The two biggest international open-wheel racing series start the 2010 season with the Indy Racing League in Brazil and Formula One teams competing in Bahrain.
Coming off an exciting 2009 season with Dario Franchitti winning the championship at the last race of the season there should little doubt that as many as five drivers with three teams will be contending for the title this year.
Franchitti and Target Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon have captured the IRL titles the past two years and should be prepared to again challenge for the title. The Penske team of Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe should be in the forefront for most of the year. I believe Tony Kanaan with Andretti motorsports will be the fifth driver in the championship chase.
This is a crucial year for Andretti motorsports teammates Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick. Both need to show that they contend at every race because of the first-rate equipment they are in. One has to wonder if Patrick’s racing with NASCAR will serve as a distraction.
I anticipate Will Power in a Penske Racing machine and Ryan Hunter-Reay driving with Andretti are due for breakout seasons.
Power showed last year he can be competitive and Hunter-Reay has the talent necessary to be a star.
The downside of the IRL opener is that it will be broadcast on Versus, which is not available to Direct-TV subscribers.
Formula One kicks off Sunday on the Speed Channel and it should prove to be an interesting season.
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will be driving for Ferrari and both have to be considered favorites for the championship. There will be a lot of questions surrounding Massa as he returns after a near-fatal freak accident last year.
The return of Michael Schumacher to Formula One with Mercedes should attract a lot of attention. Will the seven-time champion still have the necessary skills to be competitive after sitting out three years in retirement?
Lewis Hamilton and defending champion Jenson Button give McLaren a formidable driving combination.
Those six drivers should be battling for the title this season.
In other racing news
Anderson Speedway kicks off the season this Saturday at 1 p.m. with racing in five divisions. Thunder Cars, Pure Stock, Mini-Cups and Front Wheel Drives on the oval and figure-8 will be in action.
There will also be Australian Pursuit races for the Thunder Cars and Front Wheel Drives on the oval. The rules are simple: get passed and park the car.
The track is offering a $1 discount for any fan wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day and a $1 discount for bringing a nonperishable food item to be donated to local food pantries.
Contact Ken de la Bastide: 454-8580, ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com.
Auto Racing
Related Photos
Discussion
Ken de la Bastide: IRL, F1 seasons get rollin'
- Auto Racing
-
-
Indy 500 in the books, but heat isn't a record
Fans sought shade under the grandstands and beneath umbrellas. Misting stations got a healthy workout. But Sunday's Indianapolis 500 won't go down in the record books as the hottest in the 101-year history of the race.
-
Kahne keeps Hendrick success rolling at Charlotte
Kasey Kahne powered to victory in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, taking NASCAR's longest race for the third time for his first win with Hendrick Motorsports.
-
Quintin Harlan: If you want to honor a fallen driver just keep on racing
There are a myriad of reasons to love the Indianapolis 500. This year’s race was inundated with the emotion from the family, friends and colleagues of two-time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
-
This is Indy
Fans of the Indianapolis 500 took time on race day to remember Dan Wheldon, the popular driver who died in a crash last year at Las Vegas Speedway. Wheldon, the 2011 Indy 500 champion, was honored by the thousands of fans who were asked to wear special sunglasses patterned after the shades that he always wore. Fans wore the sunglasses on the pace lap, Lap 26 and Lap 98, which were Wheldon’s car numbers when he won at Indy.
-
Franchitti wins his third Indianapolis 500
For the second consecutive year the Indianapolis 500 was decided by a last-lap crash Sunday, but this time Takuma Sato crashed while battling for the win and allowing Dario Franchitti to score his third win.
-
Tyler runs away with second Little 500 win
Deuces were wild at the 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 as Brian Tyler recorded his second win and brought team owner Larry Contos win No. 2 at Anderson Speedway.
-
Rick Teverbaugh: Spectacle lacking on local TV
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, on television, is a myth in its own backyard.
-
96th Indy 500 is wide open
Marco Andretti knows how much heartache his family has suffered at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He needs no reminders that IndyCar could use an American superstar, and with his famous last name, he is quite aware of the hope that maybe he can be the one to elevate this attention-starved series.
None of that matters to Andretti as he heads into the Indianapolis 500. -
Junior hopes to end slump
At first Dale Earnhardt Jr. was relieved he didn’t fall further back than seventh at last year’s Coca-Cola 600. Then he realized what he had lost for just about a gallon of gas.
“After a while, you start thinking about, ‘Oh, yeah, we really came close to winning a race,’” Earnhardt said this week. “It was really unfortunate there wasn’t just a little bit more gas in the car.” -
Litt’s gamble pays off
Ryan Litt gambled that track conditions at Anderson Speedway were better on the second day of qualifying for tonight’s running of the Pay Less Little 500 and it paid off in a big way.
- More Auto Racing Headlines
-
Indy 500 in the books, but heat isn't a record
