What to watch for at Brazil

What to watch for at Brazil

The IZOD IndyCar Series enters round four of their 2011 season, traveling to Sao Paulo, Brazil for the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle. In 2010, this race was the season opener, it was a very exciting race, with many overtaking opportunities, 2011 looks to be just as good. The race will be televised live on VERSUS , with coverage starting at Noon EST. IndyCar Garage gives you five things to watch for heading into Brazil.

1. Will Power and everyone else
Power has started on pole for every race of 2011 and won the 2010 Brazil race with a late pass of Ryan Hunter-Reay. Power dominance early in 2011 has made him a near lock to repeat as the Mario Andretti Road-Course Champion, and even stronger effort to capture his first championship. Unless Power gets punted again by his teammate Helio Castroneves, he will be
around at the end, probably on the podium.

2. The best road/street course to pass on.
Brazil offers the longest stretch of IndyCar racing on the entire schedule, over a mile straightway awaits after turn 10, and heading into turn 11 many drivers are offered the best passing zone on the track, as Ryan Hunter-Reay found out in 2010 while running in P1.

"The circuit in Sao Paulo will be challenging. They've really repaved a lot of it and done away with some curbs. It was new last year and I think it will be pretty new again this year. It's going to keep us on our toes, being that it is a two-day weekend - practice, practice, qualify, race. It's going to happen quick and we're going to have to adapt" said Ryan Hunter-Reay .

3. Heading back home for several drivers
Five IZOD IndyCar drivers are natives of Brazil, including Helio Castroneves, Vitor Meira, Raphael Matos, Ana Beatriz, and fan favorite Tony Kanaan. Meira took home his only podium of 2010, with a third place finish, and Matos captured 4th while driving for then Deferran-Dragon Racing. Tony Kanaan is the highest of the five in the championship, as he trails only leader Dario Franchitti and second place Will Power. Watch on Sunday as the expected capacity crowd of over 50,000 cheers for their native drivers.

4. Second chance for Marco Andretti
The 2010 season started horribly for Marco Andretti, "Last year's incident took me out of the race way too early. I was disappointed I didn't get to do more in Brazil so I'm looking forward to going back. I think the Venom car and the team as a whole should be strong this weekend. We've made some big gains on street courses and the cars are starting to feel good on these types of circuits." Marco needs a strong finish to makeup for his mistake at Long Beach when he took out himself and Sebastien Bourdais in the pits, and also to get back in the championship hunt. Good news for Andretti is that Mario Moraes will not be in a IndyCar at Brazil.


5. A fourth different winner?
The IZOD IndyCar Series has had three races with three different winners, two of those, Franchitti and Power were to be expected, but the third, Mike Conway was a huge surprise two weeks ago at Long Beach. Will there be another shocking winner? Or will it be another Penske/Ganassi car visiting victory lane? Read below to see IndyCar Garage’s predications for the Fast Six and the top three finishers.

Race Predications for Sunday:
Firestone Fast Six: Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott Dixon, Justin Wilson, Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti

Podium: 1st Ryan Hunter-Reay , 2nd Tony Kanaan, 3rd, Helio Castroneves

Mazda Road to Indy: The US F2000 Oval Clinic

A lot of young drivers coming to race open-wheel cars here in the United States often underestimate the challenges of oval-track racing. Its a mistake that a lot of fans make as well frequently chanting the mantra, "Go fast, turn left, go fast, turn left..." As those of us who have followed Indy car racing over the years, there's a heck of a lot more to being successful on an oval that "go fast, turn left." As a fan, that lack of respect for ovals just results in one looking silly, but as a racer, it can result in career-ending meeting with the wall. One the biggest strengths of the Mazda Road to Indy system is that oval racing is a part of each rung of the ladder.

"The USF2000 series has prepared hundreds of drivers to advance in their careers over the past 17 years and many have climbed the ladder to the top rung of the IZOD IndyCar Series. One of our main goals is to provide complete training on all types of circuits to enable our drivers to achieve positive results as they climb today’s Mazda Road to Indy ladder. This oval clinic is an integral part of that plan. Our instructors are all experienced professionals on ovals, and some came up through the USF2000 ladder on their way to the top. The clinic will provide significant assistance to drivers and we are proud to present it for the first time." -- Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions

Drivers in the program are running ovals right from the start in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda along with the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear beginning on the Saturday night before the Indianapolis 500 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis (*sigh*), a tricky 5/8-mile oval on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. The Firestone Indy Lights drivers face an even tougher challenge with their first oval of the season being the extremely challenging Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Always in the past, drivers new to the challenges of oval racing only had the advice of their teams or perhaps the occasional interaction with the official league driving coaches. By no means do I mean to slight the great driving coaches INDYCAR has made available, but you're not getting the intense one-on-one coaching for days on end that some of these young drivers need.

Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions which promotes the US F2000 National Championship, has created an Oval Clinic to take place at the Indianapolis Motor speedway on May 6th to give drivers new, or minimally experienced, to oval racing an intense tutorial with advice and wisdom from some seriously successful oval-track racers. The instructors for the clinic include Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winners Dan Wheldon and Al Unser, Jr., Johnny Unser, and 1998 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Steve Knapp. That's a pretty talent-laden line-up for the young up and coming drivers to tap, and in Wheldon's case, someone who been where these young drivers are now having never raced an oval before.

"When I first started with USF2000 in 1999, ovals were not only new in terms of driving but I had never seen one before. It is difficult when you come over from Europe. You underestimate the challenge of oval racing. It is not a lack of respect; it is just difficult to understand. USF2000 provided experienced drivers to help people like me utilize their knowledge and make the transition. It was a great learning experience. You need to have this type of input and be a sponge to learn all you can. USF2000 worked incredibly well for me and I am very happy to participate in the oval clinic to help up-and-coming drivers in the same way I was guided at the start of my career." -- Dan Wheldon, 2005 Indianpolis 500 Mile Race Winner

Will this help? Well, it certainly couldn't hurt! Also, the clinic attendees from US F2000 and Star Mazda will be able to apply their lessons the very next day on May 7th at the Lucas Oil Raceway. If you're going to be in town for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, I'd encourage you to make it out to Carburetion Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday to see the Firestone Freedom 100, and to Lucas Oil Raceway on Saturday night to see the US F2000, Star Mazda, and USAC Midget racers for the Night Before the 500. You won't be disappointed, and these young racers deserve our support.

Doug Patterson is the Mazda Road to Indy Editor and Chief Photographer at www.openpaddock.net and a long time member of the www.IndyCarGarage.com

Find him here at ICG as

http://www.indycargarage.com/profile/xorpheous

And on twitter www.twitter.com/xorpheous

IndyCar Garage Weekly tonight w/guest Indy500 Flagman Tom Hansing

IndyCar Garage Weekly returns for 30 minutes of INDYCAR conversation with host Tyler Carmichael, moderator of http://www.indycargarage.com/.

Tyler will catch up on all the latest INDYCAR news and rumors and welcome special guest Tom Hansing. Tom serves as the starter and one of the flagmen for the Indy 500 and other events in theIZOD IndyCar Series. Tyler will ask Tom about double file restarts, the flying start of the Indy 500 and the experience of waving the flag for INDYCAR races.

Tyler will also talk about the new partnership between IndyCar Garage and Openpaddock.net.

Tune in live at 6 EST on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/IndyCarGarage-Weekly-

Championship Standings after 3 races with comments

Championship Standings after 3 races with comments

The IZOD IndyCar Series concluded their third race of the 2011 season with their third consecutive new race winner, in the Andretti Autosports, Mike Conway. Ryan Briscoe finished second and Dario Franchitti rounded out the podium. Surprising rookie James Hinchcliffe finished 4th and fellow Canadian Alex Tagliani rounded out the top five. IndyCar Garage gives you the updated point standings through three rounds and brief comments for each racer. (spots gained or lost)

1. Dario Franchitti +1

Comment: three consecutive podiums have the reigning champ in prime form.

2. Will Power -1

Comment: If Helio doesn’t take Power out, he is on the podium again at Long Beach

3. Tony Kanaan

Comment: Still maintaining as he chases his second championship, first since 2004

4. Oriol Servia +2

Comment: Proving that he is a very good driver and that Newman/Haas is still good

5. Mike Conway +19

Comment: First career win bumped him 19 spots in the Championship and highest AA driver

6. Alex Tagliani +3

Comment: Quietly having a strong start with SSM, and don’t forget he started P2 at Brazil last

year

7. Scott Dixon – 3

Comment: Big let down at Long Beach after strong Barber race

8. Ryan Briscoe +17

Comment: Briscoe was do or die for Long Beach and he delivered, huge race for him

9. Simona de Silvestro - 4

Comment: It will be interesting to see how she bounces back from her first bad race of 2011

10. Vitor Meira

Comment: Vitor hanging in the top ten and his best finish of 2010 (Brazil) is up next

11. Danica Patrick +5

Comment: If Danica can survive one more twisty, and be in the top 10 heading into the ovals, she could be a threat to crack the top five

12. Raphael Matos

Comment: Solid start and consider this, he sits higher in the points than fellow Brazilin Helio

13. Takuma Sato -5

Comment: The fifth place finish at St. Pete feels like forever ago,

14. Helio Castroneves -3

Comment: The biggest disappointment so far of the Penske drivers, he needs Indy to be here

15. Marco Andretti -8

Comment: Another driver that suffered a big let down and a big F Bomb on T.V.

16. JR Hildebrand -3

Comment: His ROY of the lead is only 5 points on Hinch, started last at Long Beach

17. James Hinchcliffe +10

Comment: Young Canadian finished a career best 4th at Long Beach

18. Justin Wilson -3

Comment: Qualified strong (Fast 6), but spun during the race, needs a strong race at Brazil

19. Charlie Kimball -5

Comment: Ganassi Rookie struggled at Long Beach

20. Sebastian Saavedra -2

Comment: Another rookie that is still trying to find his way

21. Graham Rahal -1

Comment: 21st in the standings after three races is not how Graham envisioned his season after three races

22. Ryan Hunter-Reay -5

Comment: Had the car to win at Long Beach, but technical issues forced a DNF

23. James Jakes -4

Comment: Still learning the ropes of INDYCAR

24. Sebastien Bourdais -2

Comment: Charging through the field when he got tangled with Marco

25. E.J. Viso -2

Comment: Wrecked car after wrecked car

26. Ana Beatriz

Comment: Might have rushed her comeback , two important races for her are Brazil and Indy

27. Simon Pagenaud -6 (Didn’t race at Long Beach)

Comment: His next race appears to be Indy

28. Paul Tracy

Comment: Not much to report in Tracy’s first race of 2011

What to watch for at Long Beach

What to watch for at Long Beach INDYCAR heads into their third round of the 2011 season by traveling to the west coast on the streets of Long Beach, California. A popular open wheel spot, the Long Beach Grand Prix will be in its 37th year of open wheel competition. Six current IZOD IndyCar drivers have won at Long Beach, including last years race winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay. Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Paul Tracy, Helio Castroneves, and Sebastien Bourdais round out the former winners group. IndyCar Garage tells you what to watch for heading into Long Beach.

1. Will Power & Dario Franchitti Can anyone knock off the best drivers from top teams Penske and Ganassi? Probably not, but Franchitti and Power both will have their hands full if they don’t qualify well. Franchitti won at St. Pete, Power at Barber. Power leads Franchitti by seven points in the early championship fight.

2. Paul Tracy back in the saddle INDYCAR Veteran and current active win leader Paul Tracy returns for one of his five scheduled races with reformed Dragon Racing. Tracy will compete with Dragon racing at Long Beach, Texas, Sonoma, and both Canada races. Tracy has won four times at Long Beach, if he has a good car this weekend, look out!

3. Simona De Silvestro and Tony Kanaan’s fast starts Easily the best two stories of the year are Tony Kanaan and Simona De Silverstro quick start to the 2011 season. Kanaan has finished 3rd at St. Pete and 6th at Barber, while De Silverstro finished a career best 4th at St. Pete and 9th at Barber, despite contact with E.J. Viso. De Silverstro arguably is the most talented female driver in the IZOD IndyCar series this year and Kanaan (TK) is a fan favorite. Both drivers are separated by only 9 points in the championship, TK 3rd and Simona 5th, and while TK remains more the complete driver that has won a championship, races, and captured poles, Simona easily could be the next big thing within the IZOD IndyCar Series.

4. Justin Wilson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ryan Briscoe, Graham Rahal, Helio Castroneves, and Danica Patrick. What do all of these drivers have in common? None of them sit within the top ten in the championship standings. All of these drivers need strong finishes to recapture any sort of hope they have for the championship or finishing in the top 10. The IZOD IndyCar Series has its deepest field, talent wise, in years and the championship represents that perfectly two races in.

5. Rivalries : As Robin Miller said on pit-lane of the Barber race, this series needs some “HATE” I couldn’t agree more, rivalries spark interest and conflicts create drama. Below are some of the drivers that will be fun to watch as they race each other around the Long Beach street course this weekend

Old Rivalry reunited: Paul Tracy vs. Sebastian Bourdais
Penske vs. Ganassi rivalry: Will Power vs. Dario Franchitti
Budding rivalry: Hunter-Reay vs. Briscoe
I hate this guy rivalry: E.J. Viso vs. EVERYONE

6. Predications: Firestone Fast Six: Ryan Hunter-Reay , Will Power, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe, Justin Wilson
Race Winner: Scott Dixon
Sleeper: Paul Tracy & Sebastian Bourdais

INDY 500 Winners to take Legendary Drive before race

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced yesterday that they will have former legendary race champions and cars pacing the track prior to 2011 race. Below is the press release. IndyCar Garage’s reaction to this: WOW, this will be cool and exciting to see.

INDY 500 WINNERS TO TAKE LEGENDARY DRIVE BEFORE RACE MAY 29

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - Legendary Indianapolis 500 champions Mario Andretti, Arie Luyendyk, Bobby Rahal, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Unser each will each drive a winning car from "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" around the fabled Brickyard oval during pre-race ceremonies at the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29.

The participants, with the years of their victories and the cars they will drive on Race Morning:

•Mario Andretti (1969): The Boyle Maserati that won in 1939 and 1940 with Wilbur Shaw.

•Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997): The No. 30 Domino's Pizza Lola/Chevrolet Indy in which Luyendyk won in 1990. Luyendyk averaged 185.981 mph, which stands as the race record.

•Bobby Rahal (1986): The No. 14 Miller that won in 1928 with Louis Meyer.

•Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980): The No. 4 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth in which Rutherford won in 1980. The car is affectionately nicknamed "The Yellow Submarine."

•Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987): The No. 82 Lotus-Ford that won in 1965 with Jim Clark. This is the first rear-engine car to win the "500."

•Al Unser Jr. (1992, 1994): The Blue Crown Spark Plug Diedt/Offy that won in 1947 and 1948 with Mauri Rose.

•Bobby Unser (1968, 1975, 1981): The No. 8 National that won in 1912 with Joe Dawson. The car features a second seat for a riding mechanic, which will be filled by Unser's wife, Lisa, on Race Day.

The drivers are thrilled to bring history to life for Race Day fans.

"I think it's a great honor to be able run Jimmy Clark's car," Al Unser said. "We were teammates in 1966, so to be able to go back and drive one of his cars that he won with I think is absolutely a great thing."

Said Al Unser Jr.: "To drive a car of a great race car driver, Mauri Rose, who was truly the best in his era, is going to be very exciting and memorable. It's something I won't forget for the rest of my life."

The 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 starts at noon (ET) May 29. Live coverage on ABC and the IMS Radio Network starts at 11 a.m.

Point Standings after 2 races with comments

INDYCAR completed their second round of action yesterday at the sunny hills of Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama. Will Power took the twin checkers for the first time in 2011, Scott Dixon was second and Dario Franchitti third. IndyCar Garage recaps the point standings after two races and add comments for each racer in the standings.

Briscoe, 25th in points, needs a good finish

1. Will Power 94

Comment: Power will be very tough to beat on Road and Street courses this yr

2. Dario Franchitti 87

Comment: Needs to keep close tabs on Power this year if he wants his 4th championship

3. Tony Kanaan 63

Comment: Off to a great start wit his new team, can he keep it going?

4. Scott Dixon 54

Comment: Rebounded nicely after St. Pete, “ICE MAN” can still hack it

5. Simona de Silvestro 54

Comment: Easily the best story of the year in terms of small teams, already two top 10’s

6. Oriol Servia 52

Comment: proving he deserved the ride at Newman/Haas

7. Marco Andretti 44

Comment: If Marco could only get through the first turn of the first lap of the season….

8. Takuma Sato 44

Comment: TK used his setup for yesterday’s race, gaining experience this side of the Atlantic

9. Alex Tagliani 43

Comment: Quietly in the top 10 in points for SSM

10. Vitor Meira 42

Comment: If Foyt’s team can give Vitor a decent car, he usually is competitive

11. Helio Castroneves 38

Comment: Can’t have any more mishaps like turn one of St. Pete

12. Raphael Matos 38

Comment: Doing well for a small budget team, not confirmed for the full 2011 schedule

13. J.R. Hildebrand 36

Comment: Rookie has battled in his first race of 2011, will only get better

14. Charlie Kimball 32

Comment: Another rookie that will battle for top 10 finishes

15. Justin Wilson 32

Comment: Not the way Wilson wanted to start the season

16. Danica Patrick 31

Comment: Late pit stop call hurt her chances of a top 10 and a big swing in the points

17. Ryan Hunter-Reay 28

Comment: returns to Long Beach as the defending race winner, needs a strong finish

18. Sebastian Saavedra 27

Comment: Rookie that will hit his strides and walls throughout 2011

19. James Jakes 25

Comment: Rookie for Dale Coyne, will struggle as he gains experience

20. Graham Rahal 25

Comment: Had a strong car at Barber, but not a strong finish

21. Simon Pagenaud 24

Comment: Finished 8th while filling in for Ana Beatriz

22. Sebastien Bourdais 24

Comment: Driving only R&S races for Dale Coyne, could battle for top 5’s toward the end

23. E.J. Viso 24

Comment: Easily the most unpopular driver in the series right now

24. Mike Conway 24

Comment: Trying to put together a full weekend of no mistakes

25. Ryan Briscoe 24

Comment: The third Penske driver needs a strong finish at Long Beach

26. Ana Beatriz 16

Comment: Hopefully coming back for Long Beach

27. James Hinchcliffe 12

Comment: Young Canadian rookie will do well with Newman/Haas

IndyCar Garage talks w/Sage Karam- Star Mazda Andretti Autosport driver

IndyCar Garage had the chance to catch up with Andretti Autosport Star Mazda driver Sage Karam down at St. Pete, listen below to hear about his season.

IndyCar Garage talks w/Zach Veach- USF2000 Andretti Autosport driver

IndyCar Garage caught up with Andretti Autosport USF2000 driver Zach Veach down at St. Pete, check out what he had to say about his season.

IndyCar Garage talks w/Spencer Pigot - USF2000 Andretti Autosport driver

IndyCar Garage caught up with Spencer Pigot of Andretti Autosport down at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete, listen below to hear about his season.

IndyCar Garage talks w/Pippa Man

IndyCar Garage had the chance to speak with INDYCAR driver Pippa Man about her future in 2011, watch the video below to find out more.