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

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Friday at Daytona - two final practices and then a race!

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The day started out with the Michelin Pilot Challenge guys doing a final practice, followed by the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship gang doing their final practice. Let’s see who was on top for each, starting with the Michelin guys:

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Grand Sport class - Jeff Westphal in the # 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports was TOPS in time in the final practice, laying down a time of 01:53.101s for a speed of 113.309mph. He topped USF2000 alum Jesse Lazare in the # 69 McLaren GT4 for Motorsports in Action by a mere 0.030 seconds. 3rd fastest in the final practice was the series class champion in 2018, Owen Trinkler, in the # 46 Team TGM Mercedes AMG.

Co-driver with Jeff is Tyler McQuarrie. Co-driver with Jesse is Corey Fergus and co-driver with Owen is fellow 2018 Champion Hugh Plumb.

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The class-leading Audi for Carbahn Motorsports

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Touring Car class - Todd Lamb took the # 84 Honda Civic TCR for Atlanta Speedworks to the top in the P-5 practice with a time of 02:00.620s for a speed of 106.246mph, besting the time of Mat Pombo in the # 73 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic TCR by 0.026 seconds. The new-for-2019 Hondas in this class are going great. 3rd fastest in the P-5 session was the sister car, the # 37 Honda Civic TCR driven by Indy Lights veteran Shelby Blackstock.

Co-driver for Todd is Brian Henderson while Mike LaMarra drives with Mat Pombo and Tom O’Gorman drives with Shelby.

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The Atlanta Speedworks Honda - TOPS for P-5

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The IMPC guys will race this afternoon - 4 hours worth - following the final WeatherTech practice. Next up, the WeatherTech gang hold their final practice of the weekend before the start of the Rolex 24…

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Friday at Daytona - two final practices and then a race!..(part 2)…

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Following the IMPC guys the WeatherTech gang held their final practice and we have the TOP THREE from each class, starting with the DPi class.

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DPi class - As if to show it wouldn’t matter, the boys in the # 5 Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Action Express shook off the news that Mike Conway wouldn’t be helping them this weekend (see post # 409) and Filipe Albuquerque set the fastest time of the practice with a time of 01:34.358s for a speed of 135.816mph, besting the time of Olivier Pla in the # 55 Mazda RT24-P for Mazda Team Joest by 0.400 seconds. 3rd fastest was the other Action Express Caddy, the # 31 with Pro Mazda alum Pipo Derani at the wheel.

Co-drivers with Filipe are season regular Joao Barbosa and the add, Christian Fittipaldi. Co-drivers with Olivier are season regulars Jonathan Bomarito and Harry Tincknell, while helping Pipo in the race will be fellow regular Felipe Nasr and add Eric Curran.

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The Mustang Sampling Caddy - tops for the P-4 final session
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LMP2 class - It was Enzo Guibbert in the # 52 ORECA 07 Gibson for PR1 / Mathiasen Motorsports who topped the P-4 session with a time of 01:36.433s for a speed of 132.894mph. Enzo beat out the # 81 DragonSpeed ORECA driven by Nicolas Lapierre by 0.565 seconds. 3rd fastest on the session was Roberto Gonzales in the other DragonSpeed car, the # 18 ORECA 07.

Co-drivers with Enzo will be Matt McMurry, Gabriel Aubry and Mark Kvamme, while co-drivers with Nicolas are Henrik Hedman, James Allen and IndyCar driver Ben Hanley. Gonzales will share the car with Pastor Maldonado, Ryan Cullen and IndyCar driver Sebastian Saavedra.

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TOPS in P-4, the # 52 for PR1 / Mathiasen

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GTLM class - Frederic Makowiecki continued the speedy ways of the # 911 Porsche RSR for Porsche GT Team with a TOP TIME of 01:42.478s for a speed of 125.055mph in the P-4 session, besting the time of Dirk Mueller in the # 66 Ford GT for Ford Chip Ganassi by 0.143 seconds. 3rd fastest in the session was 2018 Champion Jan Magnussen in the # 3 Corvette C7.R for Corvette Racing.

Co-drivers for Freddie M are Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet. Co-drivers for Dirk are Joey Hand and IndyCar driver Sebatien Bourdais, while the other guys in the Corvette are fellow 2018 Champion Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller.

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The # 911 has been fast through all four practices, and remains so.

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GTD class - It was Pedro Lamy in the # 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 who was the rabbit in the P-4 session, with a time of 01:44.632s for a speed of 122.480mph, besting the time of New Zealander Nick Cassidy in the # 14 Lexus RCF GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan by 0.214 seconds. 3rd fastest in the final session was Marco Seefried in the # 540 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Black Swan Racing.

Co-driving the Ferrari with Pedro will be Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Daniel Serra, while co-driving with Nick Cassidy will be Richard Heistand and IndyCar guys Jack Hawksworth and Austin Cindric. The other guys in the Black Swan Porsche are Timothy Pappas, Matteo Cairoli and veteran Dirk Werner.

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The Spirit of Race Ferrari rises to the top

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Following the P-4 session for the WeatherRech gang the Michelin Pilot Challenge series took to the track for the 4-hour BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona…

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Friday at Daytona - two final practices and then a race!..(part 3)…

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At the end of the day the Michelin Pilot Challenge series held their first race of the 2019 season, the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona - a 4-hour endurance race with both classes on track at the same time. When the dust settled the WINNERS in the Grand Sport class were the guys in the pole-sitting # 75 Compass Racing McLaren GT4, Paul Holton and Kuno Wittmer. The pair lost the lead and suffered through 8 cautions at times to emerge victorious after Holton retook the lead with minutes to go.

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The # 75 McLaren GT4 - 1st WIN of the season.

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Coming home P2 was the # 99 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Automatic Racing, driven by Gary Ferrera and Kris Wilson. Wilson got into a great battle with USF2000 alum Jesse Lazare in the # 69 McLaren GT4 for Motorsport in Action in the final laps and beat Jesse to the end by a TEENSY 0.007 seconds as the # 69, co-driven by Corey Fergus, pulled in P3.

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The Grand Sport WINNERS Paul Holton (left) and Kuno Wittmer
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In the Touring Car class the WINNERS were the new kids on the block, the # 37 Honda Civic TCR of LA Honda World Racing, driven by Tom O’Gorman and Indy Lights veteran Shelby Blackstock, besting their teammates, Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra in the # 73 Honda Civic TCR - a great start in the series for the new mark. P3 on the podium were Nick Galante, James Vance and Jared Salinsky in the # 23 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for Fast MD Racing.

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The WINNING Honda Civic TCR for LA Honda World Racing

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Pole-sitter Michael Johnson in the # 54 Audi TCR got into a fierce battle for the lead for the first hour of the race with Lee Carpentier in the # 10 eEuroparts Audi TCR. As the two cars entered the bus stop corners around lap 17 they touched each other and both sailed into the wall. Carpentier soldiered on for a while longer but Johnson’s car was unable to rejoin the fray, ending the promising day.

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WINNERS in the TCR class Tom O’Gorman (left) and IndyCar driver Shelby Blackstock
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The next race for the Michelin Pilot Challenge series will be a 2-hour race, the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring, on the same weekend as the 12 hours of Sebring.

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On Saturday the last event of the weekend, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race starts at 2:35 pm EASTERN time. Coverage, all EASTERN time:

Saturday

2:00 - 5:00pm - NBC-SN
5:00pm - 9:00pm - NBC Sports App - free to NBC-SN viewers
9:00pm - 12:00am - NBC-SN

Sunday

12:00am - 3:00am - NBC-SN
3:00am - 6:00am - NBC Sports App - free to NBC-SN viewers
6:00am - 3:00pm - NBC-SN

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Here we go!

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So…what doe s a nice Swiss gal do to relax before a race?

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IndyCar / Supercars driver Simona de Silvestro hops on a jet and goes to Vail, Colorado to reconnect with her inner slope-shusher.

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Simona

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The “Swiss Missile” will start her first Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday, driving the # 57 Acura NSX GT3 for Heinricher Racing w / Meyer Shank Racing with Christina Nielsen and fellow IndyCar gals Katherine Legge and Ana Beatriz. Good luck, ladies!

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In 2018 at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Indy Lights Race 2…

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…young Colton Herta, driving for Andretti Autosport, battled with Santi Urrutia for Belardi Auto Racing late in the race for the lead. Three laps from the end, the two car touched each other going into Turn 1 and Santi spun out, giving Herta his second WIN of the weekend. Coming home P2 on that day was Aaron Telitz for Belardi and P3 was Victor Franzoni for Juncos Racing

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left to right, podium of Aaron Telitz, Colton Herta and Victor Franzoni
Lights

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On Saturday, all three talented drivers will be making their Rolex 24 at Daytona debuts, with Aaron co-driving the GTD-class # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan, Colton co-driving the GTLM-class # 25 BMW M8 GTE for BMW Team Rahal and Victor co-driving the GTD-class # 13 Ferrari 488 GT3 for Via Italia Racing. Look for them.

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Good luck, gentlemen!

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It’s known in auto racing lore as simply, “The Pass”…

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In 1996 at Laguna Seca, Alex Zanardi, driving an IndyCar for Target Chip Ganassi, passed Bryan Herta for Team Rahal for the lead and the WIN on the final lap and in the infamous turn known as “the corkscrew,” making both the two drivers and turn itself more famous - MUCH more famous.

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Take a look:

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On Saturday, Alex Zanardi, now a double amputee, will be making his debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, co-driving the GTLM-class # 24 BMW M8 GTE, utilizing hand controls to replace his legs, lost in an accident years after “the pass”.

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Good luck, Alex!

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Easily, the most daring driver at the 2018 Indy 500 was Alexander Rossi…

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…driving for Andretti Autosport, as the Californian 3rd year IndyCar driver made pass after pass that could not be made by mere mortals, leading many to suspect that Rossi has made some sort of pact with the Devil.

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Take a look:

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On Saturday, Rossi makes his debut with Acura Team Penske at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, co-driving the # 7 Acura ARX-05 in the DPi class. Rossi is replacing another IndyCar driver from the 2018 Rolex 24, Graham Rahal. Graham was LOVED by Acura Team Penske. Every stint he drove he made up spots and passed many cars, taking the car to the lead at one time. But the 2019 iteration of the car is too small for the tall, tall driver to fit in. So, Graham out and Alexander in.

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Good luck, Alexander!

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Following a Vice-Championship in IMSA Prototype Challenge in 2017…

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…while driving in the MPC class, Kris Wright moved up to the LMP3 class in 2018 and creamed the competition, with 6 podiums and 2 WINS in six races, driving a Ligier JS P3 for Extreme Speed Motorsports and taking the title with 20 points to spare - all while simultaneously driving for BN Racing in Pro Mazda with 11 TOP TENS.

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Kris in his Ligier for ESM

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Kris Wright

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On Saturday, the Russia-born American will make his debut in the Rolex 24 at Daytona as a co-driver in the # 38 ORECA 07 Gibson LMP2 for Performance Tech Motorsports.

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Good luck, Kris!

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2017 Indy Lights Champion Kyle Kaiser is known for his excellent car control…

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…and it was never more apparent than in the rain at Watkins Glen in his championship season. Watch here as the young Californian ace saves the car numerous times with his quick hands:

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On Saturday the 22-year-old will be making his debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, co-driving the # 50 Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Juncos Racing in the DPi class.

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Good luck, Kyle!

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The 57th Rolex 24 at Daytona is over…

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…and a lot of teams and drivers are grateful, as the last 9 hours of the race were under rain conditions - conditions that got so bad the race was red-flagged twice, with the last time almost 2 hours to the end. Thus the race ended under a red flag and the leaders at the time it was shown are the class WINNERS. Let’s see who they are:

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DPI class and overall - The # 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Wayne Taylor Racing takes the cake, with Fernando Alonso the driver when the race was stopped. Sharing the podium with him will be fellow add Kamui Kobayashi and team regulars Renger Van der Zande and Jordan Taylor.

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The Wayne Taylor Racing Caddy - P1 overall and in DPi class

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P2 at the end was the # 31 Whelen Cadillac DPi-V.R. for Action Express, driven by Felipe Nasr at the end, and with co-drivers Pro Mazda alum Pipo Derani and add Eric Curran. P3 was the # 7 Acura ARX-05 DPi for Acura Team Penske, with IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi driving at the end and co-driven by fellow IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor. All three cars were on the same lap at the end.

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LMP2 class - The WINNERS are the # 18 DragonSpeed ORECA 07 Gibson, with IndyCar driver Sebastian Saavedra driving at the end. His co-drivers were fellow add Ryan Cullen and regulars Pastor Maldenado and Roberto Gonzales. The boys WON by 4 laps.

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The DragonSpeed ORECA 07 Gibson - TOPS in LMP2 class

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P2 at the flag was the # 38 ORECA 07 for Performance Tech Motorsports, with Cameron Cassells driving. His co-drivers were Kyle Masson, Robert Masson and IndyCar driver Kris Wright, while P3 went to the other DragonSpeed car, the # 81 with Henrik Hedmen in the car at the end. His co-drivers are Nicolas Lapierre, James Allen and IndyCar driver Ben Hanley.
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GTLM class - The WINNERS were the boys in the # 25 BMW M8 GTE for BMW Team RLL, with Augusto Farfus driving at the end. Co-drivers were fellow add Philipp Eng and IndyCar drivers Connor de Phillippi and Colton Herta.

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The BMW Team RLL # 25 - WINNERS in GTLM class

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P2 at the end was the # 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE with James Calado bringing it home. Co-drivers are Davide Rigon, Miguel Molina and Alessandro Pier Guidi, while P3 went to the # 912 Porsche 911 RSR for Porsche GT Team with Laurens Vanthoor in the car at the red flag. His co-drivers are fellow regular Earl Bamber and add Mathieu Jaminet. All three cars were on the same lap at the end.

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GTD class - The WINNING car - for the 2nd year in a row - was the # 11 Lamborghini Huracan Evo GT3 for Grasser Racing Team, with Christian Engelhart the survivor in the car at the end. His co-drivers are Rolf Ineichen, Mirko Bortolotti and Rik Breukers.

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The GTD class WINNERS for the 2nd year in a row, the GRT Lamborghini

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P2 at the finish was the # 29 Audi R8 LMS GT3 for Monoplast by Land with Danny Morad at the wheel for the finish. Co-drivers are Christopher Mies, Ricky Feller and Dries Vanthoor, while the P3 car was the # 12 Lexus RCF GT3 with Jeff Segal driving at the end. His co-drivers are Frank Montecalvo and IndyCar drivers Townsend Bell and Aaron Telitz. All three cars were on the same lap at the end.

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The 57th Rolex 24 at Daytona is over…(part 2)…

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The 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona WINNERS in class, left to right, the four guys from Grasser Racing Team, the four from Wayne Taylor Racing, the four from DragonSpeed and the four from BMW Team RLL:

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It was another great Rolex 24, despite having to eventually bow to Mother Nature. Most of the race was the typical first-class racing we have come to expect and it is no surprise that all four class-winning cars were also in the mix for the whole race.
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The IndyCar contingent did GREAT, as usual, with 3 P1s, 2 P2s and 5 P3s. They were:

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P1s - (left to right) Sebastian Saavedra, LMP2 class, and Connor de Phillippe and Colton Herta, GTLM class

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P2s - (left to right) Pipo Derani, DPi class, and Kris Wright, LMP2 class

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P3s - (left to right) Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi, DPi class, Ben Hanley, LMP2 class…

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…and Townsend Bell and Aaron Telitz, GTD class

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Perhaps the two biggest heartbreaks of the race were the fates of the # 24 BMW in GTLM class and the # 57 Acura in the GTD class.

As legless driver Alex Zanardi was trying to put his special hand-control steering wheel on the steering column, the team simultaneously dropped the car down off the jacks and the steering wheel broke pins inside which also damaged the column. The end result was that after Zanardi’s stint, the car needed to have a new column put in, losing 3 laps in the process. The car ran splendidly late into the race but they never made that deficit up.

IndyCar driver Alex Zanardi

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The all-female team in the # 57 Acura for Heinricher Racing w / Meyer Shank Racing ran great all race, almost always in the TOP TEN and frequently in the TOP FIVE. In the overnight and in the rain, IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro took the car from P12 to P5, when she handed it off to IndyCar driver Katherine Legge. Unfortunately, while running in the worst of the rain, 5 other cars spun in front of Legge and she had to run off the track to avoid them, tagging a wall in the process. The car was repaired and rejoined, but in P15 in class. It ended the race, once again with Legge on board, in P13.

The good news is the same squad is planning on an assault on the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, if things come together again.

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The # 57 squad
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That’s it for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona. The next race for IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the 12 Hours of Sebring, March 13-16, along with the Michelin Pilot Challenge series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge series.

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We have two CONFIRMS for USF2000 in 2019…

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First, Marotti Racing, the 2-time Indy 500 entrant team, has decided to go racing in USF2000 in 2019 and they picked a good driver to start their program in 19-year-old Jason Reichert. Reichert was one of the 20 entrant in the 2018 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout. As we detailed in post # 306, Reichert got his entry ticket by being the 2018 SCCA National Run-Offs Champion for Formula Continental but he was also the 2018 Champion of Pacific F2000, driving a 2.0 liter Van Diemen RF03.

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Jason Reichert

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The Van Diemen is the car that was the USF2000 series staple for many years and Jason will have to acclimate himself to the new Tatuus USF-17 car, which is better in all respects, but he will not have to learn how to go fast and race. He’s already a proven WINNER

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Jason in his Van Diemen for DFR

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Next, Jay Howard Driver Development has announced their first driver for their new USF2000 effort and it is Christian Bogle from the 2018 FIA F4 United States JHDD squad. Bogle will contest both the F4 United States Championship and the USF2000 Championship programs in 2019, giving him maximum open-wheel seat time with the team.

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Christian Bogle

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Christian joined JHDD’s F4 program late in the 2018 season and drove 8 races for them. The plan for the double workload in 2019 is maximum exposure to junior open-wheel. Said the Las Vegas native, “I was able to learn so much from Jay and his team on car setups, car control, and overall improvement of my race craft (in 2018). I am really excited to have a seat in Jay’s 2019 F4 and USF2000 race teams. This extra seat time by running two series will accelerate my learning curve and allow me to advance my racing career.”

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IndyCar driver Jay Howard advising Christian in 2018
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These two join already CONFIRMED Alex Baron for Legacy Autosport, Jack William Miller & Eduardo Barrichello for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports, and Colin Kaminsky & Yuven Sundaramoorthy for Pabst Racing.

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More confirmations will come, soon.

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And yet another CONFIRM for USF2000 in 2019…

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…as the championship-makers at Cape Motorsports announced that they have their first “get” for 2019 in Reece Gold. Reece is the 2018 Lucas Oil Formula Car Series Champion, winning the title with 5 WINS in his first season of racing cars. Gold was on the podium in over 80% of the 16 main events.
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The Cape Brothers with Reece Gold
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Reece, a 14-year-old from Puerto Rico and now living in Florida, brings with him a stellar 7-year karting career. He scored three straight Florida Winter Tour championships between 2014 and 2016, winning the crown in the Micro Max and Mini Max categories. In 2016, he also won the Mini Swift title in the highly-competitive United States Pro Kart Series and topped the ROK Cup Midwest series. Reece was the Mini Swift vice-champion on the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2017 and was also the runner-up in the ROK Cup Florida Winter Tour Mini Rok category.

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Gold in his element
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In 2018, he raced both karts and cars, winning at the SKUSA SummerNationals in the X30 Junior class in August while also WINNING his Lucas Oil School of Racing title, and the $100,000 scholarship that goes with it.

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Reece and his big day big check
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Said Reece, “I am so excited to be starting my USF2000 career with Cape Motorsports. Having won numerous championships, they are the ‘“go-to”’ team. After several test days, I am so honored that they had the confidence in my abilities to give me this chance. I also would like to thank the Lucas Oil School of Racing for the scholarship towards USF2000 and, of course, my sponsor, The Ticket Clinic, for their unwavering support. I am looking forward to being part of another championship season.”

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Expect the Capes to make other driver announcements soon.

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It’s time to visit again with IndyCar driver Jack Harvey…

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…through his get-to-know-me series, “You Don’t Know Jack”. We last checked in with Jack in post # 353. In this episode Jack shows how his seat for his # 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM is made - with the more-expensive but safer “bead” method:

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The most popular IndyCar driver without a season ride just got “good newsed”…

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No, make that “great newsed” as Conor Daly will drive for Andretti Autosport at the 2019 Indy 500. The 27-year-old veteran from Noblesville, Indiana will drive a fifth Honda, alongside good friends Marco Andretti, Zach Veach, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi, the last two both Indy 500 WINNERS. Sponsorship for the # 25 machine will come from the Air Force - Daly’s 2018 sponsor at the race, when he drove for Dale Coyne Racing.

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Conor Daly

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Said Conor, “It’s a fantastic opportunity. No one doubts Andretti Autosport’s record at the Indianapolis 500. It is my best ride ever in the Indianapolis 500.”

Said Michael Andretti, “We’ve been working for quite a few years to figure out how to get Conor in our family. We highly rate him as a driver. We started working with him for a little while, and to bring the Air Force on is very exciting.I think he is going to work well with his other four teammates, and that was a big thing as well. Everybody working here as one is a big thing for the team, and I think he will fit in well with us.”

Conor’s best friend in IndyCars is Andretti’s Alexander Rossi, whom he met while both raced for years in Europe. The two even shared the experience of CBS television’s reality series, “The Amazing Race” in 2017 / 2018 where the pair became among the most popular competitors, as “Team IndyCar”.

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Amazing Racers Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly

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Not only is this Daly’s best-ever shot at the Indy 500, but according to Michael Andretti the Air Force will become an associate sponsor for the team for the rest of the year on the 4 regular cars and additional races may be in the offing for Daly, as well.

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Helio Castroneves CONFIRMS a ride in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis for 2019…

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The popular Brazilian SportsCar driver will not only drive in the 2019 Indy 500 for Team Penske, but will also tune up for the race by competing in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, in early May and on the IMS road course - just as he did in 2018.

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Helio Castroneves

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Despite an almost complete unfamiliarity with the new aero kit in 2018 Castroneves qualified 10th at the GP in 2018 and went on to finish sixth, less than 15 seconds behind WINNING teammate Will Power.

Said Helio, “Yes, I’m doing the Indy GP again to give us a little bit of a balance, little bit of a rhythm and then we’ll do the Indy 500. We need to do some changes [technically] to the car. But the good news is that IndyCar is not going to have many ovals again, which should help me to go in on a similar playing field to the guys who are full time."

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Castroneves MAY also be headed to his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019, but it won’t be for Team Penske. Castroneves has been linked to the British RLR MSport squad, which is promising a big name signing for Le Mans to replace Bruno Senna, who will be occupied elsewhere. If it happens Helio will drive an ORECA 07 in the LMP2 class. Helio apparently already has the permission of Team Penske to make the drive.

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Castroneves is coming off a P3 at the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving the Acura Team Penske # 7 ARX-05 in the DPi class.

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Update on the condition of IndyCar driver Robert Wickens…

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Ever since the rookie driver for Arrow Schmidt Peterson had his devastating crash at Pocono in 2018 we have been following his recovery, most importantly his recovery from a spinal cord injury. On Tuesday Robert released a quick vid of his most significant improvement yet.

Up to now all of Robert’s significant leg movement has been with the aid of electrical stimulation, replacing the stimulus that should be traveling down his spinal cord, but on Tuesday the Canadian ace demonstrated for the first time his own ability to pedal a stationary bike.

Take a look:

https://twitter.com/robertwickens/status/1090784174817058818

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Of course, he has since been inundated with congrats and well-wishes from friends all over the racing community. 2019 is starting off as a great new year.

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Changes in the finish order at the Rolex 24 at Daytona…

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Following the iconic event the numbers cruncher at IMSA checked the data and found that two team failed to meet the minimum drive time for one of their co-drivers and their results are thus disqualified.

First, the GTD-class # 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 is given a post-race penalty for a base drive time infringement from driver Toni Vilander. Due to his race-ending accident, Vilander failed to complete the adjusted minimum time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, 38 seconds and the car thus goes from P23 to the back of the field.

Much more significantly, however, is the penalty put on the # 29 Audi R8 GT3 for Monoplast by Land, which finished P2. Co-driver Ricardo Feller was short in the minimum drive time of the GTD-class entry and they are also sent to the rear.

As a result, the # 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RCF GT3 with Jeff Segal, Frankie Montecalvo and IndyCar drivers Townsend Bell and Aaron Telitz on board has been elevated to P2 in class, and the # 88 WRT Speedstar Audi is now third.

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Townsend Bell to P2…

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…as well as co-driver Aaron Telitz
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We have a new presenting sponsor for the Indy 500…

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The first-ever presenting sponsor for the Indy 500 has been Pennzoil, which seems appropriate, but more and more IndyCar is attracting business-to-business sponsors, rather than automotive-related sponsors. Today, it was announced the new sponsor for the 500 is Gainbridge - an online financial services company that is looking to expand its presence from a regional to a national player - and it all comes back to a life-altering conversation that IndyCar driver Zach Veach had in late 2017…

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Zach Veach

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At that time Veach, a Road to Indy ace with several victories, was trying to find a way into IndyCars. Failing to locate a sponsor on his own, Zach asked his pastor what he should do and the guy told him to call a fellow congregant, Group 1001 President and CEO Dan Towriss. Towriss met and fell in love with Veach and with IndyCars, and ended up sponsoring Zach for three years with Andretti Autosport.

The first year of that association has been so good for Group 1001 that Towriss has decided to expand his connection to IndyCars. You see, Gainbridge is part of the Group 1001 family of businesses.

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Dan Towriss (center) flanked by Zach Veach and Michael Andretti
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Gainbridge also will become the official annuity and life insurance partner of IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. For the next few year, the race will officially be “the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge” and for all of 2019 Zach Veach’s Andretti Autosport Honda will be sponsored by Gainbridge…

…and it all goes back to a desperate phone call to a friend and mentor.

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More Road to Indy CONFIRMS are coming in…

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We have a few new confirmations for the Road to Indy in 2019, including New Yorker Robert Megennis, who will drive for Andretti Autosport in Indy Lights in the # 27 Dallara IL-15. The 18-year-old has two seasons of USF2000 and one of Pro Mazda (now “Indy Pro 2000”) on his resume, with multiple WINS and podiums.

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Rob Megennis to Andretti Autosport in the Lights

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Said Rob, “I’m very excited to drive in Indy Lights in 2019 with Andretti Autosport,”* said Megennis. *“It’s an honor to be a part of such a prestigious and successful team. All of our offseason tests have been terrific, and I’ve been impressed with every aspect of the team. While I know Indy Lights will be a big jump up from Indy Pro 2000, I am confident that Andretti will give me a great car, and I am ready to get going."

Rob joins already confirmed Lights drivers Ryan Norman (his new teammate), Zachary Claman DeMelo for Belardi Auto Racing and Rinus VeeKay for Juncos Racing.

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In Indy Pro 2000 (formerly “Pro Mazda”) we have three CONFIRMS, as DEForce Racing has announced they will give a full season to Mexico’s Moises De La Vara and American Kory Enders.

Both drivers have several starts with DEForce, including two full seasons of USF2000 for Enders, where his best finish was P3 and he had a 50% TOP TEN rating. Moises had one season in USF2000 and 5 races in 2018 in Pro Mazda, with a best finish of P4 in 2018.

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Kory Enders

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…and Moises De La Vara

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The third new Indy Pro 2000 driver will be Jacob Abel who will drive for the family team, Abel Motorsports, which is entering two cars in 2019. Jacob, from Louisville, is a high school senior who’s already found success in several open wheel series, including a top ten run at Road America last year in a one-off race in USF2000, and podium finishes in the F3 Americas series.

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Jacob Abel

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These three join already confirmed Nikita Lastochkin for Exclusive Autosport in Indy Pro 2000 for 2019.

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What makes the entry of Abel Motorsports significant is that 2018 USF2000 Champion Kyle Kirkwood also drove to the championship in F3 Americas in 2018, and he drove in that series for Abel Motorsports. Kirkwood could very well be the 2nd driver for Abel in Indy Pro 2000 in 2019, using his Road to Indy scholarship. Time will tell.

Kyle Kirkwood - at Abel in 2019?

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