re: 2025 Indycar and IMSA Thread (Indycar Toronto)

So at the Indy 500 test a couple of weeks ago, Sato had one of the fastest cars, and had the fastest no-tow speed, then crashed. They had to build him a new car. This week he seemed to struggle all week to get some speed into the new car. Now that it's all on the line, this is the current leaderboard for Team Rahal:

P9 Sato 232.169
P21 Foster 230.566
P22 DeFrancesco 230.415
P31 Rahal 228.686

Since speed at Indy is mostly set-up and careful preparation, how are the cars at one team so all-over-the-place on speed? Sato is on-track to make the top 12, the young guys are a little below the middle of the pack, and Graham is in danger of not making the show yet again. (At the moment, Armstrong is not on the board, but I hear that he is cleared to drive and is expected to make a run today.)

My question is, since these four cars were all prepared by the same team, how much of the difference in speed between these guys is:

1. Preparation - some cars prepped a little more carefully to reduce drag.
2. Voodoo - just the difference between seemingly identically prepared cars.
3. Trim - Sato running less wing because he just has bigger balls.
4. Skill/Technique - These guys talk about staying ahead of the car and making in-cockpit adjustments at the right time. Also, they may be using the hybrid system differently.

I don't understand why there's such a big sleed discrepancy between turns 2 and 4. Marco was getting killed out of 4

He supposedly headed to the tech shed

It was changed 5 or 6 years ago I think. Herta back out with new car

ETA you only keep your time if you get in the wait lane. If you want to skip the line, you gotta withdraw your time.

But there aren't many cars waiting this late so its kinda irrelevant IMO

I guess you can do that when you barely have enough cars to fill the grid

I know Buxton's job is to fill dead air, but man he is not providing any insight whatsoever. When you have ex-drivers as announcers, a motor-mouth like Buxton doesn't add anything but a British accent.

Sato going faster is significant. Other guys in the top 12 are going to be getting in line now.

In the lower top 12, Sato and Malukas went faster, but Power and Rosenqvist did not.

More desperate cars in Line 1 now, so the top 12 positions could be safe.

I saw a 239 from Dixon going into 3