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This is pretty much like F1, slightly different but pretty much the same, I wish I could watch it on tv though 
The easiest way to digest details of the enhanced IndyCar Series street/road course qualifying procedure that will debut this weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is to think in increments of six.
The popular Firestone Fast Six shootout for starting positions on the first three rows returns, but instead of single-lap qualifying there will be three knockout rounds to determine who participates in the 10-minute session. The move follows an alteration in oval racetrack qualifying (four laps cumulative time to determine the grid) that debuted at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
OK, here's the 411:
Practice
Sessions 1-2: Two practices on Fridays totaling 2½ hours, in which all cars participate together without assigned groups, lay the groundwork.
Session 3: On Saturday mornings, the cars will be randomly divided into two groups for 30 minutes each of final practice.
Qualifications
Segment 1: Begins Saturday afternoons with the same two groups competing for 20 minutes each. The fastest six cars from each group advance to another round of qualifying. The remaining cars will set positions 13 down on the starting grid based on fastest lap time.
Segment 2: The 12 advancing cars enter a 15-minute group qualifying session with all previous times voided. Following that session, the fastest six cars will advance to the Firestone Fast Six. The remaining six cars will fill positions 7-12 on the starting grid based on their fastest laps from that session.
Segment 3: Once again, all times will be erased and the six finalists will battle for 10 minutes with the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award as the prize based on lap time. It also sets the remainder of the first three rows. There will be a 10-minute break between the final two segments, and each participant will receive an extra set of Firestone Firehawks.
"Qualifying for our road and street courses has been full of drama ever since we introduced the Firestone Fast Six concept in 2005," said Brian Barnhart, president of the competition and operations division of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series. "Expanding the group format into several stages will add additional levels on intrigue and strategy that will keep fans entertained throughout."
There currently are five street/road course events on the IndyCar Series schedule: St, Petersburg, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Infineon, Belle Isle. Team Penske's Helio Castroneves is the two-time defending champion on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg circuit.
"The new qualifying format should be a hit with the fans," said Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing. "It adds increasing levels of excitement and unpredictability with each segment. It leads to the climactic Firestone Fast Six that has produced so much excitement since its inception at St. Pete three seasons ago, in part because the participants receive an extra set of new Firestone Firehawks for that session alone. We're eager to see the new format unveiled this weekend."
The popular Firestone Fast Six shootout for starting positions on the first three rows returns, but instead of single-lap qualifying there will be three knockout rounds to determine who participates in the 10-minute session. The move follows an alteration in oval racetrack qualifying (four laps cumulative time to determine the grid) that debuted at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
OK, here's the 411:
Practice
Sessions 1-2: Two practices on Fridays totaling 2½ hours, in which all cars participate together without assigned groups, lay the groundwork.
Session 3: On Saturday mornings, the cars will be randomly divided into two groups for 30 minutes each of final practice.
Qualifications
Segment 1: Begins Saturday afternoons with the same two groups competing for 20 minutes each. The fastest six cars from each group advance to another round of qualifying. The remaining cars will set positions 13 down on the starting grid based on fastest lap time.
Segment 2: The 12 advancing cars enter a 15-minute group qualifying session with all previous times voided. Following that session, the fastest six cars will advance to the Firestone Fast Six. The remaining six cars will fill positions 7-12 on the starting grid based on their fastest laps from that session.
Segment 3: Once again, all times will be erased and the six finalists will battle for 10 minutes with the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award as the prize based on lap time. It also sets the remainder of the first three rows. There will be a 10-minute break between the final two segments, and each participant will receive an extra set of Firestone Firehawks.
"Qualifying for our road and street courses has been full of drama ever since we introduced the Firestone Fast Six concept in 2005," said Brian Barnhart, president of the competition and operations division of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series. "Expanding the group format into several stages will add additional levels on intrigue and strategy that will keep fans entertained throughout."
There currently are five street/road course events on the IndyCar Series schedule: St, Petersburg, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Infineon, Belle Isle. Team Penske's Helio Castroneves is the two-time defending champion on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg circuit.
"The new qualifying format should be a hit with the fans," said Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing. "It adds increasing levels of excitement and unpredictability with each segment. It leads to the climactic Firestone Fast Six that has produced so much excitement since its inception at St. Pete three seasons ago, in part because the participants receive an extra set of new Firestone Firehawks for that session alone. We're eager to see the new format unveiled this weekend."
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