Susan G. Komen honors Pippa Mann as its rookie-of-the-year; Mann also auctions helmet

By Jul 29, 2014, 3:00 PM EDT
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It’s been a busy couple of weeks for IndyCar Radio analyst Pippa Mann, who’s had a series of activations and events representing the Susan G. Komen® organization, her partner for her 2014 Indianapolis 500 appearance with Dale Coyne Racing.

Mann got in late to Toronto because during the week leading up to it, she was honored as Komen’s Rookie of the Year partner during the organization’s annual Susan G. Komen Leadership Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The award goes to an outstanding corporate partner that contributed in a major way during the “rookie” season.

She was the only female driver in this year’s race, and Mann represented Komen on the track with a specially-designed pink race car with the Komen logo emblazoned on each sidepod. Pippa also developed a website, which provided fans with the opportunity to make donations in support of each lap she completed throughout the month of May, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting Komen.

“Pippa was a beautiful representation of the organization in every facet, serving as a beacon of strength, determination and courage in all public appearances and media interviews,” said Norm Bowling, Komen’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer.

Komen noted that she was diligent in her efforts to ensure that the organization was included in every aspect of the Indy experience, from sporting her pink Komen polo to every event, to hosting a survivor event at the track, to inviting Komen representatives to participate alongside her at the Indy 500 parade, to providing tickets for Komen HQ & local representatives to attend the Indy 500 and offering her only two additional seats at the Victory Banquet.

“The exposure that the organization received in every facet was truly invaluable,” said Bowling. “It is with great pleasure that we recognize her dedication and commitment to the Komen organization, as she is truly a world class athlete with a passion for pink.”

Said Mann of her time in Fort Worth, “I learned an incredible amount in my two days in Fort Worth; the amazing amount of progress that has been made, and yet at the same time, the amount of distance we still have to go. I was thrilled to be invited to present our month of May as a case study, and I am truly honored to be associated with this organization. I used to shy away from wearing pink at the race track because I wanted to be defined as just another driver as opposed to ‘the girl’, but now I find myself not only wearing my pink colors whenever the opportunity allows me to do so, but feeling incredibly proud of what those colors represent.”

That wasn’t all she did. Mann also parted ways with her race-worn helmet, which fetched more than $4,000 on eBay.

“I was definitely thrilled to see the final surge for the helmet price go above $4,000,” Mann told MotorSportsTalk last week. “With eBay, you really just never know what something is going to fetch, or what it will be worth to someone.

“I think a large part of that success was actually down to all the fans who were kind enough to share, retweet, and help spread the word that the auction was going on, even when the helmet got out of bidding range for many of them, they still continued to help me get the message out there. I’m so grateful for that support, help, and energy that they gave the auction!”

Overall, the partnership has raised more than $17,000, as well as generated millions of valuable impressions and setting the platform for future growth. Mann took a personal approach besides being an advocate for the cause; she was personally involved in every call, email and planning meeting.

It’s all good stuff for a good cause – and it’s especially promising to see the partnership between Mann and Komen continue past this year’s month of May.

Strong rebounds for Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi amid some disappointments in the Indy 500

By May 28, 2023, 10:00 PM EDT
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INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou had not turned a wheel wrong the entire Month of May at the Indy 500 until Rinus VeeKay turned a wheel into the Chip Ganassi Racing pole-sitter leaving pit road on Lap 94.

“There is nothing I could have done there,” Palou told NBC Sports. “It’s OK, when it is my fault or the team’s fault because everybody makes mistakes. But when there is nothing, you could have done differently there, it feels bad and feels bad for the team.”

Marcus Ericsson was a master at utilizing the “Tail of the Dragon” move that breaks the draft of the car behind him in the closing laps to win last year’s Indianapolis 500. On Sunday, however, the last of three red flags in the final 16 laps of the race had the popular driver from Sweden breathing fire after Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden beat him at his own game on the final lap to win the Indianapolis 500.

Despite the two disappointments, team owner Chip Ganassi was seen on pit road fist-bumping a member on his four-car team in this year’s Indianapolis 500 after his drivers finished second, fourth, sixth and seventh in the tightly contested race.

Those are pretty good results, but at the Indianapolis 500, there is just one winner and 32 losers.

“There is only one winner, but it was a hell of a show,” three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Chip Ganassi Racing consultant Dario Franchitti told NBC Sports. “Alex was very fast, and he got absolutely caught out in somebody else’s wreck. There was nothing he could have done, but he and the 10 car, great recovery.

“Great recovery by all four cars because at half distance, we were not looking very good.”

After 92 laps, the first caution flew for Sting Ray Robb of Dale Coyne Racing hitting the Turn 1 wall.

During pit stops on Lap 94, Palou had left his stall when the second-place car driven by VeeKay ran into him, putting Palou’s Honda into the wall. The car sustained a damaged front wing, but the Chip Ganassi crew was able to get him back in the race on the lead lap but in 28th position.

Palou ultimately would fight his way to a fourth-place finish in a race the popular Spaniard could have won. His displeasure with VeeKay, whom he sarcastically called “a legend” on his team radio after the incident, was evident.

“The benefit of being on pole is you can drive straight and avoid crashes, and he was able to crash us on the side on pit lane, which is pretty tough to do, but he managed it,” Palou told NBC Sports. “Hopefully next year we are not beside him. Hopefully, next year we have a little better luck.”

Palou started on the pole and led 36 laps, just three fewer than race leader Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren Racing.

“We started really well, was managing the fuel as we wanted, our car was pretty good,” Palou said. “Our car wasn’t great, we dropped to P4 or P5, but we still had some good stuff.

“On the pit stop, the 21 (VeeKay) managed to clip us. Nothing we could have done there. It was not my team’s fault or my fault.

“We had to drop to the end. I’m happy we made it back to P4. We needed 50 more laps to make it happen, but it could have been a lot worse after that contact.

“I learned a lot, running up front at the beginning and in mid-pack and then the back. I learned a lot.

“It feels amazing when you win it and not so good when things go wrong. We were a bit lucky with so many restarts at the end to make it back to P4 so I’m happy with that.”

Palou said the front wing had to be changed and the toe-in was a bit off, but he still had a fast car.

In fact, his Honda was the best car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway all month. His pole-winning four lap average speed of 234.217 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a record for this fabled race.

Palou looked good throughout the race, before he had to scratch and claw and race his way back to the top-five after he restarted 28th.

In the Indianapolis 500, however, the best car doesn’t always win.

“It’s two years in a row that we were leading the race at the beginning and had to drop to last,” Palou said. “Maybe next year, we will start in the middle of the field and go on to win the race.

“I know he didn’t do it on purpose. It’s better to let that pass someday.”

Palou said the wild racing at the end was because the downforce package used in Sunday’s race means the drivers have to be aggressive. The front two cars can battle for the victory, but cars back in fourth or fifth place can’t help determine the outcome of the race.

That is when the “Tail of the Dragon” comes into the play.

Franchitti helped celebrate Ericsson’s win in 2022 with his “Tail of the Dragon” zigzag move – something he never had to do in any of his three Indianapolis 500 victories because they all finished under caution.

In 2023, however, IndyCar Race Control wants to make every attempt to finish the race under green, without going past the scheduled distance like NASCAR’s overtime rule.

Instead of extra laps, they stop the race with a red flag, to create a potential green-flag finish condition.

“You do what you have to do to win within the rules, and it’s within the rules, so you do it,” Franchitti said. “The race is 200 laps and there is a balance.

“Marcus did a great job on that restart and so did Josef. It was just the timing of who was where and that was it.

“If you knew it was going to go red, you would have hung back on the lap before.

“Brilliant job by the whole Ganassi organization because it wasn’t looking very good at half-distance.

“Full marks to Josef Newgarden and Team Penske.”

Franchitti is highly impressed by how well Ericsson works with CGR engineer Brad Goldberg and how close this combination came to winning the Indianapolis 500 two-years-in-a-row.

It would have been the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002.

“Oh, he’s a badass,” Franchitti said Ericsson. “He proved it last year. He is so calm all day. What more do you need? As a driver, he’s fast and so calm.”

Ericsson is typically in good spirits and jovial.

He was stern and direct on pit road after the race.

“I did everything right, I did an awesome restart, caught Josef off-guard and pulled away,” Ericsson said on pit lane. “It’s hard to pull away a full lap and he got me back.

“I’m mostly disappointed with the way he ended. I don’t think it was fair and safe to do that restart straight out of the pits on cold tires for everyone.

“To me, it was not a good way to end that race.

“Congrats to Josef. He didn’t do anything wrong. He is a worthy champion, but it shouldn’t have ended like that.”

Palou also didn’t understand the last restart, which was a one-start showdown.

“I know that we want to finish under green,” Palou said. “Maybe the last restart I did, I didn’t understand. It didn’t benefit the CGR team.

“I’m not very supportive of the last one, but anyway.”

Dixon called the red flags “a bit sketchy.”

“The Red Flags have become a theme to the end of the race, but sometimes they can catch you out,” Dixon said. “I know Marcus is frustrated with it.

“All we ask for is consistency. I think they will do better next time.

“It’s a tough race. People will do anything they can to win it and with how these reds fall, you have to be in the right place at the right time. The problem is when they throw a Red or don’t throw a Red dictates how the race will end.

“It’s a bloody hard race to win. Congrats to Josef Newgarden and to Team Penske.”

Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500