Steep Learning Curve for Newcomers
RacingOne.com
HOMESTEAD, Fla. - If the banking at Homestead-Miami Speedway is higher than when Oriol Servia and Bruno Junqueira first tested the 1.5-mile oval, the learning curve is even steeper for former Champ Car drivers transitioning to the IndyCar Series.
Servia raced in the original Indy Lights Series while Junqueira tested a Champ Car for Target Chip Ganassi back when Homestead was a flat 1.5-mile oval.
Now that the track is variably banked, even that experience won't help the pair as they prepare for Saturday evening's Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300, the first race in the unified IndyCar Series season.
"Monday was my first experience here with the banking, and it was good," Servia said after the two-day session, that ended Tuesday. 'Now, this reminds me more of the superspeedways like Fontana and Michigan that I have done. It was fun."
Servia is part of the two-car KV Technology Racing, joined by Will Power. Junqueira is part of Dale Coyne Racing's two car effort, joined by Mario Moraes.
"It's a different place now," Junqueira said. "But, I know this place very well. I live here in Miami, and I usually ride my bike from home to here and back. I hope I can be reasonable competitive."
At least Servia and Junqueira have been around the Homestead oval before. For the seven other drivers who are with teams transitioning from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series, it's the first experience on an oval for many of them.
"It's going to be hard to get up to speed here by the race," Power said. "But, it's a learning year for us. I'm taking in as much as I can and trying to learn what makes these cars go fast."
Also testing were Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing with Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson; Conquest Racing with Franck Perera and Enrique Bernoldi and HVM Racing's Ernesto Visa. It was Newman/Haas/Lanigan'/s first test with IRL equipment, as the team was not ready for last week's two-day test on the Sebring road circuit.
"We've finally got the car up to speed and getting it comfortable," said the 6-3 1/2 Wilson. "Obviously, fitting into these cars is not a straightforward thing."
Running on ovals is a new experience for Bernoldi.
"I think here on the grid, I’m the guy who has more Formula One start and spent more time in Formula One," said Bernoldi, a Venezuelan with 28 Grand Prix starts. "I have a good CV, but from what we will race, people like Tony, Wheldon, Helio, they’re more experienced than me in this ground here. So I have to learn from them. I’m not the expert here now."
Another obstacle facing the former Champ Car teams is the short time frame to make the transition.
"We just received the last parts today," Viso said. "I was only able to make a shakedown Monday. Right now, it doesn't matter about the time. We're just looking to see if everything's fine with the car. So far, we haven't found any problems."
Also at the test was Roth Racing, which saw limited time in the earlier IndyCar Series test here. Marty Roth and rookie Jay Howard were 1-2 on the charts both days.
Howard led Tuesday's final session with a lap of 25.3160, 211.171 mph, followed by Roth, 210.896 mph.
Servia led the transitioning teams with a lap of 210.175 mph, followed by Rahal, 209.713 mph; Power, 209.261 mph; Wilson, 209.040 mph; and Bernoldi, 208.576 mph.
For comparison, three-time Miami winner Dan Wheldon led the recent two-day test for veteran IndyCar Series teams with a lap of 25.0619, 213.312 mph, followed by Scott Dixon, 213.277 mph, and Danica Patrick, 213.182 mph.
Practice for the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. Qualify is set for 6:45 p.m. Saturday's SpeedJam schedule includes the Miami 100 Indy Lights race at 12:30 p.m., and the Gainsco Grand Prix of Miami Grand-Am Rolex Series race at 3 p.m. The IndyCar Series season gets underway with the green flag at 8 p.m. The race will be televised live on ESPN2.
Open-wheels ready to roll
The IndyCar Series season begins Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and for the first time since 1995, open-wheel racing is under one sanctioning body.
Even before the unification of the IndyCar Series with the Champ Car World Series became official, many people were looking at this season to be a transition year. Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti, winners of the past two Indianapolis 500s, have left for NASCAR, leaving a void. In Franchitti's case, it also means that there is no defending IndyCar Series champion.
A look at what we can expect from the circuit this season:
1. What early effects will the unification have?
The most important will be increased car counts at all races.
Last season, 20 cars began the IndyCar season at Homestead and 18 was the average field for the rest of the races other than the Indianapolis 500. This weekend at Homestead there are 26 cars entered, with nine of those belonging to former Champ Car teams.
This season the average field for races other than the Indianapolis 500 could be around 22-24 cars. For the Indy 500, it also means the final day of qualifications could become exciting again as possibly 40 or more cars vie for a spot in the 33-car field.
2. What Champ Car team could have the most success this season?
Probably Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Justin Wilson finished second in the Champ Car standings the past two years and had four wins and six poles in four seasons on the series.
Graham Rahal, the 19-year-old son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, was fifth last season in his first year with Champ Car and had a season-best finish of second at Houston.
The biggest intangible for all Champ Car drivers is adjusting to ovals and running in traffic on them. The drivers who are the quickest learners will be the biggest factors.
3. Who is the favorite this season?
With Hornish and Franchitti gone, it is very wide open. Dan Wheldon, who is going for his fourth straight win at Homestead, has a tendency to dominate the early races. His Target Chip Ganassi teammate, Scott Dixon, came a half-lap from winning the championship last season before running out of fuel.
The fans' favorite probably will be Helio Castroneves, especially after his victory on "Dancing with the Stars" gave the series increased exposure. And last but not least is Tony Kanaan, the top driver at powerful Andretti Green Racing. One thing to remember: The last three winners of the Indianapolis 500 (Franchitti, Hornish and Wheldon) have gone on to win the series championship the same year.
4. Which driver needs to bounce back this season?
Without a doubt Marco Andretti. In his second season driving for the team co-owned by his father, Michael Andretti, Marco failed to finish 10 of the 17 races. Still, of those DNFs, six were due to contact or accident, and in the races he did finish he was in the top five for all but one. If Andretti can maintain some consistency and display some patience, he should be able to become the most improved driver on the circuit this season.
5. Will Danica Patrick win a race this season?
She should. This is her fourth season in the series and her second with Andretti Green; experience plus a ride with a premier team equals no more excuses.
While many area fans will remember her nearly taking out the safety vehicle after blowing a tire at Kentucky Speedway last year, the season's results still were encouraging. Patrick had four top-five finishes, equaling her total the first two years, as well as 11 top-10 results. She also led at times in four races.
As far as the tracks where that win is most likely to come, the best bets would be Kansas, Texas, Nashville or Indianapolis. Kentucky is not listed because that win should come before Aug. 9.
DRIVERS TO WATCH: THE FAST FIVE
HELIO CASTRONEVES
No. 3, Team Penske
Last season: Finished sixth in the standings with one win, six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. Set an IndyCar Series record with seven poles.
Outlook: Mediocrity does not sit well at Penske, and last season was mediocre at best. With Sam Hornish gone, Castroneves is the top driver and a face of the series following his win on "Dancing with the Stars." He has two Indianapolis 500 victories, but he's missing a season championship.
SCOTT DIXON
No. 9, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Last season: Ran out of gas a half-lap short of winning the championship. Recorded a series-best 13 top-five results (including four wins) and 16 top-10 finishes. He was first or second in 10 of 17 races.
Outlook: With five of the final eight races on road courses, Dixon could be in position to run away with the championship if he is leading at the end of June. Three of his four wins last year came on road courses.
TONY KANAAN
No. 11, Andretti Green Racing
Last season: Made a late run for the championship before finishing third, 61 points behind teammate Dario Franchitti. Won a series-best five races (including at Kentucky) with 12 top-fives and 13 top-10s.
Outlook: The elder statesman of AGR, Kanaan, 33, also is the team's best driver. He's one of the most consistent competitors on the series, which makes him a title contender every year.
DAN WHELDON
No. 10, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Last season: Finished fourth with two wins, six top-fives and 11 top-10s, but his most memorable moment was when he and Danica Patrick got into an argument after a race at Milwaukee, prompting Texas Motor Speedway general manager Eddie Gossage to promote his race as "Dan vs. Danica."
Outlook: If he wins at Homestead Saturday, Wheldon will become the first IndyCar driver to win four straight races at one track. He should bounce back after five DNFs last year.
JUSTIN WILSON
No. 02, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Last season: Finished second in the Champ Car World Series standings with one win, nine top-fives and 12 top-10s.
Outlook: Wilson probably represents Champ Car's best hope for having the best season in its merger with the IndyCar Series. He's with one of the top teams from that series and has loads of talent. The question, as with all of the Champ Car drivers, is how quickly he adapts to ovals.
ENQUIRER.COM
Driver to win the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300
Dan Wheldon +350
Tony Kanaan +450
Helio Castroneves +500
Scott Dixon +500
Marco Andretti +1000
Danica Patrick +1200
Justin Wilson +2000
Ryan Briscoe +2000
Vitor Meira +2000
Hideki Mutoh +2000
Will Power +2000
Oriol Servia +2500
Ryan Hunter Reay +3000
Graham Rahal +4000
Buddy Rice +4000
Bruno Junqueira +4000
Field +2000
TheGreek
Graham Rahal will miss IRL opener
March 27, 2008
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -Graham Rahal, who badly damaged his car in a testing accident earlier this week, will miss Saturday's IRL IndyCar Series season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team withdrew the entry for the 19-year-old Rahal on Thursday. The former Champ Car team will field a Dallara Honda for Justin Wilson in the GAINSCO Indy 300.
Teams making the transition from Champ Car to the newly unified open-wheel IndyCar Series have had little time to take delivery of their new cars to prepare for the opening race.
Rahal was among nine former Champ Car drivers who tested on the 1.5-mile Homestead oval earlier this week. He crashed hard during Tuesday's test and a team official said Newman/Haas/Lanigan was unable to overcome an ongoing shortage of parts in time for Friday's opening practice.
Rahal was not injured in the wreck.
Rahal's team now will focus on rebuilding the crashed car for a test at Sebring International Raceway on Tuesday in preparation for next week's Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
``It's disappointing that we're not going to be racing in the season opener and I feel bad about it,'' said Rahal, the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal. ``It will be tough not to be out there. But, at the same time, we need to take it slowly and not rush putting the car back together.
Crash puts Wheldon's string of Homestead victories in jeopardy
March 29, 2008
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -If Dan Wheldon is going to win his fourth straight IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he's going to have to come from the rear of the field to do it.
The Englishman, just back from a relaxing honeymoon in Bali, couldn't get through IndyCar's new four-lap qualifying format Friday night, slamming into the wall on his second lap around the 1.5-mile oval and putting his Homestead string in jeopardy.
``It's a long race,'' Wheldon said after emerging from the mandatory checkup at the infield hospital. ``We'll just have to try to be real patient and try to stay out of trouble until we can get where we need to be.''
That won't be easy, considering Saturday night's Gainsco Indy 300 is going to be the first race of the new, unified American IndyCar era, with eight entries from the now-defunct Champ Car World Series - many of them making their first start on an oval - in the 25-car field.
``There's going to be a lot of guys out there with their hands full, probably my teammate especially starting from the back,'' said Scott Dixon, who won the pole for the season-opener. ``So those first two laps and watching Dan should be pretty exciting.''
Over the winter, the IRL announced that it would adopt the unique four-lap qualifying format used at Indy for all of its oval races in 2008. Dixon took advantage with a four-lap average of 213.341 mph in his Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara, earning his ninth career pole.
Ed Carpenter, the last driver in the evening qualifying session, came close to beating the New Zealander and winning his first pole with an average of 213.311.
The 25 cars on the track during Friday's practice sessions were the most for an IndyCar event other than the Indianapolis 500 since 2003.
The solid field, with the prospect of even more entries later in the season, had a lot of people smiling Friday. But the spate of Dallara Hondas on track also brought with it some trepidation, particularly about the newcomers with little or no oval racing experience.
``They don't have enough experience on the ovals and, if the car isn't good on the ovals, it can be dangerous just because of the cars, not because of you,'' former series champion Tony Kanaan said.
``Running together with them, their cars are not very well set up yet,'' the Brazilian driver added. ``Running in traffic with three cars in front and two cars in back, they don't know what to expect when you get behind somebody. They're washing out and you're right beside them, but they never experienced that. So they can't anticipate something that they haven't gone through.''
Kanaan said everyone - newcomers and IRL veterans alike - was being extra careful.
``We were giving each other a lot of room, which is not going to happen in the race,'' he said.
Through the practice sessions - a total of about 2 1/2 hours - there were no crashes. In fact, until qualifying, the only wreck since the former Champ Car teams began testing their new cars came here Tuesday when 19-year-old Graham Rahal tore up his Dallara.
With spare parts hard to come by and little time for repairs, the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team was forced to withdraw Rahal's entry for the weekend, instead concentrating on getting the car ready for next week's road race at St. Petersburg.
Friday night's qualifying produced two more crashes, neither involving the former Champ Car teams.
Wheldon said his car, which will be repaired for the race, just got loose and slapped the wall, while rookie Jay Howard slid backward into the concrete barrier.
X-rays on Howard's aching right knee were negative, but he will be evaluated by doctors on Saturday and could start the race if he is medically cleared and his team can repair his car.
For Brian Barnhart, vice president of competition for the IRL, the showing by the newcomers has impressed him so far.
``I think it's a daunting task for them,'' Barnhart said between practice sessions.
``It is a challenge in a lot of ways out there, and especially with 25 or 26 cars. It's going to be a new experience in learning the tendencies of other drivers. The people that have historically been in the IndyCar Series had a comfort level knowing what the driver next to them is going to do. ... Now a third of our field is completely new at this, so the regulars are going to be learning a lot about what they're doing.''
Barnhart said he harped on the inexperience level and preached patience during his meeting with the drivers before the opening practice.
``I think it will come,'' he said. ``They're very good teams, they're very well engineered, they're good drivers. To see the increase in improvement from Monday evening (when the Homestead test began) to this afternoon shows that they're going to adapt to it very well.''
Mix of IRL veterans, former Champ Car entries raises caution flag at Homestead
March 28, 2008
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -Tony Kanaan immediately noticed the difference in the IRL IndyCar Series when he drove onto pit road at Homestead-Miami Speedway after Friday's opening practice.
``The huge impression was when I came into the pits and I saw that the pit lane was full from the first box coming in to the last box coming out,'' the former series champion said. ``I'm the third pit out, so I had to drive through all the teams and I was just smiling big-time inside my helmet.''
Kanaan also saw another difference on the track, where he and the other IndyCar veterans had to be extra careful when driving near the newcomers on the 1.5-mile oval.
It was just part of the new reality in the wake of the recently announced unification of America's two open-wheel series as practice began for Saturday night's season-opening Gainsco Indy 300.
With nine cars entered by teams from the now-defunct Champ Car World Series, there were 25 cars on the track, the most at an IndyCar event other than the Indianapolis 500 since 2003.
The solid field, with the prospect of even more entries later in the season, had a lot of people smiling Friday. But the spate of Dallara Hondas on track also brought with it some trepidation, particularly about the newcomers with little or no oval racing experience.
``They don't have enough experience on the ovals and, if the car isn't good on the ovals, it can be dangerous just because of the cars, not because of you,'' Kanaan said.
``Running together with them, their cars are not very well set up yet,'' the Brazilian driver added. ``Running in traffic with three cars in front and two cars in back, they don't know what to expect when you get behind somebody. They're washing out and you're right beside them, but they never experienced that. So they can't anticipate something that they haven't gone through.''
Kanaan said everyone - newcomers and IRL veterans alike - was being extra careful.
``We were giving each other a lot of room, which is not going to happen in the race,'' he noted.
Through the first two practice sessions of the season - a total of about 2 1/2 hours - there were no crashes. In fact, the only wreck since the former Champ Car teams began testing their new cars came here last Tuesday when 19-year-old Graham Rahal tore up his Dallara.
With spare parts hard to come by and little time for repairs, the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team was forced to withdraw Rahal's entry for the weekend, instead concentrating on getting the car ready for next weeks road race at St. Petersburg.
For Brian Barnhart, vice president of competition for the IRL, it's so far, so good.
``I think it's a daunting task for them,'' Barnhart said between practice sessions.
``It is a challenge in a lot of ways out there, and especially with 25 or 26 cars. It's going to be a new experience in learning the tendencies of other drivers. The people that have historically been in the IndyCar Series had a comfort level knowing what the driver next to them is going to do. ... Now a third of our field is completely new at this, so the regulars are going to be learning a lot about what they're doing.''
Barnhart said he harped on the inexperience level and preached patience during his meeting with the drivers before the opening practice.
``I think it will come,'' he noted. ``They're very good teams, they're very well engineered, they're good drivers. To see the increase in improvement from Monday evening (when the Homestead test began) to this afternoon shows that they're going to adapt to it very well.''
Bruno Junqueira, one of only two former Champ Car drivers with extensive oval experience, said he doesn't expect the former Champ Car teams to be very competitive - for a while.
We are competing against very good teams that have had this car for five years,'' Junqueira said. ``So to have three weeks with the car, we're going to be behind. I think we'll catch up and be really close the second half of the season.''
Will Power, preparing for his first oval race, said this week is like a long test session for the former Champ Car teams and drivers.
``It's going to be a test session for the first half of the year on ovals for us,'' the Australian driver said. ``It became quite evident at the end of the two days of testing here that we're lacking quote a bit of speed in comparison to the (IndyCar) guys.
``We're going to try and be really strong on all the road courses and get as many points as we can. On the ovals, my plan is just to finish the race, get as many miles and understand the car as much as possible.''
IndyCar-GAINSCO Auto Insurance Lineup
March 28, 2008
1. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 213.341 mph.
2. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 213.311.
3. (2) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 212.211.
4. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 212.129.
5. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 212.108.
6. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 211.838.
7. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 211.581.
8. (11) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 211.580.
9. (27) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 211.508.
10. (25) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 211.458.
11. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 210.744.
12. (4) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 210.315.
13. (15) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 209.486.
14. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 209.319.
15. (34) Frank Perera, Dallara-Honda, 209.230.
16. (5) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 209.021.
17. (02) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 208.757.
18. (23) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 208.308.
19. (36) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 208.130.
20. (33) Ernesto Viso, Dallara-Honda, 208.101.
21. (8) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 208.029.
22. (18) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 207.434.
23. (19) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 207.067.
24. (10) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, no speed.
25. (24) Jay Howard, Dallara-Honda, no speed.
Dixon takes advantage of Kanaan bad luck
Homestead, FL (Sports Network) - Scott Dixon was more than a second back in second place when a backmarker spun in front of leader Tony Kanaan taking him out of the race and Dixon went on to capture the 2008 IndyCar season opener at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver crossed the finish line 0.5828 seconds ahead of Marco Andretti.
The victory was the 11th of his IndyCar career.
With eight laps to go and a huge lead, Kanaan was collected in an Ernesto Viso spin and the win that was right in front of him was out of reach.
Kanaan ended up driving on three wheels and still leading the race - at least until the race went back to green. Had the race ended until yellow, he could have still been credited with the win.
But the cleanup went quickly and the race went back to green on lap 197. Dixon inherited the lead with Andretti and Dan Wheldon just behind. Dixon charged from the green flag and neither Andretti nor Wheldon could catch him. It was his second win in Homestead (also won in 2003).
"TK had a great car and we were struggling on long runs, but we came through with the win and that's what counts," said Dixon.
The "new and improved" 2008 season got underway as pole winner Dixon brought the field to the green flag for 200 laps of close side-by-side racing. Kanaan got around AGR teammate Danica Patrick and went after Dixon.
Meanwhile, Wheldon, who crashed in qualifying, was making a charge from the drop of the green flag. After five laps he was 15th. He cracked the top-10 on lap 8.
Kanaan got around Dixon after a couple of side-by-side laps to take the lead on lap 16 and one lap later the first caution flag (debris) slowed the field. A quick stop by the No.9 Target Chip Ganassi team put Dixon back on top.
Ed Carpenter, after going to the back of the field for failing post-qualifying inspection, was up to eighth after the first stop.
Dixon was maintaining about a one-second lead on Helio Castroneves as the field passed the 40-lap mark with Kanaan falling back to third after touching wheels with the No.3 down the backstretch. Wheldon, the three-time defending GAINSCO champion, was still on the move getting around Ryan Briscoe for fifth before lap 50.
Then both Castroneves and Kanaan fell into the clutches of Andretti, who grabbed second place on lap 57. Wheldon followed Andretti, passing Kanaan a few laps later.
Green flag pit stops began around lap 69 and finished by lap 74 with Dixon returning to the lead after they had cycled through. But the No.9 Dallara Honda got loose on his first out lap and Andretti took advantage by squeezing by on the high side for the lead.
At the mid-point of the 200-lap event, Andretti held a 1.8109-second lead on Dixon. Wheldon was third more than five second behind. Andretti was putting on quite a show and had lapped up to ninth-place A.J. Foyt IV.
By lap 115 it was Wheldon leading the chase to catch Andretti after he sped past his Target teammate Dixon.
This time Andretti pitted first of the leaders - on lap 118. But no cautions came out through the refueling cycle and Andretti maintained his lead on Wheldon after everyone had stopped.
Then on lap 126 Milka Duno spun collecting Ryan Briscoe in turn No.2 to bring out the caution flag. When the race restarted on lap 140, there were just five drivers on the lead lap - Andretti, Wheldon, Dixon, Kanaan and Castroneves.
Castroneves made a late stop to top off his fuel tank. Would he try to go 65 laps on one tank? The most anyone had run so far was 53 laps by Wheldon.
On the restart, Kanaan got past a slow starting Dixon for third place. But Andretti was flying and already the lead was one second.
Kanaan pulled close to Andretti as they began to lap slower traffic. When Andretti went the wrong way on lap 162 and was forced to let off the pedal, Kanaan slipped past for the lead.
Castroneves was dropping back, 12 seconds behind with 35 laps to go. It was now a four-car race. Kanaan's lead was one second on Andretti with 30 laps remaining. Wheldon and Dixon were still less than two seconds back.
It was time for final stops and Kanaan was the first to pit on lap 173. Andretti was next followed by Dixon. Castroneves would not try to stretch his fuel to the checkered flag and pitted with 20 laps remaining returning Kanaan to the top spot. His lead was more than two seconds on Dixon.
That's when Ernesto Viso spun and yanked the victory out of Kanaan's hands.
The next race is a road-course event in St. Petersburg, FL on Sunday, April 6th.