Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 9, 2015
3 p.m. EDT
ABC

COMPETITION

• This weekend’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be the second Verizon IndyCar Series road race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and will serve as a prelude to the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.

• Honda comes to Indianapolis seeking a repeat of last year’s results on both the road course and famed 2.5-mile oval. In 2014, Honda’s Simon Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis; and two weeks later Ryan Hunter-Reay scored a thrilling victory for Honda at the Indianapolis 500.

• Following Sunday’s “Opening Day” practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda received a bonus of 30 manufacturers’ championship points for attaining the 2,500-mile life cycle minimum for three of its Honda HI15RTT Indy V6 engines, the first engines this season to reach their mileage limit.

• The engines of Graham Rahal, Carlos Munoz and Gabby Chaves all achieved their mileage goal on Sunday, earning 10 points each for Honda, with others due to “mile out” at this weekend’s race.

• After four races, Honda has a total of 380 Manufacturer Championship points, Chevrolet has 216 points.

• The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series, the fourth season of the current generation of manufacturer competition, sees the introduction of manufacturer-developed Aero Kits to Indy car racing, adding another element of competition between Honda and Chevrolet. Each manufacturer has developed visually distinctive, performance-enhancing aerodynamic packages for use by its respective teams.

• Manufacturers were able to develop their own front/rear wing endplates, sidepods, engine covers, rear-wheel guards, and front/rear wing flaps, as long as they fit inside designated “volume boxes” as specified by INDYCAR.

• Aero kits allow multiple combinations of aerodynamic elements to suit the strategy and preferences of each team. This brings a new challenge to both Honda and individual team race engineers, who may mix and match these parts in an effort to find the right combination of downforce for optimum performance during both qualifications and the race at each Verizon IndyCar Series circuit.

• In accordance with INDYCAR regulations for 2015, Honda designed one aero kit for road/street courses/short ovals, and a second superspeedway aero kit, which debuted last weekend during“Opening Day” practice for the Indianapolis 500. Cost of engine manufacturer aero kits is capped at $75,000 per entry.

• Drivers and teams using Honda engines have won 212 Indy car races and 10 Indianapolis 500s, both during years of multi-manufacturer competition (1994-2005, 2012); and during Honda’s tenure as single engine supplier to the series (2006-11). Honda will be seeking its second consecutive ‘500’ triumph, and 11th in the last 12 years, on May 24.

MARKETING

• On Tuesday, May 5, Honda IndyCar Series drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Jakes, Carlos Munoz and Justin Wilson visited the Honda Manufacturing of Indiana auto assembly plant in nearby Greensburg, Indiana, approximately 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The drivers took a tour of plant facilities, including an up-close look at the latest quality assurance procedures utilized by HMIN, and conducted a two-hour autograph session for plant associates.

• Opened in 2008, HMIN is Honda’s newest American auto assembly plant, with approximately 2,000 associates, and has the capacity to build up to 200,000 Honda and Acura vehicles annually.

HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS

• Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda racing activities at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel.

• Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2015 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV