Tag Archives: TAKUMA SATO

IZOD IndyCar Series Season Preview: A.J. Foyt Racing

Posted on by
Reply

a.j.-foyt-enterprises

Takuma Sato Foyt 2013

CAR NUMBERS: 14, 41 (INDIANAPOLIS ONLY)

2013 DRIVER: TAKUMA SATO, CHASE AUSTIN (INDIANAPOLIS ONLY)

2013 SPONSORS: ABC SUPPLY CO.

2013 ENGINE MANUFACTURER: HONDA

Overview:

Move over Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, we have a new odd couple in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2013.  After a season of mixed results in 2012 with Mike Conway culminated with Conway’s resignation from oval racing, AJ Foyt Racing was forced to find a new pilot for its Honda-powered Dallara sponsored by ABC Supply Company.  The free agent list in IndyCar was extensive but AJ Foyt dropped a bomb on the racing world by hiring Japanese driver Takuma Sato as the full-season participant for the team.  An odd couple it may seem, but Takuma Sato could be just the kind of driver needed to catapult Foyt’s operation to a consistent contender on a weekly basis.

The Upside:

Foyt’s team has always seemed to suffer from lack of pace, but if there is anything that Takuma Sato has proven in his three year tenure in INDYCAR that he is anything but slow.  Sato spend 2012 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing showing flashes of being the fastest driver in the Paddock and put his competition on notice.  A brilliant drive in the Indianapolis 500 that ended in the wall caught the attention of everyone on the grid.  Expect to see the No. 14 with consistent, competitive pace but whether they enjoy a breakout season is in the hands of the driver.

The Cause for Concern:

Nobody doubts Takuma Sato’s ability to push a car to its limits getting every ounce of speed but what is open to doubt is whether Sato can temper his aggressive tendencies that have so often resulted in contact with the barriers separating the racing surface from those in the grandstands.  Takuma Sato will, undoubtedly, crack the top echelon of the grid at points in every race this season, however, transferring his quick pace into points paying finishes will be what to watch for.  AJ Foyt is certainly hoping his roll of the dice in signing Sato will result in a major leap forward for his team which has, historically, been mired in the bottom third of the IZOD IndyCar Series grid.

PREDICTION:

Takuma Sato will breathe a shred of new life into AJ Foyt Racing giving them something to be excited about.  Qualifying towards the front of the grid on Road and Street Circuits should be a regularity but Sato will suffer from a lack of engineering expertise to qualify well on the ovals, but should make his way to the front.  Sato will have a difficult time finishing races resulting in a 15th place or lower finish in the final points but could climb higher if the finishes match the potential.

Indy 500 Recap: Ganassi, Honda Break Through

Posted on by
Reply

The 500 Miles of Indianapolis have been completed and, for the third time in the last five editions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing emerged victorious in the World’s Greatest Race.  Dario Franchitti, carrying the No. 50 in honor of Target’s 50th Anniversary was in the lead coming to the last lap of the race when Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing dove underneath vying for the race lead.  Sato proceeded to the white line on the inside of turn one when the No. 15 MiJack machine touched wheels with Franchitti’s Target red car spinning Sato to the outside SAFER Barrier giving the win to the Scot.  This win places Franchitti in an elite group of drivers that have won the Indianapolis 500 three times joining Helio Castroneves as the only active driver to accomplish the feat.  Franchitti made his way to victory circle for the ceremonial bottle of milk and saluted his fallen former teammate and friend, Dan Wheldon.  Digging further into the final results the top-3 finishers are fitting because they were all former teammates of the late Dan Wheldon, and, in a race so filled with emotion and tribute, finished as it should.  Any of the top-3 would have been a fitting champion in this race.

ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT’S STRONG MONTH HITS THE WALL

Andretti Autosport was considered, by many in the Paddock, to be the team to beat on Race Day.  Sure, Team Penske won the Pole Position for the race, but Andretti Autosport cars filled the next three positions on the starting grid.  Through the first half of the race, it seemed as everything was going to plan.  Marco Andretti sailed out to the lead and led a race high 59 laps, but spent the second half of the race mired in traffic with a downforce level that made the car difficult to drive in that situation.  His race finally ended on lap 187 when he spun and hit the SAFER barrier ending his run.  Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a conservative race just logging miles and setting up for the final fifty laps to go for the race win when a CV joint broke in the right rear of the car ending his day.  Ana Beatriz and Sebastien Saavedra also suffered difficult runs.  James Hinchcliffe was the lone bright spot for the team finishing 6th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

TEAM PENSKE STILL SITS AT 15…

For the third straight rendition of the Indianapolis 500 Team Penske has suffered mediocre results, overall.  Team Penske and driver Ryan Briscoe started from the Pole in the 2012 edition with Power and Castroneves starting 5th and 6th respectively in their cars.  Briscoe led fifteen laps early, but faded through the middle portions of the race before rebounding to a fifth place finish to lead Team Penske on the day.  Castroneves suffered through subpar pitstops and difficult handling balance in traffic salvaging a 10th place result in the final box score.  Will Power had, by far, the toughest day for Team Penske.  On lap 79, Power was approaching the car of Mike Conway who had just made a pit stop, a botched pit stop where he slid into the box damaging is front wing.  Conway’s car got loose and spun toward the SAFER Barrier collecting Power ending his day saddling him with a 28th Place finish and a huge dent in the points lead.

LOTUS’ DAY ENDS VERY VERY EARLY

The two cars powered by Lotus were in for a tough day, for sure, but they were hoping that they would last more than ten laps into the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, however, Director Beaux Barfield determined very early that they were unable to keep sufficient pace to warrant remaining on the track.  Lotus’ problems were well documented all month and the race was a culmination of all of these issues.  HVM Racing, the only full-time Lotus team, seems to be committed to moving forward with the European manufacturer, however, if the engine doesn’t make significant progress soon, you could see Keith Wiggins jump to Honda sometime later this year if pressure for better results comes from their sponsor Entergy.

40 YEAR OLD GETS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR…SAY WHAT?

KV Racing Technology driver Rubens Barrichello finished his first Indianapolis 500 in 11th position as the highest finishing rookie, therefore, winning the Chase Rookie of the Year award for 2012.  Barrichello had a consistent day of learning and will return to the Speedway next may with a legitimate chance to win the race in his second start.

DAN WHELDON HONORED, REMEMBERED


UP NEXT:

The IZOD IndyCar Series packs up and leaves the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another year and returns to business as usual.  The car count will be back down to the normal field of 26 as the series loads into the revival of the Grand Prix of Detroit with the race sponsored by Chevrolet.  The race for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship resumes Sunday from the Motor City with Will Power holding the points lead by a margin of 36 over teammate Helio Castroneves.

CONGRATULATIONS DARIO FRANCHITTI AND TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

WINNERS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 

R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

IZOD INDYCAR SEASON PREVIEW: RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING

Posted on by
Reply

2011 CARS:

# 30 BERTRAND BAGUETTE (INDANAPOLIS 500 ONLY)

# 30 PIPPA MANN (NEW HAMPSHIRE, KENTUCKY, LAS VEGAS ONLY)

# 88 / # 15 JAY HOWARD (INDIANAPOLIS, TEXAS, LAS VEGAS ONLY)

2011 ENGINE: Honda Indy V8

2011 SPONSORS: ASPRIA, NATIONAL TIRE & BATTERY, SERVICE CENTRAL

2011 REVIEW:

It has been since the 2008 season that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has run full-season operations in the IZOD IndyCar Series.  Instead, they have been relegated to part-time and Indianapolis 500 only operations as they found sponsorship difficult since the economic crisis began in the fall of 2008.  That being said, the team has always shown competitive pace and almost stole the Indianapolis 500 in 2011 but, like much of the field, simply did not have enough fuel in the tank to pull it off.  Driver Bertrand Baguette led laps in the late stages of the race but was forced to pit lane for fuel with less than ten laps to go.  Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing combined with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to run Jay Howard at Texas and ran Howard under their marque in Las Vegas.  Pippa Mann joined the team for races at New Hampshire, Kentucky, and Las Vegas.

2012 CARS:

# 15 TAKUMA SATO

# 30 LUCA FILIPPI (JOINING TEAM AT INDIANAPOLIS)

*(PAINT SCHEME UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME)

2012 ENGINE: Honda Twin Turbo V6

2012 SPONSORS: Mi-Jack, Interush, Panasonic

2012 PREVIEW:

Rahal Letterman Lanigan finally gets back into the IZOD IndyCar full-season fold in 2012 with driver Takuma Sato.  Sato became available when KV Racing announced their move to Chevrolet and given RLL’s long history with Honda and the move was logical.  Takuma Sato is a Formula 1 veteran which could allow Rahal Letterman Lanigan to get the jump on the DW12 faster than most due to Sato’s experience dealing with different types of open wheel cars.  The big obstacle for this team is keeping Sato from getting in the way of himself.  In 2011, Sato showed flashes of speed and competitive driving but always seemed to get caught up in accidents and incidents of his own making or just plain bad luck.  If Sato can stay on the track in 2012, a win is definately possible.  Starting at Indianapolis, Luca Filippi will join the team.  The delay is due to sponsorship and engine contract issues plaguing many teams to start the season.  Filippi is an Italian driver with GP2 experience, but will be regarded as an IZOD IndyCar Series rookie contendor given that he will have to run ovals as well.  Not sure what to expect from this driver, but we will soon find out what he brings to the table.

2012 PREDICTION:

Takuma Sato should finish near the top-10 in final points with a win or two possible where as Filippi’s success will be measured how quickly he adjusts to a new formula.