Busch news kicks off what may be a busy Tuesday for IndyCar - MotorSportsTalk

Kurt Busch’s confirmation this morning he’ll be racing in this year’s Indianapolis 500, as he’ll attempt the Indy-Charlotte double on Memorial Day, is likely going to be the biggest official news of the day in IndyCar. But it will be far from the only piece of potential news.

To wit:

Cosworth CEO Hal Reisiger is having meetings today with INDYCAR officials to determine the next step in the process of Cosworth re-entering the IndyCar engine game, as it seeks to partner with an OEM.
Later tonight, the Long Beach City Council will hold a closed-session meeting to determine whether it will continue its long-standing lease with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach LLC (they want a five-year extension, per the Long Beach Press-Telegram) or whether to open up the bidding process as Formula One organizers seek a return.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports tests today at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Mikhail Aleshin and Simon Pagenaud. After the test, Pagenaud will fly to France tonight to race in Rallye de la Vienne, near his hometown, in a Peugeot 207 S2000.
Maybe Dale Coyne names his second driver or Bryan Herta his first one? Probably not, but they’re still yet to be officially revealed with only a little more than three weeks until the season opener in St. Petersburg, and only a week and a half until the official preseason test at Barber Motorsports Park.

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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.

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