Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

Bill Patterson paints a victory portrait of Scott Dixon in Victory Lane following his win in the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway, Image Credit: Richard Dowdy - VICS

Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

NOTES:

Qualifications - Smashing and setting a record - Previous record of 183.599 at PIR held by Arie Luyendyk (March 23, 1996).

Helio Castroneves, the 40-year-old Brazilian shattered the track record - set 20 years ago by Arie Luyendyk (183.599 mph) - by touring the historic one-mile oval in a stunning two-lap average of 192.324 mph to win the pole in his REV Group Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet.

Helio becomes the first driver to officially lap any one-mile oval faster than 190 mph - this would actually be a World Record mark as in a Guinness Book type of World Record.
[Reference Here]

Chevy vs Honda results post Quals. (revisited later as a post race review) -  Chevy had all top 10 positions on the grid.

At Race tire failures - First, Helio Castroneves, after leading out strongly, has a tire go down – Lap 40 - and it is diagnosed as a cut tire (outside front right - inside breach).

Second, also from the lead with as many laps on the tires as Helio, Juan Pablo Montoya's tire goes down – Lap 96 - it is the same tire position (outside front right - inside breach). The report on this one, however similar, is insisted to be from a different cause. Little explanation beyond this was given but the announcers speculated that since both cars were from Team Penske, that the camber may have been a bit over adjusted causing this tire failure to happen.

Chopping while driving - Charlie Kimball, and Tony Kanaan seemed bent on "protecting" their line with semi-aggressive squeeze downs to the line ... some without any on-track penalty. Kimball pays with a spin on Lap 134 but Newgarden suffers.

Restarts and Honda (RHR and Rahal):
• Outstanding start, re-starts highlight Hunter-Reay’s run - A likely top-three finish for Hunter-Reay was stymied by caution flags that twice waved just after he had completed scheduled pit stops, dropping him well back in the field each time as his competitors took advantage of the yellows to make their own stops. The poorly-timed cautions negated an aggressive race start for Hunter-Reay that saw the Andretti Autosport driver gain five positions in the opening lap. Hunter-Reay continued to fight back throughout the 250-lap contest, making multiple passes for position on each succeeding re-start and surviving a late-race brush with the wall to finish 10th.

• Rahal makes largest gain of the night to finish fifth - Rahal also had a strong race start and climbed through the field during the first half of the race, moving from 19th on the starting grid to sixth by the race’s Lap 125 mid-point. Rahal was able to both conserve fuel and maintain position through the remainder of the contest to net a fifth-place finish.

• Ill-timed caution flags cost Hunter-Reay, Andretti and Rossi - Two other Andretti Autosport drivers, Marco Andretti and rookie Alexander Rossi, also had likely top-10 finishes taken away by the same caution flags that hindered Hunter-Reay. Andretti dropped off the lead lap as a result of the second caution on Lap 120, to finish 13th, while Rossi was forced to make a stop for a cut tire while the pits were closed during a Lap 197 caution, resulting in a drive-through penalty and 14th-place finish.
[Reference Here]

Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan enter Turn 3 during the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

At end - Debris and Yellow Flags ... not! Ryan Hunter-Reay brushes the wall and leaves carbon-fiber on the front stretch on Lap 240 ... 10 laps from the end-of-race. Yellow Flag finally flown on Lap 248 as Alexander Rossi brushes the wall - Race ends on a Yellow White / Yellow Checkered Flag.

Bravo to Scott Dixon for his 39 Win and first-time win at Phoenix International Raceway. His win ties him for 4th on the all-time American Open Wheel win list with Al Unser. Next target on the list is Michael Andretti at 42 wins. When Dixon was at 38 wins, he had 19 Oval and 19 Street/Road course ... going into Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ... he is going to have to win to balance this all up again!

Chevy vs Honda results post Race - Graham Rahal wasn’t able to reach the podium but did break into the top 5 with a P5. No Honda engine cars led any laps and only two drivers were able to break into the top 10 at race end - Rahal P5 and RHR P10. Only 4 Honda cars were able to finish the race on the lead lap. In 2016 and 2 races, Honda cars have been in front of the field for 18 of the 360 laps competed.

Attendance: 
Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan Sperber said he was on "cloud 9" after Saturday night's intense 250-lap Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix that attracted a crowd estimated just shy of 20,000.

It was successful enough to all-but ensure the series will be back at the Avondale oval in 2017, but likely will drop to late April, possibly Saturday night, April 29. That's because the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four will be at University of Phoenix Stadium early in the month, and Easter next year is April 16.
[Reference Here]

The podium of Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power following the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE NOTES:

• Dixon has won an Indy car race in 12 consecutive seasons. It is a Indy car record.
• This is the 101st Indy car victory for cars owned by Chip Ganassi. It is the first-ever win for Chip Ganassi Racing at Phoenix International Raceway across all series that race here.
• Simon Pagenaud finished second. It is his 14th career podium finish and second-consecutive second-place finish. Pagenaud leads the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings for the first time in his career.
• Will Power finished third in his first start of the season.
• Tony Kanaan finished fourth, his fourth top-five finish in as many starts at PIR.
• Graham Rahal finished fifth, his season-best finish.

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE QUICK QUOTE:
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “The biggest thing was just maintaining and trying to keep pace with whoever was in front and behind us and trying to figure out what we needed to make the car better. We tried to put ourselves in position to be there in the end. I can’t give enough credit to Team Target. They did amazing job. The pit stops were flawless and the strategy let us stretch out the fuel when we needed to and we were able to put some good cars a lap down early on. It was a good race and a good start for a return to Phoenix.”
About tying Al Unser for fourth on the all-time wins list: “It’s mind-boggling. I love doing what I do. I just feel privileged and lucky to one be driving in INDYCAR and two for a team like Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s amazing to be part of this team.”

UNOFFICIAL VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1. Simon Pagenaud         83
2. Scott Dixon                 79
3. Juan Pablo Montoya    74
4. Ryan Hunter-Reay       56
5. Tony Kanaan              54
6. Helio Castroneves        53
7. Graham Rahal             44
8. Mikhail Aleshin           43
9. Takuma Sato              42
10. Max Chilton (R)          39

UNOFFICIAL SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINT STANDINGS
1. Max Chilton                39
2. Alexander Rossi           34
3. Conor Daly                  32
4. Spencer Pigot               16

NEXT UP: The majority of the series will participate in a test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, April 6.

Round 3 of the Verizon IndyCar Series season will be the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 15-17.
(ht: VICS)

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Verizon IndyCar Series, Phoenix International Raceway, Scott Dixon, Target, Chip Ganassi Racing, TCGR, Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, The EDJE, Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

Interview – Team Penske’s Will Power Before The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

After having a hard hitting slam against a wall, Will Power - driving theNo. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevy - went on to post fastest practice times in three practice sessions and survive the three round Firestone Fast Six Knock-Out qualifying process to capture the "Verizon P1 Pole Award" at the Firestone Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg before being diagnosed with a mild concussion and removed from driving the race. He was replaced with Oriol Servia who had to start the pole winning car from last position. Image Credit: VICS (2016) 

Interview – Team Penske’s Will Power Before The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

For those who have a passing interest in American Open Wheel Racing, many have heard one of the best names a race car driver could have - Will Power - over and over again for all the right reasons. No driver has been more successful over the last five years of Verizon IndyCar Series competition than Power. His 21 victories and 30 pole awards are the most in the series since 2009.

He is the 2014 Championship winning driver of a four driver  Team Penske’s racing effort and has been runner-up in the championship points more times than anyone wishes to keep track of.

Power moved to the United States in 2006 to pursue his motorsports dream and after honing his skills in his native Australia and Europe, he quickly became a winning driver in the ChampCar World Series with Walker Racing and Team Australia before he joined KV Racing Technology in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

On the side, Will Power loves to play drums in his spare time. He has been playing drums ever since he bought a drum kit with his first working paycheck at the age of 15.

Will and his wife, Elizabeth, were married in 2010. The couple resides in Charlotte, NC.

Welcome Will Power -

1)  The first question that has to be asked as we go in to a western two race run with an odd shaped oval at Phoenix International Raceway's Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix and the rites of spring closed circuit street race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - IndyCar medical director Geoffery Billows diagnosed you with a mild concussion, at the first race of the season in St. Petersburg, and you were entered into the concussion protocol - Yes or No - Are you cleared for this next race in Phoenix? ... Tell us a little about this process and how one gets cleared back into a race car.

2)  How has your workout regimen been effected, do you feel that you have the strength and endurance to participate in this oval event, or would a couple of weeks of rehab be better for the Long Beach street course?

3a)  While the Verizon IndyCar Series competes the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, the FIA is racing special open wheel race in cars powered by electricity at the Faraday Future Long Beach ePrix - Do you think that there is any appetite for an American sanctioned racing series that would use open wheel cars powered by electricity?

3b)  You mentioned Australia, what are your thoughts on where an IndyCar race should be held if it were to go back – Melbourne, Queesland? …

4)  This may sound a little odd but playing drums requires each appendage - the two hands and arms along with the two feet and legs - to function independently yet in timing unison, do you feel that developing this kind of skill and coordinated understanding helps in the piloting of a championship winning race car?

5)  At the Phoenix track test last February, the 2016 Dallara DW platform was blisteringly fast ... unofficially exceeding the previous track record by four and a quarter miles per hour. Given these kind of speeds on a one-mile odd shaped oval, how important is it to start from the pole position and how difficult will it be to pass other cars for position if one gets behind, assuming one has a proper handling car given the changes in the aero packages on both the Honda and Chevy platforms?

Two very different challenges lay in front of you with Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Thank you, and all the best to you and Elizabeth as this 2016 season gets off to a serious start through this early season western swing.

Any final thoughts?

Thank you Will Power and all the best throughout the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
ENDS

Phoenix International Raceway boasts a rich IndyCar history, hosting 61 races from its opening in 1964 through 2005. Past winners have included the likes of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford. This year’s field will include a pair of previous winners at PIR, Helio Castroneves of Team Penske and Tony Kanaan from Chip Ganassi Racing Teams.

Tickets for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix are on sale, with prices ranging from $35-70. Each ticket includes access to pit road. Tickets for children are $10 and active-duty military members and veterans will receive discounted pricing. Tickets are available online at PhoenixRaceway.com and by phone at (866) 408-RACE (7223).

PIR also announced that platinum-selling rock band Better Than Ezra will perform on the track's main stage on race day, with admission to the concert free to fans with a grandstand ticket. Formed in 1988, Better Than Ezra has released eight studio albums, including "Deluxe," which went platinum following its 1993 release.

The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix
– the second race of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule that also includes the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil
– will be a 250-lap race airing on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network (8:30 p.m. ET April 2).

Practice and qualifying take place April 1, with the opening practice (1 p.m. ET) and qualifying (5 p.m. ET) also airing live on NBCSN. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires is also on the PIR weekend schedule, with its 90-lap race slated for 4:25 p.m. ET April 2.
[ht: IndyCar.com]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Verizon IndyCar Series, Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Phoenix International Raceway, Will Power, Team Penske, The EDJE, Faraday Future Long Beach ePrix