São Paulo Indy 300

[heliocastroneves#3]

http://digbza2f4g9qo.cloudfront.net/~/media/IndyCar/Schedules/2012/Race-Logos/SaoPaulo2013.png?mw=210&vs=1&d=20121030T103932

Race 4 of 19

Race - Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé

Location - Streets of São Paulo, Brazil

Date - Sunday, May 5th

Time & TV Schedule - Green Flag - 11:30 AM - NBC Sports Network

Course Type - 2.536 Mile Street Course

Distance - 75 Laps

Practice Sessions -

Saturday, May 4th -7:30 AM
Saturday, May 4th - 11:05 AM

Qualifications - Saturday, May 4th - 1:35 PM

2012 Pole Sitter -#2 Will Power - 1:21.405

2012 Winner - #12 Will Power

Track layout

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/sao_paulocircuit.jpg

Entry list

#1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - Andretti Autosport
#3 - Hélio Castroneves - Penske Racing
#4 - J.R. Hildebrand - Panther Racing
#5 - E.J. Viso - Andretti Autosport & HVM Racing
#6 - Sebastian Saavedra - Dragon Racing
#7 - Sebastien Bourdais - Dragon Racing
#9 - Scott Dixon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 - Dario Franchitti - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#11 - Tony Kanaan - KV Racing Technology
#12 - Will Power - Penske Racing
#14 - Takuma Sato - A.J. Foyt Enterprises
#15 - Graham Rahal - Rahal Letterman Lanigan
#16 - James Jakes - Rahal Letterman Lanigan
#18 - Ana Beatriz - Dale Coyne Racing
#19 - Justin Wilson - Dale Coyne Racing
#20 - Ed Carpenter - Ed Carpenter Racing
#22 - Oriol Servia - Panther DRR
#25 - Marco Andretti - Andretti Autosport
#27 - James Hinchcliffe - Andretti Autosport
#55 - Tristan Vautier (R) - Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
#67 - Josef Newgarden - Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
#77 - Simon Pagenaud - Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
#78 - Simona de Silvestro - KV Racing Technology
#83 - Charlie Kimball - Chip Ganassi Racing
#98 - Alex Tagliani - Barracuda Racing

[heliocastroneves#3]

Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay on winning the pole for tomorrows' race!

Qualifying Results

P Driver Team Time
1. R. Hunter-Reay - Andretti Autosport 1:20.431
2. E. Viso - Andretti Autosport 1:20.738
3. D. Franchitti - Ganassi Racing 1:20.892
4. T. Kanaan - KV Racing 1:20.981
5. J. Hinchcliffe - Andretti Autosport 1:20.989
6. S. Dixon - Ganassi Racing 1:21.118
7. S. Bourdais - Dragon Racing 1:20.821
8. S. De Silvestro - KV Racing 1:20.939
9. J. Wilson - Dale Coyne 1:21.057
10. Mo. Andretti - Andretti Autosport 1:21.172
11. JR. Hildebrand - Panther 1:21.296
12. T. Sato - A.J. Foyt Enterprises 1:21.362
13. O. Servia - Panther/DRR 1:21.796
14. E. Carpenter - Ed Carpenter Racing 1:24.020
15. A. Tagliani - Team Barracuda – BHA 1:21.864
16. A. Beatriz - Dale Coyne 1:24.886
17. C. Kimball - Ganassi Racing 1:22.248
18. H. Castroneves - Penske 1:25.173
19. G. Rahal - Rahal Letterman 1:22.300
20. S. Saavedra - Dragon Racing 4:00.261
21. T. Vautier (R) - Sam Schmidt
22. W. Power - Penske 4:05.589
23. J. Newgarden - SFHR
24. S. Pagenaud - Sam Schmidt 4:23.110
25. J. Jakes - Rahal Letterman

[jimispeed]

Good qualifier for Simona.

[Nikki Katz]

Qualifying doesn't get broadcast here (and I won't be able to watch the race until later in the week either) - what actually happened? Did Penske just think of doing one timed run right at the end of the first qualifying session, which was stopped when Jakes broke down? Seems like a bit of a risky strategy for them, especially considering Power's practice pace.

I'm not a huge Power fan, but I really hope that he does win a title one day. It seems already like this isn't his year, having lost out on the last three at the final race due to a mixture of bad luck and suffering from the pressures of the last race of the season.

[heliocastroneves#3]

Qualifying for the The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle featured ill timed red flags, some surprises and a blistering new track record.

Ryan Hunter-Reay sped his way to his second Verizon P1 Award of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The lap of 1 minute, 20.4312 seconds turned in by the driver of the No.1 DHL Chevrolet bested the track record held by Will Power, who ran a qualifying lap of 1 minute, 21.2781 seconds at this same race in 2012.

E.J. Viso will join his Andretti Autosport teammate on the front row with Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, James Hinchcliffe and Scott Dixon joining them in the Firestone Fast Six.


Round 1 - Group 1:

No. 5 - E.J. Viso
No. 10 - Dario Franchitti
No. 11 - Tony Kanaan
No. 25 - Marco Andretti
No. 14 - Takuma Sato
No. 9 - Scott Dixon
No. 22 - Oriol Servia
No. 98 - Alex Tagliani
No. 83 - Charlie Kimball
No. 15 - Graham Rahal
No. 55 - Tristan Vautier
No. 67 - Josef Newgarden

The first qualifying group began a man down when it was reported that the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda would not get to make an attempt due to an engine swap.

Half of the group went out early on black tires to put a lap in the bank in case qualifying was interrupted by a red flag.

With two and half minutes left in the session Tristan Vautier drove into Turn 1 to hard and caught the curb just right sending his Dallara airborne and into the wall. His left side was heavily damaged but he managed to limp his damaged Race car around to the pit. As the No. 55 car was circulating around to the pits it continued to shed parts necessitating a red flag with 15 seconds left in the session. Drivers Alex Tagliani and Graham Rahal were caught on hot laps and they failed to advance to the second qualifying session.

Round 1 - Group 2:

No. 78 - Simona de Silvestro
No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe
No. 4 - JR Hildebrand
No. 19 - Justin Wilson
No. 7 - Sebastien Bourdais
No. 1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay
No. 20 - Ed Carpenter
No. 18 - Ana Beatriz
No. 3 - Helio Castroneves
No. 6 - Sebastian Saavedra
No. 12 - Will Power
No. 77 - Simon Pagenaud
No. 16 - James Jakes

Group two faced a fairly lengthy delay while the wall in Turn 2 was put back in place after being knocked askew by the Vautier incident.

Four drivers took to the track early on the primary Firestone Racing black tires to ensure that they would have a flying qualifying lap in case of a red flag later in the session.

The track stayed green until four and half minutes were remaining in the session when the No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda of James Jakes came to a smokey stop on course. Jakes climbed from his car and immediately called for a fire extinguisher to cool down his steaming Race car.

With Jakes in a precarious spot on the track, race control was forced to red flag the session with three and half minutes remaining. The checkered flag was eventually displayed when it became apparent that the No. 16 would not be cleaned up in time for the track to go green.

The strategy of waiting for more rubber to be laid down on the track backfired on some championship contenders as Power, Helio Castroneves, and Simon Pagenaud all failed to advance to the second stage of qualifying.

Round 2

No. 11 - Tony Kanaan
No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe
No. 5 - E.J. Viso
No. 10 - Dario Franchitti
No. 1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay
No. 9 - Scott Dixon
No. 7 - Sebastien Bourdais
No. 78 - Simona de Silvestro
No. 19 - Justin Wilson
No. 25 - Marco Andretti
No. 4 - JR Hildebrand
No. 14 - Takuma Sato

The second round of qualifying began with Hunter-Reay running a lap on black tires to ensure he had a timed lap. Surprisingly most teams waited until the second half of the ten minute session to head out on hot laps.

Fortunately for those drivers this session stayed green until the checkered flag came out. Kanaan led the session and lowered the track record set by former teammate Viso in the previous session with an impressive lap of 1 minute 20.4953 seconds. The six drivers advancing to the Firestone Fast Six were separated by a razor thin margin of only three-tenths of a second and the entire group of twelve was covered by nine-tenths of a session. Sebastien Bourdais had his best qualifying session of the session ending up in the seventh position but missing out on the Fast Six by only two-hundredths of a second.

An incident between Viso and de Silvestro was reviewed by race control but not action was taken.

Firestone Fast 6

No. 1 - Ryan Hunter-Reay
No. 5 - E.J. Viso
No. 10 - Dario Franchitti
No. 11 - Tony Kanaan
No. 27 - James Hinchcliffe
No. 9 - Scott Dixon

The first car in the Firestone Fast Six did not leave pit road until their were four and half minutes gone in the ten minute session. Viso, Hunter-Reay and Franchitti all held the pole and the track record but Hunter-Reay dug a little deeper to capture his second Verizon P1 Award of 2013. First car didn’t got out until 5 and half minutes left in session.

This qualifying session will air tape delayed on the NBC Sports Network at 1 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 5.

Join us tomorrow for all of the action at the The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle

Sunday's Schedule (all times Eastern)
7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. - IZOD IndyCar Warm Up
11:00 a.m. - Broadcast starts on NBC Sports Network
11:30 a.m. - The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 *green flag*

[Anubis]

What a finish! Hats off to all involved for not having that end in the fence in the biggest possible way. Very hard but (more or less) fair driving from all concerned. Edge of the seat stuff.

[booger]

what a finish! Hats off to all involved for not having that end in the fence in the biggest possible way. Very hard but (more or less) fair driving from all concerned. Edge of the seat stuff.that was the best street race...ever!!!

[GRW1983]

What a great finish. Hinch pinching the win at the end and some very hard, but clean racing at the end by Sato. That's how to race to the finish. One of the best IndyCar races I've seen in a long while. A good run by Marco, Servia and Newgarden. Although too many yellows once again ruined the flow a little bit. Roll on the month of May!!!

[mr nobody]

Looks like I'll be catching this one on Youtube once it gets posted. Sure wish I could afford a higher Dish package to get NBC Sports.

[Anubis]

So, usual suspects in all sorts of bother thus far in the season and Sato now leading the points for Foyt. Hands up who saw that coming when he signed for them?! Seems to have momentum and confidence, and we know he can be fast (and brave) at Indy. I wonder...

[heliocastroneves#3]

That was a superb race, it's been a while since I said "Wow" after a road/street course race in the IndyCar Series.

[jimispeed]

That was a superb race, it's been a while since I said "Wow" after a road/street course race in the IndyCar Series.


Great Racing!! The gloves are off on street courses now!!

[MAX_THRUST]

Excelent racing, Sato was consitent in his defense and covered the inside line the same way each lap. Great finnish and a great race. This season has been epic so far. Hats off to ESPN uk for showing the race live. Will they be showing the 500 live??? Can't wait.

[NY2IA]

You're right Thurst-"Epic" season so far. Great racing-what driving skills by multiple drivers. Race and Sport fans not tuning in are missing a classic year. On a side note, frustrating race for Kanaan. Home town hero running out of gas? How does that happen these days? Hope Servia's team can be rewarded with sponsorship-they really have earned a full year of funding with their performance. Enjoying the broadcast's team enthusiam too.

[MAX_THRUST]

Agree with you, 100%, gutted for TK and the fans. Hope Servia gets a ride or the team gets the funds they need. He has always been a good racer, never forget his stint with Newman Haas, back in the ay. There was a time I would miss F1 races and only watch CART races. Those days are coming back, the series is getting good again.

[zako85]

Another great race. Takuma Sato now leads the championship. Who could have predicted this. It looks like Honda engines are able to keep up with Chevy's now.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well I was screaming at the TV as Hinch started to reel in Newgarden and Sato. The end though was epic stuff. Sato is AJ's kind of driver alright, he gives no quarter. I cannot recall too many races in any series that had me up and cheering like this one...and ya, being a member of Hinch's nation is part of it..but I was just floored....wow!

[garyshell]

Well I was screaming at the TV as Hinch started to reel in Newgarden and Sato. The end though was epic stuff. Sato is AJ's kind of driver alright, he gives no quarter. I cannot recall too many races in any series that had me up and cheering like this one...and ya, being a member of Hinch's nation is part of it..but I was just floored....wow!

Hey Mark!!! Haven't seen you in these parts in a while. Welcome back.

Gary

[FormerFF]

Loved the race, but I think Sato was blocking. If he wants to be that close to the inside of the corner, he needs to establish that position well before his pursuer heads for the hole.

[Anubis]

Loved the race, but I think Sato was blocking. If he wants to be that close to the inside of the corner, he needs to establish that position well before his pursuer heads for the hole.

I thought he was taking chances with those moves, but at the same time I think the first move may have been accentuated by Newgarden's feint. Was certainly robust, let's say that much. Be interesting to see if having the points lead changes his and Foyt's approach. Sato has never been one to play the percentages, but now he's leading the series, he might himself being told to settle for certain results rather than going all out. Be interesting to see how the team handles it.

One thing I did find interesting was how well Sato was able to look after his tyres. Given how hard Newgarden was attacking him, their relative drop off was interesting to observe. Newgarden all but burnt the tyres off his car, yet Sato had enough left to defend against Hinch, even when he was out of push to pass. The error at the last corner was pretty small considering how hard he'd been driving and how long he'd been on that set, and was as much about Hinch being alive to the opportunity as anything else. Seems Taku can be somehow smooth yet aggressive at the same time.

[Starter]

I thought he was taking chances with those moves, but at the same time I think the first move may have been accentuated by Newgarden's feint. Was certainly robust, let's say that much. Be interesting to see if having the points lead changes his and Foyt's approach. Sato has never been one to play the percentages, but now he's leading the series, he might himself being told to settle for certain results rather than going all out. Be interesting to see how the team handles it.

One thing I did find interesting was how well Sato was able to look after his tyres. Given how hard Newgarden was attacking him, their relative drop off was interesting to observe. Newgarden all but burnt the tyres off his car, yet Sato had enough left to defend against Hinch, even when he was out of push to pass. The error at the last corner was pretty small considering how hard he'd been driving and how long he'd been on that set, and was as much about Hinch being alive to the opportunity as anything else. Seems Taku can be somehow smooth yet aggressive at the same time.
Sato has always been quick. It's the not running into other cars and things which is new this year.

[Anubis]

Sato has always been quick. It's the not running into other cars and things which is new this year.

I know he's always been quick (although not always in the right direction...), it was just the smoothness that genuinely surprised me. To drive that hard and still have the measure of the field up to the last corner was genuinely impressive.