Send a complete novice to the Mid-Ohio Motor Sports Car Course, and there’s bound to be confusion—for the novice.
Fortunately, finding experience at the track, especially while the cars were making practice laps proved gratifying. IZOD engineer Jeff Horton, of Indianapolis, took his own course challenge to try to bring the novice up to speed. He gave a lesson in Indy racing 101.
With NASCAR looming around the corner, Horton explained the difference. That was easy enough for the novice to understand. NASCAR is stock cars: Production cars as Horton explained it. IndyCars have open wheels and open cockpits. The top level Indy car engines, Honda or Chevrolet, run at 650 hp and Indy Lights at 425 hp.
“NASCAR does a very good job of getting their drivers in front of the fans,” Horton said, “Their drivers develop a following.” He wasn’t sure why that’s the case. But he did note that Brazilian driver Helio Castroneves developed some popularity after performing on Dancing With the Stars.
And that’s not too much of a stretch for an Indy driver. They’re athletic, he explained.
“It’s hard; it’s physically and mentally demanding,” he stated, “You have to have muscle to pull a 1,600 pound car at two to three Gs for 200 laps.”
Their newest car, running its second year also poses physical challenges. It has a whip action to the steering wheel and is causing hand fracture injuries.
That’s a concern for Horton because he’s responsible for the safety aspect of all of the cars and his team also performs accident investigations. In the off-season they do crash testing to work toward making cars safer in the future. They’re even considering power-steering.
Another lesson for the novice? IndyCars also run three different types of courses: road courses, like Mid-Ohio; street courses like the races in Toronto and St. Petersburg; and ovals.
And if any of this information is wrong, it’s not on Horton. The novice is still green.
