Click to enlarge.
The 2025 IndyCar season is going to a racing skills and strategy spectacle judging by the opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg yesterday. Three-time series champion Alex Palou – who started eighth – raced to his 12th career victory in the series. The Ganassi team he drives for took its first 1-2 finish since July 2023 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Palou driving his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.8669-second victory over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon. Dixon said afterward that he contested the last 90 laps of the 100-lap race without radio communication in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
“What an amazing job by everybody,” Palou said. He is who is known for his racing smarts and the ability to adjust to conditions to earn points. “They gave me everything we needed this weekend to win. I told you yesterday we had a really, really fast car. Our strategy changed a lot during that first yellow, but I’m so glad we got that No. 10 in Victory Lane. It’s been 138 days since Nashville (2024 season finale), and I’ve been dreaming about this every single night,” said Palou, a charming and thoughtful Spaniard. Continue reading
Counterfeit Airbag Threat Still Growing
Click to enlarge.
“Most consumers have never even heard of counterfeit airbags.* Tragically, it’s not just that these products don’t protect people in the event of a collision, they can inflict their own serious injuries or even death, often acting quite literally like a bomb when deployed American Honda Motor Co. said today.”
These ‘airbags’ come from illicit businesses operating in China and other overseas markets and are primarily sold in the dark underbelly of the secondhand parts market, before being installed in the vehicles of unsuspecting customers here in the U.S. While the full scope of any underground economy is impossible to fully quantify, data indicate the threat is growing. In the first half of 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported there were at least five fatalities or serious injuries caused by counterfeit airbags. NHTSA issued an advisory encouraging consumers to protect themselves and their loved ones. Continue reading →