2010-2011 IndyCar Series Off-Season News
Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:40 pm
Similar in nature to the Silly Season thread in this area, the purpose of this thread is simple.....to follow the off-season goings-on of the IZOD IndyCar Series.........
IndyCar Series Stars Mix-It-Up With Rising Stars
---NEW CASTLE, Ind. – The Sharing Success Motorsports team was a few laps off the pace when Martin Plowman relinquished the seat of the No. 10 kart to Alex Grandahl during the final pit stop of the RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone at New Castle Motorsports Park.
Plowman, who eight days earlier completed the Firestone Indy Lights season with AFS Racing Andretti Autosport, peeled off his helmet and rinsed the perspiration from his brow. This wasn’t a pleasant autumn drive on the 1-mile serpentine track; it was fierce competition utilizing the building blocks that have made the Englishman a race winner in the Road to Indy stepladder series.
“There are a lot of big names out there, and I think a lot of us are getting our (butts) kicked by 17 and 18 year olds,” said Plowman, whose team recovered from early mechanical misadventures to finish 21st. “You charge into the pits and that fire is inside you no matter where you’re racing. It’s a great deal of fun.”
Plowman joined nine other IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers in the seventh annual endurance race alongside and against up-and-comers such as Star Mazda champion Conor Daly and former USAC competitor and recent Firestone Indy Lights race winner Brandon Wagner.
IZOD IndyCar Series championship runner-up Will Power, who leaves midweek to compete in the V8 Supercars race in his native Australia, echoed Plowman’s comments. He was enjoying the racing and captured by the competition level.
“It’s very competitive, and we’re having a great time,” said Power, who teamed with Simon Pagenaud to finish fourth after starting 25th. “The competition is great in karts overall in the U.S. There’s a lot of good race craft that applies to what we do in an IndyCar. It’s where it all starts … in karting. The basics are learned here.”
A few feet away, 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion Jay Howard was limping over to congratulate Motorama Kart Parts teammate Bill McLaughlin Jr. on the hard-fought victory (by 10.46 seconds over the No. 02 Team Robinade trio of Graham Rahal, Daly and Donny Stewart). Relentless banging the kart’s gas tank like a bass drum gave Howard a bruised knee, which will heal quicker than he can deposit the winner’s $5,000 check.
“The level of competition and how hard it is to win this race has increased over the past few years,” said Howard, who ran five IZOD IndyCar Series races this season with Sarah Fisher Racing. “Karting is the purest form of motorsports and you take out the funding discrepancy you see at the top-levels of motorsports. This race is about giving the kids the opportunity to compete against the professional drivers and continue to bring interest to IndyCar. Hopefully, by running with and seeing these IndyCar drivers out here they’ll learn something.”
Ed Carpenter and Nathan O’Rourke, the 2009 race winners in the No. 20 Vision Racing kart, finished 10th. Wheldon and Mark Dismore Jr. (the ’05 champions) finished 11th. Others competing were Alex Tagliani, Gustavo Yacaman, Milka Duno and James Davison.
IndyCar Series Stars Mix-It-Up With Rising Stars
---NEW CASTLE, Ind. – The Sharing Success Motorsports team was a few laps off the pace when Martin Plowman relinquished the seat of the No. 10 kart to Alex Grandahl during the final pit stop of the RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone at New Castle Motorsports Park.
Plowman, who eight days earlier completed the Firestone Indy Lights season with AFS Racing Andretti Autosport, peeled off his helmet and rinsed the perspiration from his brow. This wasn’t a pleasant autumn drive on the 1-mile serpentine track; it was fierce competition utilizing the building blocks that have made the Englishman a race winner in the Road to Indy stepladder series.
“There are a lot of big names out there, and I think a lot of us are getting our (butts) kicked by 17 and 18 year olds,” said Plowman, whose team recovered from early mechanical misadventures to finish 21st. “You charge into the pits and that fire is inside you no matter where you’re racing. It’s a great deal of fun.”
Plowman joined nine other IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers in the seventh annual endurance race alongside and against up-and-comers such as Star Mazda champion Conor Daly and former USAC competitor and recent Firestone Indy Lights race winner Brandon Wagner.
IZOD IndyCar Series championship runner-up Will Power, who leaves midweek to compete in the V8 Supercars race in his native Australia, echoed Plowman’s comments. He was enjoying the racing and captured by the competition level.
“It’s very competitive, and we’re having a great time,” said Power, who teamed with Simon Pagenaud to finish fourth after starting 25th. “The competition is great in karts overall in the U.S. There’s a lot of good race craft that applies to what we do in an IndyCar. It’s where it all starts … in karting. The basics are learned here.”
A few feet away, 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion Jay Howard was limping over to congratulate Motorama Kart Parts teammate Bill McLaughlin Jr. on the hard-fought victory (by 10.46 seconds over the No. 02 Team Robinade trio of Graham Rahal, Daly and Donny Stewart). Relentless banging the kart’s gas tank like a bass drum gave Howard a bruised knee, which will heal quicker than he can deposit the winner’s $5,000 check.
“The level of competition and how hard it is to win this race has increased over the past few years,” said Howard, who ran five IZOD IndyCar Series races this season with Sarah Fisher Racing. “Karting is the purest form of motorsports and you take out the funding discrepancy you see at the top-levels of motorsports. This race is about giving the kids the opportunity to compete against the professional drivers and continue to bring interest to IndyCar. Hopefully, by running with and seeing these IndyCar drivers out here they’ll learn something.”
Ed Carpenter and Nathan O’Rourke, the 2009 race winners in the No. 20 Vision Racing kart, finished 10th. Wheldon and Mark Dismore Jr. (the ’05 champions) finished 11th. Others competing were Alex Tagliani, Gustavo Yacaman, Milka Duno and James Davison.