Three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves has set the pace on the opening day of practice for the biggest event on the IndyCar calendar in Indianapolis today.
Castroneves, attempting to become just the fourth man to win four Indianapolis 500 crowns this May, topped the timesheets ahead of Target Chip Ganassi Racing team-mates Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon.
The Brazilian was pleased to kick off his 2010 Indy campaign on a high note.
“It’s always good when you start with a positive wave, there is certainly still a lot of work to go,” said Castroneves.
“Absolutely, to start in a positive way certainly makes us feel good about where to go. It was just the right time at the right moment.”
By far the busiest man at the Brickyard today was Andretti Autosport driver Tony Kanaan, with the Brazilian veteran shaking down all five of his team’s cars at the 2.5-mile speedway today.
It made for the unusual situation where Kanaan, who has yet to win at Indy, with the fifth, sixth, 15th, 16th and 25th fastest times of the day – see full results below.
Aussie IndyCar ace Ryan Briscoe at Indianapolis
“We just wanted to make sure that all of our cars had the same feel and make sure that we had the same starting point for everybody,” said Kanaan.
“So they voted me the guy to do that. They tell me it;s because I’m a veteran, but usually that means you’re old, and I definitely don’t see myself that way, so I’m not sure. But I’m glad to do it, and I think we’ve got a good idea of where we are as a team and where we need to go for the 7-Eleven car.
Aussie ace Ryan Briscoe was pleased to get back to Indy.
“It was good to be out on track,” said Briscoe.
“It felt great to be turning laps at the Speedway on opening day. There were a lot of familiar faces and a lot of fans. Today was a good smooth start for Team Penske to the beginning of this year’s Indianapolis 500.”
IndyCar Series points leader and fellow Australian Will Power said he felt more comfortable than ever at the Speedway today given his new level of speed and experience.
“We went out in our T car today for the first practice of the month, and I felt very comfortable,” said Power.
Australian driver and IndyCar Series championship leader Will Power at Indy
“I have more IndyCar experience now, and it felt very natural to get back to work in the Verizon car here at Indy. We’re definitely happy with the season so far, but the only thing we’re focused on now is being quick here.
“Verizon partnered with our team last year and we were able to finish fifth in the Indy 500, so I’m excited to be back and to have the chance to improve on what we accomplished last year.”
Kiwi champ Scott Dixon said that Day One in this year’s month of May activities was all about preparation, rather than outright speed.
“We basically just ran the backup car today to shake it down,” said Dixon.
“We were pretty conservative on the setup, especially on the downforce levels. All we wanted to do was make sure it ran properly.
“We put it away, and the Target team will switch over to the primary car tonight. We expect to run the same program tomorrow with the primary, then go to full runs starting on Monday.”
Canadian Alex Tagliani did not take to the track today in his #77 FAZZT Race Team entry as he is still recovering from a recent bout of bronchitis, which saw him hospitalised for 48 hours.
RESULTS: Day One Practice – 2010 Indy 500
Pos
Car
Driver
Team
Speed (mph)
1.
#3
Helio Castroneves
Team Penske
226.603
2.
#10
Dario Franchitti
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
226.535
3.
#9
Scott Dixon
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
226.237
4.
#4
Dan Wheldon
Panther Racing
225.609
5.
#43
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
224.793
6.
#11
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
224.685
7.
#20
Ed Carpenter
Panther Racing
224.592
8.
#26
Marco Andretti
Andretti Autosport
224.466
9.
#6
Ryan Briscoe
Team Penske
224.384
10.
#43
John Andretti
Andretti Autosport
224.324
11.
#12
Will Power
Team Penske
224.299
12.
#32
Mario Moraes
KV Racing Technology
223.933
13.
#06
Hideki Mutoh
Newman/Haas Racing
223.903
14.
#7
Danica Patrick
Andretti Autosport
223.651
15.
#26
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
223.516
16.
#7
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
223.208
17.
#14
Vitor Meira
AJ Foyt Enterprises
223.188
18.
#2
Raphael Matos
de Ferren Dragon Racing
222.858
19
#8
EJ Viso
KV Racing Technology
222.664
20.
#67
Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher Racing
222.385
21.
#18
Milka Duno
Dale Coyne Racing
222.050
22.
#37
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Andretti Autosport
221.707
23.
#24
Mike Conway
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
221.502
24.
#19
Alex Lloyd
Dale Coyne Racing
221.341
25.
#37
Tony Kanaan
Andretti Autosport
221.230
26.
#22
Justin Wilson
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
221.053
27.
#15
Paul Tracy
KV Racing Technology
219.514
RESULTS: Day One Rookie Orientation – 2010 Indy 500
Pos
Car
Driver
Team
Speed (mph)
1.
#23
Tomas Schekter
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
221.616
2.
#30
Graham Rahal
Rahal Letterman Racing
219.943
3.
#99
Townsend Bell
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
219.624
4.
#66
Jay Howard
Sarah Fisher Racing
215.039
5.
#25
Ana Beatriz
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
213.802
6.
#78
Simona de Silvestro
HVM Racing
213.797
7.
#5
Takuma Sato
KV Racing Technology
210.997
8.
#29
Sebastian Saavedra
Brian Herta Autosport
210.929
9.
#34
Mario Romancini
Conquest Racing
185.452
10.
#36
Bertrand Baguette
Conquest Racing
135.915
11.
#41
AJ Foyt IV
AJ Foyt Enterprises
108.035
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