Honda Racing Report – Friday, May 29, 2015
Honda Racing Report – Friday, May 29, 2015
Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans
Circuit: Detroit Belle Isle Park (2.35-mile temporary street circuit), Detroit, MI
2014 Winners: Race 1 Will Power (Team Penske) 90.138 mph average
Race 2 Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) 93.211 mph average
Weather: Mostly sunny, warm, 82 degrees F
Top-12 Qualifying Results:
| Ps. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Best Time | Notes |
| 1. | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:16.0941 | 111.178 mph average |
| 2. | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:16.1200 | +0.0259 |
| 3. | Juan Pablo Montoya | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:16.4428 | Fast Six Shootout |
| 4. | Takuma Sato | A.J. Foyt Racing | Honda | 1:16.5363 | Fast Six Shootout |
| 5. | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:16.6656 | Fast Six Shootout |
| 6. | Sebastien Bourdais | KV Racing Technology | Chevrolet | 1:17.0406 | Fast Six Shootout |
| 7. | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:16.9768 | Second Round |
| 8. | Stefano Coletti-R | KV Racing Technology | Chevrolet | 1:17.3638 | Second Round |
| 9. | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:17.3785 | Second Round |
| 10. | James Jakes | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 1:17.5158 | Second Round |
| 11. | Tristan Vautier | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 1:17.8140 | Second Round |
| 12. | Sage Karam | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1:17.9046 | Second Round |
Other Honda-powered Results:
| 13. | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 1:18.2239 | First Round, Group 1 |
| 14. | Jack Hawksworth | A.J. Foyt Racing | Honda | 1:18.7504 | First Round, Group 2 |
| 16. | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:19.3634 | First Round, Group 2 |
| 20. | Carlos Munoz | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:21.4796 | First Round, Group 2 |
| 21. | Conor Daly-R | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 1:18.4937 | First Round, Group 1 |
| 22. | Rodolfo Gonzalez-R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 1:21.8208 | First Round, Group 2 |
| 23. | Gabby Chaves-R | Bryan Herta Autosport | Honda | 1:19.2306 | First Round, Group 1 |
Sato Qualifies Fourth for Detroit Dual 1
- Double header weekend features Indy car races Saturday and Sunday
- Marco Andretti, James Jakes post top-10 qualifying runs
- Tristan Vautier returns with Dale Coyne Racing, qualifies 11th
Takuma Sato led the Honda effort Friday at Belle Isle Park, qualifying fourth for Saturday’s first race of the Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans, a Verizon IndyCar Series double header race weekend on the temporary street circuit in Detroit, Michigan.
The pole qualifier for the Sunday race at Belle Isle in 2014, Sato was one of four Honda drivers to advance beyond the first round of Indy car “knockout” qualifying, with second-round qualifiers Marco Andretti, ninth, and James Jakes, 10th. Tristan Vautier, the 2103 Indy Car Series Rookie of the Year, qualified his Honda 11th in his second event with Dale Coyne Racing.
Activities continue Saturday in Detroit with the first of this weekend’s 70-lap Verizon IndyCar Series races. The seventh and eighth rounds of the 16-race 2015 season start at 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with live television coverage of both races on ABC.
Takuma Sato (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) on qualifying: “It was a solid qualifying run. Obviously, it’s nice to be back in the top six [final round qualifiers]. We were in the Fast Six earlier this year at St. Petersburg as well. The car was pretty good, especially in the first round. Honda and HPD have put a lot of work into making our car quicker, and I think our race preparation also is very good. I’m looking forward to the first race on Saturday.”