Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Race Report
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Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Race Report
Sonoma, CA - Aug 22 — Circuit: Infineon Raceway (2.30-mile road course) Sonoma, CA
2009 Winner: Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 94.745 mph average
Weather: Sunny, mild, 74 degrees F
Race Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Engine/Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes 1. 1. Will Power Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 92.063 mph avg.; led 73 laps 2. 6. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 75 -0.7432 seconds; led 2 laps 3. 3. Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 75 -6.6132 seconds 4. 5. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 -7.8607 seconds 5. 2. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 -10.4594 seconds 6. 7. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Honda Dallara 75 -10.9095 seconds 7. 9. Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -11.5246 seconds 8. 8. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -11.8938 seconds 9. 16. Graham Rahal Newman Haas Racing Honda Dallara 75 -17.5019 seconds 10. 22. Alex Lloyd-R Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 75 -18.2069 seconds 11. 20. Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 75 -20.2411 seconds 12. 18. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -20.6759 seconds 13. 11. Simona de Silvestro-R HVM Racing Honda Dallara 75 -21.8239 seconds 14. 4. Alex Tagliani FAZZT Racing Honda Dallara 75 -22.4858 seconds 15. 21. Vitor Meira A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 75 -24.2879 seconds 16. 23. Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -46.1339 seconds 17. 14. Hideki Mutoh Newman Haas Racing Honda Dallara 74 Running 18. 17. Takuma Sato-R KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 74 Running 19. 15. E.J. Viso KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 74 Running 20. 25. Francesco Dracone-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 71 Did not finish - crash 21. 10. Raphael Matos de Ferran Dragon Racing Honda Dallara 67 Did not finish - contact 22. 24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 67 Running 23. 13. Bertrand Baguette-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 65 Did not finish - contact 24. 19. JR Hildebrand-R Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Honda Dallara 38 Did not finish - contact 25. 12. Dan Wheldon Panther Racing Honda Dallara 0 Did not finish - crash R - IndyCar Series Rookie Power Sweeps Sonoma Weekend
One year ago, Team Penske's Will Power watched the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma from his hospital bed in nearby Petaluma, just beginning the long recovery process from injuries - including a fractured back - that had abruptly ended his season in a multi-car crash during practice at Infineon Raceway.
Flash forward to 2010, and Power swept all before him in his return to the hilly road course just north of San Francisco. Starting from the pole, Power led all but two of the 75 laps in Sunday's IZOD IndyCar Series race for his fifth victory of the season, winning the Mario Andretti Trophy as the best road-course racer in 2010 and increasing his lead in the overall drivers' championship standings to 59 points over third-finishing Dario Franchitti.
Power led from the start, surrendering the lead to Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon only during the final exchange of pit stops, and successfully held off a last, furious attack from the second-running Dixon after a late-race caution set up a final, six-lap sprint to the finish.
For the 13th consecutive race weekend in 2010, all 25 IZOD IndyCar Series drivers completed this weekend's event without a single failure for the Honda Indy V-8 engine, as drivers and teams logged a total of 8,214 trouble-free miles around the hilly 2.3-mile Infineon road course.
Power dictated the pace for much of the 75-lap race, pulling out as much as a six-second lead at several points between the day's four caution flags, while behind him the Target Chip Ganassi duo of Franchitti and Dixon mixed it up with Power's Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe for the remaining top five positions.
FAZZT Race Team's Alex Tagliani also figured prominently in the early laps before fading with handling issues, while Justin Wilson and the Andretti Autosport duo of Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay all moved up late in the race. But no one had the speed to match Power. Contact involving Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon and rookie Bertrand Baguette at the green flag set Wheldon upside-down on the front straight, but he escaped the dramatic accident without injury.
This weekend's race concludes the road-racing portion of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. The series concludes with its final four events on 1.5-mile ovals, starting with next weekend's PEAK Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway near Joliet, IL, on Saturday, August 28.
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 13 of 17 races):
1. Will Power 514 (5 wins) 6. Ryan Hunter-Reay 360 (1 win) 2. Dario Franchitti 455 (2 wins) 7. Tony Kanaan 330 (1 win) 3. Scott Dixon 419 (2 wins) 8. Justin Wilson 293 4. Ryan Briscoe 384 (1 win) 9. Marco Andretti 284 5. Helio Castroneves 370 (1 win) 10. Dan Wheldon 269 Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, his 5th IndyCar win of 2010 and 6th career victory; claims the Mario Andretti Trophy for most championship points scored on road/street circuits in 2010 and holds a 59-point lead in the drivers' championship: "It's unreal, to come back here a year after lying in hospital and have an absolutely perfect weekend. I can't thank Roger Penske and the entire team enough for sticking by me while I recovered. Today's race was tough; [Scott] Dixon was really strong there at the end, but we came through to the end. Now I'm looking forward to getting back on the ovals. I want to win on one of those before the end of the year, too."
Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 6th, finished 2nd, remains third in the championship standings: "We went for the [alternate, softer compound] Reds [tires] at the last pit stop so that we could have a go at Will [Power], with [teammate] Dario [Franchitti] staying on the [primary] Blacks. I gave it all I could, and tried to stick my nose in there every chance I could, but it just didn't come off. We just weren't quite quick enough today. There's still a lot of racing left this season, so we'll see how these final four oval races shape up for us."
Eirk Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "You have to be happy for Will Power, what a remarkable comeback for him from what could have been career-ending injuries last year. That he came back to dominate this weekend is almost a Hollywood-type story, and certainly rewards Roger Penske and his team for the confidence they maintained in Will while he recovered. It was very pleasing to see a large and enthusiastic crowd here at Infineon. While there might not have been a lot of passing at the front, there certainly was no end of action through the field. It's been an exciting start to the second half of the '10 season with four road races; now we'll 'change gears' for the final four oval tracks of the year."
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2009 Winner: Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 94.745 mph average
Weather: Sunny, mild, 74 degrees F
Race Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Engine/Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes 1. 1. Will Power Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 92.063 mph avg.; led 73 laps 2. 6. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 75 -0.7432 seconds; led 2 laps 3. 3. Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 75 -6.6132 seconds 4. 5. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 -7.8607 seconds 5. 2. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Honda Dallara 75 -10.4594 seconds 6. 7. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Honda Dallara 75 -10.9095 seconds 7. 9. Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -11.5246 seconds 8. 8. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -11.8938 seconds 9. 16. Graham Rahal Newman Haas Racing Honda Dallara 75 -17.5019 seconds 10. 22. Alex Lloyd-R Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 75 -18.2069 seconds 11. 20. Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 75 -20.2411 seconds 12. 18. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -20.6759 seconds 13. 11. Simona de Silvestro-R HVM Racing Honda Dallara 75 -21.8239 seconds 14. 4. Alex Tagliani FAZZT Racing Honda Dallara 75 -22.4858 seconds 15. 21. Vitor Meira A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 75 -24.2879 seconds 16. 23. Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 75 -46.1339 seconds 17. 14. Hideki Mutoh Newman Haas Racing Honda Dallara 74 Running 18. 17. Takuma Sato-R KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 74 Running 19. 15. E.J. Viso KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 74 Running 20. 25. Francesco Dracone-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 71 Did not finish - crash 21. 10. Raphael Matos de Ferran Dragon Racing Honda Dallara 67 Did not finish - contact 22. 24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 67 Running 23. 13. Bertrand Baguette-R Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 65 Did not finish - contact 24. 19. JR Hildebrand-R Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Honda Dallara 38 Did not finish - contact 25. 12. Dan Wheldon Panther Racing Honda Dallara 0 Did not finish - crash R - IndyCar Series Rookie Power Sweeps Sonoma Weekend
One year ago, Team Penske's Will Power watched the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma from his hospital bed in nearby Petaluma, just beginning the long recovery process from injuries - including a fractured back - that had abruptly ended his season in a multi-car crash during practice at Infineon Raceway.
Flash forward to 2010, and Power swept all before him in his return to the hilly road course just north of San Francisco. Starting from the pole, Power led all but two of the 75 laps in Sunday's IZOD IndyCar Series race for his fifth victory of the season, winning the Mario Andretti Trophy as the best road-course racer in 2010 and increasing his lead in the overall drivers' championship standings to 59 points over third-finishing Dario Franchitti.
Power led from the start, surrendering the lead to Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon only during the final exchange of pit stops, and successfully held off a last, furious attack from the second-running Dixon after a late-race caution set up a final, six-lap sprint to the finish.
For the 13th consecutive race weekend in 2010, all 25 IZOD IndyCar Series drivers completed this weekend's event without a single failure for the Honda Indy V-8 engine, as drivers and teams logged a total of 8,214 trouble-free miles around the hilly 2.3-mile Infineon road course.
Power dictated the pace for much of the 75-lap race, pulling out as much as a six-second lead at several points between the day's four caution flags, while behind him the Target Chip Ganassi duo of Franchitti and Dixon mixed it up with Power's Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe for the remaining top five positions.
FAZZT Race Team's Alex Tagliani also figured prominently in the early laps before fading with handling issues, while Justin Wilson and the Andretti Autosport duo of Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay all moved up late in the race. But no one had the speed to match Power. Contact involving Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon and rookie Bertrand Baguette at the green flag set Wheldon upside-down on the front straight, but he escaped the dramatic accident without injury.
This weekend's race concludes the road-racing portion of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. The series concludes with its final four events on 1.5-mile ovals, starting with next weekend's PEAK Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway near Joliet, IL, on Saturday, August 28.
IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 13 of 17 races):
1. Will Power 514 (5 wins) 6. Ryan Hunter-Reay 360 (1 win) 2. Dario Franchitti 455 (2 wins) 7. Tony Kanaan 330 (1 win) 3. Scott Dixon 419 (2 wins) 8. Justin Wilson 293 4. Ryan Briscoe 384 (1 win) 9. Marco Andretti 284 5. Helio Castroneves 370 (1 win) 10. Dan Wheldon 269 Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, his 5th IndyCar win of 2010 and 6th career victory; claims the Mario Andretti Trophy for most championship points scored on road/street circuits in 2010 and holds a 59-point lead in the drivers' championship: "It's unreal, to come back here a year after lying in hospital and have an absolutely perfect weekend. I can't thank Roger Penske and the entire team enough for sticking by me while I recovered. Today's race was tough; [Scott] Dixon was really strong there at the end, but we came through to the end. Now I'm looking forward to getting back on the ovals. I want to win on one of those before the end of the year, too."
Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 6th, finished 2nd, remains third in the championship standings: "We went for the [alternate, softer compound] Reds [tires] at the last pit stop so that we could have a go at Will [Power], with [teammate] Dario [Franchitti] staying on the [primary] Blacks. I gave it all I could, and tried to stick my nose in there every chance I could, but it just didn't come off. We just weren't quite quick enough today. There's still a lot of racing left this season, so we'll see how these final four oval races shape up for us."
Eirk Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "You have to be happy for Will Power, what a remarkable comeback for him from what could have been career-ending injuries last year. That he came back to dominate this weekend is almost a Hollywood-type story, and certainly rewards Roger Penske and his team for the confidence they maintained in Will while he recovered. It was very pleasing to see a large and enthusiastic crowd here at Infineon. While there might not have been a lot of passing at the front, there certainly was no end of action through the field. It's been an exciting start to the second half of the '10 season with four road races; now we'll 'change gears' for the final four oval tracks of the year."
More...
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5
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From: ny
Nobody really had anything to Power, who won the pole and pulled a few huge lead in early race.Contact with Panther Racing and rookie Dan Wheldon Bertrand Baguette green flag, Wheldon head on straight, but he escaped the tragic accident without damage.