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In a nutshell, it is similar enough to F1 to invite direct comparison, but only just.
-Heavier, spec-series cars
-Half again the engine displacement, still a turbo V-6 but without the hybrid propulsion. The nod to renewable energy is a sop to the ethanol industry in the US.
-Under various forms, in some ways it is both much older and much younger than F1, as the first Indy 500 was in 1911,but the current parent body broke off from the then-equivalent of FOCA, CART in 1995-1996. The sport now is a hollow shell of what it was in the early 90’s because of The Split, prior to which IndyCar was on an upward trajectory aiming to be F1’s outright equal sometime in the last decade.
-Currently the series has a 16-race season, starting slightly earlier than F1, and ending much earlier. For much of the history, the majority of the races were held on ovals, but, as with the golden era of the 1980’s through early 90’s, there was much more of a balance between permanent circuits, temporary street courses, and a variety of ovals. IndyCar is back to that blend, though since it has lost classic tracks like Road America, Watkins Glen, Burke Lakefront Airport, and Laguna Seca, in favor of experiments in St. Petersburg, FL, Sonoma Raceway, and a full May to include the infield circuit at Indianapolis. At least here the variety in ovals remains, from last night’s <1mi oval at Iowa to NASCAR-style cookie cutter mile and a halves at Texas (yours truly in attendance this year), to the two-plus mile superspeedways at Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis, and Pocono, (all of which with much, MUCH different flavors.) CART purists such as myself are happy with the balance of track types, but as with F1, things started going off the rails a little over a decade ago.
-The powerhouse teams run as many as four cars, while minnows may run only one. However, due to the spec chassis, the results are far closer. While the powerhouses dominate, wins can and are snuck away by the equivalents of Force India and even sometimes Manor.
-The oval races often last longer than 2hrs, and the 500-mile races usually hit and pass 3hrs.
-IndyCar is allergic to local cautions. What may shut down 10% of a lap on F1 provides enough of a break to use the toilet, smoke a cigarette, and fix yourself another drink in what often is one of several full-course (safety car) caution periods.
-Instead of DRS, there is Push to Pass, where every driver on a non-oval has a limited amount of times he or she can increase the boost in their engines. It can be used offensively and defensively.
-As with F1, double points started last year, but it was far more rational in IndyCar in the ’14 season. The 500-mile races were the ones that saw the double points, and the next-nearest event in distance (Texas) had just over half of that. This year, they kept it for the Indy 500, not the other two 500-mile events, but also with the season ender at a track which is sub-optimal (Sonoma).In a nutshell, prepare to see better competition but an equal if not greater level of gimmickry, as a sport tries to win back an audience it lost to NASCAR because the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wanted to turn IndyCar into an open wheel version of NASCAR while Roger Penske wanted to outspend every other team by a huge margin twenty years ago. It’s great fun to watch, everything is far more accessible when you attend an event (best date of my life was bringing a German F1 fan to her first IndyCar race in Texas this year – she was blown away by the access bought with little extra), but don’t come in thinking you’ve found a series not long for the deathbed. F1 won’t shut up about their problems. IndyCar won’t address them at all. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Mine was simply a different Hockenheim revamp that used pre-existing access roads to have a smaller impact on the forest while preserving the high speed nature of the old track.
Turn one is unchanged, while Clark turns into a medium-fast double-apex sweeper, opening as it exits. Connecting down to the once-Senna chicane is a bending straight, easy enough to keep the throttle down until the Boot section, which is a Tilke-riffic sharp-angle right followed by a heavily rounded off hairpin of La Source’s variety. From there, a short blast followed by a near-full to full throttle left, another blast where one of the old access roads were, an even more gradual left, and another straight where there once was an access road. From there, it connects via a sharp left to the old short course, and leaves the Stadion section unchanged.
The premise behind this in my story is if Tilke wasn’t dribbled as an infant. Sharp turns are wonderful in moderation, but fans and drivers love tracks that flow. That’s what I was shooting for there.
Feel free to check out the other track maps in that thread I linked, but I stand by my submission of this take on Hockenheim. I like my revamp pf Watkins Glen more, but it is such a simple fix it does not belong here. (Lengthening the last straight before pit entry to tighten up the last two turns.)
http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=7966389&postcount=267
Alternate Hockenheim revamp from my novel in progress, “The Man From Sao Paulo.”
Don’t worry, I have changed my mind on Sepang since writing that. The turns need to be better rounded.
