Three-Year Extension Confirmed For IndyCar At Barber
It has been announced that the IZOD IndyCar Series will continue to visit the wonderful Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama for the next three years, after a contract extension was reached between IndyCar CEO Jeff Belskus and ZOOM President and CEO Gene Hallman. The agreement was confirmed just several hours before the green flag last weekend.
Once again fans from all over the world attended the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama last weekend, including fans from all 50 states in the United States. These flocking petrol-heads contribute to an annual economic impact of $28 million, and have seen the event voted as the “Best Annual Event” and the “Best Sporting Event” by Birmingham Magazine in recent years. Despite being a relatively new addition to the IZOD IndyCar Series calendar, the Barber Motorsports Park has quickly become a fan favorite with the 2.38-mile circuit winding its way through picturesque green landscapes with the fans viewing the action from naturally wooded and grass-covered banks.
“We are pleased to have agreed to terms to continue the tradition of our fast and versatile racing at Barber Motorsports Park,” explained IndyCar CEO, Jeff Belskus. “Not only is Barber a terrific facility to showcase our close and exciting on-track product, it also gives IndyCar a strong presence in key southeastern markets to further help us grow our sport.”
Last weekend at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, reigning Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay ended Team Penske’s dominance at the Barber Motorsports Park with a superlative victory after a tough race which saw the Andretti Autosport driver battle alongside the likes of Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon. Prior to this year’s event, Team Penske had won each of the three races with Helio Castroneves and Will Power.
Team Penske will be striving to retain their dominance of the Alabama circuit throughout the next three races at the venue, as the IZOD IndyCar Series continues to return to the Barber Motorsports Park. Throughout recent years, the once oval-only Series has gradually added more street circuits and road courses, whilst loosing ovals such as Michigan, Homestead-Miami and Chicagoland.
Picture Copyright © Bret Kelly/IndyCar
Ryan Hunter-Reay Storms To Victory At Barber
Ryan Hunter-Reay stormed to an impressive victory at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, after starting the race from pole position alongside the Team Penske of Will Power. The American’s victory has seen him break the winning streak of Team Penske, who had beforehand won every single IZOD IndyCar Series event at the track.
At the start of the race Ryan Hunter-Reay stormed into the lead for Andretti Autosport, whereas behind him Will Power dropped back through the order after running wide through the opening two corners. This allowed both Tristan Vautier and Marco Andretti to progress into 2nd and 3rd place respectively, whereas further back Oriol Servia and Graham Rahal made contact at Turn 7. This in turn forced Servia to pit for a new nose cone, and saw the one and only full course caution caused for debris on the track.
Will Power runs wide at the start, loosing positions to Vautier and Andretti.
Under safety car conditions, James Hinchcliffe stopped at Turn 3 with a puncture on his left-rear tyre. Whilst the car was being towed back to the pits, the tyre in question fell off of the car and forced the Canadian driver into retirement. On Lap 7 the race was returned to green flag conditions, allowing reigning Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay to open up a lead to rookie Tristan Vautier in 2nd position. Further behind the leading duo, Charlie Kimball managed to overtake Marco Andretti for 3rd position. By Lap 17, Hunter-Reay had managed to open up a six second lead to Vautier, a gap which continued to increase to just over ten seconds by Lap 23.
On Lap 24, Tristan Vautier became the first of the leaders to pit for new tyres and fuel. The Frenchman was followed into the pits several laps later by Andretti, de Silvestro, Bourdais and race leader Hunter-Reay. Will Power managed to assume the lead as the Andretti Autosport driver pitted, before he too elected to pit several laps later. Ryan Hunter-Reay returned into the lead as the Australian driver pitted, ahead of the Team Penske driver of Helio Castroneves. The Brazilian driver gradually began to reel in the reigning Champion, working the gap down to +2.8027 seconds from +8.6324 seconds within seven laps.
However, Helio Castroneves was forced to pit on Lap 41, several laps before race leader Ryan Hunter-Reay pitted once again. Charlie Kimball therefore assumed the lead of the race, which saw the 28-year-old driver lead his first race laps since the Indianapolis 500 last season. The American driver’s glory at the front was short-lived, as he pitted on Lap 46 and handed the lead down to Will Power. Whilst pitting on Lap 43, Takuma Sato’s pit crew reported a gearbox issue on his #14 car.
Whilst Will Power continued to lead at the front, Helio Castroneves overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay for 2nd position at Turn 5. The Brazilian ace then proceeded to catch and overtake Will Power for the lead of the race, before opening up a considerable gap to his Australian team-mate. Will Power pitted on Lap 60, allowing Ryan Hunter-Reay to rise back into 2nd position behind Castroneves’s Team Penske machine. On Lap 67 the leading duo pitted together, however Helio Castroneves managed to win the race off of pit road.
Despite being unable to overtake Helio Castroneves in the pits, Ryan Hunter-Reay continued to hound the Brazilian driver and began to catch him as the race drew to a close. On Lap 76, Ryan Hunter-Reay stormed into the lead at Turn 5, eventually completing the move through Turn 6. Helio Castroneves’s hopes of securing his 22nd race victory were thoroughly depleted on Lap 77, as two-time Champion Scott Dixon overtook him for 2nd position. After snatching the lead away from Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay managed to hold off Scott Dixon to secure his 8th IZOD IndyCar Series victory and his first since Baltimore last season. Scott Dixon once again finished 2nd, which is where the Kiwi has finished in every event at Barber.
Although Helio Castroneves’s hopes of victory were dashed on Lap 76, the Brazilian driver has now taken the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with his second consecutive podium finish of the season. The 37-year-old his nine points ahead of Scott Dixon in the Championship, with reigning Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay 3rd in the Championship. The next round of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series will take place around the legendary streets of Long Beach in two weeks time.
Results - 90 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Dallara-Chevy 1h52m04.5450s
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi Dallara-Honda + 0.6363s
3. Helio Castroneves Penske Dallara-Chevy + 17.6821s
4. Charlie Kimball Ganassi Dallara-Honda + 20.6166s
5. Will Power Penske Dallara-Chevy + 26.6469s
6. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Dallara-Honda + 27.2995s
7. Marco Andretti Andretti Dallara-Chevy + 27.7175s
8. Justin Wilson Coyne Dallara-Honda + 30.5504s
9. Josef Newgarden Fisher Dallara-Honda + 41.1029s
10. Tristan Vautier Schmidt Dallara-Honda + 50.6449s
11. Alex Tagliani Herta Dallara-Honda + 58.0458s
12. EJ Viso Andretti Dallara-Chevy + 1m01.4334s
13. Tony Kanaan KV Dallara-Chevy + 1m01.6834s
14. Takuma Sato Foyt Dallara-Honda + 1m03.1151s
15. Oriol Servia Panther/DRR Dallara-Chevy + 1m03.1495s
16. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon Dallara-Chevy + 1m07.6880s
17. JR Hildebrand Panther Dallara-Chevy + 1m09.7447s
18. Simona de Silvestro KV Dallara-Chevy + 1m09.9130s
19. AJ Allmendinger Penske Dallara-Chevy + 1m11.0558s
20. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon Dallara-Chevy + 1m11.6523s
21. Graham Rahal Rahal Dallara-Honda + 1m14.0385s
22. Ed Carpenter Carpenter Dallara-Chevy + 1 lap
23. James Jakes Rahal Dallara-Honda + 4 laps
Retirements:
Ana Beatriz Coyne Dallara-Honda 65 laps
Dario Franchitti Ganassi Dallara-Honda 42 laps
James Hinchcliffe Andretti Dallara-Chevy 3 laps
Picture(s) Copyright © Shawn Gritzmacher & Chris Jones/IndyCar
Ana Beatriz To Remain With Dale Coyne Racing Until Indianapolis 500
It has been announced that Brazilian female driver Ana Beatriz will remain with Dale Coyne Racing until the Indianapolis 500 next month, as the 25-year-old prepares for her 25th start this weekend at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama around the Barber Motorsports Park. She will continue to compete in the Honda-powered No. 18 machine alongside British driver Justin Wilson.
Ana Beatriz marked her return to the Series last time out around the streets of St. Petersburg, after competing in only two races during the 2012 season. Despite suffering a frustrating mechanical issue on Lap 55, the Brazilian driver will continue with Dale Coyne Racing for the next few races in the IZOD IndyCar Series. This weekend will be Ana Beatriz’s first race around the Barber Motorsports Park, despite contesting in a full season the Series back in 2011 for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The Brazilian driver was forced to skip the race at Barber that season after sustaining a wrist injury at the opening race of the year at St. Petersburg.
“I am very excited to be back and race at Barber and Long Beach,” explained Ana Beatriz. “I didn’t think I would be back in a car until Brazil, but I want to thank Ipiranga and Dale [Coyne] for making it possible for me to drive full time through Indianapolis. We didn’t have the finish we would have liked to in St. Petersburg, but I am confident that we can get a better finish for the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda at Barber this weekend.”
After this weekend’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Ana Beatriz will compete in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, her home event around the streets of Sao Paulo in Brazil and the legendary Indianapolis 500. Her best result at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was 21st in both 2010 and 2011, a result she will undoubtedly be striving to emulate this year in the No. 18 machine.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Will Power Storms To Victory At Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Will Power has surprised many by winning the 2012 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at the Barber Motorsports Park, after coming from 9th on the grid to victory in a frantic race which saw many wheel-to-wheel battles up and down the grid. Scott Dixon was able to come 2nd with Helio Castroneves holding off Graham Rahal for 3rd.
The race had barely completed one lap before the first full course caution was caused after Alex Tagliani ground to a halt halfway around the lap. As the marshals retrieved the stricken Canadian, it was believed by the team that the issue wasn’t engine related. Either way, Tagliani failed to return to racing and became the first retirement of the day.
On lap 4, the race returned to green as Mike Conway was forced onto the dirt resulting in the Brit loosing several positions through turns’ 1 and 2. Sebastien Bourdais started the race in promising fashion as he fought his way around Rubens Barrichello, whereas rookie Simon Pagenaud passed Conway for 7th.
By lap 15, the first pit-stops began as Oriol Servia peeled off into the pits. He was then followed three laps later by reigning Series Champion Dario Franchitti, who was struggling down in 17th position. Ryan Hunter-Reay, J.R. Hildebrand and Ryan Briscoe all pitted in quick succession. Out on the track Marco Andretti was locked in a grueling battle for 16th with Takuma Sato, with the American eventually passing the Japanese driver.
Marco Andretti then set his sights on E.J. Viso, with the two lightly coming together as they battled for 15th. Once again Andretti came out on top and passed the Venezuelan several laps later. Will Power came into the pits on lap 22, taking brand new sticker reds in exchange for his worn black tyres.
On lap 25, Helio Castroneves finally pitted from the lead for scuffed black tyres. Simon Pagenaud momentarily stalled as he pitted, throwing away valuable seconds after an extremely strong first stint. James Hinchcliffe then assumed the lead, until he was forced to pit along with 2nd place driver Scott Dixon on lap 27. Hinchcliffe suffered a disastrous pit-stop, as his mechanics struggled with the left-rear. This awarded track position to Scott Dixon, whose mechanics completed a stunning pit-stop which even gave the Kiwi track position over Helio Castroneves.
As Castroneves, Hinchcliffe and Dixon battled for track position during their pit-stops, Graham Rahal sneaked through into the lead. This came to an end as the American driver pitted on lap 28, gifting the lead of the race to Scott Dixon. Further down the order Will Power continued a strong afternoon’s racing as he passed Tony Kanaan for 5th.
Charlie Kimball had a dodgy moment on lap 40, running extremely wide and into the gravel as he battled for track position. He lucky to keep the car going as he eventually rejoined the track.
As the race wore on, the second series of pit-stops began to take place as Will Power pitted on lap 42, who was subsequently followed by many other drivers’ on the same lap. Ryan Hunter-Reay suffered a disastrous pit-stop on lap 43 as he stalled his car, making is afternoon’s work all the more difficult as he eventually rejoined the race.
On lap 48, Charlie Kimball became the second retirement of the race as he peeled off the track with what looked like mechanical issues. Scott Dixon pitted on lap 49 and suffered a slow stop, as his mechanics were slow with the right-rear, a recurring issue for many teams up and down the paddock.
As the battles’ for position on the track increased, Takuma Sato became the third retirement as he suffered a mechanical issue on lap 54. This caused only a local caution as the race remained under green flag conditions. Tony Kanaan was forced to pit on lap 59, the team reporting a rear shock issue on the car. The Brazilian was left stranded in the pits as his mechanics began work on the car.
British driver Justin Wilson suffered a torrid race, which included a spin. He was able to rejoin the track, albeit after loosing several places. Debris was then spotted on the track, the culprit being rookie Josef Newgarden who made contact with the rear of Ed Carpenter.
A second full course caution was caused late on in the race as Katherine Legge spun and embedded her car into the gravel. Just before this occurred, Scott Dixon suffered another disastrously slow pit-stop, awarding the lead to Will Power. As the race returned to green, Dixon momentarily got his nose ahead of Power, but the Aussie had the racing line and retained the lead.
On the closing laps Sebastien Bourdais continued a highly successful race passing J.R. Hildebrand and Marco Andretti, however at the sharp end of the field Will Power crossed the line to win his first race of 2012, followed home by Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves.
There is now a two week gap before the IZOD IndyCar Series rolls up at the famous Long Beach street course for the 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Results - 90 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Gap
1. Will Power Penske DW12-Chevrolet
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi DW12-Honda + 3.3709s
3. Helio Castroneves Penske DW12-Chevrolet + 19.1150s
4. Graham Rahal Ganassi DW12-Honda + 19.3395s
5. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt-Hamilton DW12-Honda + 20.1050s
6. James Hinchcliffe Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 23.3093s
7. Mike Conway Foyt DW12-Honda + 24.5552s
8. Rubens Barrichello KV DW12-Chevrolet + 25.4023s
9. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon DW12-Lotus + 27.1815s
10. Dario Franchitti Ganassi DW12-Honda + 32.7377s
11. Marco Andretti Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 33.5038s
12. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti DW12-Chevrolet + 35.8730s
13. Oriol Servia Dreyer & Reinbold DW12-Lotus + 37.8944s
14. Ryan Briscoe Penske DW12-Chevrolet + 41.6742s
15. JR Hildebrand Panther DW12-Chevrolet + 44.5059s
16. James Jakes Coyne DW12-Honda + 54.5343s
17. Josef Newgarden Fisher DW12-Honda + 1m00.6182s
18. EJ Viso KV DW12-Chevrolet + 1 lap
19. Justin Wilson Coyne DW12-Honda + 1 lap
20. Simona de Silvestro HVM DW12-Lotus + 1 lap
21. Tony Kanaan KV DW12-Chevrolet + 1 lap
22. Ed Carpenter Carpenter DW12-Chevrolet + 2 laps
23. Katherine Legge Dragon DW12-Lotus + 5 laps
Did not finish:
Takuma Sato Rahal DW12-Honda 52 laps
Charlie Kimball Ganassi DW12-Honda 45 laps
Alex Tagliani BHA DW12-Lotus 0 laps
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
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