IndyCars - The off-season: Series news and comment until the March 2014 kick-off

The Sports Roundtable and Bar
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Speaking of the DrivenToSavesLives BC 39…

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…as we did in the post above, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles is announcing that the very popular and well-attended USAC event will return for 2019, again to coincide with the Brickyard 400 NASCAR weekend, in early September. The event will again honor late USAC champion and three-time Indy 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives - two of Clauson’s personal causes.

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The midgets turning laps on the temporary Turn 3 dirt track at IMS

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In the inaugural event, two-time USAC National Champion Brady Bacon won the 39-lap feature race and earned the richest purse in recent Midget racing history. The race was very popular with locals, selling out the temporary infield grandstands even after the main event was shortened due to heavy afternoon rain, necessitating a finish in the dark.

Left to right, Bryan Clauson, Doug Boles and Brady Bacon

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It was also popular with participants, with an all-time record entry of 118 Midget cars. Competitors included eight former USAC Midget national champions. Boles is expecting a similar enthusiasm for 2019.

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The series is the same but the name is new…

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We’re talking about the new name for what has been called “Pro Mazda” - the middle rung series of the three series that make up the Road to Indy ladder system for training drivers to drive IndyCars. Going forward the series will be called "Indy Pro 2000."

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Originally called “Star Mazda” the series was renamed “Pro Mazda” in 2013, when Anderson Promotions took over the Road to Indy. But since Mazda has decided to end its affiliation with the Road to Indy, Dan Anderson, president of Anderson Promotions, has decided a new name is appropriate - one that has an element of the past but is also more inline with its IndyCar affiliation.

Dan Anderson

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Why Indy Pro 2000? All three series in the Road to Indy use 2-liter engines - 2000 cubic centimeters. USF2000 uses an Elite Engines-developed 2.0 liter four with 175 horsepower and 160 pounds of torque. Indy Pro 2000 uses an Elite Engines-developed 2.0 liter with 275 horsepower and 190 pounds of torque. Finally, Indy Lights uses an AER-developed Turbocharged 2.0 liter with 450 horsepower (with an additional 50 horsepower available with a “push-to-pass” feature) and 230 pounds of torque. NOTHING about the technical end of all three series is changing for 2019.

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The Tatuus PM-18 will remain the chassis for Indy Pro 2000 - one of the best junior formula chassis in the world

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For a while, we will refer to Indy Pro 2000 as “formerly Pro Mazda” whenever possible, so as to help identify it.

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Juncos Racing is enlisting some young talent for the IMSA endurance races…

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In post # 284 we mentioned that Juncos Racing has signed Pro Mazda alum and endurance racing champion Will Owen to run the full season of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, driving their new Cadillac DPi V.R. in the P class.

Last week, Juncos announced that their 2017 Indy Lights Champion, Kyle Kaiser, would be on the squad for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Kaiser drove in 4 IndyCar starts for Juncos in 2018, including his first Indy 500.

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Kyle Kaiser

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Today, Juncos further announced that Austrian Rene Binder would also be on the squad for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as well as the other 3 races that make up the Michelin Endurance Cup - formerly known as the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup. Binder drove in 6 IndyCar races for Juncos in 2018.

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Rene Binder

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A fourth driver for the Rolex 24 at Daytona has yet to be named. Expect to see Owen, Binder and Kaiser at the pre-Daytona testing event, the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona in early January.

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Zachary Claman DeMelo is returning to Indy Lights in 2019…

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The 20-year-old Canadian drove two previous seasons of Indy Lights - 2016 for Juncos and 2017 for Carlin - with a best finish of P1 at Road America in 2017 before making a bid to get a full-time ride in IndyCars in 2018. ZCD was able to post 9 starts for Dale Coyne Racing in 2018, including his debut at the Indy 500, where he impressed all by legitimately leading the race for 7 laps.

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Zachary Claman DeMelo

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However, it wasn’t enough to secure a full-time ride in IndyCars for 2019. So, Zachary will be returning to Indy Lights in 2019, driving for Brian Beardi at Belardi Auto Racing. The plan is very simple - WIN the championship, and with it the 1.1 million dollars Road to Indy scholarship that will allow Zachary to return to IndyCars in 2020 - including another shot at the Indy 500.

Said ZCD, “I am very excited to be joining Belardi Auto Racing for the upcoming season. The team has a great track record for being very competitive and for getting drivers to IndyCar and keeping them there.

“Being back in Indy Lights will be good for my development as a driver and as a competitor. But my only goal going into this season is to win the championship.”

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Good luck,Zach!

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Pfaff is committing to the full season of the WeatherTech SprortsCar Championsip for 2019…

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During the Petit Le Mans weekend in 2018 Pfaff Motorsports made the announcement that the team would be moving from the Pirelli World Challenge series to do the sprint races of the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech series, with an all-Canadian squad of 2018 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Champion Zacharie Robichon and 2018 Pirelli World Challenge GT3 Sprint Champion Scott Hargrove - a MUCH accomplished former Road to Indy ace driver, with multiple Porsche Cup titles.
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IndyCar guy Scott Hargrove (left) and Zacharie Robichon

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Today Pfaff made the announcement that they are now CONFIRMED to do the entire season, including the 4 Michelin Endurance Cup races - The Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Sahlen’s 6 Hours at the Glen and the Motul Petit Le Mans. Pfaff will field a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD class - the perfect mount for the Canadian duo.

The team will add Germany’s Lars Kern for all of the endurance events, and Norway’s Dennis Olsen as the fourth Rolex 24 at Daytona driver.

Lars Kern (left) and Dennis Olsen - Endurance muscle

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If Pfaff does their part, given how much Hargrove and Robichon have proven they can motor a Porsche with authority, the duo have to be considered favorites for a championship, now that they will do the full season.

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A BIG crongrats to IndyCar driver Katherine Legge…

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…as she becomes the first woman to race in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Katherine will be driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in the new Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series, an all-electric support series to Formula E, which is also racing at Middle East Ad Diriyah, on the outskirts of Saudi capital Riyadh this weekend for the Ad Diriyah E-Prix.

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Katherine Legge

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Kat’s teammate for the season is going to be Bryan Sellers, who - with Madison Snow - beat out Legge for the GTD-class championship in the 2018 season of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship by 6 points.
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left to right, Bobby Rahal, Bryan Sellers and Katherine Legge

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While Selllers still hasn’t confirmed his 2019 season in IMSA, Katherine has. She will once again co-drive an Acura NSX GT3 for Heinricher / Meyer Shank Racing in the GTD class. Luckily, the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series does NOT conflict with the IMSA series.

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IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves is headed to the International Race of Champions in 2019…

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Announced this week, the three-time Indy 500 winner will return in January to compete once again in the ROC, to be held for the first time at the Foro Sol, the amphitheatre forming part of Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Formula 1 circuit. Helio will partner 2016-2017 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi in the Nation’s Cup on Day 1, representing Brazil. Then on Day 2 Helio will go for the singular Champion of Champions.

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Helio Castroneves

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Castroneves becomes the 2nd IndyCar driver to enter the 2019 ROC, as 2018 Indy Lights Champion Patricio O’Ward is already in, and will race for Mexico in the Nation’s Cup.

Lucas Di Grassi (left) and Pato O’Ward joining the fun.

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Rahal Letterman Lanigan has best team result at Ad Diriyah …

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…in Saudi Arabia for the debut of the new Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY electric car series. The team took P3 with Bryan Sellers and P6 with IndyCar driver Katherine Legge - two finishers in the top-six, the most of any team entered in the race. WINNING the inaugural event was Simon Evans for Team Asia New Zealand while P2 went to Sergio Jimenez for Jaguar Brazil Racing.

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Bryan Sellers in blue and white RLL Jag hounding Simon Evans

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Qualifying was washed out due to heavy rains - yes, heavy rains in the desert - and the field was gridded based on the first practice times on Friday, with Sellers starting in P2 and Katherine starting in P9. (Too bad it wasn’t based on the Warm-Up, where Katherine was P4). Legge made the most passes in the race and set Fastest Lap several times, but she just had too many positions to make up.

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Katherine Legge in her Jaguar I-PACE for RLL - Fastest Lap

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Bryan Sellers (left) and Katherine Legge

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The next round of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY for Sellers and Legge takes place in Mexico City on 16 February 2019, but prior to that Legge will be on the all-female Acura NSX GT3 squad for Heinricher / Meyer Shank Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, The Brit’s co-drivers will be American Jackie Heinricher, Brazilian Ana Beatriz and Swiss Simona de Silvestro.

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Speaking of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing…

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…as we did in the post above, the team has announced their full-time squad for the GTLM class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2019 and it once again includes Pro Mazda (now called “Indy Pro 2000”) alum and Team USA alum Connor de Phillippe. Connor will share the # 24 BMW M8 GTE with new driver Tom Blomqvist - the son of rally great Stig Blomqvist. The # 25 Bimmer will be piloted by Jesse Krohn and John Edwards, as was the case in 2018.
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Connor de Phillippe - back in the Bimmer for 2019.

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Left to right, Tom Blomqvist, Jesse Krohn and John Edwards - RLL boys for 2019

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Adding even more IndyCar talent to the roster, RLL will put 2-time Champ Car Champion Alex Zanardi in the # 25, along with Supercars great Chaz Mostert, for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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Alessandro Zanardi

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Chaz Mostert

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And in the # 24, the 2018 Indy Lights Vice-Champion, Colton Herta, will join DTM driver Philipp Eng as the adds for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

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Colton Herta

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Philipp Eng

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As is always the case, the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona is shaping up to feature a bevy of IndyCar talent.

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Great day of testing at Ad Diriyah near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday…

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All 11 teams competing in the ABB FIA Formula E series stayed on following the opening race weekend to do some testing at Ad Diriyah and adding significance to the testing was the presence of 9 great female open-wheelers, thanks to the efforts of the FIA Women in Motorsports Commission. IndyCar drivers Simona de Silvestro and Katherine Legge are already signed to do test driving this season, but the other 7 - including IndyCar driver Pippa Mann - were added into the test programs this day, thanks to FIA WiM.
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Left to right, FIA WiM Commission President Michelle Mouton (one of the greatest rally drivers of her time) IndyCar driver Pippa Mann, Tatiana Calderon, Amna Al Qubaisi, Carrie Schreiner, Carmen Jorda, Beitske Visser, Jamie Chadwick, and IndyCar drivers Simona de Silvestro and Katherine Legge.

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Pippa testing for GEOX Dragon FE

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Katherine testing for Mahindra FE

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Simona testing for Venturi FE

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In addition to her role as a test driver for Venturi FE all season, de Silvestro was recently named by ABB, the title sponsor of the Formula E championship, as its global ambassador, along with fellow Swiss, Sebastien Buemi.

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We got us a new IndyCar team for 2019!..

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The rumor has persisted for weeks that a new team would be coming to the Indycar series for 2019 and today that rumor was CONFIRMED, as SportsCar and endurance racers DragonSpeed Racing are going to field a Chevy-powered car in 5 IndyCar races, including the 2019 Indy 500, with an eye to going full-schedule in 2020. Their driver will be 33-year-old Brit Ben Hanley.

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Ben Hanley

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Hanley has been racing in SportsCars for DragonSpeed for the last 4 years, but has lots of European open-wheel experience in his past, including Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2.

As a team, DragonSpeed has had a lot of success, including WINNING the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge GTA championship and the 2017 European Le Mans Series LMP2 title. According to team principal Elton Julian, the team will also continue competing in the 2019 World Endurance Championship, which includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Elton Julian

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In addition to the Indy 500 DragonSpeed will grid for St. Petersburg, the GP of Alabama at Barber, Road America and the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, sticking principally to the twisty circuits. Welcome to the fray!

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It’s time for another 2018 “Speedy Award”…

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Every year, the bespeckled numbers-crunchers working for IndyCar are able to spot some outstanding race performances that aren’t so readily obvious without statistical analysis and when the season is over they let us know what those performances are in what they call the “Speedy Awards” We’ve been chronicling this year’s awards, with the last look in post # 305, where we did the Average Running Speed award.

This week, we do what they call the “Arie Luyendyk Speed Demons Awards”, given to the fastest trap speeds in races on road / street courses and ovals and the best driver using Push-to-Pass to overtake - 3 different awards.
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The best guy on the button in 2018 - most effective use of Push-to-Pass - was 4-time champion Sebastien Bourdais for Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser / Sulilivan. Bourdais was able to make 39 passes using Push-to-Pass (second among all drivers) and had an efficiency rating of 18.2% - (39 passes divided by 214 push-to-pass attempts). It’s that efficiency rating that gets him the award. When Seb’s on the button he makes it count the most.

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Sebastien Bourdais

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The Speedy Award for the best oval-racing trap speeds goes to veteran Tony Kanaan for AJ Foyt Enterprises. Tony posted the fastest trap speed in two oval races in 2018, and ranked among the TOP FIVE drivers at all six oval races. The Brazilian veteran can wheel it in a circle faster than anyone else, on average.

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Tony Kanaan

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Finally, the Speedy for the best trap speeds on the twisty circuits goes to Will Power for Team Penske. Will was the only driver to post the fastest trap speed on more than one road or street course in 2018, setting the fastest speed at Belle Isle-1 and the finale at Sonoma.

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Will Power

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More Speedys to come. Stay tuned!

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It’s time for some video to brighten up this December…

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…and let’s start with the 3rd installment of IndyCar driver Jack Harvey’s series, “You Don’t Know Jack”, wherein the former 2-time Vice Champion of Indy Lights let’s us in on his doings.

This episode, Jack let’s us in on his fitness regime. Most IndyCar guys go to Jim Leo’s Indianapolis motorsports-geared fitness club, PitFit Training, but Jack’s gotta be different and instead goes to group classes with Fit Flex Fly. Take look:

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Whatever his reason, It’s really working for him. At the time of this post he has already lost more than 20 pounds of weight, and Jack reckons that’s all the baby fat he’s been carrying for a number of years. He a lean, mean machine from Manchester, England.

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contnued…

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It’s time for some video to brighten up this December…(part 2)…

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Now, here’s a NEW series called “Behind the Visor”, presented by the phenomenal 2018 Indy Lights Champion, Patricio O’Ward. Pato is going to show us his wonderful season, race by race, starting with his first race of 2018, which was also his first WIN of 2018 - St. Petersburg - 1. He then goes on to describe St. Pete - 2, which was a bit of a disaster of his own doing.

Take a look:

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Excellent!. Let’s do another one…(continued)…

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It’s time for some video to brighten up this December…(part 3)…

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We’re taking a look at Patricio O’Ward’s 2018 championship season of Indy Lights. Here is episode 2 of his series, “Behind the Visor” - the Barber Motorsports Park races:

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More to come. Stay tuned!

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IndyCar driver Alex Zanardi does Daytona…in video…

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In post # 335 we mentioned that the 2-time former Champ Car Champion will be added to the regular line-up for the BMW Rahal Letterman Lanigan # 25 BMW M8 GTE squad for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona - the first of the four endurance races that make up the 2019 Michelin Endurance Cup within the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series.

Zanardi lost both his legs in a horrific accident at the Lausitzring, in Germany in 2001, but once recovered, it didn’t stop the popular Italian from competing, and he has WON several races since then, driving cars with hand controls, similar to those also used by Pro Mazda alum Michael Johnson - a paraplegic since the age of 12 and also a race winner.

Alessandro Zanardi (left) and Michael Johnson

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Recently, Zanardi tested the big GTLM-class M8 at Daytona and this is a quick vid of a lap or two, with Alex explaining the challenges. The special steering wheel that incorporates the accelerator and shift paddles is seen. Zanardi simply pulls back on the secondary wheel behind the primary wheel. The harder he pulls, the more the accelerator is applied, but there are times he has to both steer and down-shift using one hand only, as the other is on the brake lever off to the right of the steering wheel. The Bimmer has a centrifugal clutch that works perfectly for both fast standing starts and slow rolls away from the paddock.

It’s slightly different with Johnson who drives an Audi in the TC class of IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series. His steering wheel has two extra rings - one in the front for accelerating and one on the rear for braking. That way he can always keep both hands on the wheel at all times.

Take a look at Alex at work

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For Daytona Alex’ co-drivers will be fellow add-on Chaz Mostert, from Supercars, and team regulars Jesse Krohn and John Edwards. The car is also equipped with the regular brake and accelerator pedals they all will use.

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Speaking of Daytona…

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…as we did in the post above, today it was announced that former IndyCar driver Mike Conway will be added to the Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V.R. squad for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona, along with Action Express regulars Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque and fellow add-on Christian Fittipaldi.

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Mike Conway

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Since leaving IndyCars with multiple race WINS for Dale Coyne Racing, the Brit has become something of an endurance car specialist, with more WINS and several podiums, including two podiums for Action Express. Following 2 WINS this season already, Conway is currently ranked second in the LMP1 standings of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship standings with three races remaining.

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Mike’s mount for Daytona - the Mustang Sampling # 5 Caddy for Action Express.

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Three CONFIRMATIONS for the 2019 Road to Indy grids have been announced…

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Today Juncos Racing has announced that their 2018 Pro Mazda (now called “Indy Pro 2000”) Champion, Rinus VeeKay, will be using his 815,000+ dollar scholarship to run the full season of Indy Lights for the team in 2019.

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Rinus Van Kalmthout - aka Rinus VeeKay - back at Juncos

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VeeKay has twice tested for Juncos in their Lights car since the 2018 season ended, making his best showing at the recent Homestead-Miami Speedway test, where he posted a P1, two P2s and a P4 - the 2nd best Indy Lights score of the test.

Said the much-accomplished 18-year-old from Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, “I really feel at home with Juncos Racing. I think I can improve my performance and get better with this team, and that is extremely important for my next goal, the IndyCar Series. It’s also great to see that the team work extremely hard for me. Last season they proved that, after a setback, they can come back better than ever before and that they do everything they can to be successful. The (Juncos Racing) 2015 and 2017 Indy Lights titles prove that. I’m really looking forward to work together with Ricardo and his team again and to being successful together."

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Juncos WON the Lights title in 2015 with Spencer Pigot and in 2017 with Kyle Kaiser. If they keep to the same every-other-year schedule, VeeKay will likely be the Lights Champion in 2019.

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continued…

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Three CONFIRMATIONS for the 2019 Road to Indy grids have been announced…(part 2)…

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Also announced this week, 19-year-old Colin Kaminsky will run his sophomore full season of USF2000 for Pabst Racing, driving their # 23 Tatuus USF-17. Though he comes from a racing family - his dad Bob Kaminsky is a grizzled veteran of the SportCar wars - Colin has only been racing for 5 years, and he has been in school for much of the time, at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Colin Kaminsky - driving for the “Speed Boys” at Pabst in 2019

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Kaminsky drove a partial season for Kaminsky Racing in 2017 and a full season for DEForce Racing in 2018, with a best finish of P4 at Road America. He tested for Pabst twice since the end of the season, most recently at Homestead-Miami where he was TOP FIVE in 4 of 5 sessions, with a best of P3.

Said the Homer Glen, Illinois native, “My goal for the 2019 USF2000 season is to compete for wins and ultimately compete for a championship and a scholarship to Pro Mazda in 2020. Pabst is a team proven to win races and compete for championships year in and year out so I know I am in the right place to pursue my goal. With their experience and expertise I am sure that as a team we will be competing for the top step of the podium every weekend.”

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Adding to their roster, Pabst Racing has also CONFIRMED that rookie Yuven Sundaramoorthy will join Colin on the 2019 USF2000 squad. Sundaramoorthy, who will be 16 in February, was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where Pabst Racing is based, and has since lived much of the time outside the United States.

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Yuven Sundaramoorthy

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After many years karting, which eventually led him back to the United States four years ago, Yuven switched to USAC’s F1600 Championship in 2017 and 2018, driving for K-Hill Motorsports and earning a 4th and 3rd place in the points chases. He also drove 3 races in USF2000 in 2018 for Exclusive Autosport, whetting his whistle for 2019. Sundaramoorthy tested for Pabst Racing at Homestead-Miami in December and posted 4 TOP FIVES out of five sessions.

Said the 15-year-old, “I am so excited to be driving with Pabst Racing this year and taking the next step in my racing career. I’m really looking forward to the hyper-competitive experience in USF2000, and learning from my new teammates as well. My goal is to get some top-fives early in the season, then improve to podiums and wins later in the year.”

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Pabst Racing is expecting at least two more ‘‘gets’’ for 2019 and one of them is rumored to be a MEGA get. Announcements will be made in early 2019. Stay tuned!!

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The Race of Champions for 2019 just got better…

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Announced a day ago, IndyCar driver Robby Gordon’s Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks will be both a participant in the main event and also a support race for the 2019 iteration of the Race of Champions, to be held for the first time at Mexico City’s Foro Sol, the amphitheater inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez Formula 1 circuit. The plan is to bring both the 650 hp trucks and the SPEED XX UTVs.

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Two Super Trucks at a cross-over in Texas - getting air is no problem

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Robby Gordon

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ROC President Fredrik Johnsson said: “Robby is one of the most colourful figures in world motor sport. At his first Race Of Champions appearance in 2001 he rolled one car, pulled off another spectacular save and set a lap record round our Gran Canaria circuit that still stands… talk about giving the fans value for money!

“But if that sounds good just wait till you see his SPEED XX’s and his Stadium Super Trucks, which are sure to put a smile on the faces of all the drivers – and everyone watching. We have greats racing from Formula 1, Le Mans, IndyCar, NASCAR and RallyX but I bet you will never have had the chance to watch them drive anything like this before. If you’ve never seen a truck fly, now’s your chance.”

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We can’t wait to see Formula 1 drivers trying to make the trucks fly. That ALONE will be worth the price of admission.

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