Formula 1 wasn’t the only motorsport with its season opener during the weekend. The 2010 Indy Car season got started on Sunday on the streets of San Paulo, Brazil. This race was, problematic from the start. This was the first race in this new street course and it showed. When weather wasn’t plaguing the drivers the nature of the course was. There was a section on the main straight that had a section of recently ground down asphalt and someone forgot to mop up the dust!
Some of the rookies weren’t doing so great either. Former F1 driver Takuma Sato got a little too friendly with the brakes and caused a huge pile up right as the race went green the first time. Then, Mario Morales made the same mistake and literally ran over Marco Andretti. Marco had to sit there with Mario’s car on his head for a few minutes until they were able to get a crane to pull it off. Amazingly, he took it pretty well.. but then again he was probably still fuzzy from the concussion.
When the dust settled it was Will Power and Team Penske on the top of the podium. Check out the race highlights below and a detailed wrap up of the race on Indy Car’s website.
Finally F1 came back this weekend! With all the stuff going on in the off season I was flipping out waiting for 2010 to start! There were new teams on the grid (except USF1 unfortunately), Fernando Alonso in a Ferrari, and the return of Michael Schumacher! As expected many of the new teams and rookies didn’t do so hot in the opening laps. But after all the carnage was clear it was Sebastien Vettel who was in the lead and practically running away from the entire field. Until his Renault Red Bull car started to suffer a drop off in power within the last 15 laps or so.
Turned out that he had a cracked exhaust manifold! BUMMER! Since he wasn’t able to keep up his pace he was passed up by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa respectively and then finally by Lewis Hamilton. So in the end it was a Ferrari 1-2 with McLaren taking the third spot. It was a good race but I gotta feelfor Vettel. I can’t imagine how much it must suck to go from dominating most of the race and then not even make the podium! Expect a pissed off/determined Vettel at the next round! You can read a full race report at SPEED.
The 2010 race season is rapidly approaching and now is the time when we start to find out what some of our favorite teams are doing this year. I just got word from Falken Tire that they’ve bought a brand new 2010 Porsche GT3 RSR as their new track weapon as well as two Porsche Works drivers (Wolf Henzler and Patrick Pilet) to wield it. The two new guys will join returning driver Bryan Sellers to take on the GT field at the ALMS races this year. I can’t wait to see how the team does at Sebring this year! Stay tuned for more updates.
Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TEAM FALKEN TIRE PREPARES FOR DEBUT ASSAULT WITH NEW PORSCHE AND TEAM DRIVER FOR SEBRING IN GT2 CLASS
FONTANA, CA (Mar. 3, 2010) - Porsche Works Driver’s Wolf Henzler, Patrick Pilet and returning driver Bryan Sellers will lead the Team Falken Tire’s expanded race program, debuting the tire company’s brand new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class at Sebring.
This will be the third year for Team Falken in ALMS, and its most aggressive program to date. “We’re using the ALMS to compete against our competitors as well as utilize the highly organized race program as a formal testing ground for continued tire development,” said Mark Richter, Falken Senior Manager of Dealer Marketing. “As we compete throughout the season, we will build upon race and test data learned from our efforts with last year’s Porsche.”
“As we plan for Sebring, it’s great to have Wolf on our team, as well as have Bryan return, along with Rod Everett, our veteran team manager, who has overseen the development of Falken’s new race car, the only Porsche 911 GT3 RSR earmarked for racing delivered to North America this season,” said Falken’s Director of Marketing Andrew Hoit. “We remain convinced that ALMS is the perfect venue to profile Falken’s brand and demonstrate the company’s capabilities to our customers, retailers and media, and that’s why we have made the significant commitment to motorsports.”
The new GT3 RSR was hand-built in Porsche’s Weissach, Germany, Motorsports facility, and then air- freighted on a 747 cargo plane to LAX, close to Falken’s Corporate offices in Fontana. The car is the latest generation water-cooled 4.0-Liter Porsche Flat six boxer engine.
Henzler, a veteran of many ALMS races, and one of only eight Porsche factory drivers, along with Sellers, who drove Falken’s entry in 2009, have tested the new car prior to its debut next week at Sebring.
“We showed steady improvement throughout last year, and anticipate even stronger results in 2010,” Richter added. ”I’m confident Falken, our drivers and our car are ready for the challenge.” - 30 -
Falken Tire Corporation, based in Fontana, California, was introduced to the North American market in 1985. Falken focus on UHP (Ultra High Performance) products and utilizes pro drifting and American LeMans race programs to further develop, improve and market passenger vehicle products for worldwide distribution. For more information, visit Falken Tire’s new website at www.falkentire.com.
This is just a quick shot of one of two Nissan GT-Rs that will be running in the GT1 class in the FIA GT championships this year. One GT-R will be run by a swiss racing team while the second is the SumoPower.com sponsored GT1 GT-R. Mmmm its soooo smoootthhhh.
It looks like former Honda F1poster boy Takuma Sato will make the jump to Indy Cars this season driving for Jimmy Vasser’s KV Racing Technologies team. No word yet on who his teammate will be but I think it is pretty awesome to see Sato-san racing again.
Press Release:
SATO TO DRIVE FOR KV RACING TECHNOLOGY DURING 2010 INDYCAR SERIES SEASON
“We are very excited to have been able to put this deal together with Takuma and his group,” said KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “I can’t wait to see what I know will be a extremely fast pace by Taku on the road courses and look forward to working with him and getting him up to speed on the ovals. I have no doubt that Taku will be right on the pace immediately. Taku’s knowledge and experience will be a great asset and his great sense of humor and easy manner will add positive energy to our team.
Sato, known as “Taku”, is a veteran of seven Formula 1 seasons. He began his career racing bicycles and go-karts in his native Japan. In 1998, Taku moved to Europe to race cars. Over the course of the next three seasons, he competed in several European series most notably British Formula 3. Taku placed fourth in the British Formula 3 National Class B championship in 1999, third in Class A in 2000 and won the Class A championship in 2001. His 16 wins in British Formula 3 over the 2000 and 2001 seasons is still a record. Taku made the jump to Formula 1 in 2002 competing for Jordan-Honda. He ran 17 races that first season earning one top-five finish, placing fifth and earning his first F1 championship point, in the season finale at Suzuka, Japan. In 2003, Taku moved to the British American Racing (BAR)-Honda F1 team where he spent the next three seasons serving first as a test and third driver then competing full-time. His best F1 season was in 2004 when he placed eighth in the championship with 34 points on the strength of10 top-10 finishes including five top-five showings and one podium, placing third at the United States Grand Prix. In 2006, Taku joined the new Super Aguri-Honda F1 team. He spent the next two plus seasons with Super Aguri until the team withdrew after just four races in 2008.
“This is a very exciting time for me and all my supporters,” Taku said. “I have really missed racing last year and can’t wait to get started in this new challenge with such a great team. To me, KV Racing Technology is a team with massive potential and great team spirit. With such a great champion as Jimmy leading the team, I am really confident that we will soon be a strong combination. I am also really motivated by the chance to be fighting at the front of the field, something I have missed in recent seasons. I want to thank sincerely everyone who has continued to support me through difficult times and look forward to enjoying success together very soon.”
About KV Racing Technology:
KV Racing Technology was established in 2003. The Indianapolis-based team will contest its eighth open-wheel season and third in the IndyCar Series in 2010. KVRT is owned by successful venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven and 1996 Indy Car Series Champion, Jimmy Vasser. Veteran motorsports manager Mark Johnson is the team’s General Manager. KVRT has earned two victories, the first by Cristiano da Matta in Portland in 2005 and the second by Will Power in Long Beach in 2008. They have captured two poles, Tristan Gommendy at Mont Tremblant in 2007 and Vasser at Milwaukee in 2005 (Will Power captured the pole at the 2008 Surfers Paradise, Australia exhibition race).
For more information about KV Racing Technology visit: www.kvracingtechnology.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kvracing and Facebook: www.facebook.com/kvracingtechnology
For more information about Takuma Sato visit: www.takumasato.com
Ever since the “unification” of American open wheel racing a few years back the many feeder series in existance have been scrambling to find a way to fit in to the new order. Recently, thanks to many sanctioning bodies working together the biggest feeder series: USF2000 powered by Mazda, Star Mazda, and Indy Lights) have finally established a definied “road to Indy”. The newest rung in the latter was just annouced by Star Mazda a few days back. This year’s Star Mazda Champ will get a Indy Lights Test which is a huge chance to impress not only an Indy Lights team but possibly get themselves on the radars of a few Indy Car Series teams as well. Check out the full press release below.
Press Release:
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and Performance Friction Company announced an expansion of the Indy Racing League’s ‘Road to Indy’ program with the Series champion guaranteed a test with a top Firestone Indy Lights team.
2009 Star Mazda champion Adam Christodoulou will test with Andersen Racing’s Indy Lights team later this month, and the champion of the upcoming 2010 season will also get a test as part of his or her prize package. Those prizes now include, in addition to the Indy Lights test, $100,000 in cash and a scholarship from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. Drivers will also be competing for the VISIT FLORIDA Cup, a 7-race championship-within-a-championship; the grand prize for the top-finishing driver in those events is a custom-designed dream vacation in Florida courtesy of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation and sponsor of the 2010 Star Mazda Championship television package. In total, drivers in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship will be competing for prizes valued in excess of $1.5 million.
“Our goal has always been to provide our drivers with the most competitive, cost-effective and comprehensive opportunity to advance their career,” says Star Mazda Championship founder and CEO Gary Rodrigues. “This is another step forward in creating a clearly-defined path for Road to Indy drivers whose goal is the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indy 500. We’d like to thank Performance Friction Company and Andersen Racing for their support in making this possible.”
Performance Friction is the exclusive brake pad and disc supplier to both the Star Mazda Championship and the newly-announced Cooper Tires Presents USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, and is the overwhelming brake component choice for teams competing in the Firestone Indy Lights. All three series are part of the Indy Racing League’s ‘Road to Indy’ program. PFC also supplies a variety of open-wheel series in Europe, Japan, Australia as well as NASCAR, IZOD IndyCar Series, ALMS, FIA, ACO, JGTC, V8 Supercar and Grand-Am just to name a few.
“The Star Mazda Championship is a terrific series that produces some of the top racing talent in the sport today,” says Don Burgoon, President of Performance Friction. “Open-wheel racing is in our company DNA and we’re doing all we can to support these rising stars as they climb the motorsports ladder. It is our goal to support the Road to Indy program at every level and provide these drivers with the very best equipment on the way up.”
The Indy Racing League ‘Road to Indy’ program is designed to bridge the gap between the premier open-wheel racing divisions and the entry level open-wheel series by creating a clear career path for aspiring racing drivers; it includes Firestone Indy Lights, The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda.
“With Andersen Racing’s involvement in all steps on the Road to Indy ladder, we are delighted to work with PFC and Star Mazda in making this exciting test program a reality,” says Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. “My long term relationship with the folks at PFC, coupled with our involvement in and support of the Star Mazda Championship for the past six years, makes this an easy decision. So many Star Mazda drivers in recent years have successfully transitioned into Indy Lights, and now with the support of PFC, more drivers can sample the next step properly. We look forward to testing Adam in the next few weeks.”
Firestone Indy Lights is the premier ladder series for drivers and teams striving to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500. Run in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone Indy Lights’ 13-race schedule features eight races on road courses/street circuits and five races on ovals, including the famed 2.5-mile circuit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Teams compete for nearly $4 million in prize money in cars that are second only in speed to the IZOD IndyCar Series at most tracks they visits.
“The Star Mazda race car is just the right vehicle, with the right horsepower and driving characteristics, to produce drivers ready to hit the ground running in Firestone Indy Lights,” says Roger Bailey, Executive Director of Firestone Indy Lights. “And this test for the Star Mazda Champion is just the sort of opportunity that the Road to Indy was designed to create, both for the driver in the car and the company sponsoring the test. This is the first of many more such things to come for the Road to Indy program.”
The first Star Mazda Championship winner to take advantage of the Road to Indy/Performance Friction/Andersen Racing Indy Lights test will be 2009 champion Adam Christodoulou, the English racer who also won the 2008 Formula Renault U.K. championship. He has already tested in the Team Stargate Worlds Atlantic Championship car and is looking forward to experiencing the additional power and speed of the Indy Lights car.
“I’ve already had a taste of testing the Indy lights car towards the end of last year, but it’s a great car to drive and I’m eager to get behind the wheel again,” says Christodoulou. “I’ve been in quite a variety of cars recently and each car I get in adds to my racing knowledge… and to the level of experience I can bring to my next team. The opportunities that arise from being part of the Star Mazda Championship, the Road to Indy and the MAZDASPEED Ladder are much greater than anything that exists in Europe. These programs have provided a huge boost to my career and I would recommend them to any driver who is serious about advancing their ambitions in open-wheel racing.”
If you follow Indy Car closely (stop laughing RJ) you have probably heard all the rumors about a new chassis coming to the series in 2011 or 2012. We’ve heard everything from the “Delta Wing” to “Concept X” but it looks like we finally have some concrete evidence that Swift Engineering is working on a chassis that looks immensely better than the played out Dallara that the series is currently running. Hopefully we’ll get some more engine manufacturers back in the mix too! Check out the pics below.
Once again a Mazda RX-8 took it to an ocean of Porsches and captured the checkered flag in the GT class at the famous 24 Hours Of Daytona over the weekend. Of the 7 Mazdaspeed backed RX-8s in the field three of them were within the top 10 in the GT class. Besides the #70 SpeedSource RX-8 that took 1st, the #40 Dempsey Racing (The car driven by “Dr. McDreamy himself) RX-8 came in 6th, and the #43 Team Sahlen RX-8 followed right behind taking 7th. SpeedSource’s win on Sunday is the 23rd for Mazdaspeed supported vehicles in the history of the race. I’m going to go ahead and make an early prediction that we’re going to see a lot more wankels in the field next year!
Mazda as always done pretty well in Daytona but this Saturday at the 48th running of the famous 24 hour race Mazda is increasing their chances of a win…by 7! There will be 7 Mazda RX-8’s in the field this weekend including the highly seasoned Speedsource RX-8 which has already captured wins at Daytona and Patrick Dempsey (AKA “Dr. McDreamy) in a Dempsey racing RX-8. Should be interesting to see the RX-8’s mixing it up with the inevitable ocean of Porsches on track. Check out renderings of all 7 entrys in the pic below.
Press Release:
Seven Mazda RX-8 teams are entered in the Rolex 24 for the GT class. Each RX-8 is powered by a 500hp three-rotor Mazda rotary engine.
#30 The Racers Edge RX-8 featuring 2009 MX-5 Cup Champion Todd Lamb and 2009 Atlantic Champion John Edwards
#40 The Dempsey Racing RX-8 featuring America’s fastest actor, Patrick Dempsey.
#41 The second Dempsey Racing RX-8 will be run in conjunction with Team Seattle as a charity fundraiser for a children’s hospital.
#42/43 A pair of Team Sahlen RX-8s. No strangers to Mazda, the Nonnamaker Brothers will be a factor all season long. This is their race debut in an RX-8 in Grand-Am GT competition.
#69 The SpeedSource FXDD RX-8. This team won two races in 2009.
#70 The SpeedSource Castrol Syntec RX-8. The Sylvain Tremblay-led team is looking to repeat their 2008 Rolex win. Joining the team fulltime for 2010 is Jonathan Bomarito. Jonathan is a former Mazda Atlantic Championship Star.
A few days ago the newly dubbed Mercedes-GP Petronas Team debuted their new livery and car for 2010. Reminds me of the McLaren cars but with blue accents. I am really feeling the exposed carbon fiber on the nose though, that’s pretty fresh. Check out highlights from the debut below.
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