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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Power, Chevrolet Unstoppable In Sao Paulo
Team Penske’s Will Power earned his third consecutive IndyCar win, the fourth straight for Chevy and completed personal a hat trick at the Brazilian street circuit.
After claiming three of the first four races, the main question heading into the Indy 500 is if anyone is capable of stopping championship leader Will Power. (Photo: LAT)
The win at today’s 75-lap Sao Paulo Indy 300 came down to a difference in fuel consumption, pit strategy and outright performance.
When it was all over, Team Penske’s Will Power earned his third consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series win, the fourth straight for Chevrolet, and completed personal a hat trick at the Brazilian street circuit. It also marked a clean sweep for Penske after Helio Castroneves won the season-opening race at St. Petersburg.
The only serious threat to Power came from Scott Dixon who flirted with the lead from Lap 56-63, but after being routinely pitted earlier than Power, Dixon, who made three stops to Power's two, came up short in the final stanza as he needed a splash of fuel to make it to the finish.
Power took back the lead when the Kiwi pitted at the end of Lap 63, and motored away from Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay to cross the finish line .90 seconds ahead of the American after a late-race multi-car melee in Turns 1 and 2 created a four-lap dash to the checkered flag.
To make matters worse, Power pulled away from whomever was following him while also making better fuel mileage.
“Ryan got a really good jump, and I had to go like you wouldn't believe,” said Power. “Full credit to the Verizon guys, Penske and Chevrolet. We’re three for three. That was a great race. A great strategy by the team.
"It just happened to fall into a two stop strategy for Ryan and myself. I'm not sure about Takuma, but that was the right strategy, and we both had to save fuel but maintained a pretty good lap time. Yeah, just a solid day when you look at it, very solid, no mistakes. ”
Hunter-Reay didn't have the pace to match Power, but was almost as happy as the race winner after scoring yet another podium finish
“I really challenged (Power) there on the outside,” said RHR of the Lap 71 restart. “It was a lot of fun. I’m just really happy for the Andretti guys. We’ve been right there on the podium three out of four races. I’m so happy to be on the podium going into Indy.”
Takuma Sato, who started 25th after receiving a 10-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change on Saturday and failed to post a qualifying lap, turned in a remarkable drive to claim third—the Japanese driver’s first IndyCar podium—after blasting down the inside of Dario Franchitti at Turn 1 on the final restart.
“It was opportunity to make a place up,” said Sato of his dive bomb into Turn 1. “I [went] for it. Really incredible job by the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team. The first three races in a row we couldn’t finish a race…[this is] fantastic.”
Penske’s Helio Castroneves had a tumultuous day, starting 18th and falling up and down the running order before passing Franchitti for fourth with the clock winding down.
“I’m not sad at all,” he said of a trying day in front of his home crowd. “This fourth place is like a victory.”
Ganassi’s Franchitti, who looked set for a second-place finish behind Power, lost out on a podium after being spun by Mike Conway on a restart. After stalling his car and falling from second to 22nd, the Scot put in a crafty drive to make up most of the difference.
“Our car was very fast today,” said Franchitti of his fifth-place result. “We’re not making the fuel mileage of the Chevys, but not bad. Unfortunately I got hit and spun on the restart so that slowed me. Fifth is an improvement, but there was so much more [to be had] today.”
With Chevy finishing 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th, predictions of Honda enjoying an unfair advantage with its new turbo housing--at least at the Brazil street race—did not come to bear.
Dixon's three-stop fuel strategy, coupled with Honda-powered Conway slowing Franchitti's day, certainly played a role in diminishing the marque's overall impact on the top 10. More Hondas could have been closer to Power at the finish, but he was never seriously threatened for the lead.
As we've seen through the one-quarter mark in the 2012 season, despite the size of the challenge placed in front of its teams, Chevy has a knack for winning with or without help from its rivals.
Whether it can continue the trend on the sport's biggest stage will be a fascinating theme to follow when practice starts at the Brickyard on May 12th.
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Sao Paulo Indy 300 2012
Race Replay
An early wave of the green flag helped the 26-car field to make it through Turn1 unscathed, with pole-sitter Will Power leading Dario Franchitti.
Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden were the biggest movers on Lap 1, climbing to fourth and fifth, respectively. Simon Pagenaud, who started 17th, picked up two spots to run 15th. James Hinchcliffe, who started fourth, sank like a rock falling back to seventh by the end of Lap 2.
Power’s lead stretched out to .79 seconds over Franchitti after two laps, and Scott Dixon, in third, struggled to keep pace, dropping back to his Ganassi teammate by 2.9 seconds at the end of Lap 3.
Other than Power’s Chevy-engined car at the front, Hondas held second through sixth, and Chevys ran seventh through 13th early in the race.
The gap to Franchitti remained stable through Lap 4, with Power bringing it out to .88, but Dixon continued to lose at least a half-second per lap.
On Lap 5, Tony Kanaan displaced his friend and teammate Rubens Barrichello for 11th, and Franchitti also knocked Power’s lead down to .56 seconds.
The hard-charging Rahal fought with Newgarden for fourth on entry to Turn 1 at the start of Lap 6, with the Ganassi driver edging the rookie, who looked to be struggling for outright pace. Behind him, Mike Conway continued to look for a way by, but the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing driver make sure to cover his lines in the braking zones.
Power’s relentless pace began to pay off by Lap 8 as he put Franchitti 1.27 seconds behind him. Helio Castroneves was the first driver to pit on Lap 9, and was soon followed by Simon Pagenaud and Takuma Sato on Lap 10. Tony Kanaan also got past his former Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti for 10th.
Sato’s trip to pit lane would prove to be costly as he incurred a drive-through penalty for speeding.
Ryan Hunter-Reay took seventh from Hinchcliffe on Lap 12, and Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was in the Canadian’s wheel track with eyes on demoting him to ninth. E.J. Viso followed teammate Tony Kanaan’s move, getting by Marco Andretti for 11th on Lap 13, and the final member of the KV team, Barrichello soon followed.
After falling to 13th, Andretti pitted on Lap 14, promoting Charlie Kimball to his previous spot.
Power motored out to 2.5 seconds over Franchitti by Lap 15, and Justin Wilson, who started 26th, made his way to 15th before pitting on the same lap. A long stop delayed Wilson after he stalled the car.
By Lap 16, the top 10 had Power leading over Franchitti by 2.6 seconds, Dixon 13.2 seconds arrears, Rahal, Conway, Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe, Briscoe and Viso, who passed Kanaan for 10th.
JR Hildebrand, who had been slowly losing positions, pitted on Lap 16, and Hinchcliffe was in for his first stop on Lap 17, along with Ana Beatrix and Katherine Legge.
On Lap 18, the first of the lead pack began to pit, with Dixon and Newgarden pitting, followed by Kanaan, and Charlie Kimball.
Power continued to stretch his gap over Franchitti, holding 3.6 seconds over by Lap 19. Andretti’s Beatriz was also assessed drive-through penalties for speeding on pit lane, while Wilson, who pitted to serve his penalty, was unable to engage first gear to leave the pits.
Lap 20 saw Franchitti and Rahal pit, promoting Conway to second. Viso, Barrichello and Bourdais also made their first stops, and Simona de Silvestro, who ran long into a braking zone lost a lap getting turned around, also pitted.
Dragon Racing’s Katherine Legge was caught by oversteer, damaging her left rear suspension against the wall which ended her day.
When it was all over, Team Penske’s Will Power earned his third consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series win, the fourth straight for Chevrolet, and completed personal a hat trick at the Brazilian street circuit. It also marked a clean sweep for Penske after Helio Castroneves won the season-opening race at St. Petersburg.
The only serious threat to Power came from Scott Dixon who flirted with the lead from Lap 56-63, but after being routinely pitted earlier than Power, Dixon, who made three stops to Power's two, came up short in the final stanza as he needed a splash of fuel to make it to the finish.
Power took back the lead when the Kiwi pitted at the end of Lap 63, and motored away from Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay to cross the finish line .90 seconds ahead of the American after a late-race multi-car melee in Turns 1 and 2 created a four-lap dash to the checkered flag.
To make matters worse, Power pulled away from whomever was following him while also making better fuel mileage.
“Ryan got a really good jump, and I had to go like you wouldn't believe,” said Power. “Full credit to the Verizon guys, Penske and Chevrolet. We’re three for three. That was a great race. A great strategy by the team.
"It just happened to fall into a two stop strategy for Ryan and myself. I'm not sure about Takuma, but that was the right strategy, and we both had to save fuel but maintained a pretty good lap time. Yeah, just a solid day when you look at it, very solid, no mistakes. ”
Hunter-Reay didn't have the pace to match Power, but was almost as happy as the race winner after scoring yet another podium finish
“I really challenged (Power) there on the outside,” said RHR of the Lap 71 restart. “It was a lot of fun. I’m just really happy for the Andretti guys. We’ve been right there on the podium three out of four races. I’m so happy to be on the podium going into Indy.”
Takuma Sato, who started 25th after receiving a 10-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change on Saturday and failed to post a qualifying lap, turned in a remarkable drive to claim third—the Japanese driver’s first IndyCar podium—after blasting down the inside of Dario Franchitti at Turn 1 on the final restart.
“It was opportunity to make a place up,” said Sato of his dive bomb into Turn 1. “I [went] for it. Really incredible job by the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team. The first three races in a row we couldn’t finish a race…[this is] fantastic.”
Penske’s Helio Castroneves had a tumultuous day, starting 18th and falling up and down the running order before passing Franchitti for fourth with the clock winding down.
“I’m not sad at all,” he said of a trying day in front of his home crowd. “This fourth place is like a victory.”
Ganassi’s Franchitti, who looked set for a second-place finish behind Power, lost out on a podium after being spun by Mike Conway on a restart. After stalling his car and falling from second to 22nd, the Scot put in a crafty drive to make up most of the difference.
“Our car was very fast today,” said Franchitti of his fifth-place result. “We’re not making the fuel mileage of the Chevys, but not bad. Unfortunately I got hit and spun on the restart so that slowed me. Fifth is an improvement, but there was so much more [to be had] today.”
With Chevy finishing 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th, predictions of Honda enjoying an unfair advantage with its new turbo housing--at least at the Brazil street race—did not come to bear.
Dixon's three-stop fuel strategy, coupled with Honda-powered Conway slowing Franchitti's day, certainly played a role in diminishing the marque's overall impact on the top 10. More Hondas could have been closer to Power at the finish, but he was never seriously threatened for the lead.
As we've seen through the one-quarter mark in the 2012 season, despite the size of the challenge placed in front of its teams, Chevy has a knack for winning with or without help from its rivals.
Whether it can continue the trend on the sport's biggest stage will be a fascinating theme to follow when practice starts at the Brickyard on May 12th.
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: Sao Paulo Indy 300 2012
Race Replay
An early wave of the green flag helped the 26-car field to make it through Turn1 unscathed, with pole-sitter Will Power leading Dario Franchitti.
Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden were the biggest movers on Lap 1, climbing to fourth and fifth, respectively. Simon Pagenaud, who started 17th, picked up two spots to run 15th. James Hinchcliffe, who started fourth, sank like a rock falling back to seventh by the end of Lap 2.
Power’s lead stretched out to .79 seconds over Franchitti after two laps, and Scott Dixon, in third, struggled to keep pace, dropping back to his Ganassi teammate by 2.9 seconds at the end of Lap 3.
Other than Power’s Chevy-engined car at the front, Hondas held second through sixth, and Chevys ran seventh through 13th early in the race.
The gap to Franchitti remained stable through Lap 4, with Power bringing it out to .88, but Dixon continued to lose at least a half-second per lap.
On Lap 5, Tony Kanaan displaced his friend and teammate Rubens Barrichello for 11th, and Franchitti also knocked Power’s lead down to .56 seconds.
The hard-charging Rahal fought with Newgarden for fourth on entry to Turn 1 at the start of Lap 6, with the Ganassi driver edging the rookie, who looked to be struggling for outright pace. Behind him, Mike Conway continued to look for a way by, but the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing driver make sure to cover his lines in the braking zones.
Power’s relentless pace began to pay off by Lap 8 as he put Franchitti 1.27 seconds behind him. Helio Castroneves was the first driver to pit on Lap 9, and was soon followed by Simon Pagenaud and Takuma Sato on Lap 10. Tony Kanaan also got past his former Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti for 10th.
Sato’s trip to pit lane would prove to be costly as he incurred a drive-through penalty for speeding.
Ryan Hunter-Reay took seventh from Hinchcliffe on Lap 12, and Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was in the Canadian’s wheel track with eyes on demoting him to ninth. E.J. Viso followed teammate Tony Kanaan’s move, getting by Marco Andretti for 11th on Lap 13, and the final member of the KV team, Barrichello soon followed.
After falling to 13th, Andretti pitted on Lap 14, promoting Charlie Kimball to his previous spot.
Power motored out to 2.5 seconds over Franchitti by Lap 15, and Justin Wilson, who started 26th, made his way to 15th before pitting on the same lap. A long stop delayed Wilson after he stalled the car.
By Lap 16, the top 10 had Power leading over Franchitti by 2.6 seconds, Dixon 13.2 seconds arrears, Rahal, Conway, Newgarden, Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe, Briscoe and Viso, who passed Kanaan for 10th.
JR Hildebrand, who had been slowly losing positions, pitted on Lap 16, and Hinchcliffe was in for his first stop on Lap 17, along with Ana Beatrix and Katherine Legge.
On Lap 18, the first of the lead pack began to pit, with Dixon and Newgarden pitting, followed by Kanaan, and Charlie Kimball.
Power continued to stretch his gap over Franchitti, holding 3.6 seconds over by Lap 19. Andretti’s Beatriz was also assessed drive-through penalties for speeding on pit lane, while Wilson, who pitted to serve his penalty, was unable to engage first gear to leave the pits.
Lap 20 saw Franchitti and Rahal pit, promoting Conway to second. Viso, Barrichello and Bourdais also made their first stops, and Simona de Silvestro, who ran long into a braking zone lost a lap getting turned around, also pitted.
Dragon Racing’s Katherine Legge was caught by oversteer, damaging her left rear suspension against the wall which ended her day.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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