IndyCar 2015 team preview: Andretti Autosport - MotorSportsTalk

Andretti Autosport drivers won the Indianapolis 500 and rookie-of-the-year honors in 2014, but the team fought through various inconsistencies during the campaign. They’re next up on our list of teams to look at in our Verizon IndyCar Series 2015 team-by-team preview.

Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine/aero kits: Honda
Sponsors: TBC (No. 25), Cinsay/AndrettiTV (No. 26), Dr Pepper Snapple (No. 27), DHL (No. 28)

2014 STATS

Races: 18
Wins: 3 (Hunter-Reay)
Podiums: 12 (Hunter-Reay 6, Munoz 3, Andretti 2, Hinchcliffe 1)
Pole Positions: 1 (Hunter-Reay)
Fastest Laps: 0
Points: 2053 (Hunter-Reay 563, Munoz 483, Andretti 463, Hinchcliffe 456, Busch 80, Montagny 8)
Laps Led: 293 (Hunter-Reay 195, Hinchcliffe 75, Andretti 23)
Championship Position: 6^th (Hunter-Reay), 8^th (Munoz), 9^th (Andretti), 12^th (Hinchcliffe), 25^th (Busch), 36^th (Montagny)

2015 LINEUP (Engineer in parentheses)

25 Simona de Silvestro (TBC)
26 Carlos Munoz (Garrett Mothershead)
27 Marco Andretti (Nathan O’Rourke)
28 Ryan Hunter-Reay (Ray Gosselin)

2014 RECAP (Hunter-Reay, Munoz, Andretti, Hinchcliffe driver recaps)

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Indianapolis 500, in a popular and overdue triumph. Additionally, Carlos Munoz earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors over three deserving others. Those two items went right but all told the rest of the 2014 season was largely one to forget for Andretti Autosport, which fought inconsistency throughout the year and regressed in qualifying.

2015 OUTLOOK

RHR is always a title contender and Andretti and Munoz should each be better this year than last. Rob Edwards has been hired as new overall team manager, and should provide additional leadership. The trump card Andretti could hold is Honda’s aero kit, if that proves a better package than does Chevrolet’s. Simona de Silvestro has been confirmed for the team’s fourth car for St. Petersburg; it’s a car which, along with a potential fifth, has been the subject of much discussion this winter. She’s a nice add to a solid lineup, and makes Andretti also a fearsome foursome on par with Penske and Ganassi’s quartets.

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Benny Bloss will race for the factory Beta Motorcycles team in 2024 as that manufacturer joins SuperMotocross as the ninth brand to compete in the series. Beta Motorcycles will make their debut in the Monster Energy Supercross opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California in January.

*Benny Bloss finished among the top 10 twice in Pro Motocross, in 2016 and 2018. – Beta Motorcycles*

“The wait is over and we can finally share everything we have been working towards,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Manager in a press release. “It has been a great experience being a part of this development and seeing the progression. The only missing part was finding a rider that would mesh well with our Beta Family.

“After a one phone call with Benny, we knew it would be a good fit for him, and for us. We are happy to have him on board for the next two years and can’t wait to see everyone at Anaheim in January.”

Bloss debuted in the 450 class in 2015 with a 15th-place finish overall at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Bloss has a pair of top-10 rankings in the division with a sixth-place finish in the Pro Motocross Championship in 2016 and a seventh in 2018. His best Supercross season ended 15th in the standings in 2018.

“I’m extremely excited to join the Beta Factory Racing team,” Bloss said. “It’s cool to see a brand with such a rich history in off-road racing to come into the US Supercross and Motocross space. I know this team will be capable of great things as we build and go racing in 2024.”

Bloss is currently 22nd in the SuperMotocross rankings and has not raced in the first two rounds of the Motocross season.

Testing for Beta Motorcycles is scheduled to begin in August and the team expects to announce a second rider at that time.

The family-owned brand adds to the international flare of the sport. The company was founded in Florence, Italy in 1905 as Società Giuseppe Bianchi as they built handmade bicycles, The transition to motorcycle production in the late 1940s.

Beta Motorcycles competed and won in motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s with Jim Pomeroy and other riders.

Beta will join Triumph Motorcycles as a second historic brand to join the sport in 2024. First established in 1902, Triumph has won in nearly every division they have competed in, dating back to their first victory in the 1908 Isle of Man TT. Triumph will debut in the 250 class in 2024 and plans to expand into 450s in 2025.

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