Life, and the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

Floyd Ganassi, Jr. - Chip as he accepts the honor, on behalf of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, of a medallion placed in cement on Pine Avenue during the 2011 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame ceremony. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Life, and the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma

The continuum of living life happens all around us as we seek our goals and fulfill our desires.

This weekend will see the resumption of the 19 race IZOD IndyCar Series championship season with race 15 in the Northern San Francisco Bay area of Sears Point at Sonoma Raceway. The series is in a strong fight between Helio Castroneves of Penske Racing (who is seeking his first series championship in IndyCar), Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing (2-time Series champion), Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport (first-time champion in 2012, and current title holder), and mathematically, 17 other drivers who have a theoretical chance at the title with these five remaining races - Sonoma, Baltimore, Houston (twice), and the super speedway of Fontana.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Scott Dixon finds himself in the middle of a tight championship racing points race with only five races left in a nineteen race season. Last season, Scott was one of four drivers with a mathematical chance of the IICS championship in 2012 going into the season finale at Auto Club Speedway (media day at Santa Monica pier). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2013)

Yesterday, it was announced that the father of Chip Ganassi, Floyd R. Ganassi Sr., died at the age of 87. Floyd Ganassi was well known and one the most beloved men in the IndyCar Series paddock where he took photographs of everyone he met. Floyd was also a profound influence on one of the most serious forces in motorsports - racing team owner Chip Ganassi.

Chip Ganassi's racing teams have won four Indianapolis 500 races and nine IndyCar Series championships, five Rolex 24 At Daytonas and six GRAND-AM championships Rolex Sports Car Series and one Daytona 500.

In a winter 2011 interview given to the Pittsburgh Quarterly, Chip Ganassi (55) gave the following statements about his then 85 year old father - Floyd Ganassi:

"My father and mother both had a huge influence on me. They weren’t really encouraging or discouraging. They just sort of went along with my ideas and let me find my own way, helping me from time to time. They believed that experience was good.
----
My dad is a self-made man from a small suburb of West Newton, Pa. He pulled himself up by his boot straps. He’s my ultimate hero. He started in the asphalt business and had a company called Westmoreland Paving. Then he sold that business and acquired a company called Davidson Gravel, a concrete business that supplied gravel to the asphalt people. It was a pretty big operation in the area within a 100-mile radius of Pittsburgh. So I guess I got my business acumen from him, which was valuable. My dad still comes with me to races and events and is always taking pictures. He’s there for me. He’s my No. 1 advisor."
[Reference Here]

As far as the announced plans for the recognition of Floyd Ganassi, Sr.'s passing, friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. (local time) Tuesday and Wednesday at John A. Freyvogel Sons Inc. funeral home, 4900 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh. Funeral Service will be 10 a.m. Thursday in Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church.

At this time, it is not known if "Chip" ... who was born Floyd Ganassi, Jr., will be in attendance to guide his team's best hope for a 2013 series championship title through Scott Dixon on the 12-turn, 2.385-mile Sonoma road circuit at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, but the continuum of life ... continues.

The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma IZOD IndyCar Series event will be held Aug. 23-25, 2013 and broadcasted on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4:00pm ET on NBC Sports Channel, SiriusXM Channel 211, and RaceControl.IndyCar.com for live timing and scoring.

We all wish Chip the best though this difficult time of transition.

... notes from The EDJE.

For Lotus, New Engine May Be Too Little Too Late At Honda Indy Toronto

HVM's Simona de Silvestro has finished only three of nine races this season and was black-flagged after 10 laps in the Indianapolis 500 because her Lotus/Judd powered DW12 was too slow. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

For Lotus, New Engine May Be Too Little Too Late At Honda Indy Toronto

It was announced earlier this week that Lotus/Judd will have a new and updated engine package for the single car team that remains in competition in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS). We are now going to be treated to the 10th race in a scheduled 16 race season in the streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the Honda Indy Toronto but, sadly, the addition of a single Lotus-powered competitor, no matter how good the engine, is of little consequence now that the effort has eroded to a single driver on a single team.

This announcement, if it came about by the third race of the season, may have saved the effort for 2012, but with the exodus of Dragon Racing's Sebastien Bourdais & Katherine Legge, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Oriol Servia, and Bryan Herta Autosport's Alex Tagliani before the Indianapolis 500 headline event, who cares?

The fact of the matter, the Lotus effort came along late with little or no team testing under the assumption that this would be an easy branding add-on and that some how Lotus would be competitive out-of-the-box against the likes of major manufacturing efforts of Honda and Chevrolet ... not to mention established team resource support from the likes of Andretti, Penske, and Ganassi.

Let's be serious, British based HVM with their single female driver, Simona de Silvestro, no matter how talented and dedicated she is, will have very little impact on the competitive nature of this new Lotus/Judd package other than deliver an on-track test conducted during the event of an IICS season race.

Simona de Silvestro in Turn #10 at the 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ... a track she had won a race driving in CCWS's 2008 Formula Atlantic Series. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012) 

This excerpted and edited from Cincinnati.com -

Simona de Silvestro finally gets new Lotus engine in Toronto
By Jenna Fryer - 11:44 PM, Jul. 3, 2012

Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro will have a new and hopefully improved Lotus engine this weekend at the Toronto Grand Prix.

De Silvestro said on Tuesday the new engine has been installed and she will get her first laps on track with it at Toronto. IndyCar last week approved upgrades for Lotus intended to help the struggling manufacturer, but de Silvestro thinks it could be a month before HVM Racing sees on-track improvement.

"Lotus is going to bring us an update, we think, before every race," she said. "We'll see how Toronto works out, but we think if we keep focusing on what we are doing, if we get to Baltimore (Sept. 2) and can run in the top 10, that would be really good for us. I think we are going to go to Toronto pretty open and excited to see what this new engine can do."
----
"It is a bit frustrating in the sense we've had some pretty strong race cars, especially at Detroit and Iowa, but it's so hard for us to pass," she said. "We can have a pretty good race pace, but when it comes time to pass, we don't have the speed and it's been so hard.

"And we've only finished three races, which is not a good record, and it's made it difficult to focus on the areas that really need improvement. We focused on two areas at the test, and we'll keep moving forward and hope our speed improves with the updates."

Lotus began the year with five teams. All but HVM defected to other manufacturers before the Indy 500 in May.

She said being the sole team with Lotus has been a mixed bag: It's been helpful to receive all the attention from the manufacturer, but de Silvestro believes her team has been at a disadvantage in not having another driver or team to talk to about strategies and development.
----
"The biggest problem that happened the last two years was my crash at Indy hurt me a little bit, because it took me some time to get my confidence back," she said. "But we still had the problem with the chassis, we just had struggles with that chassis that hurt us. This year we took a gamble to get with Lotus, and it's also been trying.

"But racing, it is not always rosy. I've learned a lot this year about engines, and we have a very strong engineering group with the team. Hopefully with the work we are doing this year, we get to the end of the season and we are better."
[Reference Here]

Without front line experienced drivers like those represented by four-time CCWS champion Sebastien Bourdais, or the high-posting consistency delivered through Oriol Servia or Alex Tagliani, little progress is expected from Lotus/Judd with this engine update.

Event title: Honda Indy Toronto

Location: Streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Track: 11-turn, 1.75-mile temporary street circuit

Practice Sessions: Friday, July 6 from 11:05-11:35 a.m. EDT (group A), 11:35 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. EDT (group B - all cars) and 1:55-2:55 p.m. EDT; Saturday, July 7 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. EDT

Qualifying: Saturday, July 7 from 1:05-2:25 p.m. EDT

Race: Sunday, July 8 with pre-race activities starting at 12 p.m. EDT and estimated green flag at 1 p.m. EDT

Broadcast Information

Race broadcast (TV): Sunday, July 8 at 12:30 p.m. EDT on ABC Network

Race broadcast (Radio): IMS Radio Network (Internet Stream - racecontrol.indycar.com) and SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212)

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as For Lotus, New Engine May Be To Little Too Late At Honda Indy Toronto on Technorati **

New Media Notes, Quotes, And Tweets From The 60th Mobil 1 12 Hours Of Sebring

The team of the #2 Audi R18 TDI driven by Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello, celebrate their victory, once again, with the team of Timp Bernhard, Romain Dumas, and Loic Duval, who finished in 2nd place in the #3 Audi R18 TDI at the 60th running of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring! It was a long, hard 12 hour race which was filled with a lot of drama and many wrecks on course. Image Credit: Josh Decker via QuattroWorld

New Media Notes, Quotes, And Tweets From The 60th Mobil 1 12 Hours Of Sebring

There are many ways people use to try to communicate what they experience when they witness an event like a competition
between people using machines of motion. Some write stories, some splice scenes from images captured in stills and video, while others capture observations registered in New Media posted on the internet via blogs, 140 character notes submitted to Twitter which are known as "Tweets", and emailed PDF's. The following entry are observations registered in New Media posted on the internet for Saturday's 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

The captured observations, notes and quotes begin with a little more than five hours left in the 12 hour endurance race and continues to the end.

Allan McNish (#2-P1 Audi R18) posts his 28th ALMS victory, 4th at Sebring. Image Credit: ALMS

5:45 p.m. ET: Huge letdown for the No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Darren Turner whose left rear wheel departed the car. Yellow flag for the stranded Aston which was running fourth in GT-Pro.

Olivier Crouzet @crewzyC7
RT @paulcrumlish: Sunset at #sebring12 @sebringraceway #alms #wec pic.twitter.com/32LEFOyQ

ALMS Racing @almsnotes
TIght in #P2. Bouchut and @Level5Racing only 0.633 seconds ahead of Dalziel in the Starworks HPD. #ALMS #Sebring12 #WEC

Muscle Milk Racing @MuscleMilkRace
Lucas gets by JRM for 3rd overall! Still 2 hours and 39 minutes to go! #ALMS #Sebring12

Pat W @toomuchracing
What rotten luck for JRM, Dumbreck/Brabham/Chandhok. :( Suspension failure after running 3rd.

8:51 PM ET

Nick Guzman @DarkKnightC6R
RT @almsnotes: Top six in #GT within 8.469 seconds. Did anyone tell them this is endurance racing? #ALMS #Sebring12 #WEC

9:28 PM ET

Kevin Toy @kevintoy888
Meanwhile, for you #INDYCAR fans, @EJVISO is still leading the PC class. *knocking on wood* #Sebring12 #ALMS

Kenichi Matsuo @stargazer_R
1 hour remains. Next routine pit stop will be final. #sebring #wec #alms

9:30 p.m. ET: One hour to go and the GT battle is heating up. JanMagnussen takes over the class-leading Corvette, but makes two mistakes--the first by putting it in reverse when trying to pull away, then cruising out of the pits and onto the track too slowly, letting the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari get by.

9:32 p.m. ET: Class leaders:

LMP1: Tom Kristensen
LMP2: Stephane Sarrazin
LMPC: E.J. Viso
GT-Pro: Jorg Mueller
GT-Am: Julien Canal
GTC: Dion von Moltke

OAK Racing Live @OAKRacingLive
The clock ticks past 11 hours here with @olivierpla still in contention for LMP2 victory. +24secs to @starworksmotor. #WEC #ALMS #Sebring12

Muscle Milk Racing @MuscleMilkRace
Less than an hour to go! Simon is always in 3rd overall and Memo continues in 5th. #ALMS #Sebring12

9:41 PM ET

Alianora La Canta @lacanta
#sebring12 #alms #wec Things are quiet in LMP1, but the gap between the top 3 LMP2 cars (#44, #24 and #055) is 26 seconds.

Sport Auto Live @SportAutoLive
Top 3 GTE-Am : P1 Porsche 911 n°88 , P2 Corvette n°50 , P3 Corvette n°70. #WEC #ALMS #Sebring12

Alianora La Canta @lacantaMuscle Milk Racing @MuscleMilkRace
RT @almsnotes: Late-race trouble for @MuscleMilkRace! Reports of fueling rig problems. #ALMS #WEC #Sebring12
#sebring12 #alms #wec The #3 Audi (Bernhard P2) has pitted with, at a minimum, severe light bank damage.

Tony DiZinno @tonydizinno
That's least of 6 car concerns. 016 Dyson now 1L away from being on same lap, 2L from overtaking. #DejaVuAllOverAgain #ALMS #Sebring12

Nathan Grundle @NathanGrundle
RT @almsnotes: Top six in #GT within 8.469 seconds. Did anyone tell them this is endurance racing? #ALMS #Sebring12 #WEC

10:05 PM ET

Jack Payne @jack4cap
#alms Joey hand retakes GT lead.

Laura Pritchard @LJ_Pritchard
Endurance racing. The proverbial it's not over until the fat lady sings. @radiolemans @specutainment #WEC #sebring12hrs #alms

Mathilde berger @MatbergerBerger
RT @OAKRacingLive: @olivierpla's pitstop has dropped him behind the @Level5Racing HPD. Time to shine Olivier. #WEC #ALMS #Sebring12

ROBERT LACAMBRA @robertlacambra
12 HRS OF SEBRING - 26 Minutes to go - Class Leaders #ALMS twitpic.com/8xs79m

Vukie @Vukie
RT @almsnotes: There is just 0.18 seconds between @JoeyHandRacing and Olivier Beretta with 21 minutes left. #ALMS #Sebring12 #WEC

Sunset at Sebring - The #56 BMW was consistently fast. Image Credit: James Fish | The Epoch Times

Sport Auto Live @SportAutoLive
Top 5 LMP1 : P1 Audi R18 n°2 , P2 Audi R18 n°3 , P3 Pescarolo n°16 , P4 Lola Mazda n°016 , P5 HPD ARX n°21. #WEC #ALMS #Sebring12

OAK Racing Live @OAKRacingLive
Less than 15mins left here and LMP2 looks all-but settled, unless fuel plays a part of course. #WEC #ALMS #Sebring12

10:19 p.m. ET: Olivier Beretta out-brakes himself trying to pass Joey Hand for the GT-Pro lead. These two are providing the best fight on the track.

Michelin Alley @MichelinAlley
About 10 mins to go. Looks like Jan will be fighting it out for third place at #Sebring12. #alms #wec

Michelin Alley @MichelinAlley
5 mins to go: Audi No.2 leads. Starworks HPD leads P2, @JoeyHandRacing leads GT and @COREautosport's No.06 leads PC. #Sebring12 #wec #ALMS

James Bogue @unitmotorsports
2 mins to go. Olivier Beretta slices past @JoeyHandRacing to grab GT lead. Last lap now. #alms #wec

Bernard T. Bolt Esq @bernietb
Allan McNish exits the last corner and wins the Sebring 12 hour. #WEC #Sebring12 #ALMS

Michelin Alley @MichelinAlley
Hand back past but then pushed off. Beretta leads again in GT. #wec #ALMS

Kev @KevD9
Beretta prevails. What racing for the GT lead right at the end of a 12 hour race. Another great one. #ALMS #Sebring12 #WEC

Marcel ten Caat @dsceuroeditor
BMW wins Sebring, Corvette second, Beretta third. #Sebring12 #ALMS #WEC

Kevin Toy @kevintoy888
What a GT/GTE-Pro finish! gonna need a video replay. BMW 56 wins, followed by Corvette 4 and Ferrari 71. #Sebring12 #WEC #ALMS

Kenichi Matsuo @stargazer_R
Checkered flag! Cong Audi, Sarrazin, Pescarolo, and BMW #sebring #wec #alms

Matt Eagan @mattheweagan
@JoeyHandRacing is an animal!!! Get that position back! Big win - what a finish. #Sebring12 #ALMS #WEC

corey burbick @coreyburbick
class is in ALMS always goes down to the wire even after 12 hours of racing #12hoursofsebring #ALMS #marchmadness

l'endurance magazine @lendurancelive
RT @bernietb: Man. This endurance racing shit is SO BORING, eh? #WEC #Sebring12 #ALMS

Indy Racing Review @INDYracereview
Congratulations @COREautosport @EJVISO for winning the @almsnotes PC Class 60th Anniversary @sebringraceway 12 Hours #wec #alms #indycar2012

Andy Lally @AndyLally
Thank you.RT @ericpwilson Amazing result for No. 044 @FlyingLizard_MS with @AndyLally making a last-lap pass for P6 in #ALMS GT. #Sebring12

Helio Castroneves @h3lio
@EJVISO : buenissimo hombre te felicito!! Well done!

Marshall Pruett @marshallpruett
Also awesome for former open-wheel standout Jonathan Summerton, who won GT with @JoeyHandRacing and @RLLracing on his team and race debut.crazy how competive the GT

Graham Rahal @GrahamRahal
What a job by @RLLracing and @JoeyHandRacing to hang on to win. Ass of the year is Olivier Beretta who tried to take him out after 12 hrs!

Eric P. Wilson @ericpwilson
Replay showed Joey Hand didn't know what he was taking about, was hit by No. 51 while No. 71 spun behind avoiding Hand #ALMS #Sebring12

Michael Friedman @mfriedman_63
Long Beach ALMS race will be live, on ESPN3, and ESPN2 TV it appears, in 4 weeks from today. #ALMS

Image Credit: ROBERT LACAMBRA via TweetDeck

At 10:31 pm (12h 0m running), Checkered Flag

Unofficial Top three in class:

(1) #2-P1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18) 325 laps
(2) #3-P1 Bernhard/Dumas/ Duval (Audi R18) 321 laps (-4 Laps)
(6) #16-P1 Collard/Boullion/ Jousse (Pescarolo Judd) 318 laps (-7 Laps)

(3) #44-P2 Potolicchio/Dalziel/ Sarrazin (HPD ARX-03b Honda) 319 laps
(4) #055-P2 Tucker/C.Bouchut/Barbosa (HPD ARX-03b) 319 laps (32.274-)
(5) #24-P2 Nicolet/Lahaye/ Pla (Morgan/Judd) 318 laps (-1 Laps)

(12) #06-PC Popow/Viso/Friselle (Oreca FLM09) 312 laps
(13) #52-PC Leitzinger/Dobson/ Junco (Oreca FLM09) 311 laps (-1 Laps)
(15) #05-PC Bennett/Braun/ Lux (Oreca FLM09) 310 laps (-2 Laps)

(18) #56-GT Hand/Summerton/Mueller (BMW E92 M3) 307 laps
(19) #03-GT Magnussen/Garcia/ Taylor (Corvette C6-ZR1) 307 laps (6.370-)
(20) #71-GT Bertolini/Cioci/ Beretta (Ferrari F458 Italia) 307 laps (8.110-)

(29) #88-GTE-AM Ried/Roda/ Ruberti (Porsche 911 RSR 997) 298 laps
(31) #70-GTE-AM Bourret/Gibon/ Belloc (Corvette C6-ZR1) 297 laps (-1 Laps)
(39) #50-GTE-AM Bornhauser/Canal/ Lamy (Corvette C6-ZR1) 288 laps (-10 Laps)

(33) #023-GTC Sweedler/Bell/ von Moltke (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 292 laps
(35) #022-GTC MacNeil/Keen/ Dumoulin (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 291 laps (-1 Laps)
(37) #34-GTC LeSaffre/Faulkner/ Bleekemolen (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 290 laps (-2 Laps)

Performance Hallmarks:

Allan McNish (#2-P1 Audi R18) posts his 28th ALMS victory, 4th at Sebring.

Tom Kristensen (#2-P1 Audi R18) posts his 13th ALMS victory, 7th at Sebring.

Dindo Capello (#2-P1 Audi R18) posts his 36th ALMS victory, 6th at Sebring

Alex Papow (#06-PC Oreca FLM09) first ALMS victory

E.J. Viso (#06-PC Oreca FLM09) first ALMS victory

Burt Frisselle (#06-PC Oreca FLM09) second ALMS victory, first at Sebring

Stephane Sarrazin (#44-P2 HPD ARX-03b Honda) seventh ALMS victory, first at Sebring

Vicente Potolicchio (#44-P2 HPD ARX-03b Honda) first ALMS victory

Ryan Dalziel (#44-P2 HPD ARX-03b Honda) first ALMS victory

Joey Hand (#56-GT BMW E92 M3) sixth ALMS victory, second at Sebring

Dirk Mueller (#56-GT BMW E92 M3) seventeenth ALMS victory, third at Sebring

Jonathon Summerton (#56-GT BMW E92 M3) first ALMS victory

Paolo Ruberti (#88-GTE-AM Porsche 911 RSR 997) records his first ALMS win

Christian Ried (#88-GTE-AM Porsche 911 RSR 997) records his first ALMS win

Gianluca Roda (#88-GTE-AM Porsche 911 RSR 997) records his first ALMS win

Townsend Bell (#023-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) first ALMS win

Dion von Moltke (#023-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) second ALMS win, first at Sebring

Bill Sweedler (#023-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) first ALMS win

Selected Driver Quotes:

(1) #2-P1 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R18) 325 laps

Allan McNish (#2-P1 Audi R18) “We've been racing this car for nearly a year, the first time here at Sebring. It adapted very, very well. The car is built for LE Mans, but the rigors here are what makes this track and the race so difficult for the engineers and the drivers. The R18 goes to its retirement after a victory. Sounds like a good way to send it off after 2011. We are looking now at the next race in the World Endurance Championship. We had a great run from start to finish. The work starts here. [during the last stint] I had Howden in my head the last time. All the attack situations. I heard some noises at the beginning of the race, which was more scary than at the end. But we have a very good history of finishing races at Audi. We know going in that we have a chance at victory. As drivers, we can be thankful for that, because there have been times in our careers where that wasn’t the case. [about the closed cockpit car] “The closed car doesn’t have the vision as an open car, the regs are in such a way and with the big tire we use, it takes the down force loads we require. The closed car is apparent it is more efficient. The advantage is the speed in the straights, especially with the small restrictors. It's difficult to describe what it's like, we've done a lot of testing so we're used to it. But this race with 60-some cars, and the speed differentials was a great test again for us. We had to be very precise in traffic to make sure we made decisive maneuvers but not take excess risk.”

(3) #44-P2 Potolicchio/Dalziel/Sarrazin (HPD ARX-03b Honda) 319 laps

Ryan Dalziel (#44-P2 HPD ARX-03b Honda) “Its huge, Enzo and I have been with Starworks for a few years. We built a car in 9 days for 24 hours at Daytona and put it on the pole. You work with people who have perfected their craft after years and years. Our experience is very different, but a huge reward for guys who have not slept all week. They didn’t sleep at all last night. IT was a great start to what will be my most exciting season to date. I cant wait to get to the next race.

(12) #06-PC Popow/Viso/Friselle (Oreca FLM09) 312 laps

Alex Papow (#06-PC Oreca FLM09) “It was amazing to be here and we set a deal with Core Auto Sports 10 days ago. Just last Wednesday before coming to the track on Sunday and were told we think we have a chance for the championship. And it is here, we did it. We got first place. The team did a professional job and we just drove and made first place. It is incredible. It was my first time in the car and at Sebring. It is going to be good.

E.J. Viso (#06-PC Oreca FLM09) “For me it has been a very exciting week, he [Alex Popow] has been my best friend for so many years. He called me and said do you want to do this race. I know this track because of the IndyCar testing at the south circuit. But to learn a new track is always fun. But the program CORE Autosport has is a fantastic crew. It was a fantastic race.”

(18) #56-GT Hand/Summerton/Mueller (BMW E92 M3) 307 laps

Joey Hand (#56-GT BMW E92 M3) “It was basically the last 2 hours and 45 minutes that was the crazy train I was on. We talked about this, what do we have for this race, we knew we didn’t have the ultimate lap. We knew we had the smartest guys, starting with Bobby Rahal, then BMW, Dunlop, a lot of great people. We had 4 or 5 issues that could have taken us laps down. But we pitted on the right laps, in the right place. Coming down the last laps, we stinted 1 and a half or 1 and 3/4 and we just took fuel at the end. I was a little surprised. Then Berretta got around me, then I got back around him again. We got sideways again, the next thing I was around him. I can’t be here all year, I can help all I can. Summerton did an excellent job, he really impressed me. He didn't make any mistakes. In a car to car competition, you have no chance making the move Beretta tried, it worked out for me, mainly because I was expecting it. When I was spinning, I kept it straight, but I knew he had a right front flat, so I knew if I could get up to him and get him jammed, it would be easy to get around.”

(29) #88-GTE-AM Ried/Roda/Ruberti (Porsche 911 RSR 997) 298 laps

Paolo Ruberti (#88-GTE-AM Porsche 911 RSR 997) “We are really happy to win the first FIA WEC and the 12 hours of Sebring. It's like a dream. The car was perfect, we had a bit of trouble in the last hour. I did the last stint without the power steering. I kept the car on good pace with a good results. The Ferrari is a little faster than us, but we were in fact in the best position. In this place we need to now finish all the races for a good results.

(33) #023-GTC Sweedler/Bell/von Moltke (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 292 laps

Dion von Moltke (#023-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) “What a crazy race. A great one-two finish for Alex Job and the team. Thanks to Battery Tender, William Rast and PR Newswire for all of their support. Bill and Townsend did an amazing job all day. I had a scare with two hours to go when I got hit in Turn 17. I had to push the last two hours and was able to get a gap, make the last stop and bring it home for the win. The car ran flawless all day. The crew put a great car under us, and we delivered.”

ALMS Racing @almsnotes
Don't miss #Sebring12 on ABC starting at noon ET and 3 p.m. PT today - Sunday. Don't miss a classic! #ALMS #WEC @sebringraceway

... notes from The EDJE



** Article first published as New Media Notes, Quotes, And Tweets From The 60th Mobil 1 12 Hours Of Sebring on Technorati **

Brazilian Changing Of The Guard, Barrichello In As Meira Leaves IndyCar

Pitting on lap 27 at the 2011 37th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, after a full course caution was called for Simona DeSilvestro’s spin, the ABC Supply team pulled out a 7.1-second pit stop for Vitor Meira (above), but Meira had to be held for a half a second to avoid hitting J.R. Hildebrand’s car entering the pit box directly ahead of Meira’s. On the way out of pit lane, Meira was tagged by Graham Rahal who shot into the fast lane exiting his pitbox. The impact shoved Meira into the outer pit wall but he was able to continue with only minor damage [photo slideshow HERE>>]. Caption Credit: Catchfence | Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Brazilian Changing Of The Guard, Barrichello In As Meira Leaves IndyCar

Lest we think there will not be the requisite number of drivers from Brazil commanding the wheel of a DW12 IZOD IndyCar Series car during the 2012 season, ever since ten year veteran Vitor Meira announced his departure from the series last month, today, nineteen year Formula One veteran Rubens Barrichello joins KV Racing Technology. Also announced today was the re-signing of fellow Brazilian, Tony Kanaan to a two-year KV Racing Technology deal.

A couple of weeks ago (Feb. 11, 2012), Vitor Meira announced that he will be leaving the IndyCar IZOD Series to race back home in Brazil in the Campeonato Brasileiro de Stock Car. Brazil's premier stock car series. He has not decided if he will race in select races in the IZOD IndyCar Series or cut ties completely. The decision seemed a little sudden at the time because the first race was just over one month away ... March 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla..

Vitor Meira and the ABC Supply team weathered a few close calls in the 2011 37th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to finish ninth, his second top-10 finish in three races. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Vitor's best years were from 2003-2005. During those years he finished in the top ten overall. He also had several second and third place finishes throughout his career. He missed most of the 2009 season due to injuries incurred in a scary accident during the Indy 500 which broke several vertebrae bones in his back. He made a full recovery and since his accident, he managed to secure only two top five finishes racing for AJ Foyt. One of those top five finishes occurred in 2010 in his first race back after his injury.

As for Rubens Barrichello, 39, the Brazilian announced Thursday he has joined KV Racing Technology on a one-year contract. He will make his IndyCar debut at the season opener on March 25 in St. Petersburg, Fla.. Barrichello, with a record 325 races in his F1 Series career, is the biggest name to move to an American-based open-wheel series since F1 champion Nigel Mansell joined CART in 1993. Mansell won five races and the series title that season. Barrichello finished second in the F1 drivers' championship in 2002 and 2004, both times behind seven-time champion Michael Schumacher of Ferrari.

"I'm loving the idea I'm going to be a rookie," he said. "That makes me young, and I'm loving that."

Barrichello will participate in all 16 IndyCar races on the calendar, including the Indy 500 in May and the other four races on ovals.

A trio of drivers that included young up and coming star E. J. Viso, Formula One legend Rubens Barrichello and IndyCar superstar Tony Kanaan, tested with KV Racing Technology for two days (February 25-26) on the of around the 2.303-mile, 12-turn Infineon Raceway permanent road in Sonoma, California. Viso behind the wheel of the No. 5 CITGO | PDVSA – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone machine ran the most laps, 143, over the two days and produced the fastest times. He was third fastest overall among the seven drivers testing and the fastest KVRT pilot with a time of 78.50 seconds on Saturday and a 77.36 second lap on Sunday. Caption & Image Credit: KVRT

This announcement comes on the heels of KV Racing Technology confirming the re-signing of EJ Viso who will return to the team for a third year to compete for the full 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Viso, 26, who hails fron Venezuela, will drive the No. 5 CITGO | PDVSA - KV Racing Technology Chevrolet-powered DW12 with additional support from Herbalife, Mindeporte CANTV and SBA Airlines. Barichello has been assigned the No. 8 BMC | Embrase race car with Kanaan returning in the No. 11 GEICO | Mouser Electronics entry.

"I am really happy to be back with KV Racing Technology," EJ Viso said at the announcement. "Last year was very successful even if the results don't necessarily reflect what we wanted. We worked very hard and we proved we were competitive. The progress we made over the last two years will be a key to our success in 2012."

As for Kanaan, 37, the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion, will be entering his 15th US-based open-wheel season. Kanaan started in 1996 with Tasman Motorsports in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship. It's his 11th Indy car season and his second with KVRT. Kanaan's driving history with the IZOD IndyCar Series is one of the strongest ... he was fifth in the standings last year, is one of the most consistent and fearless drivers in the series who has placed in the top six every year he has competed.

"I am very excited to be returning to KV Racing Technology, not only with a two-year deal but also to have Rubens Barrichello as my teammate," Kanaan said. "We have always dreamed about racing together (aside from their winter kart races in Brazil) but never imagined it would actually happen and certainly not in the near future or in Indy cars. So I am looking forward to the start of the season. I think it's going to be a very exciting year."

Rubens Barrichello reacted. "I am thrilled, it is something very new to me. With all my experience I will start as a rookie, but I think I will get better as the year progresses. I hope with my contribution to KV Racing Technology we can build on Tony's contribution to the team from last year and take the team to another level. I am extremely happy and have a big smile on my face."

IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard went to one of Barrichello's test sessions to meet the Brazilian. He said Thursday it was an exciting day for the series ''and a positive step to start'' the year.

"There's not a person in the world who knows racing that wouldn't tell you that Rubens Barrichello is one of the greatest drivers of all time," the series CEO said in a statement. "That will create great competition and expands our international platform."

Barrichello brings with him an ardent and strong New Media fan base ... his 1.47 million followers on Twitter is one million more than Kanaan's, who leads all IndyCar Series drivers with 448,000 Twitter followers.

So basically, what we will expect to be hearing from the PA speakers in the stands, at every 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series venue during the season is - Ladies and Gentlemen ... start your "Tweets"!

... notes from The EDJE



** Article first published as Brazilian Changing Of The Guard, Barrichello In As Meira Leaves IndyCar on Technorati **