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.

Gilles Villeneuve: Remembered After 30 Years

Photo Credit: Chris Burdick/Automoblog.net

On May 8th, a somber memorial is paid to a man who gave the maple leaf flag a dynamic presentation to the world of motorsports. An life lost in 1982, the 30th anniversary since the death of Gilles Villeneuve recaps the soul of a determined, enthusiastic person who left meant something to Canada.
Born in 1950 in the Southern Quebec town of Richelieu, French-Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve pursuit into motorsports started with the straight-line action of drag racing at 17 years old. Tiring of drag racing, Villeneuve would quickly obtain a passion for the challenge of corners.

Winning the Formula Atlantic title back-to-back in 1976 (actually collecting both a US as well as Canadian title offered that year) and 1977 season, Gilles Villeneuve's career-making moment was at the 1976 Trois Riviere race. Villeneuve was not only victorious in the legendary Canadian street race, his talent behind the wheel captured the attention of a Formula 1 driver James Hunt (a popular McLaren driver who went on to win the 1976 World Championship). Hunt's McLaren team would offer him a two-year old race car to drive at the British Grand Prix in last year. A race that resulted in an 11th place run, Gilles Villeneuve's was most impressive for how he was able to find lap times as fast as the leaders after the course of the event. Villeneuve would be drafted by the the Ferrari team for the final two races of the 1977 season.

Making the big-time in motorsports with a full grand prix season in 1978, Formula 1 success would not be instant for the Canadian. In the 16-race season, the passionate Villeneuve's scored just 7 points in the first 15 races. A driving personality that quickly won over fans not only in Canada but throughout the racing world, Gilles Villeneuve's hard-charging driving style badly-needed to be complemented with a major Formula 1 success. For the very first Canadian Grand Prix to be held at the Ile Notre Dame circuit in Villeneuve's home province, the Ferrari drive capped the 1978 season with his first-ever Formula 1. The race track would later be named in the honour of Gilles Villeneuve. The victory for Villeneuve proved himself to the racing world with a large Canadian crowd cheering on their first-ever Formula 1 grand prix winner. In 1979 Formula 1 season, Gilles Villeneuve's best grand prix season would include three wins and a second-place finish in Formula 1 driver points to Jody Scheckter by a narrow 4-point margin.

Despite plateauing to the highest heights in Formula 1, he remained a dedicated husband and a father to children Melanie and Jacques. Undoubtedly this relationship kept Gilles Villenueve grounded through what would be some hard times. Into the disastrous 1980 season where the Ferrari team's 312 T5 race car and Flat-12 engine was seriously off the pace. A drastically improved Ferrari Formula 1 car the following would glide Villeneuve to two more grand prix wins at Monaco and Spain.

As the driver and team regained winning form, the 1982 Formula 1 season was poised for a revival to the form of 1979. At the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, a potential win was foiled by Villeneuve's teammate Didier Pironi in what was a very controversial pass. While Pironi's move was perfectly legal, there existed an informal agreement within the Ferrari team that a team car should not attempt to pass the other teammate on track. The relationship between Pironi and Villeneuve was turbulent heading into the Belgium Grand Prix.

It was qualifying for the Belgium Grand Prix on the Spa-Francochamps circuit that Gilles Villeneuve would spend his last moments of life. A high-speed collision between Villeneuve's Ferrari and the March of Jochen Mass occurred violently tearing apart the race car as it went airborne. A crash so horrible, Villeneuve's helmet was thrown off his head. As fellow race competitors and doctors rushed to the scene of the crash, the Canadian racer's severe injuries would be fatal. On May 8th, 1982 at 9:12 PM local time in Belgium, Gilles Villeneuve was lost to the most tragic element of a sport he loved so much.

Known to most of the world as a six-time grand prix winner, Gilles Villeneuve became an idolized figure for Canadian open wheel racers who emerged in greater number through the decades following the Ferrari Formula 1 driver's lead. One of those campaigning drivers in the 1990s was the son of Gilles Villeneuve. Jacques Villeneuve's triumphs at the Indy 500 as well as the IndyCar World Series in 1995 and eventually a 1997 Formula 1 World Championship also rewarded his pioneering father's legacy. The son of Gilles Villeneuve retains the most meaningful, most honest connection to a man many Canadians see as a legend.
In the 30 years since the passing of Gilles Villeneuve, we reflect on the life of the Canadian auto racer lost way too soon in numerous ways. While some of us honour the athlete as a great citizen who has given a nation a unique sense of pride, other see the French-Canadian drivers as someone more empowering. Gilles Villeneuve's love and desire towards a desire achievement personifies what others in motorsports, in sports and even in the complex lives we all inhabit. On figurative race courses, we all seek to travel quicker down the straights, take the nearest corner with extra control, lead the way for what would be a popular, celebrated victory. The life of Gilles Villeneuve made him a winner on every stretch.


The following video from Italy's Rai TV is coverage of Jacques Villeneuve connecting with the #12 Ferrari 312 T4 driven during his father's most successful 1979 season in Formula 1. In tribute to his father, Jacques Villeneuve turned laps in the classic race machine around Ferrari's Fiorano test track.

Edwards King of Road America Nationwide Race

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

A perfect day greeted the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Elkhart Like, Wisconsin as the stock car racing tour visits a new track added on the 2010 schedule. Consisting of 4.048 miles, the fast 14-turn road course of Road America greets the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time. The Bucyrus 200 at Road America is a gain after losing a historically significant race at the Milwaukee Mile oval due to financial issues.

Starting what would be one of three road course stops for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide season, the unique stock car racing action brought some rare appearances for some drivers. Classically referred to as road ringers, the Bucyrus 200 introduced drivers Ron Fellows and Jacques Villeneuve back to the series. Having little to no experience in the NASCAR feeder series, Owen Kelly, Tony Ave and Patrick Long adds themselves as road race professionals eager to compete against Nationwide series regulars on their turf.

Taking pole in the late morning qualifying session, Carl Edwards lead from the start of the event through the first 12 circuits. Former formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve making the most of a front row start. Fastest in Friday practice, Villeneuve and his Braun Racing #32 Toyota would be a dominant figurehead for the road racers through the Road America Nationwide race. Racing Road America, the track is one Jacques Villeneuve enjoyed a positive past winning his very first IndyCar race on the 4-mile circuit in 1994 and repeated in 1995.

Right off the bat, some of the Nationwide series regular encountered difficulty including the 3rd place runner for the drivers points. The #12 Dodge of Justin Allgaier came to a stop on track during the initial laps for what turned out to be a broken track bar. Accepting a 35nd place result after rejoining the field losing 20 laps, the Penske Racing driver stays in 3rd in points but lost significant points to 1st and 2nd position sending Allgaier well-back in the 2010 championship.

Though Braun Racing's #38 Toyota of Jason Leffler took the lead for three laps after gaining the position through pit stop strategy, Edwards stormed past to retake the top position on lap 15 for another 13 laps (translating to more than 52 miles). As caution flew on lap 28 condensing the cars concluding after a long green period the stock car pack was repositioned to take advantage of gaining track places. As the race restarted on lap 30 the predator instincts of competitors reigned setting up the largest incident of the day occurring between 6 cars on lap 31. Involving Jason Leffler, the #34 of Tony Raines, the #31 of Stanton Barrett and the #16 Ford of Colin Braun were among were involved in the turn 6 pile-up which also resulted in over 30 minute red flag period falling on the Road America road course.



Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Once race was sent in motion following the clean-up in turn 6, the #18 Toyota Camry of Brad Coleman assumed the lead once Carl Edwards pitted with several other drivers including Paul Menard and Jacques Villeneuve. Back to green on lap 34, Coleman held off the Brendan Gaughan's #62 Toyota and Ron Fellows driving the #88 AER Engineering Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

As the field were engaged with each other for position under 12 laps left in the Bucyrus 200, three cautions would insure at least three golden opportunities to vie for a top finishing position. On lap 38, the #33 Chevrolet of Ron Hornaday and the #21 Richard Childress-Owned Chevrolet being driven by Tim George Jr collided in turn 3. With Coleman still leading through this fifth caution period, the restart would see the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 car under heavy attack as Brendan Gaughan placed a hard charge on Coleman on the restart. Jacques Villeneuve, who had received fender damage through minor contact within the last caution, displayed some of the aggressiveness which made him the most exciting driver to watch in Formula 1. Passing several cars on newer tires Villeneuve diced up to the top 3 entering perfect striking position to the #18 and #62. Into lap 39, Coleman and Gaughan entered turn 3 as Villeneuve made a daring move making the situation 3-wide as he late-braked his #32 Toyota on the inside. Smoking his left ftonr tire in what at that time appeared as tire lockup, Villeneuve's out-braking maneuver paid off passing both Coleman and Gaughan. Within the Canada corner of turn 12, caution flew again as the #23 of Alex Kennedy and the #40 Mike Bliss car get together. It was under this caution it was revealed Villeneuve's tire smoke was a result of the damage in the earlier caution incident.

As Jacques Villeneuve rallied back to the front, so did the strong Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Carl Edwards. Edward's #60 moved all the way up to 2nd place when the lap 42 restart presented him the perfect chance to reclaim the position is launched from at the start of the Bucyrus 200. Coming down the frontstretch in taking the green, Carl Edwards broke out of the double-file formation immediately merging behind Villeneuve for a quick draft down the remaining straight. Edwards would duck out and swing around Villeneuve's #32 Toyota to take a firm lead. Falling to second, Villeneuve and his Braun Racing team were still content to be running considering some rather heavy tire rubbing.

In a final caution for the #35 car of Stanton Barrett being trapped in the turn 6 sand trap, Villeneuve had one chance to perform regain the lead for a possible NASCAR victory when with the left front tire threatening. However, it would be a mechanical failure which would drop the Braun Racing car out of the running. Edwards blitzed to victory at Road America for his second straight road race win in the NASCAR Nationwide series after winning Montreal in 2009. With Villeneuve's retirement promoting JR Motorsport's Ron Fellows to 2nd, it still proved a terrific day for Canadian NASCAR fans. Brendan Gaughan, Brad Keselowski and rookie Owen Kelly rounded out the top-five for what proved to be an exciting change for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide series.


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series
Bucyrus 200 at Road America
Top 10 Race Results

Pos| Car # | Driver | Sponsor/Car Make

1 60 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
2 88 Ron Fellows AER Manufacturing Chevrolet
3 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota
4 22 Brad Keselowski Discount Tire Dodge 
5 27 Owen Kelly K1 Speed Ford 
6 18 Brad Coleman SafeWay Driving Centers Toyota
7 7 J R Fitzpatrick Schick Hydro Chevrolet
8 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota
9 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
10 99 Trevor Bayne OutPetCare.com Toyota

XSL Speed Reporter Interview: Jacques Villeneuve

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Perhaps the most accomplished Canadian race car drivers in history, Jacques Villeneuve holds an Indy 500 victory, CART/IndyCar title and a 1997 Formula One World Championship. An image of his father 1970-early 1980s Formula 1 legend Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques' driving style exhibited the same hungry aggression. The young Villeneuve was undoubtedly a benefactor of top flight racing outfits of the day, his name adorned the carbon fiber roll hoops of Players Racing machines in IndyCar and the leading Formula 1 operations of Williams F1 between 1996-1998.

With the 1997 Formula 1 World Championship serving as a highlight to any open wheel driver's career, the title seemingly brought a downturn to Jacques Villeneuve's career. Haunted in his 1998 F1 title defense by an uncompetitive Williams race car, continuing years with the than new BAR team (currently Mercedes Grand Prix) were not the rides Villeneuve had grown accustomed to in his earlier seasons. When BAR-Honda unceremoniously cut Villeneuve in the final races of 2003, Villeneuve went on to spend two seasons at BMW-Sauber enjoying limited success.

In late 2007, Jacques Villeneuve became one of many open wheel drivers who saw NASCAR as a chance to stay within the same continent as his home. While a full-time campaign was planned in 2008 with Bill Davis Racing, financiers backed out of a sponsorship deal leaving Villeneuve on the sidelines.

For 2009, Jacques Villeneuve received his annual invite to Montreal's NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Again driving for the capture Braun Racing in the #32 Dollar General Toyota, it's needless to say the only Canadian visit with NASCAR's second-best division is eagerly awaited by Villeneuve.

Within the important late August weekend, I was granted an opportunity to have Jacques Villeneuve answer some of my questions on his racing career. Please enjoy the results from this brief interaction in the following Q &A:


Question: Endeavouring into music, a fine dining restaurant, and most significantly into becoming a father, do you look at your auto racing career in a different light than compared to 10 years ago?

Answer: I was born into racing and it is in my blood. I have been blessed in and lucky to live many different experiences outside of racing (most of it thanks to racing). I have always be passionate about music and will stay involved but it comes after racing. My 2 kids have become my priority and somehow they make me want to race even more and harder. They remind me of growing up admiring my dad and of the great childhood I had.


Q: While being one of more decorated open wheel drivers to attempt a transition to stock car racing, what attracted you to pursue a career in NASCAR?

A: There are 2 great series in the world: F1 and NASCAR and both are are the opposite ends of the spectrum. NASCAR is amazingly challenging. I always enjoyed oval racing from my IndyCar days and winning the Indy 500 in 95 got me into F1.


Q: Without the resources of the Players' Driver Development program which had fostered outstanding Canadian driving talent including yourself and others, do you believe the crop of future drivers face an even tougher road into professional racing?


A: There are many driver development programs out there. Some of it is luck or timing and allot is about going to get what you want. It takes hard work and always has. Times change, but there are always opportunities for those who work hard for it.


Q: With major open wheel racing in North America reformed under a single sanctioning body for the first time since you won the Indy 500 and overall series championship in 1995, would you consider a return to IndyCar racing? Even if only for the Canadian leg?

A: 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.


Q: There have been reports that you're expressing interest for rejoining Formula 1 next year. Is this option a serious possibility? Is the rule changes in the series provoking a return?

A: The priority right now obviously is F1 and NASCAR but I would not be against a return to IndyCar in the right conditions. I just love racing.


Q: Having driven cars in almost every form of motorsports, what type of auto racing brings you the most sense of thrill?

A: Really all racing is fun, even did some front wheel drive touring car at Spa and its still exciting. The different dynamics make it both challenging to drive and to read the handling to make it better. But ultimately nothing compares to the sheer cornering speed of an F1.



Jacques conversing with Boris Said
during the 2009 NASCAR weekend
in Montreal.
Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

Q: Taking into account the magnitude of racing on a famous course named after your father, driving for Braun Racing to a top finish in this year's NAPA Auto Parts 200 was a definite crowd pleaser. How much does it mean to you and your team to finish well in the Nationwide race? Would it be more important professionally or personally?

A: Montreal is an extremely important race whatever series I race it in. It is my backyard. The expectations are high having raced on it 12 times. It is difficult to quantify the professional importance of a road course in NASCAR as there are only 2 non-oval races a season but a good result would definitely be a step in the right direction. Ultimately what is needed to move forward in NASCAR is good oval results.


Since conducting the interview, The 2009 running of the Napa Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to palce amounted to a thrilling affair to the Canadian crowd. Besides the last lap pass Carl Edwards used to win the race, Jacques Villenueve delivered an impressive 4th place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series main event. Driving the #32 Toyota brilliantly all weekend, the French-Canadian driver proud performance deserves a real chance to show his stock car abilities at the highest NASCAR levels.

Opened to the notion of future tours in NASCAR, Speculation since the interview has Villeneuve seriously interested in rejoining the F1 circuit. With the addition of several new formula one teams to the 2010 grand prix grid, Jacques Villeneuve's name has been connected to USF1 as well as the Lotus F1 Team.