Shea Holbrook Interview.

Shea Holbrook

Shea Holbrook drives for her own team named Shea Holbrook Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series. She currently has one win this season racing in the TC category. Her #67 Honda Civic Si is sponsored by K&N Air Filters. Shea is a big Muscular Dystrophy advocate, participating in multiple fundraisers that help fund the research to help end Muscular Dystrophy. Here is my first interview with her! 

How did you get introduced to racing?
Well, I don’t really have the traditional story of grandpa and dad racing their whole lives and passing the wheel over to me. The first half of my life I was a competitive water skier spending much of my time training on the water. At one point, water turn to pavement! My dad showed interested in racing cars and thought, family sport? I got bit by the racin’ bug when I was 16 in the passenger seat of a ride along in the Richard Petty Experience. I then went on to obtain my SCCA license and since then have been road racing competitively all over the nation with many organizations, from sprint races to 25 hour enduros and today pro racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series.

Describe the racing series you are driving right now?
The Pirelli World Challenge Series is an exciting, high energy, high profile production-based series that races alongside with the IZOD IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS.) What makes the series so interesting in the mutli-class, standing start, sprint race. There’s three races (Grand Touring, Grand Touring Sport, and Touring Car) happening within the one 50 minute race. This calls for drama! Drivers of different classes must learn to somewhat work together as the speed differentials are very dramatic. The Pirelli World Challenge Series brings us all around the United States and Canada, from road to street courses. The series enjoys great media exposure, including TV coverage on the Versus Network and print media coverage in some of the most respected motorsports magazines in North America. Two things in particular I enjoy the most in the series are the Formula 1 style standing starts and how the series brings us to some of the most prestigious street courses in America.

Are you having much success this year, and what race do you look forward to driving in the most?
This year has been very interesting for us. When we perform, we give 110%. Due to a lack of funding we have not made it to all the races. But when we do, we prove we can be on top. The first race of the season in St. Petersburg I had an amazing start gaining 4 positions and  when I was setting up to make a pass for 6th place a huge Touring Car wreck happened in front of me ultimately collecting my car. I was able to get into another Honda for round 2 starting dead last due to bringing in a new race car and finished 8th in a car I had never been in. The race that I looked forward to the most was the Long Beach Grand Prix. Again, in another car, I was a bit nervous about this race and I had never raced there before. Unsatisfied with my performance on track during practice and qualifying, I said a silent prayer asking for a break. I ran my fastest lap times during the race, drove smart and confident which was ultimately the winning formula! I won my first professional race at the Long Beach Grand Prix!

Do you do anything special to prepare yourself for each race?
I don’t really have anything crazy that I do or any rituals, just one simple thing in particular. A team meeting in which we discuss or goals for the race. I pride our team in how family oriented, driven and supportive we are of each other. It’s a great ego booster knowing that your team fully believes and supports your efforts.

Is there a certain major racing series that you are wanting to drive in one day?
IndyCar! I love the diversity, atmosphere, competitiveness, and fan base.

I seen you have picked up some new sponsors, has there been any momentum picked up since then?
All the partners I’ve had this year have been the leading reason to my success on track. With their support, the whole team has been able to reach goals and break barriers. I have a very different relationship with each partner paving a road to success for both parties. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But it’s not. I’m still hungry to make it and looking for a long-term partnership.

What are your plans for next year? Have you looked into finding a ride in another series?
My plan is to be in the seat. As for plans for next year and looking for rides in other series, I just want to be in the seat! I’m optimistic and excited for what the 2012 season brings.

Toronto Recap

In my eyes Toronto was a crash-fest, but overall it really wasn't that bad of a race. The whole thing consisted of drivers actually being able to race for once, and tons of drama occurred among the championship contenders. Race control had some tough calls to deal with to.

KV Racing had a tough day. Tony Kanaan crashed and was out of the race by lap 2. Then Takuma Sato crashed on lap 79, and was put out of the race. The big improvement from E.J. Viso has to be noted, finishing 9th. Impressive for him, especially on a road course.

Newman/Haas Racing was having an excellent race until both James Hinchcliffe(R), and Oriol Servia were taken out in a huge crash on lap 85.

Other notable finishes are HVM Racing's Simona de Silvestro finishing in 10th, Dale Coyne Racing's Sebastien Bourdais finishing in 6th, and A.J. Foyt Racing's Vitor Meira finished in 5th.

Power VS. Franchitti.  
 What I wanted to really talk about is the supposed drive-through penalty that Dario Franchitti was supposedly received for knocking Will Power into the wall. That was avoidable contact to me. According to IndyCar it wasn't though. Although Franchitti didn't have enough room nor speed going into the corner to pass Power. All I know is that most fans, and Power himself are tired of Franchitti's dirty driving, and the fact that he is not not receiving penalties for any of it.

After the race in an interview with Versus, Will Power had this to say, "I left the inside open on the brakes. I'm really disappointed with Dario. I always race him clean, and he always races me dirty. He did the same at St. Pete, though I didn't say anything, and he did the same today. Disappointed in Dario. The guy who mouths off about everyone and whinges about everyone, and he's the guy who races the most dirty, never gets a penalty from IndyCar. It's just not right."

Power had every right to say this, and I agree with him. Dario is a dirty driver, and Will Power is generally a very well represented clean driver on the track. I disagree with Race Control's actions on that call. All the other crashes show that the driver's are actually being able to race for once.

Here are the final results from the Honda Indy Toronto.
1. (3) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
2. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
3. (8) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
4. (20) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
5. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
6. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
7. (10) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
8. (22) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
9. (18) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
10. (17) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
11. (26) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
12. (6) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
13. (5) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
14. (13) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 84, Running
15. (11) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 83, Running
16. (24) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 82, Running
17. (12) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 81, Running
18. (23) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 81, Running
19. (21) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
20. (19) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
21. (25) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 77, Contact
22. (4) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 76, Contact
23. (9) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 71, Contact
24. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 66, Contact
25. (15) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 43, Contact
26. (16) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 2, Contact "

Politics in Racing

The partisan bickering that we have come to know as politics has become the means of much ridicule by the American people. Many are extremely dissatisfied with the efforts of these lawmakers, as they often seem to disregard public opinion, opting instead to tiptoe around bills that may ruin their chances for reelection. The Indycar Series, like many other sports, has also fallen prey to political calls, the most dramatic of which ripped the series into two separate entities. While these differences have since been reconciled, politics still has a home in racing, albeit an unwelcome one.

One of the biggest goals that every fan would like to see is increased popularity of the series. Randy Bernard has implemented several measures to boost the fan’s experience, including doublewide restarts and the World Championship in Las Vegas. He has been quoted as saying that he will immediately vacate the series if the broadcast ratings are not at least a 1.0 in a perhaps valiant or perhaps foolish effort to prove his dedication to the increased popularity goal. Another of Bernard’s strengths is that he tends to listen to the demands of the fans. Following the conclusion of the Toronto race, I think the fans may have a large complaint to take up with Randy Bernard and Brian Barnhart.

The Streets of Toronto is one of the most popular road courses appearing on the Indycar schedule. Overnight ratings revealed it to be the most viewed race aired on the Versus network. While the series and the fans should both rejoice over this newest record, it has been somewhat overshadowed by controversy surrounding race control’s seeming unwillingness to issue penalties. Numerous incidents appeared to viewers as avoidable contact, which is means for a drive through penalty. The most controversial of these mishaps involved championship points leader, Dario Franchitti, and Penske rival, Will Power. Versus commentators stated that Franchitti had been issued a drive through penalty, which would require him to relinquish his front running position. Viewers were later informed that the commentators had mistakenly interpreted the call for a review as a penalty. They apparently pulled this punishment out of thin air, further igniting controversy on pit lane.

Following an incident with Alex Tagliani that completely removed Power from the race, Power openly vented his frustrations with the outcome of his day and the spineless presence of race control. “The guy [Dario] that mouths off about everyone, and whinges about everyone, and he’s the guy that races the most dirty, and never gets a penalty from Indycar. It’s just not right.”

Really though, it just isn’t right. For a series that prides itself on having the “best drivers in the world,” it seemed to be amateur hour in Toronto. Following an early exit from the race, Tony Kanaan tweeted, “Did we all need to go back to driving school or something?” It sure seemed like it, Tony. He also commented on race control’s presence, “And race control is starting with their excuses. WHAT A JOKE.” A joke indeed. I, myself, felt that these calls were inconsistent and should probably render more attention from the Versus crew so as to avoid confusion of the viewers.

During a post race interview, Scott Dixon admitted that he had been notified over his radio that teammate Dario Franchitti had been issued a penalty for avoidable contact, but that it had later been dismissed. Listeners of race control’s frequency stated that they had heard no such punishment issued, but are we really supposed to believe that Dixon’s crew was passing on information from the race broadcast? I find that theory somewhat fishy. Recent race control verdicts have seemed to protect “Princess” Dario (Power’s words, not mine) after blatant wrongdoings, the most outrageous of which was the Milwaukee pit stop when Dario ran over Power’s pit equipment. Many are beginning to believe that the series is simply turning a blind eye to Target Chip Ganassi Racing, myself included.

Michael Andretti expressed exasperation when the frontrunning Ganassi cars refused to line up for the restart, extending the caution in a period. This, Michael theorized, was their efforts to save enough fuel to make it to the finish line. I don’t know about you, but as a fan I am fed up with Ganassi’s stunts. I don’t want Chip’s politicking for short-term benefits to ruin the credibility of the Indycar Series.

We must let Randy Bernard and Brian Barnhart know that we won’t stand for any more pathetic and cowardly calls from race control. The world’s best drivers know what they are doing out there. Now race control must decide whether they will allow their credibility to be trampled or hold drivers accountable for their errors. I’d hate to have these petty politics ruin my love for this sport.

Toronto Pre-Race

Will Power starts from his 21st IndyCar Series pole today, and will more than likely be the best contender for the win. As usual the Target cars are starting up there with Dixon in 2nd, and Franchitti in third. Mike Conway might have a come back race today with the win from starting 4th. Could we see another American win today? We'll see because Graham is starting in 5th! Other impressive qualification runs included Oriol Servia in 6th, and Sebastien Bourdais in 7th.

Honda Indy Toronto Starting Grid.
1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 59.5771 (106.047)
2. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 59.6646 (105.892)
3. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 59.9000 (105.476)
4. (27) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 59.9326 (105.418)
5. (38) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.0463 (105.219)
6. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.3341 (104.717)
7. (19) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Honda, 59.8239 (105.610)
8. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 59.8715 (105.526)
9. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 59.8901 (105.493)
10. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 59.9020 (105.472)
11. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 59.9636 (105.364)
12. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.0115 (105.280)
13. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 59.8346 (105.591)
14. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 59.9869 (105.323)
15. (34) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 59.9389 (105.407)
16. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.0149 (105.274)
17. (78) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.0806 (105.159)
18. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.1191 (105.091)
19. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.1003 (105.124)
20. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.1542 (105.030)
21. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.3438 (104.700)
22. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.4472 (104.521)
23. (18) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.6226 (104.219)
24. (8) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.4524 (104.512)
25. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.6463 (104.178)
26. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 01:00.7917 (103.929)

Mid-Week Wrap up

Many things happened this week in the IndyCar Series, and even the Indy Lights Series. Let's explore what happened so far.

IndyCar Series News
Sam Schmidt Motorsports is partnering up with AFS Racing to run a second car for the last 7 races of the 2011 IndyCar season starting with Mid-Ohio on August 7th. The No. 17 car will be sponsored by Automatic Fire Sprinklers. AFS Racing is owned by Gary Peterson. The driver for the team has not been named yet. More than likely the driver's seat will belong to Rafael Matos who drove with the team during the Indianapolis 500.

Dario Franchitti in the old No. 27 Andretti Green car leading at Fontana in 2005. (Photo by Gavin Lawrence/Getty Images)

 IndyCar announced their return to Fontana. This comes after a lot of talk about possible ISC owned tracks that may come back onto the schedule for the 2012 IndyCar Season. However Auto Club Speedway is the first, and only new track that has been officially announced for the 2012 schedule. This will be IndyCar's first visit since 2005, when the IRL raced there with very limited crowds. Sides the smaller crowds Auto Club Speedway's President Gillian Zucker has expressed complete interest in IndyCar coming back to the Super-Speedway. Zucker said, she has called Randy Bernard multiple times, she even went as far as to have the Governor of California call him to get that race back. The race will be a night race and it will be held sometime in September or October, when the California temperatures aren't too hot for the IndyCar's to race there.

Simona de Silvestro was cleared to drive this weekend last Wednesday by the IndyCar Series medical staff.

Also in the news Simona de Silvestro and HVM Racing have announced that HOLTEC International signed on as an Associate Sponsor for the No. 78 car. HOLTEC makes nuclear waste containers to store them with the proper safety for the environment.

Iowa Speedway has a new owner with Featherlite Inc. founder Conrad Clement buying the track from Rusty Wallace. Track officials say that the new ownership won't affect any of the current daily operations.

Martin Plowman has signed with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to race at Mid-Ohio, Sonoma, and Baltimore for the 2011 IndyCar Season. Martin Plowman has partnered with Tire Kingdom for all three races.

Penske Racing has placed team President Tim Cindric as the new strategists for Will Power. John Erickson will be moved to Helio Castroneves. Clive Howell will continue his role as team Manager at Team Penske.

Indy Lights Series News
Bryan Herta Autosport has announced that they will add Brazilian Bruno Andrade to their roster this weekend for the Toronto 100 in the No. 29 William Rast car.

Former O2 Racing driver Peter Dempsey is now racing at Toronto this weekend with Andretti Autosport alongside Stefan Wilson.

The 500 Miles' Week in Review.

New information from the past week in the IndyCar world.

-Simona De Silvestro started her training again on Wednesday, which was the first the first time since her crash at the Milwaukee Mile on June 18th. De Silvestro has been suffering from post-concussion symptoms the past couple weeks, but is reporting that she is feeling a lot better. She still has to be cleared to race by IndyCar Series medical staff, in order to race at Toronto on July 10th.

-Will Power was cleared to go back into his Penske car on Wednesday. That same day he started testing with teammates Ryan Briscoe, and Helio Castroneves at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.Which was just less than 4 days after being diagnosed with a minor concussion from a crash at Iowa.

-The testing on the new 2012 IndyCar Series Dallara chassis will begin August 8th. It will be held at either Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, or in Sebring, FL. Another test is scheduled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sometime the last week of September. The chassis will be tested along with the new Honda V6 turbocharged engine, since it is the only engine that's ready to go as of now. Dan Wheldon, and Bryan Herta Autosport will test the new chassis.

Firestone Indy Lights Series'(FILS) O2 Racing is Suspended until Dec. '12

Although the IndyCar Series has been very inconsistent on enforcing the rules during races like Milwaukee. I do believe that the Indy Lights Series did the right thing by suspending the license/sponsorship of O2 Racing Technology, and the membership of team owner Mark Olson. The whole deal where Sam Schmidt Motorsports was caught cheating at Milwaukee was really wrong. It turns out the IndyCar PR department thought they were breaking the rules so they reported it, but it was never actually confirmed by the FILS Officials that the two accused Sam Schmidt cars were actually breaking the rules. So without confirmation from the actual FILS Officials O2 Racing decided that they could take the problems into their own hands and pull out of the race. Therefor that's why I think that Roger Bailey the executive director of the Indy Lights Series did the right thing, by showing O2 Racing that their in charge, not them.


Here is the actual statement released from the IndyCar Series stating why O2 Racing Technology is being suspended based on their actions. 
INDYCAR, the governing body of Firestone Indy Lights, has suspended the entrant license/membership of O2 Racing Technology and the individual membership of team owner Mark Olson until December 31, 2012, for actions during The Milwaukee Mile event June 18-19.

Olson was suspended for attempting to impede the conduct of the event by encouraging others to breach contracts with INDYCAR and withdraw from the David Hobbs 100. O2 Racing Technology was the only entrant to withdraw, removing its No. 36 and 63 entries from the participant list.

The actions were in violation of multiple rules as listed in the Firestone Indy Lights rulebook:

· Rule 1.1: Actions threatening the integrity of INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights and/or orderly conduct of an event.

· Rule 2.11 (C): Conduct creating adverse notoriety with respect to INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights or an event.

· Rule 9.3 (A): Attempting to or engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct or conduct detrimental to racing, INDYCAR and/or Firestone Indy Lights.

· Section 14 of the Event Entry Form: Engaging in tactics which would disrupt or delay the events.

"The mere act of attempting to impede the conduct of the event is something we will not tolerate," said Roger Bailey, executive director, Firestone Indy Lights. "We believe we have a great championship with Firestone Indy Lights that will help develop drivers and teams to prepare to move to the top level of open-wheel racing in North America, and we must maintain the integrity of our series."

The penalized parties may protest/appeal as prescribed in the Firestone Indy Lights rulebook. A protest/appeal may result in an increase, decrease or no change to the penalty.

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