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As the Firestone Turns: 5 to Watch in 2012

To say the offseason for IndyCar was an offseason of change would be a gross understatement.  The scramble to be on the grid with the new DW12 Dallara and the new 2.2 liter turbo-charged V-6 engines has been interesting to watch unfold as silly-season took many abrupt and surprising turns.  With all the seat shuffling and new teams entering the series, the questions arise as to which drivers may have breakout seasons.  At this point not a lot is known about which engine will be the strongest, which adds an increased factor of difficulty as to the drivers that may have very successful seasons.  But, the 5 drivers below are certainly ones to keep an eye on during the 2012 season.

Rubens Barrichello:  First and foremost, all eyes will be on Rubens Barrichello this year.  The former Formula 1 star will try his hand at IndyCar, and ovals, for the first time in his career.  The veteran of 322 F1 starts, 11 wins, and 14 poles will pilot the #8 BMC/Embrase entry for KV Racing Technology in 2012.  The long-time best friend and “brother” of IndyCar champion Tony Kannan brings a wealth of experience in setting up and developing new racecars.  Barrichello’s biggest challenges will be on the ovals where has no experience, but expect him to be a podium contender on the road and street courses.  A win is certainly not out of the question.  The relationship with Kanaan will also make the transition easier and should create a positive environment for the KV teams.  On top of the stellar resume’, Rubens is known as one of the most likeable drivers in the paddock.  Although he may not be a household name in the US, he should quickly become a fan favorite.  @rubensbarrichello @kvracing

Credit Mosport.com

Simon Pagenaud:  The 2011 “super-sub” finally gets his chance at a full-time IndyCar ride with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.  The sports-car veteran found himself as the last minute sub for injured drivers Ana Beatriz and Justin Wilson last year at Barber and Mid-Ohio respectively.   He also filled in for Simona de Silvestro at Infineon while she was in Switzerland with visa issues.  Pagenaud should be fast at the road and street courses, but his lack of experience on ovals will certainly play a role in the final championship standings.  However, Sam Schmidt Motorsport sat on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in 2011, so the team should be able to help the transition to ovals much easier.  A win is not out of the question, but also expect him to contend for podiums on the road and street courses.  @simonpagenaud @ssmindy

Credit Speedcafe.com

Sebastien Bourdais:  Former ChampCar champion and F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais will finally return to full-time open-wheel competition in 2012 with Dragon Racing. However, he will miss the race at Milwaukee due to previous commitments to run the 24 hour race at LeMans.  There is certainly no doubt the Frenchman is an incredible wheelman.  After a strong run at the end of 2011 with Dale Coyne Racing, Bourdais showed that he not only still has the skill some thought may had been lost, he also showed he can make the best out of imperfect cars with a small team.  The biggest question mark will be the Lotus engine powering his #7 ride and the Dragon Racing team itself which has struggled to run well.  @dragonracing

Creid IZOD IndyCar Media Site (2011)

Justin Wilson:  The likeable Brit finds himself back with Dale Coyne Racing in 2012 and will reunite with former engineer Bill Pappas.  Wilson’s 2nd, and last, win came with Coyne and Pappas in 2009.  This win currently stands as the only win in the series for the Coyne team.  Powered by Honda for 2012, expectations are high for the reunification of the winning combination of Wilson/Pappas/Coyne.  The 2012 season-opener at St. Petersburg marks the return of Wilson to the series after missing the last portion of the 2011 season with a back injury he suffered in a freak off-track excursion at Mid-Ohio.  Another former F1 driver, Wilson is highly regarded for his technical skill and was rumored, before returning to Coyne, to be in the running for the Andretti Autosport #27 GoDaddy.com ride.   If past history and team chemistry are any indication, Wilson should challenge for a win or 2 during 2012, and  it could be a breakout year for the Dale Coyne Racing team.  @justinwilson22 @dalecoyneracing

Credit IZOD IndyCar Media Site (2011)

Mike Conway:  After a surprising victory at Long Beach in 2011 with Andretti Autosport, Conway struggled through the rest of the season and even missed the Indy 500.  Moving to AJ Foyt Racing in 2012, Conway looks to improve his fortunes and those of the Foyt team as well that spent recent years mid-pack with Vitor Meira at the helm.  AJ Foyt Racing GM Larry Foyt has expressed that the team has refocused its efforts and placed increased emphasis in engineering which he believes will lead to improved results on the track.  Also, it has been reported that Conway and the team have been very quick in pre-season testing.  2012 could be the breakout year for Conway that he seemed to be on the verge of in 2011.  @mikeconwayindy @ajfoytracing

Ross Bynum (@therossbynum)

NOTE:  Past season driver headshots were used as 2012 headshots are not yet available through the IndyCar media site.

Indycar: As the Firestone Turns #1

Welcome to the very first edition of As the Firestone Turns.  This will be your weekly hot spot for off-track news, pictures, events, interviews, and happenings to keep you connected to the world of Indycar.  Often times, the best stories within the paddock aren’t what is broadcast on television or printed in the local newspaper.  The paddock is full of exciting events, interesting people, and great stories that are never told.  AtFT will connect you to the drivers, new talent, officials, history, and moments that make Indycar awesome.  Special editions will likely occur as I will be live at the track for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 and at the Firestone 550K at Texas Motor Speedway.  So, with that, lets get to it!

This first edition of As the Firestone Turns will bring you up to speed on some of the most recent off-season Indycar happenings via Twitter pictures.  One of the wonderful things about social media outlets such as Twitter is it allows fans instant access to drivers and teams and visa versa.  Luckily, Indycar drivers and teams are excellent at utilizing Twitter to engage and interact with fans.

Credit KV Racing Technology

As we all know, Indycar has a new chassis, the Dallara DW12, for the new season.  For you NASCAR fans, the process of prepping a brand new Dallara for the track is much different than a Roush Ford Fusion.  Just in time for Christmas, teams took delivery of the first 15 DW12′s on December 15th.  Dallara placed them in nice, big present boxes just for added holiday spirit!  Not really, but there is certainly some assembly required as shown by this picture Tweeted by KV Racing Technology.  This is Tony Kanaan’s new racecar.

 

 

 

Credit Will Power

Other than the infamous New Hampshire flying fingers incident, Will Power is known to be one of the most clean-cut and well-mannered drivers in the paddock.  The piercing blue eyes and Australian accent help cement the image he portrays.  However, after Las Vegas, Power apparently lost his razor on the way home and grew quite an impressive beard over the holidays.  Luckily, Will Tweeted this picture when he shaved the beard into an equally impressive 70′s era porn star goatee and side-burn combo.  Bow-chika-wow-wow!

 

Credit Andretti Autosport

After 9 years of the Dallara IR03 chassis, Indycar teams have fleets of the old cars sitting around.  Andretti Autosport Tweeted this picture from inside their shop showing off a couple of cars that have interesting histories.  In this photo is the #7 Motorola liveried chassis that Danica Patrick drove to victory at Twin-Ring Motegi as well as the #39 Michael Andretti drove in his last Indianapolis 500 in 2007.

Credit Alex Tagliani

Alex Tagliani is a busy man this offseason.  The 2011 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter, landed a ride with 2011 Indianapolis 500 winning team Bryan Herta Autosport for 2012.  Earlier this week, Tagliani was at Miami-Homestead Speedway testing the Lotus test car on the road course at the venue.  However, from the looks of his Tweet, Tags was in the Land-O-Giants not South Florida.  The shower head in the bathroom was apparently mounted to accommodate those of Yao Ming stature.

 

 

 

 

Credit Alex Tagliani

Not long after the above shower Tweet, Alex got his first taste of the new Dallara DW12 chassis.  One big adjustment has been the switch to ceramic brakes.  One of the first things drivers have mentioned after driving the new car is the immense stopping power the new brakes have and how it takes to get used to them.  These are certainly not the brakes on your Mom’s Malibu.  According to Tagliani, this is the “Ceramic Brake Face”.  Let’s just hope none the drivers get stuck like this!

 

 

 

 

Credit Graham Rahal

Most of the new DW12′s that have seen on-track activity have sported blank carbon-fiber panels or have been painted in manufacturer colors.  As the season draws closer, cars are assembled, and testing ramps up, the new liveries for 2012 show begin to show their new shiny sides.  Graham Rahal Tweeted this picture of his 2012 NTB/Service Central scheme.  I think it will look very nice going 220+ at Indy.

There you have it, the first edition and trial-run of As the Firestone turns and a quick Twitter photo update on a few of the off-season activities.  Feedback is always welcome and is it up to you, the fan and loyal reader, to help AtFT grow and develop with the content you want to see!

Ross (@therossbynum)