November 4, 2024

During the famous split of Indy Car we had Champ Car and the Indy Racing League both at the Milwaukee Mile in 2006. This is the IRL at the Milwaukee Mile on July 23, 2006 where Helio Castroneves won the pole position but was out of the race quickly in an accident.

Tony Kanaan won the race with Sam Hornish Jr. second and Tomas Schecter third. Young Danica Patrick finished fourth which was a good run for her.

The cars to my eye just were not as good looking as a Champ Car and didn't sound as good. Not as fast as a Champ Car either, I believe.

Take a look at the cars and see if you like them better than the Champ Cars in my last blog.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 21, 2024

Here is a look at some great old days of Indy Car racing when Champ Car AND the IRL both existed.  It was called "The Split" and friend Paul Zimmermann has written a good book on the whole mess. It was a mess that almost killed Indy Car. Thank you Tony George for almost destroying Indy Car racing.

The Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 was the Champ Car race at the Milwaukee Mile on June 4, 2006 with Sebastien Bourdais in the pole position and winning the race. The late Justin Wilson took second and Nelson Philippe third.

Got to be friends with French driver Nelson Philippe who had a very sore neck during practice. I had some Bio Freeze in my truck that I use and I gave it to him to help calm his neck pain down a bit. It did, and he gave me his helmet visor for being nice!

Alexander Tagliani destroyed his car in practice right in front of me in turn 4 and was very lucky that he didn't get hurt at all. Alex was Will Power's teammate that year for Derrick Walker and Aussie Vineyards racing.

The Champ Car was a beautiful looking car and the Aussie Vineyards and McDonalds liveries are beautiful. Really a lot better looking than the IRL race car and faster I believe.

Justin Wilson led 61 laps, Katherine Legge 12 laps and A.J. Allmendinger led 7 laps.

Enjoy a look at some pretty cars and a mangled wreck of Alex Tagliani's car.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

The Champ Car series at the Milwaukee Mile on June 4, 2006.

The 2 Milwaukee Mile 250s were held on August 31 and September 1, 2024.

Qualifying for the 2 race weekend at the Milwaukee Mile on August 30th 2024.

September 23, 2024

My last blog was on the qualifying for the Milwaukee Mile Hy-Vee 250 races held August 31 and September 1. Today's blog is on the two races that weekend.  Conor Daly made the most passes EVER done at the Milwaukee Mile during a race even with 42 passes!

Pato O'Ward won the first race with Will Power and Conor Daly following behind. Ten more laps and I think Will Power would have caught Pato.

Scott McLaughlin won the second race with Scott Dixon and Colton Herta close behind.

It was fun, the weather was good and there were not too many accidents.

The crowd of 42,000+ enjoyed the nicely refurbished Milwaukee Mile which is still getting more improvements in the future thanks to the state of Wisconsin and Roger Penske Indy Car Corporation.

On a personal health update I will get a neph tube placed in my back going to my left kidney on Wednesday. Cancer cells are back and after the neph tube heals for a month I get 6 infusions of BCG. Hope this kicks it's ass and gets rid of it.

Racing season is done and cameras and lenses are getting cleaned so bring this treatment on!

Be well all and enjoy a look at the races a few weeks back.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

September 9, 2024

On Friday, August 30th I turned 70 and the Indy Cars came into town to the Milwaukee Mile where they haven't raced in years. Qualifying took place at my favorite race track and to me it's the best portrait session a photographer can get with the Indy Car racers because they go out 1 at a time.

This blog is just on the qualifying on Friday but two races were held August 31 and September 1 with the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s. The racing will be the next blog but enjoy the qualifying and a look at the tight confines of the present day Indy Car cockpit. It's a little different now with the nice air conditioning and blowers that they all have hooked up while waiting to get going.

The Indy NXT cars look a little different and notice Yuven Sundaramoorthys helmet with the Wisconsin Badgers football team theme. Very cool and he is from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Each Indy Car driver got 3 laps in qualifying with the second lap being your qualifying lap for race 1 and the third lap your qualifying lap for the second race.

Josef Newgarden won the pole position for race 1 and Scott McLaughlin for race 2.

It was a wonderful weekend of weather and 42,000+ in attendance at the Milwaukee Mile which makes for a very successful weekend!

Enjoy a look at qualifying. The two races will be the next blog coming up.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

A nice Indy Car and Indy NXT testing day at the Milwaukee Mile June 11th and 12th.

June 17, 2024

I've been a busy photographer since the Indy 500 and I'm trying to catch up here.

I've been doing a lot of editing and shooting Indy Cars at Road America with Vintage Indy Reserve which was followed by a test of Indy Car at the Milwaukee Mile the following Tuesday and Wednesday.

I'm going do the Indy Car test blog first because it's the least amount of photos taken!

Tuesday June 11, 2024 was a great day for running Indy Cars, especially in the morning.

We had about a 30 minute delay because they worked on the fence to make it perfect. The track with all it's improvements is really looking great.

So I'm standing next to driver Will Power watching the repairs going on across from his car in pit lane. We had a nice chat for about 10 minutes about his race win at Road America a few days earlier and the new hybrid power unit.

The new power unit brings Honda, Chevrolet and Ilmor together making parts to bring 120 plus extra horsepower with hybrid assist and push to pass combined horsepower.  It will be the first time in over 20 years with more than 800hp.

The car is also around 20 pounds heavier which Will wasn't too happy about it seemed.

With myself being a music photographer since 1971, we got talking about music since Will is also a drummer. I'm 69 years old and he said that I've photographed the good music days but he didn't know who guitarist Jeff Beck is!  I'm working on that education with him!

They had a great test with David Mulukas being the fastest of Indy Cars and Louis Foster the fastest in Indy NXT.  It was a test to learn the new engines and to become familiar with the track that Indy Cars haven't been to since 2015.

Enjoy a look at the cars and come join us on my 70th birthday weekend August 30th through September 1. There will be two races-  one on Saturday August 31 and the other Sunday September 1.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

May 20, 2024

The world's oldest race track is 15 minutes from our house here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have been there often since my first visit in 1968 with my Polaroid camera at 14 years old. I still have three of those photos!

Since 1876 the track has seen hot air balloon races, horse races and ostrich carriage races!  Auto racing didn't start until 1903 with Indy Car/Champ Cars coming from 1933 to 2009. Then a little break and Indy Cars were back in 2011 to 2015.

Our Green Bay Packers played there a bit from 1934 to 1951 with the "Dairy Bowl" and in 1939 won the NFL Championship game 27-0 over the New York Giants. That had to be quite a game!

The July 17, 1933 race was rained out and Wilbur Shaw suggested a rain date for the following day. The term "rain date" was first used that day here in Milwaukee.

The track was dirt for many years and finally paved in 1954 which is the year I was born! Ha!!

Rock 'n' roll has been performed at the Mile and the Wisconsin State Fair for many years starting with the "Midwest Rock Festival" in 1969 with Led Zeppelin, Blind Faith, Joe Cocker and others. My father didn't allow me to go...but I still became a rock 'n' roll and racing photographer.

The old track has seen many improvements since 1876 especially in the last two years with many more to come.  It's looking better every day.  Recent improvements include a new concrete pit lane, new inner walls, a lot of fencing and new safer barriers are coming soon.

The crews are getting the track ready for Indy Cars coming back on August 31 and September 1, 2024. It will be the first time Indy Cars are racing at the Mile since 2015. I had the opportunity to see Will Power running the first laps October 18, 2023 in an Indy Car at the Mile. It was awesome to see and hear him running a Firestone Tire test.

Jim Trewtow of the "Racing Roundup" radio and television show and race promoter Bob Sergent had a press conference with NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver Tyler Ankrum a few days ago. They announced the sponsor for the LiUNA! 175 NASCAR CRAFTMAN Truck Series Race.

The plan was to run some RC cars around the Victory Circle but rain had us running the cars in the newly remodeled Media Center.

We also have the Father's Day June 16th ASA tour racing and the Menards ARCA Sprecher 150 with the Liuna 175 NASCAR CRAFTMAN Truck Series Playoffs on Sunday August 25th.

The crews are working very hard to get the track ready and they very much deserve our gratitude and thanks as well as the State Fair board and the State of Wisconsin.

Here is a peak at some of the improvements being done.  Come join us for some great racing at our awesome track, The Milwaukee Mile.

Time for this track to get rockin' again!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann