IndyCar drivers take to social media after race cancellations

This afternoon IndyCar made the announcement that the first four races of the 2020 season would be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The announcement came following a similar announcement made by NASCAR and prior to a declaration of a national emergency by President Trump.

Several of IndyCar’s drivers took to social media to share their thoughts regarding the race cancellations.

Support @IndyCar ‘s decision and also share in the disappointment as we want to race! See you all soon. pic.twitter.com/8hPNxzJklz

— Marco Andretti (@MarcoAndretti) March 13, 2020

Hey, friends. This is a bummer and I share in the disappointment with all the fans and pro athletes across the globe. But let’s work through this together, be good (intelligent) humans, and come back to have some fun in a couple months. #allandretti #indycar https://t.co/b0i7tWrUis

— Alexander Rossi (@AlexanderRossi) March 13, 2020

Totally gutted for the fans but we have to be on the cautious side with this. @IndyCar has made the right call. BRING. ON. MAY. https://t.co/oIsogl4a6a

— Josef Newgarden (@josefnewgarden) March 13, 2020

What a shame. I was so ready to go this week. See you all in May.

— Sage Karam (@SageKaram) March 13, 2020

While this certainly isn’t how I wanted to start my first full-time season in @IndyCar, I really think this is the right call. I’m gutted for the fans the most but we have to do what is best for everyone involved.

If you thought the month of May was big before… https://t.co/qQWHks1ulZ

— Jack Harvey (@jack_harvey42) March 13, 2020

This is a brutal time period. The truly sad part is there are enough people suffering in this world to shut down almost an entire planet. We have to respect the decision to cancel the races to keep this racing family healthy. The world is not ending, we’ll be back. #CoronaVirus

— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) March 13, 2020

This is the right decision by @IndyCar . Health and Safety is and must be the priority. And we need to beat this crisis together. It wouldn’t be right to go racing in this situation. Stay safe out there ❤️ #ME8 #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/sTYz2nFRUK

— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) March 13, 2020

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.

IndyCar drivers take to social media following race cancellations

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

Read more about SuperMotocross