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Prendeville Rising in Indy Pro Series Ranks

RLR/Andersen Driver Bursts Onto Scene with Fast Freedom 100 Flight

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Andrew Prendeville is carried on the Indy Pro Series rolls as a rookie, but as is often the case in this league he is far from an “inexperienced” driver.

Andrew Prendeville. Photo: ShawnPayneIRL

He claimed the Formula Continental championship outright in 2002, driving for the Andersen Racing team, and finished a close second (driving a battered racecar to the season's finale checkered flag) to close out 2004 as runner-up to Formula Ford 2000 champ Bobby Wilson (now of Brian Stewart Racing).

More recently the twenty-five year old Morristown, New Jersey native has actually been making a living out of teaching other drivers how to go fast—acting as instructor at the respected Bertil Roos Racing School, one of the nation's longest-running training academies.

It comes as only a mild surprise, then, that the Rahal Letterman/Andersen Racing driver was running with the leaders at Indy on Carb Day, when he and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chris Festa duked it out over several thrilling laps for second place with some of the most exciting racing of the season.

Out of the cockpit since 2004, Andrew had a chance to observe what works (and what doesn’t) behind the wheel. Now that he’s back full-throttle in the Indy Pro Series Dallara, he’s got a more mature, and rapid, perspective than he had before his brief hiatus.

“I was a little concerned with it (the absence) at the beginning,” he said. “Really what I’ve been doing for the last six years is instructing at Bertil Roos. That’s helped me keep sharp because I get to run those cars. I’m always teaching the basics to new people.”

“I haven’t really been off the race track,” he added, “I’ve tried to do at least one or two races a year just to keep sharp. I’ve just been out of competition and a championship series for a couple of years.”

So far, Andrew has tackled the learning curve with gusto. After a relatively late pre-season announcement he’s been on an accelerated schedule, grabbing information about each new track he encounters on the fly.

On January 24th, he drove an Indy Pro Series car for the first time, passing his rookie test at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Things this year have gone incredibly well for us given the time that we've had,” he said. “We've really only had since about mid-January with the car, and didn't get all the testing that I might have needed, especially compared to some of the other drivers.”

“(Engineer) Dominic Cape and all the other guys at RLR/Andersen have really done their homework, are working hard, and we keep getting quicker and quicker every time we get on the track. Especially after this Indy weekend, I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the race car.”

Next up, of course, is the famous Milwaukee Mile’s oval as the Indy Pro Series visits an important site of American open-wheel racing going back for a century. Prendeville will be making his first appearance at the legendary Fairgrounds track when the cars roll onto the track for a one-day marathon of practice, qualifying and race.

“I've never been to Milwaukee,” he said. “We had to prioritize things in the month and a half we had in between St. Pete and Indy, so we didn't test there. Given that the team didn't have a whole lot of time we felt we would do some testing on an oval so we did the Indy test (in April). We also did a two-day test at Mid-Ohio, which is a place we know pretty well. I'm not too concerned, though. I'm very confident in the car.”

RLR/Andersen Racing at Indy last week. Photo: AllanBrewer

Andersen Brothers Team Draws from Race-Craft Experience

Racing on a track that is unfamiliar might give some rookies butterflies, but Andrew benefits from team-owning brothers Dan and John Andersen, and Cape’s long experience in the IndyCar Series, and will probably have a setup that’s strong from the time the car comes out of the trailer and onto the tarmac.

That was the case at Indy at the Freedom 100 as his team prepared a car that moved from tenth on the grid to a final place of fourth and set fastest lap during the event (189.075 mph).

As a result, Andrew Prendeville’s currently not only showing some timely speed but has moved into the top seven spots in the Indy Pro Series points standings.

With a solid run of top-five finishes through four races and only seven points spread over the fourth through seventh-place drivers in the championship, Prendeville stands to move up even further on his ambitious racing re-introduction plan on Saturday, June 2nd at the Road Runner 100.

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The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Road Runner 100 from the Milwaukee Mile on June 2nd. The race will be telecast on ESPN 2 at 6PM EDT on Thursday, June 7th.

Sean Guthrie Blogs on IndyProRacer.com

Look for blogs by members of the Guthrie Racing Team this season on IndyProRacer.com. Be sure and check back here for updates!

This week: Sean Guthrie Recounts a Freedom 100 Miss and a Milwaukee Mile Future

May 31st

Round 4 of the Indy Pro Series is over. The Series visited the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the "Freedom 100," and just like the "Indy 500" is to the IndyCar Series, this is the biggest race of the season for the Indy Pro Series.

The Guthrie Racing Team started out very strong, posting top-10 and top-5 times in practice, and after a rather challenging test back in April, the team was relieved by the success.

Qualifying didn’t go great, but it wasn’t too bad either. With weather playing a big factor in all of the qualifying runs, many fast cars were at the back and some slower cars were towards the front. The team and I knew that we had a strong car despite our 13th-place starting position, and we were excited to prove it.

The warm up for the race was held on Thursday evening, and all of the teams went out on full fuel loads and high downforce to see what kind of a race car they had. After an early yellow flag, the whole 24-car field exited the pits together and proceeded to put on a very impressive show. I was one of the last cars to exit pit road, but I quickly ran up through the pack of cars. After passing 10 or 15 cars, we decided to call it quits for the day as the battles were already starting to heat up and we didn’t feel we should risk our race car.

As Friday morning rolled around, I was very excited to get the race started. Last year, I also started 13th, made a run to 6th and then faded to 11th, which is where I finished, and I knew that I had an even better car for this year, so I felt we could make a very strong run.

The start time of 12:30 p.m. finally came and the cars rolled out of pit lane. As we rounded turn four to take the green flag, the field scattered. I knew I was driving a great car, but I didn’t know it would be so good on cold tires. We moved right to the front and when a yellow came out half-way through lap one, I was sitting in 9th place. I thought to myself, ‘Its not even lap two and we have already gained four spots - this could be very good.’

The field came back to the green and, again, I started moving through the field. After another yellow flag we were up to the 5th spot. Around lap 10, I was solidly into the top five and began to work on the car in front of me. Our car had a slight push, which made passing difficult, but I had made up a lot of ground already and just continued to work the weight jacker and sway bars to get the car handling right.

On lap 12, I got a great draft down the back straightaway and was setting up for a pass the next lap. As I dove into turn one on lap 13, my car began picking up a very strong push. I backed out of the throttle and tried to turn the car, but it wasn’t enough. After the race I found out that I had picked up some debris, which made a small gash in the tire, causing a flat. Because of the flat, I rubbed the wall and damaged the wheel and tire. So the team made a pit stop to replace the right front tire, and put me back out, but by then I was three laps down and just had to ride around making laps, finishing 19th.

While we had hoped that we would have finished much stronger, we still felt like we made our presence known - we had a very competitive car. It is a small step in resurrecting a poor opening to the season, but at least it is a step in the right direction. We are headed to Milwaukee next and hopefully we will move one more step up the ladder.

New Yorker Joey Scarallo Feels Right Back Home in Indiana

RLR/Andersen Driver Courts Love of his Life at the Speedway in May

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Rahal Letterman/Andersen Racing’s Joey Scarallo hails from Long Island, New York but when it’s the last Sunday in May his thoughts run toward “Back Home Again in Indiana”.

Joey Scarallo. Photo: LindaMansfield

Sitting on the pitlane wall, in the shadow of the giant Pagoda that serves as the nerve center for the Indianapolis 500, Scarallo described the emotions better than even Jim Nabors’ video-board rendition of the Hoosier pre-race staple could convey.

“It’s just awesome,” he said. “Aside from being in the race--that’s the only thing better. For me, as a driver, this is where I want to be.”

Scarallo had a chance to sample some of the magic of the Brickyard himself on Friday (May 25th) when he drove the RLR/Andersen Dallara in the biggest Indy Pro Series event of the year, the Freedom 100, on the big 2.5 mile oval at Indy.

Needless to say, the experience left an impression on him that he needed no help to relive on Memorial Day as he waited for the 91st running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing to unfold in front of him.

“The whole aura of this place--sitting here on the yard of bricks in front of the pagoda, thirty minutes before the race--there’s nothing like it,” he said. “Being here right now is why I’ve done all those go-kart races, and Formula Ford, and Atlantic or Pro Series races…this is why, this is all the reasons why you do all those steps. This is the end result of where you’re trying to go.”

Dedication and Desire Drive Smithtown Resident

Joey has a keen perception of how hard it is to get and stay ahead in this game as he continues his racing education in an Andersen brothers program that emphasizes participation in multiple formulas to gain a diverse experience and valuable track time.

For example, Scarallo’s drive in the Freedom 100 was his fourth race of the season in the Indy Pro Series, but the team could, if they desired, easily expand his personal calendar by adding appearances in Star Mazda and Formula 2000.

Still, Indy is the childhood sweetheart that Joey most loves to court. At home in Smithtown, New York he has a collection of videotapes back to hero Emerson Fittipaldi’s win in 1989, the one where he and “Little Al” touched wheels in the last laps, sending Unser spinning and Emmo into the record books with the first of two Indy 500 wins.

“This is where I want to race. I want to be out there with those guys,” he said, nodding to the grid being assembled on the other side of the pitlane wall on Sunday afternoon.

"Only way today could be better is winning the 500," says Joey Scarallo

“The only way today could be better was if I was in a car right now, and if I was winning the race!” he said.

Scarallo’s first experience on the Indy 500 race course ended short of his goals for the day, as he and Jon Brownson fought for track position and Joey found out firsthand about the unforgiving concrete walls of the Brickyard. The number 15 Group A Wheels car advanced from sixteenth-best at the start to ninth before the accident, and finished twentieth on the day.

The sting of missing out on an opportunity to come home in the top ten still resonates days later.

“It’s one of those deals where you replay it over and over in your mind,” he said. “I think if I had it to do again I would drive the same. It was within ten laps to go and we were coming up through the field, the car was working good, and my thoughts were to drive smart and get the points.”

“Sometimes things happen that are out of your control. The other driver thought he would block and I went outside. The second lane was good all day. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it. It’s what happens in racing.”

New Week, New Challenges, New Opportunities in the Pro Series

Now the attention of Scarallo and the team turn toward next weekend’s (June 2nd) Road Runner 100 at the famous Milwaukee Mile race track, one of the oldest racing venues not only in the Midwest, but in the world—dating back to the late nineteenth century.

There’s no reluctance to get back up on the horse and start riding all over again for Joey, who’s overcome adversity more than once in his life. As a child he was diagnosed with cancer, which was successfully overcome—a winning result that’s put him seriously back in the fast lane toward a racing career.

“I want to come back and do it over again until we win,” he said thoughtfully. “Whenever you have a bad day you want to get back in the car and do it over again. I just want to get back out there again.”

At the present Scarallo sits in the middle of the pack with fifty-six points and over twenty thousand dollars in winnings to his credit from the Indy Pro Series alone.

Still, as Michael Andretti pointed out after his own failed attempt to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, “It’s all about winning here at Indy.”

“We didn’t get the points we wanted in the Freedom 100, or at Homestead either," Joey concluded, "as we were caught up in the accident there. Next week we need to finish and get a good result for the championship.”

With only a week to wait before he’s back in the cockpit, Joey Scarallo will soon get the second chance he’s looking for to score points and make his way forward in the Indy Pro Series championship chase.

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The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Road Runner 100 from the Milwaukee Mile on June 2nd. The race will be telecast on ESPN 2 at 6PM EDT on Thursday, June 7th.

Alex Lloyd Completes Dreamy Freedom 100 Day on Top

Sam Schmidt Motorsports Runs Ahead to Four-Race Sweep with Indy Win

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Alex Lloyd arrived in America a year ago, with little more than a few suitcases and a dream to drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Twelve short months on he's taken a wife, bought a house in Indianapolis, and written his name into the Brickyard's record books as the first man to win on both the Speedway's 2.5 mile oval and its 2.6 mile infield road course.

On Friday, Carb Day (May 25th) at Indy, Alex Lloyd drove the white number 7 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara to the lead by passing pole-sitter Ken Losch on the outside of turn one at the Freedom 100's start, then never looked back; pressing his advantage over the next one hundred miles to a yellow-checkered competition's end when raindrops began to fall over the south end of the race course.

Gasoline Alley on Carb Day. Photo: Allan Brewer

Lloyd made the feat look easy as he swept around the big oval in front of a huge crowd in the double-deck grandstands and terraces that overlook the long 5/8 mile straightaways and ninety degree turns of this vast complex where auto racing history is celebrated--no make that cherished--like no other place in the world.

"From all the greats, no one has achieved this before," he said in the Economacki Press Room trackside at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after his history-making afternoon. "It means a huge amount to me to get this. It's something that nobody else has done. I've really worked hard for this."

With the team's fourth consecutive victory in a row to start the 2007 Indy Pro Series season Lloyd and Sam Schmidt's racing organization tie the record of Thiago Medeiros set in 2004 with the same team; and remain favorites to continue the string of victories and set a new benchmark at the Milwaukee Mile's Road Runner 100 on June 2nd.

Chip Ganassi's Chris Festa Advances From the Start to Strong Second Place

Second on Friday came Chip Ganassi Racing's Chris Festa, who waged the day's most compelling "race within a race" against Rahal Letterman/Andersen Racing's Andrew Prendeville (who ended the day in fourth place) with an exciting duel along the front and back straightaways, and then into turn one, that produced a pair of passes that brought fist-pumping and smiles from the red car's pitbox and cheers from the crowd.

Festa overcame an accident in qualifying to put his car seventh on the starting grid, then moved upstream with purpose on Carb Day, steadily picking off contenders to assume second place on lap ten. His team made additional changes to the CareCentric car overnight to give him the assured pace he maintained over the next thirty laps.

"The car was much easier to drive today," he said. "It wasn't quite where we wanted it, but it was fast and I could keep up with Alex."

Chip Ganassi Racing Pit. Photo: Allan Brewer

Festa lamented the rainfall and a chance to challenge Lloyd in a charge to the finish line, saying "If I had started just a little further forward on the grid I probably would have been able to draft with Alex for most of the race. Just one last lap, we could have challenged for the win today; but that's racing and congratulations to Alex."

Third place went to Jaime Camara, the winner of the 2005 Freedom 100, driving the bright green and black metallic OsoFresh Andretti Green/AFS Racing Dallara from eighteenth place at the start and taking home the FedEx "Hard-Charger" Award for his impressive gap-gobbling performance at speed.

"I'm happy with (the result), of course," he said. "It was a great run and I worked very hard to be in third place today."

He hinted that his team's conservative setup may have cost him on the long narrow straightaways running north and south around the Indy oval and added, "In traffic it (the car) was great, and I could draft off other drivers' cars and try to pass them; but I think I had too much downforce today."

Hideki Mutoh of Panther Racing finished fifth, well-enough forward to renew his second place position in the championship points standings that he held going into the 40-lap race, while Apex Racing's Mike Potehken was sixth, Matt Jaskol of Michael Crawford Motorsports seventh, and Al Unser III (driving the Playa Del Racing entry of Susan Schaefer and her California-based team) was eighth.

Jon Brownson of Brownsburg, Indiana-based SWE Racing and Team Moore's Jonathan Klein rounded out the top ten of a twenty-four car field.

Pole-sitter Ken Losch fell victim to a broken input-shaft on an early race restart and completed only nine laps before retiring.

AFS Racing's Wade Cunningham, starting fifth, also suffered a setback in the race's early stages, incurring a penalty for advancing improperly on a restart. The miscue was compounded by the indignity of a cut tire that forced him to drive completely around the racecourse well off-pace before entering the pits for the change, in lieu of which he and team opted simply to retire.

Freedom 100 Multimedia Slideshow. Click on Photo to Start. Produced by: AllanBrewer

Both Albuquerque's Sean Guthrie and New Yorker Joey Scarallo became familiar with the Speedway's infamous "wall" as both made contact that, in Joey's case, was race-terminating.

New Zealand newcomer Marc Williams, starting twenty-first in his maiden voyage of full-field competition around the legendary Brickyard, advanced to seventeenth by race's end. He turned the full forty laps of the Freedom 100 and put valuable experience in his corner for another attempt in 2008.

"It went pretty good," he said. "We could have been better by a couple of more positions but the yellows set us back."

"But this place, Indianapolis, is just an awesome place. It's a huge circuit, and there are so many things to learn. It's fast here. I love the speed, how quick it is," he added.

Hot and Hazy Carb Day Has Speedway Searing

The race began under a hot sun as the mercury climbed above ninety degrees in Speedway, Indiana. Lloyd and Losch moved together past the starter's stand at the famous yard of bricks start/finish line before entering the southwest corner of the oval where Lloyd pushed ahead of Losch on the higher groove around the turn.

Behind Lloyd, Mike Potehken and Hideki Mutoh made light contact bringing out yellow and sending the Japanese driver into the pits and (by lap three) last place in the race. The first three laps of the race were completed under yellow, which flew for a second time on lap six, bringing with it Cunningham's penalty and subsequent retirement.

From lap ten Alex Lloyd simply drove his own race and seemed in complete control, at one point urged by his team to be "smooth and steady" around the racecourse, an always-welcome euphemism for "if all continues well, this one's in the bag boys".

Yellow reappeared on lap 31 for Scarallo's contact in turn three, allowing the field to bunch up for the race's final restart on lap thirty-six.

Lloyd again hit the start/finish line flying and began pulling well away once more when the raindrops brought out the final race-settling yellow on lap thirty-seven.

Jim Beam Girls. Photo: Allan Brewer

The cars continued ontrack astern of the Atomic Orange Corvette pacecar for the remaining three laps of the race, as the brief rainstorm passed quickly over the area, leaving Indy's famous Victory Lane ready for a history-making Lloyd.

Teamwork Pays Off Aboard the Lucas Oil Dallara

"It's been a stressful weekend because we started off struggling a little bit yesterday morning (in qualifying). It's all credit to the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team and to (sponsor Forrest Lucas') Lucas Oil--just a fantastic team that has put together a fantastic car," said Lloyd as he recounted his slow start with an outdated set-up on his Dallara racecar.

"I won here on the road course last year with the F1 Race (the Liberty Challenge), but there's nothing to describe the feeling of crossing the line here on the oval during Carb Day and putting the car in Victory Lane," he said.

"This track is different from every other oval and different from every other track. It's a unique place," he concluded.

The win put forty thousand dollars worth of prize-money into the pockets of the winners and left Alex Lloyd sitting pretty in the 2007 Indy Pro Series driving championship. His total of two hundred and seven points measures a gaping seventy points better than Hideki Mutoh (137 points).

Chris Festa's performance on Carb Day brought him into third place only fourteen points behind the Panther Racing driver and boosted him past Brian Stewart Racing's Bobby Wilson, who fell into a tie for fourth with Team KMA's Robbie Pecorari at ninety-nine points each.

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Freedom 100 Results

Indy Pro Series Cumulative Results 2007

Special thanks to Dan at Nora Target Superstore for production assistance of the Freedom 100 slideshow

Qualifications for Indy Pro Series Freedom 100 Find Losch Atop the Field

Warm and Windy Temps Shape Qualifying Results at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Forty-seven year old Ken Losch had few words to share after his pole-winning performance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday (May 24th), but when you’re fast as he was it’s probably best to just let your heavy right foot do all the talking.

In fact, he was so surprised to be in P1 that afterwards when asked how he planned to race from his prime acre of real estate on the inside of the Freedom 100 front row, his reply was forthcoming and very much true-to-life in saying, “I’m going to have to go figure that out!”

Starting in karts only five years ago, after a successful career in real estate development, Losch surprised all the youngsters and put up a speedy 188.231 average speed over a two-lap, five mile qualifications effort at the Brickyard. He will lead the field into the southwest turn at the Speedway when the 100-mile race commences around 12:30 PM on Friday (May 25th).

Alex Lloyd and Hideki Mutoh Solidly Into Front Two Rows for Carb Day Race

Alex Lloyd, the Indy Pro Series points leader, and still the pre-race favorite to earn the Freedom 100 victory, starts next Losch on the outside of the first row after qualifying with a speed of 188.080 mph. Mike Potekhen, Losch’s teammate at Apex Racing, was third-best with a 187.686 mph clocking and starts inside on the second row next to Panther’s Hideki Mutoh (187.534 mph).

Andretti Green/AFS Racing’s Wade Cunningham was fifth-quick for the qualifications effort with a speed of 187.341 mph.

Wade attributed the slowing speeds as the day progressed to the wind and the hot weather as temperatures in Indianapolis pushed ever closer to summertime conditions. The ambient temperature stood at 86 degrees when Qualifying commenced at 1:15 PM on Thursday.

"The engines are not making as much horsepower and the downforce is not as effective with the higher temperatures," Cunningham said. "Also the wind is a factor, making the race track quite different at the opposite ends north and south." (See Freedom 100 Qualifying Multimedia Slideshow for the full interview, and more from today at the Speedway)

Freedom 100 Qualifying Multimedia Slideshow. Click on Photo to Start. Produced by: AllanBrewer

Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ Logan Gomez lines up six-fastest on Friday for the Carb Day, 40-lap race, with a speed of 187.016 mph.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chris Festa recovered from an accident in the morning practice to run a smooth seventh-fastest two-lap time averaging 186.839 mph; while Matt Jaskol (186.728 mph), Jon Brownson (186.690 mph) of SWE Racing, and RLR/Andersen’s Andrew Prendeville (186.460 mph) round out the first five rows of racers for the Freedom 100.

Final Practice Post-Qualifying Yields No Surprises in Freedom 100 Field

The time sheets reverted to the norm at the day-ending practice session with Mutoh returning to the spot where he began the day--at the top--with a speed of 188.156 mph. Wade Cunningham and Mike Potekhen followed, along with Kenn Hardley's Stephen Simpson and Cunningham teammate Jaime Camara.

Losch fell to nineteenth-best in the final practice session, posting a best speed of 182.848 mph, while Lloyd was satisfied to turn in a speed of 183.466 ahead of the Noon start of the Freedom 100 on Friday (May 25th) at the Speedway.

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Freedom 100 Qualifications

Mutoh Leads the Way in Opening Freedom 100 Practice

Hyper-Competitive Indy Pro Series Heats Up at the Speedway

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

A windy and warm pair of practice sessions saw Panther's Hideki Mutoh fastest Thursday (May 24th) morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of an early afternoon qualification session for the Freedom 100.

Hideki Mutoh posted a speed of 189.850 in the first hour of practice that began shortly after 9AM EDT at the Speedway, where the 40-lap race will be contested on Friday, Carb Day, May 25th.

Mutoh was followed by Andretti Green/AFS Racing's Jaime Camara (189.238 mph) and Ryan Justice (189.170 mph) of Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Fourth-best in the morning went to Brian Stewart's Shane Jantzi with a speed of 189.039 mph, with fifth going to 2005 Indy Pro Series champion Wade Cunningham at 189.021 mph.

The five fastest times all came in the opening one-hour session of practice before winds picked up from the southwest and pushed the windsock atop the familiar black and white scoring pylon on the main straight of the Brickyard consistently above ten miles per hour.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Chris Festa topped the second practice period with a speed of 188.804, sixth-fastest of the morning overall. Festa suffered a setback shortly after he put up his fast lap, when a deflating outside rear tire spun him coming into the pit entrance and back out onto the front straightaway where he smacked the wall broadside the left side of the red and white car.

Festa did not appear to suffer serious injury and was immediately taken from the car by fire safety crew members to the trackside Clarian Infield Hospital where his release and return to the wheel of the number nine Dallara appears imminent.

Series points championship leader Alex Lloyd's time of 188.583 was seventh-fastest in the first stanza, behind Apex Racing's Mike Potekhen's 188.781 mph and surprising Ken Losch at 188.657 mph. Lloyd's SSM teammate Logan Gomez was tenth-best with a speed of 188.538 mph over the combined two hours of practice Thursday morning.

Track activity continues today at 1:15 PM EDT with qualifications for the Freedom 100 over the 2.5 mile oval in Indianapolis.

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Freedom 100 Practice

Indy Pro Series Launches Hideki Mutoh on American Ambition

Japanese Driver’s Pursuit of Firehawk Cup Ramps Up for Freedom100

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Panther Racing’s Hideki Mutoh will line up for the Freedom 100 on Carb Day (May 25th) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the second-most points in the Indy Pro Series championship chase.

Though he’s classified as a rookie in his pursuit of the Firestone Firehawk Cup, the Japanese star has an impressive list of accomplishments already solidly in place within his career portfolio:

• Hideki won the Formula Nippon Championship and Super GT Championship’s final race in 2006
• He picked up the third place trophy in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship in 2005, and finished ninth in his first year of 2004
• Mutoh won the Honda Formula Dream Championship outright in 2003 after finishing as series runner-up in 2002
• He finished third in the Formula Ford European Championship in 2001

With over five years of experience in the upper reaches of open-wheel racing’s developmental ranks, Hideki’s “rookie” status in the Indy Pro Series is somewhat of an understatement of his past.

Hideki Mutoh. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Indeed, with the exception of a paucity of experience on ovals, Mutoh’s record rivals a number of drivers already driving at even higher levels of motorsport competition.

IndyProRacer.com chased the Tokyo-born driver down for a brief Q&A in this week prior to the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here’s what he had to say about how his season has progressed, and where he sees himself at this point in his career and this season:

IndyProRacer.com: How did you find out about the Indy Pro Series? Who did you talk to in America that helped you decide this is where you wanted to race?

Hideki Mutoh: I heard about Indy Pro Series from Honda Japan.

I wanted to race in the top category in America (IndyCar Series) so I just thought it’s a great opportunity to start from the Indy Pro Series and I made my decision (to compete in the Indy Pro Series) right away.

IndyProRacer.com: After three of sixteen races you and your team are in second place in the championship. Did you expect to do so well when you started, given this is your rookie year and Panther has been out of the Pro Series for several years now?

Hideki Mutoh: Panther Racing has been out of the Pro Series for few years but I don’t think it matters much.

I have the best engineer and the very best team so I will keep doing my best to bring the first win to the team.

I wasn’t expecting anything when I started; I just do my best and want to win the races.

IndyProRacer.com: How do you feel about your chances of winning the Freedom 100? Did your testing go well? Are you still learning the big oval track? Do you have confidence you can win there?

Car Number 55, Panther Racing. Photo: ChrisJonesIRL

Hideki Mutoh: I am not sure how great my chance is of winning the Freedom 100 but I think there is a very high possibility.

The testing here (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) went well and I was able to get used to the course; so I am looking forward to the race.

I am not sure if I have confidence to win but I know that I want to win more than anybody else.

IndyProRacer.com: What’s it been like coming to America from Japan? What things about living here do you like? What things about Japan do you miss?

Hideki Mutoh: I was little worried about moving and living in a totally different environment but I am enjoying it now. (Hideki currently lives in Indianapolis)

It is great to have big parks near the house and it is great to be surrounded by nature. I do miss my family but I am happy here in Indianapolis and enjoying new experiences everyday.

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The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Freedom 100 on May 25th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast as part of ESPN2’s coverage of Carb Day at 4PM EDT on May 25th.

Indy Pro Series Returns with Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Carb Day Race Features Fast Veterans Contesting Season’s Premier Date

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

The Indy Pro Series will roar to life with the Freedom 100, the showpiece event of the sixteen-race 2007 season, this Friday (May 25th) at the famous 2.5 mile oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The race will feature league-leading driver Alex Lloyd of Sam Schmidt Motorsports as he attempts to become the first man to win on both Indy’s road course and oval over forty laps (100 miles) beginning shortly after Noon on Friday. A win would also give him the tie for consecutive wins (four) in series' history.

Lloyd won the annual Liberty Challenge sister race to the Freedom 100 last June during the US Grand Prix weekend on the Brickyard’s twisty 2.6 mile infield road course. He's three for three (Homestead and both St. Petersburg races) so far in races on this year's calendar.

With over three hundred thousand dollars in prizes, and twenty-five racecars vying for a piece of the action on the fast super-speedway at Indianapolis, the Freedom 100 promises one of the most exciting events of the Indy Pro Series season.

Prior Winners Challenge Lloyd for Top Spot on Podium

The May 25th race was won last year by Andretti Green/AFS Racing’s Wade Cunningham when he passed eventual 2006 IPS champion Jay Howard with a daring last-lap maneuver to successfully recover from losing the lead to Howard only one lap earlier.

Wade’s teammate Jaime Camara took home the Freedom 100 victory in 2005, an achievement that launched his name into discussions of who will be next to make the jump from the Indy Pro Series into IndyCar or beyond.

Championship-Hungry Drivers Vie for Lifetime Memory with Win at Indy

Once again, the Indy Pro Series field is filled with talented contenders striving to best the rest in arguably its most competitive season ever, and every one of them has dreams of an Indy win as the field takes to the track for practice on Thursday morning at 9AM.

Hideki Mutoh of Panther Racing stands forty-eight points behind Lloyd in the chase for The FireHawk Cup trophy that goes to the Indy Pro Series champion at season’s end. The Japanese driver has been impressive in all phases of the competition this year on the oval, the street course and during testing. In the three races so far this year he’s done everything but finish first, pacing Panther to a second place result in the entrant standings.

Bobby Wilson of Brian Stewart Racing, back and healthy for his first competitive event since smacking the first turn wall at Indy during the Open Test in mid-April, looks to improve on his third-best driver points position, just ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chris Festa.

Upstart rookie Robbie Pecorari of Team KMA, currently standing fifth, will attempt to spoil the fun for the big- name team drivers and continue his hot pursuit of the championship for himself.

Jonathan Klein, the runner-up in last year’s championship chase by the closest margin ever (a thin four points), will be at the wheel for Team Moore. Klein takes over the seat of the recently-retired Tom Wood for his first oval-track outing of the year.

Sean Guthrie has been fast but suffered unforeseen setbacks so far this year, getting caught up in an accident at Homestead/Miami Speedway and shuffled back in the pack during a fracas at St. Pete. With a strong team and dad Jim Guthrie’s prior IndyCar experience on the oval to steady him, Sean looks primed to make a breakthrough appearance on the big oval of his own.

Darkhorses Logan Gomez of Crown Point, Indiana (the youngest driver in the field at 18 years, 160 days) and third-generation driver Al Unser III (Playa Del Racing, who finished eleventh in last year’s Freedom 100) look upon this race as an opportunity to attract some well-deserved attention to themselves. Gomez, in particular, looked strong in the Indy Open Test with a strong result that could foreshadow an upset win on Carb Day.

Throw in steady Mike Potekhen of Apex Racing and Ryan Justice of Sam Schmidt (returning to competition after accident as well) and you have a talented, deep field that suggests this year’s Freedom 100 will be one that will rock the crowd on racing’s biggest stage.

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TV/Radio Coverage of the Indy Pro Series Freedom 100:

• Freedom 100 Race: ESPN2 (tape-delay), 4:00 PM EDT, May 25th
• Talent: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Rusty Wallace (announcers); Jack Arute, Jamie Little, Brienne Pedigo, Vince Welch (pit reporters)
• Live streaming video coverage of the Indy Pro Series Pole Qualifying (1:15 PM EDT May 24th) and the Freedom 100 (12:30 PM EDT May 25th) is available at www.indycar.com
• Live radio coverage of the pre-race and race activities will be broadcast by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network affiliate stations and online at www.indycar.com (beginning at 12:15 PM EDT May 25th)

Track Schedule at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (all times local; subject to change):

Thursday, May 24th

• 7 AM Indy Pro Series garages opens
• 9:00 – 9:45 AM Indy Pro Series practice
• 11:00 – 11:45 AM Indy Pro Series practice
• 1:15 PM Freedom 100 Qualifying
• 3:40 – 4:00 PM Indy Pro Series Practice

Friday, May 25th

• 7 AM Indy Pro Series garages open
• 12 PM Freedom 100 Pre-Race
• 12:30 PM Freedom 100 (40 laps, 100 miles)

Seven Former Indy Pro Series Drivers To Drive in Indy 500

Pro Series Director Roger Bailey Cites Successful Qualifiers

From Indy Racing League Media Reports:

Seven drivers who've participated in the Indy Pro Series have successfully made the leap into the IndyCar Series and the Greatest Specatacle in Racing.

Among those who make up the field of thirty-three starting the 91st Indianapolis 500 are Andretti/Greens' Marco Andretti, Rahal Letterman's Jeff Simmons, Ed Carpenter of Vision Racing and teammate A.J. Foyt IV, Racing Professionals' Jon Herb, Marty Roth and Playa Del Racing's Indy rookie Phil Giebler.

"Seeing seven Indy Pro Series graduates in the field for the Indianapolis 500 is something we're very proud of," Indy Pro Series executive director Roger Bailey said. "What's even better is the fact that not only are we seeing the numbers, but those drivers are also competitive. Ultimately, when I'm long gone, I'd like to think that every single driver on the grid came through the Indy Pro Series."

Marco Andretti has the plum spot on the grid of the Indy Pro Series graduates, taking a position on the third row for the flying start on Memorial Day (May 27th).

Phil Giebler was last to qualify, after crashing on the day prior to "Bump Day" and setting in motion an all-night repair effort at Playa Del that paid off when he qualified early Sunday (May 20th) afternoon well clear of the "bubble" (the euphemism applied to the slowest man in the field) and the possibility of elimination.

That ordeal was heaped upon the shoulder of fellow IPS grad Marty Roth, who sweated out the last hour of qualifications in his car awaiting the command to go back out onto the oval and requalify--an order that fortunately (for him) never came when neither PJ Jones or Jimmy Kite could find the speed to nudge him off the grid for next weekend's race.

“It’s great that it’s one minute after six," said a relieved Marty when it was over. "I’ve been waiting a long time for that. It’s been a long day."

"Unfortunately, we had a lousy qualifying, and that’s the price you pay. You end up taking your turn on the bubble, and it’s a very uncomfortable situation," he continued.

"We had a really good car. We were 221’s all day long. We’re just debating if we were going to stick it in and re-qualify it, or ‘No, no. Don’t worry about it.’ It was quite the drama in our pits today. We’re just glad it’s over, and we’re glad to be in the show.”

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The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Freedom 100 on May 25th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast as part of ESPN2’s coverage of Carb Day at 4PM EDT on May 25th.

Chris Festa Never Slows for Traffic in Indy Pro Series Fast Lane

But Ganassi Racing Ace Hits Pause Ahead of Freedom 100 for IndyProRacer.com

by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chris Festa has plans for the long Memorial Day weekend. His plans, though, are a little more well-organized and definitely speedier, than a day at the beach or backpacking in the mountains.

Chris drives the bright red number nine Indy Pro Series entry that could pass for a body-double in the movies if Ganassi IndyCar series teammate Scott Dixon ever needed one.

On a beautiful Sunday morning in Indianapolis Chris was at ease talking about his year so far and what he wants to accomplish in the 2007 Indy Pro Series season; and about what he and the team have been doing since the Open Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 27th and 28th.

Chris Festa and Ganassi Crew. Photo: ShawnPayneIRL

“Since the Open Test we’ve just done a lot of testing,” he said. “We were up at Milwaukee the following week, then Mid-Ohio for a couple of days after that. We’ve been working on our cars for oval and road courses, short oval and big oval. The car’s just been rebuilt so I’m really excited about it.”

While some teams and drivers had more esoteric things they wanted to trial at the famous Milwaukee Mile, Festa and his team went with only one thing on their mind: winning.

“We went with the idea to make the car as good as it can be for that track. We want to go there and race for the win, so we were working on making the car as fast as we could make it,” he said. “We want to make it drivable and consistent over one hundred laps (the length of the Road Runner Milwaukee 100).”

Return to Milwaukee Mile Retraces Indy History

This year the Indy Pro Series follows the big cars to the famous Fairgrounds where racing on the weekend following the Indy 500 has a long and storied tradition. Indeed the race track, whose roots date back to the late nineteenth century, eclipses even Indy as the world’s longest-running venue for automobile racing, holding its first event in 1903. The relatively close Midwestern proximity of the Wisconsin city from Indianapolis also makes it a convenient destination for teams back on the road after a month-long stay at the Speedway.

“It’s not really too bad,” Chris said of restarting the racing schedule only nine days after the Freedom 100. “Last year we had Watkins Glen the following weekend from Indy so we’re used to that. I actually think it’s a little bit better because now we have tradition where it used to be—Milwaukee’s right after Indianapolis so it’s better as far as history’s concerned.”

The Ganassi Racing Dallara was quick during the Open Test at Indianapolis, which ran on for two days due to rain, rivaling the speeds of Sam Schmidt’s Alex Lloyd and Andretti Green/AFS Racing’s Wade Cunningham.

The first day Chris was second-fastest, then fifth-fastest on the rain makeup day.

“We actually feel really good,” said Festa. “The car rolled off the trailer strong and we were real happy with it. I could stay flat in traffic and pass anyone I wanted, which is ideal for a race setup. Our Q setup we’re still working on, just doing some minor tweaks and so forth trying to get a little more speed out of the car.”

"We feel we're a real contender in the Freedom 100," says Chris Festa

“We feel we’re a contender (for pole). Sam Schmidt’s team has always been very strong here, Panther’s strong, Brian Stewart’s strong as well; so we feel we can get it but we don’t think it’ll be easy.”

With the season soon one quarter gone, Chris Festa stands fourth in the championship points chase behind leader Lloyd, Hideki Mutoh and Bobby Wilson. With plenty of racing still to do, Chris is intent on moving up the food-chain with a rock-solid performance on Carb Day (May 25th) in the Freedom 100 at the series’ showcase event.

“Fourth in points isn’t where I want to be, but that’s where we are so we have to roll with it,” Chris said. “Unfortunately at St. Pete I got a black flag, and that’s the name of the game; but that just means I have to work harder to get those points back.”

On Indy Pole Day the Ganassi team hosted injured teammate Pablo Perez to watch Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon challenge for the top spot for the 500. It marked a victory for Perez as the first time he’s been back at the racetrack since being released from Methodist Hospital. It also gave the team a chance to celebrate his progress in recovery.

“Pablo’s awesome!” said Chris. “I was around him at the hospital and the first time I visited him he was joking just like always. I figured he was feeling pretty good at that point. It’s a shame. He is a really good driver; and to not have a teammate hurts the team as well. The important thing is he’s getting better and hopefully will be able to race again. It was a big thing for him and it made me excited too.”

Redefining the Words 'Fast Student' at Ganassi Racing

Festa cut his teeth in karting and on the road courses. The primary education he received on his way to the Indy Pro Series has served him well in competition against an ever-improving field of talented drivers from around the globe. When you look at his results, though, it’s apparent he is consistently fast on any kind of circuit.

“I come from a road racing background with Atlantics and karts, so that’s my past,” he said. “There’ll always be some coming home for me with the road courses, but I love the ovals too. It’s a different skill set. I think it’s great having both and racing on both.”

“I think the biggest thing (to learn about ovals) is patience. You can’t get impatient and do something drastic because you can get hit hard pretty fast. The speed is higher and there’s less room for error.”

In every respect Chris is getting a graduate-level education in big-time auto racing while his undergraduate studies at Florida State University are set aside for awhile. The twenty-one year old racer hasn’t given up on the idea of getting a degree. He’s just got greater opportunity, once in-a-lifetime opportunity, that deserves fulfillment right now.

“Right now I’m so busy with Chip Ganassi Racing that I don’t have any time to go to school. FSU’s on hold so I can focus fully on racing. FSU’s been great and allowed me to chase my dream career. No matter what happens with school I’ll always have strong good feelings for them.”

“The race season makes school difficult because the race season is still going when school semester begins,” he said. “I’d have to pick up in mid-semester which is really hard to do.”

“The big thing for me is I love racing. Whether I’m driving open-wheel or some other it doesn’t matter. I just want to drive. I love racing and that’s one of the reasons I came to Ganassi Racing.”

Chris Festa. Photo: ShawnPayneIRL

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The sixth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Freedom 100 on May 25th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast as part of ESPN2’s coverage of Carb Day at 4PM EDT on May 25th.