Hawksworth to test IndyCar with RLL

[Hitokiri]

Jakes improved or rather Graham went off the boil big time?

This is actually a very good question.

Graham's recent jump in performance in my opinion proves that the issue was more within the team then Graham himself. Not saying that Graham is perfect but it is odd that after some changes to the team were made his performance suddenly has risen. Jakes on the meanwhile has steadily been getting better or has shown some consistency in his speed which as I said before is more often then not on par with Graham. Now if Simona could do the same things as Jakes have done then I think she would get more respect.

Rahal has a history of making solid drivers look mediocre on a long haul. Bryan Herta's career effectively stalled at Rahal before he found some mojo back in IRL. And Buddy Rice was never the same compared to his Cheever days too. The only drivers who actually gained something while driving for the team in the last 15 years were Papis and RHR. Everyone else stalled or went backwards.

As some fans here have pointed out many drivers have excelled under Bobby's leadership and that includes guys like Buddy Rice and even Danica Patrick. Even Sato did fairly well last year and nearly won both Fontana and Indy and challenging for the win at Edmonton.

The weakness of Bobby's team is the inconsistency in sponsorship as of late. He had great sponsors in Ford, Shell, and Bud Light in CART but since then has struggled. As for you comment on Bryan Herta - I have to say a lot of that was Bryan's fault. I was a HUGE fan of Bryan Herta but often times he seemed to be his own enemy and made many mental errors. He never said it but I think losing so many times on the last lap (especially to guys like Zanardi) built a mental block that he never could get over. Bryan was always fast during qualifying but during races he just kept on falling backwards. I always felt sorry for Bryan because he had the speed and skill but never could get over that bump that kept him for being an elite driver in CART.

[Vassago]

Nobody's saying Simona is a championship contender. And picking a guy over a girl is always the case unless you're a certain brunette from Illinois. After all, motor racing is a man's sport

[KevinNeely]

If Jakes had come through the Atlantics ladder like Simona did, they'd probably have similar results. Jaksey raced against some pretty stiff competition in F3 Euro Series (His teammates were Nico Hulkenberg and Jules Bianchi. Also in the series were JK Vernay, Robert Wickens, Charlie Kimball, Plowey, and a couple of starts by a very young Daniel Ricciardo.) He finished 5th for Manor in 2007 behind Romain Grosjean, Sebastien Buemi, Nico Hulkenberg, and Kamui Kobayashi.


The year Simona finished 3rd in Atlantics(2009), the only names that really jump out are the two drivers who finished ahead of her, being John Edwards and Johnathan Summerton. In 2008 the only names that really pop are Summerton, Hinch, Bomarito and Dane Cameron.

I like Simona, both as a driver in the series and personally, but I think she's more hyped because she's female than actual driving talent. Don't get me rong...she IS talented, and is one of those drivers that can win on a weekend with the right circumstances, but I don't think she's a championship contender. I don't think Jakes is either, but I do think Jakes is a more talented driver. In all honesty, they're pretty much on the same level.

If I had to choose between the two for a ride, given equal funding and circumstances, I'd pick Jakes.

[Buckeye Nation]

Jakes improved or rather Graham went off the boil big time? Rahal has a history of making solid drivers look mediocre on a long haul. Bryan Herta's career effectively stalled at Rahal before he found some mojo back in IRL. And Buddy Rice was never the same compared to his Cheever days too. The only drivers who actually gained something while driving for the team in the last 15 years were Papis and RHR. Everyone else stalled or went backwards.[/QUOTE]

Uh. Ever heard of Kenny Brack? Where was Michel Jourdain before Rahal? That team SAVED Ryan Hunter-Reay's career. What did Vitor Meira do when he left there... And if you know me, you know I am NO RLL apologist, just sayin....

[Vassago]

There are still a lot of people who question Simona being in the series in first place. I don't see much criticism towards Jakes though.

We also have to consider what teams they're on and how they compare to their teammates. Sure, Simona's teammate is TK who is an accomplished driver but Simona's results are no where close to what TK has achieved this year. TK has proven that KVR's cars can be a top 5 finishing car from week to week but yet Simona is struggling just to make the 10 or even the top 15. Jakes on the other hand is challenging Graham who is not as accomplished as TK but I think many would pick Graham to destroy Jakes like he did with Charlie Kimball. Jakes instead responded by out qualifying Graham on many occasions and if not for some on track incidences he would be ahead of Graham in points. Let's not forget that RLLR cars haven't been the best this season and the fact that Jakes is more or less keeping up with Graham shows that he has improved.

That's my take on it anyways.

Jakes improved or rather Graham went off the boil big time? Rahal has a history of making solid drivers look mediocre on a long haul. Bryan Herta's career effectively stalled at Rahal before he found some mojo back in IRL. And Buddy Rice was never the same compared to his Cheever days too. The only drivers who actually gained something while driving for the team in the last 15 years were Papis and RHR. Everyone else stalled or went backwards.

[Hitokiri]

It's probably something of a

Simona finishing 7th or 8th is not that big of a surprise because its expected
Jakes finishing 7th or 8th IS a big surprise because its NOT expected

Not only that, Jakes had a 2nd place finish @ Detroit. Simona's best finish is still 4th.

Simona is still a better driver.

But I'm just sayin'.

We also have to consider what teams they're on and how they compare to their teammates. Sure, Simona's teammate is TK who is an accomplished driver but Simona's results are no where close to what TK has achieved this year. TK has proven that KVR's cars can be a top 5 finishing car from week to week but yet Simona is struggling just to make the 10 or even the top 15. Jakes on the other hand is challenging Graham who is not as accomplished as TK but I think many would pick Graham to destroy Jakes like he did with Charlie Kimball. Jakes instead responded by out qualifying Graham on many occasions and if not for some on track incidences he would be ahead of Graham in points. Let's not forget that RLLR cars haven't been the best this season and the fact that Jakes is more or less keeping up with Graham shows that he has improved.

That's my take on it anyways.

[Tree0404]

Funny how he's behind Simona in the points and you were one of the most vocal critics of her performances just few weeks ago. Go and figure

It's probably something of a

Simona finishing 7th or 8th is not that big of a surprise because its expected
Jakes finishing 7th or 8th IS a big surprise because its NOT expected

Not only that, Jakes had a 2nd place finish @ Detroit. Simona's best finish is still 4th.

Simona is still a better driver.

But I'm just sayin'.

[Vassago]

In fact, Jakes quite impressed me this year..

Funny how he's behind Simona in the points and you were one of the most vocal critics of her performances just few weeks ago. Go and figure

[Hitokiri]

Hmm, wonder if Jakes has had it there?

It could be that Hawksworth is paying to test an Indycar instead of Bobby asking him to test. I know this happens fairly often in F1 and I don't see why it wouldn't happen in Indycar. Either way I think this is very good news for Indycar and the drivers that are coming up through the American open wheel ladder as a whole. Hawksworth is a ladder champion and is showing great skill, patience, and perseverance through this year's Indy Lights championship. I think the only weakness Hawksworth has is his lack of results on ovals. Guys like Karam and Munoz have success on both ovals and street/road courses but not Hawksworth.

As for Jakes, I also believe he has improved this year mainly in qualifying. If he had a little more luck he would be ahead of Graham in the points. I hope he does get another shot somewhere if he's not with RLLR.

[castronevesfan3]

Hmm, wonder if Jakes has had it there?

In fact, Jakes quite impressed me this year..

[Grizzlor]

Hmm, wonder if Jakes has had it there?

[dwforever]

http://www.indycar.com/News/2013/09/9-3-Hawksworth-to-test-with-RLL

RLL announced that Jack Hawksworth (2012 Star Mazda champ, 3-time FIL race winner this year) will be testing an IndyCar for them this month at Sebring.

Hail to the ladder system.