James Hinchcliffe Suiting Up for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for 2015 IndyCar Season

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

 

If you live in the Canadian province of Ontario, October of 2014 revolves around the campaigns by individuals to lead cities and towns. The 27-year-old Oakville, Ontario race car driver known as the mayor of Hinchtown has chosen to this month announce a substantial change to his devoted populus.

After three seasons piloting a #27 machine for Andretti Autosport as part of the IndyCar Series, James Hinchcliffe has declared he will hop over to the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports organization for what will be a multi-year deal starting 2015. A popular driver not only in Canada but on the whole IndyCar scene, Hinchcliffe's move is definitely a major wave to be sent through the series. "To see what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive. Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that's an exciting thought for me." said Hinchcliffe on the incentive for signing with the team co-owned by Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson.





In four seasons of IndyCar competition, James Hinchcliffe has driven for Newman/Haas Racing in 2011 and Andretti Autosport. Crowning achievement for the young Canadian time in IndyCar has consisted of the 2011 Rookie of the Year award and being named IndyCar's most popular driver in 2012. His 2013 season with Andretti Autosport driving the GoDaddy-sponsored Chevrolet-powered car is viewed as his more successful in the series so-far. All three career victories were scored in Hinchcliffe's 2013 IndyCar season. The 2014 season for James Hinchcliffe was a disappointment finishing 12th in the overall drivers standings. His top finish in competition last season was third at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Starting in 2015, Hinchcliffe will be piloting the #77 car recently vacated by Simon Pagenaud (Pagenaud weeks ago signed a deal to drive for Team Penske for the upcoming IndyCar season). In 2014, the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team found victory lane twice and driver Pagenaud to fifth in the overall points. Leaving Andretti Autosport, the career path for Hinchcliffe heading into 2015 is acquainting him with something new as well as something familiar. In 2009, James Hinchcliffe drove for Sam Schmidt's Indy Lights team finishing in the top-five in points that season. Speaking about the acquisition of the driving services of Hinchcliffe, Sam Schmidt recalled attempting to recruit him in 2011. Schmidt responded, "In fact, he would already be with us driving the No. 77 if he would have been available three years ago. We went after him in 2011, but it didn't work out then."

Hinchcliffe, Tagliani and Villeneuve Ready for 2014 Indianapolis 500 Race Day

Photo credit: Chris Jones

Winning on the 105-year old Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit is a honour anyone who can handle a steering wheel would want. Of the select few who have joined the ranks of professional open wheel drivers, just 33 drivers a year compete for the Indianapolis 500. Bestowed with the chance at claiming the BorgWarner Trophy, the triumphant is the one who completes 500 miles around the 2.5-mile oval first.

With a rich national auto racing history, the Indianapolis 500 is understandable desirable to Canadians. Canada's History at the historic track known as "The Brickyard" runs deep. Pete Henderson was the first documented Canadian to run in the Indy 500 back in 1916. Since then, names such as Billy Foster, Ludwig Heimrath, John Jones, Scott Goodyear and Paul Tracy have competed for victory on the Indiana oval.

For the 2014 edition of the Indianapolis 500, three veteran drivers (James Hinchcliffe, Alex Tagliani and Jacques Villeneuve) have a 1 in 33 chance of winning the Memorial Day classic in motor racing.

James Hinchcliffe

Photo Credit: John Cote

Team: Andretti Autosport
Car: #27 United Fiber & Data Dallara-Honda
Sporting Spot: 2nd

The only Canadian driver running full-time on the 2014 Verizon INDYCAR Series tour, James Hinchcliffe is a 27-year old entered in his fourth Indianapolis 500.

Taking part in his first Indy 500 in 2011 with Newman/Haas Racing, Hitchcliffe's initial showing at Indy was strong but resulted with a DNF just ahead of the halfway distance in the race. Signing with Andretti Autosport the following year, his 2012 showing was his career best so far finishing sixth after starting second. The 2013 Indianapolis 500 had James Hinchcliffe arrive as an INDYCAR race winner of two races in the season. Unfortunately, he fell late in the race to finish 21st in his #27 Dallara-Chevrolet.

With the Andretti Autosport team switching from Chevrolet to Honda in 2014, Hinchcliffe enters this year's Indy 500 with a seventh place at Barber Motorsports Park being his best result of the season. Making problems worse, James Hinchcliffe suffered an concussion during the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race early this month resulting with him having to sit out the first four days of practice on the oval. EJ Viso subbed for Hinchcliffe until the Canadian received the go-ahead to step back in the #27 car. Fortunes might be turning around for James Hinchcliffe following a stellar performance last weekend in qualifying. Fourth fastest on Saturday, Hinchcliffe and the #27 Dallara-Honda was locked into the top nine positions of the 2014 Indy 500. After a Fast 9 Shootout on Sunday, James Hinchcliffe posted the second-fastest time behind pole winner Ed Carpenter. Hinchcliffe's four-lap average of 230.839 miles per hour was roughly 0.15 seconds off the pole-winning time.

Alex Tagliani

Photo Credit: Walter Kuhn

Team: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
Car: #68 Dallara-Honda
Starting Spot: 24th

Despite running professionally in open wheel racing since the 1990s, French-Canadian driver Alex Tagliani was unable to run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until 2009 due to the IRL/CART split. Arriving with Conquest Racing, Tagliani finished 11th and became the second Canadian to be recognized as an Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Alex Tagliani returned to the 2.5-mile track in 2010 with FAZZT Race Team. The 2010 effort consisted of a fifth place qualifying spot and a tenth final result. The following year, the FAZZT Race Team was sold to Sam Schmidt Racing and retained Tagliani for the 2011 Indianapolis 500. In a Fast 9 qualifying shootout for the race, Alex Tagliani and the #77 car won the pole with a 227.472-mile per hour average four-lap time.  Leading 20 laps on race day, Tagliani's race turned south and was ultimately cut short when the #77 crashed. For 2012 and 2013, Alex Tagliani participated with a Bryan Herta Autosport-owned race car. In both years, the team qualified 11th and finished 12th in 2012 and 24th in 2013.

For 2014, Alex Tagliani has been picked up by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the Indianapolis 500 event. A one-off appearance in the 2014 Verizon INDYCAR Series, Alex Tagliani will be starting in the 24th starting spot on Sunday. In final practice, Alex Tagliani posted an eighth fastest time with the #68 car in race trim.

Jacques Villeneuve

Photo Credit: Walter Kuhn

Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
CarL #5 Dollar General Dallara-Honda
Starting Spot: 27th

Every Canadian race fan is familiar with Jacques Villeneuve's success at Indy. Prior to being the 1997 Formula 1 World Driving Champion, the son of Gilles Villeneuve drove a Players sponsored race car at the Indianapolis 500 twice. In his rookie year, Villeneuve started fourth in a Ford-powered Reynard chassis and finished second. Jacques Villeneuve and winner Al Unser Jr were the only drivers to complete all 200 laps in the 1994 race. His performance earned him the 1994 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honours becoming the first Canadian to do so. The 1995 Indy 500 was another fine moment for Canadian racing. Nine laps remaining in the event, a restart had Jacques Villeneuve behind fellow Canadian Scott Goodyear. Goodyear mistimed his acceleration overshooting the pace car that was entering pit road. With Scott Goodyear being penalized, Jacques Villeneuve (who had overcame a two-lap penalty himself for what the sanctioning body ruled as passing the pace car) won the 1995 Indianapolis 500. The second race would be has last Indy 500 ahead of his move to Formula 1 the following year. In 2014, Villeneuve returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a 19-year absence.

Driving the #5 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, he qualified his Dollar General sponsored in 27th starting spot for Sunday's race. Timing into the race with a four-lap average speed of 228.949 miles per hour, Villeneuve mentioned he had trouble accelerating in his Honda-powered Dallara during qualifying. During Friday's Carb Day practice, the #5 car was still struggling to find speed posting a 30th fastest time. However, Jacques Villeneuve has expressed confidence in his car and team in quote on his website saying, "I saw some guys out there taking big risks. We didn't do that, and the car is handling better than it has been all week. We're happy right now, which is a good place to be heading into the race on Sunday."

Back in 2009, I was fortunate enough to get some words from Jacques Villeneuve ahead of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal. Among questions I asked was the potential of returning to INDYCAR racing. Villeneuve response went as follows: "IndyCar is still damaged and not what it used to be. The healing process hopefully has started as it was a great series that opened doors to F1 to a few drivers." A lot has changed in five years and we're happy to see Villeneuve back at Indy as he risks his average finish of 1.5 in his third race on the 2.5-mile track.

Focused Franchitti Fulfils Third Indy 500 Win

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

A 500-mile, 200-lap celebration where people gather around 33 speed-oriented automobiles at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 is a titanic struggle that one who prevail with the ultimate prize of the Borg-Warner trophy.

The 96th edition of what is one of the motorsport community’s most sought-over events on the planet started under some of the hottest Memorial day temperatures in the Indiana area. Either slightly below or above records according to weather measurements, the National Weather Service reported the mercury at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Providing for a challenge to the drivers and pit crew members of the 33 individual teams, everyone suited-up ready to accept the heat as another variable to contend with on the Sunday afternoon.

Photo Credit: Steve Swope /(C)2012 Steve Swope Photography

Without a hitch, the first Indianapolis 500 with the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series’ new DW12 Dallara and engine formula was set to roll off after the traditional remembrance of armed forces. The pre-race also involved a special tribute to the 2011 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon with his race-winning race car being piloted around the track by the Brit’s team owner Bryan Herta. A moment that was both beautiful and somber even with the roar of the car’s Honda engine deaden by the ongoing grieving of the driver lost last year at Las Vegas. A memory coinciding with the tribute to lost military defenders and the living veterans, there was definitely a heightened human connection that the auto racing community would enter the 2012 Indy 500 acknowledging.

Lining three-wide for the green flag, the field was led by the Australian Ryan Briscoe joined by Canadian James Hinchcliffe and American driver Ryan Hunter-Reay. An Indy 500 led by a row of non-race winners, the race started with those 3 of 33 drivers wanting Borg-Warner trophy as they prepare their first of 200 laps. Right from the start, the #27 Andretti Autosport-owned vehicle of Hinchcliffe secured a momentary advantage over Ryan Briscoe’s #2 Penske Racing car. From the start of the race to lap 18, Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe exchanged the lead on 6 occasions.

Photo Credit: Steve Swope /(C)2012 Steve Swope Photography

The first Indy 500 for Chevrolet since 1993, the first 44 laps featured Penske Racing and Andretti Autosport sending their 2012 engine supplier a message of firm support. Between Hinchcliffe, Briscoe and later the #26 Andretti Autosport car of Marco Andretti, the chances of one of those drivers being the first bowtie brand pilot to victory lane since Emerson Fittipadi in 1993 looked good. It was on lap 45 that Honda Racing Development led their first race lap. French-Canadian driver Alex Tagliani (driving for the Bryan Herta Autosport team that won the 2011 Indy 500 with Dan Wheldon) led two laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during a green flag pit stop exchange.

For the two Lotus-engined vehicles driven by HVM Racing‘s Simona de Silvestro and former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi, the 2012 race was what would constitute as an embarrassment. By lap 10, both race cars were black-flagged for lack of pace in the Indy 500. Jean Alesi would finish 32^nd while 2010 Indy 500 rookie of the year Simona de Silvestro finished last in the 2012 event. "I'm disappointed, but we didn't have speed from the beginning. I understand the call. We have to have more horsepower to be competitive.” said de Silvestro after her very short 9-lap race with the #78 HVM Racing car. The Indy 500 race results cap what has been a disastrous month-long of efforts with the Lotus engines in 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series competition.

In the first 80 laps of the Indianapolis 500, the performance of the Dallara DW12 race car in competition was demonstrated to much success. However, it would be on lap 80 where the new racing vehicle was tested in a serious crash at the Brickyard. Contact between a the #12 Penske Racing car of Will Power and a damaged vehicle of Mike Conway that spun on track resulted in a big turn 2 crash. Both drivers left their cars unhurt, the Australian driver Power was rather upset with his retirement coming after three IZOD INDYCAR Series race wins coming into the event. "(Conway) said the team sent him out with a broken wing. I don't understand why they would do that.” said Power who holds a best finish in the 500-mile race of 5^th place coming in 2009. While the oval was never a strong-suit for Will Power, the 2012 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was his first retirement in competition at the track.

As the race entered into half-distance, the Honda-powered race car of Scott Dixon began showing impressive pace at the front. The #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing was competing at the front while teammate Dario Franchitti was recovering from an early race pit road incident on lap 18. Franchitti was spun when the KV Racing Technology car driven by EJ Viso impacted the rear of the #50 Target car. By lap 91, Dario Franchitti had been revived to a 2^nd place run behind Dixon.

Aside from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing machine, the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car had emerged as a frontrunner in the hands of Japan’s Takuma Sato. Sato took the lead of the Indy 500 from Scott Dixon on lap 119 to lead for the first of three occasions in the second-half of the race.

Past the halfway point, the 96^th Indy 500 was a wide-open affair where at least 6 drivers were able to seriously contend for the win. While the Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars and Sato’s race vehicle were favourites, James Hinchcliffe was one of the drivers in the hunt for a victory. In what was only his second Brickyard competition in IZOD INDYCAR Series vehicles, Hinchcliffe ran steady in the top-10 throughout the 2012 Indianapolis 500. While fast, James Hinchcliffe was hampered on restarts or a set of slow pit stops including one on lap 166 where dropped from 5^th to 11^th place. James Hinchcliffe would work has way back to 6^th place at the end of 200 laps still pursuing his first IZOD INDYCAR Series race win with his #27 Andretti Autosport car.

Three cautions occurred through the final 20 laps of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 including one involving early race favourite Marco Andretti. Crashing his #26 car on lap 187 on turn 1, Andretti’s 24^th place finish was the end result of a frustrating second-half of the event for the driver. Expressed through animated radio chatter, Marco Andretti pressured himself and his father’s race team to what he hoped could be his first Indy 500. In post-race, Andretti indicate the Dreyer and Reinbold Racing car of Oriol Servia was the reason for his race end. "(Oriol) Servia decided to run two-wide at Indianapolis for two consecutive laps and makes me turn in from the white line. I had no hope of making that corner because not only am I turning in from the white line, he just crossed my bow, so I was completely out of it. Nothing I can do. I'm disappointed. I definitely rang my bell” said Andretti shortly after his retirement from the 2012 Indy 500. Marco Andretti would recant his criticism later on Twitter messaging, “Sorry for blaming @OriolServia. Was frustrated and totally out of it. I made my own bed there. Very sore. Unlucky but lucky.”

With a restart on lap 194, it was the two Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti who were in immediate position to achieve victory at the Brickyard. Swapping the lead twice ahead of the final lap, the Target cars battle for track position allowed Takuma Sato to stay close to the leaders through the last run of the Indy 500. With Dario Franchitti in the lead, Sato passed second-place #9 car of Scott Dixon and promptly mounted a charge on the #50 into turn one. With Franchitti and Sato sailing into the narrow first corner side-by-side, the tight battle resulted in the #15 traveling low into the turn and would lose control of his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car. Impacting the turn 1 wall, Takuma Sato’s attempt to beat Dario Franchitti resulted in a full-course yellow that preserved victory for the #50 car.

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

Dario Franchitti crossed the start/finish line after 200 laps of the Indianapolis 500 just ahead of teammate Dixon. The Scottish driver’s third Indy 500 victory, Franchitti dedicated the victory to the late Dan Wheldon. For many competitors in the 2012 race, the thought of having their face image on the Borg-Warner trophy beside Wheldon’s would have been a high honour to a past racer that was a friend of many drivers.I think racing is emotion. “Life is, as well. But racing I think really exemplifies that, if that's the right word. And Vegas was the lowest of the low.” said Franchitti in post-race describing on the emotions involved in the sport of auto racing. “Fontana '99 and Vegas last year were the lowest of the low. I think the reason we all got back in the cars, the reasons all the mechanics got back in pit lane, the fans came back to the races, is days like today, the emotion of something like today. That's certainly why I got back in the car.“ said Franchitti. Dario Franchitti captured car owner Chip Ganassi’s 4^th 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

　

With Honda winning the 2012 Indianapolis 500, they have won their 9^th consecutive victory in the event. Facing firm competition from Chevrolet, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon finished ahead of the bowtie powered #11 car of Tony Kanaan. The high-finishing Chevrolet engined car at the end of the 2012 race, the effort for Kanaan and KV Racing Technology is much-needed momentum as the Brazilian continues to seek consistency through the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season.

Converting to Chevrolet power just ahead of the Indy 500, the #22 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing car driven by Oriol Servia ended a solid 4^th after qualifying 27^th. Ryan Briscoe completed the top-5 in the finishing order of the 96^th Indianapolis 500.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series
96th Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Race Team	Engine Supplier
1	50	Dario Franchitti	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
2	9	Scott Dixon	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
3	11	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
4	22	Oriol Servia	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Chevrolet
5	2	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Chevrolet
6	27	James Hinchcliffe	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
7	18	Justin Wilson	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
8	83	Charlie Kimball	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	99	Townsend Bell	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
10	3	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Chevrolet
11	8	Rubens Barrichello	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
12	98	Alex Tagliani	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Honda
13	38	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
14	4	JR Hildebrand	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
15	19	James Jakes	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
16	77	Simon Pagenaud	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
17	15	Takuma Sato	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
18	5	EJ Viso	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
19	30	Michel Jourdain Jr	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
20	7	Sebastien Bourdais	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Chevrolet
21	20	Ed Carpenter	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
22	6	Katherine Legge	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Chevrolet
23	25	Ana Beatriz	Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing	Chevrolet
24	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
25	67	Josef Newgarden	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
26	17	Sebastian Saavedra	AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
27	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
28	12	Will Power	Team Penske	Chevrolet
29	14	Mike Conway	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
30	39	Bryan Clauson	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
31	41	Wade Cunningham	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
32	78	Simona de Silvestro	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
33	64	Jean Alesi	Lotus – FP Journe – Fan Force United	Lotus

2012 Indy 500 Starting Grid

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

As the first 24 starting spots for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s most prestigious race were locked in during Saturday’s Pole Day, Sunday put drivers and teams otherwise not secured in the field into position to gain one of the last 9 spots the Memorial Day weekend running of the Indianapolis 500.

A day long known as Bump Day as it was the session where cars would often compete to make or miss the Indy 500 field. For 2012, the face only 33 cars and drivers were fighting to make the race meant there was no actual bumping this year.

There was several drivers posting new time qualifying efforts to better their starting position in the 2012 Indy 500. First out on the 2.5-mile oval racetrack was the #78 HVM Racing car of Simona de Silvestro. In the four-lap run, de Silvestro posted a 214.393-mile per hour average speed. One of only two Lotus powered race vehicles qualifying for the 2012 edition of the Indianapolis 500, the #78 starts second-to-last alongside Jean Alesi’s #64 car. Alesi’s average qualifying effort is 16.4 miles per hour slower than the pole speed. A four-lap speed of 210.094 miles per hour, Alesi at 47 years of age enters the 2012 Indy 500 as the oldest driver to compete for rookie honours.

On the other side of the speed coin, the Dragon Racing cars of Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge made some great progress in finding qualifying pace other only receiving their Chevrolet engines midway through last week. Katherine Legge posted a respectable average speed over the 220-range while her teammate did even better. Driving the #7 race car for Dragon Racing, Bourdais posted a stunning 223.760 mile per hour four-lap average. One day earlier, that speed would have been good enough for 15^th on the starting grid. However, based on the limitation of Bump Day, Sebastien Bourdais will start 25^th ahead of Wade Cunningham. Cunningham and teammate Mike Conway gained their spots through Bump Day after difficulties in day before where the #14 car’s time was disallowed when the Dallara DW12 failed inspection.

At 1:15 pm, Bryan Clauson driving a second Sarah Fishing Hartman Racing car hustled into the 2012 Indy 500 with a 214.455-mile per hour effort. With 32 cars recording times, the last remaining car needing to time into the field was the #20 car of Ed Carpenter. Carpenter needed to set a time on track following a crash on Pole Day. Little past 2 pm, Ed Carpenter (driving a back-up car that was feverishly built in order to make the Indy 500) was the last driver to post a time on Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speed. The 33^rd car that filled the Indianapolis 500 field, the four-lap speed of 222.324 miles per hour of the #20 race car was the final qualifying run posted on the race track. After almost four additional hours, the 33-car field of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 was cemented.

On May 27^th, the 96^th Indianapolis 500 will start with Ryan Briscoe leading the three-wide parade to the green flag on Memorial Day Sunday.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Starting Grid

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Race Team	Engine Supplier	Average Speed
1	2	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Chevrolet	226.484
2	27	James Hinchcliffe	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	226.481
3	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	226.240
4	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	225.456
5	12	Will Power	Team Penske	Chevrolet	225.422
6	3	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Chevrolet	225.172
7	67	Josef Newgarden	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda	224.037
8	11	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.751
9	5	EJ Viso	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.422
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.264
11	98	Alex Tagliani	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Honda	224.000
12	38	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.959
13	25	Ana Beatriz	Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing	Chevrolet	223.920
14	83	Charlie Kimball	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.868
15	9	Scott Dixon	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.684
16	50	Dario Franchitti	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.582
17	19	James Jakes	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda	223.482
18	4	JR Hildebrand	Panther Racing	Chevrolet	223.422
19	15	Takuma Sato	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	223.392
20	99	Townsend Bell	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda	223.134
21	18	Justin Wilson	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda	222.929
22	30	Michel Jourdain Jr	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	222.893
23	77	Simon Pagenaud	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda	222.891
24	17	Sebastian Saavedra	AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	222.811
25	7	Sebastien Bourdais	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Chevrolet	223.760
26	41	Wade Cunningham	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda	223.258
27	22	Oriol Servia	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Chevrolet	222.393
28	20	Ed Carpenter	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet	222.324
29	14	Mike Conway	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda	222.319
30	6	Katherine Legge	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Chevrolet	221.624
31	39	Bryan Clauson	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda	214.455
32	78	Simona de Silvestro	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus	214.393
33	64	Jean Alesi	Lotus – FP Journe – Fan Force United	Lotus	210.094

Briscoe Beats Hinchcliffe for Indy 500 Pole with Tightest Margin

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

After a week of practice, Indy 500 Pole Day for the 96^th running of the great open wheel event had finally dawned on the Brickyard. Testing out the all-new Dallara DW12 race cars paired with either Chevrolet, Honda or Lotus engines, the time trials for the Memorial day Sunday Indianapolis 500 race is the most crucial laps teams and drivers will set on the racetrack so far.

Through Saturday afternoon, the first 24 spots for the 2012 Indianapolis 500 were settled as Dallara DW12 race cars took the race track for the best combined four-lap run. On a hot race track 2.5-mile race track, teams slowly began to log lap times. For Indy 500-only drivers Sebastian Saavedra, Michell Jourdain Jr and Townsend Bell, efforts of securely qualifying into the 2012 edition of the Indy 500 were realized with top-24 times around the race track for Pole Day. Last competing in an United States open wheel racing car in 2004, Michell Jourdain Jr recorded a 222.893-mile per hour average speed in a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda-powered entry. Good enough with a 22^nd place starting spot, the Mexican driver Jourdain Jr will start two spots behind Townsend Bell but two ahead of Sebastian Saavedra.



Another impressive qualifying effort that involved getting an underdog race effort into the Indianapolis 500 was the run by Alex Tagliani with the Bryan Herta Autosport team. The reigning Indy 500-winning team, the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian entry skipped the last IZOD INDYCAR Series race in Sao Paulo to focus on defending their Indianapolis Motor Speedway success in 2012. The decision to miss a race was also reflective on Lotus removing the race team from their powerplant alliance. Bryan Herta Autosport returned to Indy with Honda power and Alex Tagliani locked the car into the field. Starting 11^th place for what will be the fourth row of the 2012 Indianapolis 500, the #98 car recorded a speed of 224-mile per hour flat.

At 4:30 pm, the fight for the pole of the 2012 Indianapolis 500 was amongst the drivers who will start on the first three rows of the event. The Fast Nine session gave eight Chevrolet-engined competitors and one Honda engine race team a chance to claim the top spot in the most prestigious race in the world. The #26 Andretti Autosport car of Marco Andretti performed the first completed qualifying attempt for what was a 225.456 mile per hour average speed.

Six minutes after Andretti’s time, the next competitor taking to the 2.5-mile oval was Ryan Briscoe for Team Penske. Briscoe’s #2 Chevrolet-powered Dallara would drastically better Marco Andretti’s best by more than a mile per hour average. Recording a four-lap average speed of 226.484, Ryan Briscoe would survive the charges of Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Will Power initially.

With 50 minutes to go, the biggest challenge to Briscoe’s pole position emerged from the Andretti Autosport team. Wheeling the #27 GoDaddy-sponsored Dallara-Chevrolet, Canadian James Hinchcliffe took to his Fast Nine time trial with an initial lap of 226.934 miles per hour. However, a slight cool down in the remaining three laps by Hinchcliffe’s car would result in a narrowly positive outcome for Ryan Briscoe. An overall four-lap effort of 226.481 miles per hour for James Hinchcliffe, the #2 Roger Penske-owned race machine of Briscoe would hold the pole by just 0.003 miles per hour.

The pole for Ryan Briscoe for next Sunday’s Indy 500 is the first for an Australian driver, the top starting position is the 17^th for Team Penske. Penske’s pole position will be joined by second row starts for the team’s other two cars. Will Power starts 5^th while Helio Castroneves will start 6^th for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

With the top 24 fastest entrants with berths in the Indy 500, the remaining 9 cars will have to log times on Sunday’s Bump Day qualifying settling the 33-car field. 

2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Starting Grid (1-24)

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Race Team	Engine Supplier	Average Speed
1	2	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Chevrolet	226.484
2	27	James Hinchcliffe	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	226.481
3	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	226.240
4	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	225.456
5	12	Will Power	Team Penske	Chevrolet	225.422
6	3	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Chevrolet	225.172
7	67	Josef Newgarden	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda	224.037
8	11	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.751
9	5	EJ Viso	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.422
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet	224.264
11	98	Alex Tagliani	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Honda	224.000
12	38	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.959
13	25	Ana Beatriz	Andretti Autosport/Conquest Racing	Chevrolet	223.920
14	83	Charlie Kimball	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.868
15	9	Scott Dixon	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.684
16	50	Dario Franchitti	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda	223.582
17	19	James Jakes	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda	223.482
18	4	JR Hildebrand	Panther Racing	Chevrolet	223.422
19	15	Takuma Sato	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	223.392
20	99	Townsend Bell	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda	223.134
21	18	Justin Wilson	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda	222.929
22	30	Michel Jourdain Jr	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda	222.893
23	77	Simon Pagenaud	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda	222.891
24	17	Sebastian Saavedra	AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet	222.811

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.