'Will Power On The Pole'...

[Panther_99FS]

http://www.indycar.com/grid/

Looks like Dario hasn't lost a step either....(And he's better than Wheldon on road circuits..)

[Panther_99FS]

Wow I just looked that the times....

The front 3 rows are almost 20 seconds quicker than 13th place Graham Rahal...:isadizzy:

[Ferry_vO]

Seems bad weather and a slowly drying track are the cause of that..

"A storm about 30 minutes before qualifications impacted the first group of the initial 20-minute session the most, with rain tires the norm and steady hands on the steering wheel a necessity. The second group faced a half dry/half wet track, which also influenced lap times and aggressiveness. The racetrack dried throughout the next 60 minutes, but slick patches remained during the Firestone Fast Six.
It was during the 10-minute session that Will Power won one for the home team, capturing the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by AutoZone with a quick lap of 1 minute, 34.9451 seconds (105.977 mph) on the 2.795-mile course."

[Panther_99FS]

Lap 16, Will Power into the barrier...

Congratulations to Ryan Briscoe for the win!

[demorier]

Got away from this race this year and the other disruptions in my home town. Hopeless bloody concrete canyon track.

[wombat666]

My lovely wife kidnapped me!
Found myself at Melbourne International at 0400 Saturday with tickets for Surfers!!!!!
She decided I had done well over the last few months and deserved a reward, so we were off North. To compound the felony, Sophie had arranged for both my brothers to meet us there, along with several old petrolhead friends.
Great weekend from my point of view, caught up with the usual suspects (Didn't see Ashley, Dario must have left her home! Bummer!!) and Will Power's Grandfather, Brian (One of my 1970s sparring partners) escorted me into the Team Australia area, neither of us suprised that Will snatched pole and neither suprised that he clipped the wall while driving off from the field.
The 'Media' heaped so much pressure on him that it was just going to happen.
Loved the 'ANZAC' top three, and very pleased with the race result.
All the 'Road Racers' made the 'Oval Trackers' look very average, and sorry Ed, but Danica has no right to have her cute little butt in a racing car, she was a mobile chicane.
Next season might just spring some interesting driver changes on the field.
Tag (A really good bloke!) hinted at certain unwanted by NASCAR people hooking up with Indy again, Montoya, Villeneuve being just two names that received a Mention in Despatches.
We can only hope ..........:kilroy:
Those Dallaras are the second most fugly open wheelers I've ever seen, first place remains with EffWun.
But, they sound like a proper race car and the good drivers were flinging them around in a great fashion, so much so that most looked very scary, but I really did enjoy the entire IRL performance.
Kim Green let slip certain radical changes at Andretti Green for 2009 BTW.
Almost every person in the IRL paddock that I spoke too is unhappy at the thought of not coming back to Surfers, as I've been going for the past 17 odd years I'm right with them.
Nice people (well 99% of them) who go out of their way to look after the fans .................. we would sorely miss them.
Then again, 'Never say Never' as Ryan Hunter Reay put it.
FWIW, Brionne Petigro(??) is very cute, knows her stuff, and just needs the services of a really good hairdresser!
:d
We had a great weekend and I'm a partial convert to IRL, at least on road courses.
:applause:

[Panther_99FS]

Sounds like you had a blast Wozza!

BTW, Sarah Fisher is actually my 1st favorite female racer (but I'm biased since I met her in person..) :d

I never liked the Dallaras myself either - I always preferred the looks of the now defunct G-Force chassis...

Problem with Montoya at NASCAR is that Ganassi (Sabates) racing has never been any good....The were an outstanding mid-level team at best when Sterling Marlin was driving for them...

So ah...What's gonna be shakin down at Andretti-Green? :cost1:

[wombat666]

Reading the very faint message between the lines, 'Andretti Green' might (and I stress 'might') become 'Team Andretti' allowing Kim and Barry Green to reform 'Team Green'.
The one name that might (and I stress 'might' once again!) be part of the operation has the initials JV.
Almost like 1995 again.
:applause:
The way Dario stepped out of the taxicabs and was right back on race pace has made the other open wheeler unfortunates in NASCAR start thinking.
Montoya is a possibility while PT might get another chance. (Not sure where.)
The Silly Season for sure, but one never knows and some of this may even come to pass.
:d

[Panther_99FS]

Hmmm...for sake of discussion, let's say Green does split...

Does "TK" go with him leaving just the 2 "youngling" drivers with Andretti ?

BTW,...Andretti/Green needs to realize that Hideki Mutoh is their 2nd best driver, and not Danica or Marco...

[wombat666]

"The Silly Season for sure, but one never knows and some of this may even come to pass."

The 'Brothers Green' certainly know who their best drivers are, TK and JV would be a well matched pair.

[Panther_99FS]

Hmmm...
That *might* have been why TK re-signed then...(Knowing that he would be free of Marco & Danica)

Pure speculation though of course....:d

[Ferry_vO]

Still hoping that RD has a chance of an IRL ride for next year; he done pretty well in his rookie Champcar season..

:d