Indy Japan 300 Race Report
09-21-2009, 11:00 AM
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Indy Japan 300 Race Report
Tochigi, Japan - Sep 21 —Circuit:Twin Ring Motegi (1.5-mile oval) Motegi, Tochigi, Japan
2008 Winner:Danica Patrick (Andretti Green Racing Honda) 164.258 mph average
Weather: Hazy, mild, 77 degrees F
Race Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes 1. 1. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 200 163.401 mph average, led 139 laps 2. 3. Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 200 -1.4475 seconds, led 53 laps 3. 5. Graham Rahal Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 200 -3.2002 seconds, led 3 laps 4. 7. Oriol Servia Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 200 -4.1718 seconds 5. 2. Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 200 -12.7643 seconds 6. 6. Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 200 -16.1392 seconds 7. 14. Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 200 -16.6513 seconds 8. 8. Dan Wheldon Panther Racing Honda Dallara 200 -17.2646 seconds 9. 12. Raphael Matos-R Luczo Dragon Racing Honda Dallara 200 -17.7590 seconds 10. 21. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Honda Dallara 199 Running 11. 23. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 199 Running 12. 9. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 199 Running 13. 11. Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 14. 22. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 15. 18. E.J. Viso HVM Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 16. 19. Robert Doornbos-R HVM Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 17. 16. Kosuke Matsuura Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 18. 4. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Honda Dallara 185 Running [delayed], led 5 laps 19. 20. Stanton Barrett-R Curb/Agajanian/3G Honda Dallara 182 Running [delayed] 20. 17. Roger Yasukawa Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 172 Running [delayed] 21. 15. Ryan Hunter-Reay A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 157 Did not finish - crash 22. 13. Mike Conway-R Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 103 Did not finish - crash 23. 10. Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 83 Did not finish - transmission R - IndyCar Series Rookie Dixon Victory at Motegi Sets Up Championship Shootout
A 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing?s Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti Saturday at Twin Ring Motegi, combined with a disastrous incident exiting the pit lane for Team Penske?s Ryan Briscoe, set up a championship-deciding season finale for the 2009 IndyCar Series next month at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
While there was little to separate the Ganassi teammates on the race track, Dixon won the crucial battle in the pits, exiting ahead of Franchitti after two of the three stops each made during the course of the Indy Japan 300, including the crucial final stop on Lap 153. At the finish, Dixon led his teammate by just over 1.4 seconds for a series-leading fifth victory of the season. The win gives Dixon a five-point lead over Franchitti, and an eight-point edge on Briscoe, going the final round of the 17-race championship, scheduled for October 10.
For Briscoe, what started out as a huge break -- running a surprising four laps longer than his rivals during the race?s second segment, then pitting just as the yellow flag waved for Mike Conway?s crash -- instead became his undoing. Instead of resuming with the lead, Briscoe lost control exiting his pit box, and his Honda Dallara swung left into the wall at Pit-Out, damaging his left-front suspension and leading to a long stop for repairs. He would eventually resume to finish 18th, 15 laps down to the leaders.
The 300-mile contest at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit capped another weekend of reliable performance for the Honda Indy V-8 engine, with 23 drivers and teams recording 10,073.04 miles of practice, qualifying and racing, once again with 100 percent reliability.
Early in the race, second-year IndyCar racer Mario Moraes battled with the leaders. But a troubled first pit stop, when Moraes barely missed his marks in Pit Lane and lost time as his KV Racing team struggled to get him refueled, dropped him from contention for the win. Moraes finished fifth, just behind Newman Haas Lanigan teammates Graham Rahal and Oriol Seriva, who briefly contested third place in the closing laps before Servia ceded the position to Rahal.
In another inter-team duel, defending race winner Danica Patrick battled her Andretti Green Racing teammate, Marco Andretti, for sixth place throughout the final third of the race. Dan Wheldon ran as high as third in the middle stages, but lost ground by pitting under green on Lap 151, just before a crash by Ryan Hunter-Reay allowed all other lead-lap cars to pit under the resulting caution. Wheldon would finish seventh as a result, just ahead of Luczo Dragon Racing?s Raphael Matos.
The 2009 IndyCar Series now returns to the U.S.A. boasting the second-closest first-though-third battle in series history. The championship-deciding season finale takes place ?under the lights? on Saturday night, October 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
IndyCar Series Standings (after 16 of 17 races): 1. Scott Dixon 570 points (5 wins) 7. Graham Rahal 366 2. Dario Franchitti 565 (4 wins) 8. Tony Kanaan 354 3. Ryan Briscoe 562 (3 wins) 9. Dan Wheldon 342 4. Helio Castroneves 403 (2 wins) 10. Justin Wilson 334 (1 win) 5. Danica Patrick 381 11. Hideki Mutoh 325 6. Marco Andretti 368 12. Ed Carpenter 303 Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 1st, finished 1st, his fifth IndyCar Series win of 2009 and 22nd open-wheel racing victory, retakes championship points lead, 14th series lead change in 16 races this year: ?That?s definitely what we needed today. Dario was very quick early on; we had to add some front wing and change the tire pressures to improve the car at our first pit stop. But those changes really worked, and now we go to Homestead with a real shot at the championship. It?s just a tremendous day for Team Target.?
Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 3rd, finished 2nd: ?I think whoever was in front today was the quicker car. Whichever one was in front coming out of the pits had the advantage for that stint. But I have to say thanks to my guys today, they were perfect on all our stops. Wish we could have finished one position higher, but Scott was very quick. It was a great result for the team today, and let?s go on to Homestead where, hopefully, either Scott or I will win the championship.?
Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today?s race: ?It all comes down to this: three drivers fighting for the title. I like that; I think everyone likes that. This is the way we would have set it up when the season began back in April. Congratulations to Scott, Dario and everyone at Target Chip Ganassi Racing for an outstanding effort today. And congratulations to all our associates at Honda Performance Development and [technical partner] Ilmor Engineering for another flawless performance. It is particularly gratifying to have the opportunity to demonstrate the same sort of reliability in front of our ?home? crowd that the Honda Indy V-8 has demonstrated throughout the season.?
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2008 Winner:Danica Patrick (Andretti Green Racing Honda) 164.258 mph average
Weather: Hazy, mild, 77 degrees F
Race Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes 1. 1. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 200 163.401 mph average, led 139 laps 2. 3. Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 200 -1.4475 seconds, led 53 laps 3. 5. Graham Rahal Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 200 -3.2002 seconds, led 3 laps 4. 7. Oriol Servia Newman Haas Lanigan Honda Dallara 200 -4.1718 seconds 5. 2. Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara 200 -12.7643 seconds 6. 6. Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 200 -16.1392 seconds 7. 14. Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 200 -16.6513 seconds 8. 8. Dan Wheldon Panther Racing Honda Dallara 200 -17.2646 seconds 9. 12. Raphael Matos-R Luczo Dragon Racing Honda Dallara 200 -17.7590 seconds 10. 21. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Honda Dallara 199 Running 11. 23. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 199 Running 12. 9. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 199 Running 13. 11. Ed Carpenter Vision Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 14. 22. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 15. 18. E.J. Viso HVM Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 16. 19. Robert Doornbos-R HVM Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 17. 16. Kosuke Matsuura Conquest Racing Honda Dallara 198 Running 18. 4. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Honda Dallara 185 Running [delayed], led 5 laps 19. 20. Stanton Barrett-R Curb/Agajanian/3G Honda Dallara 182 Running [delayed] 20. 17. Roger Yasukawa Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 172 Running [delayed] 21. 15. Ryan Hunter-Reay A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 157 Did not finish - crash 22. 13. Mike Conway-R Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 103 Did not finish - crash 23. 10. Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara 83 Did not finish - transmission R - IndyCar Series Rookie Dixon Victory at Motegi Sets Up Championship Shootout
A 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing?s Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti Saturday at Twin Ring Motegi, combined with a disastrous incident exiting the pit lane for Team Penske?s Ryan Briscoe, set up a championship-deciding season finale for the 2009 IndyCar Series next month at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
While there was little to separate the Ganassi teammates on the race track, Dixon won the crucial battle in the pits, exiting ahead of Franchitti after two of the three stops each made during the course of the Indy Japan 300, including the crucial final stop on Lap 153. At the finish, Dixon led his teammate by just over 1.4 seconds for a series-leading fifth victory of the season. The win gives Dixon a five-point lead over Franchitti, and an eight-point edge on Briscoe, going the final round of the 17-race championship, scheduled for October 10.
For Briscoe, what started out as a huge break -- running a surprising four laps longer than his rivals during the race?s second segment, then pitting just as the yellow flag waved for Mike Conway?s crash -- instead became his undoing. Instead of resuming with the lead, Briscoe lost control exiting his pit box, and his Honda Dallara swung left into the wall at Pit-Out, damaging his left-front suspension and leading to a long stop for repairs. He would eventually resume to finish 18th, 15 laps down to the leaders.
The 300-mile contest at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit capped another weekend of reliable performance for the Honda Indy V-8 engine, with 23 drivers and teams recording 10,073.04 miles of practice, qualifying and racing, once again with 100 percent reliability.
Early in the race, second-year IndyCar racer Mario Moraes battled with the leaders. But a troubled first pit stop, when Moraes barely missed his marks in Pit Lane and lost time as his KV Racing team struggled to get him refueled, dropped him from contention for the win. Moraes finished fifth, just behind Newman Haas Lanigan teammates Graham Rahal and Oriol Seriva, who briefly contested third place in the closing laps before Servia ceded the position to Rahal.
In another inter-team duel, defending race winner Danica Patrick battled her Andretti Green Racing teammate, Marco Andretti, for sixth place throughout the final third of the race. Dan Wheldon ran as high as third in the middle stages, but lost ground by pitting under green on Lap 151, just before a crash by Ryan Hunter-Reay allowed all other lead-lap cars to pit under the resulting caution. Wheldon would finish seventh as a result, just ahead of Luczo Dragon Racing?s Raphael Matos.
The 2009 IndyCar Series now returns to the U.S.A. boasting the second-closest first-though-third battle in series history. The championship-deciding season finale takes place ?under the lights? on Saturday night, October 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
IndyCar Series Standings (after 16 of 17 races): 1. Scott Dixon 570 points (5 wins) 7. Graham Rahal 366 2. Dario Franchitti 565 (4 wins) 8. Tony Kanaan 354 3. Ryan Briscoe 562 (3 wins) 9. Dan Wheldon 342 4. Helio Castroneves 403 (2 wins) 10. Justin Wilson 334 (1 win) 5. Danica Patrick 381 11. Hideki Mutoh 325 6. Marco Andretti 368 12. Ed Carpenter 303 Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 1st, finished 1st, his fifth IndyCar Series win of 2009 and 22nd open-wheel racing victory, retakes championship points lead, 14th series lead change in 16 races this year: ?That?s definitely what we needed today. Dario was very quick early on; we had to add some front wing and change the tire pressures to improve the car at our first pit stop. But those changes really worked, and now we go to Homestead with a real shot at the championship. It?s just a tremendous day for Team Target.?
Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 3rd, finished 2nd: ?I think whoever was in front today was the quicker car. Whichever one was in front coming out of the pits had the advantage for that stint. But I have to say thanks to my guys today, they were perfect on all our stops. Wish we could have finished one position higher, but Scott was very quick. It was a great result for the team today, and let?s go on to Homestead where, hopefully, either Scott or I will win the championship.?
Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today?s race: ?It all comes down to this: three drivers fighting for the title. I like that; I think everyone likes that. This is the way we would have set it up when the season began back in April. Congratulations to Scott, Dario and everyone at Target Chip Ganassi Racing for an outstanding effort today. And congratulations to all our associates at Honda Performance Development and [technical partner] Ilmor Engineering for another flawless performance. It is particularly gratifying to have the opportunity to demonstrate the same sort of reliability in front of our ?home? crowd that the Honda Indy V-8 has demonstrated throughout the season.?
More...
