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Alonso interview, part 2: He says F1-Indy crossovers boost racing

Fernando Alonso said his racing in this Sunday's Indy 500 spurred great interest in Spain and that other Formula One drivers crossing over would benefit both U.S. racing and Formula One. "I think Formula One needs North America and maybe North America needs more of Formula One than what we currently have," Alonso told Reuters on Tuesday. "I think its a win-win situation," the Spaniard said about the potential impact of more F1 drivers following his example and crossing over between the circuits. Alonso said he understood that interest back home in the Indy 500 had spiked by 800 percent. "For the fans, from what I see now in Spain and Europe, it is amazing the interest in the Indy 500 this year compared to any other year," he said. "Everyone in Spain, they are waiting for May 28 to watch the race. I received many messages from fans in social media saying, 'thanks for showing us this race because I never watched it before and I absolutely love it.'" Alonso also believes U.S. fans will become more intrigued by Formula One as they get to know those drivers. "Hopefully from now on the interest in Formula One in the US will be growing," he said. "We have new owners of Formula One, (U.S.-based) Liberty Media, and I think they have some good plans to build interest here." Alonso decided to skip this week's Monaco Grand Prix, which he has won twice, to try and add the Indy 500 as his second leg to a rare Triple Crown of Motorsport. The Spaniard hopes to emulate Graham Hill, who in 1972 became the first to complete the Formula One championship, Indy and Le Mans 24 Hours collection of titles. "The Triple Crown, I think that's the ultimate goal of any racing driver," said Alonso. "Only one man has achieved that in motor sports and that shows how difficult it is to do that." Alonso said he expects no problem adjusting back to Formula One after his Indy sojourn. "My skills, and my driving techniques are developed in Formula One cars. I think when I get back there it will be an immediate adaptation." With his contract up after this season with the poorly performing McLaren-Honda team, Alonso remained tight-lipped about his future. "After the summer I will consider what are the options out there," he said.Part 1 of this interview: F1 veteran gears up for his rookie run at Indy Reporting by Larry FineRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Drive A McLaren | The List #650

Honda and Mario Andretti cite pedestrians for excessive slowness

Honda and the Andretti family have a lot to celebrate at the moment. Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in his Honda-powered car, and Marco Andretti, Mario's grandson, also managed to take the third step on the podium. Apparently, the victory is making them feel magnanimous because Honda and Mario Andretti are giving the chance to ride with him in a two-seat, open wheel car.
To promote the contest, they created the Honda Speed Patrol to ticket anyone going too slow. It's an interesting idea, and the chance to ride with Andretti would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Perhaps the biggest shock of the video, though, might be when you realize how short Mario is when you see him milling about in public. Scroll down to watch one of America's most respected racers cite people in Chicago for being too slow.

Boston woman's car finally free from 100 inches of snow

It's a car owner's worst winter nightmare: Snowfall so heavy that you can't dig your vehicle out of it. That's exactly what happened to Jillian Tenen, whose 2007 Honda Civic was buried in the snow in Boston for seven weeks after historic winter storms. Tenen's car was initially stuck after a snowfall in late January, but she didn't dig it out because she had the flu. "I'm 5' 2," and it was all ice, an iceberg on top of my car," she told the Boston Globe. "I couldn't reach it. I couldn't lift it. And even if I could, there was nowhere to put it. I just didn't know what to do," she said. Tenen reached out for help to the city, her insurance company and a tow truck company, but they refused to help her. Finally when the weather warmed up, Tenen used an ice chopper to get into her car. The windshield was damaged, however, the car started on its own. "If I had to do it again, I would definitely do one thing differently... I would not park on the corner," Tenen said.