship battle again. TK doing a good job to finish inside the top ten with a car the seemed to not suit him and using Dixon's race set up for there race and having brake issues across the whole race weekend. Concerns from the race the team and for Dixon suffering with overheating issues, its the same sort of issue that cost him the win in 2015 at Indy. Homework from the team will be required there for sure.

Andretti Autosport -- the leading Honda team but looking like a lack of sponsorship on all the cars and one has to wonder if funding will come into play. Hunter Reay the man to beat within that team. Macro Andretti needing to get results in 2016 that's for sure.

In the solid performances bracket Sato for AJ Foyt Racing and Aleshin for SMP Racing good strong runs and both Honda powered and earning good results.

The season now is underway and the teams have a few weeks until round 2 at Phoenix on April 3rd a track that will be new in the 2016 line up but the teams gaining fresh knowledge after several days of pre season testing there just a few weeks ago. There is however nothing like a race weekend to make the teams know its game time again.

Constant theme across the event was talk of the 100th running of the Indy 500 and teams very clearly thinking that before the championship at this stage and once again proving the pulling power that Indy has. That insight will be there for you to read in my new book Mystique of Indy Inside the Brickyard out soon so keep an eye out for it. Plus if you live in New Zealand I am pleased to say I am back on the radio on race days with Glen Larmer and TAB Trackside radio to bring race reports including live coverage from Indy in May both on qualifying weekend and race weekend.

The results then of today's Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the opening Verizon IndyCar Series race held on the 1.8-mile St. Petersburg street circuit are reflected below.

The order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1.  (3) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 110, Running
2.  (1) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 110, Running
3.  (5) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 110, Running
4.  (2) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 110, Running
5.  (17) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 110, Running
6.  (10) Takuma Sato, Honda, 110, Running
7.  (4) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 110, Running
8.  (12) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 110, Running
9.  (19) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 110, Running
10.  (13) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 109, Contact
11.  (9) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 109, Running
12.  (18) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 109, Running 
13.  (20) Conor Daly, Honda, 109, Running
14.  (21) Spencer Pigot, Honda, 109, Running
15.  (14) Marco Andretti, Honda, 109, Running
16.  (6) Graham Rahal, Honda, 109, Running
17.  (16) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 109, Running
18.  (22) Oriol Servia, Chevrolet, 109, Running
19.  (8) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 109, Running
20.  (15) Luca Filippi, Honda, 108, Running
21.  (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 87, Contact 
22.  (11) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 47, Electrical                              


Race Statistics
Winner's average speed:   89.006 mph
Time of Race: 02:13:28.4650
Margin of victory: 2.3306 seconds
Cautions:  2 for 16 laps
Lead changes: 4 among 4 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Pagenaud 1 - 48
Daly 49 - 63
Montoya 64 - 81
Hunter-Reay 82-84 
Montoya 85 - 110

Verizon IndyCar Series Point Standings: Montoya 51, Pagenaud 43, Hunter-Reay 36, Castroneves 32, Aleshin 30, Sato 28, Dixon 26, Munoz 24, Kanaan 22, Kimball 20.


Travelling to the Indy 500? Check out my travel tips

Photos of Juan Pablo Montoya after wining the 2015 Indy 500 from Perspective Group Ltd  - Media and David Turner

All Will Power in St Pete

                                                  The latest from St Petersburg, Florida.

Australian driver Will Power's qualifying dominance on the streets of St. Petersburg couldn't be stopped even by illness. Battling a stomach virus, Power broke the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg track record in each of the first two segments of knockout qualifying and then turned the best lap in the Firestone Fast Six to collect the Verizon P1 Award. The sixth St. Pete pole position puts Power at the front of the pack for the 110-lap race on the 1.8-mile temporary street circuit, as the Verizon IndyCar Series drops the green flag on the 2016 season March 13.

It was Will Power, who set the track record of 1 minute, 0.6509 of a second (106.841 mph) in 2015 qualifying, toppled the mark in the first segment today with a lap of 1:00.5678 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. He advanced to the Firestone Fast Six with another record-setting lap of 1:00.0658 (107.882 mph) using a new set of Firestone alternate tires.

While he didn't quite match that effort in the final segment, Power's lap of 1:00.2450 (107.561 mph) was nearly two-tenths better than anyone else in the Firestone Fast Six and easily good enough to secure the 43rd pole of his career, fifth on the all-time Indy car list. It also led a Team Penske sweep of the first four St. Pete starting positions for the second straight year.

"What a great run today for the Verizon Chevy team," said Power, who won the St. Pete race in 2010 and 2014. "It's an awesome feeling to be able to put the new-look Verizon car on pole again here at St. Pete.

"Unfortunately, I've been feeling pretty ill all day," he added. "It was a struggle to get through qualifying, honestly, but we were able to do it and after the Verizon P1 Award presentation I just started feeling a lot worse.

"The car was great today and a big credit to the guys for doing a terrific job in qualifying. I'll try to get some good rest tonight and come back ready to race on Sunday."

Simon Pagenaud, in the No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet, will start second following a lap of 1:00.4421 (107.210 mph). Three-time St. Pete winner Helio Castroneves qualified third in the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet (1:00.4995, 107.108 mph) and defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya fourth in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (1:00.5312, 107.052 mph).

"Great effort for the whole organization," Castroneves said. "To have 1-2-3-4 again, it shows we're really working together as a team. We want to win as a team and we're going to keep pushing. Great effort for Team Penske."

Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon was the top non-Penske qualifier, fifth in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet (1:00.5395, 107.038 mph).

"Good to see Chevy (sweep) the top five," Dixon said. "Sad to see the first four being Penskes. That's the way it is."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, in the Andretti Autosport No. 28 DHL Honda, was sixth (1:00.8803, 106.438 mph).

Thinking of going to the Indy 500 this year? Check out my travel guide

Photo and detailed information via IndyCar Media.

Look out for Mystique of Indy: Inside the Brickyard out soon on Amazon.com. Can't wait to share it with you all. David.

85 Days to the 100th and the season kicks off this weekend

This weekend marks the start of the 2016 IndyCar season.  With round 1 to be held at the downtown street course in St Petersburg Florida. Equally it marks 85 days to the 100th running of the Indy 500 in May so IndyCar is now back in full swing. Its going to get exciting from here on in that's for sure.

I will bring you all the race results news and more across the season.

Plus of course the long waited second book from me The Mystique of Indy inside the Brickyard is not far away now and in it I reveal all the thoughts and magic that is Indy and am very excited to present it to you.

I visited the St Pete track a few years ago while working on the series. Its like all street courses very demanding, very bumpy and narrow and its key feature is the main straight that is actually a airport runway with loads of room for passing on and a really tricky turn one it is most certainly the widest point of the track. There are loads of good viewing spots and the vibe within the crowd there is always good as it marks the start of the new season.

Its is however a very unforgiving as a track and to win here you need to race well and stay out of trouble. There is bound to be many yellow flag periods during the race and pitstops will be a key for the teams.

It's a great place to start the season and I have to say that my visit there was great, nice weather ,nice food and great racing.

Qualifying took place today and its made a very interesting gird that will line up tomorrow to kick the season off. After crashing heavy on the back side of the track yesterday Penske driver Will Power has gone on to take the first pole of the new season and with a daunting time as well, clearly not effected by the very heavy impact he had yesterday.

Official Qualifying held on Saturday for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and round one of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 1.8-mile St Petersburg street circuit, Shown here is the qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, aero kit-engine, time and speed in parentheses:



1.  (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:00.2450 (107.561)


2.  (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 01:00.4421 (107.210)


3.  (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 01:00.4995 (107.108)


4.  (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 01:00.5312 (107.052)


5.  (9) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 01:00.5395 (107.038)


6.  (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 01:00.8803 (106.438)


7.  (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:00.5893 (106.950)


8.  (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 01:00.6711 (106.805)


9.  (5) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 01:00.6724 (106.803)


10.  (41) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 01:00.7188 (106.721)


11.  (14) Takuma Sato, Honda, 01:00.9745 (106.274) 


12.  (21) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:01.0571 (106.130)


13.  (26) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 01:01.1856 (105.907)


14.  (83) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 01:01.0433 (106.154)


15.  (27) Marco Andretti, Honda, 01:01.2417 (105.810)


16.  (19) Luca Filippi, Honda, 01:01.1699 (105.934)


17.  (8) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 01:01.5372 (105.302)


18.  (7) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 01:01.2934 (105.721)


19.  (98) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 01:01.5794 (105.230)


20.  (10) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 01:01.3414 (105.638)


21.  (18) Conor Daly, Honda, 01:01.9385 (104.620)


22.  (16) Spencer Pigot, Honda, 01:01.3881 (105.558)

Classy Dixon at Spring Training

Had to share this with you all as the 2016 season gets close.

Captured at Spring training today for the 2016 IndyCar season via my friend Arni at IndyCar Media this shot of the 2015 IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon.

What makes it so classy from the 4 time champ and 2008 Indy 500 winner is that the small print on the back of the helmet as it pays tribute to three great drivers lost in recent years within the sport. Tony Rena, Dan Weldon and Justin Wilson all lost way too soon.

Then to top it off proudly showing his heritage from New Zealand.

With out a doubt Dixon will go down as a great of the sport.

Another week and more news.

Upgrades and an all new look at Turn 2 are the feature news this week.

As the countdown to the 100th running of the Indy 500 gets closer on May 29th 2016.

For decades the turn two suites have been part of the landscape of the speedway and this week saw the revealing of the re-branded and refreshed suites. New paint, new look, new entrance  a total refresh and more as the countdown draws closer.

Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka owner Fuzzy Zoeller the ten time winner on the PGA Golf Tour and winner on the 1979 US Masters commented "Well we all knew the building needed to be repainted and we were happy to help with the paint and the rebranding."

The paint is white and green just like at the golf course and in keeping with the companies colours. There will be a commemorative bottle of Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka released for the running of the 100th Indianapolis 500 this year as well.

Ed Carpenter Racing will again feature the companies colours across the 2016 IndyCar Series as the sponsorship with the team carries on as it has for the past few seasons so all in all the brand will be in full flight come May at the Speedway.

Another chapter in the changing face of the Speedway and the 500 --- be sure to check out my new book The Mystique of Indy, my personal story of learning about life at the Brickyard, due to be out very soon and the link will be posted for you and if you are a fan or thinking of attending this years event then check out the already published book Indy 500 Bound Travel Tips for race fans. and see a sample of it and the link to it in the post from Feb 9th.

Its going to be an awesome event thats for sure. David