One of the worst kept secrets in auto racing is now confirmed; Graham Rahal is leaving G2 to join his father’s team at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Graham will pilot the #15 TBC Retail Group Honda/Dallara in 2013. Valvoline also joins the team as a major associate sponsor. Graham came up through the Formula BMW/Star Mazda/Formula Atlantic/Indy pro Series ladder system to make his Champ Car debut in 2007 with Newman-Haas Racing. he stuck with Newman-Haas as they transitioned into the IZOD Indycar Series, winning his first race at St.…
Read MoreAuthor: John Olsakovsky
@JohnTheRaceFan
Indycar-Getting to Know: Tony Kanaan
Tony Kanaan is exactly who you think he is. He’s a very personable, fun to be around guy that just happens to be very passionate about his craft. That’s the biggest thing I took away from speaking with TK on a very cold yet beautiful afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park. Then again, any afternoon at Barber Motorsports Park is beautiful. What makes it even more beautiful is pulling onto the grounds and being greeted by the sounds of V-6 turbocharged engines echoing about the park. As I drove along the…
Read MoreIndycar-Simona in at KV Racing
Simona de Silvestro looks to finally get the ride she deserves. Various sources confirm the 24 year old Swiss driver is leaving HVM Racing after three seasons to join Tony Kanaan at KV Racing Technology. Simona brings her NuClear Clean Energy sponsorship with her to Kevin kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser’s squad. It had previously been reported that HVM and KV planned to join forces, but it looks as if that plan has fallen through. Simona has done wonders in the HVM car, which is generally considered a third or fourth…
Read MoreIndycar-October; A month of contemplation.
Here we are almost a month after the close of the season, and I’ve been pondering the many ways we can call a wraps on the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series season. I’ve already published a breakdown based on teams. I could go thorugh and break down individual drivers, but to be honest, that has a rather hollow feel to me. Instinctually, the first driver I wanted to talk about the 2012 season with was Dan Wheldon. That’s when I remembered my friend from Milton Keynes had been whisked away from…
Read MoreIndycar-Silly Season: The First Installment
The checkered flag has flown at Auto Club Speedway and Ryan Hunter-Reay has been crowned the new champion of the IZOD Indycar Series. More than likely, we face six months of no racing before the green flag flies again on the Streets of St. Petersburg, FL, ringing in the 2013 season. Nothing happens between now and then, right? Of course not! Right now is probably the most interesting season, being Silly Season. That’s when all the teams make moves, positioning themselves for the new season. Here’s a team by team…
Read MoreIndycar-Grading the 2012 Season: Teams Edition
With the 2012 season on the books, it’s about time to start breaking down the good and the bad. In this multi-part series, I’ll cover everything from races to drivers, taking an in-depth examination of exactly what went down. Today, let’s kick things off with a look at the teams of the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series. 1. Team Penske Will Power had a typical Will Power season, aside from the fact that he didn’t win another race after Sao Paulo. Once again, Will couldn’t quite find the handle on the…
Read MoreIndycar-Hunter-Reay Reaps Racing Rewards
Under the sparkling lights of the Auto Club Speedway grandstand towers, Ryan Hunter-Reay broke through as one of racing’s great underdog stories to win the 2012 IZOD Indycar Series Championship over Will Power, becoming the fourth driver to bring home the title for Andretti Autosport. Hunter-Reay joins Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon as drivers who have won the series championship for the fabled racing family, and the first for the team under the IZOD Indycar Series banner. Just a few short years ago, Ryan Hunter-Reay was testing a…
Read MoreIndycar-The Fight in Fontana
Will Power. Ryan Hunter-Reay. Helio Castroneves. Scott Dixon. These are the drivers that still (theoretically) have a shot at winning the Astor Cup as IZOD Indycar Series Champion at the World Championship to be held in Fontana, California on September 15. Of the four, only Dixon has previously won a championship. Power currently leads the standings with Hunter-Reay a tight second. Here’s a quick breakdown of the title fight contenders and scenarios. 1. Will Power (Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) 3 wins, 5 Poles, 453 points. After knocking out three consecutive…
Read MoreIndycar-Standing Starts? Ask the Drivers
From the onset of development for the DW12, the designers set forth to build a car not only powerful enough to create new speed records at The Brickyard, but be agile enough to tackle the tight confines of Long Beach. The DW12 was to have enough torque to enhance Tony Kanaan’s famous Brazilian Starts at Iowa, but have enough balance to glide through the Alabama Rollercoaster at Barber. Indeed, the DW12 was designed to be the most versatile racing vehicle on Earth. So far, it looks like the engineers at…
Read MoreIndyCar-Getting To Know: James Jakes
Randy Bernard is right. One of the best things about the IZOD Indycar Series is the diversity of the drivers. There are drivers who came up through the USAC Triple Crown ladder. There are drivers who came up through what is now known as the Mazda Road to Indy. There are drivers who followed the hybrid European Junior Formula/American Formula Atlantic ladder. Then there are drivers from the European Formula One ladder system. James Jakes is one of those drivers. When I first saw his name pop up on timesheets…
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