California Oval finale for 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series has Power on Pole

Photo Credit: Michael L. Levitt for Chevy Racing

The final event of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series, the year concludes in Fontana, California at the two-mile Auto Club Speedway. Preparing for a 500-mile Saturday night closing of the 19-race season, a championship is up for grabs between two long-time titans of the open-wheel racing series. Also, aside from the fight to be the overall best of the 2013 season, the IZOD IndyCar Series' MAVTV 500 presents a final chance for drivers to add to their year's resumes. A victory on the very speedy Auto Club Speedway would be the ideal way to cap off the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series for every one of the 25 drivers starting on Saturday.

Qualifying using a two-lap time average, the 2013 MAVTV 500 pole was snatched by Australian Will Power. With a time of 1 minute, 5.2247 seconds, Power's #12 Dallara-Chevrolet recorded an average speed of 220.775 miles per hour over the two laps around Auto Club Speedway. Seated seventh in the 2013 IZOD IndyCar points standing, Will Power's year ends with him out of contention for the overall championship for the first time since he began running full-time for Team Penske. It was a surreal 2013 season for Will Power who struggled during multiple road course races (a type of racing the Australian driver excelled in over previous years). Recent wins at Sonoma and race two of the Houston event has returned Will Power to typical form.

Nearly 1.1 miles per hour slower than Will Power, Helio Castroneves still posts a strong time with the #3 Team Penske car. Entering this final race of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series, Castroneves is trailing Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon by 25 points. Castroneves held the point lead through much of the season but lost it due to struggles in The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston weekend. The Brazilian is attempting to regain the points lead at the most crucial time. Hunting his third IndyCar championship and first since 2008, New Zealand's Scott Dixon qualified seventh with his Honda powered #9 car.

With the championship at stake, the teams of both Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon elected to place fresh engines in their race cars for the 500-mile Saturday night event. By doing so, each driver will be demoted 10 places from their qualifying spots. Therefore, Helio Castroneves will start 12th in his Team Penske machine while Scott Dixon will be starting 17th in his Target Chip Ganassi Racing supported vehicle. Based on the complexity of long-distance oval races on the IZOD IndyCar Series, starting position in the MAVTV 500 is not considered too serious for drivers and teams.

Returning for the finale, popular part-time driver AJ Allmendinger is piloting the #2 machine for Team Penske. In qualifying, a third fastest time by Allmendinger solidified the organization's quick pace on a two-mile track car owner Roger Penske built and originally operated.

Behind the Team Penske domination of the Auto Club Speedway qualifying, the Dragon Racing car co-owned by Roger Penske's son Jay will start the MAVTV 500 third over a fourth-fastest qualifying effort by Sebastien Bourdais. Posting a fifth-fastest time on Friday, Charlie Kimball driving the Chip Ganassi owned #83 car is starting fourth due to Castroneves' penalty. Tenth in the overall drivers' points, Kimball's 2013 racing effort is a considerable improvement over his previous two years in the series. Also worth of full marks is James Jakes who qualified at an average speed of 217.979 miles per hour for sixth fastest on Friday. Jakes' time was actually identical to seventh place Scott Dixon.  

Won last year by Ed Carpenter (who starts 8th on Saturday night), the MAVTV 500 is considered a wild card event where almost any competitor has a fair shot at winning. AJ Allmendiner, Alex Tagliani driving in substitution for an injured Dario Franchitti for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, 2013 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year standout Carlos Manoz, Pippa Mann and JR Hildebrand returning to the series driving the Bryan Herta Autosport #98 car are limited or one-race deals that could easily pull off an upset against the field of regulars. While the Team Penske cars powered by Chevrolet proved strong in qualifying, Honda won the last IndyCar oval event at Pocono with a race pace that also emphasized fuel economy.

Certain to provide an eventful end to the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series (as well as the final race with IZOD as the title sponsor), the 250-lap MAVTV 500 is set to receive a green flag at 6:10 PM local time in California (9:10 PM eastern time).

Qualifying Results

1. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 220.775

2. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 219.677
3. (2) AJ Allmendinger, Dallara-Chevy, 218.894
4. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 218.513
5. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 217.986
6. (16) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 217.979
7. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 217.979
8. (25) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy, 217.958
9. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy, 217.932
10. (67) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 217.871
11. (27) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy, 217.798
12. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 217.566
13. (10) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 217.419
14. (5) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Chevy, 217.050
15. (1) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy, 216.898
16. (77) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 216.447
17. (4) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Chevy, 216.213
18. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 216.106
19. (98) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 215.967
20. (55) Tristan Vautier, Dallara-Honda, 215.207
21. (78) Simona De Silvestro, Dallara-Chevy, 214.679
22. (6) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 213.262
23. (19) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, no speed
24. (18) Pippa Mann, Dallara-Honda, no speed
25. (14) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, no speed

Dixon Wins Detroit INDYCAR Race Amidst Track Decay

Photo Credit: Phillip G. Abbott/ LAT Photo USA (American Honda Motor Company)

The race on the Belle Isle circuit was touted as a major deal with the open wheel racing series’ returning engine supplier Chevrolet sponsoring the ‘motor city’ event. The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix was granted the special honour of being the race that followed the Indianapolis 500 on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series calendar. With many minds still recalling the 96^th race at the Brickyard fondly, the 2.07-mile street course in the state of Michigan one week later served as restart point for the 2012 open wheel racing season.

In Saturday qualifying the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car of Scott Dixon broke the pole position dominance that Team Penske held throughout the 2012 season up to the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Only the three IZOD INDYCAR Series event of the season where Honda was able to make use of a more powerful turbocharger unit, the engine is coming off of a momentous Indy 500 win powering Dario Franchitti‘s Target Chip Ganassi entry. Will Power qualified 2^nd quickest as the highest Team Penske car intent to allow their Chevy engines capture the Chevrolet-sponsored event.

Photo Credit: Phillip G. Abbott/ LAT Photo USA (American Honda Motor Company)

As cars took off through the warm-up laps of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, the 3^rd place starting #98 Bryan Herta Autosport machine of Canadian driver Alex Tagliani would not start. This race was the second race of 2012 where the Bryan Herta Autosport team were utilizing Honda power rather than the Lotus engine they ran for the first 3 IZOD INDYCAR Series events of 2012. The #98 car was able to restart but lost its prime starting spot as the scheduled 90-lap street race were sent to green.

Besides, Tagliani, there was also early race troubles for the #18 Dale Coyne Racing car piloted by Justin Wilson. On the first lap, Wilson slid and made side contact with concrete barrier out of a turn. While Justin Wilson remained in the race for 28 more laps, the Dale Coyne-owned car was retired based on mechanical issues pertaining to the crash damage finishing 22^nd. James Jakes, Sebastian Bourdais and Rubens Barrichello were also early retirements from the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix by the time the race‘s first pit stops were taking place.


From pole, Scott Dixon was having an opportune race leading all the early laps of the Detroit IZOD INDYCAR event up to the pit stop cycle. Thanks to a comfortable lead and other lead cars pitting, Dixon’s #9 car left his Target Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew still holding the race lead as he returned to competition. While passing wasn’t impossible on the Belle Isle track, the pace of leaders gave few teams an chance to challenge the New Zealand driver Dixon. There was also a number of accusations that 5^th place starting EJ Viso’s slower race pace divided the field.

An event composing of 40 laps of green flag racing, the 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix’s first caution resulted from two incidents on track caused by a deterioration of the race surface. While almost every driver on the course were realizing sizeable pieces of asphalt flying from the Belle Isle track, it wasn’t until the #27 GoDaddy.com car of James Hinchcliffe sailing hard into the tire barrier of turn 7 that a problem presented itself to everyone observing the spectacle. In addition to Hinchcliffe, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing #15 car of Takuma Sato was also bit by a decaying track in turn 12. After retiring from his first 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series race, James Hinchcliffe commented "It was like Russian Roulette and I just pulled the bullet."

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

Given a choice to run the race under caution to 45 and calling the event as official, the IZOD INDYCAR Series official elected instead to give track repairs an opportunity to patch up the sections of the Belle Isle street. More than 2 hours and 15 minutes of red flag to replace the defective parts of the Belle Isle track, the event would continue without further interruptions from the surface. The remaining IZOD INDYCAR drivers were sent back out on the course to receive green for a reduced race distance of 60 laps (turn from 90).

There were two full course yellows the slowed the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix in the final 15-lap dash.. On lap 47, an incident involving Helio Castroneves spinning out on a slick turn 6 that also collected the #20 car of Ed Carpenter. The #67 car of Josef Newgarden had spun out during this caution after receiving contact from another car.

The race’s final caution flew as a result of a turn-5 incident involving KV Racing Technology driver EJ Viso and the #26 car of Marco Andretti. The final caution period came at lap 52 giving the field one more chance to chase race leader Scott Dixon.

The extended break in the 2012 Detroit Grand Prix did little to upset the rhythm of the leader Scott Dixon. Through the final 15 laps, the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car kept his teammate Dario Franchitti in his rearview mirrors on route to his first victory of 2012. A dominant performance where the New Zealand driver led flag-to-flag in the shortened Detroit race, Dixon’s first victory comes after finishing three times in the runner-up position in this year’s events. “If I could have gotten my gloves off I'd have chewed my nails for sure on those final laps. I'd like to give a lot of credit to everyone at INDYCAR and the Detroit staff for getting the track back in shape so we could race. The final 15 lap shoot-out was exciting for me - so I sure hope the fans liked it.” said Scott Dixon.

Photo Credit: Phillip G. Abbott/ LAT Photo USA (American Honda Motor Company) 

Even a final chance 7 laps to go wasn’t enough for Dario Franchitti to follow-up his Indy 500 win with a victory on the streets of Belle Isle. Still a solid effort based on the start of the 2012 season, Franchitti in 4^th place in IZOD INDYCAR Series overall driver points. In post-race, Dario Franchitti responded, "I thought in the first couple of laps I had a chance, but I couldn't, he was too quick. And with our car breaking the front wing early on, the more the run went on, the more understeer it got. But that's not to take anything away from the job Dixie did, and a 1-2 for Team Target after his brilliant qualifying and my abysmal one, we'll take it." Franchitti and the #10 car came from a 14^th place starting spot to 2^nd at the end of 60 laps.

Aside from the two Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars powered by Honda engines, rookie driver for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports Simon Pagenaud allowed the Japanese auto company to own the podium for the Chevrolet-sponsored Detroit street race.

Chevrolet’s top finisher in the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix was Australian Will Power in 4th. Leading the overall driver points standing by 26 points over Scott Dixon, Power and the Team Penske group are starting to feel a much stronger challenge from old rival Target Chip Ganassi Racing as 2012 progresses.

After a quiet but effective effort at Indianapolis that resulted in a 4^th place finish in the 500-miler, Oriol Servia and the #22 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team continues to impress with their new Bowtie engine at Detroit. With a 5^th place result, Servia finished ahead of multiple car team Chevrolet contenders KV Racing Technology (Tony Kanaan in 6^th) and Andretti Autosport (Ryan Hunter-Reay in 7^th).

Worthy of honourable mention, Alex Tagliani and the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport team didn’t give up after their early race setback. After starting deep in the field, Tagliani managed to break into the top-10 during the final race restart. The 10^th place is the first top-10 for the former Lotus-powered entry in 2012. The only Lotus-engined car on the IZOD INDYCAR Series grid throughout the 2012 season, HVM Racing’s #78 car driven by Simona de Silvestro took a respectable 13^th place from the Detroit event.

On Saturday night, the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series will participate in their second oval race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand PrixRace Results

	Car #	Driver	Driver Nationality	Race Team	Engine Supplier
1	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
2	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
3	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
4	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
5	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Chevrolet
6	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
7	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
8	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
9	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
10	98	Alex Tagliani	Canada	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Honda
11	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
12	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
13	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
14	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
15	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
16	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
17	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
18	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
19	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
20	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
21	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
22	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
23	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
24	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Dragon Racing	Chevrolet
25	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet

Chevy Power and Will Power Overcome Penalty to Win Long Beach GP

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

The anticipated third round on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the oldest and most prestigious open wheel street races in the United States.

The 1.968-mile race course has historically been known as a race where passing was a premium. Entering the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Chevrolet teams received a major setback what could be one of the least ideal circuit to suffer in qualifying. Engine issues spotted during testing at Infineon Raceway left engine supplier Chevrolet with no other choice but to order their 11 teams to start the IZOD INDYCAR event with new powerplants. With each Chevrolet runner receiving a 10-grid position penalty, the impact of the numerous IZOD INDYCAR teams changing engines made for a confusing ordeal for where qualifying results and the race’s starting line-up was drastically shuffled. Falling behind qualifying winner Ryan Briscoe who was ushered to 11^th place in his Chevrolet-powered #2 Penske Racing for the start of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Chevrolet entries were faced with mid-to-rear grid positions ahead of Sunday’s 85-lap event. As the green flag was ready to fall on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it would be a big story if Chevrolet teams would be able to charge back to the front.

Thanks to the penalties issued to the top Chevrolet-powered Dallara race cars, 4^th fastest in qualifying Dario Franchitti would lead the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR with a Honda engine for the first time. Alongside Franchitti’s #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing vehicle, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s IZOD INDYCAR Series rookie driver Josef Newgarden saw his 7^th place qualifying result parlayed into a front-row start. When the green flag dropped on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the race’s first caution flew on the opening lap with an incident between the front-row starters. As the #10 of Dario Franchitti and the #67 of Josef Newgarden raced into the first corner, the battle ended with Newgarden in the tire barriers of turn one. The first retirement of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden and the #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car left the event early.



Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

When the field was sent back to green on lap 4, the #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car of Dario Franchitti found himself under attack from the Dale Coyne Racing #18 car. Piloted by Justin Wilson, the #18 Dallara-Honda took the lead away from Franchitti on turn 1 for lap 5. At the front, Wilson built up an incredible lead early in the IZOD INDYCAR event gaining a 5 second interval on second-place by lap 12.

While Justin Wilson led in what it considered one of the lower-funded race efforts in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series paddock, the #10 car fielded by the wealthier Chip Ganassi suffered a fall down the running order. On lap 10, Simon Pagenaud took second-place in the race from the #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry while Takuma Sato and Franchitti’s teammate Scott Dixon would find their way past the pole-starting machine.

Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Company/ c)2012 Dan R. Boyd LAT Photo USA

The field was slowed again as full-course yellow flew on lap 20 for #7 car of Sebastien Bourdais stopped in turn nine. A quick caution that concluded with the Lotus Dragon Racing entry of Bourdais restarting, some of the leaders decided to use the caution to stop for pit service. With Justin Wilson and Simon Pagenaud pitting, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team decided to keep their #15 car and driver Takuma Sato out to lead back to green. Taking green for lap 22, the field would be led into the race’s final caution containing a series of incidents spanning from unfortunate to outright bizarre.

Immediately on the restart, the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport car piloted by Alex Tagliani received contact from the #5 KV Racing Technology machine of EJ Viso on the Long Beach street course’s frontstretch. “Obviously being in the back like that, as soon as it goes green I just jumped on the inside and passed Viso inside the hairpin, and coming on to the front straight away he just pushed me in to the wall.” said Tagliani after the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as a difficult 2012 season is plaguing the French-Canadian racer. While the #5 car driver described the move by the #98 as “a very dangerous move”, Viso was assessed a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact from INDYCAR Race Control. Viso finished the race 12^th while the #98 Lotus-powered entry would only continue past the halfway point to the event.

However, less than a minute after the Tagliani/Viso incident, the most dramatic incident of the Toyota Grand of Long Beach (and the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series so far) occurred when two drivers from open wheel racing’s most popular families collided. In turn 8, the #26 car of Marco Andretti drove up and made contact with the #38 Chip Ganassi Racing-owned race car driven by Graham Rahal. The nature of the rear end contact sent the #26 Andretti Autosport car into the air crashing back on the race course. The end of the race for both drivers who left the accident unhurt, there were opposing viewpoints on where the fault should have been placed after the crash. Graham Rahal said the #26 car had made an overly ambitious dive into the corner while Marco Andretti said the #38 car was blocking.

While the full-course yellow was displayed, safety crew also retrieved two stalled race cars on course. The first one being the #6 vehicle of Katherine legge that stopped on turn 9 following the Andretti/Rahal collision. In the second incident, the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing came to a sudden stop on lap 27. For what was said to be a mechanical problem to his Dallara-Honda, Scott Dixon’s two second-place finishes starting off the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season resulted in a retirement for the third event. The 2012 Long Beach race was Dixon’s first official did not finish in competition since the 2010 Honda Indy of Toronto.

Restarted on lap 30, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was set up as a pit and fuel strategy event. While Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ryan Briscoe would place Chevrolet-engined vehicles at the top spot of the IZOD INDYCAR street race by the end of the race’s third caution, two Honda Racing Development runners gave some optimism to the single-turbocharged engine’s cause. After leading ahead of the race’s final caution, the #15 car of Takuma Sato spent an extra 8-lap stint in the lead of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach before sailing into the pits on lap 55. Leading for a race-high 26 laps, Simon Pagenaud, driving the #77 Sam Schmidt Racing car, continues to make his 2012 rookie season a strong effort out of the gate. Pagenaud led the IZOD INDYCAR Series race until limited fuel required the driver to pit turning the first-place position over to Penske Racing’s Will Power.

Photo Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

Starting the race in 12^th spot, Power captured the lead on lap 71 for the first time of the event. As Simon Pagenaud was able to catch the #12 Penske Racing car while Power was told to save fuel, Power held off the aggressive attack of the #77 to win his second IZOD INDYCAR race of 2012 by a tight 0.8675 seconds. "It's a great day for the Verizon Team Penske Chevy. We really didn't think it was possible to win from 12th place here because it was a two-stop race, but once again with (strategist) Tim (Cindric), Dave (Faustino), my engineer, and all the boys we overcame a 10-spot penalty." Said Will Power in post-race interview. Previously winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2008, the circumstance for that event saw Power winning an INDYCAR event that was also the final race under the Champ Car organization.

With Simon Pagenaud taking a second-place finish at Long Beach, the Frenchman’s first full season of IZOD INDYCAR action has resulted in three top-6 placing in three races. Taking the final podium position behind Pagenaud, last year’s IZOD INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe scored his highest career race result. Starting from 16^th spot, Hinchcliffe declared, “It was certainly exciting from where I was. I hope it was exciting for you guys in the stands, and thanks to all the fans that come out to the race because this is just one of the best events we go to all year bar none.”

Tony Kanaan for KV Racing Technology charged from 19^th place in his Chevrolet-engined Dallara while JR Hildebrand brought Panther Racing their first top-5 result of 2012. Despite no Chevrolets starting in the top-10 spots of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, seven of the Dallara DW12 race cars in the top-10 after 85 laps were powered by Chevy engines.

The next race for the IZOD INDYCAR Series is a visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil scheduled for April 28^th.


2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Nationality	Race Team	Engine
1	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
3	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
4	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
5	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
6	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
7	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
8	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
9	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
10	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
11	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
12	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
13	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
14	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
15	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
16	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
17	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
18	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
19	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
20	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
21	98	Alex Tagliani	Canada	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Lotus
22	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
23	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
24	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
25	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
26	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda

Helio Heats Up St Petersburg in 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Opener

Photo Credit: Steve Swope for Penske Racing

A fixture on the early season of the IZOD INDYCAR Series since 2005, the 2012 edition of the St Petersburg street race had never received so much dedicated focus as it has when the brand new Dallara DW12 vehicles hit the 14-turn, 1.8-mile circuit. The first race for what will be the new look of the IZOD INDYCAR Series, the racing tour left 2011 mourning the loss of a two-time champion Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon. With many memorials setup around the temporary street course (including the naming of one stretch of street as 'Dan Wheldon Way'), the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg would be initiated by a green flag from Dan Wheldon's sister Holly.

Demonstrating true dominance early in the weekend, Chevrolet powerplants began to show some serious muscle early into the IZOD INDYCAR Series' first "Engine war" since 2005. Chevy-powered Team Penske #12 car of Will Power took pole while teammate Ryan Briscoe's #2 machine joined him on this monumental front row. As the top-5 in Saturday's qualifying were all Chevrolet powered Dallaras, the powerplants from Honda and Lotus would use 100 laps in Sunday's Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg as a chance to mount an offensive on the "Bowtie Brigade".
The first caution of the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season was entered on lap 13 of the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg when the #6 Lotus-powered machine of Katherine Legge lost power on the frontstretch. Part of the Lotus-Dragon Racing team, Legge would return to the race competition only to later fall victim to her vehicle shutting down. Katherine Legge's #6 car ended parked near the exit of pit road but out of harm's way. A two-car team the second Dallara DW12 vehicle of Sebastien Bourdais would also encounter misfortune in his first event back to full-time competition in United States open wheel racing for 2012.

With Will Power handed early advantage at the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg by virtue of his pole win, the event was seemingly the Australian's race to lose. After leading the first 11 laps of the race, the #12 Team Penske car pitted early and lost touch with the front of the field. Initially surrendering the lead to teammate Ryan Briscoe, Will Power would be unable to contend with the front pack at any other point in the IZOD INDYCAR opener. "We just got shuffled back a bit there after the first pit stop and we just couldn't make up the ground we needed. It was very tough to pass." said Power who settled with a 7th place finish in the first IZOD INDYCAR Series event for 2012.

Photo Credit: Steve Swope for Penske Racing

Four laps following the completion of the Hond Grand Prix of St Petersburg's first caution period, the yellow flag was displayed once again when James Jakes nosed the #19 car into the turn 10 tire barrier.

Also during the second caution, Tony Kanaan slowed to a stop in his #11 Chevrolet-engined car for KV Racing Technology. An electrical voltage drop was recorded by the Brazilian driver commenting in post-race, "From Lap 1 I started to get the low voltage alarm. I don't know if, I think it was the alternator. I could tell it was the battery because my dash went blank, and with the electronic nowadays you cannot pull out of gear, if the dash is not working." Finishing so strong at the 2011 race as a first time outing for KV Racing Technology, Kanaan's 2012 St Petersburg race ended after just 21 laps. New car gremlins seemingly bit the KV Racing Tachnology car of former Formula 1 star Rubens Barrichello. While Barrichello completed all but two laps, the Brazilian's #8 car fuel meter issue contributed to the car running out of fuel. When the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg concluded, there was seven recorded mechanical problems in the final result. It appeared that new car blues had plagued the wide range of teams and even cars using all three engine companies.

In the early stage of second caution, the lead changed once again when Briscoe pitted. The #9 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing of Scott Dixon took over the race. After starting the race in 6th place, Scott Dixon (the highest-positioned Honda at the beginning of this event) would lead 37 laps on the day. Dixon's performance at the front was a major difference from the effectiveness of teammate and reigning IZOD INDYCAR champ Dario Franchitti. Stationed in the middle of the field for much of the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg, Franchitti fell to 13th place after running out of fuel on the last corner in the final lap. 
After a segment where the St Petersburg race was led by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's #15 car piloted by Takuma Sato, a crucial pass by the #3 car of Helio Castroneves on Scott Dixon set the Brazilian onto the course for his first win since 2010. Leading for 28 laps including the final 25, Castroneves' Team Penske car survived contact with the #20 car of Ed Carpenter to pull out a 5.5-second interval on Dixon to go on to victory at the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg. By winning, Helio Castroneves gives a Chevrolet engine it's first victory lane appearance sine Nashville of 2005. In post-race, Castroneves commented on his race saying "No question, these guys are awesome, Ryan (Briscoe) and Will (power), and for me it's a great Chevy-power group, it's been always consistent. It might not be the quickest, but I did say out loud, 'If I start in the top six, I'll win this race.' And we did it, we are here in Victory Circle."

Photo Credit: Steve Swope for Penske Racing

Shortly after taking the checkered flag, Helio Castroneves made a personal gesture to a fallen competitor when he brought his #3 Shell/Pennzoil-sponsored Team Penske car to a stop along turn 10. Climbing out of his race vehicle shortly after his IZOD INDYCAR race win, Castroneves leaped the fence along Dan Wheldon Way. Giving his former competitor a thoughtful salute, the emotional Brazilian driver talked about his impromptu tribute. "You can never question God's mysteries, and today for me, I ended up stopping [my car] on Turn 10, and honestly I did not plan it, it was just the way it happened, and there was the sign Dan Wheldon Way. So for me, and for all of us, the drivers and the fans, not having him here certainly we'll miss. But we've got to remember him as he lived, the way he lived, and continue to pray for his family." said Helio Castroneves.

With Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon finishing in the top-two spots in the debut event for the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the next two positions were dominated by Andretti Autosport cars using Chevy power. Ryan Hunter-Reay finished 3rd while James Hinchcliffe equalled his best ever series result with a 4th place run. Rounding out the top-five was the Penske entry driven by Ryan Briscoe.

Photo Credit: Steve Swope for Penske Racing

Other honourable mentions in the results of the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg reveals Simon Pagenaud as the highest finishing rookie contender with a fine 6th place with the #77 Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports car. Moving up 13 positions during the course of the 100-lap event to finish 9th, sophomore driver Charlie Kimball took part in a strong opening race with his Chip Ganassi Racing team. In 15th place, Canada's Alex Tagliani scored the highest final result for a Lotus-engined Dallara.

With Helio Castroneves putting a cherry on top of the sundae for Team Penske's delightful 2012 IZOD  INDYCAR start, the series leaves St Petersburg ready to take on Barber Motorsports Park.



2012 IZOD INDYCAR
Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg 
Race Results

1	3	Helio Castroneves	Brazil	Team Penske	Chevrolet
2	9	Scott Dixon	New Zealand	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
3	28	Ryan Hunter-Reay	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
4	27	James Hinchcliffe	Canada	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
5	2	Ryan Briscoe	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
6	77	Simon Pagenaud	France	Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports	Honda
7	12	Will Power	Australia	Team Penske	Chevrolet
8	5	EJ Viso	Venezuela	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
9	83	Charlie Kimball	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
10	18	Justin Wilson	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda
11	67	Josef Newgarden	United States	Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing	Honda
12	38	Graham Rahal	United States	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
13	10	Dario Franchitti	Scotland	Target/Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda
14	26	Marco Andretti	United States	Andretti Autosport	Chevrolet
15	98	Alex Tagliani	Canada	Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian	Lotus
16	22	Oriol Servia	Spain	Lotus-Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Lotus
17	8	Rubens Barrichello	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
18	20	Ed Carpenter	United States	Ed Carpenter Racing	Chevrolet
19	4	JR Hildebrand	United States	Panther Racing	Chevrolet
20	14	Mike Conway	England	AJ Foyt Enterprises	Honda
21	7	Sebastien Bourdais	France	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
22	15	Takuma Sato	Japan	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	Honda
23	6	Katherine Legge	England	Lotus-Dragon Racing	Lotus
24	78	Simona de Silvestro	Switzerland	Lotus-HVM Racing	Lotus
25	11	Tony Kanaan	Brazil	KV Racing Technology	Chevrolet
26	19	James Jakes	England	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda

Dominant Dixon Drives to Indy Japan Win

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The only time the IZOD INDYCAR Series competes on the west side of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese round at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit was created The last scheduled race for the IZOD INDYCAR Series in Japan almost did not happen as a result of the tragic aftermath resulting from the Earthquake and Tsunami in March.

Planned to run on the 1.549 mile oval, the event was at risk when there was damage found to the Twin Ring Motegi oval. There was also debate of whether or not the event in Japan should have been held this year. Devastation caused by the natural disaster is continuing to leave lingering troubles for the Japanese population. Some believed a major sporting event even 6 months after the disaster for the country was too soon. However, determined to keep the commitment to their economy, INDYCAR and race fans, the event has been relocated to the connected Motegi road course.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Titled Indy Japan: The Final, the 26-car field arrived on the 2.98 mile road course. In Saturday qualifying, Scott Dixon took pole with a 1-minute, 38.3918-second top lap time in the Firestone Fast Six session. Will Power started along Dixon gaining a large possible advantage in his points fight with Dario Franchitti. As the Japanese race switched from the oval to the road course, it would be at least an equalizer for the #12 Penske Racing driver fight for the title.

At the start of the 63-lap event, Will Power challenged Scott Dixon hard almost getting squeezed by the #9 car in the race's second turn. Drama early at the start resulted as Helio Castroneves drove into the turn 1 sand trap in avoidance of a rear-end collision with Ryan Briscoe. Castroneves' returned to the track quickly but fell well back in the running order after a 6th place start.

As Dixon and Power maintained a common pace at the front, teams immediately planned their pit stop strategy. Part time driver Hideki Mutoh and KV Racing Technology #82 car of Tony Kanaan pitted early for fuel as well as a change of tires. On lap 22, both Will Power and leader Scott Dixon pitted with the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car just barely beating the Penske Racing #12 car.
Ahead of the race, teams and drivers of the IZOD INDYCAR Series were concerned about the lack of grip on the Motegi road course circuit. With drivers such as James Hinchcliffe sliding on track during practice, competitors with limited INDYCAR race involvement spent time off track. The #22 of Giorgio Pantano went off track several time during the event while the #34 car Joao Paulo de Oliveira collided with the #5 car of Takuma Sato. A few laps later, the #34 Conquest Racing car piloted by de Oliveira came to a stop drawing the first full course caution at the Motegi road course.

On the restart on lap 26, Dario Franchitti went three-wide on Ryan Briscoe and Graham Rahal into turn 1. Turning the Penske Racing #6 around on track, Franchitti's #10 car and Chip Ganassi #38 car of Rahal were trapped behind the stationary Briscoe. Charlie Kimball (another Chip Ganassi owned car also took evasive action through the sand as the incident drew a second race caution. All three car were able to resume racing but Dario Franchitti was assessed a penalty for avoidable contact. Sent to the back of the field on the restart, team owner Chip Ganassi expressed some firm disappointment for his Scottish driver. Franchitti would drive through the event and rallied to an 8th place finish. Another race where Graham Rahal was kept in a wreck after running strong, he brought the #38 car home 12th.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

The only Chip Ganassi Racing car not involved in the lap 26 mayhem, the #9 car driven by New Zealand's Scott Dixon put on a very impressive show of force. Pulling Will Power at bay, Dixon ran comfortably translating his the pole position speed into a solid race pace.

With 6 laps remaining, the #28 car of Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact with the #19 of Sebastien Bourdais sending the Andretti Autosport racing machine into the sand trap. Once Hunter-Reay was recovered from the sand, the race resumed with only 3 laps to go. After a false double-file restart one lap earlier, Will Power was provided with one last opportunity to challenge the dominant Scott Dixon for the Indy Japan win. Dixon launched perfectly on lap 62 leaving the Penske Racing driver in his dust. In third, Marco Andretti and Oriol Servia dueled for the final podium spot with the Newman/Haas Racing race car briefly taking the position. By the second turn, Andretti swept back to reclaim the 3rd place position.

The final restart was not completely without flaws. The KV Racing Technology cars driven by Takuma Sato and EJ Viso (both residing in the top-10 late in the Indy Japan) tangled in the first corner ending both of their top finishes. The #14 AJ Foyt Racing car of Vitor Meira would also have conflict in the final laps resulting in the Brazilian beached in the sand.

Leading all but 1 lap, Scott Dixon's skillful piloting of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car on the Twin-Ring Motegi road course brought him his 25th IZOD INDYCAR Series win. Taking his victory lap, Scott Dixon continued to drive around the track trying to locate the winner's circle at the Motegi road course event. As this Indy Japan: The Final concludes, Scott Dixon becomes the only driver to record a major race victory on both the road course and oval. Dixon won the 2009 event on the Twin-Ring Motegi track.

Photo Credit: Daniel Incandela

With a second place run and Dario Franchitti's troubles in the Indy Japan race, Will Power gained the top place in the overall series points 11 markers ahead. Power also picks up the Mario Andretti Trophy for most points earned on IZOD INDYCAR road courses in 2011 for the second year in a row.

Rounding out the top-five of the Indy Japan: The Final event on the Twin-Ring Motegi road course is Marco Andretti, Alex Tagliani and Oriol Servia.

As the last Japanese round of the IZOD INDYCAR Series, the Twin-Ring Motegi event could be remembered for its relatively few passing opportunities or for the dominance of Scott Dixon. It could also be recognized as a race of conflict in the KV Racing Technology and Chip Ganassi Racing teams. However, as the 63-lap competition ran to its conclusion, this final INDYCAR event Japan demonstrates the country's people is looking forward to welcoming the world.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Indy Japan: The Final
Twin-Ring Motegi Road Course
Race Results

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