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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Push-To-Pass Makes Quiet Debut At Toronto
Drivers and fans hoping for a major rush of power from INDYCAR's newly implemented Push-to-Pass button were met with a something a bit more mild on Friday.
At present, the Overtake button will not provide the rush of acceleration some where hoping for, but the series will likely tweak its impact in the coming races. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
Drivers and fans hoping for a major rush of power from INDYCAR's newly implemented Push-to-Pass button were met with a something a bit more mild on Friday as team tested the new system and came away somewhat underwhelmed with its effect.
"We can see the revs increasing on the computer, but you don't feel it in the car," said Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who echoed the comments of numerous IndyCar pilots. "It's about two-tenths [of a second] on lap time. The good thing is, Push-to-Pass is back again. But maybe we should plan ahead, especially when we have a two-week break to the next race at Edmonton."
At the behest of the engine manufacturers, the series has re-introduced the system with a modest and measured increase in power, but it's likely the power the button delivers will grow before the end of the season.
For now, and with such a soft increase in performance, Castroneves would like to see a unique anti-Push-to-Pass safeguard system established.
"Maybe we can do something like a delay, so if one guy presses the button, the guy in front or behind him cannot react right away," he suggested. "Then you can make a proper overtake. If I push my button, and the guy I'm chasing then pushes his button, you get nothing out of it. The bottom line is yes, this is for us as drivers, but it's also for the fans. If we can use the button to cancel each other out, maybe we should think about not letting that happen so easy."
Given 100 seconds of total Push-to-Pass boost to use in the race, drivers will have to manage the button manually, compared to the previous system that stayed activated for a preset length of time once the button was pushed.
"It's a beginning," said Castroneves. "But it can be good. You get 100 seconds, total, and you can use as much of it that you want, but the engineers will come up with a plan, I'm sure. They'll look at the length of the straights and figure out the best places and times for us to use it. Then it's up to us to use that plan, but you know you'll need to save some for the end of the race. We'll see what it really does for you on Sunday."
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Toronto 2012
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
"We can see the revs increasing on the computer, but you don't feel it in the car," said Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who echoed the comments of numerous IndyCar pilots. "It's about two-tenths [of a second] on lap time. The good thing is, Push-to-Pass is back again. But maybe we should plan ahead, especially when we have a two-week break to the next race at Edmonton."
At the behest of the engine manufacturers, the series has re-introduced the system with a modest and measured increase in power, but it's likely the power the button delivers will grow before the end of the season.
For now, and with such a soft increase in performance, Castroneves would like to see a unique anti-Push-to-Pass safeguard system established.
"Maybe we can do something like a delay, so if one guy presses the button, the guy in front or behind him cannot react right away," he suggested. "Then you can make a proper overtake. If I push my button, and the guy I'm chasing then pushes his button, you get nothing out of it. The bottom line is yes, this is for us as drivers, but it's also for the fans. If we can use the button to cancel each other out, maybe we should think about not letting that happen so easy."
Given 100 seconds of total Push-to-Pass boost to use in the race, drivers will have to manage the button manually, compared to the previous system that stayed activated for a preset length of time once the button was pushed.
"It's a beginning," said Castroneves. "But it can be good. You get 100 seconds, total, and you can use as much of it that you want, but the engineers will come up with a plan, I'm sure. They'll look at the length of the straights and figure out the best places and times for us to use it. Then it's up to us to use that plan, but you know you'll need to save some for the end of the race. We'll see what it really does for you on Sunday."
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Toronto 2012
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
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