The two biggest international open-wheel racing series start their 2010 seasons this weekend with the Indy Racing League competing in Brazil and Formula One racing 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 different teams will be contending for the IndyCar Series title this year.
Franchitti and Target Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon have captured the last two IndyCar titles 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 the Versus channel, 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, four of whom have won championships, should be battling for the title this season.
In other racing news
Anderson Speedway kicks off its 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 are heat races and features for all divisions except for the Front Wheel Drive figure-8 action which is a feature only. 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 non-perishable food item to be donated to local food pantries.
• Ken de la Bastide may be reached at ken.delabastide@ kokomotribune.com or 765-454-8580.
Sports
DE LA BASTIDE: IRL, F1 shifting into gear
Open-wheel series open seasons this weekend.
- Sports
-
-
Wiechmann comes up big in regional
Western senior wrestler Jake Wiechmann had lost twice this season to Kokomo standout Fletcher Miller, and was trailing 3-1 to Miller in the third period of the championship of the 182-pound match at the Peru Regional Saturday when the opportunity for vengeance struck.
-
Wildkat wrestlers move nine onto Ft. Wayne semistate
The Kokomo Wildkats’ bus will need just a little bit more gas than usual next weekend to haul its cargo up to Fort Wayne for Saturday’s individual wrestling semistate at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
-
Visitors down at tourism office
Since moving its office location from the Kokomo Event Center to downtown Kokomo, the number of walk-in visits for tourism information has dropped 77 percent in one year.
-
Kokomo guts out a win at Lebanon
It didn’t take clairvoyance to deduce that Saturday night’s showdown between Class 4A No. 6-ranked Kokomo and Class 3A No. 3-ranked Lebanon in the Tigers’ Rosenstihl Gymnasium had the makings of a close affair.
-
Western beats Taylor, secures shot at outright MIC title
Something Taylor coach Andy Lewman noted about Western’s boys basketball team early on this season was how well the Panthers share the ball.
-
Kats rock Vikings with 99-point explosion
The last time Kokomo’s boys basketball team enjoyed the type of offensive showcase it put on Friday night, it was at the expense of Kyle Macy’s Peru Tigers.
-
Tigers capture big win
Northwestern boys basketball coach Jim Gish didn’t think twice when asked about the biggest factor in his Tigers’ 55-43 win at Class 2A No. 5-ranked Tipton on Friday night.
-
Peyton Manning’s doctor gives QB clearance to play
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning has been cleared by his surgeon to start taking hits again.
-
Area hoops teams face stiff tests away from home
Over the past two seasons, Kokomo High School’s boys basketball team has piled up a 19-1 record inside the friendly confines of Memorial Gym.
-
Kokomo wrestlers facing a quick shift of gears
After beating Huntington North and Logansport in Wednesday’s Logansport Team Regional to book passage to the team state tournament, Kokomo’s wrestling squad is energized heading into Saturday’s Peru Individual Regional.
- More Sports Headlines
-






