Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2010 American Le Mans Series Test

The American Le Mans Series has named G-OIL from Green Earth Technologies as the official motor oil of the series and the sanctioning body, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Unlike conventional petroleum-derived motor oils, G-OIL is made from saturated animal fats which have been processed through dehydrogenation. While the stuff may not be good for people to ingest in any significant quantities, the saturated fats apparently make a good lubricant and G-OIL has similar properties to petroleum oils. G-OIL is claimed to be biodegradable and Green Earth sells all its products in fully recyclable containers. The car pictured is the G-OIL ORECA-Courage FLM09 racing car for the newly formed Green Earth Team Gunnar (GETG), driven by Gunner Jeannette whose effort had him finish 14th overall and third in LMPC class. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2010 American Le Mans Series Test

The Monterey hills were greeted with a wondrous, but a little chilly, spring day for the third test of the nine race 2010 American Le Mans Series season. The wind blew at times and the day's temperature never hit 70 degrees causing tire adhesion problems for some of the contenders throughout the day. One car even spun as it entered the front straight ready to take a restart, and another overshot the corner entirely and caused a wreck from which it never fully recovered ... from one of many Yellow Flag Caution periods throughout the race.

All in all, the race was hotly contested throughout the six hours until the checkered flag flew and the fireworks from the Mazda bridge, located just past the Start/Finish line, lit up the sky.

This excerpted and edited from American Le Mans Series PDF report -

At 8:18 pm (5h 48m running), Checkered Flag.

Marino Franchitti (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) crosses the line to take the overall victory.

Christophe Bouchut (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) wins in class by 7.105 seconds over Tom Sutherland (#36-LMPC Oreca FLM09).

Joey Hand, who drives the #90 BMW E92 M3 for Rahal Letterman Racing's BMW team, just before the race. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Patrick Long (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) wins the closet battle just 0.365 seconds ahead of Joey Hand (#90-GT BMW E92 M3) and 2.766 seconds ahead of Oliver Gavin (#4-GT Chevrolet Corvette ZR1).

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) lead flag to flag beating Andy Lally (#63-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) by move than one lap.

Marino Franchitti (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) records his 3rd ALMS win.
Simon Pagenaud (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) records his 7th ALMS win.
David Brabham (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) records his 21st ALMS win.

Christophe Bouchut (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) earns his second ALMS victory.
Mark Wilkins (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) earns his first ALMS victory.
Scott Tucker (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) earns his second ALMS victory.

Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) now has 31 ALMS wins.
Patrick Long (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) with 17 ALMS wins.

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) earns his second ALMS victory.
Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) earns his second ALMS victory ... and first in the United States.
Tim Pappas (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) earns his second ALMS victory.

American Le Mans Series Monterey Presented By Patrón – Race Quotes:

Marino Franchitti (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) “Procedurally this was a great performance for the team. Simon's drive was just a pleasure to watch. David got in and backed us up and got is a bit more of a lead. I knew the Dyson car was a bit of a terrier and I knew I didn't want to let them go. The guys made a great call not to put on new tires right there at the end. I was definitely hanging on for life, it was a bit like drifting or rally driving. It was great to have no damage and keep it together cause the car leaves Friday for Le Mans. So this is great heading to France.” (about the last stop) “Perry, our Michelin guy looked at our tires and said we were good.
Either way I was going to be happy. I knew I'd still have great tires and new tires were still really good. It was a perfect call because I could drive like I wanted to. Michelin was a big part of the win today.”

Simon Pagenaud in the HPD ARX-01c (lower left, black and green) as he brings the car forward through traffic from a start at the back of the pack. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Simon Pagenaud (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) “Thank you to the Highcroft Racing team, they did a fantastic job. The whole crew in the pits did a great job. The opening laps were pretty exciting. Starting at the back you have to find motivation and that was getting to the front. The ending of my stint was really good, the Michelin tires were working really, really good. We went through the traffic very quickly. We got ahead a lot from the first yellow the went out. It is a great team to be part of the operation like HR. Its great to go off to Le Mans where we're looking for the win.”

David Brabham (#1-LMP HPD ARX-01c) “The last couple of races here have been pretty good. Last year we won the championship here. I cant say enough about the team, today was an absolutely flawless demonstration of endurance racing. Everything happened out there and we made no mistakes in the pits. My teammates performed perfectly. This is the way to head off to Le Mans with this momentum.”

Joerg Bergmeister (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) “It was definitely a bit more relaxing this year. Especially last year being chased down by Jan. I knew Patrick would do a good job because he has been good all week long. There were some who thought it wouldn't work out because the BMW was charging but I knew that Patrick would work it out and pull away. The car was working well all day long. It was a good race.”

Patrick Long (#45-GT Porsche 911 GT3 RSR) ”Laguna Seca has been special. It was always the race we finished up. And of course last year we finished with a literal and figurative bang. This year not quite as exciting but still exciting none-the-less. We had a call if we were going to play for points or go for the win. On the restart Joey left a bit of an open door and I took it 3 wide through 11. Then it was all about running because I knew Joey wouldn't be happy. We came from P8 and worked our way through a very competitive field. We know Risi had a hard day so unfortunately they were in the mix with everyone else in the end because they were so
tough this weekend. I cant say enough about the competitiveness in all the classes in this Series. So many cars on the lead laps at the end and its just tough.”

Scott Tucker (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) “I don't know if there is a secret. I have great co-drivers and a great team. Our manager has a great mind and these guys make it easy for me. They do a great job behind the scenes. “

Mark Wilkins (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) “We had to push really hard to keep up front. Christophe drove a great stint, so did Scott to keep the car up there. Level 5 gave us a great car at Sebring and they did here. We knew if we could run to the end we'd be right there.”

Christophe Bouchut (#55-LMPC Oreca FLM09) “Its a nice feeling to win again here. It was a great race, this time we had to fight really hard until the end. The car was working really well. We had no problems at all. I just pushed the car to the maximum to keep our positions.”

Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) “It feels great. Joroen said, we came here to win. We have a race Monday morning and we fly back home. This track is really sandy, it is the most difficult of the track. There was a car who went off at turn 4. An LMP went off and you couldn't see the track. But every driver knows this course so it's fun to drive when everyone is so familiar.”

Tim Pappas (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) “This is pretty cool. We came out for Long Beach without much preparation. We had a difficult, frustrating race. We went home and worked hard and practice. All the guys at Black Swan are great. The Bleekemolen brothers come over and it was a great race. We didn't put a tire off and made zero mistakes in the pits so that turned out to a race win.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen (#54-GTC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) “I know the guys are great. We had a great start in Long Beach but some things went wrong, today it went really right. Its great to get the win and hopefully move up in the championships.”

Falling back into Spring, this race will rest for at least another year. It was good to be back so soon, now on to Le Mans, then the second have of the North American Tour begins.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: American Le Mans Series, ALMS, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, 2010, Patrón, The EDJE

Bobby Rahal ... a multiple team owner with a couple of problems at ALMS

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)


Bobby Rahal ... a multiple team owner with a couple of problems at ALMS

Bobby Rahal, glad to hear his son, Graham Rahal made the nine car Shoot-Out to get into the IRL field for one of the set 33 positions in the field at the 2010 Indianapolis 500 yesterday, flew in to the Monterey area from Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama to oversee the activities of his Rahal Letterman BMW M3 GT ALMS team. What greeted him was the following bit of damage to the #90 driven by Dirk Mueller ... at the time of this posting, it is unknown if the car will make the field.

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from an ALMS track report PDF -

At 10:31 am, Dirk Mueller (#90-GT BMW E92 M3) into the pits with damage to the right front, right rear, and rear end of the car. Apparently the car spun with contact but was able to drive back to the pits. This will be a big repair for the car before the race. There are left-over BMW parts near the tire barrier coming out of turn 6, it looks like this is where the incident occurred.

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

... and the curtain is drawn.

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)



UPDATE: It's just like ... it never happened!


Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Work completed and it is time to grid the cars! To see a YouTube of the exciting last minutes of the six hour test, CTRL-CLICK photo above to launch video. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from BMW News & Reviews -

The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team fought to its third consecutive podium (four total for the season) with a second place finish by the No. 90 M3 GT of Joey Hand and Dirk Müller in today’s six-hour American Le Mans Series race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

After leading the bulk of laps going into the closing stage of the race, Hand was passed on the final restart to finish second, a bittersweet ending to a day that began with a crash in morning warm-up and an immediate rebuild of the No. 90 machine by the BMW-RLR crew. Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner finished eighth after a late-race punt dropped the No. 92 M3 down the order. The duo led the GT class twice during the day.

The six-hour race dealt competitors a total 10 caution periods and the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team played every opportunity to its benefit. Splitting strategies on the third yellow flag near the two-hour point, the team pitted the No. 90 M3 GT for fuel with rest of the class and elected to keep the No. 92 M3 on track and gain position. It paid off with the GT lead for Milner, who had replaced starting driver Auberlen just past the one hour mark.

When Milner was hit by a competitor and forced to the pits, Hand took over the lead from his teammate. The race gave fans a roller coaster ride through four more caution periods before the four hour mark as the M3 GTs ebbed and flowed at the front of the GT field based on the differing fuel and tire strategies.

In the fifth hour, the No. 90 M3 GT took the lead with some thirty minutes remaining, but in the final caution period of the race, Hand’s safe lead evaporated and the team was eventually forced to settle for second place.
Reference Here>>

... notes from The EDJE

IZOD Indy 500: Bobby & Graham Rahal Unite For Historic Effort

Graham Rahal driving for Sarah Fisher Racing at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

IZOD Indy 500: Bobby & Graham Rahal Unite For Historic Effort

It was announced today that Graham Rahal will drive the No. 30 Dallara/Honda fielded by his father, Bobby Rahal, in a one-race deal for the 94th edition of the Indianapolis 500 with Rahal Letterman Racing. The sponsor is expected to be announced sometime before the first practice session on May 16, 2010.

There have been generations from famous racing families before, but most felt that this came as a surprise given that Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame honoree, Bobby Rahal was on record saying that he wanted his son to be able to make a name for himself out from under his, Bobby's, shadow.

Graham has won in the IRL (St. Pete, 2008, as the youngest ever driver to win a IZOD IndyCar Series race) and had some good history with Newman Haas in ChampCar so it was felt the time was right for the Rahal generations to mount an effort of their own.

Given that Graham has been mostly caught out in the shuffle this season, Rahal drove in three of the first four IndyCar Series races for Sarah Fisher Racing, but does not have a full-time ride with any team for the season. So he now has a one-race opportunity to start and hopefully finish his first Indy 500 - Rahal has failed to finish in two previous Indy 500 starts.

Graham Rahal shares a moment of ChampCar camaraderie with IZOD IndyCar Series points leader and, Will Power - Penske Racing, and fellow CCWS transition driver Alex Tagliani - FAZZT Racing at Barber Motorsports Park. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

This excerpted and edited from USA Today -

Graham Rahal reaches deal for father-son effort in Indy 500
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY

After previously saying he wanted his son to drive for another team to establish his own identity, Bobby Rahal said Tuesday that the timing was right for the generational merger at the Brickyard.

"I think he has proven he belongs and I'm thrilled to have him," said the three-time CART champion, referring to his son's historic 2008 St. Petersburg victory that made him open-wheel racing's youngest winner at 19 years, 93 days.

"It's flattering when your child wants to do what you do, even better when he wants to do it for you."

"I've made my mistakes there [INDY]," Graham Rahal said. "The main thing is to get to the checkered flag."
Reference Here>>

Knowing the competitive nature of Bobby Rahal ... he will bring the best equipment and engineers for this first time effort put forth by the Rahal family. Graham could come in as a dark horse winner given that Bobby, as a team owner (2004) and a driver (1986), has captured wins at the Brickyard and drank (worn) the quart bottle of milk!

The 94th Indianapolis 500 will take place Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 12:00 PM ET - broadcast on ABC

... notes from The EDJE

Road Runner Turbo 300 via "Beep Beep" - errr, Tweet

All hail in Kansas City as a storm greets the IndyCar teams at Kansas Speedway. Image Credit indycarnation

Road Runner Turbo 300 via "Beep Beep" - errr, Tweet

Qualifying was delayed yesterday due to rain and hail.

Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti have been put to the back of the grid for today's Kansas IndyCar race after they were judged to have illegally crossed the white line at the bottom of the track during their qualifying runs.

Wheldon's third place had been his best qualifying result since rejoining Panther last year, but he remains optimistic that he can still have a strong race from the tail of the field.

Dario Franchitti's Target Chip Ganassi car #10 getting prepared to take the track for today's race. Image Credit indycarnation

Andretti had qualified 11th before the officials' ruling.

The demotions mean Dario Franchitti and Hideki Mutoh move up to third and fourth places, with Fazzt's Alex Tagliani and Foyt's Vitor Meira are sharing row three - great starts for them both.

Getting ready for a quick ride aroung the track in Kansas in a 2-Seater. Image Credit indycarnation

Pos Driver Team Speed
1. Ryan Briscoe Penske 212.15mph
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi 211.22mph
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 211.19mph
4. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas/Lanigan 211.11mph
5. Alex Tagliani Fazzt 210.86mph
6. Vitor Meira Foyt 210.66mph
7. Will Power Penske 210.62mph
8. Helio Castroneves Penske 210.49mph
9. Danica Patrick Andretti 210.41mph
10. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 210.38mph
11. Takuma Sato KV 210.35mph
12. Mario Moraes KV 210.17mph
13. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon/de Ferran 209.91mph
14. Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher 209.89mph
15. Tony Kanaan Andretti 209.72mph
16. EJ Viso KV 209.73mph
17. John Andretti Andretti 209.73mph
18. Simona de Silvestro HVM 209.43mph
19. Bertrand Baguette Conquest 209.32mph
20. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 209.18mph
21. Jay Howard Sarah Fisher 208.77mph
22. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti 208.41mph
23. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 208.30mph
24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne 207.88mph
25. Dan Wheldon Panther 211.22mph
26. Marco Andretti Andretti 210.40mph
27. Mario Romancini Conquest

Starting Grid just before the command was given to clear the grid and the announcement of "Drivers, Start You Engines" at the Road Runner Turbo 300 at Kansas Speedway. Image Credit: KV Racing Technology

The command was given for the drivers to START YOUR ENGINES - Row by row call out as HOT!

sidepodcast firing up indycar race control - http://bit.ly/9oshb1 - fab quality video

MyNameIsIRL Wheldon is out "in-car commentator". Dan starts talking about the car and...he stalls it. Note: "in-car commentator" is rarely a good idea.

GREEN GREEN GREEN!

IndyCarNation Lap 1: GREEN. The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 is underway

At the start of the Road Runner Turbo 300, the grandstands seem a bit empty. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

Fresh tires and three wide they enter into the first few turns on an overcast day in Kansas.

LAP 5 - Briscoe, Franchitti and Dixon are still the top 3

pressdog Monitoring @simdesilvestro @sarahfisher @danicapatrick.

IndyCarPR Lap 10: #6 Briscoe leads #9 Dixon by .1755 of a second. #11 Kanaan is sixth after starting 15th. #37 Hunter-Reay is 10th after starting 22nd

luczodragon In battle with conway and marco

FastMachines Listening to the guys on IMS radio's coverage. So much better than ABC. They actually sound interested. #indycar http://is.gd/bQ7Lf

FuriousWedge Marco now 11th! Making Sam Hornish & Tomas Scheckter proud with all these outside line passes

TheEDJE Top 5 lead pack by 4.3 seconds

kvracing After 20 laps, Moraes (#32) is 8th, Viso (#8) 9th & Sato (#5) 12th

TheSpeedgeek milka is threatening to pass justin. it's been a good life everybody! apocalypse comes tomorrow!

indy44 vitor running with the big boys nice

toomuchracing What's up with Justin? RT @TheSpeedgeek: milka is threatening to pass justin. it's been a good life everybody! apocalypse comes tomorrow!

TheEDJE Live Beep Beep ... I mean TWEET blog at The EDJE - http://tinyurl.com/245bb6p

IndyCarPR Lap 33: #9 Dixon bids for the lead on Frontstretch and completes the pass of #6 Briscoe in Turn 2.

luczodragon Pitting on 45 to change, working to stay on lead lap so we get changes to take

IndyCarPR Lap 36: #9 Dixon leads #6 Briscoe by 1.0971 seconds

TheEDJE Weldon goes a lap down as Dixon goes by

Briscoe in for his pitstop on Lap 49 - Dixon still logging laps

racingleager Andretti racing Kansas with an eye on Indy 500: John Andretti teamed with two giants of racing a year ago, driving... http://bit.ly/doQrWG

kvracing Sato in to pit, next lap Moraes, then Viso. All tires and fuel - Viso 7th, Moraes 9th &
Sato 11th.

Alex Tagliani runs clean during the Road Runner Turbo 300, the first oval race of the season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

autoracingnews After the first round of pit stops, Dixon leads at Kansas Speedway. Championship leader Power falls behind after a lengthy pit stop.

luczodragon Now let's see what we've got. Nice clean stop

TheEDJE Lap 60 - Only 14 cars on the lead lap

kvracing After 60 laps. Moraes (#32 car) is 9th, Sato (#5) is 11th & Viso (#8) is 16th. Dixon P1, Franchitti, Briscoe

luczodragon If this was an election Dixon by a landslide but a long way to go

MyNameIsIRL Penalty of some sort for Viso on the pit stop. Now he's back to 18th. Dammit.

toomuchracing Sato 11th in his first oval race, very impressive

luczodragon Rafa said the car is better but still slow

pressdog @sarahfisher67 is driving a pig. @simdesilvestro is putting up goot lap times. Spotters on fire for her.

autoracingnews Dixon on fire; has put Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti a lap down. 11 cars left on lead lap. Caution is out.

kvracing Lap 72 Yellow Flag for Viso. Moraes is 8th, Sato 11th.

MyNameIsIRL Scott Dixon is the opposite of racing excitement. There, I said it.

TheEDJE @MyNameIsIRL on Dixon - Can you say P-R-E-D-I-C-T-A-B-L-E? ... I knew you could

edcarpenter20 @danwheldon says he is light on downforce...

luczodragon More action under this yellow than any of us sees in the kc night life tonight

kvracing Sato back in pits for new tires after being pushed into grass coming out of pit lane in last stop. Moraes is 10th.

IndyCarNation Lap 76: Leaders on pit road for four tires and fuel. Lap cars of #26 M. Andretti, #66 Howard, #2 Matos, #12 Power and #24 Conway do not pit.

DRRIndyCar Mike is getting a wave around and will be back on the lead lap. Being asked to conserve fuel.

Restart - GREEN GREEN GREEN on Lap 83

FuriousWedge The Foyt crew needs to get their act together cause Vitor is hooked up on track passed 3 cars since green flag he lost in the pits

TheEDJE Back to 16 cars on the lead lap

DRRIndyCar Reached the halfway point. P15 with Mike and P21 with Justin.

ConquestRacing We are at the halfway point of the race. Romancini is 22nd; Baguette is 24th http://bit.ly/bpiipN

TheEDJE ICS points leader Will Power running along at 13

FuriousWedge If I'm starting a team, I'm bringing in John Andretti as my veteran, he's money today and was money in Roth Racing cars 2 years ago

IndyCarPR top 10 at lap 103: 9 Dixon, 10 Franchitti, 3 Castroneves, 11 Kanaan, 77 Tagliani, 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay, 14 Meria, 06 Mutoh, 43 John Andretti, 6 Briscoe

MyNameIsIRL And here's Danica making a pit stop. Really ESPN, this is embarrassing.

TheEDJE @MyNameIsIRL Too much Danica coverage especially after she held up Helio

tomasscheckter if i was helio right now i would be pisssssssed

edcarpenter20 7 car...been thereRT @tomasscheckter if i was helio right now i would be pisssssssed

Yellow Flag for debris - Lap 121

MyNameIsIRL Hideki Mutoh is now 4th. Mutoh Mania rises to a near fever pitch!

TheSpeedgeek @FuriousWedge vitors lost 4-5 spots every stop today. never fails.

Restart - GREEN GREEN GREEN - Lap 129

TheEDJE Only 12 cars on the lead lap - Top five on Push-To-Pass

FuriousWedge Back to green and Vitor goes back to work getting spots lost in the pits back, back up to 9th

TheEDJE John Andretti is all out of Push-To-Pass whereas Dixon has used only 2 of 20 allowed

MyNameIsIRL The Ganassi cars have already pulled away by almost a second from Kanaan. Try to act shocked.

IndyCarPR Lap 140: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by .3053 of a second.

IndyCarNation Lap 145: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by .5415 of a second.

TheEDJE Sato isn't passing but he is pushing P-T-P and only has 8 left as he tries Helio

Those Lotus colors on the livery look really good

TheSpeedgeek who knew taku'd be better at the ovals than the roads? anybody?

MyNameIsIRL Takuma Sato, reported "road course specialist" is up to 6th. Mutoh in 4th. Japan is well represented this week.

TheEDJE @TheSpeedgeek Never saw Sato coming as an oval specialist - 6th? WOW

TheEDJE @MyNameIsIRL What are they puttin' in the Sushi in Kansas? Steak?

IndyCarPR Lap 160: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by 1.8959 seconds. #2 Matos and #26 Andretti on pit road four tires and fuel.

luczodragon The rout continues, Dixon running away. If it were a fight they would've stopped it

PlanetIRLdotcom For those of you without a feed. http://www.justin.tv/freddy49usa#r=kQ60fUQ

Last Round Of Pitstops

IndyCarPR Lap 161: #6 Briscoe pits for four tires and fuel.

FuriousWedge Side note, this result will likely bring everyone even with Will Power in points

garytrib Marco Coming out for last pit stop http://tweetphoto.com/20683301

IndyCarNation Lap 166: #9 Dixon leads #10 Franchitti by 2.1169 seconds. #32 Moraes on pit road for four tires and fuel.

Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves run side by side at Kansas. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

pressdog Just watched J Andretti inhale RHR live. Nicely done.

TheEDJE Jay Howard of Sarah Fisher Racing stuffs the car into the wall - joins EJ Viso as out of race - No More Left Turns

IndyCarNation Jay Howard in the wall. http://yfrog.com/cbxr2rj

luczodragon 22 laps left and Rafa 16th. Marco and danica are two he'll be chasing next when it goes green

MyNameIsIRL Yup. RT @mrt_history: I think the races in Sao Paulo and St. Pete were more interesting than this oval. Never thought I'd say that!

pressdog Sarah is having serious rage issues on the radio. Did I miss smthing?

Restart - GREEN GREEN GREEN - Lap 186

TheEDJE The Rising Sun ... SETS

TheEDJE Swiss Chard! De Silvestro helps out in taking Sato and Mutoh out.

Takuma Sato sits in his Lotus liveried KV Racing Technologies Dallara after showing well in his first oval race (he ran in the top 6 most of the day). He was taken out in a crash by fellow countryman Hideki Mutoh of Newman/Haas Racing. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

MyNameIsIRL Ironically, if we finish under yellow it might actually be a closer margin of victory.

IndyRacingNut @MyNameIsIRL Ain't THAT the truth...LOL

IndyCarNation Mutoh and Sato tangle. http://yfrog.com/ba62csj

pressdog Sarah rage: Jay tried to pass. She gave as much room as she could but he got int the marbles. No contact.

Six cars on the lead lap but lapped cars separate them

Restart - GREEN GREEN GREEN - 6 Laps to go

IndyRacingNut GO HELIO GO!!!

Franchitti passed for second place - Target Chip Ganassi P1 & P2

Race Ends - Checkered Flag Waves

autoracingnews Scott Dixon wins his second consecutive race at Kansas Speedway.

23rd win and 16th on Ovals! He did this by leading 74% of the laps.

kvracing Checkered Flag. Moraes #32 KVRT car finishes 7th in Kansas today. Sato 23rd, Viso 27th

scottdixon9 Dominant performance as Scott goes back-to-back @KansasSpeedway for his 22nd Indycar win!

luczodragon P16 for Rafa. Drove smart with car that struggled all day

PippaMann Fast and furious finish to the Kansas Indy Car race. 27 days until the Freedom 100!!! BRING IT!!!!!

FuriousWedge Not many in stands, 4th boring race in a row, Kansas got Sprint Cup shuffling; all signs point to this being final Kansas race for IRL

CrashGladys @FuriousWedge Wouldn't be disappointed if this was last Kansas race 4 IndyCar. I would luv Vegas to come in, but that track is just too fast

Podium of the Road Runner Turbo 300 - P1 - Scott Dixon - Target Chip Ganassi, P2 - Dario Franchitti - Target Chip Ganassi, and P3 - Tony Kanaan - Andretti Autosport. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2010)

This from Timing & Scoring:

IZOD IndyCar Series Race Control
Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 Kansas Speedway
Current Flag: C
Rank No Name Laps Gap Diff Best Lap Best Lap Time Best Lap Speed Last Lap Time In Pit Pits Comment
1 9 Scott Dixon 200 --.---- --.---- 197 0:25.8216 211.91 MPH 0:25.8373 4
2 10 Dario Franchitti 200 3.0528 3.0528 196 0:25.7263 212.70 MPH 0:25.8187 4
3 11 Tony Kanaan 200 0.1682 3.2210 197 0:25.6653 213.20 MPH 0:25.9141 4
4 3 Helio Castroneves 200 0.6090 3.8300 132 0:25.8916 211.34 MPH 0:26.1995 4
5 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay 200 2.2833 6.1133 198 0:25.9154 211.14 MPH 0:26.1293 4
6 6 Ryan Briscoe 200 0.6818 6.7951 132 0:25.8721 211.50 MPH 0:26.1028 5
7 32 Mario Moraes 199 1 lap 1 lap 86 0:25.8461 211.71 MPH 0:26.1289 4
8 77 Alex Tagliani 199 0.2656 0.2656 197 0:25.8256 211.88 MPH 0:25.9614 4
9 43 John Andretti 199 0.4168 0.6824 87 0:25.8837 211.40 MPH 0:26.1219 4
10 14 Vitor Meira 199 0.2344 0.9168 87 0:25.9195 211.11 MPH 0:25.9308 4
11 7 Danica Patrick 198 1 lap 2 laps 194 0:25.7627 212.40 MPH 0:25.9494 4
12 12 Will Power 198 1.0215 1.0215 196 0:25.8667 211.54 MPH 0:26.5052 3
13 26 Marco Andretti 198 0.2212 1.2427 196 0:25.7884 212.18 MPH 0:26.3872 3
14 24 Mike Conway 198 1.4903 2.7330 195 0:25.9902 210.54 MPH 0:26.1959 3
15 4 Dan Wheldon 198 0.2230 2.9560 52 0:25.9851 210.58 MPH 0:26.2238 4
16 2 Raphael Matos 198 1.8505 4.8065 132 0:26.1865 208.96 MPH 0:26.5244 3
17 67 Sarah Fisher 198 0.1473 4.9538 53 0:26.1054 209.61 MPH 0:26.3545 4
18 22 Justin Wilson 197 1 lap 3 laps 193 0:25.9885 210.55 MPH 0:26.3142 4
19 19 Alex Lloyd 197 1.8670 1.8670 196 0:26.0338 210.18 MPH 0:26.4682 4
20 36 Bertrand Baguette 197 0.9787 2.8457 197 0:26.1712 209.08 MPH 0:26.1712 5
21 78 Simona de Silvestro 197 0.8356 3.6813 195 0:26.0894 209.74 MPH 0:26.1917 4
22 34 Mario Romancini 196 1 lap 4 laps 193 0:26.0865 209.76 MPH 0:26.1044 4
23 06 Hideki Mutoh 186 10 laps 14 laps 135 0:25.9911 210.53 MPH 0:47.2968 4 Contact
24 5 Takuma Sato 186 0.3245 0.3245 88 0:25.9228 211.08 MPH 0:47.1690 5 Contact
25 66 Jay Howard 172 14 laps 28 laps 56 0:26.1332 209.38 MPH 0:30.3517 4 Contact
26 18 Milka Duno 84 88 laps 116 laps 5 0:26.2668 208.32 MPH 0:27.0413 3 Mechanical
27 AB F Green 259228 0 0 24 0:00.0024 228000 MPH 0:00.0011 0 KV Racing Technology
27 8 EJ Viso 71 13 laps 129 laps 4 0:25.8893 211.36 MPH 0:27.2387 2 Contact

Next stop ... 2010 Indianapolis 500, Speedway, IN - Sunday, May 30 - broadcast live on ABC at 12:00 noon ET.

... notes from The EDJE

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway Opens To The Press, BBQ, & Stellar Rides

Maserati MC12 Stradale driven by Douglas Magnon, President of the Riverside International Automotive Museum, with The EDJE riding in the shotgun position. This image was captured while Doug was negotiating the most challenging series of corners (description below) of Track No. 1 ... the off camber turn #9 [ctrl-click to launch video impressions taken around the track]. Image Credit: Steve Munch (2010)

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway Opens To The Press, BBQ, & Stellar Rides

A new road course race track operation is opening just off an airstrip down California's Interstate 10 between Coachella Valley (Palm Springs) and Blythe. Desert Center had been famous for mining, a fuel and food stop on the way to either LA or Phoenix, and Palm Trees planted in a circle (gone fallow) to attract attention to passing motorists. Get off and head North toward Highway 62 at the intersection of Interstate 10 and 177 and after four miles turn right at the sign heralding the "Chuckwalla Valley Raceway - Bringing the Future to you!"

On April 23rd, members of the automotive press from all over the Southwest were invited to preview this new private racing facility and learn first hand what might be involved in starting up a new racing operation when some tracks might be shutting their doors in economic hard times. First impressions and the attentions to detail leave one with the feeling that this effort will be a resounding success.

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway - Phase 1: Front straight at bottom of graphic. While acting as an observer, speeds were getting pretty close to 110 mph at the end (a racing club BMW driven by Matthew Kogan). Most straights are moderate in length. The most challenging section are in turns 8, 9, and 10 where one encounters and off camber slope to the right as one has to make a hard left to a blind apex ... then the turn drops in elevation into turn 10 on to a slightly uphill straight. It is a corner that once one learns how to enter it, one can muscle and control the corner as opposed to having the corner dictate terms to the driver (ctrl-click image to enlarge). Scanned Image From Media Guide: CVR (2010)

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway (CVR) is planned to be Southern California's premier automobile and motorcycle racing, training, and testing road course race track facility. CVR occupies 1,100 acres that is completely fenced and secured. The facility currently has one road course track operational that is 2.68 miles long (a little longer than the old Riverside International Raceway) and features seventeen (17) turns, is 40 feet wide, multiple elevation changes, a couple of double apex turns, a long banked turn, and a tricky three turn off-cambered section that mimics (to a lesser degree) the famed corkscrew at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The track was designed by internationally known motorcycle racing school operator, designer, and author ("Features of Race Track Design") Ed Bargy.

Jason Pridmore's Star Motorcycle School transport showed up to introduce their program which will make appearances here, Streets of Willow, Thunderhill, High Plains Raceway, and Oregon Raceway Park. For this year, the Star Motorcycle schedule will be at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway more than at any other venue ... one might say CVR is it's home track! Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This connection to racing motorcycles is no accident, the President of CVR, Micky Grana, has been working to build and run a first class racing facility for about 15 years and this dream and drive came from his love of having talented drivers pilot sophisticated two-wheeled vehicles in very fast competition on curvy roads ... safely. It is a passion that comes through every aspect of CVR including the black and yellow roll curb that is at every turn on the track, one that can be run in either the traditional clockwise as well as counterclockwise operation safely because of the design and execution of the track build.

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway Upon Completion (ctrl-click image to enlarge) - Scanned Image From Media Guide: CVR (2010)

Over the next 18 to 24 months, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway plans to develop into a complex that will have two more operational tracks. Track No. 2 can be combined with Track No. 1 to form a long track of 4.3 miles, making it one of the largest single road course racing and testing track available outside of Road America (14 turns at 4.048 miles) at Elkheart Lake Wisconsin ... pretty ambitious. Track No. 3 is in a preliminary design specification to be a stand-alone road course that is 2.2 miles long.

Ralt RT5 Super Vee once campaigned by Roger Penske in the early 1980's. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Since one of the corporate officers is a pilot, CFO Matt Johnson has done some investigation into the prospect of holding airship races around the complex ... after all, there is an airport (Desert Center Airport [L64]) right next door that has a 50 foot wide runway that is 4,200 feet long. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the rental of the small space to put up the large air filled pylons for the airships to guide on for the racing course is minimal. The Red Bull Air Race World Championship event was discussed, along side the main pit-wall that separated the front straight from the paddock, by one of the owner/drivers of a vintage open-wheel formula car (A Ralt RT5 Super Vee once campaigned by Roger Penske) and Matt Johnson. It turns out that this owner/driver was a competitor in the Red Bull "challenge" and felt that CVR would make a perfect venue, in that, it would be one of the few courses that would be run on dry land - most are run on courses set up in large ocean harbors (Perth, AU / San Diego, CA, USA).

Maserati MC12 Stradale parked on the paddock at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

The business end of a Maserati MC12 Stradale pictured here with Doug Magnon getting ready to take the course at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway [ctrl-click to launch video impressions taken around the track]. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

One of the cars that was attracted to the event, and garnered the most attention, was an extremely rare Maserati MC12 Stradale of which only 50 street legal models were produced and of those ... only two have ever made it to North America. The very proud and capable owner of this beautiful and rare piece of automotive performance art, Douglas Magnon, just happens to be the President of the Riverside International Automotive Museum (RIAM) which houses one of the largest collections of Maserati automobiles anywhere. As the RIAM site puts it - "RIAM's MC12 is the centerpiece of its 28 example Maserati Collection, one of the most complete assemblages of production Maseratis in North America ... Supercars, racing cars, and a couple of Maseratis!"

Lunch offered some of the best BBQ sandwiches, served up from several lengthwise-cut 55 gallon drum BBQ pits, to be had this side of Kansas City. Big T's BBQ (an operation run by Tony), the on-site caterer, chief, and evening security guard contractee, had chicken and pulled pork open-faced sandwiches with a side of beans and potato salad ready by noon and all of the participants gathered in the paddock tent area. The talk about the nuances of driving (or riding) Track No. 1 filled the air as the moist and tender BBQ was raved about between bites.

SolFocus solar cell collector array. A solar energy collector farm will be installed upon which CVR will get its power. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

It turns out that CVR will contribute to the electric power grid here in Riverside County. Those in the paddock tent area were treated to a short presentation by SolFocus about how the CVR facility was to be powered . A farm of high-tech solar panels are to be put in place that will generate enough power to where CVR's needs will amount to only a fraction of what will be produced allowing CVR to sell the rest to the County of Riverside to distribute as the County sees fit.

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway will be run as a membership operation where memberships in the race track will be similar to a membership in a golf course. Memberships are designed to give members additional privileges and unlimited access to the facilities. Better race track amenities equate to more exclusive membership. Monthly membership rates will vary depending on amenities and CVR memberships are available for individuals, families, or corporations.

Maserati MC12 Stradale running down the straight between turns #3 and #4 before the nice double apex of #'s 4 & 5 at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. What a beautiful racing venue. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

As this author first wrote to his Facebook page wall after arriving back in the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area for the balance of this excellent desert springtime weekend - "Just came back from spending an incredible day at the debut of a race track located near Desert Center on out the 10 ... halfway between Indio and Blythe. What a perfect track, day, cars, and group of attendees!

The track is called the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and most motorsports enthusiasts will hear about this 2.68 mile dedicated road course (with a mini corkscrew feature and a long banked turn) before the year is out. Motorcycle clubs are already all over this place but it is a grand automobile venue as well."

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, Douglas Magnon, Ed Bargy, Maserati MC12 Stradale, Micky Grana, Red Bull Air Race World Championship, RIAM, Riverside International Automotive Museum, The EDJE