Will Power's Potency in Sao Paulo Leads to Third 2012 INDYCAR Win

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

The 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series has started with Team Penske taking every thing of value so far on their open wheel tour. Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Will Power have collectively won the first three rounds in the 2012 season. Winning the first three United States race in the IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle provided a change of scenery where other members of the 26-car open wheel racing field were intent on claiming glory.

In qualifying, the Chevrolet-powered #12 Team Penske car of Will Power fended off the challenge of Dario Franchitti's #10 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara DW12 race car. A member of the Honda engine brigade that received the aid of a more powerful turbocharger unit for this weekend's event, this would be a break-out race for the reigning IZOD INDYCAR Series champion who had been haunted by a difficult start to 2012 where him and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing team appeared off-form from previous seasons.

Despite the newly-invigorated competition from the Honda runners, the pole-sitter at the start of the 75-lap Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 jetted away. For anyone expecting that the IZOD INDYCAR Series' pattern of Team Penske dominance in 2012 would be defeated in Brazil, Will Power gave no indication of that happening. The #12 car of Power led the first 51 laps on the streets of Sao Paulo and was handily faster than Dario Franchitti early on and the Ryan Hunter-Reay's #28 car for Andretti Autosport.

Seeking to join the #12 car of Will Power, Team Penske Ryan Briscoe surged through the field in a hurry early in the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 race. Started 9th, the #2 car of Briscoe diced into 6th place by lap 19 and climbed to 4th two laps later. Driving a fast Dallara-Chevrolet, Ryan Briscoe's advance ended with the #2 car in the turn 10 wall on lap 22. This finish was Briscoe's first DNF of the 2012 season and the first for a Team Penske machine this year.

After a brief caution to remove the derelict car of Ryan Briscoe, the race restarted on lap 26. As Dario Franchitti is sent spinning by contact from the #14 car piloted by Mike Conway, the yellow flag returned. Falling to 22^nd from the incident, Franchitti would recover over the course of the remaining laps to secure a top-5 run. A multi-car accident in turn 2 brought out caution on lap 30 concluding a very slow period of the Sao Paulo IZOD INDYCAR race. Ultimately ending the race for Simona de Silvestro’s #78 car, other drivedia ers including the James Jakes and Josef Newgarden were hindered by the bottleneck in turn 2. In the case of Newgarden, he would proceed to set fastest lap at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 on lap 58 with the #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing entry.

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

Into the last one-third distance of the event, a pit stop of Will Power offered what would be the only chances for other cars to lead the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300. Leading on lap 53, Helio Castroneves delighted the Brazilian fans with a presence at the front of the IZOD INDYCAR field. James Hinchcliffe also recorded one lap in the lead on the 2.536-mile road course before turning the lead over to the #9 car of Scott Dixon. While the Target Chip Ganassi Racing car of Dixon circulated for 8 laps out front, caution flew for the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s #67 car of Newgarden stopped in turn 6. Scott Dixon pitted for fuel costing him front-running track position which will prove more costly into the final 9 laps as Will Power reassumed the race’s lead.

Setting up for a double-file restart, Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay led to field to the restart on lap 67. As teams battle into the tight first corner, Takuma Sato made a most daring pass on the third place car of Dario Franchitti. With an edge into the corner, Sato in the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry took the final podium spot in the late stage of the Sao Paulo race.

While the Japanese driver Takuma Sato demonstrated a perfect manoeuvre, other drivers on the lap 67 restart were not as successful. When the #14 AJ Foyt Racing car was negotiating the first and second corner of the low-speed section of the start course, a chain reaction caused the collection of several cars. Lead lap cars caught in the mayhem included the #9 of Scott Dixon, #38 of Graham Rahal, #26 of Macro Andretti and the #77 of Simon Pagenaud who would all lose lead lap as well as top-10 runs.

For a final 5-lap run to the checkered flag, Will Power gained a healthy lead on Hunter-Reay and won the Sao Paulo round of the IZOD INDYCAR Series for a third straight season. The #12 car owned the lead of the event for 63 of the 75 laps making for a strong effort for the Australian. Power’s win hands Team Penske a fourth-straight victory through the start of the 2012 season. “Very happy to get that third win here and third in a row. We need to make it four in a row at the most important race next.” said the winner Will Power in post race who leads the IZOD INDYCAR overall points entering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway round last month.

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

Little over 0.9 seconds behind Power‘s #12 car, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s runner-up finish delivered the first one-two finish for Chevrolet engines. Takuma Sato would finish on the podium at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300, the former Japanese Formula 1 driver’s first highest-finish in three seasons of the IZOD INDYCAR Series. Sato’s effort with the #15 car was even more impressive based on the fact he started 25^th and was assessed a pit road speeding penalty early in the race.

The lone Brazilian round on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle was the only chance for four drivers to display their talent in front of a home country nation. Helio Castroneves carried his country’s pride to 4^th place from a 18^th starting spot. Rubens Barrichello, competing in his home city for the first time in IZOD INDYCAR racing, netted a 10^th place result for KV Racing Technology.

From 6^th to 8^th place in the Sao Paulo race, the IZOD INDYCAR Series rookies from last year have defused the sophomore jinx. Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe finished highest of the 2011 rookie group in 6^th place ahead of JR Hildebrand driving for Panther Racing. Coming from 15^th place to 8^th over the 75 laps, Charlie Kimball was third-highest among the Honda runners in the event.

The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle was the final race before the Month of May celebrations and events leading up to the Indianapolis 500 of May 27^th.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Nationality	Race Team	Engine
1	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
3	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
4	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
5	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
6	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
7	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
8	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
11	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
12	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
13	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
14	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
15	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
16	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
17	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
18	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
19	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
20	25	Ana Beatriz	Brazil	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
21	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
22	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
23	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
24	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
25	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
26	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus

Power Dances to Sao Paulo INDYCAR Race Pole

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

For the third time in the first four races of the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the open wheel tour is running on a temporary street course. While each of those road circuits come with their own charm, the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presents the series’ first trip outside of the United States this season to race on the streets of Brazil. Presented with a 2.536-mile, 11-turn course, the 26 cars of the IZOD INDYCAR Series readied for their 2012 appearance in the major Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.

Qualifying for Sunday’s main 75-lap event went off without a major hitch under cloudy skies and a 74-degree Fahrenheit ambient temperature. Without the confusing drama that proceeded the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race, the Chevrolet engine and the Honda engines (now operating with a more powerful turbocharger unit thanks to the manufacturer‘s appeal to the sanctioning body), The Firestone Fast Six grouping featured three cars from each manufacturer.

After the final 10-minute session in qualifying, it was a familiar competitor that owned the day. The dominance of Team Penske in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series rolled into South America. As Team Penske remains undefeated in qualifying for 2012, the #12 Dallara-Chevrolet piloted by Will Power topped the time charts on the Brazilian streets. Lapping the racetrack in 81.4045 seconds, Power held off the strong fight of defending IZOD INDYCAR Series champion Dario Franchitti and the Scot’s Honda-powered #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry. The pole for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 totals 26 times Will Power would start from the preferred spot on the IZOD INDYCAR Series starting grid. Post-qualifying, pole-sitter Power said, “It's good to put the Verizon Chevrolet on the pole. It was satisfying, especially knowing that Honda seems to have an advantage on the straights at the moment, so being on pole is a good start to the weekend.”

Ending the Firestone Fast Six session in his highest position of the 2012 season, Dario Franchitti is still searching for a solid race result in order to begin mounting a title defence in 2012. “We've obviously had a difficult start to the season and a lot of things go wrong in the last couple weeks. We off-loaded with a good car of the truck and made some improvements to it. I'm a bit disappointed in qualifying, especially because the time is in the car.” said Franchitti. Heading into Sunday’s main event, Dario Franchitti and the #10 car have achieved no better than 10^th place in the finishing order of an IZOD INDYCAR Series race. Franchitti’s teammate for Target Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon showed solidarity by taking two of the three top positions starting the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300.

As well as the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team posting a strong effort in qualifying on the streets of Sao Paulo, the Andretti Autosport pair of James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay are continuing to be mainstays in the Firestone Fast Six. For Canada’s Hinchcliffe, the Brazilian qualifying session extends his undefeated streak for making the final top-6 time trial grouping for 2012 IZOD INDYCAR events. "I guess four is the number of the day: fourth place, fourth time in the Firestone Fast Six. It's certainly not a bad starting spot to be on the first two rows, but we had a competitive car in (the second qualifying session) and were hoping for a little bit higher up. I need to get a better handle on how to make these tires work better on the second run.” said James Hinchcliffe still searching for his first race win in the series on Sunday.

Returning to Dale Coyne Racing in 2012, British driver Justin Wilson proved himself to be a significant force again for an longer-shot victory. Leading laps at Long Beach in the #18 Honda-powered Dallara, the momentum continued to Sao Paulo where Wilson qualified 6^th for the street race. Commenting post-qualifying on his chances on Sunday, Wilson stated, “We're starting sixth, we're in a good spot and we'll see what happens in the race."

Just outside of the Firestone Fast Six, Graham Rahal drives a Chip Ganassi Racing #38 car to 7^th on Saturday ahead of the #14 car piloted by Mike Conway. In 9^th, rookie Josef Newgarden will again get a chance to start in the top-10 of an IZOD INDYCAR Series race for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing making it his third time in four events this season. Rookie contender and series standout following the near-win in Long Beach Simon Pagenaud starts the race deep in 17^th spot.

Despite a feisty field of Brazilian drivers in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Saturday qualifying session ended on a bit of a down note for the drivers running in their home country. 12^th fastest on track during time trials, Tony Kanaan was the fastest of the Brazilian contingent who starts just ahead of former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello. Sunday’s 75-lap race will be Barrichello first IZOD INDYCAR start in front of his hometown crowd. For Team Penske, Helio Castroneves starts 20^th ahead of fellow Brazilian Ana Beatriz who will be starting his first race as a fifth Andretti Autosport car.

The 74 laps on the Sao Paulo start course is set for noon Eastern time with a probability that rain and thunderstorms could affect the Brazilian race for a third year in a row.


2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
Qualifying Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Nationality	Race Team	Engine
1	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
3	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
4	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
5	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
6	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
7	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
8	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
9	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
10	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
11	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
12	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
13	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
14	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
15	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
16	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
17	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
18	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
19	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
20	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
21	25	Ana Beatriz	Brazil	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
22	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
23	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
24	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
25	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
26	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda

Katherine Legge and Takuma Sato will be assessed 10-grid position penalty for unapproved engine changes. 

Power and Penske Maintains Perfect 2011 Pole Streak for Sao Paulo Indy

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
Qualifying Results

1. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
2. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/ Andretti Autosport
3. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
5. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
6. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
7. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
8. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
9. 27 Mike Conway/England/ Andretti Autosport
10. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
11. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
12. 19 Sebastien Bourdais/France/ Dale Coyne Racing
13. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
14. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
15. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
16. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
17. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
18. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
19. 17 Raphael Matos/Brazil/ AFS Racing
20. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
21. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
22. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
23. 34 Sebastien Saavedra/Columbia/Conquest Racing
24. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
25. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
26. 58 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
25. 32 /Brazil/ KV Racing Technology

Race Weekend Weather Forecast: April 29th to May 1st, 2011

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Eastern times listed

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
IZOD INDYCAR Series

Saturday:

8:30 am- IZOD INDYCAR Practice 1A
Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

9:00 am- IZOD INDYCAR Practice 1B
Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

1:00 pm IZOD INDYCAR Practice
Temperature: 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

3:00 pm- IZOD INDYCAR Series Qualifying
Temperature: 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%



Sunday:

8:30 am- IZOD INDYCAR Series Warm up
Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

1:20 pm- IZOD INDYCAR Series Race
Temperature: 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with Clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%



Richmond, Virginia
Richmond International Raceway
NASCAR Sprint Cup/Nationwide Series


Friday:

9:00 am- NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice
Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

12:00 pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

2:45 pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice
Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

4:10 pm NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

5:35 pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

7:30 pm- NASCAR Nationwide Series Race
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%



Saturday:

7:30 pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Race
Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Clear/Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

Will Power Edges Hunter-Reay for Sao Paulo Indy 300 Victory

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney


Day 1 of the IIndustrial grinding equipment worked through the night to add abrasion to the troubled area of the Anhembi Sambodromo frontstretch area. On Sunday, after a brief warm-up for IndyCar race teams, the work done by track crews received the rave appreciation of competitors.

Reconciled with the Sao Paulo street course, drivers and teams readied for the early morning qualifying. In the time trial session, Dario Franchitti pulled out a 1 minute, 27.7354 second lap time to take pole. In an astonishing development for the series debuting #77 car of FAZZT Race Team, Alex Tagliani delivered a run just 3/100ths of a second slower than Franchitti. Justin Wilson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Will Power and Tony Kanaan rounded out the starting order for the first ever Sao Paulo Indy 300 race.

Just four hours after Franchitti posed for his Peak Pole Award, the #10 Target/Chip Ganassi car led the 24-car field to the start as both the San Paulo Indy 300 and the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series were a go. However, just as the 24 IndyCar race competitors took green, a multiple car pile-up resulted just 10 seconds after the race season started. Involving 5 cars in total through the turn 1 area, cars of Takuma Sato, Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon were caught in one tangle which ultimately resulted with only Sato race ended. In a second more scary collision, the #32 KV Racing Technology car of Mario Moraes was launched onto Marco Andretti's #26 car. Fortunately, Andretti stepped out of his Venom-sponsored race machine uninjured.

With the first 7 laps run behind the safety car, the Sao Paulo Indy 300 restarted as pole sitter Dario Franchitti led the first green flag laps pulling out a 1.4 second lead on 2nd place runner Alex Tagliani. After starting on the front row, Alex Tagliani and the FAZZT Race Team were settling into their first race together running 5th after the first set of pitstops. Tagliani would see his respectable running run take a turn for the worse his #77 Bowers & Wilkins car was collected in a lap 29 coming together with Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon. While Wheldon and Kanaan continued on the way, the FAZZT Race Team machine of Alex Tagliani would be unable to continue finishing 17th in their first race of 2010. Dan Wheldon, driver of the #4 Panther Racing Dallara/Honda, would assume responsibility for the incident after the race.

Blazing to a strong run in practice in day 1, the #37 Andretti Autosport racer of Ryan Hunter-Reay followed up his Saturday afternoon performance by taking the lead of the race on lap 28. Leading 20 laps on the day, Hunter-Reay has emerged as a definite factor at this point in the Sao Paulo Indy 300.

By lap 32, a thunderstorm blew heavy rainfall through the area soaking the temporary race track causing at first a caution to fly as the #7 of Danica Patrick and the #32 car of Mario Moraes spun in the 1st and 2nd turn. As drivers encountered impossible racing conditions due to the flash storm creating deep pools of standing water, the loss timing and scoring through an electrical power outage necessitated a red flag. Through the red flag break, the toll of the temporary street course was evident with the physical wear placed on the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers. In the case of Will Power, bloody blisters were seen on the his hands.

The rain died quickly and the Indy cars returned to competition after a 36-minute interruption, a two and a half time limit in place at the street course, the full 75 lap distance could not be run in the allotted time. forced the event to become classified as a timed event with under 40 minutes left to run. While Dario Franchitti retook the lead briefly on the lap 37 restart, the Chip Ganassi-owned race machine relinquished first place when Franchitti pitted. As a result, the he lead returned to Ryan Hunter-Reay who was attempting to stretch his #37 car's fuel mileage to the race's end distance. Having to run a slower pace, the Andretti Autosport car soon came under attack from two Penske Racing vehicles, Ryan Briscoe #6 and Will Power #12 cars. On lap 50, amongst a fierce fight between Hunter-Reay and Briscoe, the lead changed as the #6 prevailed. As Ryan Hunter-Reay was still marginal on fuel, the Andretti Autosport driver did not back down and continued to apply pressure to Ryan Briscoe. With time ticking down on the race, the outcome changed as Ryan Briscoe miscalculated turn 5 braking nosing his #6 Penske Racing car into the tire barrier. The resulting yellow flag not only put Ryan Hunter-Reay back into the lead, the brief caution period eliminated fuel mileage concerns.

With time which would measure 6 laps remaining, Hunter-Reay's fight came from a hungry Will Power. With 3 minutes and 30 seconds still on the clock, Power used some skillful car control to beat Ryan Hunter-Reay through turn 11 successfully pulling away to win the Sao Paulo Indy 300. Will Power's second win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, this victory reinforced Roger Penske's wisdom to expand his open wheel team to 3 cars for 2010.

Though Ryan Hunter-Reay lost the Sao Paulo Indy 300 trophy in the latter stages, the American open wheel driver matched his first race finish last season at St Petersburg. With Andretti Autosport in 2010, Hunter-Reay has the opportunity to follow-up his initial finish through the duration of the IZOD IndyCar championship.

With Will Power healed from a severe back injury, two of the three members of the Sao Paulo Indy 300 podium. A fantastic run for the #14 AJ Foyt Enterprises race team, Vitor Meira finished 3rd in his return to IndyCar competition after serious injuries suffered in the Indy 500 last May. Meira's 3rd place run was also made him the highest finishing Brazilian driver on the Sao Paulo circuit.


Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Also a news item was the record female contention in the race with Danica Patrick, Ana Beatriz, Milka Duno and Simona de Silvestro all starting in this IndyCar round. Finishing the best of the racing women, rookie Ana Beatriz driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for her home event came home on the lead lap in 13th place. Acknowledged only as a one-off ride for the Sao Paulo IndyCar race, it will not be surprising if Dreyer & Reinbold Racing or another team will extend the young Beatriz more opportunities this season to run the series. Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro also had a memorable first IndyCar race of her career placing the HVM Racing car in the lead briefly through as the field was sorting through the first set of pitstops. Having signed with Dale Coyne Racing just 11 days ago, Milka Duno would be the only woman not to finish the Sao Paulo Indy 300. Duno spun her CITGO-sponsored car in turn 3 on lap 22 stalling the vehicle.

The next race for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series will take place on the Streets of St Petersburg on March 28th.


2010 Sao Paulo Indy 300 Race Results

Pos #| Car #| Driver/Team

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

Indy Lights Driver Ana Beatriz Making IndyCar Debut in Series Opening Sao Paulo Race

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Not to be confessed with the supermodel, Brazilian race car driver Ana Beatriz will become her home country's first female to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Entered in a third car supplied by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Beatriz's first IndyCar start will be extra special coming as part of a healthy Brazilian contingent at the inaugural Streets of Sao Paulo round for the IZOD IndyCar series. Ana Beatriz first race start in the major league open wheel series comes after two successful seasons in the Firestone Indy Lights Series where the talented 24-year old accomplished several significant feats.

Winning the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Rookie of the year honour with a 3rd place overall points finish, Ana Beatriz also took victory in her first season of series competition winning at Nashville driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The first female to clinch both of these auto racing goals, her 2008 season is more impressive since it would be a landmark achievement for any Indy Lights rookie. In 2009, Beatriz added a second win to her short career at the oval of Iowa Speedway. The win at Iowa Speedway in 2009 came after the Milwaukee Mile round which she was unable to participate in when her #20 Sam Schmidt Motorsports car was severely damaged in the Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lacking finances through 2009, this was the chief reason why Beatriz needed to sit out at Milwaukee as well as the Firestone Indy Lights season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Despite the two lost opportunities to compete in 2009, Ana Beatriz did place 8th in Firestone Indy Lights Series final points standings thanks to scoring 6 top-5 finishes for the season.

Hiring Ana Beatriz for this current one-race commitment, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has a storied past showcasing women in motorsports spending four seasons with driver Sarah Fisher.