IICS Eleventh Round #EdmontonIndy Tweet-By-Tweet

 As cars were still in the process of finishing the race, Penske's Helio Castroneves celebrates his second win of the season ... Spiderman-Style. Image Credit: Sportsnet.ca


IICS Eleventh Round #EdmontonIndy Tweet-By-Tweet

Ryan Hunter-Reay's hot streak continued yesterday during Firestone Fast Six qualifications as the American edged Dario Franchitti by one one-hundredth of a second for pole at the Edmonton City Centre Raceway. However, because the Andretti Autosport driver will incur a 10-spot grid penalty for an engine change, Hunter-Reay will start 11th, with Franchitti leading the field to the green flag.

"It was great we picked up a championship point for the pole, but too bad we will be starting 11th instead of first because of the engine change," said Ryan Hunter-Reay after qualifications. "[The race] will be really interesting for everyone."

Ryan Briscoe, Takuma Sato, Alex Tagliani, and Helio Castroneves completed the Firestone Fast Six, while championship contenders Will Power and Scott Dixon were caught by a brief rain storm during round two, which kept them making the Fast Six round. Power will start P17, while Dixon will grid in 18th position after he too incurred a 10-spot grid penalty for changing an engine.

The following entries about the Honda Indy Toronto come from “Tweet Deck” tweet-by-tweet with added comments from the author:

Edmund Jenks @TheEDJE

Pivotal #EdmontonIndy may prove P2P strategy key to winningexaminer.com/article /pivota… via@examinercom #indycar #dw12 #p2p#chevrolet #honda

Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe lead the field into turn one at the start of the Edmonton Indy. Image Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - This will be the last color of race control flag being waved the rest of the race!

The action of this 2012 #EdmontonIndy got going quickly as Dario Franchitti led off the initial start while Ryan Briscoe, who shared the front row, began falling back and dropped to fifth. Alex Tagliani, who started fourth, made an aggressive move to second and eventually took the lead from Franchitti as the field completed the first lap.

The first stint ran without incident with the only drama occurring on lap 13 as James Hinchcliffe missed his braking point in the final hairpin when he tried to pass Simon Pagenaud for 10th. He ran wide in the corner and fell to 13th. Will Power broke loose somewhat on corner exit and slightly brushed the wall - no major effect.

LAP20 of 75 - Top Ten - Tagliani, Franchitti, Sato, Castroneves, Briscoe, Rahal, Barrichello, Wilson, Hunter-Reay, and Pagenaud

LAP23 of 75 - Pitstops begin - Will Power overtakes Pagenaud for P10

LAP25 has Rahal, Wilson, Pagenaud, Newgarden, Kimball and more in for fuel and a change of tires - Briscoe and Power stay out - Castroneves, who started the race on black tires, changed to REDS during his first stop

The two Penske Racing drivers come in on LAP26 and Will Power comes out just ahead in contention on Turn #1 of Ryan Hunter-Reay to begin LAP27

LAP30 of 75 - Top Ten - Tagliani, Helio, Dario, TAKU, Briscoe, Rahal, Power, Kanaan, RHR, and Wilson

We pick up the addition of Tweet-By-Tweet commentary on LAP35:

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Takuma Sato finally gets past Dario Franchitti! Move him to third place.

#IndyCar #EdmontonIndy

Dominique Gelineau @dgelineau
Sato overtakes Franchitti - Sato now in 3rd. #edmontonindy

Rebecca F. @hermione278
Nice job by Sato! #EdmontonIndy

Meesh Beer @whatimthinking
GO TAKU GO!! #indycar #edmontonindy

Matt Archuleta @indy44
The P2P has definitely improved the racing today. Can't remember seeing this much passing at Edmonton. #EdmontonIndy

TCGR @TCGRTeams
Lap 38 @dariofranchitti reporting overtake assist is not working #edmontonindy

LAP38 of 75 - Top 10 - Tagliani, Castroneves, Sato, Briscoe, Rahal, Power, Hunter-Reay, Wilson, and Hinchcliffe

Team Barracuda - BHA @BHA
Great to hear so many messages of support from the fans! Tagliani continues to lead at #EdmontonIndy!

The gap between Briscoe and Power is getting smaller ... may catch up and gain positions

Matt Archuleta @indy44
Lap 42 and no yellows. I hope I didn't jinx it by posting that. #EdmontonIndy

Rebecca F. @hermione278
Servia still has all of his P2P left. #EdmontonIndy

Ted Bauer @tedgbauer
Engine wise here how it looks only Ford in the top 5 is 2nd place - rest are Honda Engines. #edmontonindy

WHAT??

Dale Coyne Racing's James Jakes as he gets overtaken by an animated Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay. Image Credit: IICS

James Jakes @JamesJakes
JJ experiencing problems with the left rear. In the pits for the crew to exam. #EdmontonIndy #indycar2012

LAP45 of 75 - Power only .5 sec. behind Briscoe now ... passes Briscoe for position to P6 and now set sights on Rahal who is less than 2 seconds ahead

Keyrazy LEDs @KeyrazyLEDs
So Servia is the only driver that has not used ptp yet at the @IndyCar #Edmontonindy race. Pagenaud has almost used his up!

LAP 48 of 75 - Servia is in P21 and Pagenaud is in P11

CogitoErgoBibo @CogitoErgoBibo
Amazing that we're still caution-free in #edmontonindy Hope that holds. Great racing!

Rebecca F. @hermione278
Sato gaining on Helio. #EdmontonIndy

Final pitstops expected soon as we are on LAP49 of 75

Helio Castroneves is in the pits on LAP50 - REDS on in order to finish out the last stint - Wilson in as well!

LAP51 Taku, Tags, Dario, Briscoe, RHR, and more

Castroneves passes Tagliani on pitstop exchange for the lead

Power comes out in P4 in front of Rahal and more importantly ahead of RHR at P7

LAP55 of 75 - Top 10 - Helio, Tagliani, Sato, Power, Rahal, Dario, Briscoe, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, and Wilson

Takuma Sato puts a pass on Tagliani for P2

Meesh Beer @whatimthinking
@therossbynum if anyone is insane enough to try it, it's Taku!! #indycar #edmontonindy

Sébastien Bourdais @BourdaisOnTrack
http://twitvid.com/RDDOK - Second pitstop // Deuxième pitstop #edmontonindy

Joe @WFOJoe
I'd like to see #IndyCar add 150hp for next year, good racing but the cars need to be faster! #Boost

Will Power passes Tagliani for P3 on LAP57 - Tags blocks Rahal but does not get away with it - spins and loses positions to P5

IndyCar al día @indycaraldiaweb
Alex Tagliani perdió hasta el 5to lugar, lo han pasado Power y Rahal. Gran estrategia del australiano #IndyCar

LAP 59 of 75 - Helio pulls away from Taku by 1.2 seconds

LAP 60 of 75 - Top 10 - Helio, Sato, Power, Rahal, Tags, Dario, Briscoe, RHR, Wilson, and Dixon

LAP 61 of 75 - Sato is cutting into the lap times of Helio and looks stronger and wants the lead of the race - He looks to be dropping deeper into the corners than Helio

Dan Brodeur @LumberingD
Good one! RT @SUNdvandiest As long as Helio Castroneves doesn't block anybody, he should be able to win this race. #edmontonindy

Shane Rogers @shagers
Bobby Rahal: "Helio starts blocking when he picks up his rental car from the airport." LOL. #indycar #EdmontonIndy

Top 5 DW12's are running on the REDS

Dominique Gelineau @dgelineau
Sato will have the pass in the next few laps. He's getting quicker. #edmontonindy

Rebecca F. @hermione278
Newgarden is the last car on the lead lap. #EdmontonIndy

Zachary Houghton @indycaradvocate
Honda vs Chevy. Who's got this? #edmontonindy

Gina Navarra @fastlifeofgina
I really wanna see Taku win especially after what happened at the #Indy500 #EdmontonIndy #IndyCar

Ten laps to go and it is still Castroneves and Sato for the lead with NO YELLOW Flags!

Rahal in P4 is challenging Power for position at P3 at .6 seconds back

Sarah Quest @leadtheway
I know I'm supposed to be cheering for the Rebel Alliance, but I want to see Helio win.... #EdmontonIndy

Victor Vallee @Victor_Vallee
Sato is hungry, but does he have enough to get by Helio? #IndyCar

Ian Court @iancourtracing
C'mon Taku, nail him #SatoForTheWin #Indycar #edmontonindy

Larry Collester Sr
With just a few laps to go. Castroneves was pushing his Push to not get passed button!

Gina Navarra @fastlifeofgina
Do either Helio or Taku have any P2P left? #EdmontonIndy #IndyCar

The biggest problem with P2P is that there is little way for the fans to know where the drivers are in relation to this tool and its use

LAP70 of 75 - It is still Helio holding off Sato - Power being challenged by Rahal for P3 - and RHR challenging Ryan Briscoe for P7

Racing all over the place on this weird counter-clockwise course - Lapped traffic may come into play

TrackVids.com @TrackVids_com
#IndyCar: Sato having difficulty getting the power down and falls back, then catches up under braking...every lap

LAP71 of 75 - Power has pulled a full second on Rahal - Servia at P24 pulls out of the way of the lead pack traffic - very professional

This may end up good for Helio, good for Power and, of course, Great for Penske

Shane Rogers @shagers
Championship quality drive by Power today. #indycar #EdmontonIndy

Three laps to go - RHR passes Ryan Briscoe for P7

Richard Griffis @RichardGriffis
Is there anything dumber in racing than push to pass used by #indycar at #edmontonindy? Please let the drivers drive without the gimics!

Castroneves has 27 seconds of P2P whereas Sato only has 15 seconds

Tony Stack @TonyStack1
Come on Tacu Sato great racing to the flag #IndyCar

Javi Martin @rubiodj77
2 laps to go, todo sugue igual en el TOP 5 liderando Castroneves #IndyCar

RacingNation Crew @RacingNation
Just think how good this battle would be between @h3lio & Sato if they had 200 more HP? #edmontonindy #IndyCar

Last lap it is all Helio Castroneves and Sato trails 10 car lengths

CHECKERED Flag - Helio Wins #EdmontonIndy and moves up to P2 in the points championship

Final Top Ten - Helio Castroneves, Takuma Sato, Will Power (makes podium after starting in P17), Graham Rahal, Alex Tagliani, Dario Franchitti Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ryan Briscoe, Justin Wilson, and Scott Dixon

Tony DiZinno @tonydizinno
That sound you hear is the collective groan from the #IndyCar fanbase as Taku finishes second.

Emma Buxton @EmBuxton
🏁#edmontonindyy!@h3lioo takes the win,@TakumaSatoRacerr &@12WillPowerr on podium.#indycar20122 WOOOOO HOOOO

Fernando Oliveri @olivierirokao
@h3lio wins! #IndyCar

Gabriel Marinho @marinho_gabriel
elio castroneves vence o gp d edmonton, a 11ª etapa da #formulaindy 2012; sato é o 2º, power 3º, barrichello o 15º e kannan 19º. #indycar

Linda @greenfield7814
Great race for Power and Sato #Indycar

Kassia @KassiaS10
@h3lio is the winner! Woohoo in your face! #indycar

Bruno Santos @_snatos
Parabéns ao @h3lio na #IndyCar

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Checkered flag on the #edmontonindy! @h3lio takes the win! @TakumaSatoRacer & @12WillPower on podium. #indycar2012

Jennifer Coomer @jennifercoomer
@h3lio HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! HELIO! #edmontonindy #IndyCar

"Spiderman" Castroneves climbs the fence again as he did at the end of the first race of the season in St. Petersburg after his first win of the season. At the time of this expression of joy for his win, cars were still crossing the finish line to take the Checkered Flag. Image Credit: IICS via Twitter


1 Racing Mind @1RacingMind
Helio Castroneves wins the #INDYCAR series #EdmontonIndy.


Joan Boscà @sentoan
#IndyCar Ganó Castroneves, 2º Sato, 3º Power, Oriol último con problemas #IndyCar

Dan Takyi @D4NT4KY1
Castoneves wins! Sato P2, Power then Rahal, Tagliani, Frnachetti, Hunter-Reay, Briscoe, Wilson, Dixon, Conway Hinchcliffe, Kimball #Indycar

Basementball @basementball
Helio Castroneves wins at #Edmonton. That was a fantastic race with NO CAUTIONS. I wish every race could be like that. #IndyCar

Mazza @GPtee_
#edmontonindy #indycar2012 Great race - thanks for the action @TakumaSatoRacer & @h3lio now for the Spiderman ;-)

Jason Sharpe @jasonsharpe
That @TakumaSatoRacer is an awesome addition to this series...great drive today. #IndyCar #edmonton

SpeedFreaks @SpeedFreaks
Caution free @IndyCar race won by @h3lio... #EdmontonIndy Excellent run by @TakumaSatoRacer too! #IndyCar

Nikki Thompson @nikki_btcc
Great drive @h3lio! #IndyCar #EdmontonIndy

Four Chevy's (P1, P3, P7, P8) and six Honda's (P2, P4, P5, P6, P9, P10) in the top ten

SWO @Pudgey_Pete
@shagers Radio broadcast had it covered at least. T&S was great today with the P2P numbers and who was on it. @RBINDYCAR #indycar

Mark Johnson @MarkJ19960
@h3lio wins @ Edmonton and @RyanHunterReay holds onto a 23 pt lead over now P2 Castroneves & 26 over P3 Power. #IndyCar pic.twitter.com/y9QpLNnw

Podium celebration with (L to R) P3 RLL Racing's Takuma Sato, P1 Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves, and P3 Penske Racing's Will Power at Edmonton City Centre Raceway. Image Credit: IICS via Twitter

Official #EdmontonIndy Results

Pos.     Driver             Laps     Running / Reason Out

1     Helio Castroneves     75     Running
2     Takuma Sato         75     Running
3     Will Power         75     Running
4     Graham Rahal         75     Running
5     Alex Tagliani         75     Running

6     Dario Franchitti     75     Running
7     Ryan Hunter-Reay     75     Running
8     Ryan Briscoe         75     Running
9     Justin Wilson         75     Running
10     Scott Dixon         75     Running

11     Mike Conway         75     Running
12     James Hinchcliffe     75     Running
13     Rubens Barrichello     75     Running
14     Marco Andretti         75     Running
15     Sebastien Bourdais     75     Running

16     EJ Viso         75     Running
17     Josef Newgarden     75     Running
18     Tony Kanaan         75     Running
19     Charlie Kimball     75     Running
20     Simon Pagenaud         74     Contact

21     JR Hildebrand         74     Running
22     Ed Carpenter         74     Running
23     Simona de Silvestro     73     Running
24     Oriol Servia         65     Mechanical
25     James Jakes         43     Mechanical

In two weeks, the IZOD IndyCar Series is back in the Midwest for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The twelfth race of the season will take place on Sunday, August 5. An estimated green flag for the 85-lap competition is scheduled to drop at approximately 1 p.m. EDT. Fans can watch the live broadcast on ABC, or listen live on IMS Radio Network and Sirius (XM 94 and Sirius 212).

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as IICS Eleventh Round #EdmontonIndy Tweet-By-Tweet on Technorati **

Pivotal #EdmontonIndy May Prove P2P Strategy Key To Winning

Edmonton Indy race start last year - The secret to the IndyCar engine’s success is how its twin turbochargers boost performance and throttle response. With the ability to reach 12,000 rpm, the power plant is the highest-revving direct injection engine in current racing competition. Image Credit: Edmonton Indy (2011)

Pivotal #EdmontonIndy May Prove P2P Strategy Key To Winning

Going into the 11th race in a shortened 15 race season, the driver’s championship is as competitive as ever. Ryan Hunter-Reay has vaulted into first place after winning three straight races, while the Franchitti, who won his fourth drivers’ championship in 2011, has struggled. He’s in eighth spot, 13 points ahead of Briscoe.

The last two years ended in disappointment for the Penske driver, Will Power, who ended up in P2 on the last race of the season, and up until he lost his left front tire to a Josef Newgarden weakened broken wing section that came off and caused a puncture, he looked as though he would be able to retain the points lead built upon with three season wins of his own.

Last year, Will Power was behind Dario Franchitti and needing a win to get back into contention after loosing points in Toronto. This year, Power is pretty much in the same position but this time his chief rival is Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay who is ahead by 34 points by winning on two ovals and one road course. The Achilles heel for Penske and Will Power in securing a championship has always been ovals. Edmonton represents a must win situation as it did last year for Will Power but all things are not the same.

First off, we find ourselves in the infancy of the DW12 era with new engines. It appears that this new chassis outfitted with the Chevrolet engine, performs a little better than the Honda engine under racing conditions. Of the top five drivers in the points chase, four of the five are powered by Chevrolet engines (P1 – Ryan Hunter-Reay, P2 – Will Power, P3 – Helio Castroneves, P5 – James Hinchcliffe). The only Honda to spoil the “bowtie” party for the championship is Scott Dixon in P5.

Secondly, the IZOD IndyCar Series has decided to add another wrinkle into the mix for Street/Road courses – of which four of the last five races are to be contested. This driver controlled element to performance is called Push-to-Pass or P2P. These new engines are outfitted with a turbo-charger which boosts additional power through compression to the engine and the P2P gives each driver additional boost controlled by a button on the steering wheel for a total of 100 seconds.

Rexall Edmonton Indy Speedway - Edmonton City Centre Airport IndyCar race track configuration detail - pre-2011 in yellow / 2011 configuration in blue [ctrl-click image for "A virtual lap of the Edmonton Indy" video]. Image Credit: GrabBagSports.com (2011)

The reason P2P is very important to a driver’s strategy at Edmonton is because of the unique character of the new layout introduced just last year (so the contending drivers have seen the track before). The track is a 2.25 mile temporary road course set up on an airport runway/tarmac in Edmonton.

The course is unusual in that it tracks counter-clockwise and features 13 turns, a nasty hairpin turn that separates two long straights made from a landing/takeoff runway, and another slightly curved straight that dives into another situation similar to ” Turn 3″ at the end of the only high speed straight in Toronto.
Turn 1 out of the pits and at the end of the long straight past the Start/Finish line (the longest of the new layout). The corner is an unusual left hand power turn (120%) that leads to a speed section with a slight right-hand kink at Turn 2 and a high-speed left/right jig at turns 3 and 4.

The second kinked straight ends at Turn 5 in another hard left-hand turn (curved 180%) that tracks through a curvy section that was used in the previous layout.

Lastly, starting at turns 10 and 11, a long 150 mph straight made from a landing/takeoff runway that ends in a nasty hairpin at turn 13 that starts the process over again with the longest straight (3/4th of a mile – nearly 200 mph) in this course.

Whoever has the best strategy to manage and where to engage the 100 seconds of P2P just may end up having the advantage on this course.

Again, turns #1, #5, and #13 are pivotal to the fortunes (or lack thereof) of these teams and drivers and the  Edmonton Indy is uniquely situated in the season, with just 5 races left, to set the tone to the end – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Grand Prix of Baltimore, and the season finale at Auto Club Speedway.

… notes from The EDJE

Event Information:

Edmonton Indy, Edmonton, AB, City Centre Raceway, Knockout Qualifications, ending with the Firestone Fast Six – 2:00 to 3:15PM ET Sat. July 21, Race Coverage – 11:00AM to 4:00PM ET Sun. July 22 on NBC Sports

LA Auto Show Announces A Debut Event Of 40+ Vehicles

All electric Cadillac Converj concept on display at the 2011 LA Auto Show. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)  

LA Auto Show Announces A Debut Event Of 40+ Vehicles

The Los Angeles Auto Show announced today July 12, 2012 that more than 40 vehicles are anticipated to debut at the Show during the 2012 Press Days, held Nov. 28-29.

With four and a half months until the Show (beginning with Press Days - Nov. 28-29), it is noteworthy that at least 20 world debuts have already been confirmed by automakers. This breaking news, as well as other automotive trends, will be unveiled to a global audience consisting of media from more than 50 countries.

The debut lineup this year also promises a compelling mix of the hottest trends and cutting-edge innovations driving today's resurgent automotive industry, including world firsts from Chevrolet as well as European automakers such as BMW, Fiat and Volkswagen. Los Angeles attendees will also see global unveiling previews of new designs from Asian brands, including models from Acura, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan and Toyota.

The all natural gas-powered 2012 Honda Accord Green Car of the Year for 2012. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)


Green and alternative fuel technologies represented by types powered through fuel hybrid and all-electric vehicles, will be featured in several world debuts at the Show. There also will be an increasing number of high-mileage internal combustion vehicles, including clean diesel, on display.

Additionally, several automakers will unveil emerging technologies that are dramatically changing the modern driving experience and making it safer.

These technology-laden vehicles will share the media spotlight with a well-represented lineup of luxury and performance models underscoring the L.A. region's status as the largest market for these segments in the country. Of the 40 debuts slated, at least a dozen will come from these two categories, including unveilings from the likes of Acura, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.

As stated by Andy Fuzesi, general manager, L.A. Auto Show - "As the first major North American show of the season, L.A. sets the tone for 2013 and we expect that automakers will pull out all the stops to excite new-car buyers. In virtually every category from the greenest electric vehicle to high-horsepower performance models, the technological advancements we are seeing today eclipse all previous automotive eras."

With California established as a global center for alternative fuel and advanced technology innovations, it should come as no surprise that the L.A. Auto Show will be a prime venue for breaking news on all the latest developments. The entirely new Automotive Technology Showcase, presented by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, is a Press Days expo designed to connect automotive technology companies with automakers, media, analysts, and other potential customers and partners. It will serve as a one-stop dedicated showcase covering advancements such as digital speech recognition, accident avoidance technology, navigation systems, real-time traffic data and solutions designed to mitigate distracted driving concerns.

Supporting the Showcase will be an expanded Ride and Drive called the Green & Advanced Technology Ride and Drive. This Press Days' event will include both "green" vehicles as well as those featuring in-car advancements such as automatic park assist, radar-based object detection systems and driver assist technologies. The Show's "green" credibility is further sustained with the Green Car Journal's annual Green Car of the Year® and Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year awards.

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as LA Auto Show Announces A Debut Event Of 40+ Vehicles on Technorati **

Push To Pass Gives 100 Seconds And Excitement At Honda Indy Toronto

Crystal trophy to be presented to the IZOD IndyCar Series Honda Indy Toronto Champion. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks via Twitter

Push To Pass Gives 100 Seconds And Excitement At Honda Indy Toronto

Push-to-Pass (P2P) will be re-introduced as a tool for the drivers to use in today's race in the streets around Exhibition Place in Toronto ON, Canada.

The Honda Indy Toronto will have a different version from the one that was introduced by the ChampCar World Series (CCWS) through the Panoz DP01 where a driver could push a button on the steering wheel and get 10 seconds of extra boost delivered to the turbo-powered engine. The driver's were limited to only ten 10-second boosts on the P2P for a total of 100 seconds.

The version that will be used on the DW12's on the 11 turn 1.75 mile track in Toronto will allow the driver to use as much of their 100 second allotment whenever, and however they choose.

If Takuma Sato, for example, wishes to employ the 100 second boost all at one push, all he has to do is keep the button down. Most drivers feel that P2P is best used as a tool saved for the final third of the race but this is not a guarantee of advantage. If the driver to be overtaken also saved his allotment of P2P, all he has to do is push-to-defend and the advantage is neutralized.

In a report at SPEED TV, Helio Castroneves shared another idea on how P2P should be modified to make it more exciting to the on-track action.

"We can see the revs increasing on the computer, but you don't feel it in the car," said Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, who echoed the comments of numerous IndyCar pilots. "It's about two-tenths [of a second] on lap time. The good thing is, Push-to-Pass is back again. But maybe we should plan ahead, especially when we have a two-week break to the next race at Edmonton."

At the behest of the engine manufacturers, the series has re-introduced the system with a modest and measured increase in power, but it's likely the power the button delivers will grow before the end of the season.

For now, and with such a soft increase in performance, Castroneves would like to see a unique anti-Push-to-Pass safeguard system established.

"Maybe we can do something like a delay, so if one guy presses the button, the guy in front or behind him cannot react right away," he suggested. "Then you can make a proper overtake. If I push my button, and the guy I'm chasing then pushes his button, you get nothing out of it. The bottom line is yes, this is for us as drivers, but it's also for the fans. If we can use the button to cancel each other out, maybe we should think about not letting that happen so easy."
[ht: SPEED TV]

Photo of Andretti Autosport - Ryan Hunter-Reay's steering wheel - At present, the Overtake button will not provide the rush of acceleration some where hoping for, but the series will likely tweak its impact in the coming races. Green "Overtake" button on upper-right. Image Credit: Marshall Pruett

The following entries about the Honda Indy Toronto come from “Tweet Deck” tweet-by-tweet with added comments from the author:

Jordan Irvine @IrvineF1
#HondaIndy atmosphere and paddock is just fantastic! What a day so far, and the race hasn't even started yet!!! #Indycar

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Happy Race Day! Catch us on @ABC & TSN2 (Canada) @ 12:30pm ET! Look out for these hot spots at #hondaindy: indycar.com/News/2012/07-J… #indycar2012

Dale Coyne Racing @DaleCoyneRacing
If you see him around the track today, be sure to wish Dale Coyne a #HappyBirthday! #indycar #HondaIndy


GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - The Honda Indy Toronto with P2P begins!

Mouser Racing Team @MouserIndy
Toronto is green! Best of luck to @TonyKanaan and @kvracing! #GoMouser11 #IndyCar

Dario jumps to the front over Will Power - all cars get through the first turns side-by-side then settle into a single file.

Matthew Day @matthewnotmatt
Time for some #Indycar - maybe @dariofranchitti can save some pride for us Brits and win at Toronto

Marcoteers Andretti© @Marcoteers
@FollowAndretti cars are @RyanHunterReay p6 @Hinchtown p16 and @MarcoAndretti p21 #HondaIndy #Toronto #IndyCar2012

Justin Wilson gets past Will Power for a couple of laps ... Power grabs the position back before Franchitti gets to far away.

Jeff Cunningham @Cowboy_Witch
This just in: Will Power is pretty good at Toronto. But you probably already knew that. #hondaindy #IndyCar

Power passes Franchitti for the lead on LAP 6

Deke Weinberg @Deke15
Chilly Willy with the lead! #hondaindy #IndyCar

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Car No. 9 stopped in the runoff in Turn 1. #hondaindy #indycar2012

F1 Fanatic Live @f1fanaticlive
Dixon has stopped. #IndyCar

This is big because Dixon was third in points and one of the biggest threats to Will Power maintaining his potential lead - engine broke and oil is spilling out

Simona de Silvestro has pitted and it is not known why ... except she is in a Lotus

Tony DiZinno @tonydizinno
Since it's not listed on T&S, those on reds: Dario, Will, Justin, Seb, Dixon, Helio, Conway, Hinch, Jakes #HondaIndy #IndyCar

Kent Barber @Thummper08
Who ever said that Team Lotus couldn't finish higher in a race than a Ganassi ?? #IndyCar

F1 Fanatic Live @f1fanaticlive
Hinchcliffe and Kanaan made contact at turn four. #Indycar

Great in-car camera work - the cars solider on


LAP 12 - Viso in for REDS - stays on lead lap

IndyCar al día @indycaraldiaweb
Ernesto Viso se va a los pits en la vuelta 12. Tiene llantas negras #IndyCar

1 Racing Mind @1RacingMind
Grid position penalty means another confusing event ahead defining differences in driver qualifying results and grid position. #INDYCAR

More pit stops - Briscoe in for REDS

LAP 16 - Will Power tries to check out with a 3.3 second lead on Dario Franchitti

Tagliani in for REDS and fuel

Ryan Brothers @renegade_3
#IndyCar Will Power dominating #Toronto100 #hondaindy on lap17 Franchitti 2nd Wilson 3rd. Tight/skinny street circuit in Toronto

IndyCar Garage @IndyCarGarage
Hinch into the pits at lap 18 - still green #INDYCAR


LAP 18 - Sebastien Bourdais gest around Justin Wilson for P3

LAP 19 - Graham Rahal leaves no room for Charlie Kimball and Kimball is in the tires - backs out and continues


LAP 20 - Top 10 are as follows: Power, Franchitti, SeaBass, Conway (up from P16), RHR, Helio, Rahal, Sato, JR Hildebrand, and Newgarden

Ricardo Arcuri @FaleComCarioca
ow, o Graham Rahal tb nao foi la muito correto nesse lance viu.... #Indycar

Matthew Embury @MattEmbury
Ton of defensive blocking from Graham Rahal there, not a cool move on his own teammate. #indycar

Tony Kanaan is issued a drive through penalty for hitting a tire in the pits on previous pit stop


YELLOW Flag - LAP 22 - Rahal locks tires up and hits the wall - PITS Closed

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Full course yellow. Car 38 of Graham Rahal in the wall at exit of Turn 1. #hondaindy #indycar2012

Race Control: Car #11 has a walk of shame penalty for trying to stick a fifth tyre on his car. #IndyCar

Joshua Rogers @Joshua_Rogers
Is it safe to say that Graham Rahal is the Steve Wallace of #Indycar?

Sal'im McNeill @Salim1luv
Absolutely love the car design, and real racing#indycar

Top 7 cars have not pitted - this may leave Simon Pagenaud in a good position

Pit Lane is open - Dario Franchitti pits first - fuel buckeye gets stuck and gives hime a long pit stop

Tagliani replaces nose piece during pit stop

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
10-Franchitti needed to have his car jacked up and moved closer to pit wall in order to get fuel. That's gonna hurt him. #IndyCar #HondaIndy


 RESTART - GREEN Flag - LAP 29

KV Racing Technology @kvracing
Kanaan moves from 10th to 3rd at the restart!! Barrichello to 6th and Viso 12th #HondaIndy #Indycar2012

LAP 32 - Top 10 - Pagenaud, RHR, Kanaan, Briscoe, Sato, Barrichello, Wilson, Kimball, Servia, and Newgarden

Matt White @MattW1986
Hmmm, cheering for 2 Frenchmen in a series full of brits #indycar

Ashley Noelle @AshNoeModel
Watching #F1 on Fox and #IndyCar racing on ABC from my balcony over the ocean in San Diego.. Today is a good day ❤🏁☀ http://t.co/gr5QjFP

Niko @icthyes
Pagenaud is bossing it #IndyCar

Indy Racing Review @INDYracereview
@simonpagenaud has a 3.42 seconds lead over @RyanHunterReay #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Race with Insulin @racewithinsulin
Charlie makes a pass to reach 7th position on lap 35. #HondaIndy #IndyCar2012

Kai @AndersFinn
Stinks that Dario had that fuel buckeye issue in pit, but happy to see Pagenaud leading. #Indycar

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Lap 35 update: Pagenaud leading, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Briscoe, Sato follow. #hondaindy #indycar2012

If the race would end with this order, Ryan Hunter-Reay would lead Will Power by 16 points by securing P2 over a P11 finish for Power

Hinchtown officially out of the race - broken engine - bowed out from a P4 position on the track

Niko @icthyes
Massive shame for @Hinchtown #IndyCar

LAP 41 of 85 - Race leader Pagenaud last pitted on LAP 14 - 29 laps on tires and fuel

Lewis Franck @LewisFranck
Got to consider the caution laps produced better mileage when making this next pit stop. @hondaindy #IndyCar

Cambyland @MarkCLynch
A little more yellow and those 7 will only have to stop once more. #Indycar

Martin Pinnau @martinpinnau
Why is Simon Pagenaud listed as a rookie? I remember watching him in Champ Car. #indycar

The merger betweem CCWS and the IRL did not account for a break for those drivers that were unable to make it through the transition - Simon Pagenaud went on to become a American Le Mans Series Champion driving along with teamate/co-driver Gil de Ferran in Gil's last competitive racing season

Great action with Josef Newgarden pulling a nifty move on Oriol Servia for P9 from P10

LAP 49 of 85 - Pagenaud comes in and may have a little problem with the car coming down on the air hose - awaiting to see if he gets a penalty

Power passes Sato in Turn 1 - for P7 and Bourdais gets past Sato as well

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Kanaan on pit road, scuffed reds for him. #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Sato is the main target as Conway passes him with a slick move

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Lap 57 update: Top 5 -- Hunter-Reay, Wilson, Kimball, Newgarden, Power. #hondaindy #indycar2012

Power in the pits ... EJ Viso pulls in and he is out of the race with engine problems

LAP 58 of 85 - Will Power gets contact with Newgarden and has a flat front tire - possible damaged front wing but puts off change to stay on lead lap

DZ @HalfShaftBlues
Did I just hear someone honking a clown horn when RHR hit his pit? #IndyCar

Kashvinder Mann @kashwinner
Power's wing broke, which cut the tyre. How did that got damage in the first place? #IndyCar

Kev @ElusiveKev
Looks like Hunter-Reay really likes this leading thing lately. #hondaindy #indycar2012

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Power comes out 20th, while Ryan Hunter-Reay leads Tony Kanaan by six-tenths of a second. New points leader on the way? #IndyCar #HondaIndy

LAP 60 of 85 - Top 10 - RHR, Kanaan, Pagenaud, Kimball, Wilson, Briscoe, Newgarden, Barrichello, Bourdais, and Servia

nascarcasm @nascarcasm
Roger Penske has just put Hornish on a plane to Toronto to fix Will Power's front wing. Just for the hell of it. #IndyCar #hondaindy

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
77-Pagenaud and 83-Kimball going at it hard for third place! #IndyCar #HondaIndy

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Big movers: Kanaan P2 (from 17th), Kimball P4 (from 13th), Newgarden P7 (from 20th), Barrichello P8 (from 18th). #hondaindy #indycar2012

Colby Martin @Goblowsoup
So saying no to Road America and Michigan is not what I wanted to hear. Phoenix sounds good, but replace Detroit with RA please. #IndyCar

F1 Fanatic Live @f1fanaticlive
Third-placed Pagenaud has Kimball, Wilson, Briscoe and Newgarden on his tail tryingto pass. #IndyCar

James Jakes @JamesJakes
20 laps to go. JJ holding P17 PR #HondaIndy #IndyCar2012

Jacob Kraemer @StewCrew14
Pagenaud is in the way and holding up 4 other cars. Kimball is all up in his wing. #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Jeff Cunningham @Cowboy_Witch
@armond_ealey There's so much racing going on that I sometimes have trouble keeping up. #NASCAR #F1 #IndyCar #GrandAm #ALMS

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Car 18 of Justin Wilson hits wall on front stretch. #hondaindy #indycar2012

PRN Motorsport Mag @prnmag
@justin_wilson out of race, engine problems #HondaIndy

17 Laps to go - RHR leads by 5.5 seconds over Kanaan, Pagenaud, Kimball, Briscoe, Newgarden, Barrichello, Bourdais, Servia, and Castroneves - Power is running in P19 and may loose the points lead today

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Wilson has retired due to suspension damage from contact with wall on frontstretch. #hondaindy #indycar2012

Indy Pro Sports @ProIndy
15 to go! We're predicting another win for @RyanHunterReay. RT if you're thinking the same! #hondaindy #indycar2012

Kimball passes two cars in one move on the end of back straight corner - now up to P2 - not bad for being fueled on insulin

AJ @ajslideways
That move by Charlie Kimball was siiiiiiiick. #IndyCar

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Pagenaud goes to the inside of Kanaan, locks up. Kimball sneaks by on the inside line. Heads-up pass by the American! #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Shane Rogers @shagers
You were looking at Kimball, but Newgarden's move on Briscoe was Balls with a capital B. #indycar #hondaindy

Peter Leung @BaronVonClutch
What Diabetes? @charliekimball is a Hella Better Driver. He's up to P2 now. #IndyCar

Ten laps to go and its RHR by 7.6 seconds over Kimball, Pagenaud, Newgarden, Briscoe, Barrichello, Bourdais, Servia, Conway, and Kanaan

Cecilia Rodgers @CeciliaRodgers3
#HondaIndy I truly enjoy this goo.gl/xUAya?FLt1eJ

Fake Charlie Whiting @charlie_whiting
Fantastic. @charliekimball and @racewithinsulin in P2!!!! Team is pumped. Now bring her home, lad. #IndyCar

Newgarden gets BLOCKED and pays the price as he goes into the tires

YELLOW Flag - Newgarden stalls out and this will bunch up the pack - SFR not happy with Sam Schmidt/Hamilton Racing's Pagenaud ... should be a penalty on Simon

Kim Wilson @daisy2gal
I didn't know @SarahFisher knew how to say that word! Not that I blame her! #IndyCar

Tim Blum @dbsdad
Newgarden is, of course, one word. But not to auto correct. #Indycar

Indy Racing Review @INDYracereview
Full course caution for @josefnewgarden into the tires. #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Joaquín Candia @_chudox_
Bandera amarilla, faltan 5, cagó la ventaja de Hunter-Reay, va a estar buena esa relargada cuando falten 3 #IndyCar

Daniel Gazquez Tapia @dangaztap
Sato es 14º #IndyCar y Newgarden 18º

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Five laps to go. BIG RESTART COMING. #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Eric Hamme @NegativeVORP
That might be the first recorded profanity of Sarah Fisher ever. #indycar #hondaindy

ZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Newgarden has continued. #hondaindy #indycar2012

Keyrazy LEDs @KeyrazyLEDs
Pagenaud should get a penalty! @IndyCar @hondaindy #HondaIndy

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN, Restart - LAP 82 - Carnage to Bourdais, Ryan Briscoe, Barrichello, & Franchitti

Pagenaud serves penalty

Ron @rrush59
Was Dario driving with his eyes closed ? WTF ! #HondaIndy

repT.O @repTdotO
Shit just went kray!!! #HondaIndy

James Jakes @JamesJakes
Full course yellow. So much just happened but JJ did a great job avoiding it! Currently P8! PR #HondaIndy #IndyCar2012

SCCGR & NNCGR @CGRTeams
Back to yellow with only 3 laps to go at #hondaindy. @racewithinsulin holds P2.

RACE ENDS under YELLOW Flag

Ryan Hunter-Reay gets his third win in a row here in the middle of the season - up 34 points for the championship over Will Power

Jozef Colomy @JozefColomy
Damnnn 3 in a row? Go @RyanHunterReay #IndyCar

Dayna Winslette @UCTaillights
Three in a row for @RyanHunterReay AND takes over the points lead! WOW!!! #IndyCar

F1 Fanatic Live @f1fanaticlive
Hunter-Reay leads home Kimball, Conway, Kanaan, Servia, Castroneves, Hildebrand, Jakes, Sato and Tagliani. #IndyCar

Daniel Gazquez Tapia @dangaztap
Que gran carrera de #IndyCar se ha perdido @Javigarv Oriol Servia finalmente 5º !!

IndyCar al día @indycaraldiaweb
Ryan Hunter-Reay gana el Honda Indy Toronto 2012. Tercera consecutiva del año, nuevo líder del puntaje #IndyCar

Tammy_Madsen @tamiramadsen
Really, #IndyCar? Finish under yellow? Change that rule!

Andy Young @AndyYoungF1
That's a Ryan Hunter-Reay Hat-Trick!! #Indycar

Matt Soleyn @soleynm
#Breaking: Ryan Hunter-Reay wins the #HondaIndy in #Toronto, giving him three straight IZOD #IndyCar wins!

Jenna Fryer @JennaFryer
Second race in a row that ends under yellow. Just feels so flat to me. #IndyCar

Hunter Gunnell @HunterGunnell
#indycar Congratulations RHR!

Christopher Estrada @estradawriting
Tony Kanaan finishes fourth, Oriol Servia comes up fifth. #IndyCar #HondaIndy

Austin @Zappatista
At least the idiots didn't ruin the class of the field. Hunter-Reay with a well deserved win. #IndyCar

Chris Cunningham @CunninghamCE
How about absolutely not? RT @rsanchez4577: @JennaFryer How bout some G W C #IndyCar

TCGR @TCGRTeams
Checkered flag @dariofranchitti p17 @scottdixon9 p25 @hondaindy #IndyCar2012

Fox Sports 1230 WMML @WMML1230
RT @IndyCar: Race ends under yellow. @RyanHunterReay wins third in a row! Kimball and Conway on podium! #hondaindy #indycar2012

Blayne Pereira @Blaynos14
Well most of it was pretty dull, but glad I woke up for the frantic end to the #IndyCar race

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Incident on the restart, several cars involved. Among them Pagenaud, Carpenter, Briscoe. Back to yellow. #hondaindy #indycar2012

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Race ends under yellow. @RyanHunterReay wins third in a row! Kimball and Conway on podium! #hondaindy #indycar2012

Ben Turner @BLT77
Looks like AJ's car will get a podium. I guess that means Supertex won't throw any laptops today or beat on a car with a hammer #indycar

Joaquín Candia @_chudox_
Ganó Hunter-Reay en Toronto, había ganado la última en Iowa también #2AlHilo #IndyCar

Antoine L. @TonioF1
Hunter-Reay wins the race at Toronto #IndyCar

John Haywood @JHay97
Congrats to @RyanHunterReay and @FollowAndretti on the win!!! 3 in a row!! #Epic #IndyCar

Dustin Long @dustinlong
#IndyCar …Ryan Hunter-Reay wins Toronto for 3rd victory in a row. ABC says he'll have take points lead & have a 34-point lead on Will Power.

Peter Leung @BaronVonClutch
.@RyanHunterReay takes the chequered Flag! 'Make sure you wave to the fans!' Mitch Davis tells RHR. #IndyCar @FollowAndretti

Covsupport News Serv @CovsupportNews
Great drive Mike Conway #indycar

AJFoytRacing @AJFoytRacing
YES @Mikeconwayindy !! what a run! Way to go!#hondaindy #indycar

Matt White @MattW1986
Actually, not a bad top 3 #indycar

IZOD IndyCar Series @IndyCar
Race ends under yellow. @RyanHunterReay wins third in a row! Kimball and Conway on podium! #hondaindy #indycar2012

ENDS

Following his final service stop with 30 laps remaining in the Honda Indy Toronto, Ryan Hunter-Reay was enjoying his Sunday drive on the Exhibition Place street circuit. Hunter-Reay, in the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda car, inherited the lead on Lap 57 when JR Hildebrand pitted and upped his margin over Tony Kanaan from .6040 of a second to 4.0794 seconds in the matter of five laps on the 1.75-mile, 11-turn course. Charlie Kimball replaced Kanaan as the protagonist on Lap 72, but the challenger didn't matter. Hunter-Reay pulled away by 7.6 seconds with 10 laps left and -- staying ahead of restart pileups in Turns 1 and 3 with three laps left -- went on to his third consecutive victory. Caption and Image Credit: IICS

An American driver leads in the points for the first time in ... forever! Hats off to Andertti Autosport and Ryan Hunter-Reay for completing a "hat-trick" with three mid-season wins in a row to pull into the points lead for the IICS championship over Will Power.

In the post-race interview, Sebastien Bourdais claims that Charlie Kimball does not deserve to be on the podium because it was Kimball that took Bourdais out of the race with poor driving.

Push-to-Pass had an effect on the race but not as many imagined. Some of the best passing moves on the track happened when those using the P2P came in too hot into a corner and leaving the apex open for following cars to sneak through. Charlie Kimball's pass on two cars was just such a pass.

Unofficial Results - Honda Indy Toronto

Pos.     Driver     Laps     Running / Reason Out
1     Ryan Hunter-Reay     85     Running
2     Charlie Kimball     85     Running
3     Mike Conway     85     Running

4     Tony Kanaan     85     Running
5     Oriol Servia     85     Running
6     Helio Castroneves     85     Running
7     JR Hildebrand     85     Running
8     James Jakes     85     Running
9     Takuma Sato     85     Running
10     Alex Tagliani     85     Running

11     Rubens Barrichello     85     Running
12     Simon Pagenaud     85     Running
13     Josef Newgarden     84     Running
14     Sebastien Bourdais     84     Running
15     Will Power     84     Running

16     Marco Andretti     84     Running
17     Dario Franchitti     84     Running
18     Ryan Briscoe     84     Running
19     Ed Carpenter     84     Running
20     EJ Viso     81     Running

21     Justin Wilson     67     Contact
22     James Hinchcliffe     28     Mechanical
23     Graham Rahal     23     Contact
24     Simona de Silvestro     9     Mechanical
25     Scott Dixon     7     Mechanical

Five more races remain on the schedule - four road/street courses and one super speedway oval - Edmonton Indy, Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Grand Prix of Baltimore, and the season finale at Auto Club Speedway.

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as Push To Pass Gives 100 Seconds And Excitement At Honda Indy Toronto on Technorati **

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This excerpted and edited from Cincinnati.com -

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Event title: Honda Indy Toronto

Location: Streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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

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

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

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

Broadcast Information

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

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

... notes from The EDJE


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

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Qualifications Explored And Explained

Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay take the win for a second oval race in a row. Penske Racing's Will Power retains the overall points lead after this ninth race which saw a high level of attrition. Image Credit: IICS

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Qualifications Explored And Explained

Tuned in to catch up on the #IOWA250 and this is what could be found on the average Twitter asset portal:

Breakthrough Racing @breakthruracing Aw, hell’s bells! RT @SSMIndy: We are officially in a holding pattern here at@iowaspeedway for the #Iowa250 due to a heavy rain shower.

Linda @greenfield7814Hope the rain stops quickly and we see a safe race #Iowa250 #Indycar

So, while we wait, this might be a good time to review how this group of 25 DW12′s powered with Chevy, Honda, and one lowly Lotus engine found themselves to be lined up in this order on the grid.

The IZOD IndyCar Series wanted to try something out to bring some excitement to the fans during qualifications on a small oval track like the one in Newton, Iowa represents … a banked 7/8th of a mile kidney-bean shaped oval. What the series management came up with was something that translated to be like the “Knock-Out” format that results in a “Firestone Fast Six” competition to set the first three rows of cars to start the race.
—-
Angie King @angiewarholWhatever the opposite of a rain dance is! RT @BHA: Looking for ideas to pass the time… anyone have suggestions?#Iowa250 #Indycar
—-
Here is the actual edited explanation from IZOD IndyCar Series issued yesterday before the Practice 2 session and the Heat Races:

Lap times from the second 45-minute Practice 2 session will set the qualification groups for the three heat races. The heat races of 30 laps each will set the starting lineup for the 250-lap race under the lights June 23 (Ganassi Racing’s Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan and KV Racing Technology Racing teammate E.J. Viso will incur 10-grid spot penalties for unapproved engine changes – Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt/Hamilton Racing was later added to the list). Honda requested the engine change following the initial practice.

Heat Race 1 will consist of the even-numbered positions, starting with the 10th-quickest practice time overall, and determine the even-numbered positions in the starting field from 10th down.

Heat Race 2 will consist of the odd-numbered positions, starting with the ninth-quickest practice time overall, and determine the odd-numbered positions in the starting field from ninth down.

Heat Race 3 will consist of drivers ranked one through eight by the practice times registered in Practice 2 session. Results of Race 3 will determine the first four rows, with the winner taking the pole position.
—-
Team Barracuda – BHA @BHANot a bad idea! RT @JorgGrayChile: How about time the jetdryers around the track with a Jorg Gray watch? #iowa250
—-
Ash (アシュー) @racingAshReady to enjoy Saturday night, short track #IndyCar racing at@iowaspeedway on @NBCSN! First up, yesterday’s heat races. #IndyCar#Iowa250
—-
The top 1 through 8 positions are kind of like the Firestone Fast Six without any of that pesky “real-time” build up and transfer process found in “KnockOut” qualifying found on closed road/street courses.

This might have been really, really cool sounding in the executive offices of the IICS (or where-ever), but from afar, like fans in Los Angeles for example, this has them wishing to have dinner a little early just so they can miss Heat Race #3 in protest.

These West Coasters may have missed out on Practice #2 held hours earlier in the afternoon on Friday, a general session where the top 8 competitors were settled. The suspicion is that the fans out West may still have been at work.

The Heat Races (and Practice #2) were not televised or streamed so if one wanted to get a sense as to what happened, it was back to the less than dependable IMS Radio feed (tough to find a back-up) and the Timing and Scoring panel found at RaceControl.IndyCar.Com.
—-
ICFanVillage @ICFanVillageThe LIVE @NBCSports Pre-Race Broadcasts starts at 8pm in the@ICFanVillage with guests@RyanHunterReay and@justin_wilson! #Iowa250
—-
HinchOnTrack @hinchontrack -@iowaspeedway #iowa250@Hinchtown Severe thunderstorms have shut down on track activity…race fans stand by! Race supposed to start at 9…
—-
In qualifying, it looks as though:

1 -The core of all the Heat Races were set by the speeds registered during the Practice #2 session.

2 – All of the drivers that are challenging Will Power for the series points lead except for Pagenaud and Kanaan made it into the top 8 (first four rows) final Heat race tonight.

3 – The best that Kanaan will be able to qualify will be for P19 … he currently sits at P15 / The best that Pagenaud will be able to qualify will be for P9 … he currently sits at P21. These two drivers will have to out pace Barrichello, Tagliani, & Wilson to improve on their “odd-numbered” grid position. Kanaan won’t start higher than 19th because of a 10-grid spot penalty imposed for an unapproved engine change on the No. 11 GEICO/Mouser Electronics KV Racing Technology Racing car.

“I won this race starting from 15th,” Kanaan countered on a positive note.

4 – As far as the “even-numbered” grid positions are concerned – Rahal, who currently sits at P10 will be able to do no better than P20 if he is able to maintain his position. Rahal and Viso (P14) will incur 10-grid spot penalties for engine change-outs. Newgarden, Hildebrand, and Servia are the drivers expected to battle for P10.

This looks like one of these situations that one has to be in attendance in order to get into the full effect of this “Heat Race” grid battle. This has the feel that the excitement is already over because the top 8 positions have been filled … during a practice session which was probably missed by those who cared most about the importance it meant to the qualifications process – one hyphenated word … ANTI-CLIMATIC!

Christopher Estrada @estradawritingRAIN. Again. Grrr… #IndyCar #Iowa250

And ANTI-CLIMATIC this process was – Heat Race #1 everyone kept their station except toward the end of the 30 lap Heat, EJ Viso lost one position. This did not really matter to the grid because Viso wass on the list of engine change penalties.

Heat Race #1 Results – 30 LAPS:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda 9m00.6441s
2. Josef Newgarden Fisher DW12-Honda + 6.2134s
3. JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevy + 6.5594s
4. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevy + 7.4531s
5. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR DW12-Chevy + 8.3586s
6. Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda + 10.8144s
7. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevy + 13.4036s
8. Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda + 18.5671s

Alexandra Prud @La_Lales -If the rain let us to race today… My pick for #IndyCar #Iowa250 is: 1.Andretti 2.Franchitti 3.Briscoe. Happy Sunday Night!

Heat Race #2 may have been a little more exciting if this were not for the fact that this Heat also had leading drivers that were to have a grid penalty assessed to them as well. Nice to see Kanaan do the best he could – Pagenaud has a poorly set up car but these DW12′s will be at the back tonight (or tomorrow) anyway.

Heat Race #2 Results – 30 LAPS:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevy 8m59.4932s
2. Alex Tagliani Herta DW12-Honda + 3.1255s
3. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevy + 6.0818s
4. Justin Wilson Coyne DW12-Honda + 7.9310s
5. Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda + 10.0818s
6. Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Chevy + 13.7490s
7. James Jakes Coyne DW12-Honda + 14.0032s
8. Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus + 1 lap
9. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt DW12-Honda + 1 lap

TrueCarRacing @TrueCarRacingGetting corny here at the@iowaspeedway #Iowa250 waiting through the rain delay @IndyCar@emckone pic.twitter.com/sTNsfpnR (photo below)

Heat Race #3 did show the fan a little something since Marco Andretti, who started the race in P1 due to his fastest speed during the afternoon’s Practice #2 session, was passed on the outside twice – once by Dario Franchitti on LAP #8 and then by Helio Castroneves on LAP #16 of the 30 lap race.

Dario captured the pole position and the valuable point. This was a second best result for points leading Will Power since Dario is not the driver that poses the greatest threat at this time. If Hinchcliffe or Dixon got the extra point, this would bring either driver that much closer to start the second half of this 2012 IICS season.

Heat Race #3 Results – 30 LAPS:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda 9m16.9203s
2. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevy + 1.4671s
3. Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevy + 5.1884s
4. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevy + 5.9813s
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevy + 6.5813s
6. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevy + 7.3542s
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevy + 7.8433s
8. Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda + 9.2963s

Jane Ward Hamilton @jwardh Rain at #Iowa250 Meanwhile, back in Ohio it’s time to move the sprinklers.#Drought We need redistribution of rain.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Starting Order:

1. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda
2. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevy
3. Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevy
4. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevy
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevy
6. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevy
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevy
8. Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda

9. Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevy*
10. Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda*
11. Alex Tagliani Herta DW12-Honda
12. Josef Newgarden Fisher DW12-Honda
13. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevy
14. JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevy
15. Justin Wilson Coyne DW12-Honda
16. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevy*
17. Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda
18. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR DW12-Chevy
19. Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Chevy
20. Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda
21. James Jakes Coyne DW12-Honda
22. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevy
23. Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus
24. Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda
25. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt DW12-Honda*
* Will take 10-place engine change penalty before start
(ht: autosport.com)
—-
Michael Williamson @michaelw2000 “@curtcavin: .@michaelw2000 IndyCar runs first, then Lights. #indycar” Cool! Thanks!
—-
Motorsport @motor_racing -#irl #indycar IndyCar institutes starter camera (The Associated Press): NEWTON, Iowa (AP) The IndyCar Series is … yhoo.it/PS6M4N
—-
Harmonic Family @HarmonicFamily -track drying is complete, pre race about to begin #iowa250
—-
Andretti Autosport @FollowAndretti-As the track dries, the estimated green flag for the #Iowa250 is at 9:30PM local time.
—-
Edmund Jenks @TheEDJE - @TheEDJE Predicts a #DW12 Chevy will win#iowa250 Motorsports Unplugged Radio @rahalracing 620 WDAE – 7:15AM ET bit.ly/L1RBDu #indycar
—-
Edmund Jenks @TheEDJE-@TheEDJE predicts Hinchcliffe if no Penske #iowa250 Motorsports Unplugged Radio @rahalracing 620 WDAE – 7:15AM ET bit.ly/L1RBDu
—-

UPDATES To Follow …

Will Power Survives The Iowa Corn Indy 250

In a race that had mostly confusion mixed with anticipation before its rain delayed start due to and experiment to the qualifying process, Will Power escapes from a race that had the most attrition of any race, in this 2012 season, with the points lead.

Results - 250 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team/Car                     Time/Gap
 1.  Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti DW12-Chevy     1h43m39.3031s
 2.  Marco Andretti       Andretti DW12-Chevy         + 0.1103s
 3.  Tony Kanaan          KV DW12-Chevy               + 2.7245s
 4.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi DW12-Honda          + 3.0075s
 5.  Simon Pagenaud       Schmidt DW12-Honda          + 3.8468s
 6.  Helio Castroneves    Penske DW12-Chevy           + 5.3061s
 7.  Rubens Barrichello   KV DW12-Chevy               + 5.9890s
 8.  Ed Carpenter         Carpenter DW12-Chevy        + 6.9856s
 9.  Graham Rahal         Ganassi DW12-Honda          + 7.1607s
10.  Justin Wilson        Coyne DW12-Honda              + 1 lap
11.  Charlie Kimball      Ganassi DW12-Honda           + 2 laps
12.  Takuma Sato          Rahal DW12-Honda             + 3 laps
13.  James Jakes          Coyne DW12-Honda             + 5 laps
14.  Simona de Silvestro  HVM DW12-Lotus               + 6 laps

Retirements:

     Katherine Legge      Dragon DW12-Chevy            243 laps
     Alex Tagliani        Herta DW12-Honda             207 laps
     James Hinchcliffe    Andretti DW12-Chevy          195 laps
     Ryan Briscoe         Penske DW12-Chevy            178 laps
     Josef Newgarden      Fisher DW12-Honda            178 laps
     Mike Conway          Foyt DW12-Honda              123 laps
     Oriol Servia         Panther/DRR DW12-Chevy        98 laps
     JR Hildebrand        Panther DW12-Chevy            95 laps
     Will Power           Penske DW12-Chevy             67 laps
     EJ Viso              KV DW12-Chevy                 67 laps
     Dario Franchitti     Ganassi DW12-Honda             0 laps

Read MORE Here

… notes from The EDJE

Milwaukee IndyFest - Motorculture In Motion

Milwaukee IndyFest podium where two of the race promoter's drivers sit in positions P1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, and P3 - James Hinchcliffe. A driver who use to race for Andretti Autosport and now drives for KV Racing Technology, Tony Kanaan came in at P2. Image Credit: Andretti Autosport

Milwaukee IndyFest - Motorculture In Motion

The IZOD IndyCar race last weekend was an interesting study of motorculture in motion (as viewed in more ways than just the race).

Traditionally, the open-wheel race at the track known as the Milwaukee Mile was held as the first race after the Indianapolis 500. The race is run on the Wisconsin state fair grounds and it garnered excitement for this distinction and the fact that this intimate short track race was on a surface that was wide and flat and this helped to increase the visual nature of the competition for all who attended. Further, this was a good race for television, as long as there was 2 to 3-wide passing throughout the field. Homes and West Allis town streets could be seen in the background as the cars raced by at speeds up to 168 mph.

The Milwaukee Mile track is also known as America's Legendary Oval because it is the oldest, continuously used auto racing track in the world. It started as a horse track in 1876 and the first auto racing event was held on September 11, 1903.

This race had been dropped off of the schedule in 2008 and again for 2012 due to tepid fan and corporate support. The last few years put the future of an IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile on life support, that is, until Michael Andretti's marketing company took over to stage Milwaukee's IndyFest at the Mile on Father's Day Weekend.

On October 14, 2011, Michael Andretti announced the launch of Andretti Sports Marketing LLC. This new venture is the result of the business expansion strategy of INDYCAR team Andretti Autosport to provide turn-key marketing solutions for companies both within and outside of its sponsor base.
Andretti Sports Marketing's agenda leverages the considerable expertise of its staff in multiple sports marketing formats on behalf of corporate clients in all forms of sport as well as in professional motorsports where Andretti Autosport made its mark as one of North America's leading sports marketing properties.

Then on February 10, 2012, Andretti Sports Marketing Wisconsin announced that it will promote the Milwaukee IndyFest at the Milwaukee Mile, June 15 and 16. The Father's Day weekend festival will be headlined Saturday afternoon by an internationally televised IZOD IndyCar race and will also include many other events designed to create a memorable family holiday weekend at the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds.

"Andretti Sports Marketing is excited about promoting IndyFest at the Milwaukee Mile," said Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Sports Marketing, LLC, and a racer who visited Milwaukee's victory lane five times as a driver and three more times as a team owner ... at the time of the announcement. "It's a historic track in a great city, and it's a place that has always been a favorite for my family. I think I had my first pole here. I know Marco had his first pole here. My dad has had poles here. We've done a lot of races here. There was an all-Andretti podium here one year, in 1991, so we've done a lot of things here as a family," Andretti continued. "But, more importantly, it's an ideal track for Indy cars and always produces exciting racing for the fans."

As for the race itself, it was beset by a scheduling delay due to late spring rain that rolled through the area. ABC Sports did its best to keep the television crowd that had to endure a 90 minute delay but could not keep with the race to the end because of additional broadcast commitments.

The race was transferred to ESPN News which is not carried by all cable fed operations in their general cable programming packages so many fans were left with finishing the race online and IMS Radio through Timing & Scoring found at IndyCar.com.

The race could have been a bit more exciting if it had not devolved into a "pack-racing" affair but it was good to see the DW12 formula cars take to this type of legendary venue for the first time.

Other than the rain delay, one other race time decision by Race Control marred an otherwise spirited contest and that was a drive through penalty assessed on one of the race lead challengers from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing stable, Scott Dixon. His car was one of the most competitive out there and Scott knew it. The best explanation of the situation that ended up in a penalty came directly from the President of competition and the final authority for race control during a race, Beaux Barfield.

Basically, an assumption that the technology of the race clock and the video assets of the race for review were in synchronization ... which turned out NOT to be the case. The race clock was set at almost exactly the time it would take for a lap to be completed around the Milwaukee Mile. Scott Dixon was observed to be jumping a GREEN Flag re-start of the race but the start was waived off with a YELLOW Flag so technically, Scott Dixon did not actually jump the GREEN Flag re-start. This was discovered after the race and Beaux held a lengthy press conference with track reporters in order to make it clear exactly the level of technology aided human error that had happened - "That's Racin'!"

Overall, even with the rain delay, pack-racing due to more down-force and less power delivered in the approved set-ups on the DW12 chassis, and the Race Control error to Scott Dixon, the first Milwaukee IndyFest was a success over the previous IndyCar race in 2011 and looks to be a winner on the schedule in the years to come - thanks to Andretti Sports Marketing.

 This podium represents an almost "SWEEP" by the race promoter and IndyCar team ... Andretti Sports Marketing/Andretti Autosport - Tony Kanaan (P2) was once a winning driver at Andretti Autosport was joined by Ryan Hunter-Reay (P1) and James Hinchcliffe (P3). Image Credit: Marcus Hotels

This excerpted and edited from the Milwaukee IndyFest Post-Race News Conference Transcript - Discussion in 'IndyCar Headlines' started by John Kernan -

MILWAUKEE INDYFEST PRESENTED BY XYQ
MILWAUKEE MILE - JUNE 16, 2012

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, TEAM OWNER, NO. 28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET DRIVEN BY RYAN HUNTER-REAY:

TAKE US THROUGH YOUR FEELINGS RIGHT NOW WITH GETTING A WIN, FINISHING THIRD WITH JAMES (HINCHCLIFFE) AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT EVENT ALL AROUND: “Unbelievable, just incredible first of all. Thank you Milwaukee for coming out and supporting it. I think we had a great crowd [20,000] for the first shot out here. It’s something to build on and we are going to be back here next year and hopefully for a long time after that. We are excited about that and I think the whole Andretti sports marketing team did an incredible job and my hats off to those guys. We have a great team there as well as we have a great racing team. I think we showed that here coming out here and getting two cars on the podium. I’m really excited about that. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) did one heck of a job and so did the whole DHL/Sun Drop team just didn’t miss a beat. Pit stops were great, pit strategy was great and the car was really good. That was all good. James (Hinchcliffe) did a hell of a job just to hang in there and get himself on the podium for GoDaddy so that was awesome.”

FROM A TEAM OWNER STAND POINT TO KIND OF STEM THE HONDA TIDE THAT HAS BEEN GOING THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO GET ANOTHER VICTORY FOR CHEVY AND ALSO THE FACT THAT THE LAST TWO WEEKS IT’S BEEN NON PENSKE/GANASSI TEAMS THAT HAVE WON RACES HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT FOR THE SERIES? “I don’t know about the series but it’s good for us. We are one of them. Anytime you can beat those two you have done something. Those two organizations are total class organizations. They are the ones that set the bar. When you go out there and beat them that is great. I think it’s great for the series as you said to have other winners. I was really happy for Justin (Wilson) and the whole Dale Coin team last week. I’m glad we were able to come out and do this.”

MICHAEL, WHAT WERE YOUR FEELINGS COMING IN TODAY? RYAN, WHAT WAS THE TALK AMONGST THE OTHER GUYS ON THE TEAM? WAS THERE ADDITIONAL PRESSURE TO WIN BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR BOSS' RACE OR NOT? “Lot of extra pressure (laughter). No, I was feeling a lot of things. The first time at the event, so we had to focus on that. Then there was still the race. Honestly didn't know what to expect because it's an all-new package with the car and everything. We were cautiously optimistic. Until you get out there with everybody, you don't really know. After the first stint, I thought, You know what, we got a shot at winning this thing for sure. The guys did a great job calling the race, he did a great job driving it, great pit stops.”

DO YOU SEE MOMENTUM BUILDING IN TERMS OF GOING INTO IOWA? “I hope so. We have a great series. We have great drivers, great personalities. If you like racing, how do you not like what's been happening this year in all the races? It's been flat-out great racing. I think our product's great. That's important. Hopefully people are going to take notice. I think they're starting to more and more. Hopefully you guys will report a good show and hopefully create some more interest for us, as well.”

WHERE DOES THIS ONE RANK WIN-WISE COMPARED TO '91 (WHEN MICHAEL WON AT MILWAUKEE AS A DRIVER)? “You know, they're all special. Every win is special. When you're a driver, it's a different feeling as an owner. But it's special in a different way.

This one's special. To have Ryan go out and win our first race that we're promoting is huge. We had this sort of feeling back when we did the first race that we promoted back in St. Petersburg, we had a 1-2-3-4 finish there in St. Petersburg. People are probably starting to think these things are rigged (laughter). But those are things that will always go up there as being one of the special ones, and this one ranks right up there.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY, RACE WINNER – NO. 28 TEAM DHL/SUN DROP CITRUS SODA ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:

TAKE US THROUGH MAYBE YOUR EMOTIONS OF GETTING A WIN HERE AT YOUR BOSSES EVENT: “What a storyline it really is amazing. Milwaukee has been so important to IndyCar for so long and I think this is a huge event for Milwaukee. These two belong together. I really thank Michael (Andretti) for sticking his neck out coming back here and really doing it the right way. Andretti sports marketing if they are going to do it one way it’s definitely the right way. They have done a great job with this and hopefully this is the basis for years to come. We have laid the foundation now and hopefully many years to come and this will be a very successful event on the schedule. Getting the DHL/Sun Drop car though in DHL victory lane is quite a big deal for us. We are very happy about that.”

WHAT WAS THE LAST THIRD OF THIS RACE LIKE? IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ANYBODY HAD ANYTHING SERIOUS FOR YOU: “I didn’t really like the restarts I would rather just gone green, but you can’t always get your way. It was definitely tough work. You really had to look after the tires, know when you use them and know when not to. Michael (Andretti) really knows his way around this place and he was in my ears during the race and kind of coached me along. ‘Hey make sure you have those tires when you need them.’ That is what we did we saved them for when we needed them. We pounced we were right there ready to go when somebody slipped up and on the restarts we were aggressive. The guys did a great job in the pits. Really just a very strong day for Andretti Autosport overall, they just did such an amazing job. Those last few laps were a lot of fun just opening up the lead counting me down on the number of laps. I will tell you what though, 225 laps around here feels like a 500 mile race. It is a long race. It’s a short little place and it adds up quick. One thing I wanted to mention to was Happy Father’s Day to my dad he wasn’t able to be here. I want to dedicate this win to him for sure. He has done so much for me and my career he is the reason why I’m standing here.”

DO YOU SEE MOMENTUM BUILDING IN TERMS OF GOING INTO IOWA? “Yeah, absolutely. On the racing side, this is tough to beat. We've just been having great races. Big props to everybody involved in developing the car, to the engine manufacturers. It's been a lot of fun. But one thing I also forget is thanks to Go Daddy for an awesome site. It's pretty much the only site you need on your web browser. It's new, improved, awesome. Thank you, guys, for the support.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 11 GEICO/MOUSER ELECTRONICS KV RACING TECHNOLOGY CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND:

TALK ABOUT TODAY’S RACE: “It was kind of a long day for us. In the beginning of the race on the first stint I was just trying to manage the tires and to see how the track was after the rain. When it was time to go race after the second stop I felt that my car lost a little bit of speed and I didn’t know why. So I couldn’t save as much fuel. I could not run the lane the mixture because I was starting to lose a lot of positions. Those guys went three laps farther than I did. I was a little bit concerned about that. If the race had gone green which we had a long period of time of green flags I said ‘well we are hanging in here. I know this place well enough to the last year with 30 laps to go I put it in the wall so I said I will wait until the last stop and we will see what we can do.’ We got extremely a very good pit stop. A very good four or five out laps and I was able to gain a lot of positions and put myself in contention to be on the podium. Once I was there it was just a matter of trying to manage your position.

“For me it was a long day just because it’s very unlikely from me not to attack on restarts and I didn’t have anything for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) like I said I felt that the car was down like I didn’t have enough speed so I was actually defending myself on restarts which I realize I do not know how to do that. I did a very poor job on that. I decided that was one yellow to go. The last yellow I said you know what I’m going to go as fast as I can and I did. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) did a great job. I got a gap we had a lap car in between us which kind of got me. I lost those two precious seconds there and after that I knew it was over. Second place we will take it, it is my best result. We are building some points. I had two terrible races in the beginning of the season. The race before Brazil, I came to Brazil I was dead last in the championship. It was important. I’m happy for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) I think it is nice to see another team winning a part from the two we are used to seeing all the time. Michael (Andretti) did a great job by bringing this race back.”

ON COMING BACK TO MILWAUKEE NEXT YEAR: “I love this place. I always did. I was glad to see the fans, I was glad to see the infield with all this entertainment for the kids. I think every race should be like that because then if your kid wants to come you will come. I’m glad and I know Michael (Andretti) quite well and the people that work for him on the other side which is Scott Walsh which is the guy that does this event. They are very capable people and I was so glad that it was a very successful one. Having only a few months to put an event like this like Hinch said it’s remarkable. I by default I was catching a ride back to Indy with Michael and I did an appearance for free for him and people were extremely excited and I think Michael Andretti is still a big name in racing. Everybody that tried to organize this race up until now I think they were not successful because it was not that they couldn’t organize the race it was because they didn’t have the name that Michael has and the credibility that he does and what he brings to the sport. He said we are coming back and I’m extremely happy about that.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IOWA NEXT WEEKEND? “I don’t know about the heat races but I feel extremely confident. I knew the next two races which were here and Iowa those are places that I did quite well and places that suite me. I got to take advantage of that and I’m confident that we are going to be in contention there. It’s a shame what happened last weekend with us because we’ve been in contention to win a race. It’s like Hinch we’ve been knocking on the door and it looks like it never happens but to be able to win a race that is what you’ve got to do.”

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, NO. 27 TEAM GODADDY.COM ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET – FINISHED 3RD:

TODAY WAS OBVIOUSLY AN IMPORTANT DAY FOR YOU WITH THE PODIUM FINISH BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF POINTS MOVING INTO SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T START THE SEASON THINKING CHAMPIONSHIP ARE YOU THINKING IT NOW? “No, I think not thinking championship is what has gotten us to this point. If you had told me eight races into the season we would be second in the points I mean it just doesn’t add up it wouldn’t have made sense to me. I think that just shows how hard everybody at Andretti Autosport has been working. They don’t get the credit that the GoDaddy.com team guys deserve. Whether it has been road circuits, street circuits now superspeedways and short ovals we have been quick. Whether it has been qualifying trim, race trim and the results are showing. We are finishing races we are staying on lead laps and things like that. The consistency is really paying off. I’m happy to get back on the podium. I was kind of bummed that seven races in we had only had the one. So it’s nice to be back here especially with where we started and huge congrats to Tony (Kanaan) and especially Ryan (Hunter-Reay) he has been on a bit of a down streak so it’s been tough for him I know. It’s great to see him bounce back, especially at a race that an Andretti sort of brought back to life. It’s kind of a perfect day in a lot of ways.”
HOW SPECIAL IS THIS FOR THIS RACE TEAM? “I think the plane ride home with Michael will be a lot more pleasant than it was last week from Texas. It’s tremendous. He really put his neck on the line for this race. It is tough to get an event so late into the season. These guys I’ll tell you they have been working 24-7 since January to make this thing come off the way they have. You look around and I think they did a hell of job. The fans came out, the fans sat through a rain delay which is awesome and ultimately we went out and put on a good show again. That is why we all love coming to Milwaukee. The drivers love this place selfishly because it is so much fun to drive but it was really a good show so for Michael to pull off not only what I think is a successful event as a promoter to then have two cars on the podium as a race team owner it’s a good day to be Michael Andretti.”

WAS MICHAEL BEHAVING DIFFERENT BEFORE THE RACE THAN HE WOULD NORMALLY DO? “No, I don't think so. I mean, Michael has been a professional sportsman for a long time. The pressures I think of promoting an event are not dissimilar to the nerves you feel in the buildup to a race. If he was feeling nervous about how the event was going to turn out, he certainly didn't show it. With what you saw here today, I think he leaves here pretty happy on both fronts.”

CERTAINLY SOME GUYS WERE ABLE TO MAKE UP GROUND, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYBODY REALLY PASSED THE LEADER. IS THERE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE BETTER OR WAS IT JUST THAT THE GUYS WHO LED WERE THAT MUCH BETTER? “Clean air is king, especially at this place. It was difficult to follow other guys, especially on the restarts. If you were three, four, cars back, guys in front of you, it was sketchy. When you're in clean air, it's such an advantage. But the leader should have an advantage. He's up there for a reason. I'm for that. I don't think the leader should be handicapped by restarting in first.”
ENDS

Numbers to note following the Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ, the eighth of 16 events of the 2012 IZOD Indy Car Series season.

2 - Drivers to finish every race this season -- Ed Carpenter and Simon Pagenaud. ... Number of laps Pagenaud has failed to complete (1,061 of 1,063).

6 - Indy car wins for Ryan Hunter-Reay, the most by a current American-born Indy car driver. ... Different teams represented in the top 10 in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings.

12 - Different drivers to finish on the podium in the first eight races of 2012.

15 - Different drivers with at least one top-five finish in 2012.

16 - Positions gained by Oriol Servia en route to his fourth-place finish at Milwaukee, most of any driver in the field.

27 - Poles for Dario Franchitti, tying Al Unser for eighth on the all-time list.

31 - Points separating front-runner Will Power (274) and James Hinchcliffe (243) in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship standings.

84 - Laps led by Hunter-Reay. Most by any race winner this season.

108 - Points scored on ovals by James Hinchcliffe, who leads the A.J. Foyt Trophy standings.

189 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Tony Kanaan dating to the 2001 CART race in Portland.
(numbers ht: IICS)

... notes from The EDJE



** Article first published as Milwaukee IndyFest - Motorculture In Motion on Technorati **