Penguin Car Earns Indy500 Spot 244
strredwolf writes "Despite generating over $12K in funds, well short of the $250K goal, the Tux 500 Project was able to secure a spot in the Indy 500 with driver Roberto Moreno piloting the Linux #77 Indy car. He's back in the pack in 31st place (only 5.5 MPH separates 31st place from 1st) but was able to secure it by re-qualifying with an average speed of 220.299 MPH. Will Moreno be able to pilot the penguin-tipped Indy car to victory next week at the 91st Indianapolis 500?"
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Only 5.5MPH behind! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:3, Informative)
Not necessarily. Perhaps he or she's a compulsive reader like myself who, having no interest in auto racing and no faith in the efficacy of this form of advertising, is still willing to read the comments for each article to see if anything personally interesting is raised.
Hell, I'm only reading this article because I won't get any work for another 45 minutes, and I figure that advertising discussions on /. are more likely to provide entertainment than the morning's paper. It would never have occurred to me to advertise Linux by plastering Tux onto the front of a race car, and I'm not surprised that this project didn't reach its fiscal goal: I'm sure I'm not the only Linux enthusiast nerd to think, "Why, exactly, does this cost a quarter of a million dollars?"
Re:Tux Car (Score:1, Informative)
Looks like the site still takes donations today. (Score:1, Informative)
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:4, Informative)
I actually emailed him personally and asked him if there was a reason why they weren't running a story on this. What I quoted him saying is exactly and all that he sent back.
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:5, Informative)
Second, the Indy 500 is unique in motor sports, like the Kentucky Derby is in horse racing. People who know nothing about the sport and who never give it a thought will sit down and watch the Indy 500. There is also a buzz about the 500 after the last few races, particularly after last year's finish. (You can see the finish at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5-XKvL28E [youtube.com] if you haven't seen it yet.) Another thing to consider is the target market. The Indy 500 is a very middle-America, middle-class event; NASCAR is for po' folk and F1 is for elite snobs. (I live in Indy; I've seen the crowds; and while there may be exceptions, this is by and large the rule.) These people are the ones who are middle managers and start small businesses. Really, it's not a bad strategy to reach a target market.
Re:We're not all petrol heads... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:5, Informative)
1. The Indianapolis is the biggest annual sporting event. Period. More people attend, and more people watch on TV worldwide then any other event. If you wanted to get the message about linux out there, this would be the place to do it.
2. This year all Indy cars run on Ethanol 85. While this isn't solar, it's far better then the traditional Gas of the past (hell I believe NASCAR is just now *thinking* about phasing out leaded gas).
3. The engineering involved in these cars is amazing, not only as far as engine development (Honda had relatively little time to develop these engines to run on Ethanol 85, and have done so admirably). Also, the engines themselves are interesting in that they are normally aspirated (i.e. no Turbo, so SuperCharger just incredibly engineered 8Cyl Engines That can drive none stop at high speeds for ling distances. FWIW Honda wasn't picked to be the only engine supplier for indy cars, they got that way through attrition. The last year there were multiple engine manufacturers Honda so blew away Chevy that it just didn't make sense for them to continue.
4. Engineering! Since the engines these days are identical (as are the tires) there is a great deal of parity initially, however engineers get to figure out best race packages using aerodynamics, gear boxes, Tire Pressure etc, and on top of that figure in fuel mileage (which should be interesting since as mentioned, the fuel is different this year) tire wear, etc.
5. Of course given all that, the Drivers and Pit Crews make the difference. Of all the drivers (33) my guess would be that only about half of them have the mental toughness and backing human element to actually have a realistic chance of winning (and of that only a handful would have good vegas odds).
6. Then of course there's a shred of luck and the unexpected that always makes this totally unpredictable. Weather, Freak accidents, mechanical issues, human error, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, all can have a hugh effect on the outcome.
7. Finally... Indy Car racing is by far the most competitive racing series out there today. Lot's of passing, and lot's of skill (a minor mistake in an indy car, and you are in the wall with your car breaking away into pieces).
8. Technological advancement. The Indy Car Series (and the IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)) Have been at the forefront of many automotive advances. The Ethanol thing is one recent, but the technologies devised for driver safety have not only been adopted by almost every other racing series, but have also been instrumental in the development of safety features for all cars built today.
Re:No thanks to you, Slashdot. (Score:1, Informative)
How about Champions League Final? Wimbledon? Super Bowl?
Here are some figures for you:
Wimbledon finals 2004 21M viewers worldwide
Champions League Final 2004 (Porto vs Monaco) 56M viewers worldwide.
F1 Monaco 2004 59M viewers worldwide
Super Bowl 2004 95M viewers worldwide
And the non-annual events mentioned:
Brazil-Germany World Cup 2006 Final 300M viewers
Olympic Games opening ceremony 2004 127M viewers
Now, consider this piece of news [sportbusiness.com] and you will see that Indy is nowhere near being a globally relevant sporting event. 340m worldwide means basically just the US (300M) + Canada (32M). Thus, for the Indy to be the most watched annual sporting event globally, it would basically have to beat Super Bowl in the US. Do you think more people watch Indy 500 than Superbowl? I think not - but I'm not American so I mightbe mistaken.
Re:Nothing compares to MotoGP (Score:3, Informative)
If you want bikes that approach those available in showrooms, then watch World Superbikes. These bikes have to pass homologation rules before they're allowed to race in this class.
If it's a wet race, such as this past weekend at Le Mans, the riders are allowed to make a pitstop to change bikes, so they can ride on wet tyres rather than slicks.
I do however, agree with your implied compliment to MotoGP. It is a very entertaining form of motorsport.