Power Gains Envy with Edmonton Indy Win

 Photo Credit: Chris Jones

There were a lot of variables in place as the IZOD INDYCAR Series prepped for the 2011 Edmonton Indy. Due to an off-season decision by the Edmonton City Centre Airport favouring air traffic over an auto race, the annual race almost faced complete cancellation for 2011. Thanks to an efforts of many including promoters Octane Motorsports Event to preserve the race, the Edmonton Indy was relocated to another section of the airport on to a 13-turn, 2.224-mile road course.

While the new circuit presented a large unknown, the previous IZOD INDYCAR event in Toronto sent up a lot of sparks within the open wheel series between a multitude of drivers. One of the most talked about moves was the championship-affecting incident when Dario Franchitti and Will Power made contact. While Franchitti went on to the Honda Indy victory, Will Power was later collected in a fight with Alex Tagliani leaving the Australian Penske Racing driver very frustrated. Not the only driver leaving Toronto disgruntled, it remained to be seen if the same attitudes will come into play for the second Canadian IZOD INDYCAR round. With some suggesting INDYCAR officials were somewhat too permissive of avoidable contact incidents, some were also expecting the drivers could be under more scrutiny. 

The first and only truly nice day for the Edmonton Indy weekend, Friday concluded with no track activity due to heavy precipitation. Subtracting some much needed some much needed track time for the IZOD INDYCAR drivers and team, the race pace on the new surface wasn't determined until Saturday. Originally scheduling the Edmonton Indy race for 90 laps, the INDYCAR sanctioning body would be forced to shorten the event to 80 laps as they attempt to accommodate the race within the typical 2-hour window.

Taking a stunning pole position on Saturday, KV Racing Technology #5 car driven by Takuma Sato led the field to green for the 80-lap 2011 Edmonton Indy. The 26-car IZOD INDYCAR field sailed through the Edmonton Indy's infamous first turns until mayhem ensued in turn 7. Attempting to gain ground early from a 17th place starting spot, the #77 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car of Alex Tagliani aggressively dived into left turn. A less than advisable move, Tagliani's car slammed the #38 car of Graham Rahal. In a chain reaction collision, the 2011 Edmonton Indy was ended for veteran Canadian racer Paul Tracy. Driving the #8 Dragon Racing car, Tracy was clipped by Rahal resulting in race-ending damage for both drivers before they recorded a single lap. The #34 car of Sebastian Saavedra was also involved in the lap 1 mess but was able to continue the race once a 3-lap caution period concluded.

Causing the accident which resulted with Tracy and Rahal getting relegated to last place finishes, Alex Tagliani's #77 car needed only a new front wing assembly to resume racing. However, INDYCAR officials would not allow the French-Canadian driver to go without penalty. On lap 6, Tagliani submitted to a drive-through penalty as he would continue to what would amount as a 17th place finish.Tagliani became the first of three cars to be reprimanded with the "Avoidable Contact" call through the Edmonton Indy race. Despite all the carnage in the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto, there was only a single penalty issued.

Starting first, Takuma Sato made the most of his 2nd IZOD INDYCAR Series pole leading for 18 laps over the Penske Racing car of Will Power. As the IZOD INDYCAR overall drivers standings shifted from a tie to a sizable gap in only two races, Power needed to rely on his previous fortunes of the Edmonton Indy race. The winner of the 2009 race at the airport circuit, Will Power demonstrated on lap 19 an appreciation for the new course by taking the lead from Sato.

Photo Credit: Daniel Incandela

Though Alex Tagliani's penalty for contact on track, there would still be some overly aggressive attempts of overtaking by the mid stage of Edmonton Indy. On lap 27, the #27 Andretti Autosport racer piloted by Mike Conway made a dueling move for position with Newman'Haas Racing's #2 car of Oriol Servia into turn 12. Misjudging the pass, Conway collided with Servia. Drawing the race's second and last full course yellow, Mke Conway collected a drive-through penalty.

The second Newman/Haas Racing car would also become a victim of circumstance during the Edmonton Indy's lap 26 caution. The #06 car driven by rookie Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe ended up stalled on track as result of a chain reaction low-speed pile-up. "... everyone was lining up to dive into the pits everybody starting jacking around down at the hairpin, trying to brake-check everyone to get a good run into the pits to create a gap but all it does is create an accordion effect. Unfortunately I didn't see it soon enough and got into the back of Danica." Hinchcliffe said in regards to the incident. With the help of safety crew members, James Hinchcliffe was able to rejoin the race in the #06 Newman/Haas Racing car. However, both Newman/Haas Racing runners would be out of contention for worthy top-10 finishes to accompany their qualifying performances.

On the lap 29 restart, 3rd place starter Scott Dixon met the worse end of on-track contact. While Dixon was able to nurse his #9 Target-sponsored car back around the track, the Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver and crew realized damage to the Dallara required extended repairs. Taking 5 laps to repair what was believed to be a fluid leak, Dixon would finish 23rd losing a sizable amount of IZOD INDYCAR points in the overall season standings. "Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to show that speed. It was one of those deals where I could see it happening in my mirror but couldn't get out of the way. We just can't buy a break I guess." Scott Dixon responded after the race.

Starting on the pole, the #5 KV Racing Technology car piloted by Takuma Sato maintained race pace with the best of team cars presented from the stables of Penske Racing and Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. Staying in the top-5 after Will Power passed him for the lead on lap 18, Sato's green #5 car was looking fantastic at one-third race distance. Running great past the second restart, Sato's plans to finish the Edmonton Indy strong was defeated when the #28 Andretti Autosport car of Ryan Hunter-Reay spun the Lotus-sponsored #5 KV Racing Technology vehicle on the fifth turn. Though Takuma Sato suffered minimal damage, the #5 Dallara-Honda sat stalled in turn five losing a full lap. In the mid-race clashes, both Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay would seek out the impacted driver to apologize (a stark contrast to the Honda Indy Toronto where tempers were settled at a much slower pace).

With the KV Racing Technology pole sitter as well as Scott Dixon out of contention, the #12 Verizon Penske Racing machine of Will Power demonstrated his road course prowess. By lap 57, Power took affirmative control of the Edmonton Indy lead following Dario Franchitti's pit stop relinquishing the position. In the final laps, the hungry determination of Helio Castroneves pressured teammate Will Power. Finishing with a 0.8 second margin of victory, Power pulled off his second victory in three at the Edmonton Indy race. Leading 57 laps on his way to his 4th win of the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Edmonton road course was important in reestablishing Will Power's championship fight.

An important podium for Helio Castroneves, the Edmonton Indy race was a revisit to a track the Brazilian theatrically blocked Power and was penalized by INDYCAR. Some believed the aftermath of the Edmonton race has haunted Castroneves' career since. With Penske Racing cars finishing orderly in a 1-2 finish, the 2011 event provided a much more ideal outcome for the superteam as a whole. The Penske most importantly finished ahead of the remaining Target/Chip Ganassi Racing car of Dario Franchitti.

From 4th to 6th place were drivers who all started outside of the top-10 at the Edmonton Indy event. The deepest starting KV Racing Technology car, the #82 in the hands of Tony Kanaan rose to his 5th top-10 finish in the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series season. In 5th, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver Justin Wilson improved 10 positions for a season-best run. Rounding out the last half-dozen runners, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais collected a second straight 6th place finish. Driving the #19 Dale Coyne Racing car, Bourdais' Canadian race stint has nested his best runs in North American open wheel racing series he was champion in the Champ Car Series.

The next race for the IZOD INDYCAR race is set for Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 7th.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR
Edmonton Indy
Edmonton, Alberta
Race Results

1. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
2. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
3. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
4. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
5. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
6. 19 Sebastien Bourdais/France/Dale Coyne Racing
7. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
8. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
9. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
10. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
11. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
12. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
13. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
14. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
15. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
16. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/Columbia/ Conquest Racing
17. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
18. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
19. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
20. 59 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
21. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
22. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
23. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
24. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
25. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
26. 8 Paul Tracy/Canada/Dragon Racing

Sato Slays Power's Qualifying Streak for Edmonton Indy Pole

Photo Credit: LAT Photo USA

For the second time in three races, Japanese driver Takuma Sato will lead a 2011 IZOD INDYCAR field to green. Adapting quickly to the new 2.556 mile, 13-turn Edmonton City Airport road course, the #5 KV Racing Technology car rounded the circuit in 1 minute, 18.5165 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six final qualifying round. Delighted with the top effort, Sato commented in the post-qualifying press conference saying "It's a very special moment for me and for the team, as well. I mean, like you said, Iowa was another great moment. My first pole. To be able to do the same thing here, it means a lot."

The result of Takuma Sato's first pole IZOD INDYCAR on a road circuit comes with the end of Penske Racing driver Will Power's pole streak on road courses. Winning 8 consecutive poles on street or permanent road courses on the IZOD INDYCAR Series, Power's streak ironically started last year at the Edmonton Indy race. In qualifying, Will Power made a valiant attempt to extend the consecutive pole run but came a little more than 5/100th of a second short. The Australian driver of the #12 Verizon Penske Racing Dallara-Honda will start 2nd place for the Sunday race. Though Will Power lost the first place starting streak on road courses, this 2011 Edmonton Indy start will be his 13th straight IZOD INDYCAR qualifying session the #12 car collected a front row position.

Starting on the second front for Sunday's 90-lap main event, the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing cars both desire to finish one row ahead on race day to repeat their Honda Indy Toronto success two weeks ago. The New Zealand driver Scott Dixon topped the overall series points leader and teammate Dario Franchitti for the 3rd place standing spot.

Along with Sato's pole-winning performance in the Edmonton Indy qualifying session, a second KV Racing Technology car collected a top-5 starting position. The #59 of EJ Viso supplied a season-best effort during the Firestone Fast Six time trial to take 5th over Penske Racing's Ryan Briscoe. The routine vanguard of the KV Racing Technology team, Tony Kanaan starts in 11th place. Last year with Andretti Autosport, Kanaan finished 12th on the old Edmonton City Airport circuit.

This year in qualifying, Ryan Hunter-Reay will lead the four-car Andretti Autosport effort from the start of the Edmonton Indy. Qualifying 7th, Hunter-Reay starts well ahead of his teammates who struggled to come to terms with the new track. Oriol Servia, Helio Castroneves and Canadian's James Hinchcliffe round out the top-10 in the IZOD INDYCAR qualifying session.

Scheduled for a 2 PM Eastern start, the Edmonton Indy will air live on Versus in the United States and TSN for Canadian television viewers.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series

Edmonton Indy

Starting Lineup

1. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
2. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
3. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
4. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
5. 59 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
6. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
7. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
8. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
9. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
10. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
11. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
12. 19 Sebastien Bourdais/France/Dale Coyne Racing
13. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
14. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
15. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
16. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
17. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
18. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
19. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
20. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
21. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
22. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
23. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
24. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
25. 8 Paul Tracy/Canada/Dragon Racing
26. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/Columbia/ Conquest Racing

Edmonton Indy Back for 2011

Photo Credit: Dana Garrett

The State of INDYCAR Event announcement confirmed that there will be two races in Canada for 2011. Track promoter Octane Motorsport Events, local businesses and the INDYCAR series have all come together to bring back the event which almost ceased following a dispute on land usage at the Edmonton City Center Airport. Agreeing to run on a different, newly-renovated part of the track.

Awaking the great prarie City Center Airport of Edmonton with a sound other than turboprop and jet aircraft, the sound of internal combustion engines echo as auto racing events brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to the grounds. Holding CASCAR races through the 1990s, major league open wheel racing was first staged on the temporary street course in 2005. Original staged with Champ Car, INDYCAR took over the race in 2008 perserving it as the only Canadian race date of the season.

Two years later, the future of the Edmonton Indy race was put into question as Octane Motorsport Events (the group behind the current Formula 1's Canadian Grand Prix) became the new promoter for the event. Grandstand changes and a debt carried from previous event arose as sticking points of many Edmonton Indy naysayers heading into the 2010 event. Despite this, the 2010 Edmonton Indy event resulted in a great on-track spectacle as a late-race blocking manuveur performed by Helio Castroneves resulted in a heated scene immediately following the event.

Receiving a July 24th date on the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series schedule, track configuration is unknown at this time. It is also uncertain if the Firestone Indy Lights or the long-time mainstay NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will accompany the IZOD INDYCAR Series.

Goodbye to the Edmonton Indy

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Canadian open wheel racing fans have been punted into the tire barrier this week news concerning one of two IZOD IndyCar Series race venues above North America's 49th parallel has surfaced. Late Tuesday night on November 2nd, it was announced that talks between Edmonton city council and the race's promoter Octane Racing Group have broken down.
Edmonton city council, led by newly-reelected incumbent major Stephen Mandel, voted in July of 2010 to enter talks with Octane (who intended to take over event promotion duties from company Northlands) in order to run this major motor race weekend through 2013 at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Complications set in when the present 1.96 mile temporary race circuit would become unavailable since the airport preferred to have the occupied runways open for air transport. Intent on relocating to a portion of the airport which is unused, this area also required a sizable investment to refurbish for the 2011 Edmonton IndyCar race event. Requiring a total 5.5 million dollar commitment from the government for the City of Edmonton, the race was discontinued for 2011. According to the City of Edmonton, the Indy race weekend had lost 9.2 million dollars through the previous two years leaving further investment in the event less than appetizing.

Following the news of the talks between the Octane and the City of Edmonton, an unnamed source within the IndyCar Series responded "We are disappointed that the city and the promoter were unable to reach an agreement on the venue changes. It's unfortunate that in a time when IndyCar is experiencing momentum and growth, the city would want to miss out on the opportunity to be part of it. We've enjoyed our time at Edmonton as the fans there truly embraced Indy car racing.”.

With the date erased from the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, the league has indicated a desire to replace this Canadian event. One rumour has indicated that Octane Racing Group (promoters for the Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal) could possibly work out a deal to run the series in Montreal.

At present time (Tuesday, November 9th), the website for the Edmonton Indy is still up and running having planned for the 2011 race which seems highly unlikely to happen in the future.

J.R. Fitzpatrick Wins NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race at Edmonton

Photo Credit: Perry Nelson/NASCAR






For the second straight weekend, the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series play companion to the IZOD IndyCar Series. Offering a stark departure to the open wheel racing on the Edmonton City Airport race circuit, the Canadian Tire 100 presented by Konica Minolta unleahed the clumzy handling full-bodied stock cars around the converted road course.

In a late morning Sunday, 22 NASCAR Canadian Tire series cars started the 100 mile, 32 lap affair was led from pole by the #84 Schick Hydro Chevrolet Impala of J.R. Fitzpatrick. Finishing 8th a week ago on the streets of Toronto, Fitzpatrick's effort was soured in the late stages by a poor restart. Coming back with a vengence at Edmonton early, Fitzpatrick held off second place's #02 Ford of Kerry Micks.


An unique sight seeing the stock cars run within the long and wide airport circuit, the race would ultimately be less attractive in a competitive context. Hindered by only one caution flying through the course of the Canadian Tire 100 presented by Konica Minolta, the stopped #1 car of Daryl Harr on lap 18 would also be in a very short field of non-finishers in the event. Though the Edmonton City Airport circuit did not breeding a large number of quality passing, there were a number of drivers who experienced some impressive runs. Having started 3rd, Anthony Simone would find his way around Kerry Micks for the second place position. Simone would finish in the runner-up spot tying his series-best effort scored at the Trois Riviere event August 2009. In another impressive run after a top-10 in Toronto, Trevor Seibert drove the #69 Dodge to 4th behind 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champ Scott Steckly.

Leading all 32 laps, J.R. Fitzpatrick took the his #84 Chevy to victory ahead of Simone. Defending his 2009 victory, Fitzpatrick's 2010 win at Edmonton comes as he progresses through a hard charge for his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship (However, Fitzpatrick did win the final CASCAR Superseries title back in 2006 just before the tour was absorbed into NASCAR Canada).

Power Jets to Pole on Airport Circuit for Honda Indy Edmonton Race

Photo Credit: Steve Swope


Honda Indy Edmonton 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Starting Lineup

1. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
2. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
3. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
4. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
5. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
6. 8 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
7. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland HVM Racing
8. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/ Andretti Autosport
9. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
10. 2 Raphael Matos/Brazil/ de Ferran Dragon Racing
11. 06 Hideki Mutoh/ Japan/ Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
12. 24 Tomas Scheckter/ South Africa/ Dreyer and Reinbold Racing
13. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
14. 32 Mario Moraes/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
15. 15 Paul Tracy/Canada/ KV Racing Technology
16. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
17. 34 Mario Romancini/Brazil/ Conquest Racing
18. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
19. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ FAZZT Race Team
20. 36 Bertrand Baguette/Belgium/ Conquest Racing
21. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
22. 4 Dan Wheldon/England/ Panther Racing
23. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
24. 11 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ Andretti Autosport
25. 18 Milka Duno/Venezuela/ Dale Coyne Racing

Paul Tracy Set to Drive Toronto Honda Indy Race

Photo Credit: CNW Group


Presented in Toronto on Tuesday, Paul Tracy's car will a collage of sponsorship heavily featuring Make-A-Wish Canada. Honda Canada and the Toronto Blue Jays will also be recognized on the blue and white KV Racing Technology race car as he competes in July for the Honda Indy of Toronto.

Coming only a few short days following Paul Tracy's missed opportunity to make the Indy 500 field, the 41 year old Canadian open wheel star flew from Indianapolis stinging with disappointment for recent on-track appearance. "After leaving here (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) on Sunday with our tail between our legs and waking up in Toronto and still not feeling very good with how the weekend went, we were there to make an announcement about racing in Canada." Upon landing in Toronto, the press conference would bring a change in attitude to the driver. "Jimmy (Vasser) and I both got up in the morning and had breakfast." Tracy said. "We were both still crying in our cereal bowl about how Sunday went. When we got to the venue where the car was, there were a half-dozen kids there. Your heart just sank. You think you've got troubles, and you've got kids there that are sick. It kind of put things in perspective that life's not so bad for me because I didn't qualify for the Indy 500."

The partnership between Paul Tracy, KV Racing Technology, and Honda Canada carries on from last year where his #15 car was spotlighted tangling with Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves through turn 3. Representing the Canadian Wounded Warriors cause, Make-A-Wish is the supported charity in 2010.

With no offense to FAZZT Race Team full-time driver Alex Tagliani, Tracy is likely to serve as the irrefutable hometown hero of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar visit for this Canadian round. Tracy has won twice in 1993 and 2003 on the streets of Toronto garnering an overwhelmingly positive fan reaction. Winning in Toronto as well as at the now defunct Molson Indy round in Vancouver, Paul Tracy is also the only Canadian to win an CART and/or IndyCar Series event.