Comments on: An Idea Worth Trying

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 03:33:40 +0000

I don’t understand what has taken IndyCar so long to bring standing starts to their road/street races. A standing start is what the whole world (and every F1 fan in America) is familiar with. It’s also easier for Race Control to govern. How many times has a rolling start been waved off because someone jumped it? If someone goes early on a standing start, they get a drive-thru penalty. It’s also easier to establish an exact time of day for a standing start. One reconnaissance (or parade) lap, get everyone grided, and start the light sequence. And NBC’s Leigh Diffey already knows how to build up the excitement of a standing start!

By: james t suel

james t suel — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 00:15:51 +0000

Amateur hour is what standing starts mean to me! I know F1 uses them ,but this is american open wheel racing.Oh i will still watch but more of a slide into euro style racing!!

By: Chris Lukens

Chris Lukens — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:24:39 +0000

I don’t like change either, but I’m slowly warming up to the idea of doubleheader weekends. I do like the idea of different procedures for qualifying and starts on different days. I just think they should have taken the extra step and added 20 laps to Sundays race. That would have made for completely different races. I’ll be curious to see the TV ratings for Houston and Toronto. I think Belle Isle, just like every other TV broadcast from there, will be a borefest. It may be an exciting race in person, but on TV the cars just look slow. Plus I don’t think people have come to grips with what the disaster at Detroit did to TV ratings for the rest of the season last year. People watched the 500 and were excited by speed, the drama and thought this is something they could follow. Then they tuned next week and saw……., well what did they see, probably nothing. They didn’t tune in to the subsequent three different channels to watch and they probably didn’t tune in to watch the rest of the year. I would much rather have seen Baltimore get a Saturday race. But what Roger wants, Roger gets.
As I type this, 57 days, 19 hours until St Pete. I’m ready for the season to start.

By: Ron Ford

Ron Ford — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:00:17 +0000

Well I am definitely old guard, old school, and just plain old (one of those 73 yo that Pressdog made fun of this week.) Having said that I am looking forward to the standing starts. I have seen them at Elkhart Lake and they were exciting to watch. Crashes were minimal. The old Le Mans style standing starts when the drivers would have to run to their cars was also exciting, but dangerous for slow runners as you might imagine.

In your second last paragraph I think you pretty well summed up the attraction for fans. I think BB King did this in response to fan requests and to simply try something new. No more complicated than that. Those strung out rolling starts on street courses are BORING!

By: billytheskink

billytheskink — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:31:29 +0000

I’ll be watching the races with great interest regardless of how they start, but I think it would be best for Indycar to continue using only rolling starts. Part of this opinion is rooted in my personal preference for rolling over standing starts, I think they are much more interesting to watch. Part is based on my fear that standing starts are yet another thing that will exacerbate the confusion between Indycar and Formula 1 for casual fans.

Having one standing and one rolling start at doubleheaders is a nice compromise. Moving the starting line to a longer section of the track (like CART did at the first Houston street course), is something Indycar should consider to improve rolling starts at tracks where they have been problematic.

By: DZ (@groundedeffects)

DZ (@groundedeffects) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:05:41 +0000

I’m still waiting for the mid-course loop-d-loop…

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:58:43 +0000

With the double header weekend and standing starts, I think Houston could be worth the trip! I won’t be able to pull it off this year, but next year I might. Count me in on this new format! What an exciting weekend.

By: pressdog

pressdog — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:02:55 +0000

You’re open to change? It’s like you’re 45 again, George.

By: Steve K

Steve K — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:44:47 +0000

I was under the impression there would be a standing start at Detroit on Saturday. Now none? I was on the fence about going that Saturday already because I am going to a race the weekend before, but this probably clinches it. No Detroit this year. Law School in Lansing is over before the summer 2014 so I doubt I ever make it back. Will still keep going to Mid-Ohio though with or without standing starts. Hopefully they add them in ’14.