DAILY TRACKSIDE REPORT DAY 1 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008 Page 1
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
FUEL THE DREAM ® DAILY TRACKSIDE REPORT www.indianapolismotor speedway.com DAY 1 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008 Page 1 Welcome to the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Fred Nation, executive vice president of communications for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, John Griffin, vice president of public relations for the Indy Racing League, Ron Green, director of public relations for the Speedway, Bill York, Media Center manager, and their staffs are here to assist you. Please direct your questions and requests to any Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Indy Racing League staff person in the Media Center. *** This is the 42nd edition of the Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report, which was first distributed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1967. As stated on the first page of the 1967 DTR: "This press information has been compiled as an added source of your information in your coverage of the '500.' It is our sincere wish that it will be of assistance in your assignment." Notes and items of interest will appear on these pages during the month and will also be available on the Speedway's official site on the World Wide Web, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com and the official IndyCar Series Web site, www.indycar.com. Performance histories will be issued at the end of each day in the Media Center and on the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Web sites. Live timing and scoring reports from the Indianapolis 500 will be available on the Internet at www.indycar.com. The live timing and scoring module provides statistical information, including track segment speeds, lap information and much more. Feature stories, reports, driver quotes and notes, and photos will be posted on the site each day. More detailed information, including media advisories and VNF coordinates, is available at www.indycar.com/media. The user name is media, and the password is indycar. The username and password are case-sensitive. *** TODAY AT THE TRACK (all times local): 9 a.m. Public Gates Open 11 a.m. Opening Ceremonies 11:20 a.m. Honorary Lap, Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. 12-5 p.m. Rookie Orientation Program/Driver Refresher Program 6 p.m. Track closes *** Thirteen drivers must complete Rookie Orientation. They are: #5 Oriol Servia (KV Racing Technology), #8 Will Power (KV Racing Technology), #16 Alex Lloyd (Rahal Letterman Racing), #17 Ryan Hunter-Reay (Rahal Letterman Racing), #19 Mario Moraes (Dale Coyne Racing), #24 Jay Howard (Roth Racing), #27 Hideki Mutoh (Andretti Green Racing), #33 E.J. Viso (HVM Racing, #34 Jaime Camara (Conquest Racing), #36 Enrique Bernoldi (Conquest Racing) #96 Mario Dominguez (Pacific Coast Motorsports), #02 Justin Wilson (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) and #06 Graham Rahal (Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing). The rookie drivers must complete four phases of ROP in order to be eligible for the Indianapolis 500. At least three of the phases must be completed during ROP. The fourth phase may be completed during practice later in the month. The four phases of ROP are: 200-205 mph 205-210 mph 210-215 mph 215+ mph (More) DAY 1 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008 Page 2 #22 Davey Hamilton (Vision Racing), and #44 Max Papis (Rubicon Race Team/Sam Schmidt Motorsports) must complete the refresher test, which consists of the final phase of ROP. Additionally, #18 Bruno Juqueira is being allowed track time today and tomorrow. At the beginning of the season, the Indy Racing League guaranteed track time to all transitioning teams regardless of their rookie/refresher status. *** Entry List update: Davey Hamilton is the driver of the #22 Hewlett-Packard/KR Vision Racing entry. DAVEY HAMILTON: “You know, I love this place. It’s hard to, as a racing driver, get this particular race out of your system. There’s a handful of races I love. This is one of them, the Oswego Classic, which I participated in last year and I’ll do again, the Copper Classic, which unfortunately is no longer there, they always just stood out as the thrills of my career and I love to do. I’m just fortunate that Hewlett-Packard and Kingdom (Racing) came aboard to allow me to negotiate with Tony (George) to put together a third entry for Vision Racing. It was down to the last minute, it has worked out, we’ll be in the car tomorrow and the car looks fantastic. I feel really confident because I think we have a better program, and Vision has a better program, than last year so hopefully we pick up where we left off and try to make it better.” (Did last year’s ninth-place finish exceed all your expectations?): “Yeah, it did actually. It’s one of those things where you go into the month, a top-10 finish at any race is pretty good with the competition level the way it is, and that was my goal last year. Just a top-10 finish was my goal, if I could just get in the top 10 I’d be a happy guy. We were very fortunate to be able to go beyond that and get a ninth and actually run in the top-five at times. Absolutely, I was very happy with the result.” *** Despite their rookie status, several of the ROP candidates have previously competed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lloyd, Howard, Mutoh and Camara competed in Firestone Indy Lights events on the oval. Camara won the Firestone Freedom 100 in 2005 and finished third the last two seasons. Lloyd won the Firestone Freedom 100 in 2007. Mutoh finished second in last year’s race, while Howard was the runner-up in 2006. Bernoldi and Wilson made Formula One starts on the Speedway’s road course. Bernoldi finished 13th in the 2001 United States Grand Prix. Wilson was eighth in 2003. Rahal led 21 laps in the Firestone Indy Lights race on the road course in 2006. *** Stephan Gregoire is one of the drivers who doesn't have a ride for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, although the seven-time "500" starter will be driving the "two-seater" for guests during the month of May. Gregoire remains at the ready. Earlier this season, he competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and in June he will co-pilot a Pescarolo/Judd machine in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Roll Center Racing of England, which finished fourth a year ago. He's teamed with the daughter of former Formula One standout Jacky Ickx as a co-driver for that event. And, in his 20th year of racing, Gregoire wants to run the Indianapolis 500 for the last time. STEPHAN GREGOIRE: "No European driver has ever run all three of those races in one season. It's something, a goal, that I really want to do." *** ROP PRACTICE REPORT At noon, the ambient temperature was 60 degrees with a relative humidity of 50 percent and winds from the south-southwest at 5 mph. Skies were fair. The track temperature was 92 degrees according to Firestone engineers. 12:04 p.m. – GREEN. #8 Power is the first car on track. 12:26 p.m. - #5 Servia completes Phase 1. 12:47 p.m. - #5 Servia completes Phase 2. (More) DAY 1 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008 Page 3 Will Power, driver of the #8 Aussie Vineyard-Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, took the honor of being the first driver on track for Opening Day at the 92nd Indianapolis 500, an honor that sometimes has been hard-fought over the years. The best start by the driver first on track over the last 25 years has been by Raul Boesel, who started second in 1994. The best finish is second, set by Marco Andretti in 2006. FIRST ON TRACK, 1983 -2008 Year Driver Started Finished 2007 Jaques Lazier 28th 27th 2006 Marco Andretti 9th 2nd 2005 Danica Patrick 4th 4th 2004 Sarah Fisher 19th 24th 2003 Felipe Giaffone 16th 33rd 2002 Billy Boat 23rd 18th 2001 Stephan Gregoire 29th 28th 2000 Stephan Gregoire 20th 7th 1999 Stephan Gregoire Did Not Qualify 1998 Mike Groff 32nd 15th 1997 Dr. Jack Miller 17th 20th 1996 Michele Alboreto 12th 30th 1995 Eliseo Salazar 24th 4th 1994 Raul Boesel 2nd 21st 1993 Jimmy Vasser 19th 13th 1992 Scott Brayton 7th 22nd 1991 Scott Brayton 19th 17th 1990 Tero Palmroth 16th 12th 1989 Arie Luyendyk 15th 21st 1988 Raul Boesel 7th 20th 1987 Ludwig Heimrath Jr. 10th 30th 1986 Chip Ganassi 26th 25th 1985 Dick Simon 26th 14th 1984 Dick Simon 20th 23rd 1983 Bill Tempero Did Not Qualify *** 12:48 p.m. – YELLOW. Track inspection. 12:59 p.m. – GREEN. 1:04 p.m. - #8 Power completes Phase 2. 1:18 p.m. - #34 Camara completes Phase 2. 1:20 p.m. - #02 Wilson and #06 Rahal complete Phase 1. 1:26 p.m. - #02 Wilson and #06 Rahal complete Phase 2. At 1:30 p.m., the ambient temperature was 63 degrees with a relative humidity of 41 percent and winds from the south-southeast at 7 mph. Skies were fair. The track temperature was 103 degrees according to Firestone engineers. 1:31 p.m. - #36 Bernoldi completes Phase 1. 1:36 p.m. - #27 Mutoh completes Phase 1. 1:45 p.m. - #17 Hunter-Reay completes Phase 3. 1:47 p.m. - #36 Bernoldi completes Phase 2. 1:52 p.m. - #02 Wilson completes Phase 3. (More) DAY 1 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2008 Page 4 1:53 p.m. - #27 Mutoh completes Phase 2. 2:00 p.m. - #16 Lloyd completes Phase 1. 2:08 p.m.