Honda Racing Report
Saturday, June 6, 2015

Firestone 600
Circuit: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Fort Worth, TX
2014 Winner: Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing) 178.301 mph average
Weather: Clear, warm, 88 degrees F

Top 10 Race Results:

Other Honda-powered Results:

15.     6.Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 243 Running
16.    13.Takuma SatoA.J. Foyt Racing Honda 243Running
17.    22.Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda 242Running
18.    21.Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 241Running
20.   16.Tristan Vautier      Dale Coyne Racing Honda 156Did not finish – suspension
23.   17.Jack Hawksworth  A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 62Did not finish – suspension

Andretti, Munoz Head Honda Results in Texas
Four-stop pit strategy comes up short for Andretti Autosport drivers
Career-best oval finish for James Jakes, who also finished on four pit stops
Honda drivers claim five of top 10 finishing positions

A four-stop pit strategy for Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz and James Jakes failed to pay off Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, as the Honda drivers were forced to conserve fuel to make the finish and dropped down the order in the closing laps of the Firestone 600.

The first Saturday night event of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series ran at a blistering pace, slowed only by one caution – for debris on the track – to become the 12th fastest race in Indy car history. Andretti and Jakes both briefly led portions of the 248-lap event – and Detroit race winner Munoz was constantly a part of the lead pack – but all three had to turn down their fuel mixtures in the final 20 laps as Scott Dixon took his second victory of the season with a new race record average speed of 191.940 mph.

Andretti finished fifth, just ahead of his sixth-place Andretti Autosport teammate, Munoz. Also saving fuel, Jakes fell to ninth in the closing laps – still a career best oval finish for him – and followed his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammate Ryan Briscoe in eighth place at the checkers. Driving for Bryan Herta Autosport, Gabby Chaves continued to solidify his hold in the series Rookie of the Year standings with a 10th-place run.

Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda activities at Texas Motor Speedway 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.

Indy car’s run of consecutive May-June races concludes next week, as the series heads north to Canada for round 10, the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday, June 14.
Verizon IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship (after 9 of 16 rounds):
1. Juan Pablo Montoya 348 points (2 wins) 6. Marco Andretti 255
2. Scott Dixon 305 (2 wins)                              7. Sebastien Bourdais 244 (1 win)
3. Will Power 303 (1 win)                                 8. Josef Newgarden 215 (1 win)
4. Helio Castroneves 276                                  9. Charlie Kimball 214
5. Graham Rahal 261                                         10. Simon Pagenaud 213

Manufacturers’ Championship:
1. Chevrolet 863 (7 wins)
2. Honda 840 (2 wins)

Carlos Munoz (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 4th, finished 6th: ““I think I gave 100 per cent, everything I could. We needed to save a little bit more fuel than the other guys – we did one less pit stop. It was hard to save fuel, so we lost some positions there. We finished sixth – a great position, and I think I did quite good with our stops and pushing hard. It was good for experience, another top 10, and now we’re looking forward to Toronto.”

James Jakes (#7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda) started 12th, finished 9th: “We said we wanted to get top tens until the end of the year, but honestly, I’m a little bit disappointed with ninth. I felt we had a better car than that. The crew did a great job all night and we just came up a bit short by going off strategy and then having to save fuel to make it to the end. We can still count it as a good finish and add some points. Now we move on to Toronto.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “After our strong performances last weekend in Detroit, winning Saturday’s race with Carlos Munoz and taking eight of the top 10 finishing positions on Sunday, we were looking for another good result here in Texas. As we saw the various race strategies develop mid-distance, the Andretti and Schmidt Peterson teams made the worthwhile call to complete the race with just four pit stops, but unfortunately having to save fuel at the end – along with the usual tire fall off – cost them positions at the end of the race. We’ll take what we’ve learned here and apply it to the remaining oval races later this year, and meanwhile focus our efforts for next weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto.”

* Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s race in Detroit, will start fourth
* Graham Rahal, fifth in the drivers’ championship, qualifies sixth

Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race at Belle Isle Park, led the Honda field in qualifying Friday at Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Firestone 600. Munoz recorded the fourth-fastest speed in his Andretti Autosport Honda during single-car qualifying for this weekend’s first night race of 2015.

5-6 June, 2015, Fort Worth, Texas USA
Carlos Munoz
©2015, Russell LaBounty
LAT Photo USA

Graham Rahal, currently fifth in the drivers’ championship standings after podium finishes in three of the last four road course events and a fifth-place finish at the Indianapolis 500, qualified sixth for his Rahal Letterman Lanigan team. Munoz’s teammate, Marco Andretti, posted the 11th fastest qualifying run while James Jakes rounded out the top 12 for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Saturday’s 248-lap run, the second oval race of 2015, starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live television coverage on the NBC Sports network.

Carlos Munoz (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) 4th fastest in qualifying: “I thought the first lap was okay, and at least the top four weren’t all Penske cars! I’m really happy. I think here, qualifying is quite important in order to stay in the front, because passing is so difficult. You have to have a good car for the race, a consistent car. It was good to have my teammates (Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti) qualify in front of me. That’s the good thing about qualifying [last], your teammates can give you information on how they did, what they did. I need to give a big thanks to them for their help, and especially my crew. Tomorrow is a long race, so we’ll keep it clean the whole time.”

Firestone 600
Texas Motor Speedway
8 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 6
NBC Sports Network

HONDA AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

• The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to oval-track competition this weekend, with Saturday’s Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.  Honda-powered drivers have won nine times in Texas, starting in 2004 with a 1-2 finish for Andretti Green Racing [now Andretti Autosport] teammates Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti.

• Other Honda-powered winners at TMS include Helio Castroneves (2006, 2009), Sam Hornish, Jr. (2007), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Briscoe (2010), Dario Franchitti (2011, Race 1) and Will Power (2011, Race 2). Honda’s most recent Texas victory came in 2012, when Justin Wilson led the final 11 laps to win for Dale Coyne Racing, while Graham Rahal led 27 laps and finished second after brushing the wall in the closing laps.

COMPETITION

• Honda comes to Texas after a successful race weekend on the Belle Isle Park temporary street circuit in Detroit.  Carlos Munoz led his Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti in a 1-2 result for Honda in Saturday’s opening race, marking Munoz’ first career victory in the Verizon IndyCar Series.  In Sunday’s second race of the doubleheader weekend, Takuma Sato finished second, and Rahal third, as Honda drivers claimed eight of the top 10 finishing positions.

• Honda’s Rahal comes to Texas on a roll of strong finishes, including third in Sunday’s race in Detroit, and a pair of runner-up results at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.   The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver finished fifth at the Indianapolis 500 and currently lies fourth in the 2015 drivers’ championship standings, best among Honda-powered drivers.

• Drivers and teams using Honda engines have won 213 Indy car races (214? Didn’t we start the season with 212?) 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).

• From 2006-2011, Honda supplied engines to every IndyCar Series competitor.  A total of 98 drivers raced with the Honda Indy V-8 during that period, with 15 drivers recording race victories.  Honda engines logged approximately 1.2 million miles of practice, qualifying and racing in the series; and nearly 500,000 actual race miles.

• In 22 years, Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of the American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has grown from just a handful of staffers to approximately 150 associates; and from a simple engine-rebuilding facility to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization, engaged in programs ranging from pinnacle racing series including the Verizon IndyCar Series, Pirelli World Challenge, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets and Formula F competition.

HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS

• Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda Verizon IndyCar Series race in Texas 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

Honda Racing Report
Sunday, May 31, 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: Overcast, intermittent showers, cool, windy, 62 degrees F

Top 10 Race Dual 2 Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Average Speed/Notes
1. 9. Sebastien Bourdais KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 68 79.476 mph average (rain)
2. 15. Takuma Sato A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 68 +1.7644 seconds
3. 5. Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 68
4. 23. Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 68
5. 7. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 68
6. 10. Conor Daly-R Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Honda 68
7. 19. Jack Hawksworth A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 68
8. 14. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 68
9. 28. Gabby Chaves-R Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 68
10. 1. Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 68

Other Honda-powered Results:
15. 16. James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Honda 67 Running
22. 22. Rodolfo Gonzalez-R Dale Coyne Racing Honda 35 Did not finish – crash
23. 11. Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Honda 5 Did not finish – mechanical
Sato, Rahal, Honda Finish Second and Third in Detroit Dual 2
• Late cautions, shortened race distance prevent Honda victory
• Honda drivers claim eight of top 10 finishing positions

A race day made up of constantly shifting weather, challenging track conditions, a series of late-race cautions and a shortened race distance combined to prevent Honda from sweeping the second half of Sunday’s “Dual in Detroit-2” at Belle Isle Park. But the manufacturer still dominated the finishing order, claiming eight of the top 10 positions in the second half of the Verizon IndyCar Series double header weekend, after a 1-2 finish in Saturday’s opening race.

In a weekend marked by frequent – and sometimes heavy – showers, Sunday’s scheduled 70-lap race began with light rain falling on an already thoroughly wet Belle Isle Park street circuit. The track would slowly dry throughout the race, but the changing conditions led to a variety of pit strategies and treaded “wet” versus dry weather “slick” tire choices.

As the race entered its closing stages, Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal battled for third place, while both closed down on leaders Sebastien Bourdais and Juan Pablo Montoya, both of whom were having to conserve fuel in an effort to make the finish. Sato and Rahal both passed Montoya on a Lap 63 restart, but yet another caution later that lap – the seventh of the day – led race officials to display the red flag in order to give fans a race to the finish.

Unfortunately, time limits also resulted in the race distance being shortened by two laps, giving Bourdais just enough of a fuel margin to take the win, with Sato second, Rahal third and other Honda drivers finishing fourth through ninth.
Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda and Acura activities at Detroit, including two Verizon IndyCar Series races, a pair of Pirelli World Challenge runs and Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar race, 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.

Indy car’s run of consecutive May-June races continues next week, as the series heads south to the Dallas-Fort Worth for round nine, the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night, June 6.

Verizon IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship (after 8 of 16 rounds):
1. Juan Pablo Montoya 315 points (2 wins) 6. Sebastien Bourdais 228 (1 win)
2. Will Power 294 (1 win) 7. Marco Andretti 224
3. Scott Dixon 252 (1 win) 8. Josef Newgarden 206 (1 win)
4. Graham Rahal 246 9. Simon Pagenaud 193
5. Helio Castroneves 245 10. Charlie Kimball 187

Manufacturers’ Championship:
1. Honda 756 (2 wins)
2. Chevrolet 726 (6 wins)

Takuma Sato (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) started 15th, finished 2nd: “A.J. Foyt Racing gave me great cars and it is great to be on the podium here after a long, exciting, and to be honest, crazy race. I was a little disappointed when they cancelled qualifying this morning and we had to start as far back as we did [on entrant points], because I feel like we’ve always qualified well here. We’ve had such a rough season that bringing home a good result was our first priority. We did most of what we could today, coming from the middle of the pack to contend for the win, and now I want to go for wins during the rest of the season.”

Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) started 5th, finished 3rd: “Obviously we would like to be winning, but that’s three podiums in the last four road and street course races, and three in the past five overall, so I’m pretty proud of that fact. I want to thank Honda for all the hard work they are putting in to the Indy car program. The fuel mileage was really good there at the end. I would have like to have seen the race run full distance because I heard Bourdais was tight on fuel and we were definitely good. We don’t necessarily always have the fastest car but if we can get to the end and have good finishes, we can be right there.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “All in all, it was a good weekend for Honda, starting with yesterday’s 1-2 finish. I am disappointed to not get the win today, but finishing second through night is a good result. I believe today’s race demonstrated there is still plenty of fight left in Honda and our partner teams. With the combination of our performance and fuel economy, I believe we would have won the race if it had gone for the scheduled 70-lap distance. As it was, we still dominated the top 10 finishing positions, and every one of our partner teams had at least one car in the top nine. It was an excellent performance, in very challenging conditions, from everyone at Honda Performance Development and all of our teams; with exceptional efforts from Takuma Sato, his A.J. Foyt Racing team, and from Graham Rahal and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, keeping his championship chase intact.”

* Carlos Munoz scores career first Indy car victory
* Marco Andretti completes 1-2 finish for Honda
* Honda drivers lead 44 of 48 laps

Carlos Munoz combined near-perfect driving in challenging, constantly changing conditions with bold pit strategy from his Andretti Autosport team to score his maiden Verizon IndyCar Series victory and lead a 1-2 Honda finish Saturday on the temporary Belle Isle street circuit in the first of two races this weekend in Detroit, Michigan.

Carlos Munoz scored his first Indy car victory for Honda Saturday at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan

Starting deep in the field, 20th, Munoz gained five positions and avoided trouble during the early, wet stages of the scheduled two-hour contest. As the track dried out mid-race, Munoz moved into the lead, then consolidated his advantage as he remained out on track in a light rain, when many competitors pitted for wet weather tires. Building a massive, 30-second lead, he was then able to pit for rain tires on Lap 42 and retain his advantage when he returned to the track as the rain intensified. Lightning in the area forced race officials to halt the race after 47 laps of a scheduled 70, with Munoz leading Andretti by more than 30 seconds.

After being the first to change to dry weather “slick” tires on Lap Nine, Andretti employed a similar strategy to finish second after leading a race-high 23 laps, his run marred by only an inadvertent brief activation of the pit-lane speed limiter on Lap 33, turning the lead over to Munoz, and making his final pit stop two laps sooner than the winner.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato dominated the early, wet laps, moving into the lead on the fourth lap and leading 12 laps prior to the first round of pit stops. But contact with Josef Newgarden on Lap 18 resulted in damage to Sato’s front wing and the resulting pit stop dropped him out of contention for the victory. Teammate Jack Hawksworth, running a split strategy from Sato, moved into the lead pack after the first round of pit stops and capitalized on that advantage for finish seventh for Honda.

Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda and Acura activities at Detroit, including two Verizon IndyCar Series races, a pair of Pirelli World Challenge runs and Saturday’s TUDOR United SportsCar race, 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.

With the completion of the first race of this weekend’s double header, drivers and teams now are already preparing for second race on Sunday. The 70-lap eighth round of the Verizon IndyCar Series starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT, with live television coverage on ABC.

Carlos Munoz (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 20th, finished 1st, 1st career Indy car victory: “It wasn’t the way I wanted to win. I wanted to win it 100 per cent, running all the laps, but this is racing. My team did a great job in the strategy, and I think I also did a great job on the slick tires when the track was still a little bit wet. Really nice – my first victory in Indy car. I’m feeling really comfortable going into tomorrow’s race. Hopefully, we’re going to be able to fight for the win again.”

Marco Andretti (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 9th, finished 2nd: “To get slicks on, the consensus on the timing stand was the opposite [of what I wanted], so I said ‘the guys better ready, because I’m coming in’. To me, it wasn’t really a gamble, I was ready to go to slicks. I thought the track was there and there was going to be a couple of laps of yellow before we went to green. It was drying quick; the concrete [pavement] dries very quick. That’s where it started. It was a blessing and a curse, because that’s where I lost the race, too, as Carlos was able to do a couple of laps [more] than me. It was a bummer, but a heck of an effort by the team.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “Carlos Munoz drove a perfect race, and Andretti Autosport made all the right strategy calls, in really challenging conditions. Carlos pulled out to a huge lead and truly earned his first Indy car victory. Both Carlos and Marco Andretti were extraordinary, staying out on slick tires longer than just about everyone else, and still pulling away from the field even as the rain returned. That made the difference today, and resulted in a one-two finish for Honda. In the early, wet laps, Takuma Sato also was outstanding until colliding with Josef Newgarden. A good day for Honda, and now we’ll do it all again tomorrow.”

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:

Other Honda-powered Results:

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 11^th

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, 10^th.  Tristan Vautier, the 2103 Indy Car Series Rookie of the Year, qualified his Honda 11^th 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.”

* Sixth-place finish for Marco Andretti
* Fuel gambles by Justin Wilson, Carlos Munoz come up short
* Gabby Chaves leads rookie field

Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti led the way for Honda Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Graham Rahal again led the Honda field Sunday, finishing fifth in the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500

Starting 17th, Rahal gained ground steadily throughout the first third of the 200-lap contest, reaching the top 10 on Lap 68. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver continued to battle his way forward, finally moving to fifth in the closing laps as the top Honda finisher. Starting on the third row of the grid, eighth, Andretti struggled early with handling issues, but was able to improve the car through changes at successive pit stops, then gained positions with aggressive re-starts after cautions late in the race to finish sixth.
After featuring in the first 60 laps, Justin Wilson was forced to make on unscheduled pit stop due to a vibration, going a lap down to the leaders. A strong recovery drive and a pit strategy gamble got Wilson back on the lead lap, and briefly in the lead, but he was forced to pit for fuel with just two laps remaining and finished 21st. His Andretti Autosport teammate, Carlos Munoz, also ran in the top 10, but received a drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane mid-race. Afterwards, his team also went “off-sequence” in it’s pit strategy, but like Wilson needed a final splash of fuel to make the finish, dropping him to 20th at the checkers.

Gabby Chaves skidded into one of his Bryan Herta Autosport crew during the first round of pit stops, but both he and the team recovered to finish 16th, the top rookie in the field.

Ryan Briscoe, substituting for the injured James Hinchcliffe in the #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda, made the largest start-to-finish position gain in today’s 200-lap event, finishing 12th after starting 31st. Hinchcliffe, who sustained leg and pelvis injuries when suspension failure resulted in a 125-G Turn 3 crash on Monday, continues to be treated at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Video recaps from this month’s Honda racing activities at Indianapolis, including the Grand Prix of Indianapolis road race and today’s 99th running of the Indianapolis 500, 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.

IndyCar Series teams and drivers now prepare for a hectic schedule of four races over the next three weeks, starting with next weekend’s “Dual at Detroit” May 30-31, a double-header event with races both Saturday and Sunday on the Belle Isle street circuit in Michigan.

Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) started 17th, finished 5th at the Indianapolis 500: “I’m proud of this team. We pushed as hard as we could. I keep saying to the guys that the biggest thing is to keep coming home in the points. If we can be the top finishing Honda and gain some points, then we’ve had a successful day. Obviously the three guys we are trying to keep up with in the championship all finished ahead of us, but still I feel very good about it. I’m very proud this organization for turning our results around. Coming off the last two years here, I can’t tell you how good this feels. With 15 laps to go, to have to charge up from ninth was pretty tricky. Overall, I thought the racing was pretty good.”

Art St. Cyr (president, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Indianapolis 500: “Today’s race clearly demonstrated the job we have ahead of us. But we gained a lot of information during the month here, and now have definitive goals we need to achieve in order to return Honda to the front of the field. Congratulations to Graham [Rahal] and Marco [Andretti], who once again did a great job for us, fighting hard and running competitively throughout the 200 laps.”

Honda Racing Report: Friday, May 22, 2015

Indianapolis 500

Circuit:                        Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval), Indianapolis, IN

2014 Winner:  Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport Honda) 186.563 mph average

Weather:         Sunny, mild, 68 degrees F

Indianapolis 500 “Carb Day” Final Practice Top-10 Results:

Ps. Driver     Team Manufacturer Speed mph Notes
1. Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 229.020
2. Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 228.585
3. Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 228.490
4. Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 228.458
5. Takuma Sato A.J. Foyt Racing    Honda 228.242
6. Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 227.811
7. Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 227.478
8. JR Hildebrand Carpenter Fisher Hartman Chevrolet 227.199
9. Gabby Chaves-R Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 226.802
10. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 226.674

Other Honda-powered Results:

11. James Davison Dale Coyne Racing Honda 226.578
12. Jack Hawksworth A.J. Foyt Racing    Honda 226.436
13. Oriol Servia Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 226.212
16. Alex Tagliani A.J. Foyt Racing    Honda 225.939
18. Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 225.687
20. Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Honda 225.360
21. Conor Daly Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 225.332
22. Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 225.288
24. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 224.737
26. Justin Wilson Andretti Autosport Honda 224.691
28. James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 224.497
29. Simona de Silvestro Andretti Autosport Honda 224.405
30. Ryan Briscoe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 224.005
31. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 223.972
32. Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.589

Sato Leads Honda Effort at Indianapolis 500 “Carb Day” Final Practice 

• Final practice prior to 99^th Indianapolis 500
• Gabby Chaves continues impressive rookie performance
• Green Flag set for 12 p.m. Sunday

Takuma Sato led the way for Honda and his A.J. Foyt team in the traditional “Carb Day” final practice Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Sato posted the fifth-fastest speed of the 33 drivers and teams who qualified for the 99^th running of the Memorial Day weekend classic.  Gabby Chaves continued his run of impressive performances in practice to record the ninth-fastest speed for Bryan Herta Autosport and was once again the fastest rookie driver in the field.

Television coverage of Sunday’s 99^th running of the Indianapolis begins at 11 a.m. on ABC.

Takuma Sato (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) 5^th fastest: “It’s very encouraging to see all three cars very competitive [teammates Jack Hawksworth and Alex Tagliani were 12^th and 16^th, respectively]. I felt comfortable in traffic which is what today is all about. The ABC boys did a great preparation on the car, taking everything off and putting it back together again – the car feels really, really good. A very positive day so we’re in the best position for race day.”

MESSAGE POINTS
AHM MOTORSPORTS PR

Indianapolis 500 – May 24, 2015
11 a.m. EDT ABC

HONDA HERITAGE AT INDIANAPOLIS

• Since competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in 1994, Honda-powered drivers have finished the race in Victory Circle 10 times in 14 attempts, more than any other manufacturer in the same period. Included in this total is a stretch of victories in 10 of the last 11 Indianapolis 500s from 2004-2014.

• In years of multi-manufacturer competition, Honda drivers have won four out of eight “500’s”, including two of the last three years.

• Honda victories have come both in years with manufacturer competition (2004, 2005, 2012 and 2014) and as single engine supplier to IndyCar from 2006-2011.

• Honda’s most recent “500” victory was at last year’s event, as Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay prevailed after a thrilling battle in the final laps with Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves.

• Other Honda-powered Indianapolis race winners include three-time winner Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012); two-time winner Dan Wheldon (2005, 2011); Buddy Rice (2004), Sam Hornish, Jr. (2006), Scott Dixon (2008) and Helio Castroneves (2009).

• During the six years that Honda served as IndyCar engine supplier, the company provided engines to the full 33-car Indianapolis 500 starting field – and for the first six times in Indy 500 history (2006-2011), there were no engine failures recorded in the Memorial Day weekend classic.

• Honda’s first competitive appearance at Indianapolis took place in 1994, but the company first put a car on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in November, 1968, when Honda conducted an evaluation test using a Formula One car with driver Ronnie Bucknum.

• The Honda lineup for this year’s Indianapolis 500 includes Andretti Autosport’s Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz, Simona de Silvestro and Justin Wilson; A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato, Jack Hawksworth and Alex Tagliani; Gabby Chaves at Bryan Herta Autosport; Dale Coyne Racing’s James Davison, Carlos Huertas and Pippa Mann; Graham Rahal and Oriol Servia at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing; and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Jakes, Conor Daly and Ryan Briscoe, substituting for the injured James Hinchcliffe.

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS

• On Friday, May 22, HPD president Art St. Cyr will be the featured guest at a Media Availability at the Honda Hospitality Motorcoach on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The question-and-answer session will begin at 10 a.m. and is open to the media.

COMPETITION

• From 2006-2011, Honda supplied engines to every IndyCar Series competitor. A total of 98 drivers raced with the Honda Indy V-8 during that period, with 15 drivers recording race victories. Honda engines logged approximately 1.2 million miles of practice, qualifying and racing in the series; and nearly 500,000 actual race miles.

• In 22 years, Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of the American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has grown from just a handful of staffers to approximately 150 associates; and from a simple engine-rebuilding facility to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization. HPD is engaged in programs ranging from pinnacle racing series including the Verizon IndyCar Series, FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets and Formula F competition.

HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS

• Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda racing activities at the Indianapolis 500 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

Honda Racing Report
Sunday, May 17, 2015

Indianapolis 500
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval), Indianapolis, IN
2014 Winner: Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport Honda) 186.563 mph average
Weather: Mostly cloudy, windy, mild, 78 degrees F

Indianapolis 500 Starting Field:
Ps. Driver Team Manufacturer Speed MPH Notes
1. Scott Dixon-W Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 226.760
2. Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 226.350
3. Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Chevrolet 226.145

4. Tony Kanaan-W Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 225.503
5. Helio Castroneves-W Team Penske Chevrolet 225.502
6. Justin Wilson Andretti Autosport Honda 225.279

7. Sebastien Bourdais KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 225.193
8. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 225.189
9. Josef Newgarden Carpenter Fisher Hartman Chevrolet 225.187

10. JR Hildebrand Carpenter Fisher Hartman Chevrolet 225.099
11. Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Honda 225.042
12. Ed Carpenter Carpenter Fisher Hartman Chevrolet 224.883

13. Oriol Servia Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 224.777
14. Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 224.743
15. Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 224.657

16. Ryan Hunter-Reay-W Andretti Autosport Honda 224.573
17. Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 224.290
18. Carlos Huertas Dale Coyne Racing Honda 224.233

19. Simona de Silvestro Andretti Autosport Honda 223.838
20. James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.790
21. Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.747

22. Alex Tagliani A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 223.722
23. Sage Karam Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 223.595
24. James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.519

25. Conor Daly Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda 223.482
26. Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet 223.447
27. Takuma Sato A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 223.226

28. Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda 223.104
29. Gabby Chaves-R Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 222.916
30. Sebastien Saavedra Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 222.898

31. Jack Hawksworth A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 223.738 Round 2 qualifier
32. Stefano Coletti-R KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 222.001 Round 2 qualifier
33. Bryan Clauson KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 221.358 Round 2 qualifier

W – Previous Indy 500 Champion
R – Indy 500 Rookie

Wilson Leads Honda Qualifying For Indianapolis 500
• Justin Wilson starts sixth, outside of the second row
• Marco Andretti qualifies eighth, Carlos Munoz 11th
• Gabby Chaves leads rookie qualifiers
• 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24

Justin Wilson and his Andretti Autosport team led the way for Honda Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in abbreviated qualifying for next weekend’s Indianapolis 500. The veteran posted the sixth-fastest average speed over his four-lap qualifying run, and will start next weekend’s “500” from the outside of the second row.

Rain on Saturday forced the cancellation of scheduled first-round qualifying, while a crash in the Sunday morning practice session for the Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter – the third time in the past week a Chevrolet IndyCar had spun and then flipped at Indianapolis – led to a decision by race officials to mandate that all teams reduce turbocharger boost pressure and make additional aerodynamic changes to the rear bodywork, impacting the qualifying efforts of all Honda teams.

Delays for the implementation of these changes, plus the addition of a second, 30-minute practice, resulted in a single qualifying session to set the first 30 starting positions, followed by a second session to set the final row of the 33-car starting field.

Two more Andretti Autosport drivers, Marco Andretti and Carlos Munoz, posted the eighth and 11th-fastest qualifying runs today, while Gabby Chaves posted the fastest qualifying run by an Indy rookie and will start 29th.

Verizon IndyCar Series activities continue on Monday with a practice session to aid teams in making pre-race preparations, followed by the traditional “Carb Day” final practice on Friday, May 22. Next weekend’s 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 takes place on Sunday, May 24, with live television coverage starting at 11 a.m. EDT on ABC.

Justin Wilson (#25 Andretti Autosport Honda) qualified 6th for the Indianapolis 500: “I was pushing really hard and it felt pretty good. It was a little bit tense the last couple of days, but it’s always nice to get out and run on your own with no one else on track; there is always more grip. Andretti Autosport is a very professional team; they just worked through all the decisions that were made today and gave me a great race car. I just have to thank everyone there who has worked so hard the last few months to put this deal together. It was a difficult decision that was made for all the teams and when something like that happens, you have to react. I also want to thank everyone at Honda for letting me have the opportunity to be here. I’m hoping today’s qualifying run is a good omen going into next weekend. We’ll see how it all works out; and I’m looking forward to bringing a decent result home.”