The build up to the greatest spectacle in racing continues as more PaddockTalk photographers arrive! Paul Hurley, John Duquenne and Tom Link are on it!! PaddockTalk will have photographers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway every day in the month of May! Check out the daily updates of the IRL IndyCar series action!
Check out over 100 exclusive Indianapolis 500 photos at --> Ptalkphoto.com
Paddock Quotables
"They quit hating us and started hating Ganassi's team." Quote referring to Target Chip Ganassi's fourth straight Champ Car title, and that people were starting to feel sorry for Team Penske.
Briscoe Leads Team Penske Domination of Thursday Indy 500 Practice
By Anne Proffit
Credit: PaddockTalk/Paul Hurley
Incredible! Six hours of practice were scheduled today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 set for May 25th; six hours of practice were held. There was no rain, but it was quite cold and blustery – cloud cover obliterated the sun. It began to rain just as the track closed.
And the Team Penske duo of Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves obliterated the balance of 35 car/driver combinations that posted 2628 laps today, giving a grand total of 6907 laps for the month.
Briscoe turned his best of 223.708 mph on his 25th of 74 total laps while driving his T car and Castroneves hit 223.284 on his 26th of 94 laps. Briscoe, like most everyone else, spent the day working on race setup. “Tomorrow might be different and we might have to change the car around,” he said, wondering what the weather might hold for race day. “We’ll probably run as much downforce tomorrow and try to learn as much as we can in the next couple of days.”
Castroneves was grateful that “Mother Nature definitely helped us out today with the weather. We had a great opportunity to run a lot of laps and try several different things,” he said. “I’m happy with the progress we made and I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”
Andretti Green Completes Purchase of Grand Prix of Toronto Assets, IndyCars Expected In 2009
In a move that is expected to return IndyCars to the streets of Toronto in 2009, Andretti Green Promotions, LLC announced today it has formed a wholly-owned Canadian company, Andretti Green Toronto, ULC (AGT), and has completed the purchase of the assets of the Grand Prix Association of Toronto Corp.
The terms of the purchase agreements will not be disclosed.
Andretti Green Toronto is operating out of a Toronto-based office and will run its first IndyCar Series event in 2009.
The Grand Prix Association of Toronto owned and operated the Grand Prix of Toronto. Throughout its history, the event was one of the marquis stops on the North American Indy car racing landscape, running from 1986 through 2007.
Indy 500 Pole Sitter Scott Dixon Leads Wednesday Practice At The Brickyard
By Anne Proffit
Pole sitter Scott Dixon was fastest on a green race track. Credit: PaddockTalk/Paul Hurley
Following the Greatest Spectacle in Raining/Drying/Waiting, Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened for practice Wednesday afternoon with a running yellow about five minutes to 5PM. Just a few drivers went out initially: Will Power, Jaime Camara, Buddy Rice, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Max Papis and Alex Lloyd.
All of these drivers had turned laps before today, but Roger Yasukawa, newly named to drive for CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports took his first tours of the 2.5-mile oval about 15 minutes later. Yasukawa thought that, for a “shakedown day it was pretty good. We got a couple of runs out of it but we still need to sort out the aero balance and we can do that tomorrow,” if the weather cooperates.
Rookie Lloyd, of course, returned to action following his accident last week and is sporting new colors for his No. 16 Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry that is co-fielded by Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing. Lloyd’s car is adorned with the bright green and white of Wii Fit, Nintendo’s newest video game that places an accent on fitness.
“It was nice to get in the car and get in at least a few laps today with the way the weather was looking,” Lloyd said. “We were basically just doing leak-checks, having had the accident and put the car back together again. We wanted to make sure everything was OK.”
Racing Realities – Diary of Race Car Driver Andreas Wirth – May 2008
It’s been a busy few weeks since the Long Beach race, and I know I said I wouldn’t be writing again until after our race at Laguna Seca, but I had some time on my way back to North America on the plane and thought I’d take this opportunity to write a little – not much, just a little ;-)
While I was really busy back home in Germany this past month, there’s not a lot to tell you that would be very interesting ... lots of things to catch up on and take care of, and of course training all the time.
It was a special time back home though since it was my girlfriend’s birthday in April – it was really nice to plan some special time away with Linda in Munich and just enjoy our time together – it was very relaxing. I’m also happy to say that our little dog Buddy wasn’t mad at me this time when I got home – he was just so happy to see me – it was so funny to watch him – he was so excited.
Also there was Father’s day on May 1st in Germany and I was spending the day with my dad. We drove to a very nice restaurant in France – I have to say the closest part of France, where almost just German people live - it’s about 40miles away from my hometown, so don’t think we made a big effort just to have dinner in France ;-) It was a great day and I think my dad also enjoyed it since I’m away all the time.
FIRST PHOTO: A1GP Season Four 'Powered by Ferrari' Car
The new A1GP 'Powered by Ferrari' car. Courtesy of A1GP
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has revealed the first image of its brand new 'Powered by Ferrari' car for use in season four (2008/09). The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car's inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.
A1GP's own tv commentator and Formula One legend, John Watson, will have the honour of driving the car for the first time, powered by a V8 Ferrari engine producing in the region of 600 bhp.
The chassis is based on the design of the highly successful F2004 chassis, incorporating A1GP's core values to deliver close, exciting racing among a competitive field where overtaking is an essential part of the entertainment.
92nd Indianapolis 500 Front Row Shows Consistency And Speed, Plus... Sunday Notebook
By Anne Proffit
The 2008 Indianapolis 500 front row! - (l-r) Dan Wheldon (2nd), Scott Dixon (Pole), Ryan Briscoe (3rd). Credit: PaddockTalk/Paul Hurley
Come May 25th, will anyone remember the chess game played by Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Ryan Briscoe – who occupy the front row for that day’s 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race – to snag pole position for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing?
Four laps, ten miles around the 2.5-mile oval is a difficult matter in the best of times. “I guess [people] do remember pole for these couple of weeks,” Dixon mused a day after winning top spot with his incredible four-lap average of 226.366 mph.
“But once you’re the winner of the race, I think it overcrowds everything. I think, from a driver standpoint in means a lot to us because, you know how hard you work for it, and I guess you get bragging rights for a couple of weeks. But that’s about it.”
Dixon did more than set the fastest speeds of the month – without a tow – when it mattered. He also, in his initial qualifying stint shortly after the track opened for time trials, set the most consistent four laps in Indianapolis 500 history, separated by 0.0049 of a second.
Felipe Massa won Formula One's Turkish Grand Prix for the third straight year! Courtesy of Bridgestone
Hats off to Felipe Massa for another great drive at the Istanbul Speed Park in Istanbul, Turkey. Massa’s mastery of the circuit has become pure magic.
The Ferrari driver won Formula One’s Turkish Grand Prix for the third straight year to complete his Turkish triple, after claiming his third straight Pole yesterday. It was the second F1 win of the season for Massa – and seventh of his career - as he became the first man since Michael Schumacher to win a Grand Prix three straight years.
“I think I should get a permanent passport here!” said a very happy Felipe Massa. “Lewis was pushing me a lot during the whole race, and I thought he was light. The team told me that he was on a three-stop strategy and he did make it past.”
With the win, Massa is now tied with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in the F1 driver’s points standings at 28. Each driver trails 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen by just seven points heading into the Monaco Grand Prix. For Ferrari, it was their fourth straight victory of the year – and 204th all-time- and the team easily leads the Formula One constructor’s points by over a full race worth of points - 23 - over second best BMW who have continued to fend off the advancing Silver Arrows.
Grosjean Powers Past Petrov To Dominating GP2 Sprint Race Victory In Istanbul
GP2 Asia Champion Romain Grosjean took his first win of the GP2 season in Turkey. Courtesy of GP2
Romain Grosjean claimed his first win of the season today after pressuring early leader Vitaly Petrov all through the first half of race two in Istanbul, taking the lead and walking away in the latter stages for a dominant victory ahead of Petrov and Sébastien Buemi.
While the French driver celebrated on the podium the sympathy of everyone in the pitlane was with Bruno Senna, who drove an incredible race to move up from fifteenth on the grid to have a certain points finish destroyed when he struck a stray dog which had somehow found its way onto the track, breaking his right front suspension and immediately retiring from sixth place.
