(Photo by Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
Simon Pagenaud (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda/Dallara) became the sixth different winner in seven IZOD INDYCAR Series races when he powered to a 5.6-second victory in the second race of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans on Sunday. It was the first INDYCAR series win for the French driving star and for the team co-owned by former INDYCAR drivers Sam Schmidt and Davey Hamilton. It also marked the 100th victory for Honda in Indy car engine manufacturer competition. "It's unbelievable. I don't know how we did it," said Pagenaud, who started sixth in the 70-lap race on the 2.346-mile, 13-turn street course. "It's a great feeling. One I hope of more to come. I started karting when I was 8 so it's been 21 years of hard work to finally win an IndyCar race."
(Photo by Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
(Photo by John Cote/INDYCAR)
James Jakes (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Acorn Stairlifts Honda/Dallara) started second and finished a career-best second by holding off Saturday's Race 1 winner Mike Conway (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Sonny's Honda/Dallara) by .4342 of a second.
(Photo by John Cote/INDYCAR)
Mike Conway (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Sonny's Honda/Dallara) had a superb weekend. He finished third on Sunday and smoked everybody in Saturday's race. He has openly refused to run on ovals after two huge crashes in Indy car racing, but there's no denying the guy's talent as he was extremely impressive. Conway passed Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 1 Andretti Autosport DHL Chevrolet/Dallara) on Saturday for the lead on Lap 44 of 70 on the 2.35-mile, 13-turn street circuit, built a 20-second gap leading into the final round of pit stops and went on to a dominant victory. "The car has been great all weekend and as the track was rubbering in it was getting better and better," said Conway, who claimed his other series win at Long Beach in 2011. "It was keep pushing and get a gap, and the strategy worked out perfectly at the end. I wanted to stay out and do more laps."
(Photo by Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
It was a great weekend for Dayle Coyne and Dale Coyne Racing in Detroit. Here he congratulates Mike Conway after his meteoric run on Saturday. "We were impressed this morning," Coyne said on Saturday. "We've never had a driver qualify on the pole, let alone win, set the fastest lap, lead the most laps, everything he did. It's pretty amazing on his part and for the entire team to put both cars in the top-three. Our engineering side is working hard and we're pretty pleased. Our goal was to score as many points as possible and think we could get in the top-five. This is even better." Coyne's other driver, Justin Wilson (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda/Dallara), had another excellent showing with a third on Saturday and was ultra-competitive all weekend.
(Photo by John Cote/INDYCAR)
Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon (No. 9 Target Honda/Dallara) and Dario Franchitti (No. 10 Suave Honda/Dallara) finished fourth and fifth on Sunday as Honda really hammered GM Racing and Chevrolet at their "home" event. Honda power dominated all weekend.
(Photo by Chris Jones/INDYCAR)
Marco Andretti (No. 25 Andretti Autosport RC Cola Chevrolet/Dallara) finished 20th on Saturday and 6th on Sunday, keeping him tied for the INDYCAR points lead with Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet/Dallara). "We were missing a little bit to the top guys, but I think we got about as good as we can get from starting 14th," Andretti said. "All the RC Cola guys did their part in the pits and with strategy, and I was able to hang on and gain a little ground. But, like I said we were still a little bit off. It's good to get back up there in the points and we'll keep marching forward at Texas next weekend." Andretti and Castroneves (who finished fifth on Saturday and eighth on Sunday) each have 206 points, followed by Hunter-Reay (191), Dixon (186) and Pagenaud (177). Next up for the IZOD IndyCar Series is the Firestone 550 next Saturday night (June 8) at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live at 8:30 p.m. (ET) by ABC. The IMS Radio Network will also carry the race live on Sirius and XM channels 211.
(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk for Chevrolet)
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS) takes the checkered flag after winning the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, on Sunday. Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Energizer Chevrolet SS) finished second, and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet SS) finished a strong third. Jimmie Johnson got black-flagged for jumping a restart, which handed the race to Stewart after Montoya's tires were toast, but you can watch videos all about it here.
Paul Kania (www.pointepics.com)
Max Angelelli (No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette DP) finished 0.486 seconds ahead of 2012 Detroit winner Joao Barbosa (No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP) to win the Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 at Belle Isle. Taylor started from the pole position and the car never dropped lower than second in the running order at any point in the two-hour race. Taylor put the No. 10 machine into the lead for good on Lap 33 of 61, one lap before he pitted and gave way to Angelelli. It was the second consecutive Detroit victory for the Corvette DP and for Taylor, who earned a GT-class victory last year in a Camaro. It was Taylor’s fourth career Rolex Series class win and was the 23rd Rolex Series win for Angelelli. Barbosa and co-driver Christian Fittipaldi took second and third went to No. 2 Starworks Motorsport Ford/Riley teammates Ryan Dalziel and Alex Popow, who led 16 laps. The championship picture changed dramatically on the opening lap when Memo Rojas crashed the No. 01 Cessna-TELMEX BMW/Riley after contact from Gustavo Yacaman in the No. 6 Tuvacol Ford/Riley forced him to spin into the path of John Pew’s No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford/Riley. Rojas and co-driver Scott Pruett dropped from the Daytona Prototype points lead to fourth as a result. The victory moved Angelelli and co-driver Jordan Taylor into the Daytona Prototype points lead by two points over co-drivers Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney (No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette DP) five races into the 12-race 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season.
(Grand-Am)
John Edwards and Robin Liddell (No. 57 Stevenson Automotive Group Camaro GT.R) earned their third straight GT-class victory at the Chevrolet 200 Grand-Am 200 at Belle Isle. Jeff Westphal and Alessandro Balzan took second in GT in the No. 63 Motorola Mobility Ferrari 458 Italia, enabling Balzan to retain the lead in the class point standings. And GT pole sitter Max Papis and co-driver Jeff Segal (No. 61 Ferrari of Ontario Ferrari 458) were third.
(MAZDASPEED Motorsports)
Joel Miller and the No. 00 Visit Florida Racing Mazda 6 with SKYACTIV-D Clean Diesel power earned a second consecutive GX-class victory in Detroit. It was the first career Rolex Series win for 17-year-old rising star Tristan Nunez, who co-drove to the win alongside Miller.
(Photo by Richard Prince for Cadillac Racing)
Johnny O'Connell, (No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R) won the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Belle Isle on Saturday, race one of two over the weekend. Randy Pobst finished second in the No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. O'Connell's teammate Andy Pilgrim (No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R), finished third. Mark Wilkins (No. 38 Kinetic Motorsports Kia Motors America Kia Optima), won the GTS after leading flag-to-flag and finishing 1.078 seconds ahead of Jack Baldwin (No. 73 Motul/StopTech/Foametix Porsche Cayman S).
Paul Kania (www.pointepics.com)
Randy Pobst (No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60) won GT in the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge race at Belle Isle. Pobst, who started from the second position, got the jump on the start, won the race to Turn One and then held on to his lead through two restarts to take the checkered flag under caution in the 22-lap race that averaged 61.745 mph around the 13-turn, 2.35-mile street course. Johnny O’Connell (No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R) finished second, 1.109 seconds behind Pobst. GT Drivers’ Championship leader James Sofronas (No. 14 GMG/Mobil 1 Audi R8) finished third. Dean Martin (No. 50 Picture Cars East/Grand Sanitation Ford Mustang Boss 302S), of nearby Westland, Mich., scored his first Pirelli World Challenge GTS victory in his second-career series start. Martin had been running in fifth since lap eight, but in the confusion of spinning cars that occurred in Turn Three following a lap-21 restart, Martin found a hole, taking the lead before the yellow came out again. Mark Wilkins (No. 38 Kia Motors America Kia Optima) finished second and Alec Udell (No. 17 Motorsports Development Ford Mustang Boss 203R), a 17-year-old high school student of The Woodlands, Texas, followed Martin through the Turn Three wreck to finish third.
(McLaren Automotive)
McLaren Automotive has launched its new website "offering unparalleled inside access to McLaren and introducing a new global audience to the iconic British brand," according to the press release. The new site and exclusive content can be viewed at cars.mclaren.com. In the 50th anniversary year of the McLaren brand, the site houses never-before-seen video interviews with the key people who have shaped the company's history. Stories are presented about the creation of the company and its early success through racing both at home and abroad, in line with the vision of its founder, Bruce McLaren (above). The new website also explores the creation of the iconic McLaren F1, through to the 12C, 12C Spider and McLaren P1™. These stories are told by the engineers and designers who were integral to development, offering intimate details not previously shared with the outside world. The site will also offer the opportunity for future customers and fans to create their own bespoke 12C or 12C Spider using the new “customizer” tool. This will allow the audience to personalize their own McLaren Spider and explore a 360 degree view within the Southern Spain countryside.
