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GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Indianapolis Notebook
News and notes on the eve of the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix...
GRAND-AM drivers lined up on the famed yard of bricks Thursday for a photo shoot, overlooking the Pagoda. (Photo: John Dagys)
GANASSI DRIVERS POISED TO MAKE HISTORY — Certainly the highest profile entry in Friday’s inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix, Chip Ganassi Racing will be looking to rewrite the record books on Friday in becoming the first team to win in three different races at the Brickyard.
Ganassi fields a pair of Riley-BMWs for the three-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race, which doubles as the final round of the new North American Endurance Championship. Former Indianapolis winners Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya have joined forces to co-drive the No. 02 Chevron-sponsored Daytona Prototype.
Montoya became the first driver to race in the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and the F1 U.S. Grand Prix, which was held at IMS from 2000-2007, and will now also be the first to race in four different disciplines at the Brickyard (IndyCar, Formula One, stock car and sports car).
“It's funny how Indy started for me,” Montoya said. “We were running the CART series [in 2000] and Chip told me that he wanted to come here and do the 500. In the beginning of the year, I was a little bit against it as it was outside of the championship and I wanted to stay focused on the CART season. But it was great.
“You look back at it and that was our highlight of the year and was one of my highlights of my career. This place is one of the [most important] race tracks in the world. This is one of the places you want to race and be part of.”
2010 Brickyard 400 winner McMurray added: “I watched a lot of Formula One races on TV from this track and my motorhome has been parked on this track in the infield. I've wanted to run on it forever. So it was super cool to come and do the test. Juan and I came a couple of weeks ago.
“I think the most unique thing that came out from the test was the strain for Juan and I on our necks. We're so used to turning left that all the corners here are to the right. For me, Turn 1 seemed three minutes long to the right. It's just different from what we're used to.”
Dixon, who was a late addition to the No. 02 car for Friday’s race, was not at the Indy test earlier this month and will be coming off a busy week, having tested his Target Dallara-Honda with IndyCar teammate Dario Franchitti today at Mid-Ohio.
“For me, I’ve never driven on the road course,” said the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner. “I’ve gone the opposite way around the track a couple of times but not on purpose! It should be interesting and a lot of fun.”
The trio, along with Ganassi’s championship leading No. 01 Riley-BMW of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas will be gunning not only for the historic first victory, but the championship in the NAEC, which concludes tomorrow. If either car wins the race, Ganassi will also take the title and the $100,000 first place prize that comes with it.
TRACY WORKING ON DP PROGRAM FOR 2013 — Paul Tracy is aiming to be on the Rolex Series grid full-time next year. The Canadian open-wheel ace, who is making his fourth start of 2012 in Doran Racing's Gen-2 Dallara-Ford this week, revealed his intentions during a press conference Thursday at IMS.
"We're working hard with that," Tracy said. "I got a call the week before the 24 Hours of Daytona and [team owner Kevin Doran] told me, 'Look, I'd like you to come and drive there. I don't have a full-season package and we're running last year's car. We're not going to be the most competitive out there.'
"I've been able to secure a relationship with the Mars group, through sponsorship we've had on the car so far this year. We've had Combos, which is a Mars brand, and M&M's this weekend. We've entertained some people from Mars at all the races.
"Hopefully that's a building block. Kevin plans to build a new car over the winter and put a new car on track for the 24-hour. Hopefully we can secure full-season sponsorship and be out there for the full year next year."
Ganassi fields a pair of Riley-BMWs for the three-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race, which doubles as the final round of the new North American Endurance Championship. Former Indianapolis winners Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya have joined forces to co-drive the No. 02 Chevron-sponsored Daytona Prototype.
Montoya became the first driver to race in the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and the F1 U.S. Grand Prix, which was held at IMS from 2000-2007, and will now also be the first to race in four different disciplines at the Brickyard (IndyCar, Formula One, stock car and sports car).
“It's funny how Indy started for me,” Montoya said. “We were running the CART series [in 2000] and Chip told me that he wanted to come here and do the 500. In the beginning of the year, I was a little bit against it as it was outside of the championship and I wanted to stay focused on the CART season. But it was great.
“You look back at it and that was our highlight of the year and was one of my highlights of my career. This place is one of the [most important] race tracks in the world. This is one of the places you want to race and be part of.”
2010 Brickyard 400 winner McMurray added: “I watched a lot of Formula One races on TV from this track and my motorhome has been parked on this track in the infield. I've wanted to run on it forever. So it was super cool to come and do the test. Juan and I came a couple of weeks ago.
“I think the most unique thing that came out from the test was the strain for Juan and I on our necks. We're so used to turning left that all the corners here are to the right. For me, Turn 1 seemed three minutes long to the right. It's just different from what we're used to.”
Dixon, who was a late addition to the No. 02 car for Friday’s race, was not at the Indy test earlier this month and will be coming off a busy week, having tested his Target Dallara-Honda with IndyCar teammate Dario Franchitti today at Mid-Ohio.
“For me, I’ve never driven on the road course,” said the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner. “I’ve gone the opposite way around the track a couple of times but not on purpose! It should be interesting and a lot of fun.”
The trio, along with Ganassi’s championship leading No. 01 Riley-BMW of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas will be gunning not only for the historic first victory, but the championship in the NAEC, which concludes tomorrow. If either car wins the race, Ganassi will also take the title and the $100,000 first place prize that comes with it.
TRACY WORKING ON DP PROGRAM FOR 2013 — Paul Tracy is aiming to be on the Rolex Series grid full-time next year. The Canadian open-wheel ace, who is making his fourth start of 2012 in Doran Racing's Gen-2 Dallara-Ford this week, revealed his intentions during a press conference Thursday at IMS.
"We're working hard with that," Tracy said. "I got a call the week before the 24 Hours of Daytona and [team owner Kevin Doran] told me, 'Look, I'd like you to come and drive there. I don't have a full-season package and we're running last year's car. We're not going to be the most competitive out there.'
"I've been able to secure a relationship with the Mars group, through sponsorship we've had on the car so far this year. We've had Combos, which is a Mars brand, and M&M's this weekend. We've entertained some people from Mars at all the races.
"Hopefully that's a building block. Kevin plans to build a new car over the winter and put a new car on track for the 24-hour. Hopefully we can secure full-season sponsorship and be out there for the full year next year."
Road Atlanta
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