Indy Lights Racer Ana Beatriz Makes History at Nashville SuperSpeedway
Brazilian First Woman to Win Indy Lights Series Event
by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com
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Ana Beatriz wins at Nashville. Photo: DanaGarrettIRL |
Brazilian Ana Beatriz won the Firestone Indy Lights Series Sunbelt Rentals 100 on Saturday at Nashville SuperSpeedway. The victory wrote the twenty-three year old woman's name into the record books as another 'first' for the series in one of its most evenly-matched years of competition ever.
Beatriz, who also is known internationally by her surname of Figuereido and the contracted first names 'Bia', took the lead from Sam Schmidt Motorsports' teammate James Davison on Lap 33 of 77 to earn a career-first triumph in her rookie Indy Lights season.
"We had the rain early today so I knew the track was very, very green," at the start, she said of her successful racing strategy that saw her start from the front row. "I waited, and gave up some track position; but then I could go and the car was really good. I passed James for the lead, then won the race, and couldn't be happier." (See MP3 Audio interview below)
The victory joins three previous Indy Lights podium finishes for the dark-haired native of Sao Paolo, but must be most rewarding because it came on an oval--a curious novelty to Bia when she arrived on these shores. Her first race on the four-cornered configuration came in late March at Homestead Miami Speedway, where she finished an auspicious seventh-place among twenty-five cars.
Team E's Bobby Wilson drove a solid and ever-improving race to finish second to Bia, while AFS Andretti Green Racing's Arie Luyendyk Jr continued to pile points onto his total toward the Firehawk Cup championship with another podium finish in third.
"I'll take second," said Wilson, himself champion of the state of Wisconsin after his wire-to-wire win at the Milwaukee Mile earlier this year. "We went into a little drought there for awhile, but you can't taste the sweet so well without a little sour."
"It was tough," said Luyendyk Jr of the hot and humid conditions that were only worsened by a thunderstorm that delayed the start of the race for over one hour. "We had the the quickest car, but it was hot today and once we got close to anybody it was really tough to get around them."
Race Recap
Pole-sitter James Davison took the field around for the green flag on a track washed clean of accumulated rubber grip at approximately 6:15 PM CDT.
AFS AGR's Raphael Matos spun on the slick surface exiting Turn 4, losing position to the rear of the field but continuing forward without striking the wall or another car.
Panther Racing's Dillon Battistini, who started third, was quick to take advantage of Bia's caution on the concrete 1.33 mile oval's surface and moved into second with Team Moore's Jeff Simmons in tow.
Yellow flew on Lap 11 when Chris Festa of Alliance Motorsports slid into Mickey Gilbert's Mile High Motorsports machine, and on the lap 14 restart Simmons nicked the left rear tire of Battistini, sending the latter lurching rightward toward the wall with a cut tire. The impact broke the right front wing of Simmons' car as well.
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Ana Beatriz. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL |
The running order on Lap 20 stood Davison, Bia, Simmons (who continued apace despite the damage), Wilson, Luyendyk Jr, RLR Andersen's J R Hildebrand, Guthrie Racing's Logan Gomez, Franck Pererea, Hildebrand teammate Andrew Prendeville and Battistini teammate Brent Sherman.
Davison began lapping the field at Lap 21, as Bia closed on the Australian leader; and by Lap 29 the Brazilian racer looked inside as the two rolled through Turn 1, then she backed away.
Four laps later she was ready, and Bia charged past Davison on the inside in Turn 1 for the lead on her way to an historic victory for herself and the series.
Another yellow flag, when SWE Racing's Robbie Pecorari got low and forced Integra Motorsports' driver Jonny Reid to take evasive action into Davison, brought a final restart on Lap 53; but Bia was ready again on the restart and jumped to nearly a second's lead as the field resumed under green.
The final margin of victory was 1.2392 seconds, at an average pace of 147.778 mph and an elapsed time of 40:38.5208.
Fastest lap was set by Luyendyk Jr on Lap 58 with a speed of 176.468 mph.
A scant eleven laps total were run under yellow flag.
First Female Winner for Indy Lights Racing
Ana Beatriz became the first of six women drivers to compete in the series and win a race .
Prior to today the most significant achievement for a female member of the Indy Lights driving corps probably was made by Sarah McCune, who took pole at the race over Chicagoland Speedway in 2005.
McCune and Bia have been joined in the Indy Lights cockpit by Mishael Abbott, Leilani Munter, Veronica 'Ronnie' McCann and current Indy Lights driver Cyndie Allemann.
No fewer than two CART champions, two Indy Racing League champions, seven CCWS race-winners and two Formula 1 drivers have emerged from the series' competitive ranks.
Indy Lights, which began in 1986 as the American Racing Series and was renamed in 1991, serves as the final developmental stepping stone leading to IndyCar.
Championship Points Chase Shuffled Anew by Unexpected Gains and Losses
Beatriz chose carefully and well to win on Saturday at Nashville as a combination of good fortune and bad propelled her three places northward in the points race--from sixth to third in a single day.
After ten rounds of racing the leader continues SSM teammate Richard Antinucci (who finished 12th) on 325 points; followed by Raphael Matos (310), and Ana Beatriz adding her name to the top three contenders on 286 points.
Panther's Dillon Battistini finished nineteenth, and fell to fourth on 276 points; followed by Arie Luyendyk Jr with 273.
Firestone Indy Lights competition continues next weekend in the rolling hills of central Ohio as the series moves to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the eleventh and twelfth rounds of the 2008 season.
Ana Beatriz Sunbelt Rentals 100 Winner Interview (Click to download MP3 audio)
Firestone Indy Lights Sunbelt Rentals 100 Results
Firestone Indy Lights 2008 Cumulative Results
Congratulations Bia.
What a fantastic achievement - this confirms (for anyone who might have doubted it) that foxy lady drivers like you are just as capable as men of being racing champions today.
We'll be watching your progress in the UK and supporting you from afar in your career.
Best regards
FOXY Steph
Posted by: Steph Savill | July 15, 2008 at 02:54 AM