IndyCar: Hawksworth adds to GP of Indy intrigue with outside pole

By May 9, 2014, 4:36 PM EDT
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The other half of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis surprise front row, alongside polesitter Sebastian Saavedra, is rookie Jack Hawksworth in the No. 98 BHA/BBM with Curb-Agajanian Honda.

Hawksworth put in quite a bounce back effort from starting second-to-last (22nd) in Barber Motorsports Park two weeks ago, his first permanent road course race in the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Now, he has second on the grid but more importantly his third top-10 start in four races.

And yet he’s optimistic and hungry for more if he can get the jump on Saavedra from the front row.

“We have very good pace. I’m actually quite excited,” the Bradford, U.K. native said of having the snarling pack of 23 other IndyCars behind him heading into Turn 1. “I think the car is very good. We have a clear track ahead. If we can get Saavedra at the first corner, we’ll try and pull away, see what we can do.”

Hawkworth reckoned he, along with the rest of the Firestone Fast Six runners, had more time in hand before Ryan Hunter-Reay’s accident off Turn 14 ended the session.

“I think everybody had a lot more on the table,” he said. “I think the fastest lap was going to be on the last lap. Everybody was pretty quick.”

Once more, Hawksworth extolled the virtues and work of his Bryan Herta/Steve Newey-led team. Like Josef Newgarden at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, this is the case of a young driver on a single-car team doing wonders to punch above their weight.

“In some ways it’s good, get through the politics,” he said regarding the lack of a teammate. “To be honest, I’m working very well with the team. They’re giving me what I want.

“I think I’m able to kind of lead them in the right direction with the car, as well. I’m not too worried about not having a teammate. I kind of like it.

“I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season with them. We started the season out quite strong. There’s been glimmers of speed and potential. Not all quite there yet, but hopefully tomorrow is the day when we do to.”

In three races Hawksworth has been taken out twice by accidents not of his own doing, and finished 12th at Barber. He has his best chance to score his first series top-10 finish, if not do more, on Saturday in the Charter/Energee entry.

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”