IndyCar Driver Preview: Marco Andretti - MotorSportsTalk

#25 Marco Andretti

Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Chevrolet
Sponsors: Royal Crown Cola
2012: 16th, One Pole, One Podium

2012 WRAP: Andretti struggled mightily for much of last season, and especially so on the road/street circuits that make up the bulk of the schedule. His best finish on the twisty tracks was a middling 11th, achieved twice at both Barber Motorsports Park and Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. But the most grueling moment for him had to be at Indianapolis, where he led the most laps of any driver (59 laps) but ended his day with a crash on Lap 188.

2013 OUTLOOK: In addition to his car number, Andretti has changed his race craft over the winter (“Essentially, I was trying to make the front tires do two things at once,” he told IndyCar.com of his previous style in January). He’ll also have a new engineer on his No. 25 car – Blair Perschbacher, who moves up to IndyCar from Firestone Indy Lights. Altogether, it would appear to be a fresh start for the third-generation driver, and we’ll see if it makes for a more competitive run for him in 2013.

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross