Christmas Reading

Need some Christmas reading then don't forget these two currently available on Amazon.

Travel Tips covers everything a race fan or non race fan needs to know on travelling to Indy for the Worlds Greatest Race, no matter what year or time of the year. Its gives my personal insights in travelling to the event after 15 years of travelling to this great race.

Mystique offers the very personal journey I have had with Indy and a look back at what has made Indy just what it is. It captures ones heart and soul with the sheer magic that it offers and one that very few race tracks can ever offer. 100 races in 2016 marked many milestones and I offer an insight of how the 100 came about and what the next 100 may hold.

Both publications are now on line at Amazon and offer you some great festive reading.

Below are the direct links to Amazon to lead you directly to each of the publications pages.

Travel Tips


Mystique



Enjoy the read.

The Andretti 2017 Line Up

Its now official Takuma Sato will join Andretti Autosport for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season. This now brings the remaining seats for 2017 in short supply and follows the announcement of the A.J.Foyt line up recently and this much rumoured  change for Sato.

Sato will take the wheel of the No. 26 Honda-powered machine for Andretti Autosport next year in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

“I think joining the team will be a new and positive opportunity for Takuma,” said Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Autosport. “He’s not yet had the chance to be part of a larger team where the drivers collaborate; our four drivers and team of engineers working together has bred success for us in the past and has helped many drivers develop on track. Takuma has strong racing experience and we are looking forward to providing a team atmosphere where he can continue to grow, develop and be successful.”

Before joining the American-based open-wheel circuit in 2010, Sato made 90 career starts in Formula One, finishing on the podium at the United States Grand Prix in 2004. Now with 118 IndyCar Series starts, the Japanese driver holds five IndyCar podiums, five pole positions and one race win. He had raced for A.J. FoytRacing since 2013 before leaving the team at the conclusion of the 2016 season.

“I am extremely excited that we were able to work out a deal with Michael and Andretti Autosport,” said Sato. “With Honda an integral part of Andretti Autosport, it seemed like a great fit. The team has proven year after year that they are ultracompetitive on all types of circuits. Particularly the speed that team has shown in recent years at the Indy 500 were just incredible. I am also very impressed on how aggressively they have addressed their needs for 2017, and am really looking forward to working with my new environment and can’t wait to get started.”

“One of the things I am looking forward to the most about working with Takuma is his open personality. He is very friendly and encouraging to work with, his personality will be a strong addition to the team and I think he will work very well alongside Ryan, Alexander and Marco,” said Andretti. Sato completes the four-car Verizon IndyCar Series field for Andretti as he joins Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda), Alexander Rossi (No. 98 Honda) and Marco Andretti (No. 27 hhgregg Honda).

Photo via IndyCar Media and Press content via Andretti Autosport.

New Kids on the Block.

Could be the ones to watch in 2017.

Big changes in the driver line ups at A.J.Foyt Racing this week and this news via the IndyCar Insider really warrants some attention. A.J. has always spotted talent and these two could very well be the next best thing on the block.

Having watched Carlos Munoz since he arrived on the scene this guy has a certain magic to him and twice has been unlucky not to pull off a 500 win. He was in tears this year after the race wondering how it got away from him. The thing I take from this is he wants it and wants it bad and A.J. just might be the one to ensure it happens and what a story that would be. I think I would certainly look for some surprises from these guys in 2017 and Munoz,a Chevy and A.J. well its good a great vibe.

So I share with you this release from the IndyCar Media team.

Carlos Munoz and Conor Daly are convinced it’s time for the next generation of young racers to be contenders in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

The 24-year-old drivers will look to assert themselves with AJ Foyt Racing in 2017 in a deal announced late November that has both signed to drive for the winningest driver in Indy car history. Munoz will drive the No. 14 entry based out of the team’s shop in suburban Houston. Daly will drive the No. 4 car based at the team’s second shop in Speedway, Indiana. Both cars will continue to be sponsored by ABC Supply Co.

“It’s a new chapter in my life. I’m really honored to be on this team,” Munoz said. “There were a lot of options and I know a lot of drivers called (team president) Larry Foyt. I think the best teammate is Conor. First, he’s American. Fans really like him and he’s a really good driver. He has experience. INDYCAR needs a change in generations and it’s starting right now. We are both young and we are both really fast drivers, so I think it’s a great combination for the team.”

A.J. and Larry Foyt promised major changes after a disappointing 2016 season with drivers Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth for the full year and Alex Tagliani for two races. Sato had the best finishes with a pair of fifths. He finished 17th in the points and Hawksworth placed 20th. Sato’s 2013 victory at Long Beach is Foyt Racing’s only win since 2003.

Carlos Munoz finished 10th in the 2016 championship, the highest points position for an Andretti Autosport driver. The Colombian has one career win at Belle Isle in 2015 and is a two-time Indianapolis 500 runner-up, including his series debut in 2013, when Daly also made his first start in the same race for Foyt and finished 22nd. “He was hard to beat there in his Andretti machine, when he started on the front row as a rookie,” Daly said of Munoz. “That was pretty impressive. We know he’s really good at Indy and really good on the ovals, for sure. He’s very brave. I have a lot of respect for him. We know he’s got a lot of experience, although we’re both young. We’re both the same age. It’s just two good, young drivers ready to continue our IndyCar careers.”

Daly, from Noblesville, Indiana., is coming off his first fulltime Verizon IndyCar Series season in which he had five top-six finishes, including a career-best second at Belle Isle for Dale Coyne Racing. He finished 18th in the points. Daly said he always kept in touch with Foyt after that first Indy 500 three years ago. “They gave me such an opportunity to get into the Verizon IndyCar Series,” Daly said. “They took a chance on me when Takuma couldn’t get into the country for a test, they tested me. After that, they hired me to drive in the Indy 500. They paid me to drive when I was 21 and coming out of Indy Lights. It was a really cool program to be a part of. They gave me my first taste and ever since then, I’ve had a really good relationship with them. I’m certainly a very, very different driver compared to 2013. I’m certainly much more ready to jump in and deliver. Thankfully, Dale Coyne gave me an opportunity to get my foot in the door and here we are. We make the progression to another team. Hopefully we can be here for a good amount of time. I’d like to be with this team for more than a year. You have to take it as it comes day by day, but I’m excited to at least get back to work and have a deal done sooner rather than later.”

Munoz and Daly were actually teammates once before for a karting race a decade ago. Munoz doesn’t remember the experience, but Daly recalled his teammate being quick and helpful. Both were in a similar situation as free agents in need of sponsorship this offseason. That won’t be a problem now because Foyt has a long-term deal with ABC Supply.

“As we celebrate our 35th anniversary at ABC Supply, we are very happy to be continuing our relationship with AJ Foyt Racing,” Keith Rozolis, ABC Supply Co. Inc. president and chief executive officer, said in a released statement. “They’ve been part of the ABC team since 2005 and our associates and customers look forward to watching Carlos and Conor compete and win in 2017.”

Munoz said he understands how the business side of racing led to him not being retained by Andretti. While some drivers might be upset about not getting a new contract after being the team’s highest points finisher, Munoz expressed gratitude to his former employer of six years, the first two in Indy Lights. “I’m always thankful to them,” he said. “They gave me my career back in auto racing from the first year I came here to the United States from Europe. That last year in Europe was really tough, so it was my last chance in America or retire. They gave me a great shot here in America to race in my first Indy 500 and I did well. I’m always going to be respectful to them. Just nowadays, you have to find a sponsor. We were bringing a little sponsor from Colombia, and this year was the limit for everything. But I’m not disappointed with them. On the contrary, I’ll always be grateful to them, with Michael and everybody who works at Andretti. We have to be realistic in motorsports right now. It’s really tough to find the sponsor that we need, we didn’t have the whole budget to be 100 percent on the grid next year. This was the best for us. I wish them the best.”

As the stepson of Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles, Daly was raised with an appreciation for that track’s racing history. That inevitably meant Daly respected and admired A.J. Foyt, the first four-time Indy 500 winner. “I love A.J.,” Daly said. “I have a lot of respect for him and I do love the way he is. There’s no messing around with A.J. He’ll give it to you straight. A lot of people won’t do that these days. It’s cool to be working with him again. I really, really, really want to bring those guys a race win and some success because they deserve it after the last couple of years, it’s been rough (for them). If we just keep on building a team and building on my experience level, there’s no telling what we’ll be able to achieve this year.”

Because he’s come so close to winning the Indy 500, Munoz is excited about another run in May. “I love that race,” Munoz said. “I’ve raced in it four times and I know how big the race is. I know what it means to win that race. I’ve been really close twice, if I can be honest. I have two seconds, one fourth and another one I had a penalty when I was running fifth. I’ve had really good races there. I’m not putting my main objective on winning the Indy 500. Of course, everyone wants to win it. But I think what we needed to do first is put in good work with the engineers and with the mechanics and everybody who comes on board this year. We need to do a good job and do our best each race. But for sure one of the goals of the team is to do really good in the Indy 500.”

I really reckon this is one heck of a line up for A.J.Foyt Racing for 2017 and look forward to seeing these cars up and amongst it a lot next season as I feel these two young drivers with the talent they have and the depth the team has makes them not only one to watch but one of the strongest teams outside of the big three.

Photo and release ex IndyCar Media.

Borg Warner Trophy Time

Its that time of the year once again but this time is for the 100th.

Many of the spoils of winning an Indianapolis 500 are immediate. There’s the donning of the wreath, the drinking of the milk, the kissing of the bricks.

But the best one, the most permanent one, comes several months after taking the checkered flag.

When William Behrends sculpts your likeness for the Borg-Warner Trophy, that’s forever. That’s when winning “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” perhaps hits home more than all the aforementioned moments.

Alexander Rossi, the winner of the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in unbelievable, empty-fuel-tank fashion some six months ago, is closing in on that moment where he’ll see his face on the famous trophy. The reveal will come Dec. 7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, though Rossi got a sneak peek in September when visiting Behrends’ North Carolina studio and seeing his life-size bust.

Before the sculptor creates the bas-relief image to be added to the trophy featuring the likeness of every winner in race history, he makes a bust of the winning driver to get a better handle on the person’s features and demeanor.

“Well, I think it’s cooler than looking in the mirror, for sure!” Rossi said upon seeing the bust in September. “It’s very special and it’s way more detailed, accurate and amazing than I ever thought it would be.

“I am so far from being anywhere close to an artist, but you can really appreciate what he’s done and I don’t even know where to begin in how you acquire such an amazing skill set. It’s fantastic that I had the opportunity to work with him for a short period of time and I think that it’s a very special program to be part of.”

Rossi’s likeness will be the 27th that Behrends has created for the Borg-Warner Trophy. In 2015, Juan Pablo Montoya became the first driver to visit Behrends’ studio. Rossi followed this year in what may be a new tradition for the winner – and one that ultimately adds to what goes on the Borg-Warner.

“Being able to sit with them for a couple hours and talk about their lives, about their racing, about their win, it really does translate something into the work for me,” Behrends said. “It really enriches it for me, makes it more pleasurable for me to do.”

Race fans in the US or Indy area are invited to attend the Borg-Warner Trophy unveiling with Rossi’s bas-relief image added. The event begins at 5 p.m. ET Dec. 7 and is included with paid admission to the IMS Museum. The ceremony will also be streamed live on IMS.com.

Information and photo supplied from IndyCar Series Media

News from New Zealand

                                         
                                                      Hayden Paddon WRC Factory Driver Hyundai

While on this site I write of many things relating to IndyCar and the IndyCar series I present this to you today as news from New Zealand if you are reading it in another part of the world and the great privilege that I have to share in this great academy and feel its worthy of your interest as a fan or a person that enjoys Motorsport.

Elite Motorsport Academy fosters rising stars.

Eight rising stars of New Zealand motorsport will have the opportunity to further their motorsport aspirations as part of the class of 2017 at the New Zealand Elite Motorsport Academy.

Applications for next year’s Elite Motorsport Academy programme have opened and while applications don’t close until 17 March next year, the trustees of the MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust, which manages the Academy, urge applicants to submit their application early so their racing exploits over the summer months can be monitored and assessed.

The Elite Motorsport Academy first ran in 2004 with race drivers Nelson Hartley, Christina Orr, Andy Knight and Tim Edgell among the selected participants that year. 

“Since then, many Kiwi motorsport stars who regularly make news headlines around New Zealand and the world, such as Shane Van Gisbergen, Hayden Paddon, Brendon Hartley, Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway, have graduated from the only training academy of its kind in New Zealand,” says Wayne Christie, President of MotorSport New Zealand and a trustee of the Scholarship Trust. “We know from other motorsport governing bodies around the world, that our Elite Motorsport Academy is held in high regard, so New Zealand competitors can be assured of a truly world-class programme which will make a significant difference to their ability to further their motorsport aspirations.”

Trustee David Turner puts out the call to all race and rally drivers (and co-drivers), karters and other four-wheel motorsport competitors to prepare their Academy application.

“The Elite Motorsport Academy offers you the chance to have some of the best service providers in the country assist you in your professional development as a motorsport competitor. The Academy isn’t about teaching you to drive a race car – you have proven your talents prior to your selection. We aim to add to your toolbox of skills around the mental training, fitness, sponsorship and marketing, nutrition and media skills needed to succeed in this sport. 

“While there is a natural focus on the Academy camp in Dunedin in July where you will learn an incredible amount from tutors at the Academy of Sport South Island and the University of Otago’s School of Physical Education’s Human Performance Centre, the programme provides a tailored twelve-month follow-up package for the Academy graduates to ensure you retain and further develop the training regimes and educational opportunities demonstrated during the camp.”

Turner says earlier graduates will testify to the large stepping stone that the Academy will create for graduates determined to make a career in motorsport. “You will also enjoy the long-standing friendships that are formed as being part of the Academy.”

Turner suggests competitors who have applied in the past may wish to consider applying again. “It’s important that you do not feel like you cannot apply again, because you can and should.”

Applications are now open with more information and the application form available on the Academy page of MotorSport New Zealand’s website, www.motorsport.org.nz.

“We urge prospective applicants to take the time to look at the Academy information on the website and see what it has to offer,” Turner says. “Speak to others who have attended and listen to all they got from it – how can it benefit you as well? One only has look back at the earlier graduates and see the levels many of them have attained in our domestic motorsport series and around the world.

“This is a great chance to be one of the select few that can be classed as Elite Motorsport Academy graduates and I urge you all to apply and see what it can do for you in 2017.”

ENDS/

Attached images are free to use for editorial purposes. They show 2005 Elite Motorsport Academy graduate Brendon Hartley, now defending world champion in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Hayden Paddon, who graduated the Elite Motorsport Academy in 2006 and now holds fourth in the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ standings.

For further information, please contact:

David Turner, Trustee, MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust

M: 021 244 1504

E: perspectivegroupltd@gmail.com

http://www.motorsport.org.nz/academy/elite-academy

                                                         Brendon Hartley WEC Factory Driver Porsche.

Statements and photos from Motorsport NZ.

One More Award.

It had to be Dixon!


                   

After my earlier posting there reallywas only one other that needed to be added.

The Most dominant weekend Award in 2016

Nobody put a bigger stamp on a race weekend than No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon did in the Verizon IndyCar Series' return to Watkins Glen International. The 36-year-old New Zealander topped the timesheets in every practice before posting a pole time that was an amazing 5.61 seconds quicker than the previous lap record held by Ryan Briscoe. 

Once the green flag waved on the INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen presented by Hitachi, the four-time series champion made himself scarce, pulling a huge gap and easily managing the race from the front. To add insult to injury, Dixon cruised to his fourth Verizon IndyCar Series win at The Glen with plenty of fuel to spare, while the rest of the drivers struggled to make their Sunoco E85R ethanol last. He took the checkered more than 16 seconds ahead of Josef Newgarden now signed with Team Penske for 2017 and beyond replacing Juan Pablo Montoya.

Dixon may for the first time in years placed out side of the final podium steps in the quest for the championship but one thing is very much for certain he is ALWAYS there and should never ever be written off.

Don't forget to check out my books on Amazon.com and my personal stories from the Indy 500.

End of Indy Car Season Round Up

How the 2016 Season Shaped up.

Via some friends of mine in the U.S. I thought I would share this  as a look back to this past season and all it brought to us as fans media and much more.

                                 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise driver Simon Pagenaud (left) celebrates his win and the title as Verizon Team Penske driver Juan Montoya puts champagne down his back after the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway. (Photo: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports)

BEST TEAM: Team Penske, of course, for winning 10 of the 16 races and finishing 1-2-3 in the standings for the first time since 1994. Roger Penske’s group should again be strong in 2017, especially if it adds Josef Newgarden, as expected.

BEST DRIVER: If it wasn’t Simon Pagenaud, who won five races and seven poles, it was Will Power, who won four races despite being forced to sit out the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., with vertigo issues after winning the pole. Throw out the points from that race and the teammates went to the last event separated by a single point. Each had only one crash during the season.

                    Jun 24, 2016; Elkhart Lake, WI, USA; IndyCar Series driver Josef Newgarden looks on during practice for the KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America. (Photo: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports)

BEST COMEBACK: One look at Josef Newgarden’s crash at Texas in June is enough to earn the award. The already-damaged car slid cockpit-first into the outside wall, with the roll hoop tearing through the SAFER barrier. Newgarden suffered a broken collarbone and wrist, but he was back on the track 12 days later at Road America. It was six weeks before he was able to resume his normal routine.

BEST COMEBACK II: Tony Kanaan. Improving one position in the standings (from eighth to seventh) might not seem like a big deal, but the Brazilian was far more competitive this year than last. Most of that improvement came on the non-ovals, where a few tips from old friend Dario Franchitti helped do the trick.

                          IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi poses for photos following his win in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 Monday, May 30, 2016, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  (Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

BEST ROOKIE: Alexander Rossi was the hands-down choice even beyond winning the Indianapolis 500 on Andretti Autosport’s brilliant fuel strategy. Remember, he didn’t join this series until late February and still had a stellar month of May at IMS. He seemed to get stronger with each event and would have finished eighth in the standings without running out of fuel on the last lap of the season finale in Sonoma, Calif. He was confirmed to return to MichaelAndretti’s team Monday.

                                                

BEST FIRST IMPRESSION: RC Enerson jumped out of Indy Lights to try IndyCar for three late-season races, and he had the third-quickest race lap at Mid-Ohio and finished ninth at Watkins Glen.

                     IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi crosses the finish line to win the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 29, 2016.  (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

BEST RACE: It’s always the Indianapolis 500, and this year’s 100th running was a spectacle the likes of which IMS has never seen before. There easily were 325,000 people on the grounds on race day, and the on-track show lived up to its hype.

BEST DECISION: IMS’ to make the 500 available to the local television audience. Sure, it took some of the starch out of the radio broadcast, but it was the right thing to do with all reserved seats sold 23 days out from the race.

BEST RECOVERY: IndyCar’s ability to replace the canceled Boston street race with a return to Watkins Glen, one of the most popular and historic U.S. racing venues. To cap it off, Watkins Glen signed to be on IndyCar’s schedule for the next two seasons.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Juan Montoya. After winning the season’s first race, in St. Petersburg, he barely made a peep the rest of the season and added only three additional top-five finishes. He failed to lead a lap in 10 of the final 13 races.

                       IndyCar driver Carlos Munoz (26) sits on pit lane in tears after finishing second in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  (Photo: Gary Mook/For the Star)

BEST COLOMBIAN AT INDY: It wasn’t Montoya. For the third time in four years, Carlos Munoz went to the final lap with a chance to have his likeness on the BorgWarner Trophy. He finished second this time and was gutted when his teammate beat him by stretching his fuel to the finish.

BEST DUEL: Simon Pagenaud and Graham Rahal at Barber Motorsports Park. Rahal pushed the race leader into a mistake, but Pagenaud recovered from the sand trap excursion to hop on Rahal’s tail and force him into a mistake. Rahal ran into the back of Jack Hawksworth’s lapped car, allowing Pagenaud to scoot away to the race victory.

                   IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan (10) collides with Sebastien Bourdais (11) on the first lap of the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis Saturday, May 14, 2016, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  (Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

WORST COLLISION: Tony Kanaan and Sebastien Bourdais colliding ahead of the first turn of the road course race at IMS. They have too much experience for that kind of contact.

BIGGEST IMPACT: Either of the two in the crash of Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly at Texas. Both drivers were fortunate in that one.

STRANGEST INCIDENT: Alexander Rossi’s car going over the top of Helio Castroneves’ on pit road at Pocono. Rossi launched, following contact from Charlie Kimball’s car.  

WORST LUCK: Scott Dixon’s throughout the season. Except for rare contact with Helio Castroneves at Mid-Ohio and a crash at Texas, he drove well enough to defend his series championship.

BEST ENDING TO A TRAGIC WEEK: Ryan Hunter-Reay’s at Sonoma Raceway. He signed a new four-year contract to remain with Andretti Autosport and finished fourth in the season’s final race just days after his father-in-law, Bob Gordon, was involved in what police say was a murder-suicide in Southern California.

                                                     

2016 was all Simon

                                   Crew Helmets on Pagenaud's Car at Indy 2016

It was only fitting for the championship to play out the way it did in 2016.

With a dominating drive from the pole position, Simon Pagenaud won the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma and earned his first Verizon IndyCar Series championship.

Pagenaud led 76 of the 85 laps in the No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet to score his fifth win of the season and wrap up the title. It secured Team Penske’s 14th Indy car championship in its 50th year of operation.

“It’s unbelievable. I think I will realize it more tomorrow,” Pagenaud said. “What a race!”

Pagenaud’s win was the 10th by a Team Penske driver in the 16 races this season and the 187th all-time in Indy cars for the revered racing organization.

“There is so much emotion right now, to be honest,” said Pagenaud, fighting back tears. “I can’t find the words. My whole career has been about this, about today and getting to this point and to this level.”

Pagenaud is the first Frenchman since Sebastien Bourdais to win an Indy car championship. Bourdais won four successive championships from 2004-07 under the sanctioning of Champ Car.

“What I'm thinking about right now is it's been a long career,” said Pagenaud. “You start, 7 years old. You go through a lot. I remember my first race in France in a go-kart. It was raining. I had my visor open because I had the wrong helmet. I still have that picture at home. The ground I covered since is quite incredible.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda) crossed the finish line 3.2523 seconds adrift of Pagenaud, with Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Andretti Autosport Honda), and Sunoco Rookie of the Year Alexander Rossi (No. 98 Castrol Edge/Curb Andretti Herta Autosport Honda) rounding out the top five in the 2016 season finale on Sonoma Raceway’s 2.385-mile permanent road course.

Pagenaud held a 43-point advantage over teammate Will Power heading into the weekend and added a point by winning the Verizon P1 Award in qualifying Saturday. Power started fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and moved into second place behind Pagenaud after the first round of pit stops. But a clutch malfunction on Lap 36 forced Power to stop on track and bring out a full-course caution. The Australian finished the race in 20th place to secure second in the championship for the fourth time in his career, 127 points behind Pagenaud.

“Yeah, it was obviously disappointing to have that gearbox problem,” said Power, a three-time Sonoma winner. “It's a 1-2-3 for the team (in the championship), which is really good, considering how it finished last year. I think the team is really strong now.

“I’ve raced (Simon) for 10 years and I’m happy to see him win a championship,” Power said, “even though I finished second to him.”

Helio Castroneves finished the race in seventh place in the No. 3 Hitachi Chevrolet to wind up third in the championship. It gave Team Penske its second 1-2-3 sweep in the standings, after also accomplishing the feat in 1994 (Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy).

“It was a great run,” said team owner Roger Penske. “I just take my hat off to the whole team, and what they’ve done all season long. And to cap it off with another win, 10 wins for these guys, certainly Pagenaud dug deep all year and came up with a win for the team.”

It was all Pagenaud, all race long. The Frenchman put on a championship drive en route to stamping his name in the history books as the champion. Rahal pushed him over the closing laps, but was never able to attempt a pass for the lead.

“Good day, good way to end it,” Rahal said. “I wanted to get Pagenaud, but when I’d get behind him, I’d get massively loose. I thought at one point it was best I salvage a second place rather than do something stupid.”

Josef Newgarden (No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka/ECR Chevrolet) finished sixth in the race to claim fourth in the championship. Rahal’s runner-up result in the race scored him a fifth-place championship finish, tops among the Honda drivers. Chevrolet clinched the manufacturers’ championship for the fifth straight year – each season since engine competition resumed in 2012.

Rossi ran out of fuel coming out of the last turn of the last lap, allowing teammate Hunter-Reay to overtake him for fourth place in the race. Still, Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner when he also coasted across the finish line, clinched Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors for the season.

Not the best of days for outgoing Champ kiwi Scott Dixon who fell from 3rd in the standings to 6th and a back half of the season that could have been better apart from the massive performance at Watkins Glen. Never one to be out of the mix Dixon and the team will be one to watch yet again next season.

The 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season – a total of 17 races with all the same venues as this year and the addition of Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis – kicks off March 12 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

                                            Media supplied Quotes from Indy Car Media.

                                               Photos ex the David Turner collection

Looking to 2017.

IndyCar announces and aero kit development freeze for 2017 and a universal car in 2018.

News last week from Indianapolis when it was announced that IndyCar  has placed a freeze on aero kit development for manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda that will take effect immediately in preparation for the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season. 

Manufacturers will run their current aero kit specifications next season as the series and IndyCar prepares to introduce a universal aero kit for the start of the 2018 season.

"The announcement follows an extended dialogue with Chevrolet, Honda, our teams and stakeholders - this decision focused on what is best for the future of the Verizon IndyCar Series," said Jay Frye, IndyCar  president of competition and operations. "This is an integral component to INDYCAR's long-term plan to continue to produce the highest quality of on-track competition while also positioning ourselves to add additional engine manufacturers."

Aero kit regulations were initially announced in 2013 and introduced into on-track competition in 2015. The kits featured aerodynamic bodywork components that were designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda for road/street/short oval courses and a separate kit for superspeedways.

"The 2018 car is a tremendous opportunity for INDYCAR and the design collaboration is already underway," Frye continued. "The goal of the universal car is to be great-looking, less aero dependent, have more potential for mechanical grip/downforce and to incorporate all the latest safety enhancements." 

Simply Dixon Magic.

Dixon's perfect drive nets 40th career win, fourth at Watkins Glen.

                                                 

WATKINS GLEN, 

Upstate New York Sunday 4th September. Scott Dixon capped what can only be called a perfect weekend on Sunday in a faultless drive to win the IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen as the IndyCar Series made its  return to Watkins Glen International  and the beautiful yet mega demanding raceway.

The No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver led 50 of 60 laps to collect his fourth triumph on the 3.37-mile permanent road course steeped in open-wheel racing history. It was also the 40th victory of the 36-year-old's Indy car career, breaking a tie with legendary Al Unser for fourth on the all-time list.

Dixon, the four-time series champion, nursed his final tank of Sunoco E85R ethanol for 19 laps (64.03 miles) to cross the finish line 16.5308 seconds ahead of Josef Newgarden in the 10th Verizon IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen and first since 2010. It was also the 102nd Indy car win for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams.

"I just love being back here," said Dixon, who won three straight at the track from 2005-07. "I think we should have a double-points race here and probably race two or three times (a season) at The Glen.

"These are the weekends that you definitely don't forget, just in the sheer fact of we had such a smooth one. The car was just fantastic and the track, I love. I love coming to upstate New York and this track is one of the old-school great American tracks that we're lucky enough to come back here and race."

Despite the outcome, Dixon and five other drivers were eliminated from Verizon IndyCar Series championship contention with only the 2016 season finale. The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sept. 18 that pays double race points - remaining on the schedule. Team Penske teammates Simon Pagenaud and Will Power are the two drivers still eligible, with Pagenaud holding a 43-point advantage.

Pagenaud, in the No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet, finished seventh in today's race. Power finished 20th after making contact with Charlie Kimball and crashing the No. 12 Verizon Chevy into the Turn 5 barrier. Power was examined by the IndyCar medical staff and released from the Watkins Glen care center, but has not been cleared to resume driving pending further evaluation of concussion-like symptoms.

"It was a pretty eventful day," Pagenaud said. "The last caution made it so the guys in front had to save a lot of fuel, and we didn't save enough at the start of the stint and were very slow. We made it back in seventh and, for the championship, the day was very good. We collected a lot of points and we have a bit of a cushion going into Sonoma. We still have to race hard, but it's going to be a lot more comfortable."

Starting from pole position after leading all four practice sessions during the weekend, Dixon - who donated his $40,000 weekend winnings to the Justin Wilson Children's Fund to support the family of the late Indy car driver - was the class of the 22-car field. He built a lead of more than 14 seconds prior to the last of three full-course cautions for the incident with Power and Kimball on Lap 39.

Dixon made his final pit stop on Lap 41 and took the Lap 42 restart in fourth place behind Carlos Munoz, Takuma Sato and Marco Andretti - each electing not to pit under the caution but forced to do so within the next seven laps.

Once back in front, Dixon managed his fuel while others behind made late stops for a splash or ran out altogether. Newgarden also completed the last 19 laps on one tank in the No. 21 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka/ECR Chevrolet, overtaking James Hinchcliffe, who ran out of ethanol on the last lap, for second place.

"I think we had a great car in the race," said Newgarden, a podium finisher for the fourth time this season. "Wasn't as good as Scott's; I think he was just clearly ahead of everyone this weekend."

Helio Castroneves finished third in the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske, his best performance in seven Watkins Glen races.

Earlier race incidents saw Mikhail Aleshin back into the Turn 4 barrier on Lap 15 and Graham Rahal hit the barrier in Turn 1 on Lap 20 after making contact with Kimball. Neither Aleshin and Rahal nor were injured.

This continues to prove that even if he is not in the final championship race battle year after year Dixon is one to never be counted out and he remains in the battle for the second place in the championship making him just a stand out driver again the series.

  

Quotes ex Indy Car Media Services and Photos ex the David Turner collection.

Remember to visit Amazon and look for  David's two books focused on the Indy Car Series and the Indy 500 his behind the scenes view of his 15 events and travel tips for planning your Indy 500. Check out the links below.

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