A local gas station attendant said a motorsport team member stopped in the convenience story Saturday morning and the attendant extended sympathy for the morning’s rain. To his surprise, the man replied, “No, this is great. On a rainy day you can find out who is the best driver. On a dry day, it’s who has the best car.”
At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, motorsport reporter Tim Wohlford concurred. Under dry conditions, he said, the race depends on shocks, wings, wing angles, and tire pressure.
“In the rain, it’s like driving on snow. The difference in drivers will be magnified. If you have a young driver who does well in the rain, then you know he’s a keeper,” Wohlford said.
The rain, however, didn’t linger long enough to test IndyCar drivers. By mid-morning the sky was clear and only the Indy Light drivers tried their skills on the wet track.
Engines were a hot topic at the sports car course.
“Engines are not owned by the teams,” explained Wohlford, “They’re leased. Teams get, I believe, five engines a season.”
Chevrolet Racing Communication’s Judith Dominick described Chevy’s presence at the course. Chevy returned to the scene in 2012.
“We have not been here since 2005. Till then, Honda was the only engine provider,” she said, “The reason we race is to demonstrate the technical transfer and tie them to production.”
When the engine rules changed, Chevrolet returned in 2012, supplying some teams with 2.2-liter, aluminum, direct-injected, twin-turbocharged V6 engines.
“It’s a purpose-built engine,” Dominick stated, “and it’s still a technology used in street cars and will be offered in the new Chevy Malibu, Cruz and Equinox.”
At the track, Honda was prepared to introduce their new Acura NSX, which is being developed for 2015. The car will debut tomorrow before the Indy 200. It will be driven by Honda engineer Jason Widmer.
It’s just one more reason for excitement at Mid-Ohio this weekend. And tomorrow, the best driver, or the best car, will be the 2013 Indy 200 winner.
“In the rain, it’s like driving on snow. The difference in drivers will be magnified. If you have a young driver who does well in the rain, then you know he’s a keeper,” Wohlford said.
