About three seconds after the green flag dropped at Sao Paulo, a very unsurprising thing happened: all hell broke loose. And as the thick clouds of baking soda & chaos had cleared, Mario Moraes opted to park his car on Marco Andretti’s forehead. Yeah, well — whadayagonnado? Welcome to Brazil, folks — step lively now. This place is many things, but predictable is not one of them.
Perhaps that’s what gave Sunday’s race an uncharacteristic buzz: Brazil’s natural & serious aversion to the mundane. They are incapable of producing it. Or maybe that’s just my perception, but that’s doubtful. It is, after all, my favorite place on earth — despite the fact that I’ve never been there. But no matter; I know all the pertinent facts. Oh it’s an enchanting land — where party-fouls are felonies & dolphins frolic happily in their rivers. It’s like my imaginary “happy place,” Brazil is — which happens to be very not-imaginary at all.
So heading into Sunday, there was nothing — and I mean NOTHING — that could have happened that I wasn’t prepared for. Sandstorms … ghost trains … lava flows … people doing it in the grandstands … the pacecar driven by a stately, pipe-smoking puma … you name it. Had a 40-foot salamander wandered out into Turn 3 and hurled water balloons at Vitor Meira’s car … so what? — it’s Brazil. That stuff happens. And when a race is surrounded by that constant threat of whimsical & meteorological madness, people will take notice. And they did.
Of course, maybe that was IZOD’s doing too. Maybe an engaged sponsor w/ infinite amounts of cash CAN generate some very real race-day electricity. (Who knew?) All they did was repeatedly napalm the Free World with “activation” in the weeks & months preceding Sunday. It was a risky move for sure, just as hyping the unknown always is. And make no mistake — the Sao Paulo race was a giant, worrisome ether-ball of unknown. (What we’re gonna do is take this bullfighting ring right here & turn it into the front straightaway!!! Will it work? Will it explode? Should we layer it with marmalade? WHO KNOWS?!?! BUT IT’LL BE GREAT FUN!!)
Had IZOD hyped a dreadful race — or worse yet, one that was cancelled — we’d all be facing a PR catastrophe right now. But it wasn’t … and it wasn’t. The race itself shined on like a diamond-coated road grader.
It was the street-course race that all other street-course races aspire to be. Not to be clichéd, but it had everything — and everyone at my table fell in love with this Simona de Silvestro. Will Power was brilliant, of course, and Ryan Hunter-Reay is now the very face of the League (and not in the token sense either). But there was also intrigue & excitement & Bob Jenkins said “brazier” I think. The point is, nobody came away griping or otherwise sour. Which is astounding in its own right. A street-course race that delighted EVERYONE?! Jesus. Only in Brazil, I swear. (IS NOTHING SACRED IN THIS WONDERFUL CRAZYLAND?!) Perhaps that’s why Sunday felt so different. Or not.
Maybe it was ALL of that. Or maybe it was none. But for some reason(s) I can’t quite put my finger on, this race felt like it meant something. It felt bigger than your typical season-opener — or any other race I’ve ever seen for that matter. Not necessarily better, per se. Or more thrilling. Or more hard fought, although it may very well have been.
This didn’t seem like a mere race of some kind — it was more like an event.
2010 could be a very good year.
By Oilpressure, March 17, 2010 @ 10:37 am
Here, here Roy! You must still be sober after awakening from your day at the Flag Room. You are actually making some sound and rational points. I hope this is a sign of a great season ahead.
OK, it’s almost 11:30 am up there. The pubs are open. Go down some scotch and write something we’ll recognize.
By James, March 17, 2010 @ 10:51 am
What a great event it was. Finally the IRL has a committed sponser with deep pockets and a desire to use the league to market it’s products. This is something the tin top taxi cabs have always had with Winston and Nextel/Sprint. PPG and Northern Light never really had a consumer product to promote and none of us are really sure what Pep Boys expected. Product, yes, desire to invest their company into Indy Car racing, no. IZOD seems to be as great a sponser anyone could ask for. I’ll be wearing only IZOD cloths from now on!!…. Well pry not, that shit’s expensive!!
By Neon18, March 17, 2010 @ 10:56 am
The talking babies just have to say we missed Vision Racing and hope to see them soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7H9t4-wQx4&feature=related
By Larry Phelps, March 17, 2010 @ 11:07 am
Couldn’t agree more Roy. Searching for faults in this race and what it could eventually evolve into is like comparing the technical abilities of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith….a complete nonstarter.
By Carrie, March 17, 2010 @ 11:24 am
And as the thick clouds of baking soda & chaos had cleared, Mario Moraes opted to park his car on Marco Andretti’s forehead.
Weren’t we all wishing we were Moraes at that point? I mean, who hasn’t had the urge to park their car on Marco’s forehead?
By @99forever, March 17, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
So this is the result when you spend the entire race blotto at the Flag Room with a bunch of racing tweeps. I heard of your exploits, Roy. I think everyone did. (Good work with the monkey and the half-full tube of toothpaste!)
By Jason McVeigh, March 17, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
That race was fantastic but.. “Pace car driven by a stately, pipe-smoking puma”.. Is just as good.
By Riss, March 17, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
When Jenkins used the word Brazier, was he referring to the Dairy Queens that offer hot food in addition to ice cream. Because I do love that concept. One stop shopping for fat people who hate making difficult choices.
By Earnastine, March 17, 2010 @ 3:01 pm
Happy St. PAtricks Day…don’t forget the stout!
Saint Patrick was a gentleman
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland
Here’s a drinkee to his health!
But not too many drinkees
Lest we lose ourselves and then…
Forget the good Saint Patrick
And see them snakes again
By Jason McVeigh, March 17, 2010 @ 3:49 pm
I’ve lived in the north of Ireland my entire life and I’m yet to figure out why we celebrate getting rid of snakes by getting hammered and either fighting or having sex with each other.. But we do and to prove its not a stereotype, I’ve just been to the store and the shelves in the alcohol section are as empty as A.J. Foyts feminine side.
By Peggy, March 17, 2010 @ 4:18 pm
Well, as a meteorologist, I have to say this was MY kind of race! But please, Jack Arute, don’t try to do radar analysis. You suck majorly.
By DZ, March 17, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
Sao Paulo is over, the bar is set high
IZOD on each child and girlie and guy,
Top shelf are the racers
as well as our bracers
and off like the ‘Braziers’ we’ll fly!
Cheers, all! *hic* (hee)
By cappy, March 17, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
this race felt like it meant something
Exactly. Well said.
By lazlo, March 17, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
Upon further review… I would like to officially retract my hasty “C” grading of the Sao Paulo extravaganza. I can only offer that it was the result of some mis-guided thinking stemming from a 30 minute ether binge, er rain delay.
Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of first turn melees – they have a tendency to jade my outlook & skew my grading. Mea culpa.
IZOD has done a fantastic job in their new role as title sponsor. I really appreciate having a sponsor that is engaged & committed. We’ll be doing our best to buy your product as a show of support.
[memo to Marco – if you start up front, you’re likely to evade others “parking on your forehead” – stop your broken record bit&^ing and focus on maximizing the equipment you’ve been given].
RH, your prose flows.
By Peggi D, March 17, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
I could have sworn he said “brassiere”
By Francois, Flag Room Maitre'd, March 17, 2010 @ 11:17 pm
Monsieur Hobbson,
Sadly, your bill remains unpaid. We were dismayed to find that the name on your rejected Discover Card reads “Robin Miller.” Please contact us as soon as possible–the “circus folk” you were “entertaining” are apparently living in their vehicles in the parking lot. In addition, I would appreciate the return of my cumberbund.
By Bob, March 17, 2010 @ 11:32 pm
VERSUS IS BACK ON DIRECTV!! Sorry, I had to get that out. The track was awesome. I was very impressed by the turnout from the fans. Full grandstands at the season-opener is definitely something the series needed. My only complaint: too many topless men, not enough topless women.
By BC, March 18, 2010 @ 1:12 am
Don’t know who’s with me on this, but…
As a lover of the Indianapolis 500 and everything it has been in the past, my experience in watching IRL races over the past few years has been dominated by a nervous desire to see “good racing” – not for my sake but for the sake of the masses whom we desperately hope will tune in. Watching the decidedly non-theatrical domination of Penske/Ganassi over a dwindling empire has been agony.
So WOW, was it refreshing to watch a race that satisfied ME, not just my desire to see a decently marketable “good product”. For the first time in a long time it truly felt like a contest between multiple entities, not a will-they-or-won’t-they Ganassi/Penske deal. And it felt like I was watching an event, as Sir Hobbson puts it. Something that had its own legs and wasn’t counting on me to produce a .14 rating….even if it was.
And that was cool. I’m not of the opinion that the IRL’s current approach will restore the luster of the 500 (which is, after all, THE cornerstone and very definition of “Indy Car”)…but please, guys, prove me wrong!
Um, also, since this IS the Silent Pagoda, I’d like to point out that the above bleeding heartism comes only after some real, unimaginable, disgusting, inappropriate St. Patrick’s Day excess. So be gentle.
By Gus, March 18, 2010 @ 2:49 am
Like who uses the word brassiere often enough to get it mixed up with Brazil! Bob?
By Tom G., March 18, 2010 @ 7:16 am
Gus, that’s a good observation. Remember Bob wasn’t in Brazil for the race. Word on the street is that Bob, Jan, and Robby were calling the race from the Lounge of “Club Rio” in Indy, in which case the Brazil-Brazier mistake in entirely understandable.
By IndyCar fan, March 18, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
Bob Jenkins is a boring stiff who has botched alot over the years. He lacks knowledge of the racers, cars, race tracks, host cities, series rule book… Jenkins told us that Ryan Briscoe “has a banged-up front nose.” I think that we can assume that Briscoe’s only nose is on the front of his face. I don’t know how Jenkins could see Briscoes’ nose if he were only viewing the same video that we saw.
By Rick, March 18, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
I had just assumed that Jenkins made a Freudian slip after a really, really good (or at least average Brazilian) weekend.
By Roy Hobbson, March 18, 2010 @ 9:16 pm
Bob Jenkins is regal & that’s that. Disagree, do you? F–k you then.