Hinchcliffe Snatches Victory From Sato In Brazilian Thriller

James Hinchcliffe has secured his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory, after snatching the lead away from Takuma Sato at the final corner of the final lap in a thrilling 75-lap lap Sao Paulo Indy 300. The leading duo were followed home by Marco Andretti, who only just managed to defend his position from Josef Newgarden in the closing laps.

After storming to a sensational pole position by smashing the lap record, reigning Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay led the field into the tight Turn 1 at the start ahead of Dario Franchitti who managed to overtake E.J. Viso for 2nd position. As the opening lap progressed, the Venezuelan driver continued to fall through the order as local hero Tony Kanaan rose into 3rd position for KV Racing Technology.

Whilst one Brazilian driver battled at the front of the order, another caused the first of many full course cautions as Ana Beatriz stopped on the circuit at Turn 7 with a gearbox issue. During the yellow flag intervention, many drivers decided to pit for fresh tyres including Josef Newgarden who also elected for a new nose cone. After only two laps under caution, Ryan Hunter-Reay once again led the pack into Turn 1 as the race was resumed. A lap later saw Tony Kanaan overtake former team-mate Dario Franchitti for 2nd position, before then storming into the lead of the race after a superlative overtaking maneuver at Turn 11.

This naturally sent the many Brazilian fans into a state of euphoria as Tony Kanaan led his first laps around the streets of Sao Paulo, and his first overall since last season’s finale at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. On Lap 19, the second full course caution was caused when Will Power’s highly uncompetitive race was brought to a premature conclusion. After qualifying a lowly 22nd, the Australian driver was forced into a retirement after a fire broke out on his #12 Penske machine. This was the his first retirement on a street course since Toronto in 2011.

During the ensuring yellow flag period, the top 12 cars all elected to pit. After remaining out on track, Sebastien Bourdais and Alex Tagliani rose to the top, allowing the Frenchman to lead his first lap since Mexico City in 2007. The race was eventually resumed on Lap 24, as Bourdais led the field through the ever-tricky Turns 1 and 2. Local driver Helio Castroneves ran wide at Turn 1, as James Jakes hit the retaining tyre barrier at Turn 1. Whilst utter mayhem ensued, Ed Carpenter slammed into the wall at Turn 1 and Graham Rahal stopped on the track.

The safety car led 19 laps in what was an incident-filled race.

This naturally saw another momentary yellow flag period, before the race was resumed on Lap 27 with Sebastien Bourdais still in the lead. Josef Newgarden made minor contact with the leader through Turn 1, as Helio Castroneves was tipped into a spin at Turn 1 by Scott Dixon. Despite the numerous collisions throughout the pack, the race remained under green flag conditions as Bourdais led Newgarden. By Lap 34, the leading duo of Sebastien Bourdais and Josef Newgarden elected to pit, handing the lead down to Ryan Hunter-Reay.

However, the reigning Champion’s lead was short lived as Takuma Sato stormed around the Andretti Autosport driver at Turn 5. The Japanese ace then proceeded to open up a three second lead to Hunter-Reay, before Graham Rahal slammed into the wall at Turn 2 and caused another yellow flag delay. Under yellow flag conditions, Takuma Sato and JR Hildebrand pitted, allowing Ryan Hunter-Reay to assume the lead at the front. The race was resumed on Lap 40, only for a multi-car collision involving Sebastien Bourdais, JR Hildebrand, Helio Castroneves, Charlie Kimball and Simon Pagenaud to cause another full course caution.

The race resumed five laps later, this time with much more success as Tony Kanaan once again wowed the attending masses by storming back into the lead at Turn 11. However, the former Champion’s authority over proceedings was abruptly ended a lap later as Marco Andretti continued his rise through the order to the lead. Ryan Hunter-Reay’s hopes of victory were dashed on Lap 47, as he was forced to make an unscheduled pit-stop for a flat tyre,

After giving his local fans much to cheer about, Tony Kanaan’s race was brought to a frustratingly premature conclusion on Lap 51 as he stopped on the circuit. Due to his abrupt retirement on the start/finish straight, a full course caution was once again called upon as his car was cleared. Race leader Marco Andretti elected to pit along with many others, allowing JR Hildebrand to assume the lead. The 25-year-old Californian driver led at the restart, as behind him James Hinchcliffe and Takuma Sato battled for 2nd position.

Another full course caution was caused on Lap 56 as British driver Justin Wilson made heavy contact with the tyres at Turn 5. JR Hildebrand pitted under caution, allowing Takuma Sao to return to the lead. The former Formula 1 driver led at the restart, as Newgarden overtook Hinchcliffe for 2nd at Turn 1. As the race drew to a thrilling conclusion, the lead between Takuma Sato and Josef Newgarden ebbed and flowed, before the 22-year-old American lunged for the lead on Lap 71. Takuma Sato expertly defended his lead, as James Hinchcliffe overtook Newgarden for 2nd. The “Mayor of Hinchtown” gradually began to reel in Takuma Sato, as the white flag was flown to indicate the final lap of the race.

As Marco Andretti jostled for 3rd position with Josef Newgarden, James Hinchcliffe waited until the final corner before pouncing upon Takuma Sato for the lead. In a nail-biting finish, James Hinchcliffe managed to make his move stick and secure his second win of the season only +0.3463 seconds ahead of Takuma Sato. Marco Andretti held on to 3rd ahead of Josef Newgarden, in one of the most enthralling conclusions to an IZOD IndyCar event.

Despite winning the race, James Hinchcliffe is only 4th in the Championship with 112 points scored whereas Takuma Sao rises to the top of the Championship on 136 points ahead of Marco Andretti. The month of May is a special time in the IZOD IndyCar Series, and has begun with an utterly awe-inspiring race around the streets of Sao Paulo. Expect further fireworks when the sport reconvenes later this month, for the legendary Indianapolis 500.

Results - 95 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team/Car                         Time/Gap
 1.  James Hinchcliffe    Andretti Dallara-Chevy      2h09m34.7383s
 2.  Takuma Sato          Foyt Dallara-Honda              + 0.3463s
 3.  Marco Andretti       Andretti Dallara-Chevy          + 1.1376s
 4.  Oriol Servia         Panther DRR Dallara-Chevy       + 1.1745s
 5.  Josef Newgarden      Fisher Dallara-Honda            + 1.6516s
 6.  EJ Viso              Andretti Dallara-Chevy          + 2.8119s
 7.  Dario Franchitti     Ganassi Dallara-Honda           + 3.5961s
 8.  Simona de Silvestro  KV Dallara-Chevy                + 4.7772s
 9.  Simon Pagenaud       Schmidt Dallara-Honda           + 7.6331s
10.  Charlie Kimball      Ganassi Dallara-Honda           + 9.0265s
11.  Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti Dallara-Chevy          + 9.5135s
12.  Alex Tagliani        Herta Dallara-Honda            + 10.4393s
13.  Helio Castroneves    Penske Dallara-Chevy           + 11.1234s
14.  Sebastien Bourdais   Dragon Dallara-Chevy           + 13.6406s
15.  JR Hildebrand        Panther Dallara-Chevy          + 13.7377s
16.  Tristan Vautier      Schmidt Dallara-Honda          + 14.3517s
17.  James Jakes          Rahal Dallara-Honda            + 19.8585s
18.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi Dallara-Honda          + 29.4261s
19.  Sebastian Saavedra   Dragon Dallara-Chevy           + 54.7223s
20.  Justin Wilson        Coyne Dallara-Honda              + 2 laps
21.  Tony Kanaan          KV Dallara-Chevy                 + 3 laps
22.  Graham Rahal         Rahal Dallara-Honda              + 4 laps
23.  Ed Carpenter         Carpenter Dallara-Chevy          + 4 laps

Retirements:

     Will Power           Penske Dallara-Chevy              17 laps
     Ana Beatriz          Coyne Dallara-Honda                6 laps

Picture(s) Copyright © IndyCar

“Mayor Of Hinchtown” Secures Maiden IndyCar Victory At St. Pete

The man known by many as the “Mayor of Hinchtown”, James Hinchcliffe, secured his maiden IZOD IndyCar Series race victory in an enthralling season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Canadian ace finished ahead of 2012 race winner Helio Castroneves, with Marco Andretti 3rd for Andretti Autosport.

Will Power had secured pole position for the 110-lap race, and started the race alongside Japanese driver Takuma Sato. The second row of the grid consisted of “Swiss Miss” Simona de Silvestro, with eventual race winner James Hinchcliffe 4th alongside the KV Racing Technology driver. The race began under cloudy skies over the Streets of St. Petersburg, as Susie Wheldon got proceedings underway by waving the green flag at the start. Will Power led into the first corner, ahead of Takuma Sato as both James Hinchcliffe and Helio Castroneves got around Simona de Silvestro into Turn 1.

During the opening laps of the race, Will Power opened up a considerable lead to the A.J. Foyt Racing of Takuma Sato. By Lap 10, the Australian driver had opened up a four second lead to Sato, as Alex Tagliani became the first driver to make a scheduled pit stop on Lap 12. This sparked several other drivers to pit throughout the next few laps, including Simon Pagenaud, Justin Wilson and Scott Dixon.

Dario Franchitti’s car is cleared after his incident on Lap 19.

Four-time IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti suffered a disastrous start to his 2013 campaign, after the Target Chip Ganassi driver made contact with the wall at Turn 4 on Lap 19 and was forced into his first retirement in 67 races. This caused the first full course caution of the race, and allowed the leaders to pit under caution a lap later. Will Power won the race off of pit-road, as Takuma Sato dropped to 3rd behind Helio Castroneves. The race was resumed on Lap 26, as Helio Castroneves stormed around Will Power for the lead at Turn 2.

Further back down the order there was total carnage at Turn 9, as a multi-car incident involving Charlie Kimball, Ana Beatriz, JR Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter and Oriol Servia. Everyone except Ana Beatriz managed to resume racing, as the safety car was called upon once again for the second time. Simon Pagenaud pitted and was forced into retirement with a mechanical issue involving his exhaust system. The race was resumed on Lap 32, as Helio Castroneves led away at the front. James Hinchcliffe managed to overtake Will Power for 2nd position, and began to catch Castroneves for the lead.

On Lap 45 there was a third safety car period for debris in Turn 14, which allowed the leaders to pit under caution. Helio Castroneves won the race off of pit road ahead of Will Power and James Hinchcliffe, as Oriol Servia assumed the lead of the race after electing not to pit under caution. This saw the Spaniard lead his first laps of an IZOD IndyCar Series race since the 2011 Indianapolis 500, as Josef Newgarden became the next retirement of the race after suffering from a clutch issue. The race was eventually resumed on Lap 55, as Servia led at the front for Panther Racing.

Oriol Servia was finally forced to pit on Lap 62, allowing Helio Castroneves to resume his lead of the race. Servia frustratingly suffered a slow getaway from his pit-box, loosing himself valuable time in the process. Reigning Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay endured a frustrating start to his title defense, after a collision with Graham Rahal saw him suffer from a throttle issue towards the back of the pack. Series rookie Tristan Vautier retired from the race on Lap 69 with a mechanical issue, after initially starting the race from an impressive 6th.

A fourth full course caution was caused by Sebastian Saavedra on Lap 74, when the Colombian driver made a heavy impact with the tyre barriers at Turn 10. The leaders once again elected to pit under caution, as Castroneves retained his lead ahead of Hinchcliffe who overtook Power for 2nd. Whilst under safety car conditions, JR Hildebrand controversially collided with Will Power at Turn 9. The 25-year-old American driver was forced into retirement, whereas Will Power returned to the pits to repair his damage sustained in the incident.

On the restart, Helio Castroneves ran wide at Turn 1, allowing James Hinchcliffe to make a pivotal overtaking maneuver for the lead of the race. The Canadian sensation remained in the lead until the end, in doing so storming to his maiden IZOD IndyCar victory ahead of Helio Castroneves. On the penultimate lap the race Simona de Silvestro ran wide at Turn 14 and allowed both Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan through, with the former finishing 3rd.

The opening race of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season was an enthralling spectacle, with Andretti Autosport taking only their second victory around the Streets of St. Petersburg after the late Dan Wheldon’s victory at the inaugural running of the event back in 2005. The new season looks set to be another intriguing battle at the front, with several new faces set to surprise many in the races ahead.

Results - 110 laps:

Pos  Driver               Team/Car                        Time/Gap
 1.  James Hinchcliffe    Andretti Dallara-Chevy     2h22m12.5502s
 2.  Helio Castroneves    Penske Dallara-Chevy           + 1.0982s
 3.  Marco Andretti       Andretti Dallara-Chevy        + 16.3664s
 4.  Tony Kanaan          KV Dallara-Chevy              + 19.6083s
 5.  Scott Dixon          Ganassi Dallara-Honda         + 20.7627s
 6.  Simona de Silvestro  KV Dallara-Chevy              + 20.7890s
 7.  EJ Viso              Andretti Dallara-Chevy        + 20.8229s
 8.  Takuma Sato          Foyt Dallara-Honda            + 21.1878s
 9.  Justin Wilson        Coyne Dallara-Honda           + 21.6832s
10.  Alex Tagliani        Herta Dallara-Honda           + 22.5569s
11.  Sebastien Bourdais   Dragon Dallara-Chevy          + 22.7354s
12.  Charlie Kimball      Ganassi Dallara-Honda         + 24.5429s
13.  Graham Rahal         Rahal Dallara-Honda           + 37.5324s
14.  Ed Carpenter         Carpenter Dallara-Chevy       + 45.2054s
15.  James Jakes          Rahal Dallara-Honda           + 45.7793s
16.  Will Power           Penske Dallara-Chevy            + 3 laps
17.  Oriol Servia         Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy       + 6 laps

Retirements:

     Ryan Hunter-Reay     Andretti Dallara-Chevy           79 laps
     JR Hildebrand        Panther Dallara-Chevy            78 laps
     Sebastian Saavedra   Dragon Dallara-Chevy             72 laps
     Tristan Vautier      Schmidt Dallara-Honda            69 laps
     Ana Beatriz          Coyne Dallara-Honda              55 laps
     Josef Newgarden      Fisher Dallara-Honda             50 laps
     Simon Pagenaud       Schmidt Dallara-Honda            26 laps
     Dario Franchitti     Ganassi Dallara-Honda            18 laps

Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images