IndyCar Race Review: Peak Antifreeze Indy 300
If Saturday’s Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 will go down in history as the final IZOD IndyCar Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, the fans in attendance and watching on television certainly got everything they hoped for in a finale.
Dario Franchitti held off a hard-charging Dan Wheldon after a daring call in the pits gave him the late-race lead, producing the 17th-closest finish in IndyCar history. His victory closed some of the gap on points leader Will Power, who had been leading late in the race but ran out of fuel with five laps to go to finish way down the running order.
All in all, the race featured a record-breaking 25 lead changes among 11 drivers. Ryan Briscoe dominated the early stages of the event, battling side-by-side with Marco Andretti for a good chunk of the race’s early stages. Briscoe, the polesitter and defending race winner, led 113 of the race’s 200 laps, though he could only muster an 11th place finish.
Meanwhile, the top four drivers in the finishing order – Franchitti, Wheldon, Andretti, and Ryan Hunter-Reay – all led at least two laps, with Franchitti’s 28 tops among them. Franchitti actually did not lead until the very end of the race, when his team gambled by not taking tires under the final caution. While Briscoe could not keep others from leading laps while he was out in front, Franchitti managed to do just that
Some of the drivers who spent time up front were surprising, to say the least. Wheldon, Vitor Meira, and Alex Lloyd all led a handful of laps. Even the part-time entries of Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher spent time up front; Fisher stayed out under the race’s second caution to gain the point, but managed to hold a top-three position for many laps after the green flag dropped.
Unfortunately for the little guys, nobody was really there at the end besides Wheldon. Meira salvaged a ninth place finish, but Fisher was the first car a lap down in 15th, Carpenter pulled out after 179 laps when his team couldn’t get fuel into the car, and Lloyd crashed out to finish 21st.
Heartbreak was no stranger to the series’ top team, either. Power nearly lost control of his car in the early laps of the race, making a fantastic save, a feat he would have to replicate a couple of other times before the night was over. Power drove his heart out all night, showing a level of talent we had previously only witnessed from him on the road and street courses, and was a contender for victory until the very end.
Unfortunately, Chicagoland left Power and his Team Penske crew with Indianapolis 500 deja vu: a fueler error ended all hope for a strong finish. At Indy, it was Power driving off with part of his fuel assembly; at Chicago, the team didn’t quite get enough in the car to make it. To his credit, Power was surprisingly upbeat in post-race interviews, looking forward to the challenge of maintaining his points lead over the final three races.
With three races to go and Kentucky up next on the schedule, Power’s points lead has shrunk from 59 to 23 over Franchitti. It may be a race between those two alone; third-place Scott Dixon is 85 points out, while no other driver is within 100.
For more on the IZOD IndyCar Series from Christopher Leone, go to OpenWheelAmerica.com.
IndyCar Race Preview: Peak Antifreeze Indy 300
This weekend, the IZOD IndyCar Series enters the fourth and final quarter of the season, another oval run that begins with the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway. Last year’s race, won by Ryan Briscoe by about six inches over Scott Dixon, was yet another example of how exciting IndyCar racing can be when the series heads to the Illinois speedway, and nobody expects anything different this year.
In the lone practice session preceding qualifying, Briscoe once again paced Dixon, though the gap was much larger. Briscoe’s 217.874 mph best lap was a full mile per hour better than Dixon’s best. Will Power, the series points leader despite only ranking eighth in the oval championship, had the third best lap, with the four Andretti Autosport drivers – Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Tony Kanaan – ranking fourth through seventh.
In qualifying, Briscoe took the pole over Dario Franchitti, teammates Power and Helio Castroneves, and Andretti. Dixon could only muster a 15th place qualifying run.
Patrick, in particular, has to be excited to return to the ovals, after ranking a dismal 15th in the final road course standings. She was the only Andretti driver to place outside the top 10. Meanwhile, she ranks sixth in the oval standings, with a runner-up finish at Texas her best run of the season.
The field at Chicagoland, a whopping 29 cars, will be the largest field of the season (excluding Indianapolis) and the largest in a non-500 field since 28 showed up for this race in 2008. Entries for Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter, Davey Hamilton, Jay Howard, and Sarah Fisher have expanded the field from the 24 full-season entries.
Four times out of nine, the winner has come from the pole position, a feat Briscoe achieved last year, after Castroneves won from the last starting spot the year before. Penske drivers have won the past two events at Chicagoland, while perennial series power Chip Ganassi Racing has only one win at the track, by Dan Wheldon in 2006.
IRL: Oval qualifying altered beginning at Chicagoland
The Indy Racing League has revised its qualifications procedure for the four IZOD IndyCar Series oval events to close the 2010 season in response to accommodating expanded entrant lists.
The second sentence of Rule 8.2(F)(1) is amended and reads as “A qualifications attempt is the total of two consecutively timed laps.” The remainder of the oval qualifying rules remains unchanged.
Previously, the average speed of four timed laps was used to set the starting grid.
The average speed of two consecutively timed laps, following two warm-up laps on the 1.5-mile racetracks, will be implemented Aug. 27 (1 p.m. local time) at Chicagoland Speedway in the run for the PEAK Performance Pole Award.
A season-high 29 cars (outside of the traditional 33 for the Indianapolis 500) are entered for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 on Aug. 27-28 at Chicagoland Speedway. Races at Kentucky Speedway (Sept. 4), Twin Ring Motegi (Sept. 19) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 2) follow. An average of 26 cars was entered in the three oval events this season outside of the Indy 500.
“The number of cars we’re having at our events – 27 cars at Mid-Ohio and 29 at Chicagoland and maybe Homestead-Miami – and the length of time it takes to qualify these cars when you’re conducting two-day shows, it becomes a non-productive use of track time,” Indy Racing League president of competition and racing operations Brian Barnhart said.
“By going to an average of two timed laps instead of four, it reduces our qualifying time by 33 percent. We’re rather make sure the drivers are getting ample track time in practice conditions with all cars on track at the same time to be better-prepared for the race.”
The four-lap qualifying procedure was instituted for the 2008 season.
IRL: Beatriz returns to DRR at Chicagoland
Competing in her first half-marathon last weekend in Rio de Janeiro presented Ana Beatriz with a new challenge and a different perspective in dealing with traffic. It’ll translate in some form to a crowded racetrack this weekend.
Beatriz will make her third IZOD IndyCar Series start of the season, driving the No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
The inclusion of Beatriz in the 29-car lineup for the Aug. 28 race marks the second time this season that a series-record five females will compete in the same event. Sarah Fisher (Sarah Fisher Racing), Simona de Silvestro (Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing), Danica Patrick (Andretti Autosport) and Milka Duno (Dale Coyne Racing) also are entered.
Beatriz, a two-time oval race winner in Firestone Indy Lights, competed in a Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car for the season-opening Sao Paulo Indy 300 in her native Brazil (advanced nine positions to finish 13th) and in the Indianapolis 500 (finished 21st).
“Ana really showed us her talent when we ran her back in March and May,” team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. “We look forward to running her as she competes at Chicagoland Speedway.
In two Firestone Indy Lights races at the 1.5-mile racetrack, Beatriz was runner-up in 2008.
“During the past three months, my agents, Andre Ribeiro, Augusto Cesario, and I, have been working on establishing a full-season program for 2011,” Beatriz said. “In order to stay fit, I have been karting and I have added a new challenge to my calendar like the Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon.
“I hope my past experience at Chicago pays off with a good finish. I am very excited to be back with the Dreyer & Reinbold team. I wish to thank Dennis Reinbold, Robbie Buhl and Larry Curry for their confidence in me.”
IndyCar Race Review: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Just like last year, a single driver dominated yesterday’s Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, the road course finale for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. What made this particular win special for that driver, however, were the circumstances surrounding it.
Will Power’s fifth win of the season (all on road courses) came on a track where his career was put into serious jeopardy, after a freak accident in practice severely injured his back and prematurely ended his 2009 season. The win served as a victory parade for this year’s winner of the Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy, an honor he clinched two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio.
Unlike Dario Franchitti last year, Power did not lead all 75 laps of the event; Scott Dixon, who finished second, led two laps in the middle stages of the event. But nobody really had anything for Power, who had won the pole and stretched some huge leads early on in the race.
While a top five completely populated by Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing cars doesn’t suggest the most unpredictable or exciting of races, some of the action a little deeper in the field was more than exciting enough to keep the most jaded of fans interested.
Dan Wheldon’s race ended before it began, with accidental contact from Bertrand Baguette at the start sending the No. 4 Panther Racing Dallara-Honda upside down in a wreck that almost looked like it came out of a video game. It was Wheldon’s first DNF since St. Petersburg earlier this year, as well as his first finish outside the top 20.
Simona de Silvestro had an interesting day as well. First, contact with Alex Tagliani cut the Canadian’s tire down, and then she nearly sent Raphael Matos upside down as well with an aggressive move early in the race. Finally, E.J. Viso ran into her not long after, spinning her out. De Silvestro continued on, eventually winding up 13th.
Hometown hero J.R. Hildebrand and 2006 race winner Marco Andretti got together on lap 37, ending Hildebrand’s day. Not too long after, Andretti got into Mario Moraes in the same corner, eliciting a reaction from fans aware of the drivers’ history with one another.
The final caution of the day came when Baguette, Matos, and Viso got together with under ten laps to go. Viso’s KV Racing Technology car was able to continue on, marking only the fourth race all season where each of that team’s cars finished the event. Baguette and Matos, however, were done for.
Dixon put the pressure on at the final restart, the drivers matching presses of the Push to Pass button, but the Australian managed to extend his lead once again. Francesco Dracone stalled in the final corner on the final lap, leading to a local yellow that brought down Power’s margin of victory considerably, but the rule against passing during a local yellow, combined with the proximity to the start-finish line, ensured that Dixon would not have a chance to go by.
Franchitti was third, with Power’s teammates Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves rounding out the top five.
Read more on the IZOD IndyCar Series from Christopher Leone at OpenWheelAmerica.com.
IZOD IndyCar Series
Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. – Results Sunday of the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.303-mile Infineon Raceway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
2. (6) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
3. (3) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
4. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
5. (2) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
6. (7) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
7. (9) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
8. (8) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
9. (16) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
10. (22) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
11. (20) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
12. (18) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
13. (11) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
14. (4) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
15. (21) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
16. (23) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
17. (14) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 74, Running
18. (17) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 74, Running
19. (15) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 74, Running
20. (25) Francesco Dracone, Dallara-Honda, 71, Contact
21. (10) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 67,
22. (24) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 67, Running
23. (13) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 65, Contact
24. (19) J.R. Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 38, Contact
25. (12) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 92.063
Time of Race: 01:52:34.1915
Margin of victory: .7432 of a second
Cautions: 4 for 10 laps
Lead changes: 2 among 2 drivers
Lap Leaders: Power 1-55, Dixon 56-57, Power 58-75
Point Standings: Power 514, Franchitti 455, Dixon 419, Briscoe 384, Castroneves 370, Hunter-Reay 360, Kanaan 330, Wilson 290, Andretti 284, Wheldon 269.
Power earns record eighth pole at Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. (Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010) – Will Power earned his IZOD IndyCar Series-record eighth PEAK Performance Pole Award of the season. Advancing to the Firestone Fast Six was the more difficult part of qualifications for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Power posted a quick lap of 1 minute, 16.5282 seconds with 1:30 left in the 10-minute shootout on the 2.303-mile, 12-turn Infineon Raceway natural-terrain circuit to claim the pole for the 75-lap race. Helio Castroneves (1:16.5652) will join his Team Penske teammate on the front row.
Dario Franchitti (1:16.9437), who enters the race 42 points behind Power in the championship standings, will share Row 2 with Alex Tagliani (1:17.2068). Ryan Briscoe (1:17.2109) and Scott Dixon (1:17.3470), who extended his series-record streak to 45 top-10 starts, will be on the third row.
With a minute left in Round 2 of qualifying, Power was on the outside of advancing by four-tenths of a second to Justin Wilson of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The team switched to a sticker set of Firestone alternate tires in an effort to make up the difference.
He recorded a lap of 1:16.8072 to bump his way into the Firestone Fast Six.
Also on Aug. 21, Firestone Indy Lights rookie J.K. Vernay turned a quick lap of 1 minute, 23.5582 seconds in the No. 7 Lucas Oil/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car to earn the Sunoco Pole Award for the 40-lap Carneros 100.
Charlie Kimball, driving the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen entry for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport, jumped to second (1:23.5977) on his final lap.
James Hinchcliffe (1:23.6732) in the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car will start third and Gustavo Yacaman recorded his best qualifying effort of the season (fourth at 1:23.7108) in the No. 10 Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing car.
DAY 2 NOTEBOOK:
IZOD IndyCar Series technical information for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma:
Honda overtake assist
Overtake assist was introduced to the series in August 2009 and will make be used for the second time at Infineon Raceway in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
The system employed by Honda Performance Development is an ECU software alteration. It is activated by the driver via a button on the steering wheel and provides an extra 200 RPM (about 10 horsepower) to the Honda Indy V-8 engine. Parameters are updated before each race weekend to meet the circuit layout.
For the 2.230-mile, 11-turn Infineon Raceway:
15 uses
15 seconds duration each use
10-second recharge period between uses
Firestone Firehawk tires
Each car receives six sets (24 tires) of primary tires and three sets (12 tires) of the alternate (red-sidewall) tires.
The primary tire specification for Infineon Raceway was used as the alternate tire at the 2010 Barber and Edmonton events. The alternates are new for this race. The primary spec is the softest primary Firestone will use all season. The alternate tires are identical in construction to the primaries but contain an even softer tread compound, which will provide more grip and faster lap times, yet will trade off some compound durability in exchange for those shorter-term advantages.
AL SPEYER (Executive Director of Firestone Racing): “Mid-Ohio is a special circuit for us since it is a short drive from our Akron Technical Center where the Firestone Racing race tire development staff is based and where the fine Firehawk race tires are designed and produced. Many of our tech center staff will be on hand this weekend to witness the rewards of their efforts. The primary and alternate tires have contributed greatly to the exciting racing we’ve seen on the road and street courses this season and, based on the testing performed at Mid-Ohio to develop this year’s specs, we expect the new Firehawks to do more of the same.”
Aero package
Infineon Raceway is in the road course/short oval category of aero packages for the IZOD IndyCar Series. Here are mandatory and optional items for teams:
Rear wings: Tire ramps and sidepod extensions are optional.
Front wings: Wing flaps are open development area. Maximum of two elements per side is permitted and a divider is mandatory.
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During the off week, Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti stopped by Target House in Memphis, Tenn., to visit with children and their families.
Since 1999, more than 1,300 children and families have called Target House home. Target House provides nearly 100 free, fully-equipped apartments for families and patients receiving long-term treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Andretti Autosport’s Tony Kanaan, both previous winners at Infineon Raceway, are the only drivers to complete every lap (395) in the five IZOD IndyCar Series races.
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IZOD IndyCar Series driver Will Power clinched the inaugural Mario Andretti Road Championship on Aug. 8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
He was assisted at the unveiling of the trophy Aug. 19 in San Francisco by the trophy’s namesake.
“It would be great to have two celebrations in Victory Circle,” said Power, who earned the award based on amassing an insurmountable points lead through eight of the nine road/street course races on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule.
Power now is focused on maintaining a comfortable lead over defending Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma winner Dario Franchitti to secure his first overall driver championship.
“I got to test (at the 2.303-mile, 12-turn Infineon Raceway) last week, and I think that was important for me. I’m confident, but I’m aware that Dario is very quick around here. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, give it everything we’ve got because I want to really win this championship.”
Following the trophy unveiling in front of the Macy’s store in Union Square, thousands of fans were treated to seeing historic cars along Geary Street and an autograph session featuring stars of Indy car racing past and present including: Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Jr., Arie Luyendyk, Gil de Ferran, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dan Wheldon, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Power.
Lining Geary Street were the 1911 Marmon Wasp (the car that won the inaugural Indianapolis 500), the 1928 Miller “Front Drive Special,” the 1938 Maserati 8CTF “Boyle Valve Special,” the 1950 “Cummins Diesel Special,” the 1961 Watson “Bowes Seal Fast Special,” and the 1972 McLaren “Sunoco Special.”
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Helio Castroneves doesn’t recall what exactly was on the menu, which is understandable. He was engrossed in conversations.
The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion was among the guests Aug. 18 at the residence of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was hosting a dinner party in honor of Sao Paulo (Brazil) Mayor Gilberto Kassab.
Other guests at the table included model Adriana Lima and her husband, NBA player Marko Jaric; IZOD IndyCar Series commercial division president Terry Angstadt; Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune; Optimer Pharmaceuticals CEO and president Pedro Lightinger; and H. Stern Jewelry CEO Susan Nichols.
“What a great evening and an honor,” said Castroneves, who flew to New York earlier in the day after assisting IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard announce the night before the 2011 Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway. “It was great to see Mayor Kassab, who asked for opinions about the (Sao Paulo Indy 300) to improve for next year. He’s willing to accept whatever suggestions we drivers have and make whatever improvements are necessary.
“Mayor Bloomberg also was very interested in the racing. To meet the guy who has done so much for New York was just an honor for me.”
Mayor Kassab was instrumental in bringing the IZOD IndyCar Series to Brazil for the first time last March on a street circuit that incorporated the Sambadrome (Carnival parade stadium).
“Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Kassab could have not been more engaging,” Angstadt said. “Mayor Bloomberg made the mayor of Sao Paulo and his staff feel so welcome. Mayor Kassab invited Mayor Bloomberg to Sao Paulo, and suggested that his goal for Sao Paulo is to make it half as successful as the City of New York under Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership.”
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Dario Franchitti, the defending Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma winner, won his first Indy car race on Aug. 16, 1998. He led 23 laps en route to victory at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Franchitti, who won at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 8, has 25 career wins in Indy car racing, with 15 coming in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
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No. 1,250 and counting: The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma will mark Penske Racing’s 1,250th all-time open-wheel racing start.
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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES PEAK PERFORMANCE POLE QUALIFYING NOTES:
· Will Power won the Peak Performance Pole Award. Power now holds the record for the most poles in one season with eight. This is Power’s sixth consecutive front row start.
· Helio Castroneves qualified second. This is Castroneves’ fourth front row start of the season.
· Dario Franchitti qualified third, his ninth consecutive top-five start of the season.
· Alex Tagliani qualified fourth. This is Tagliani’s first appearance in the Firestone Fast Six since he qualified second at Sao Paulo.
· Ryan Briscoe qualified fifth. This is Briscoe’s seventh top-five start of the season.
· Scott Dixon will start sixth. Dixon has extended his record of consecutive top-10 starts to 45.
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES PEAK PERFORMANCE POLE QUALIFYING QUOTES:
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, PEAK Performance Pole Award winner): “I wasn’t sure I was going to pull it off in the second round of qualifying. I was two-tenths off from the Fast Six. I knew it was going to be very close for pole here. I’m really stoked to get the Verizon team a record eight poles this season. It is important that we start up front here. This is the toughest series I have ever raced in. It is just so tight now. You can’t leave anything on the table.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, qualified second): “It was very consistent. The Team Penske car was very good. We made some incredible changes and made great gains from yesterday. Ron Ruzewski my engineer did a n awesome job. It was one corner. I guess that made the difference. I didn’t want to take too much of a chance, but when they told me I was P2, I only had one lap and the tires were already a little bit shot. Good job to Team Penske to sweep the front row. Now we need to be there at the end.”
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, qualified third): “We’re definitely going to try to get (Will) tomorrow. He’s did a great job in qualifying. There’s no doubt about it. The Target car was probably a 95 percent car today. I think I left a half a tenth on the table myself with a slight mistake. We’ll see what we have tomorrow, but I’m disappointed with third today.”
ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 FAZZT Race Team, qualified fourth): “With the tires the way they are, you only have about one lap. The tires we had on the car, we used in the second segment and I missed Turn 3 by a little bit (on my flying lap). The car pushed and I missed 3A. That was the lap. The second lap was good, but it was not as good as the first lap could have been.”
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, qualified fifth): “I’m pretty happy to be in the Fast Six. P5 is pretty good result for us. We’re struggling with the balance and the tires and the wind gusts. It was difficult to get a clean lap. I feel good starting where we are, and hopefully we can get the team Penske car up to the front.”
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, qualified sixth): “We were a few tenths (of a second) off most of the qualifying. We made a few changes from this morning that helped. Generally, in the Firestone Fast Six we struggled with getting into the corners with grip and kind of backpedaled a little bit. All in all, both Target cars in the top six is good.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD, qualified eighth): “We were so far off yesterday that we changed everything in the IZOD car for today and started fresh. So, we really only had one practice session under our belts and I think that was the difference today. We were close, but the road course competition is ridiculous right now. Tomorrow is going to be a great race. We’re starting eighth; we can work from there.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven/Dr Pepper Cherry, qualified ninth): “Obviously, missing yesterday’s session (because of a fuel pump problem) hurt us today. We did what we could. But, the way the competition is right now, you can’t leave anything on the table. With only an hour to work with this morning, we needed to take a bit of a risk. And, when you do that, you’ve got to be prepared to be a hero or a zero. We took our shot and could have put it in the top six. We ended up ninth, but it is what it is.”
HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic, qualified 14th): “I think we improved the car since the morning practice but the times are so close that we missed progressing to the top-six and Round 2 by hundredths of a second. The difference between progressing to Round 2 and having a shot at a top starting position and starting 14th is very slim. Still I thought the car was quite good. The team did a good job on the car. A good thing is that we have two new sets of red Firestone tires for the race and I think that is an advantage.”
E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA- KV Racing Technology, qualified 15th): “It was a very disappointing qualifying, not only for me but for everyone on the team. It’s frustrating that no one from KV Racing Technology made it into the top-12. We worked last week on improving the car and its seems the changes we made didn’t help us this weekend. Today, the track is totally different and that’s why we have found it hard to get the right balance with the car. We’ll have to make adjustments and be ready for the race.”
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 02 NHR/Quick Trim, qualified 16th): “The times are really close but the session was frustrating because I really thought we had what it took to progress to the next round. We made some changes for qualifying and the car wasn’t quite as good for me but I thought we would still be able to sneak through (to Round 2) but unfortunately I came out of the pits too close to Hideki and I don’t think I got one clear lap. When he went out of the pits right away I lifted way off and still caught up to him. It’s frustrating because I think we could have gotten to Round 2.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus – KV Racing Technology, qualified 17th): “I am very disappointed. We seemed to be missing something fundamental. We couldn’t seem to find the right balance and grip out there. When I changed to the alternate (red) tire, I was able to get better grip but that was irrelevant because the rest of the field also improved. We will go over all the data tonight and prepare for warm-up and the race tomorrow.”
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy, qualified 18th): “It’s really disappointing to see the Venom car starting 18th this weekend. I was on fast lap when I went off and lost some time. The field is so tight here and every tenth of a second counts. We’ll do the best we can tomorrow with where we’re starting but we were hoping for more out of today.”
bVITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co. A.J. Foyt Racing, qualified 21st): “Every time we go out on the track we make improvements. We made a big improvement for qualifying – I believe we’ll be competitive in the race but I hope it isn’t too late. We’re not starting where we wanted but this is a race where fuel strategy counts a lot, so you never know. I’m a little more hopeful for the weekend after qualifying than I was after the first practice.”
MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology, qualified 20th): “We knew we would be in a tough qualifying session today. We jumped into the top-six early in the run. But we didn’t have the speed to advance to the next round. We’ll have to utilize a fuel strategy for the race. Last year we came from 14th to fourth. We will work on the plan tonight and be ready for the race on Sunday.
DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com, qualified 23rd): “I was confident we could make it out of the first qualifying session and into the top 12, but it didn’t end up working out that way for the GoDaddy team today. I’m going to need to be strong on the start and restarts, and have solid pit stops so we can make up as much ground as possible during the race come tomorrow.”
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING NOTES:
· J.K. Vernay won the pole for the Carneros 100. This is his third Firestone Indy Lights pole. He previously won the pole at Barber Motorsports Park and Toronto.
· Both races that Vernay has started from the pole, he has lead flag-to-flag.
· Charlie Kimball qualified second, his third front-row starting position this season.
· James Hinchcliffe qualified third, his eight top-five start of the season.
· Gustavo Yacaman qualified fourth, matching his best starting position of the season. He previously qualified fourth at Toronto.
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING QUOTES:
J.K. VERNAY (No. 7 Lucas/CJ/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Sunoco Pole Award winner): “It was really tight again with James (Hinchcliffe). We are always fighting for half a tenth (of a second). That was a great battle. I have to thank the team. The car was great again. I am really happy. After the disappointing weekend at Mid-Ohio, I wanted to be quick here. It’s fantastic. Now tomorrow we have to stay focused to the race. The goal is to win the championship and we have to finish well to do that.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, qualified second): “It’s a great result for the Levemir FlexPen car. The whole AFS Racing Andretti Autosport crew gave me a great car from the first practice. It’s a lot of fun to drive here when the car is good. We’ve been fighting the sun all year. When it gets hot, we struggle a little bit more. We were hoping the marine layer would stay for a bit longer, but four hundredths, I’ll take that. Come tomorrow, if I get a good start tomorrow, I’ll have a shot at the win.”
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DAY 2 – SATURDAY, AUG. 21, 2010
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JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 TMR – Xtreme Coil Drilling, qualified third): “We tried something different in practice, but went back to what we had in the first practice for qualifying. It was like starting from scratch. The car was good. The tires fall off after two laps and we couldn’t get two clean laps. If we had, we might have gotten the pole, but that’s the nature of qualifying.”
GUSTAVO YACAMAN (No. 10 Cape Motorsport with Wayne Taylor Racing, qualified fourth): “The car was great. We struggled in the practice sessions, but we’ve got a pretty strong car. We have pretty good race pace. The track isn’t too bad. There’s a spot where the NASCAR part transitions which isn’t too good for us, but I think we’ll be OK tomorrow.”
DAN CLARKE (No. 40 Wasteco Deans Knight Special, qualified fifth): “We had some problems early on. We damaged the front wing and the front end of the car so the car wasn’t good at all. We kept up with it and picked up a couple of tenths but it still wasn’t good. We’ve been top five every week since we got a new engineer, but I’m still disappointed. We can’t find that pole position.
IndyCar Race Preview: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Will Power may have already clinched the Mario Andretti Trophy as the best road course driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series this year, but he’ll have plenty of unfinished business when he takes to the Infineon Raceway for this weekend’s Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Power’s season ended here prematurely last year when a freak accident with Nelson Philippe landed him on the sidelines with two fractured vertebrae in his back. By now, most IndyCar fans know the story: originally a temp replacement at Team Penske while Helio Castroneves’ legal issues were sorted out, owner Roger Penske found the money to run Power in a handful of other events last year, and his performance was stellar until the Sonoma incident.
Regardless, Penske took a chance on the Australian full-time this year, shutting down his sports car operation to make room, and Power rewarded the veteran owner by winning his first two races back this season. He has taken four of the eight road course races run thus far this year, and he hasn’t finished any worse than fourth running on the twisties.
But just because he has the road course championship in hand, and a solid 41-point advantage in the overall standings, doesn’t mean that a Power victory lap at Sonoma is a certainty. It’s especially not the case when his top rival in all categories, 2009 series champion Dario Franchitti, led every lap to win from the pole here last year.
Franchitti got the best of Power during Friday practice, as the series’ top two drivers were 1-2 atop the speed charts. 16 drivers posted laps within a second of Franchitti’s best, a 78.297-second circuit. Alex Tagliani, Franchitti teammate Scott Dixon, and Justin Wilson completed the top five in that session.
J.R. Hildebrand, in 13th with a lap of 79.039 seconds, was the top rookie in the session. Wilson’s teammate at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and a California native who calls Infineon his home track, Hildebrand will attempt to top the injured Mike Conway’s third-place finish in this race last year. He had nearly half a second on Bertrand Baguette, the second-best rookie.
In all, 23 of the 25 drivers attempting the race were within two seconds of Franchitti’s best lap. The lone two exceptions were Francesco Dracone, making only his second career IndyCar start with Conquest Racing, and Milka Duno, who has been consistently off the pace all year with Dale Coyne Racing. The buzz around Duno gets stronger every week, with more and more fans calling for the IRL powers that be to park her. Last year, Duno had her second best finish of the season at Infineon, placing 17th.
Tony Cotman named project manager for new IndyCar
The IZOD IndyCar Series has hired NZR Consulting’s Tony Cotman as a consultant to serve as project manager for the development of its 2012 technical program.
Cotman will be responsible for leading the 2012 car project, including writing technical regulations for both engine and chassis, coordinating with suppliers and manufacturers and communicating with teams. He will work with the IZOD IndyCar Series’ technical and safety staff as well as outside engine and aerodynamic experts during the process.
“Now that we have unveiled our 2012 car strategy, we need to move swiftly to complete the rules package as we engage potential manufacturers and prepare our teams for the transition,” said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer, IZOD IndyCar Series. “The timing of completing these rules is critical to the development process. By bringing Tony on board to focus solely on the 2012 car, we can let Brian Barnhart and the competition staff focus on completing the current race season while preparing for next year.”
Cotman served as vice president of operations and race director for the Champ Car World Series from 2005-07, during which he oversaw the development and implementation of the series’ new cost-effective chassis. He directed the Atlantic Series chassis and engine programs from prototype to implementation.
Cotman was a member of the ICONIC Advisory Committee, which researched and recommended the future car and engine strategy to the IZOD IndyCar Series.
“I understand how important developing the right rules are in a timely manner for this process,” said Cotman. “Introduction of the new car and engine are not far off, and we have a lot of work to do. Having a strong team and committed chassis and engine partners will make my tasks that much easier. I look forward to developing and implementing rules that will provide opportunities for new manufacturer involvement and increased competition in the 2012 season.”
The engine strategy, which will require the IZOD IndyCar Series to adopt rules that can accommodate various engine architectures, was announced June 2. It was followed July 14 by the unveiling of the chassis strategy, which features a Dallara Automobili-built IndyCar Safety Cell as the rolling chassis with aerodynamic body packages open to development within the rules by potential suppliers.
“Tony is the right guy for the job,” added Barnhart. “In addition to his experience with developing the rules for the introduction of the Panoz chassis in Champ Car, Tony has been a part of the ICONIC Advisory Committee so he has an in-depth knowledge with the car and engine strategy we have set for 2012. Additionally, his experience on both the team and sanctioning body side bring a unique perspective to this process.”
A two-time Indianapolis 500-winning team member, Cotman served as team manager for Team Green in CART in 1998, winning 11 races in three years. In 2001, he was promoted to vice president of racing operations, guiding a three-car program for Team Green and eventually a four-car program when the team became Andretti Green Racing and moved to the IZOD IndyCar Series.
He served as the Indy Racing League’s vice president of competition until 2009 before leaving to form NZR Consulting, focusing on race circuit design, safety and management. He continues to serve as a member of the FIA circuits commission and is race director for Firestone Indy Lights.
Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Complete Historic Day with Three Victories Across Three Different Series
CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 9, 2010) – Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. celebrated a historic weekend by picking up three wins across three different series. It marked the first time Ganassi’s teams have won in all three of the series in the same weekend. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas started things off when they won the Rolex GRAND-AM Series event at Watkins Glen International on Saturday night. Then, Juan Pablo Montoya picked up a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) victory by also winning at Watkins Glen on Sunday afternoon. That win was immediately followed by Dario Franchitti completing the hat-trick with an IZOD IndyCar Series win at Mid-Ohio.
The win by Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet marked Target’s first NSCS win and their first-ever two-win day. The two wins were Team Target’s 84th and 85th overall wins.
· ROLEX GRAND-AM SERIES: The weekend began with Rojas and Pruett starting their No. 01 TELMEX BMW Powered Riley from the pole and then going on to pick up their fourth win in the last five races. Rojas and Pruett have dominated the series thus far in 2010 winning seven of 10 races and finishing second in two of the other three. They lead the series point standings with just two races remaining on the schedule.
· NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: On Sunday, Montoya drove his No. 42 Target Chevrolet to a dominating victory in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. It was Montoya’s second career NSCS win in 131 starts – both coming on road courses. The win marked the first NSCS win for Target who has been a full-time sponsor in the series since 2002. Montoya started in the third position and quickly made his way to the front and would ultimately lead 74 of the 90 laps. The win was the third of the season for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates after Jamie McMurray won both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400.
· IZOD INDYCAR SERIES: The historic day was capped off with Dario Franchitti picking up his first win since winning the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and moved closer to first place in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings, in second place just 41 points behind leader Will Power. The win marked the 78th for Team Target in Indy Car racing since their relationship began with Chip Ganassi in 1990. The victory was also Franchitti’s 25th in his career and the fourth of the season for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
· AN INTERNATIONAL FEEL: Between Pruett, Rojas, Montoya and Franchitti, they represent six championships, three Indy 500 wins, seven Rolex 24 At Daytona wins and over 100 professional victories. In addition, they represent four different countries – Pruett (United States), Rojas (Mexico), Montoya (Colombia) and Franchitti (Scotland).
· MCMURRAY CONTINUES CLIMB TOWARDS THE CHASE: With his sixth-place finish at Watkins Glen on Sunday, the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 Winner continued his climb towards the coveted 12th position in the NSCS points standings. McMurray entered Watkins Glen in the 17th position, 172 points outside of the top 12. But, with his impressive sixth-place finish at Watkins Glen, McMurray moved up two positions to 15th, just 94 back from 12th – the cutoff for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
· GANASSI WINS TRIPLE CROWN: Earlier this month Chip Ganassi also made history by becoming the first owner to win what has become known as the American Racing Triple Crown. Ganassi’s NASCAR team picked up wins in the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 with Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500 with Dario Franchitti in the cockpit of the No. 10 Target Honda. It was also the first time in one season that an owner has won both of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s marquee events.
· OVERALL: With 14 wins already in 2010, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams continues to add to their tally of 129 trips to victory lane. Ganassi’s teams now include two IZOD IndyCar Series entries, and along with Felix Sabates and Teresa Earnhardt he has two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and a Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed seven Championships and 78 wins; his NASCAR teams have 15 wins, a trip to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and two Rookie-of-the-Year titles; and the GRAND-AM team has won three Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are an unprecedented three-time winners of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
IndyCar Race Review: Honda Indy 200
Dario Franchitti posted his first IZOD IndyCar Series road course win in nearly a year in today’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, holding off polesitter Will Power to the checkered flag.
Franchitti, whose last win on a road course came at Infineon last year, inherited the lead when Alex Tagliani made his final pit stop, put the power down for a few extra laps, and managed to beat Power out of the pits to retain the lead when stops cycled through.
Tagliani, for his part, drove one of his finest races of the year, scoring his best finish, a fourth place, between Helio Castroneves, who threw away the race at Edmonton two weeks ago on a blocking penalty, and Scott Dixon, who won that race. His pit crew, reading the race like a book, had him pit on lap 22, expecting a caution that would come almost immediately after. The Canadian led from lap 26, midway through the first caution, to his final pit stop on lap 56.
That first caution came when Justin Wilson, driving with an injured thumb from a Saturday incident with Ryan Briscoe, made an ill-advised attempt on passing E.J. Viso in the first turn on lap 23. Both cars went off track and were done for the day.
Almost immediately after the green flag flew after that caution, Takuma Sato brought the yellow out again, when a combination of cold tires and cold brakes caused him to careen off course, again in the first turn. That was just the icing on the cake for a bad weekend for KV Racing; not only were Viso and Sato out, Mario Moraes had given three of his pit crew minor injuries in an incident during race warmups.
Pit incidents were not out of the question all weekend, as a 27-car field meant that pit stalls had to be shortened to 35 feet. Normally, the Mid-Ohio pit accommodates 26 cars length-wise, and is also fairly narrow. Ryan Hunter-Reay became a victim of the tight space, getting sandwiched between the Penske cars of Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe during the first pit stops and having to return to the pits for damage repairs. He dropped back to 24th but recovered to finish 10th.
Two drivers made their IndyCar debuts during the race, but neither did all that much to impress. J.R. Hildebrand, last year’s Indy Lights champion, was never a factor in a 16th place finish for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Meanwhile, Francesco Dracone caused the final two cautions of the race with two separate spins on different sections of the track. He finished three laps down in 22nd, beating only Milka Duno of the cars still on track at the finish.
On the other end of the spectrum, Simona de Silvestro and Bertrand Baguette were among the drivers who scored season-best finishes in the race. De Silvestro placed eighth in an older, heavier HVM Racing chassis that was able to chase down Penske cars in some points of the race. Baguette had a top-10 car for much of the race, but was bumped down to 11th by the checkered flag.
All in all, 21 cars finished on the lead lap, the last of them being Danica Patrick. Four cars did not finish the race: Wilson, Viso, Sato, and Jay Howard.
For more on the IZOD IndyCar Series from Christopher Leone, visit OpenWheelAmerica.com.
LEXINGTON, Ohio – Results Sunday of the Honda Indy 200 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (2) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
2. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
3. (6) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
4. (14) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
5. (5) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
6. (7) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
7. (19) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
8. (10) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
9. (9) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
10. (4) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
11. (15) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
12. (16) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
13. (21) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
14. (13) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
15. (24) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
16. (18) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
17. (20) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
18. (12) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
19. (17) Adam Carroll, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
20. (25) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
21. (22) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
22. (23) Francesco Dracone, Dallara-Honda, 82, Running
23. (27) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 81, Running
24. (26) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, 38, Suspension
25. (3) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 28, Contact
26. (8) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 22, Contact
27. (11) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 22, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 100.542
Time of Race: 1:54:32.2568
Margin of victory: .5234 of a second
Cautions: 5 for 15 laps
Lead changes: 4 among 4 drivers
Lap Leaders: Power 1-25, Tagliani 26-55, Franchitti 56-60, Hunter-Reay 61, Franchitti 62-85
Point Standings: Power 461, Franchitti 420, Dixon 379, Briscoe 352, Castroneves 340, Hunter-Reay 336, Kanaan 304, Andretti 266, Wilson 262, Wheldon 259
IndyCar Race Preview: Honda Indy 200
Team Penske will once again be the team to beat this weekend at Mid-Ohio, as Will Power tied a series record by scoring his seventh pole of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season for tomorrow’s Honda Indy 200.
Penske cars have been towards the top of the charts in every practice session, with Dario Franchitti also consistently posting solid runs. Franchitti qualified alongside Power on the front row, followed by strong runs for Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Row 3 consists of Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves, involved in controversy over the finish at Edmonton two weeks ago, when a hotly contested blocking penalty on Castroneves handed the win to Dixon. Castroneves was previously the lone record holder for most poles in an IndyCar season until this weekend.
The 27-car field is one of the healthiest in IndyCar all season, and by far trumps the meager 21-car field that the series mustered last year. Besides the increase in full-time cars from last year to this year, part-time entries for Graham Rahal, Adam Carroll, and Jay Howard have inflated the field. Carroll qualified 17th, Rahal 25th, and Howard 26th.
This race will mark the IndyCar debuts for two drivers: J.R. Hildebrand, filling in for Mike Conway at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and Francesco Dracone, replacing Mario Romancini at Conquest Racing. They qualified 18th and 23rd, respectively. Hildebrand was the 2009 Indy Lights champion, while Dracone spent the majority of his professional racing career in Europe, primarily competing in the Formula 3000 Euroseries.
The race will be shown live on Versus at 2:30 PM EST on Sunday.
IndyCar fines Castroneves $60,000
The IndyCar Series slapped Helio Castroneves with a $60,000 fine and placed him on probation for the remainder of the year following his post-race tirade at Edmonton last weekend. Castroneves grabbed an official after the IRL took a win away from him for a blocking penalty late in the race.
According to the news release from the IZOD IndyCar Series, Castroneves “was penalized for refusing to follow the direction of officials as well as portraying unsportsmanlike conduct when he engaged in physical contact with two officials on pit lane after the conclusion of the race.”
The initial penalty was a pass through pit lane following what the series officials deemed a block on lap 93 while Castroneves was racing with Penske Racing teammate Will Power. However, when Castroneves did not adhere to the penalty, the series assessed a 20-second penalty after the race that sent Castroneves to a tenth place finish as the last car on the lead lap.
Scott Dixon would go on to score the victory after leading just two laps.
“This sport is so close and competitive that emotions are always on display,” Randy Bernard, chief executive officer, IZOD IndyCar Series, said. “However, that does not justify the post-race conduct of Helio toward series officials. This is a very serious matter and we weighed all options, including suspension. But we felt suspension would hurt the fans more than anyone else. Fans have paid their hard-earned money to watch the best drivers in the world and many bought their tickets for upcoming events with the expectation of watching Helio. He is a great ambassador for this sport and we know his actions after the race in Edmonton are not indicative of his normal behavior.”
Castroneves is currently sixth in IndyCar Series points and trails current IRL points leader Power by 115 points heading into Sunday’s race in Lexington, Ohio.
IndyCar Race Review: Honda Indy Edmonton
Scott Dixon won his second IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Edmonton City Centre Airport on Sunday, though it did not come without its share of controversy.
Helio Castroneves was assessed a non-appealable penalty for blocking Team Penske teammate Will Power on the 93rd lap of the 95-circuit Honda Edmonton Indy. He refused to head into the pits for his drive-thru penalty, and dropped to 10th place in the official results after being assessed a 20-second penalty to his time.
An angry Castroneves confronted three race officials after climbing from the car, grabbing one by the collar, but it was no use. It was the second time in three years that a blocking penalty on Castroneves took a race win from him, the other instance coming at Belle Isle in 2008, where Justin Wilson eventually took the victory.
So Dixon and Power, the past two winners of the event, stood 1-2 on the podium at the end, with Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti placing third. It was Ganassi’s second victory of the day, the other coming with driver Jamie McMurray in NASCAR’s Brickyard 400, held at IndyCar mecca Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ryan Briscoe and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top five.
The two biggest surprises in qualifying, E.J. Viso (sixth) and Simona de Silvestro (seventh), had wildly divergent days. Viso was unable to maintain his position directly behind the sport’s top two teams, but rebounded to finish eighth, as KV Racing Technology cars swept positions six through nine. Meanwhile, de Silvestro ran strongly for much of the race, a necessary boost for HVM Racing, but finished a disappointing 22nd after her fuel pump broke with eight laps to go.
And finally, critics of Milka Duno may see some relief, as she was put on probation for the rest of the year during the race weekend. Series officials have cited her failure to meet minimum standards of performance, such as maintaining 107% of the leader’s speed, and poor decision-making on the track (to the ire of many of her competitors).
IndyCar Race Preview: Honda Indy Edmonton
Once again, a Team Penske Dallara-Honda driven by Will Power will start on the pole in an IZOD IndyCar Series race.
Like clockwork, the Australian won his sixth pole of the season (fifth on road or street courses) for this weekend’s Honda Indy Edmonton, the lone race that he won last season. And unsurprisingly, the rest of the top five cars all belong to his owner, Roger Penske, or his top rival, Chip Ganassi.
Meanwhile, Helio Castroneves continued his trend of being an Edmonton bridesmaid. Penske’s elder statesman, who finished second in both IndyCar-sanctioned Edmonton races, qualified alongside Power. They were the only two drivers to break the 61-second mark in qualifying.
But time trials at the Edmonton City Centre Airport also provided some surprises. Namely, E.J. Viso and Simona de Silvestro will start sixth and seventh, respectively. Both drivers have or have had affiliations with ex-Champ Car teams, and were brought up through the ranks to race on this sort of track.
Indeed, most of the cream of the road course crop rose to the top in qualifying, with a handful of surprises, such as Raphael Matos and Tomas Scheckter, advancing to the second round of qualifying. But drivers who generally have run better on ovals, such as Alex Lloyd, Mario Romancini, and Danica Patrick, qualified closer to the back of the pack. Only Tony Kanaan and Milka Duno failed to make qualifying laps, and will start 24th and 25th, respectively.
The three drivers in the field that have won this event before all start towards the front. Power, obviously, sits on pole, while Scott Dixon, who won this event in 2008 with Ganassi, starts third. Meanwhile, Justin Wilson, looking to rebound from miscues that cost him last week’s win in Toronto, starts ninth. He won this event in 2006 when it was still sanctioned by Champ Car.
Power grabs sixth pole of the season at Edmonton
EDMONTON, Alberta (Saturday, July 24, 2010) – Will Power earned his sixth PEAK Performance Pole Award of the season (the fifth on road/street courses), slipping past Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves by 0.0765 of a second in the Firestone Fast Six session on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn City Centre Airport course, for the Honda Indy Edmonton.
Scott Dixon, the 2008 race winner, in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car had a best lap of 1:01.2395 in the Firestone Fast Six and will start next to teammate Dario Franchitti (1:01.2481) on Row 2. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe (1:01.3799) and E.J. Viso, making his first appearance in the Firestone Fast Six this season in the No. 8 PDVSA KV Racing Technology car (1:01.6122), will be on the third row.
Rookie Simona de Silvestro will start a season-high seventh in the No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing car, and Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay also will be on Row 4 in the No. 37 IZOD entry.
Also on July 24, James Hinchcliffe earned the pole for the Edmonton 100, edging championship points leader J.K. Vernay late in the qualifying session.
Hinchcliffe, the driver of the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 6.2159 seconds. It’s the fourth time this season that Hinchcliffe will start on the pole and fifth time on the front row.
Martin Plowman (1:06.2707) in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing car for AFS Racing Andretti Autosport will join teammate Charlie Kimball (1:06.3802), driving the No. 26 Levemir FlexPen entry, on Row 2.
Note: Official starting lineup for Honda Indy Edmonton is attached as EXCEL file and Adobe PDF file.
EDMONTON, Alberta – Qualifying Saturday for the Honda Indy Edmonton IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.973-mile(s) Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 1:00.7126 (116.991)
2. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 1:00.7891 (116.843)
3. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.2395 (115.984)
4. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.2481 (115.968)
5. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.3799 (115.719)
6. (8) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.6122 (115.282)
7. (78) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.5438 (115.410)
8. (37) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.5596 (115.381)
9. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.5887 (115.326)
10. (2) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.7015 (115.116)
11. (06) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.1935 (114.205)
12. (24) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.8751 (112.967)
13. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 1:01.9181 (114.713)
14. (32) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.1324 (114.317)
15. (15) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.3264 (113.961)
16. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.1465 (114.291)
17. (34) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.4191 (113.792)
18. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.2203 (114.156)
19. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.5240 (113.601)
20. (36) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.5193 (113.610)
21. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.5795 (113.500)
22. (4) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.7397 (113.211)
23. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 1:02.7511 (113.190)
24. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, No Time (No Speed)
25. (18) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, No Time (No Speed)
DAY 2 NOTEBOOK:
The chief mechanics for Team Penske’s No. 3 and No. 6 cars are not in Edmonton this weekend due to injuries sustained away from the track.
Sean Hanrahan, chief mechanic for No. 3 Helio Castroneves is not at Edmonton after surgery for a hernia this week. Rick Rinaman, who served as chief mechanic on the car prior to this season, is filling in as chief mechanic and as outside front tire changer on the car. Hanrahan is expected to return to chief mechanic duties at Mid Ohio.
Matt Jonsson, chief mechanic for No. 6 Ryan Briscoe, remains out of action with a broken right ankle. Jonsson, who served as chief mechanic at Toronto, is not in Edmonton. John Stanchina, who was the outside front tire changer on the car last week in Toronto, will return as chief mechanic and outside front tire changer on the car Jonsson is expected to return to chief mechanic duties at Mid Ohio.
***
Firestone Indy Lights driver James Hinchcliffe is doing double duty this weekend. The Canadian is serving as a driver analyst for the Honda Indy Edmonton public address system during IZOD IndyCar Series practice and qualifying.
“I’ve done some television and radio work in the past and was the color analyst at the Indianapolis 500 this year for the IMS Radio Network,” he said. “I’m happy to lend my expertise to the event when I can. Obviously, driving the TMR car takes priority.
***
IZOD IndyCar Series entrant FAZZT Race Team and Canadian driver Alex Tagliani are lending their support to Montreal-based non-governmental organization ONE DROP. The ONE DROP logo has been on display on the No.77 FAZZT Bowers & Wilkins Hot Wheels at the Honda Indy Toronto (July 17-19) and Honda Indy Edmonton (July 23-25)
Established in October of 2007, ONE DROP—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil®—fights poverty through its projects aimed at supporting access to water in developing countries and raising each and every one’s awareness of water-related issues worldwide.
ANDRÉ AZZI (FAZZT Race Team owner): “As CEO of Fazzt Race Team, I am so proud to be associated with ONE DROP. It’s sad to know that in 2010, people around the world still lack access to safe water. Our hope is to help raise awareness and get race fans in both Canada and the United States, as well as our international followers, to support water for all.”
ALEX TAGLIANI (driver, FAZZT Race Team): “Our goal is to use our team, the sport we love and our visibility amongst IndyCar fans to help bring attention to this vital issue and make the world just a little bit better for everyone. We’re blessed to be able to go racing or enjoy it as a fan, but it’s also nice to have the opportunity to do something important for others as well. We hope to an impact even just by educating people and letting them know about what ONE DROP is all about.”
LILI-ANNA PEREŠA, executive director, ONE DROP): “We very much appreciate the support of the FAZZT Race Team in spreading our message and supporting safe water for all. Water and poverty are closely linked. When populations have easy access to water, they have more time to devote to activities that enable them to improve their living conditions. Health, equality between men and women, a decent income and food security all depend on having access to water.”
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John Cummiskey, team manager of de Ferran Dragon Racing, is wearing the CF-18 Hornet patch presented to him by Capt. Brian Bews during last year’s Edmonton race weekend.
Capt. Bews ejected from his CF-18 Hornet as the plane plunged toward the ground during a practice session July 23 for the Alberta International Air Show in Lethbridge. Capt. Bews remained in a Saskatchewan hospital July 24, listed in stable condition. The Defense Department is investigating the crash.
Capt. Bews was among the guests of de Ferran Dragon Racing at the City Centre Airport in 2009.
PEAK PERFORMANCE POLE QUALIFYING NOTES:
· Will Power won the pole for the Honda Indy Edmonton, his sixth pole of the season. He also won the pole at Edmonton in 2009.
· This is Power’s fourth consecutive front row start.
· Helio Castroneves will start second. Castroneves has started no worse than third in three starts at Edmonton.
· Scott Dixon will start third, his 43rd consecutive top-10 start, further extending the series record.
· Dario Franchitti will start fourth, his seventh consecutive top-five start of the season.
· Ryan Briscoe will start fifth, his sixth top-five start of the season.
· E.J. Viso will start sixth, his best start of the season. His previous best start in 2010 was ninth at St. Petersburg. This is the first time that Viso has qualified for the Firestone Fast Six in 2010.
· Simona De Silvestro will start seventh, her best start of the season. De Silvestro missed the Firestone Fast Six by .146 of a second. Her previous best start was 11th at Sao Paulo.
· Raphael Matos will start 8th, his best starting position of the season. His previous best was 11th at both Watkins Glen and Toronto.
· Tomas Scheckter will start 12th, his best qualifying effort of the 2012 season.
PEAK PERFORMANCE POLE QUALIFYING QUOTES:
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske): “It’s awesome to get the Verizon car on the pole again. All the points count and I know here it’s important to be at the front because it is tough to pass. If all the strategy goes well, like it did last year, it makes it easier to win. It’s a long day tomorrow. We have a good starting spot and we have to keep going to win this championship.” (What makes you so good at this track?): “We’ve all work really hard. Obviously, last year the cats were really good. But this year, I had trouble trying to beat my teammate. It’s good to see two Team Penske cars on the front row.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske): “We had a very good lap out there and I just made a little mistake and this place is about not making mistakes. Will is making us better – me, Ryan and the team. He’s pushing hard and I’m pushing hard, too. It’s a shame we couldn’t make it, but we’re getting closer. We can win the race from (second).”
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “We just missed it a little bit. Ultimately, it wasn’t a bad (Firestone) Fast Six for us.”
E.J. VISO (No. 8 PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KV Racing Technology): “It was a good run today and a good qualifying effort against very tough guys. We put in so much effort to go up against the Penske and Ganassi drivers that we didn’t have a set of stickers that we could use in the last run. We needed another two or three tenths from a set of stickers and we could have qualified in P4. We’re happy. It’s a tough race and a long race and we have the resources to finish up with those guys.”
TAKUMA SATO (No. 5 Lotus – KV Racing Technology): “The first group was the toughest group today. I didn’t get a good feeling during the first run with the primary tires. However, when we went to the alternate tire, the car was getting better and it looked like it was all coming together. Unfortunately the times were so close that we missed the top-12 by just a tenth. I tried everything we had but we just couldn’t find the grip so I’m very disappointed we didn’t make it through to Q2 today.”
MARIO MORAES (No. 32 KV Racing Technology): “Unfortunately, my KV Racing car had some understeer in qualifying. We couldn’t put a lap together to reach the Top 12. We just missed at the end of session. Overall, our balance in the car is pretty good for the race. I hope to get a good start and move up in the race.”
PAUL TRACY (No. 15 Make-A-Wish KV Racing Technology): “We were put in the hardest group possible today. There were three Penskes, a Ganassi car, Wilson and others. That group was just stacked with a lot of fast guys. It’s a shame because we just didn’t have enough to transfer to the second round. We missed by a little today. It’s tough to start 15th on Sunday. I really wanted to start further up in the grid for the Make A Wish, Honda Canada and Motegi Wheels people. We had been a top-seven car all weekend leading into qualifying. I’m disappointed for everyone. We’ll have to drive through the field again in the race.”
DAN WHELDON (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing): “A lot of the things we’ve learned from the Soldiers in the National Guard are really helpful on a day like today – it’s their ‘never give up’ and ‘never say die’ attitude that gets them through tough situations and that’s what everybody on the National Guard Panther Racing team is going to strive for as we look forward to tomorrow’s race. We’ve learned some key things in the last two days here in Edmonton and myself and everybody on this team are going to work hard tonight and tomorrow in the warm-up to improve the No. 4 car so that we’re a factor in the race. We’ve overcome some challenges in each of the past two IZOD IndyCar Series races and the fans that will be here tomorrow and the ones watching on TV are going to see the same effort during the race tomorrow.”
MARIO ROMANCINI (No. 34 Conquest Racing): “After the morning practice, we got a pretty good balance and I was happy with the car. But in qualifying when we tried the red tires, the balance changed a lot, and the car was very lose and we missed quite a lot of time because of that. It wasn’t so bad for us as P17 is the best position start so far in the season, so we can’t complain a lot, but based on what happened this morning, we were expecting to be a bit better, but the race is going to be long tomorrow, and I think we will have a solid race car.”
BERTRAND BAGUETTE (No. 36 Conquest Racing/RACB): “The qualification session was a little bit better for us. On the first set of tires it wasn’t so good, but then we did some few good modifications for the second set. Unfortunately, I hit the wall on my second lap and I damaged the left corner of my car; and after that it was harder for sure. I still did my best driving the car, but without that damage it would be a lot quicker. We are P20, the race is long and quite physical so everything is possible”.
HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 06 Formula Dream/Panasonic): “We improved a lot overnight; it was a significant improvement. Then we had a good practice session and ended fourth fastest and I was quite happy, balance-wise so we kept the same balance in qualifying but the temperature went a lot warmer and the balance changed. We tried many things during the qualifying session to try to find a better balance but we just didn’t find it in the limited time. It was good to get back in Round 2 after not making it the past two events. It was good news for me and I was trying to get into the next round for the top-six but it was difficult because the balance changed a lot. In Toronto we found a good race setup and although it’s not the same layout here at all but I think we can apply it here. It’s going to be a tough race. My arms are already banged up a little.”
DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com): “Coming off of a strong weekend in Toronto, we were hoping to keep the momentum going into Edmonton for the GoDaddy.com car. I was in a really tough qualifying group, and I didn’t have the speed to make it into the top six today. The first couple laps of tomorrow’s race will be very important, and hopefully we’ll come out with some clean laps.”
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven): “It was a tough day for Team 7-Eleven and for the whole team. Sometimes when you’re struggling as a team, you try to do too much when you get in the car, and that’s what happened. I’m driving the car, so I’m the only one to blame. You try to set the world on fire because you trust in yourself and have a lot of confidence that you can make a difference. Sometimes you go over the limit.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 37 Team IZOD): “We definitely recovered a little bit since yesterday, but we’re still struggling with something. We’re not satisfied with our qualifying effort overall as a team. But, I know the IZOD guys will give me a great race car. I always know when I wake up in the morning on race day that I’ve got a shot to put that thing in the top five. We’ll do our best at getting a good race car under us tomorrow, but eighth today was like a home run.”
RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 HP de Ferran Dragon Racing): It was a good qualifying session today. It was great to advance to the second round. We made some improvements to the car between the first and second rounds. We’re missing a little bit, but we are close on the set-up and we keep getting closer. This is a physically demanding track and that will make for a long race, but I have been training really hard and I feel really fit. So I’m hoping that will help me in the race tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Team Venom Energy): “We really needed to take advantage of the Firestone reds today and unfortunately we just weren’t able to find the grip we needed. Track position is crucial at a place like this so it’s frustrating for the Venom car to start where we are. We’ll do what we can to make the best out of the race tomorrow.”
ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins/Hot Wheels): “It wasn’t so much that the group one draw was so competitive it’s that we just weren’t competitive like we should be. It’s no secret that we’ve been struggling to find a set up all weekend. We’re a bit lost at the moment with a car that has a lot of understeer, is very nervous with some push. I just feels really unstable and just doesn’t have any bit even with the Firestone red tires on. The way the car feels on the track, I would have been very surprised if we had made it out of our group to battle for the Firestone Fast 6. We’re not going to give up. The Fazzt guys will keep working to find something to make the no.77 Bower & Wilkins Hot Wheels car better and we’ll also try to be creative with our strategy for the race. Until that checkered flag drops we’re going to fight.”
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 22 Team Z-Line Designs/DRR): “The Z-Line Designs car was quick and I would have thought I was running P2 if the crew hadn’t told me my lap times and position. I lost a bit of rear grip on my final two laps and unfortunately we missed the Firestone Fast Six by a couple of tenths. I think we have a good race car and will go over the data tonight and work out a game plan for the race. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully we can pick up positions throughout the race.”
TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 24 MonaVie/DRR): “Today was a lot better. Considering the fact that I have only been on road courses for only about four or five days this year, we definitely are getting better and developing the car and getting the time that we need. We didn’t want to do any more so after we made the top-12 we saved two sets of the Firestone Firehawk Alternate (red sidewall) tires. I’m really pleased with the MonaVie car and it really seems to suit the Firestone Firehawk “red” tires, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske): “It’s really exciting as usual. This track, it’s exciting. It’s really fast and bumpy, but you can really attack the bumps and push the car hard. It’s a lot of fun out there. My car wasn’t really to my liking. We made probably too many changes going into qualifying just trying to find an extra couple of 10ths and sort of went backwards a bit. It was a little disappointing for me. I thought we would have a shot at pole today, but we didn’t have the speed. It was good to get in the Fast Six. It was tough to get through Q1. It was just really good. I mean, no yellow flags at all, so the whole field was very consistent on such a challenging track. But fifth is good. I started on the front row the last two years and it didn’t work out for me, so maybe starting fifth will help.”
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Team Stargate Worlds/HVM): “Starting seventh with some of the big guys in front of us is something pretty special. We put two sets of reds (Firestone alternate tires) on in the first session. I think if we would have had a fresh set of reds in the second session we would have been a bit quicker. But the whole team at HVM can be really happy. They’ve worked really hard all weekend, and now we just have to try to move forward and I think it could be a good race for us. If we can duplicate what we did in Toronto — moving forward in the race — I think with this starting position it’s going to be good.”
VITOR MEIRA (No. 14 ABC Supply Co./A.J. Foyt Racing): “It’s not a weekend we were expecting to be honest. We came out of Toronto with a decent result, it wasn’t an optimum weekend there, but we learned a bunch of things. We unloaded here and it wasn’t good, we have been chasing a moving target here. We don’t know where to pinpoint where the problem is. We’re trying things, very aggressive things. We’re going through every piece of information, but so far, we have not figured out what we can improve. We’re talking about a second here, so it’s not a small detail. Maybe it’s a lot of small things or one big thing but we’ll keep our heads down and keep working. We have one practice left to get it right.”
SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING NOTES
· This is James Hinchcliffe’s fourth pole of 2010. He was previously on pole at St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Watkins Glen.
· J.K. Vernay will start on the front row for the fifth time in eight races
SUNOCO POLE QUALIFYING QUOTES:
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 2 Xtreme Coil Drilling- TMR, SUNOCO Pole Award winner): “It never hurts to start up front, but it was a little bit too close there. As I said to my engineer Lee Dykstra, it’s a little bit of payback for Toronto, where we sort of sat up at the top and then J.K. (Vernay) pulled it out on us at the end. But credit to him, he’s been super quick all weekend. He’s such a tough competitor. A huge thanks to Team Moore. This is sort of (team co-owner) Tom Wood’s hometown here so to get a pole at the home race is great.”
MARTIN PLOWMAN, (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers/KEP Printing, qualified third): “That was a really tough qualifying session. The times were extremely close. At one point, I was two-thousandths from pole. I put in another quick lap, but we ran out of time. The top three were separated by less than half a tenth. When it’s that close, it’s just about who gets it that day. I think I got the best out of the car today. I know we have a really strong race car, so it’s going to be a great race tomorrow.”
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 26 Levemir FlexPen, qualified fourth): “That was a great effort by everyone. Qualifying is really close. We didn’t quite have that last couple of tenths to put it on pole. I know the #26 Levemir® car will be quick on lap 50 tomorrow, when it really matters. I think we should be ready to go have a good race tomorrow.”
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE (All time local):
9:20 – 9:40 a.m.
Firestone Indy Lights warmup
10- 10:30 a.m.
IZOD IndyCar Series warmup
12:30 p.m.
Firestone Indy Lights Edmonton 100 pre-race
1 p.m.
Firestone Indy Lights Edmonton 100 (50 laps
3 p.m.
IZOD IndyCar Series Honda Indy Edmonton pre-race
4 p.m.
Honda Indy Edmonton (95 laps), VERSUS (Live)
