Considering most of my recent posts have been including races dating back to 1962 its time to look forward and appreciate what a hell of a season we potentially have in front of us.
So without further adieu...
I will start with the two engine manufactures and more importantly, the new aero kits that we will see on track for the first time in St Petersburg.
Chevy - I think it is fair to say they have had the better of the pre season tests at Sebring, NOLA and Barber claiming the majority of the top ten times. For the aesthetically minded, it was the least well received from fans compared to that of their HPD counterparts, but teams for the most part have abandoned the wings above the side pods, which has made the cars look a whole lot cleaner. Anyone up for a spread bet on the lap number for the first caution of a lost front wing wing-let? Expect to see early season dominance from Penske and Ganassi.
Video
Honda - Gives you wings, wings everywhere. Although they have been behind on track, you have to wonder the effect of 'dirty-air' from the new aero kits for the following cars, and whether or not this will have an adverse effect on the competitive nature of the racing we have seen since the introduction of the DW12. I have no doubt that HPD will be working on the kits to find the answers to close the gap on their bow-tied competitors.
Video
So without further adieu...
I will start with the two engine manufactures and more importantly, the new aero kits that we will see on track for the first time in St Petersburg.
Chevy - I think it is fair to say they have had the better of the pre season tests at Sebring, NOLA and Barber claiming the majority of the top ten times. For the aesthetically minded, it was the least well received from fans compared to that of their HPD counterparts, but teams for the most part have abandoned the wings above the side pods, which has made the cars look a whole lot cleaner. Anyone up for a spread bet on the lap number for the first caution of a lost front wing wing-let? Expect to see early season dominance from Penske and Ganassi.
Video
Honda - Gives you wings, wings everywhere. Although they have been behind on track, you have to wonder the effect of 'dirty-air' from the new aero kits for the following cars, and whether or not this will have an adverse effect on the competitive nature of the racing we have seen since the introduction of the DW12. I have no doubt that HPD will be working on the kits to find the answers to close the gap on their bow-tied competitors.
Video
Now onto the teams...
(C - Chevrolet / H - Honda HPD)
AJ Foyt Racing (H) - F1 and Indycar veteran Takuma Sato (#14) is joined by upcoming Brit Jack Hawksworth (#41) from BHA.
Prediction - There is every chance Takuma could take a win, as much as he could suffer no end of trouble and finish low down the field, as for Jack, or Nigel as some twitter users have tagged him (apparently he sounds like him, go figure?) The drive at Houston last season was exceptional battling with Montoya to take home a third place, has the determination to bring home a couple more. As for the team, Larry Foyt is moving things on; the perennial one car team is now two, and moving (partially) to Indianapolis.
Andretti Autosport (H) - Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay is reunited with Marco Andretti (now #27) and Carlos Munoz (#26), expect a circulation of drivers in the #25, first up Simona de Silvestro, back in Indycar.
Prediction - Hunter-Reay will always be a competitor and will win races, Andretti will want to get the monkey off his back having been sometime since his last win (Iowa 2011), Munoz will challenge well on the ovals, but a little more consistency required on road and street, expect more podiums.
Bryan Herta Autosport (H) - Rookie and Indy Lights champion Gabby Chaves (#98) joins the team.
Prediction - A whole lotta success in Indy Lights will see Chaves in good stead with 4 wins last year, but I’m sure will be happy with good solid finishes, picking up points in a rookie year, a single car team is never an easy task.
CFH Racing (C) - A new(ish) team on the grid with Ed Carpenter Racing and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing joining forces, with Josef Newgarden (#67) and a joint venture with Ed Carpenter (Ovals) and Luca Filippi (Road and Street) (#20).
Prediction - Race wins, especially from Carpenter, more top 10's for Newgarden and will want that first podium / win that some of his drives have deserved in the last few years. Filippi, I love the way this guy competes, but his finishing positions are frustrating, too often a late race issue has wiped him from a good top ten or five finish.
Chip Ganassi Racing (C) - Mr on track Ganassi, Scott Dixon (#9) returns for a fourteenth year with the team, teamed with Tony Kanaan (#10), Charlie Kimball (#83) and rookie Sage Karem (#8) on a race by race deal, although is expected to be around for most of the season.
Prediction - Along with Penske, expect to see them dominating through to the month of May, wins for Dixon, strong oval performances from Kanaan, same with Kimball on R & S, and Karem, it’s hard to say, but, he was highly impressive at Indy last year, and will be destined for great things, soon.
Dale Coyne Racing (H) - This year’s TBA and TBC will be Carlos Heurtas (#18) and Francesco Dracone (#19) - First four races.
Prediction - I saw the team labelled on twitter, rather unfairly, as Indycar's answer to Minardi, which is far from the truth, ok they do not have the largest budget, but what they achieve with results and wins over the years just show what you can get from a team who pull out all the stops, that said, I feel there could be a certain amount of perambulating around the back end of the grid, but do remember, Huertas won in Houston last year...
KV Racing (C) - Sebastien Bourdais (#11) returns, with a new team mate, GP2 veteran Stefano Coletti (#4).
Prediction - Bourdais will once again be a force on R & S, after winning in Toronto last year, and Coletti, with four years of GP2 and wins in recent year will put him in good stead for some good results, the pre season testing has also gone well.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (H) - Once again, only one full time driver with Graham Rahal (#15).
Prediction - Hard to tell, Steak'N'Shake are probably worth investing in given the amount of purchases seen on twitter since the sponsorship deal was announced. Seems to be set ups that cause the issues, maybe these new kits will change the team’s fortunes.
Schmidt Petersen Racing (H) - A new line up of James Hinchcliffe (#5) from Andretti and James Jakes (#7) from a year out.
Prediction - A team that has had considerable success in recent times with Simon Pagenaud, can expect more from Hinchcliffe as he steps up to become the team leader, Jakes showed improved performances and results at the back end of his first Indycar stint, time will tell if this will replicate itself in 2015.
Team Penske (C) - A line up that exudes pace, skill, experience and [Will] Power (#1) is the current series champion, Juan Pablo Montoya (#2), Helio Castroneves (#3) and new driver Simon Pagenaud (#22).
Prediction - Quite possibly one of the strongest ensembles any Indycar team has had. Will Power will once again win races, and in with a great chance of championship number two, after finally breaking the second place stranglehold. Helio will be in contention of number four at the 500, but will also desperately want that first series championship that he nearly grabbed on a number of occasions. Montoya will again be in contention for wins, maybe the championship in his second year back in Indycar, the same goes for Pagenaud, there will be wins. But just who at Penske will be number one?
Overall - Until we see the cars running and challenging each other in traffic we still do not know what to expect from the aero kits. As for a champion, it’s hard to look outside the big three, but if I was to pick one from those stables... Power, Dixon and Hunter-Reay, but I could make a case for half a dozen other drivers for the championship and the rest for race wins, damn you Indycar, why you so competitive!
(C - Chevrolet / H - Honda HPD)
AJ Foyt Racing (H) - F1 and Indycar veteran Takuma Sato (#14) is joined by upcoming Brit Jack Hawksworth (#41) from BHA.
Prediction - There is every chance Takuma could take a win, as much as he could suffer no end of trouble and finish low down the field, as for Jack, or Nigel as some twitter users have tagged him (apparently he sounds like him, go figure?) The drive at Houston last season was exceptional battling with Montoya to take home a third place, has the determination to bring home a couple more. As for the team, Larry Foyt is moving things on; the perennial one car team is now two, and moving (partially) to Indianapolis.
Andretti Autosport (H) - Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay is reunited with Marco Andretti (now #27) and Carlos Munoz (#26), expect a circulation of drivers in the #25, first up Simona de Silvestro, back in Indycar.
Prediction - Hunter-Reay will always be a competitor and will win races, Andretti will want to get the monkey off his back having been sometime since his last win (Iowa 2011), Munoz will challenge well on the ovals, but a little more consistency required on road and street, expect more podiums.
Bryan Herta Autosport (H) - Rookie and Indy Lights champion Gabby Chaves (#98) joins the team.
Prediction - A whole lotta success in Indy Lights will see Chaves in good stead with 4 wins last year, but I’m sure will be happy with good solid finishes, picking up points in a rookie year, a single car team is never an easy task.
CFH Racing (C) - A new(ish) team on the grid with Ed Carpenter Racing and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing joining forces, with Josef Newgarden (#67) and a joint venture with Ed Carpenter (Ovals) and Luca Filippi (Road and Street) (#20).
Prediction - Race wins, especially from Carpenter, more top 10's for Newgarden and will want that first podium / win that some of his drives have deserved in the last few years. Filippi, I love the way this guy competes, but his finishing positions are frustrating, too often a late race issue has wiped him from a good top ten or five finish.
Chip Ganassi Racing (C) - Mr on track Ganassi, Scott Dixon (#9) returns for a fourteenth year with the team, teamed with Tony Kanaan (#10), Charlie Kimball (#83) and rookie Sage Karem (#8) on a race by race deal, although is expected to be around for most of the season.
Prediction - Along with Penske, expect to see them dominating through to the month of May, wins for Dixon, strong oval performances from Kanaan, same with Kimball on R & S, and Karem, it’s hard to say, but, he was highly impressive at Indy last year, and will be destined for great things, soon.
Dale Coyne Racing (H) - This year’s TBA and TBC will be Carlos Heurtas (#18) and Francesco Dracone (#19) - First four races.
Prediction - I saw the team labelled on twitter, rather unfairly, as Indycar's answer to Minardi, which is far from the truth, ok they do not have the largest budget, but what they achieve with results and wins over the years just show what you can get from a team who pull out all the stops, that said, I feel there could be a certain amount of perambulating around the back end of the grid, but do remember, Huertas won in Houston last year...
KV Racing (C) - Sebastien Bourdais (#11) returns, with a new team mate, GP2 veteran Stefano Coletti (#4).
Prediction - Bourdais will once again be a force on R & S, after winning in Toronto last year, and Coletti, with four years of GP2 and wins in recent year will put him in good stead for some good results, the pre season testing has also gone well.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (H) - Once again, only one full time driver with Graham Rahal (#15).
Prediction - Hard to tell, Steak'N'Shake are probably worth investing in given the amount of purchases seen on twitter since the sponsorship deal was announced. Seems to be set ups that cause the issues, maybe these new kits will change the team’s fortunes.
Schmidt Petersen Racing (H) - A new line up of James Hinchcliffe (#5) from Andretti and James Jakes (#7) from a year out.
Prediction - A team that has had considerable success in recent times with Simon Pagenaud, can expect more from Hinchcliffe as he steps up to become the team leader, Jakes showed improved performances and results at the back end of his first Indycar stint, time will tell if this will replicate itself in 2015.
Team Penske (C) - A line up that exudes pace, skill, experience and [Will] Power (#1) is the current series champion, Juan Pablo Montoya (#2), Helio Castroneves (#3) and new driver Simon Pagenaud (#22).
Prediction - Quite possibly one of the strongest ensembles any Indycar team has had. Will Power will once again win races, and in with a great chance of championship number two, after finally breaking the second place stranglehold. Helio will be in contention of number four at the 500, but will also desperately want that first series championship that he nearly grabbed on a number of occasions. Montoya will again be in contention for wins, maybe the championship in his second year back in Indycar, the same goes for Pagenaud, there will be wins. But just who at Penske will be number one?
Overall - Until we see the cars running and challenging each other in traffic we still do not know what to expect from the aero kits. As for a champion, it’s hard to look outside the big three, but if I was to pick one from those stables... Power, Dixon and Hunter-Reay, but I could make a case for half a dozen other drivers for the championship and the rest for race wins, damn you Indycar, why you so competitive!