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CASTRONEVES AND TEAM PENSKE OVERCOME ADVERSITY FOR BREAKTHROUGH WIN PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Helio Castroneves has overcome adversity to snap the longest winless streak of his career and move closer to his first IndyCar Series championship by taking victory at Infineon Raceway in California, USA, today. Castroneves and his Aussie team-mate Ryan Briscoe took a 1-2 finish at the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County despite the fact they were aboard back-up cars after their primary racers were destroyed in a transporter fire on-route to the track earlier in the week.

The win for Castroneves, who hadn’t won since April 2007 – a span of 30 races, saw the Brazilian take victory in a record-setting eighth consecutive season.

The 13th win of his IndyCar Series career also allowed Castroneves to shave 35 points from his deficit in the championship standings. He trails Scott Dixon, who finished 12th, by 43 points with two races remaining.

Castroneves led 51 of 80 laps after starting from the pole and beat Briscoe to the finish line by 5.2926 seconds.

Andretti Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan finished third, Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dan Wheldon was fourth and AGR’s Danica Patrick was fifth.

Queensland’s Will Power and his #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone saw his Sonoma debut turn sour after qualifying third – falling victim to a problem with his brakes which caused him to shortcut the track several times and as such attract a drive through penalty dropping him to 21st place.

The 2008 IndyCar Series season continues with the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone Aug. 31 at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park as the unified series continues on a schedule that is the most diverse in world motorsports.

The 2008 schedule will take the teams and drivers to short ovals, superspeedways, and road and street courses including the Nikon Indy 300 which is regarded as a ‘crown jewel’ in international motorsport.

With 96 hours of non-stop excitement over October 23-26 as the Gold Coast comes alive to the sound of the IndyCars burning up the track and Australia’s own V8 Supercars scorching around one of the most famous beach-side cities in the world, the event is the hottest ticket in town.

Tickets are now on sale for the Nikon Indy 300 with ticket options to suit everyone's needs. Four day Grandstand passes are available for those who prefer to watch the racing from the comfort of their own reserved seat or for those who prefer to wander around and soak up the atmosphere then a four day, weekend or single day General Admission pass might be more their style. For more information on ticket options go to indy.com.au. For information on Corporate Hospitality packages please call the Nikon Indy 300 Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY…
Helio Castroneves - #3 Team Penske Racing (finshed first):
“People kept telling me that the door (to victory lane) would finally open, and today we broke through it,” said Castroneves.

“The door was really stuck, but what an incredible effort by Team Penske. I can’t thank them enough. I’m really excited about today, because the car was extremely fast. For me, it was really fun pushing and pushing every lap for the entire race.

“That’s what it’s all about, and that’s what made us win. We didn’t save any fuel. We just kept going and going, and it paid off in the end.

(Did this work out just as you planned it?): “We didn’t plan it like that, but with the traffic, we changed the plans lap by lap and we pitted when we thought we were going to slow down. We never let our guard down. We just kept pushing and we came away with a win.

“(What at does the win mean for morale?): “The attitude of those guys is priceless. Everyone has been working so hard since last Wednesday. Taking cars to Charlotte and bringing cars back from Charlotte, converting cars from oval to road course.
“You’re talking about two days work in 12 hours. When you see guys doing that, you just want to do your best. Not that we don’t always give our best, but you want to make it a special day, and today it was.”

Ryan Briscoe - #6 Team Penske Racing (finished second):
“It’s unbelievable. To start the week off the way we did, with the fire and everything, and then dominate with a one-two qualifying and race result, it’s definitely the strongest we’ve been all year," said Briscoe.

"I’m so happy for Helio (Castroneves). Not getting a win all year and getting all of those seconds was killing him. So I’m really happy for him to win the race. He was the quickest car out there today. It’s just great for the team. Big congrats to Team Penske.”

Scott Dixon - #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing (Series leader, finished 12th):
“I'm not upset with anybody in particular, we just did absolutely nothing right,” said Dixon.

“I don't know why we stayed out when the car in front of us is three seconds slower and we couldn't make up any track position. Everything we did was wrong.

(About points race): "We still lost a ton of points. This is a race that's very tough, unfortunately, we got the bad end of the stick. Hopefully, we'll turn it around next time."

(43 points still is a good lead with two races left): "When you lose 30-whatever today, it makes it a lot easier to come back.

(Is this the low point for you): "It was definitely a bad day. I guess we just need to shrug it off and come back strong next week.”

Will Power - #8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia:
“My rear master cylinder failed early in the race and that pretty much ended any chance we had of competing for a podium finish,” said Power.

“It’s a real shame, the KVRT Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia worked so hard and we had a really good car in qualifying and early in the race.”

RESULTS: PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County
Results of the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County IndyCar Series event Aug. 24 at the 2.303-mile Infineon Raceway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
2. (2) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
3. (4) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
4. (16) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
5. (9) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
6. (14) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
7. (18) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
8. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
9. (7) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
10. (12) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
11. (22) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
12. (5) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
13. (20) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
14. (10) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
15. (6) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
16. (11) Mario Dominguez, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
17. (13) Bruno Jun! queira, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
18. (8) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running
19. (19) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
20. (24) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
21. (27) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
22. (21) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running
23. (23) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 78, Off Course
24. (26) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 78, Running
25. (3) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 77, Off Course
26. (25) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 76, Running
27. (17) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 56, Mechanical

RACE STATISTICS:
- Winner's average speed: 100.254 mph
- Time of race: 1:50:15.8282
- Margin of victory: 5.2926 seconds
- Cautions: 1 caution flags for 2 laps
- Lead changes: 8 among 4 drivers
- Lap leaders: Castroneves 1-16, Briscoe 17-27, Viso 28-35, Castroneves 36-44, Briscoe 45-52, Kanaan 53, Castroneves 54-57, Viso 58, Castroneves 59-80
- Point standings: Dixon 576, Castroneves 533, Wheldon 452, Kanaan 446, Briscoe 390, Patrick 345, Andretti 327, Mutoh 315, Servia 313, Hunter-Reay 310.

INDYCAR SERIES POINTS STANDINGS – POST RACE 15 – TOP TEN
1 - Scott Dixon - 576 points
2 - Helio Castroneves - 533
3 - Dan Wheldon - 452
4 - Tony Kanaan - 446
5 - Ryan Briscoe - 390
6 - Danica Patrick - 345
7 - Marco Andretti - 327
8 - Hideki Mutoh - 315
9 - Oriol Servia - 313
10 - Ryan Hunter-Reay - 310
15 - Will Power - 277

BOMBARDIER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS STANDINGS – POST RACE 15
1 - Hideki Mutoh - 315 points
2 - Will Power - 277
3 - Justin Wilson - 271
4 - E.J. Viso - 262
5 - Graham Rahal - 259
6 - Enrique Bernoldi - 220
7 - Mario Moraes - 217
8 - Jaime Camara - 152
9 - Mario Dominguez - 112

INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES:
- This is Helio Castroneves’ first victory of the season and the 13th of his career.
- Castroneves has finished second seven times this season.
- This is his first victory since winning at St. Petersburg in 2007, a span of 30 starts.
- Castroneves has won races in eight consecutive seasons, establishing a new IndyCar Series record.
- Castroneves made his 110th consecutive start, tying Sam Hornish Jr. for the second-longest streak in series history.
- This is the seventh time in his career that Castroneves has won from the pole.
- Ryan Briscoe finished second, his fourth podium finish of the season.
- This is the third time this season and 28th time overall that teammates have finished 1-2. Briscoe and Castroneves also finished 1-2 at Mid-Ohio earlier this season.
- This is the 28th IndyCar Series victory for Team Penske.
- Tony Kanaan finished third, his ninth top-five finish of the season.
- Dan Wheldon finished fourth, his 10th top-five finish of the season.
- Kanaan and Wheldon are eliminated from the championship.
- Danica Patrick finished fifth, her best finish on a road/street course this season.
- E.J. Viso finished sixth, his best finish since fourth at St. Petersburg.
- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing drivers Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson finished eighth and ninth, respectively, the first time both drivers finished in the top 10 since St. Petersburg.
- Scott Dixon finished 12th, his lowest finish since 22nd at St. Petersburg. It his third finish outside the top 10 this season.



About the Nikon Indy 300
The annual Nikon Indy 300 is a partnership between the Queensland Government and IMG. The Nikon Indy 300 will be held from October 23 to 26 in 2008.

IMG is the world's premier Sports, Entertainment and Media Company. IMG is a diversified global business with two major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media. IMG employs over 2,300 people in 30 countries. Forstmann Little & Co. purchased IMG in 2004.

IMG Sports & Entertainment includes: consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; licensing; golf course design; client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, European football, rugby, cricket, motorsports, coaching, Olympic sports and action sports. In addition, IMG Academies are the world's largest and most advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport training and educational facility, delivering world-class sports training experiences to over 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult and professional athletes each year.

IMG Media, which includes our content production subsidiaries TWI, Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) and Tiger Aspect Productions (TAP), is recognized as a global leader in the delivery of traditional and new media content and services, with Internet, broadband and mobile expertise, transforming how audiences access and interact with content.

IMG Media produces and distributes over 10,000 hours of sports, documentary, drama, comedy, entertainment, popular factual and children’s content annually, over multiple platforms across 200 countries, including award-winning television and radio programming. It also represents the broadcast rights to many of the world’s premier sporting events and has the world’s biggest sports archive with more than 200,000 hours of footage.

More information about IMG is available at www.imgworld.com, www.darlowsmithson.com and www.tigeraspect.co.uk


Helio Castroneves has broken through for his first win of the season (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



Helio and team-mate Aussie Ryan Briscoe lead the field, their 1-2 finish comes despite massive adversity in the lead-up to the event (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



Castroneves celebrates his record-breaking win on the podium with Briscoe and third-placed Tony Kanaan (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



The traditional Castroneves celebration is back - here Helio celebrates with the fans after climbing the fence in victory lane (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



Tony Kanaan took third place at Infineon Raceway (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



The championship chase just got tighter, with current leader Scott Dixon taking 12th in today's Infineon Raceway hit-out, while his closest rival Castroneves took the win (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 



Queenslander Will Power had a disappointing race with brake problems after qualifying third (Credit - IndyCar Series Media)

 

 
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