The RACER Mailbag, September 13

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to [email protected]. Due to the high volume of questions received, we can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.

Q: While it would be nice if we had some shiny new objects to look at, like a new chassis or more manufacturers, I love the sport because the racing is great. Changing the way the cars look is not high on my wish list, and they are not likely going to fundamentally change anyway. Hybrid engines and renewable fuels do not even chart. I am not advocating for no new development, but I am not complaining about these things either. And remember, the law of unintended consequences may mean that desired changes hurt the quality of the racing.

About the look, the DW12 has changed over the years. Most notably, it grew rear fenders and then shed them. I recall the fenders being an answer to the hazard of a car being launched when a nose contacts a rear tire and it seemed to be effective in that way. So, I wonder why they were removed? I also haven’t noticed drivers doing Full Darios since the fenders were removed either, and I don’t know why. Any thoughts?

Gary, from The Road

MARSHALL PRUETT: The series arrived at the conclusion that the rear wheel guards did nothing to prevent a car from launching over the back of another, so they were binned when the UAK18 was introduced for 2018.

Q: Could the reason Andretti is downsizing to three cars be related to running a second GTP Acura in IMSA? Is it possible that Grosjean will be in IMSA or WEC with Lamborghini’s program instead of IndyCar? Is Vips the leading driver for RLL, with his showing in the last couple of races? [ED: This letter was submitted before Vips was wiped out at the start of the race at Laguna Seca]

Frank, Mooresville, NC

MP: Nothing related here, Frank. Team Penske’s downsizing from four cars to three helped it to find a new level of competitiveness in 2022 (and again in 2023), and with that in mind, the frequently underperforming Andretti team has certainly noticed.

I’m told it was all set to follow suit and just run Kirkwood, Herta, and Ericsson, but then some big $$$ offers were received to keep running the fourth and sticking with four became an option once more. I don’t know where they’re headed, but after solidly falling behind Arrow McLaren and now RLL in the drivers’ standings, they can’t keep doing the same things and expect to remain relevant.

How’s this: Alexander Rossi was Andretti’s top driver in 2022 by finishing ninth in the championship. Herta was second for them in 10th. In 2023, Rossi finished ninth again, but for Arrow McLaren. Herta was the top Andretti driver in the championship in 10th, meaning the team actually went backwards in the standings. Hard to fathom with the insane infusion of money the team received last year.

I saw Juri after the race and told him he should be proud of himself for showing so well and fighting to get the No. 30 RLL Honda into the Leaders Circle after being knocked around on the opening lap at Laguna Seca. If RLL doesn’t hire him, I’d think another team in a position to hire would give him a ring. Out-qualifying Lundgaard and Rahal on his first visit to Laguna Seca spoke volumes about his talent, and the misfortune on the opening lap wasn’t his fault. It would seem silly to me to have him hang around, place him in the No. 30, see him make a statement, and then let him go.

Q: Regarding my question of last week about CanAm vs. IndyCar fastest laps, I accepted your assignment of finding them out for myself. After some digging, I was able to find much on the internet. (And we all know that if it’s on the internet it must true.) Where possible, I’ve also included F5000, another favorite series of mine.

I limit this only to tracks that use the same configuration for CanAm and IndyCar. That eliminates Watkins Glen (due to the Scheckter Chicane and the inner loop, plus long course vs. short course), and Sonoma (way too many different configurations). Records shown are for race laps, not qualifying laps. Also, various tracks have been repaved (some more than once) which certainly affected lap records.

CanAm1: original CanAm

CanAm2: the attempt to resurrect the original CanAm by reconfiguring F5000 cars

So here goes…

Road America

CART 1998 1m41.874s
F5000 1976 2m02.220s
CanAm2 1981 2m00.268s
CanAm1 1973 2m04.374s

Mid-Ohio (using the chicane before the Keyhole)

CART 1987 1m19.984s
CanAm2 1982 1m22.219s
F5000 1975 1m22.285s
CanAm1 1974 1m22.470s

Riverside (long course, as best as I can determine)

CART 1982 1m30.6565s
CanAm1 1972 1m34.030s

Mont Tremblant

CanAm2 1978 1m33.400s
USAC 1968 1m37.550s
F5000 1970 1m39.000s
CanAm1 1966 1m44.900s

Mosport

CanAm2 1982 1m11.875s
F5000 1975 1m14.149s
CanAm1 1974 1m14.600s
USAC raced there several times but I could not find the lap record.

Laguna Seca (original configuration)

CART 1987 52.926s
CanAm2 1982 56.810s
F5000 1975 58.230s
CanAm1 1973 59.710s

What does this all mean? Probably that CanAm1 wasn’t the fastest ever, but let’s not forget that they were racing 50 years ago before computer-assisted aerodynamics and without modern tires. And I realize that today’s racing is excellent, with a level playing field. Nevertheless, if I had a time machine I’d be back there in a heartbeat.

Rick, Lisle, IL

MP: That’s some great research, Rick. Thanks for taking the time!

Q: A reader wrote in last week wanting a comparison of the mighty Can Am Porsche 917/30 of 1973 driven by Mark Donohue vs IndyCar at tracks they both raced on. The problem is, in 1973 Indycar was run by USAC and was an oval series. However, both a Can Am race and the USGP ran at Watkins Glen in 1973. In Can Am, Donohue sat on the pole with a time of 1m38.848s. In Formula 1, Ronnie Peterson took pole with a time of 1m39.657s.  Fastest lap was set by Donohue in the Can Am race at 1m40.00a. James Hunt ran the fastest lap in the USGP at 1m41.652s. In both cases the Porsche 917/30 bests the F1 machinery.

CART introduced itself to racing in 1979, so here are a few comparisons with later versions of CART machinery.

1973 Donohue Can Am pole at Mid-Ohio: 1m20.335s

1980 Al Unser IndyCar pole at Mid-Ohio: 1m24.870s

1973 Donohue Can Am pole at Elkhart Lake:  1m57.518s

1982 Rick Mears IndyCar pole at Elkhart Lake:  1m57.710s

1973 Donohue Can Am pole at Laguna Seca:  57.374s

1983 Teo Fabi Indycar pole at Laguna Seca:  56.920s

Finally, a win for IndyCar with a 10-year newer car than the Porsche 917/30.

The IndyCar numbers are for the first year CART ran on those tracks. I tried to do Riverside, but they obviously ran different versions of the course because the lap times were too far apart.

In conclusion, the Porsche 917/30 was a beast. The fastest closed course racing car of its day. They ran the thing a Talladega and it threw down a lap of 221.16 mph, which was the closed course world record at the time. And by the way, Mark Donohue was a bad man.

(The source of Can Am times was the book Can Am by Pete Lyons.)

Brian Henris, Fort Mill, SC

MP: Nothing like having a zillion horsepower and sublime handling perfected by Donohue to go with it.

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