Showing posts with label James Hinchcliffe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Hinchcliffe. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Mayor Of Hinchtown Brings Andretti Autosport & Genesys Back To The City Council

Mayor Of Hinchtown, James Hinchcliffe presses the accelerator pedal to the floor of his then No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Petersen Honda out of the Turn 11 Hairpin on to Shoreline Drive straightaway. James Hinchcliffe leads Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi and Marco Andretti early in the 2017 Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach race before all Andretti Autosport cars retire with problems by the race's end. The Mayor went on to win the 43rd Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach . Image Credit: Myles Regan (2017)


Mayor Of Hinchtown Brings Andretti Autosport & Genesys Back To The City Council

For 2021, James Hinchcliffe, the Mayor of Hinchtown, has agreed to have Andretti Autosport and Genesys support his quest of another NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship season ... he has decided to place them on the city council for 2021.

Genesys will be the primary sponsor for 10 of the 17 races of the 2021 season that begins April 18th at the road course of Barber Motorsports Park and ends, unusually, at Long Beach, California for the Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach, September 26th, 2021.

Welcome to the world of Hinchtown. 


NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Michael Andretti - Andretti Autosport
James Hinchcliffe - Driver, No. 29 Genesys Honda
Joyce Kim - Genesys

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Great to see everyone here this afternoon. A very special announcement for Andretti Autosport.

Let's start with some introductions, shall we? Joining us today is Michael Andretti, CEO and chairman of Andretti Autosport. Joyce Kim is here, as well, the chief marketing officer of Genesys. Set to begin his 11th season in the NTT INDYCAR Series, great to see James Hinchcliffe here today as well.

In case you missed it, announced just moments ago, James will be back with Andretti Autosport driving the No. 29 Honda with Genesys orange on the car for 10 races throughout the upcoming 2021 season, including the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. You may remember Hinch and Genesys were on one of four Andretti Autosport entries to get into the Firestone Fast Nine during qualifying for the Indy 500 last year. They are back in a big, big way in 2021.

We'll start with Michael. Congratulations. How satisfying is it to get Hinch locked up for the upcoming season?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, we're really excited. Having Hinch back in the family has been great. He did a few races for us last year. It was like having him come back home. Just gets along with everybody performs really well. We're excited to get to be able to announce this deal.

We're happy to have Genesys back with us as well. They've been great to work with. It's so fun to work with a company that is so excited about the sport and is getting behind it. We thank them.

It's really a great announcement today. We're really happy.

THE MODERATOR: We welcome in Joyce Kim, chief marketing officer for Genesys. Anyone that was in Indy last August saw the commitment that was made for James in the 500, signage at every turn, all sorts of activation. Genesys is a global leader in cloud customer experience and contact solutions.

Joyce, how did your experience last summer lead to this?

JOYCE KIM: Yeah, thank you. We're so excited to continue our partnership with James and Andretti Autosport. I mean, as you guys know, last year, sort of our first time into the racing arena, and I think the only thing that would have made it better than it was if we could be there in person instead of virtually cheering the team on.

We're really proud to continue this and deepen our roots in the Indy community, which for those who don't know is the largest footprint of our employee base around the world. Given Indianapolis and racing are sort of synonymous, we're really happy to continue this partnership again.

I think a lot of people have asked me why are you guys doing Indy 500. It sort of ties back to our business. We are in awe of sort of the amount of data and real-time things that are required, the split-second decisions that the drivers and the pit crews and everyone has to make. I kind of liken it to what we do for our customers at Genesys with customer experience, the data, the artificial intelligence, predictive capabilities.

It's all about the team, empowering with technology and data. We're really just honored to be a part of this. I can't wait to watch James and Andretti Autosport flying around the track in our Genesys orange No. 29 Honda. Hopefully this year we'll be able to be in person.

Thank you again. We're really glad to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Joyce, you mentioned it, deep ties to Indianapolis. This is a global brand, though. You threw it all into one pot that makes this partnership all the more stronger really. Very high level for your company.

JOYCE KIM: Absolutely. Like we said, I think Indianapolis continues to grow for us. It's not only our employees, but a lot of our customer base is there, as well. We're all in sort of continuing to activate and so forth.

We'll see sort of how we do it this year, given where the pandemic and so forth is. But, yeah, it's a very strong partnership. We couldn't be happier.

THE MODERATOR: James, full-time program with a team that you're certainly very familiar with, a sponsor you've become familiar with over the last year. How special is this day for you?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: I mean, it's a dream come true in so many ways. It's a culmination of a lot of hard work from a lot of people certainly. I love telling the story, we talked a lot about this last year when we did our three-race deal. It was two months from an Instagram message to signing a deal with Genesys. For a company to move that quickly in this kind of program was unbelievable. They took it a step further by sponsoring the race in Texas. You talked about all the activation on the 500. Now to jump up with a 10-race deal, it's incredible.

It just shows the commitment they're willing to give, the faith they have in us and this program. We're so proud to be partnered with them.

To be back full-time, as Michael said earlier, it's kind of like a homecoming. This team has been like family to me since I joined the first time back in 2012. We always said we'd get the band back together.

We did like a little reunion tour last year, but now we're fully back together. For me with Genesys onboard, being with Andretti Autosport, it's just incredible.


THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions.

Q. James, your expectations coming in. Obviously last year was a little bit of a weird year for you in terms of stepping back from full-time competition, refocusing, different kind of goals than what you would have had if you had a full-time schedule. What are you aiming for this year? If we transform to the end of the year, what would you be happy with? Race wins, podiums, fighting for the championship?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Yeah, certainly it's a little bit different than 2020. At the same time all the races in 2020, you go in with the same mindset. You trying to win, you're trying to go there and help the team be better throughout the weekend, then in the race itself, trying to take that victory.

That mindset continues whether you're doing three races, 13 race, 17 race, whatever it is. You have to go in there every weekend and do what you can to, like I said, help the team Friday through Saturday, then on Sunday do the best job you can.

For us, I think if you look back at the way Andretti Autosport improved over the 2020 season, it's no secret that it was a little bit of a struggle the first part of the year, but the last half of that season the team really came on strong and the cars were really competitive. I think that gave us a lot of positive momentum going into the off-season.

There's nothing stopping us from saying we should be running up front right from the drop of the green flag at Barber. Podium, race wins, I'd love to see all the cars up there running with a shot at the championship with three or four rounds to go.

Q. Michael, can you talk about the kind of lineup for this season, how you've come to that lineup. You go into this thinking you're going in with a bit more focus in those four cars to fight at the front, kind of a refocusing of the organization maybe.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, a little bit. Obviously having four instead of five can make it a little bit easier in terms of focus, for sure. Yeah, we're real happy with the way things have gone. We're real happy with our driver lineup. I think we have four great full-timers that are going to help each other to hopefully have four of them fighting at the end of the year for the championship. That's our goal. We'll have to wait and see.

I'm real happy with the way it all came together. Can't wait to get to the first race and see how we go.

Q. James, I have to imagine how tough it was to be in the car for six races last year but have to be on the sidelines for those other eight. What stands out to you? What do you remember most of those eight races where you were not in the car?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: It's funny. Every time something like that happens, I think in an athlete's career you can take it one of two ways. You can look at the negative, we're not doing this, I couldn't do this, not that, or you try to focus on the positives that come out of it.

I learned a lot in those eight races. It's been a while since I sort of got to see a race unfold from the pit lane or broadcast booth. You see a whole lot more of a race from up there than you do from inside the cockpit. You only see one show when you're driving.

I still was able to connect with the team obviously throughout the season, having those couple races, staying in touch with how they were working, kind of sort of build up a little bit towards what we were hoping was going to be a full-time ride this year. Obviously that all came together.

I definitely had a different program in 2020 than I was hoping for, but really enjoyed my time working with NBC and all the talent there. Everybody was phenomenal to work with.

I definitely did learn some things that I think we can apply for next year and definitely helped me continue my growth pattern with the team and just being able to hit the ground running in the first race.

Q. Michael, I remember both you and James said back in February that you both had goals of this turning into a full-time program in 2021. It seems like it might have at least taken a little while to announce. Was there ever any doubt, sponsorship side or otherwise, that this would eventually come together over the last 10 months or so?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: We felt very confident. I think we felt Genesys was very excited about it. We started talking about extending their program. Then obviously we had to talk to some others to try to be able to fill in the rest of the way, which we're just about there. Hopefully we'll have something to announce there soon.

Yeah, but we always felt confident that we were going to be able to get it together. I got to say it's always nice when you fulfill a goal, and we reached it. So now we're on to the next goal, which is win the championship.

Q. With Hinch having not taken part in the Sebring test, how much is it transferrable from what was learned there over to Hinch's driving style? Question for Michael, but Hinch's view on it as well.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I mean, I think when you're testing, you're testing basic stuff. It's not just stuff based on the driver's style, it's more like things we're testing overall for the team. I believe that we did learn quite a few things during the test.

I think the things that we did learn, not just from Marco and James' car, but also the other drivers, it should definitely translate into a better car for James, as well.

Q. James, how do you feel your driving style meshes with your teammates'?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Honestly, quite well. I think for me, there were definitely some differences coming into the Andretti camp, sort of the general philosophy with the car and certain elements. Those first few races, especially on the road courses, took a little bit of time to get used to a certain element.

But I think we got there. Certainly by St. Pete you saw all those cars were quick, we were right up there with them in the Fast Six. That was for me a big indicator that Colton, Alex, Ryan, myself, we can all run pretty similar cars. I think that's really going to be a huge strength of ours over this season.

Q. Michael and James, the way you guys have been together in the past, now you're back together, you almost kind of seem to wonder sometimes what would have happened if you stuck together the first time.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, unfortunately things didn't work out. We had to go our separate ways there for a little bit. Yeah, it would have been fun to keep James within the team.

It is what it is. We're just happy to be back together. Hopefully we still have some more, bunch of more wins together.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Yeah, I mean, to steal a line from Ross: We were on a break. But we're back together now, and that's what matters. I still think there's a lot of opportunity. As Michael said, I still certainly feel like I got a lot of racing left in me. This is a team that can get it done with championships and with wins and 500s. We just want to see that orange 29 Genesys car covered in milk in May, hopefully covered in confetti at the end of the season.

Q. Michael, as a businessman, after what we've all been through in 2020, the uncertainty of 2021, how surprised are you to see the driver car lineup and the sponsorship interest as high as it is?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, I think that says something about the momentum of the series itself. I think it's quite good. But you start to imagine, what if the stupid COVID wasn't there, where would we be?

I think it's at least a positive. We didn't go backwards, we're still going forwards, even though we had this hiccup with COVID. It makes me even more bullish about the future of INDYCAR.

Q. Hinch, given that you only had a partial program last season, is there anything you can take from last year going into this season? If so, what is it in terms of your technical feedback and stuff?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Yeah, for sure. I mean, any time you're in the race car with the team, there's items that you can learn from, certainly take into the following year. There's no major changes to the cars. Every lap I turned in 2020 is going to be valuable, just going to add to the database of knowledge for 2021.

I'll be working with a different engineering staff now that we're a full-time program. It's people I had the chance to work alongside, some people I've worked with in the past on the car.

Yeah, I think a lot of the experience from last year is going to translate well. I don't think we should start behind the eight ball really compared to anybody. I think we should be right there.

Q. Michael, how beneficial is it to you to have James back on the team given his experience with you guys?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: It's great having James back. Again, he's very quick. He's really a big help in developing a car. Also he fits in very well with all the other teammates, which is an important element when you have a team the size of ours. We have to make sure that personalities all work together. James fits in like a glove, perfect, with everybody. So, yeah, it's really great to have him back.

Q. James, I wanted to get your feeling on what it was like at the end of 2020 not knowing whether or not you'd be racing in 2021. Now that you've got your answer, is there a sense of relief at all?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: I think, sure. I mean, obviously, yeah. Once the pieces all came together, there was a sense of relief. We had some challenges over the off-season certainly, partners move around that we thought were going to be there but weren't.

I was so focused in my whole team, Don, everybody over there, worked so hard on cultivating the relationship with Genesys. They were just so awesome to work with. We're so happy that they're in for 10 races. That was really the backbone of this program.

I was very confident that no matter what happened, we were going to fight, we were going to scrap our way, do whatever we had to do. We had obviously a ton of support from everybody at Andretti and what they brought to the table.

I was confident all along. Even though we hit some roadblocks along the way, I knew that's what we wanted to do, I knew that's what the team wanted, it's what Genesys wanted. We were just going to keep fighting till we made it happen.

Yeah, a little bit of relief certainly. But I wasn't too worried about the uncertainty at the end of '20.

Q. You were saying this is kind of like getting the band back together. Some of your most successful seasons were with Andretti. Can you speak to why that is.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: The culture in the team is just phenomenal. It's something that I just really took to when I first started driving there in 2012. That starts at the top with Michael. He's built an incredible organization. The record speaks for itself.

Just the atmosphere in the shop, the way we go racing, it just suits me I think as a person. I've had the opportunity to work with some incredible teammates there. I certainly think the bigger team, having four cars, these limited race weekends, and they're getting smaller, thanks, COVID, another thing that's made for us, less track time on race weekends. That program really does help.

I love working with other drivers, trying to make the whole team better. The atmosphere there really promotes that. I just put it down to team culture. I'm excited just to get back to work full-time with them.

Q. Michael, what has been your biggest challenge during this global pandemic? Is it working with sponsors or something else?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I think there's a little bit of everything. But I think obviously it's about trying to keep our partners happy because unfortunately because of COVID we weren't able to be able to deliver all the deliverables for them. We were lucky enough to have great partners that worked with us. We were able to get through it.

It was a challenge for us like it is for everybody I think out there in their own way. But we got through it. I think we actually got through it, coming through it, we're going to be a better team for it. I think we learned a lot of other little things that just make it stronger, bring us more together as a team.

Yeah, it was tough. I'm sure every single one of us have some sort of story like that.

Q. Michael, just wondering with Marco scaling back his INDYCAR racing this year, tell me what your initial reaction was when you discussed that, what that's going to entail. What happens to the 98 car after Indianapolis with your team?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Yeah, it was an interesting time there when we were discussing where we were at, what we should do. Marco, we actually threw a scenario out that it may come down to only doing Indy only, a few other races. I think when we put that out to him, he started thinking about, You know what, this time in my career, where I am, maybe it's time for me to try some other things as well, just focus mainly on Indy because that's the big one he still wants to win. He knows deep down inside that he can still win it.

I was completely behind him on his decision. I respected it. That's not to say he's not going to be back full-time again in INDYCAR in the future. But I think right now, for what he needed for his head and everything, I think in the end it was a smart decision on his part, mature decision. We'll see what happens.

I totally respected his decision and was behind him.

Q. The one word that I haven't heard mentioned yet today is 'fans'. That pandemic really screwed things up in 2020. What was your reaction to seeing an empty Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day, and what is it going to be like just to have fans back?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Well, I mean, I think it was the strangest year ever in every way. I think the strangest part of the year was obviously seeing the start of the Indy 500 with nobody in the stands. It felt naked. It felt like it wasn't right, you know?

I just hope there's no way that will ever happen again, for sure. I'm excited about getting back there and having those 300 some thousand fans right down there on the track when you're getting ready for the start of the race. There's nothing like it. In the end, it's the fans that give it that electricity. You feel it inside when you're down there on the grid right before the start.

That was something that was duly missed last year. Hopefully that was just a one-off thing and it will never happen again. Looking forward to, again, like I say, getting back there. I'm happy we were at least able to finish the year with fans in the stands at St. Petersburg. I think that sort of was a nice way to finish the year, at least we had some of that feeling back again.


@26:57
Q. James, you haven't had the amount of laps in the new Aeroscreen car as the other drivers have. What are the things you can learn from with the experience the team has going forward, competing a whole season in an Aeroscreen car? What do you think you need to pick up?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: To learn how to stay a bit cooler is the number one thing. That's the biggest challenge we've had with the Aeroscreen (laughter).

Again, it speaks to the strength of having a four-car team. You have so much experience now (indiscernible) equipment on the car, I guess we could say. Sure, I may have a few fewer laps, but the data has prepared me. I can take all the lessons they've learned. We've developed the setups as we've had to at each track. Luckily it was less of an impact on the setups than we thought it would be. That helped a bit. Pretty much could run the same car you ran last year with only a few minor adjustments.

I have to kind of lean on my teammates and on my team a little bit. I'm with the best team to do it.

Q. You mentioned a different mix to the team going forward into this season. You have experience with most of the people in the team. Who do you think will be your greatest ally with the team?

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: In terms of my teammates?

Q. Yes. There will be some more supportive than others always.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: You know what, I think again that's what's so great with the culture there, is everybody is pretty supportive. We have an engineering trailer that everybody sits in, everybody can hear all the conversations. It's a very open book. Sometimes there's debates and healthy arguing and debating going on about maybe what to do or what the right move is. It's all very open, all very healthy in that sense.

I've had the most experience working with Ryan certainly. But I know Alex personally very well. Colton is probably the one I spend the least time around. Even of the races we did, he's a great help. He's quiet, to the point, kind of gets in and gets the job done. He knows a lot about racecars and how to make them go fast.

I think on any given weekend that could shift who your best ally is, whoever is hitting it the best on that weekend.

Q. Michael, this is pretty interesting going forward without Marco as a full-time driver. You've built a tremendous organization. Some might say as good of a driver as you were, as a team owner you're equal to anybody in the paddock. Do you see Marco coming forward and being integrated more this season into dealing with the issues of owning a team and event organizations?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: Good question. I'm not sure yet. I'm not sure. I haven't really talked to Marco. I'm not sure he'll be going to the races he's not driving at. In fact, I know he's looking to do other series, other types of driving.

There probably won't be a lot of that. I don't think we'll see him a lot at the INDYCAR races. He's going to be doing a lot of other stuff, which is part of the reason why he took this decision. He thinks it's a great opportunity to see what it's like to drive different types of racecars and things like that.

Probably to answer your question, probably not much of that from Marco this year.

Q. There was an announcement last week with Simona De Silvestro. In a kind of way you have a ghost driver on the track because of the relationships in the past. What is your reaction to their chances going forward?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I'm real happy for Beth. I know she's worked hard to get there. We talked to her in the past, were close to doing some things together. Obviously with Simona who has driven for us in INDYCARS as well as Formula E, we have a great relationship with her. I have a ton of respect for her.

I think it's awesome for the sport to have them come in as a team. They should do well. They have the support of the Penske organization, which obviously helps them on their learning curve. I'm real happy for them. I hope they have a successful program.

Q. Michael, you lost your uncle, your cousin, your mother. How has that been for your family? Have you been able to recover well or is it still there making you sad?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: It's hasn't been great, I can tell you that. It's been a tough couple years, especially for my father. He lost his sister, as well. Yeah, it's been a tough time.

Unfortunately, it's part of life. We're all going to go through it. It's been tough to go through as much as we have in a short period of time. But it is the way it is. Life goes on. We have to march forward and be happy with the memories that we have of all the loved ones that we've lost.

Q. How is your dad doing? Is he taking it hard?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: He's hanging in there. He's taking it hard. It's been really difficult on him, for sure. This COVID thing hasn't helped any. Being at home by yourself, not being out on the road. If you know my dad, he lives on the road. Not being able to travel I think has made things a little worse for him, for sure.

Q. Hopefully getting him back at the track will make him feel better.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I hope so. Hopefully getting him back in the two-seater, as well, because that's helped keep him young, as well.

Q. What has been the focus in the off-season for development of the team? Your cars were fast, but in traffic have seemed to struggle. Has that been one of your focuses for the off-season?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: I don't think I'd agree with that. I think we had strong cars all the way through the field. If you watched James, the way we came up through the field after the mistake in the pit stop. We had four cars capable of winning the race and we shot ourselves in the race in the pits. Every single car that we had had a problem in the pits. That was the difference. Had that not happened, I think we would have won with one of them. James was one of them as well.

From that standpoint, I don't agree with that. Hopefully we are still going to have strong cars again next year. We've been focusing more on the tracks where we've been weak. There's tracks like St. Louis that I think we can do a better job at, a few others. Those are the ones we're really focusing on. Hopefully our guys have come up with the answer to be more competitive at the places we were weak.

Q. Genesys, is it a sponsorship deal only or is there any kind of technology exchange? Is Genesys with their technology helping the team at all?

MICHAEL ANDRETTI: At the moment it's just sponsorship. But we're always looking to see if there's ways that we can use our partners to make this a better team. Our guys are always thinking about that.

We still haven't figured out a way yet to do it with Genesys, but...

THE MODERATOR: We'll segue back to Joyce Kim. Outside of maybe the Indy 500, is there another track you're looking forward to seeing the 29?

JOYCE KIM: Well, I mean, certainly we'll work on the activation of the brand again this year. Again, we're all sort of waiting to see what happens with the COVID, how that all turns out.

Yeah, I mean, we may not do airports again, but you'll see us all over Indy, no question.

THE MODERATOR: I heard you say you have twin boys that were excited about this opportunity to get involved in racing in a family kind of way.

JOYCE KIM: Yeah, I have nine-year-old twin boys ha were introduced to Indy racing last year. They hear the name Andretti, they hear Hinch, it's pandemonium at my house, so (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: Hinch, you have a few more autographs to sign.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: That's fine. I think I have a go-kart race I have to set up (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: Done.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Absolutely. Any time.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to everybody. What a huge opportunity it is for Genesys, James Hinchcliffe back for a full-time ride, 10 races with Genesys in 2021. Michael, congratulations to you as well. Season opening April 18th at beautiful Barber Motorsports Park. Thank you for being with us today.
[ht - FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

... notes from The EDJE


UPDATE:
By: David Malsher-Lopez - Feb 18, 2021, 11:01 AM
Capstone Turbine Corporation will return to Andretti Autosport-Honda in 2021 as primary sponsor for James Hinchcliffe at six of the seven races in which he isn’t sponsored by Genesys 
[one more opening for the 2021 season]





TAGS: James Hinchcliffe, Mayor Of Hinchtown, Andretti Autosport, Michael Andretti, Genesys, 2021, The EDJE

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Verizon IndyCar Series Immerses Hinchcliffe For Media Event

Posted at Instagram with the following caption: James Hinchcliffe of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports winner of last year's Long Beach Grand Prix of Long Beach meets up with large Sea Bass. #whatablast #IndyCar@indycar #tgplb #tgplb44@hondaracing_hpd @honda Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2018)

The Verizon IndyCar Series Immerses Hinchcliffe For Media Event

IndyCar performs its first ever underwater media event with sport diver and racecar driver Schmidt Peterson Racing's Mayor of Hinchtown, Canadian James Hincliffe. The Verizon IndyCar Series in concert with The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA and American Honda Motor Co., Inc., set up an interview session with members of the motorsports media in advance of the 44th Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach with last year's winner James Hinchcliffe, who drives the No. 5 SPM Honda, and the appreciation bubbled up all over this Southern California treasure.



Blue Cavern - Aquarium Exhibit - presented by American Honda Inc.

Modeled after Blue Cavern Point, a kelp forest along the northeastern coast of Santa Catalina Island. This exhibit represents the underwater habitat you would find along our coast and around local islands.

Kelp forests provide shelter, food, and breeding grounds for many species, including other algae, marine mammals, fish, birds, invertebrates, and plankton. Some animals to look out for are leopard sharks, California moray eels, California sheephead, giant sea bass, and our divers!


This was a great promotion upon which to begin the second chapter of IndyCar's Southwest Spring Swing, having just completed its second round of a seventeen round racing series season at ISM Raceway with the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix.

James Hinchcliffe managed to lead 20 laps last Saturday before fading on the final restart to finish sixth. Combined with his fourth-place effort in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 11, it has the driver of the No. 5 Arrow Electronics SPM Honda sitting sixth in the standings. However, even after strong performances on two different track disciplines – street circuit and short oval – the 31-year-old Canadian isn't ready to anoint his team as a championship contender.

“We got two out of four,” said Hinchcliffe, who readies for the next round as the defending race winner of the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach, set for this weekend beginning Friday with its first practices, Saturday Knock-Out format qualifications ending in the Firestone Fast Six with the Verizon P1 Pole Award going to the top qualifier, finishing off on Raceday Sunday (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network).

“We’ve still got a road course and a superspeedway to try, but we’ll see. Between short ovals and street circuits, that’s half the calendar and Detroit is a doubleheader. Who knows, St. Pete was one race, it was everybody’s first race. We can’t be too confident going into Long Beach," continued Hinchcliffe.

“There are a lot of great cars and there is still a lot for us to learn. But as a team, considering how much we had to overcome in the off-season with new people, dealing with the new car, coming off the back of being one of the (Honda) development teams, we didn't get much of an off-season to regroup, refocus and get everybody integrated. So honestly, I just can’t say enough about the team and all the guys and girl at the shop.”

This weekend, The Mayor of Hinchtown will try to do what no IndyCar driver has done in more than a decade - return to Victory Lane at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach which is in its 44th year.
[ht: Aquarium of the Pacific & IndyCar]

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Honda, IndyCar, Aquarium of the Pacific, Blue Cavern, James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, The EDJE

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Spoils Go To The Canadian Victor At The 43rd Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' James Hinchcliffe driving the No. 5 Honda Dallara DW12 IndyCar celebrates with his red-gloved fist in the air as he wins his first Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Ken Manfred (2017)

Spoils Go To The Canadian Victor At The 43rd Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach

Victory takes on many forms when one perseveres through the struggles of being a top-level race car driver in a top-level racing series.

It had been two years since Oakville, Ontario's James Hinchcliffe stood at the middle and top spot of a podium platform at the end of a Verizon IndyCar Series contest held at the "one-of" race held in the rain at NOLA Motorsports Park outside of New Orleans. Just soon after this momentous fourth win in IndyCar, James suffered a major life-threatening puncture to his left upper thigh reaching up into the pelvic area through a Turn 3 crash at 220mph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during INDY 500 practice.

Driving the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, Hinchcliffe collected the first pole of his Verizon IndyCar Series career in what will be his 79th race, edging Josef Newgarden for the honor by a mere 0.0407 of a second over the 10-mile run. Image Credit: IndyCar (2016)

Recovery and the drive in James Hinchcliffe to continue in this passion of driving a race car at the highest levels of competition were rewarded one-year and three days later when he captured his first ever Verizon P1 Pole Award at the very same track that almost killed him.

As icing on this cake, it came at the celebration of the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. True grit was shown because James put together this scintillating four-lap run of 230.760 mph as the final driver of the day in the Fast Nine Shootout - no pressure.

James Hinchcliffe gets instructions while in the pits at the 38th Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach at the controls of his Andretti Autosport No. 27 Go Daddy Chevrolet DW12 Dallara. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

Hinchcliffe has raced here at Long Beach in the Verizon IndyCar Series since 2011 with three different teams - Newman-Haas, Andretti Autosport, and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - and has reached the podium once at P3 in 2012 for Andretti Autosport.

James Hinchcliffe leads Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi and Marco Andretti through the Hairpin Turn before applying the power down the long Shoreline Drive front straight early in the race before all Andretti Autosport cars retire with problems by the race's end. Image Credit: Myles Regan (2017)

This excerpted and edited from CBS NEWS (AP) -

IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe, who nearly died in race, checks big one off bucket list
CBS NEWS (AP) - April 10, 2017, 7:46 AM

Not once did James Hinchcliffe think his career was over after a near-fatal accident in 2015.
----
At long last, he’s got his first win on the race track since his accident.

Hinchcliffe won a three-lap shootout to the finish Sunday on the streets of Long Beach to win in a Honda for Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports. It was the Canadian’s first victory since 2015 at New Orleans, a month before his accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“To finally do what was goal No. 1 when we set out at the start of the season, to get back into winner’s circle, to do so as early in the season as we have, as convincingly as we did, was great,” said Hinchcliffe.
----
He’ll gladly take it at Long Beach, the most historic street course race in the country.

“After Indy and personally me for Toronto, this is the biggest one to win,” Hinchcliffe said. “I’ve had a lot of luck here. We’ve been really quick here in the past and to finally get to victory lane here is more than I can put into words. This place has a lot of history, that’s what drivers really care about. The greatest of the greats have won here.

“Toronto, Indy and this place were on my bucket list to win before I die, and it’s nice to check one off.”

Sebastien Bourdais followed his season-opening victory at St. Pete with a second-place finish to give Honda a 1-2 podium finish.

Josef Newgarden was the highest finishing Team Penske driver and was third in a Chevrolet.
----
[The three-lap shootout] set it up for Hinchcliffe to have to race Bourdais to the finish, but Bourdais was focused on the big picture in the closing laps. Hinchcliffe had gotten off to such a great start when racing resumed, that Bourdais tried only to maintain his running position.

“We played to our strengths and I’ve always been comfortable saving fuel,” Bourdais said. “We lost balance a little bit, and I was really thinking about saving second place. I was thinking championship.”
[Reference Here]

Oh Canada! ... James Hinchcliffe celebrates with Canadian maple leaf flag in Victory Circle as he captures his fifth win in the Verizon IndyCar Series sharing the podium with Frenchman and four-time champion, Sebastien Bourdais and American Josef Newgarden. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Complete Race Description By Motorsport.com  HERE >>>
Verizon IndyCar Series Box Score HERE >>>

For many who race at the highest levels in autosport, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (TGPLB), after running as an event for 43 years and exclusively the home of American open-wheel racing for for 33, is the considered to be "INDY 500 of street courses."

James Hinchcliffe expressed this attitude and feeling about the TGPLB with the following comment, "We worked hard this off-season to perfect the package we had. Good speed at a lot of races last year. To roll off the first two races of the season, being in the Fast Six both times, if not for a caution falling for the wrong time at St. Pete, could have been in the top five or on podium there. To do it here and finally at this place, a track that I love so much, a track that's been very good to me in my career, one that I think is the Indy 500 of street tracks, it's the second longest running race after the 500. I think because of that history, it makes it a very special event, one that every driver wants to win. The greats have all raced here, the greats have all won here. To get in the winner's circle was huge."

Additional points of order to history as a race car driver from Canada are reflected in a bit of everything James Hinchcliffe does, from the number on his car - No. 5, which he now has as the number of wins in IndyCar matching the marks set by Greg Moore, Jacques Villeneuve, and Patrick Carpentier.

Champagne bath provided to winner James Hinchcliffe by three-time winner of the TGPLB Sebastien Bourdais who came in P2. Josef Newgarden takes a swig on the podium at P3, his first Podium since becoming a Penske Chevrolet driver. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Additional Post Race Quotes From James Hinchcliffe:

“If someone told me after NOLA last year that five wins was the number Greg had, the number Jacques Villeneuve had, and I believe the number Patrick Carpentier had. Only PT is higher than that in the list of Canadians in in IndyCar racing. To drive at a level with those guys, I mean, it’s tough to put into words”

“Greg was a huge motivation and a huge inspiration to me as a child. I followed Jacques’ career religiously. When Pat and Greg were teammates, followed Pat as well, to now be level with those guys is incredible.

“You know what, when I came into this sport, I felt a huge responsibility, to be honest, to keep up the good name that Canadian drivers had in IndyCar. There haven’t been a ton of us. The ones that have been here have been race winners, they’ve been contenders week in and week out. I wanted to maintain that, you know, record for Canada, not be the guy that let us down.”
ENDS

AND ... about the Red Gloves with the Canadian flag and HINCH emblazoned on them, raised high in victory? A tribute to the shortened career of Greg Moore.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: James Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais, Josef Newgarden, Red Gloves, Greg Moore, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier, Paul Tracy, #TGPLB43, No. 5, Arrow, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, The EDJE

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Early Season Talk With The Mayor, James Hinchcliffe, Before #TGPLB43



Early Season Talk With The Mayor, James Hinchcliffe, Before #TGPLB43

James Hinchcliffe drives the No. 5 Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

He has four IndyCar wins to date and captured his first career pole at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in May 2016, just one year after his season-ending accident. This is amazing since he suffered life-threatening injuries in a practice crash for the 2015 Indianapolis 500 which ended his season after only five races.

Driving in the pinnacle of American open-wheel racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series since 2011, he has participated in 82 races, and has managed to be in the top 10 in 60 of these contests, finishing in the top 5 20 times, or roughly a 25% top competition return rate, every time he steps into the cockpit - which is pretty awesome in anyone's book.

James has also driven at the top level in full-bodied sports cars driving most recently in the Rolex24 at Daytona for Mazda in endurance team racing where drivers assigned to a car take turns at the wheel throughout a 24 hour period.

Off the track he is known by the social media moniker as "The Mayor Of Hinchtown", where he commands a community of friends who love to follow James as he pursues his many varied interests in life - Racing, Sponsor Events, Dancing With The Stars competition - where he was runner-up, a brewer of his namesake Hinchtown Hammerdown Ale, a craft beer from Flat12 Bierwerks in Indianapolis. This was originally brewed only during the month of May in Indianapolis, as a promotion, but now is available year-round across Indiana, Kentucky and his native Ontario, Canada, and to top this, he is an avid collector of guitars and lighters where he boasts a collection of lighters dating back to the 1930s.

WELCOME 30 year old professional race car driver from Oakville, Ontario Canada - a suburb just East of Toronto, James Hinchcliffe ...

1)
First, tell us a little about Arrow Electronics and some of the background behind your overall sponsorship for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

2)
After, what seemed like an eternity, the Verizon IndyCar Series came back into action with the first race of the 2017 season with the trditional opening race at St. Petersburg where you qualified P3 behind Will Power and Scott Dixon and finsihed P9. Tell us about your thinking and what you learned in the pre-season practices and then with the race at St. Pete - racing in the NEW Honda package.

3)
We are going into the second race of the season at the rites of spring event on the West coast in Long Beach. Another temporary street course with great history over the 42 previous years that it has run. In the six previous years that you have run the race, you were able to get on the podium once, and register to 10's 3 times counting the podium - What are your impressions of this venue and what will it take to hit the podium again?

4)
At the end of the month, the springtime swing to the Southwest becomes complete with a second race in the modern era at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the first dedicated oval on the schedule before going into the Month Of May at Indianapolis. Being a short 1 mile, low-banked tri-oval race track, how do you see the new Honda package will be able to fare given that the highest placing Honda last year was the one driven by Graham Rahal at P5?

5)
Is it your impression that the Hondas are getting out of the corner a bit better - what is the reason you see as the strength of the Honda surge?

6)
You went to the Rolex24 at Daytona and drove in one of the new Mazda Prototypes, tell me a little about your impressions about the car and the effort - change in development through driving.

7)
Lastly, civic leaders of a community usually start out the year with a proclamation or two on what they would like to accomplish in the community during the coming year - As the mayor of Hinchtown, what proclamations did you issue and communicate to the hordes of Hinchtown - on, or off the track.

Thanks James - best of luck at the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach, Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, the Month Of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the rest of the year ending in wine country at Sonoma.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach, James Hinchcliffe, No. 5,  Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, HPD, #TGPLB43, The EDJE

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

55th Rolex 24 At Daytona 2-Car Mazda Prototype Team Driver Lineup

The new KODO Design inspired Mazda RT24-P race car was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show (No. 55 pictured here in Soul Red), ushering in a new era in the prominent history of Mazda Motorsports’ flagship endeavors in North America. At the unveiling, the car was shown with the drivers tapped for the upcoming 2017 season - (left to right) Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito, Tom Long, and Joel Miller. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

55th Rolex 24 At Daytona 2-Car Mazda Prototype Team Driver Lineup

The two-car Mazda Prototype team has confirmed the driver lineup that will compete in the top category of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. For the third consecutive season, the drivers for the full 10-race championship season are Jonathan Bomarito, Tom Long, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez. For the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, Verizon IndyCar Series drivers James Hinchcliffe and Spencer Pigot will join the driver lineup in the all-new Mazda RT24-P race cars under the new Daytona Prototype international (DPi) rules.

Mazda RT24-P Gunmetal Grey livery unloading on Day 1. Image Credit: IMSA Facebook (2017)

The No. 70 ModSpace/Castrol Edge Mazda Prototype (Gunmetal Grey livery) will be driven by Long, 34, of Charlotte, N.C., and Miller, 28, of Hesperia, Calif. The duo finished sixth in the 2016 Prototype driver points championship after five top-five finishes.

For the 55th running of the historic Rolex 24 at Daytona, Long and Miller will be joined by IndyCar race winner James Hinchcliffe, 30, of Toronto, Canada. Hinchcliffe finished second in the most recent season of “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC-TV, and will race with Mazda at Daytona for the fifth time since 2012.


The No. 55 Mazda Prototype (Soul Red Crystal livery) will be driven for the third consecutive season by the pairing of Jonathan Bomarito, 34, of Louisville, Tenn., and Tristan Nunez, 21, of Boca Raton, Fla. Bomarito and Nunez recorded a league-leading three pole positions in 2016, led six races, and finished seventh in the final Prototype driver point standings.

Spencer Pigot, 23, of Orlando, Fla., will join the No. 55 team for the second year at Daytona. The IndyCar driver made his Prototype debut with Mazda last year at Daytona, then raced at Sebring before leading races at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.

For this weekend’s Roar Before the 24 test sessions at Daytona, driver Ben Devlin, 34, of Norwich, England, will also join the team, utilizing his extensive prototype experience to help hone the preparation of the two Mazda RT24-P race cars.

Mazda RT24-P liveries side-by-side. Image Credit: Linhbergh LLC (2017)

Said JOHN DOONAN, director, Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations:
“When the Mazda brand embarked on providing the motorsports industry with a driver development scholarship program in 2007, it was our intention to develop drivers from the grassroots to the top levels in both open wheel and sports cars. With the Mazda Road to 24 and the Mazda Road to Indy now fully developed, we strive to promote from within. Each of our full-time drivers— Joel, Jonathan, Tom and Tristan— have come through at least one of the two programs, and they’ve given us the speed, continuity and great chemistry that a team must have to win. We are also thrilled to have Spencer and James back with us for the Rolex 24, as they have been a part of the Mazda family for many years. Their talent and chemistry with the team are extremely valuable. To have Ben and his experience with us this weekend is an added bonus.”

JONATHAN BOMARITO - Mazda Motorsports.

JONATHAN BOMARITO, driver, No. 55 Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @JBomarito) Bomarito won the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GT category, driving a Mazda RX-8 for SpeedSource with co-drivers Sylvain Tremblay, David Haskell and Nick Ham. Bomarito, who grew up in Monterey, Calif., won the 2003 USF2000 open-wheel championship, was a race winner in the Mazda-powered Atlantic Series, raced at Le Mans and nearly won the 2014 IMSA GTLM drivers championship before his stint in the Mazda Prototype. This is slated to be his 11th start in the Rolex 24.

“I am so excited for the 2017 season to officially get under way at one the best races in the world. Our Mazda Prototype is stunning, and the energy from the team, the series and our competitors is going to make for an incredible year.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE - Mazda Motorsports.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, driver, No. 70 ModSpace/Castrol Edge Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @Hinchtown) Hinchcliffe missed the 24-Hour race last year as he recovered from near fatal injuries suffered at Indianapolis in 2015. He returned to win the pole position for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May, 2016.

“It’s great to be back behind the wheel at Daytona! It sucked sitting out last year’s race, but my focus at the time was getting myself back in shape for the IndyCar season. Coming back to Mazda and SpeedSource, where I've done all of my races at Daytona, is like coming home and I can't thank Sylvain [Tremblay, SpeedSource owner] and John [Doonan, Mazda Motorsports director] enough for the chance. I can't wait to be working with everyone there again, to get my hands on the new car, and try and deliver a win for Mazda.”

TOM LONG - Mazda Motorsports.

TOM LONG, driver, No. 70 ModSpace/Castrol Edge Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @TomLongRacing) Long has been a part of Mazda’s racing family since 2004, making 2017 his 14th season driving with Mazda. Long was the lead development driver on Mazda’s Global MX-5 Cup car that debuted in 2016, and this year will mark his seventh start in the Rolex 24. When he led the race overall at Daytona in 2015, it was the first time a diesel-powered vehicle led the historic endurance race that has been contested since 1962.

"I'm so excited to get the upcoming season kicked off at Daytona with our brand new Mazda RT24-P!  The anticipation has been building for Mazda and the entire team since unveiling the new DPi platform at the Los Angeles Auto Show. With the launch of the new Prototype era for IMSA in 2017, the field this year will be sure not to disappoint. The team has been working so hard to get our Mazdas prepared for the drop of that green flag, it's been incredible to be a part of. We're also thrilled to welcome back Hinch to our driver lineup this year!"

JOEL MILLER - Mazda Motorsports.

JOEL MILLER, driver, No. 70 ModSpace/Castrol Edge Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @JoelMilleracing) Miller came through the Mazda Road to Indy open-wheel program before he became part of Mazda’s endurance sports car effort. He is the current driver coach/mentor for the USF2000 series in the Mazda Road to Indy. A degreed mechanical engineer, Miller is a lead presenter of Mazda’s national-touring STEM education program, and will be making his fifth 24-Hours start this month, all with Mazda.

“Being back with Mazda in the new RT24-P is fantastic and I’m very fortunate for the opportunity. Being back together with Tom Long in the No. 70 will allow us to focus on the learning curve of the new car rather than anything else. The new platform presents an equal playing field and good opportunity for teams with the right preparation to shine. I look forward to working hard with Mazda Motorsport on our preparation with the new Mazda RT24-P DPi."

TRISTAN NUNEZ - Mazda Motorsports.

TRISTAN NUNEZ, driver, No. 55 Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @TristanNunez) Nunez holds the record as the youngest champion in a professional class of road racing in North America. He won the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda (nee: Prototype Lites) series in 2012 with 11 wins at age 17. He became a Mazda-backed driver after winning the prestigious open-wheel Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone, England. Nunez does presentations across the country on behalf of his own “Dnt txt n drV Foundation,” which is devoted to educating young people about the dangers of distracted driving.

“I could not be more excited to get the season started. There have been quite a few rules changes [such as the DPi category] that I am sure will make for an exciting race. As for the drivers, to be paired with Jonathan again is such an honor. I have learned so much from him, and I'm looking forward to another year alongside him and being under the Mazda tent with Joel and Tom for the full season. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better group! As for the additional guys we've got for Daytona, I don't think the team could have made a better decision on who will complete the team. Spencer did an incredible job for us last year in the No. 55 on and off the track, and to have James and Ben back is a dream come true. I believe we've got what it takes to win, and I'm so excited to show that this season!”

SPENCER PIGOT - Mazda Motorsports.

SPENCER PIGOT, driver, No. 55 Mazda Prototype:
(Twitter: @SpencerPigot)   Pigot embodies the Mazda driver development scholarship program called the Mazda Road to Indy. The first (and still only) driver to win four Mazda scholarships, Pigot won the 2014 Pro Mazda and 2015 Indy Lights championships. He utilized his Mazda scholarship to compete in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, as well as the road and street circuit races in IndyCar in 2016 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing. Pigot, along with teammates Miller and Bomarito, is a member of the Mazda Road to Indy Hall of Fame.

“I’m really looking forward to driving for Mazda again in my second Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The Mazda RT24-P is an incredible car and being able to help develop and improve the car from the very beginning has been a great experience. Mazda has given us a car capable of fighting for the win and I know we have the team to get the job done.”
(ht: Mazda Motorsports)

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mazda Prototype, No. 70, No. 55, Jonathan Bomarito, Tom Long, Joel Miller, Tristan Nunez, James Hinchcliffe, Spencer Pigot, Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda RT24-P, The EDJE

Sunday, May 22, 2016

100th Indianapolis 500 Pole Just A Catt, No Mouse, Game

James Hinchcliffe celebrates with photos taken with the team that gave him and his car the award of a lifetime - the Verizon P1 Pole Award. The trophy is proudly held by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Crew Chief Ron Catt just to the right of  The Mayor. Image Credit: Chris Jones via Peter Leung ‏@BaronVonClutch Twitter (2016)

100th Indianapolis 500 Pole Just A Catt, No Mouse, Game

In what may be one of the closest margins in a speed measurement over four laps at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway four cornered oval (someone should check the records), Canadian and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' James Hinchcliffe inched out American and Ed Carpenter Racing's Josef Newgarden by .06 miles per hour.

Yes!

Let that sink in ...

James Hinchcliffe shares a celebratory 'fistbump' with Ron Catt after pulling the No. 5 Arrow Electronics Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara into the pitlane after his Pole winning effort at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Matt Fraver via VICS (2016)

The Mayor of the fictional internet village of Hinchtown posted a 4 lap average of 230.760 - 02:36.0063 to Indiana's favorite son (but born in Hendersonville, TN) four lap average, who seemed unbeatable with a fastest lap in qualifications for the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil with a Lap 1 speed of 231.551, posting of 230.700 - 02:36.0470.

So what exactly is the difference in a 0.0407th of a second in time?  

An IndyCar set-up engineer who is teamed up with James Hinchcliffe named ... Ron Catt.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Crew Chief Ron Catt celebrates with the rest of the team as his driver, James Hinchcliffe, captures the pole for the 100th INDY 500 by a mere 0.06 seconds over Josef Newgarden. Image Credit: Doug Matthews via VICS (2016)

This excerpted and edited from Racer -

INDY 500: Hinch, crew chief relish Indy turnaround
Marshall Pruett - Sunday, 22 May 2016

Moments after he earned pole position for the 100th Indy 500, and once he'd climbed from the car, the first person James Hinchcliffe sought out was Ron Catt. The two locked in a strong, reaffirming hug [after an affirming fistbump - above], and given where they were a year and a week ago, the firm embrace made sense.

Wind the clock back to this time in 2015 and Hinchcliffe was in a hospital undergoing medical procedures to save his life. Catt, his crew chief, was staring at the bloody, tattered remains of Hinchcliffe's No. 5 Arrow Electronics Honda, desperately trying to make sense of the crash that nearly ended in tragedy. Through the ordeal, Catt's calm and warm demeanor helped keep the team together as Hinchcliffe healed.

IndyCar RaceControl graphic showing the relative speeds registered by the Fast 9 Shootout phase of the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil qualifications (click image for full size). Image Credit: Verizon IndyCar Series (2016)

Pole at Indy, 369 days after all Hinchcliffe and his crew chief endured, was a deeply personal accomplishment for both men, and the 28-year-old Canadian leapt at the chance to heap praise on his friend.

"Ron is a leader and that's what you need in a crew chief," Hinchcliffe told RACER. "He's looked up to by those guys, and that's makes such a difference having a guy at the top of that car everyone respects. And your driver respects. He's a great mechanic, but he's also a great human being. He's everything you'd want in a chief.

"For all the work he and the team has done; we've got some in their second year in the sport and some grizzled veterans, but across the board I have a group guys I respect and have a lot of love for, and it all starts at the top with Ron."

Catt did his best to keep his emotions in check, but the gravity of the team's journey since Indy 2015 was clear as he spoke.

"It's a huge emotional roller-coaster," said Catt. "This is a total 180 from where we were a year ago. We went into qualifying with the mindset we just wanted to produce the best car we could and give him the chance to show everyone what this place means to him. For me, that was my train of thought. This was his time to shine. And he did it."

Catt also credited his driver for being his counterpart in driving the No. 5 Honda program to reach its pole-winning capabilities.

"Hinch is a funny guy all the time, but he wants to run up front and be the best he can be," he added. "He demands a lot from the car, and a lot from us, but it's a respectful demand. He wants to win races and that's what it takes to be successful."
[Reference Here]

National Flag Field Of 33 Infographic. Tweet Credit: Steve Wittich (2016)

Ron Catt said it, right there, at the post qualifications interviews ... of James Hinchcliffe, he is no mouse because "He demands a lot from the car, and a lot from us, but it's a respectful demand. He wants to win races and that's what it takes to be successful."

So what does it take, and just what exactly is the difference in a 0.0407th of a second in time? A Verizon P1 Pole Award at the 100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil proving that team effort in this one was truly a Catt & no mouse (read Hinch) game.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS:100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, INDY 500, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Ron Catt, James Hinchcliffe, The Mayor, Ed Carpenter Racing, Josef Newgarden, #VICS, #IndyCar, #100thRunning, #Indy500, @IMS, The EDJE

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

#GPofNOLA Could Have Been Named The NOLA Mudder 47 (Laps)

Tony Kanaan goes off course during the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski for IndyCar
#GPofNOLA Could Have Been Named The NOLA Mudder 47 (Laps)

The inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana was ushered in with great anticipation and hype for a 75 Lap affair. This great uplift was to be dampened (literally) by a track that suffered from the improper, or unplanned for, wick-ing of pooling water caused by rain in several key places.

True, the track facility (2.74-mile, 13-turn road course) was reclaimed from low ground swamp area near the city of New Orleans which is what characterizes the geography at the end of the Mississippi River. With this in mind, why wasn't the facility better prepared for the track to become a race-able surface in a more even way around the track?

Gabby Chaves (No. 98 Bowers & Wilkins Brian Herta Autosport Honda) comes off course due to degrading track conditions during the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana at NOLA Motorsports Park. Image Credit: Bret Kelley for IndyCar

So full course YELLOW Flags (FCY) filled the air as much as the wet spray from the turbulent backsides of the second race-testing of the Chevy and Honda aero kits. This left (from notes) a total of 47 Laps completed of a scheduled 75 Lap race (called a 105 minute timed race on Lap 28 due to FYCs) with only about a total of 26 Laps actually raced in anger. This left 21 laps upon which strategy and fuel conservation could be applied to the race day equation.

Bravo to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who race with Honda engines and aerodynamics and were able to place both of their drivers on the podium. James Hinchcliffe was able to notch his first win in 2015 and his fourth overall IndyCar career victory while British born James Jakes finished third, his first podium finish since he finished second at Belle Isle-2 in 2013 - his second career top-five IndyCar finish.

Of the 47 Laps logged, Hinchcliffe did not go in for fuel during the last 34 laps that were run ... keeping clean and fuel management were the keys to his success.

The mudder part of the race was on display as cars left the track and hit ARAMCO barriers, slid off the track on corners then kept the tires spinning, flailing grass and chunks of mud while creeping back to a paved surface to soldier on.


One of the most controversial incidents happened on Lap 44 which turned out to be the last GREEN Flag restart - after cruising around the track another three laps on FCY.


The final full course YELLOW Flag came from a massive incident between Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pageneud, and Ryan Hunter-Reay as the drivers attempted to go three-wide in turns 3 and 4.


Pageneud slid off the track into the mud, and then back on the track in the next right-hand corner, collecting Hunter-Reay and Bourdais sending all three cars across the grass.





Bourdais slides to the tire wall and hits broadsides cracking the hull of his No. 11 Dallara (all preceding crash images by Bret Kelley for IndyCar).

Post Race Incident Quotes:

Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet): “Really too bad about the finish because the Penske Truck Rental Chevy was really fast. It handled great in traffic and we looked like we were heading toward a good result. I'm not sure what Hunter-Reay was thinking there. He just drove us off the track and I'm just glad everyone is OK. I want to thank the fans for staying with us this weekend despite the weather. I think the No. 22 Chevy team will be able to come back strong at Long Beach.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda): “We had a great race going, had some good clean racing there with (Graham) Rahal, (Will) Power — even (Simon) Pagenaud, we went side by side through Turn 10 there, it was some good racing. Then we got down to Turn 3… I’m peddling the car all the way out, it’s loose, there’s just no more room for (Pagenaud) to be out there.  (Sebastien) Bourdais, is on my left, I don’t know where to go at that point. I’m using my regular racing line – (Pagenaud) stuck his nose out there (and was off the racing line)… And just cleans us all out. I’m happy all three of us are uninjured. (Pagenaud) said I ran him out of room, but there just was no room in the first place. I don’t know what to say to that — it’s certainly a racing incident but there wasn’t a whole lot of room there to begin with. Disappointing way to end the day, we were looking for a strong finish with the DHL Honda.”

Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Team Mistic E-Cigs-KVSH Chevrolet):  “It was a weird race obviously. We held our own throughout the race getting as high as fourth. The Mistic-Circle K car ran good in the wet and ran good as the track transitioned. Then the race just became a succession of cautions with restarts after restarts during which I made a couple of spots and lost a couple of spots. Because of all the cautions there were different strategies and as they played out we ended up having to pit when everybody behind us had already done so. The guys in back cycled to the front and we cycled to the back with the leaders. Then with all the cautions, the guys in back were able to stretch their fuel and on the last restart I was on the inside and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) came up and made it three wide with Simon (Pagenaud). Ryan pushed Simon into the grass, he then came back on track with no control and could not avoid collecting me ending our race. It was never going to be a good day, but now with the damage to the car it is a shame because this was going to be my Indy 500 car.”

The #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda front wing aero kit of James Hinchcliffe bathed in New Orleans purple, green and gold, Mardi Gras style, winner's circle confetti at the Verizon IndyCar victory podium. Image Credit: Chris Jones for IndyCar

The race also had its share of missing and damaged aero kit parts, but through it all, drivers that kept their cars clean, advanced during restarts, and stayed away from the mud were rewarded with great results.

Pos   Driver                      Team/Engine         Time/Gap
1      James Hinchcliffe     Schmidt/Honda     1h47m19.4896
2      Helio Castroneves     Penske/Chevrolet     +0.4279
3      James Jakes     Schmidt/Honda     +0.8452
4      Simona de Silvestro     Andretti/Honda     +1.2924
5      Juan Pablo Montoya     Penske/Chevrolet     +1.7564
6      Tony Kanaan     Ganassi/Chevrolet     +2.2638
7      Will Power     Penske/Chevrolet     +3.0958
8      Graham Rahal     Rahal/Honda     +4.3495
9      Josef Newgarden     CFH/Chevrolet     +5.7352
10      Luca Filippi     CFH/Chevrolet     +7.2115
11      Scott Dixon     Ganassi/Chevrolet     +7.8421
12      Carlos Munoz     Andretti/Honda     +9.0899
13      Marco Andretti     Andretti/Honda     +9.7817
14      Charlie Kimball     Ganassi/Chevrolet     +15.7221
finished the race, above - retired from the race, below
15      Gabby Chaves     Herta/Honda    
16      Carlos Huertas     Coyne/Honda    
17      Stefano Coletti     KV/Chevrolet    
18      Sage Karam     Ganassi/Chevrolet    
19      Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti/Honda    
20      Simon Pagenaud     Penske/Chevrolet    
21      Sébastien Bourdais     KV/Chevrolet    
22      Takuma Sato     Foyt/Honda    
23      Francesco Dracone     Coyne/Honda    
24      Jack Hawksworth     Foyt/Honda
(ht: motorsport.com | nextgenindy.com)

The return of  Simona de Silvestro for a second race (in a race by race commitment) to an Andretti Autosport seat gave the accomplished female driver and the team its highest finishing order in this young 2015 season. A commitment to have a car ready for her this next weekend for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, a track where she has won at and performed well, has not been announced. It would be a shame a deal can not be made by race time April 17 - 19 - Race Broadcast, Apr 19 4:00 PM ET.

Two races in the books where Carbon Fiber and Terra Firma have played a major role at bringing out full course YELLOW Flags. Let's hope we all can be treated to a competitive full run through the streets of Long Beach and see for ourselves if the new aerodynamics of the cars limit the potential of passing because of low mushroom cloud "muddy air" turbulence placed on the trailing car.

If this is the case, IndyCar will be taking a big step backwards toward a lack of fan enjoyment due to IRL style nose-to-tail railroad car racing that was prevalent during the Dallara "Crapwagon" era.

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana, NOLA, IndyCar, Verizon IndyCar Series, VICS, James Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pageneud, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Simona de Silvestro,