IndyCar: Takuma Sato is surprise winner in Grand Prix of Portland

By Sep 2, 2018, 5:13 PM EDT
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PORTLAND, Oregon – Using a combination of adept fuel mileage and sharp strategy, Takuma Sato was the surprise winner in IndyCar’s return to Portland on Sunday.

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver captured his third career IndyCar win, following up his previous win in the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

“This is big,” Sato said. “Fantastic weekend. Obviously, with the couple of hard, physical weekends, especially at St. Louis (Gateway), we did save fuel and it didn’t work, but you have to keep on going and this time I think the fuel strategy worked really well.

“Most importantly, the No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic car had pace so I could commit. Looking at the fans here in Portland, so enthusiastic, I think this is one of the most beautiful days in my life again.”

Prior to Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway, Sato’s best finish this season was third at Iowa, followed by fourth at Road America and fifth in Belle Isle 1.

Sato, who started 20th in the 25-driver field, held off Ryan Hunter-Reay, defending race winner Sebastien Bourdais (he won the last IndyCar race here in 2007), Spencer Pigot and Verizon IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon.

“We gave that one away,” Hunter-Reay said. “The DHL car was the car to beat today. We had the right fuel, but we had some miscommunication on pit lane. I was saving fuel as Takuma came out of the pit lane and so I didn’t attack.

“That miscommunication probably cost us the race. I’m pretty bummed right now. I know we had a car to win and all day long. I tried really hard to save that fuel and made the fuel mileage the stand was requesting, but couldn’t pay off for it in the end.”

Sato has now won races on a street course (Long Beach 2013), an oval superspeedway (Indianapolis 2017) and now on a permanent road course at Long Beach. He hopes to add a short track oval win to his resume next season.

Dixon had fallen as much as 14 points behind top championship challenger Alexander Rossi early in the race, but battled back to not only regain the lead, he also finished higher in the race as Rossi finished eighth. Dixon leads Rossi by 29 points heading into the season finale at Sonoma Raceway on Sept. 16.

The other two championship contenders, race pole sitter Will Power and teammate and defending series champ Josef Newgarden, are still mathematically in the championship battle, but the odds are long for both going to Sonoma. Power, who finished 21st, is 87 points behind Dixon, while Newgarden, who finished 10th, is also 511 points back. With a maximum of 108 points available at Sonoma, it will be very difficult for Team Penske to earn its third consecutive IndyCar title.

Things got off to a big bang on the opening lap when Zach Veach made contact with James Hinchcliffe, triggering a six-car wreck that left Marco Andretti’s car nearly upside down.

Rescue workers quickly righted Andretti’s car and he was uninjured. He even was able to get back into the race.

Graham Rahal and Ed Jones were also collected. Rahal and Hinchcliffe rejoined the fight to pick up positions, though Rahal soon pulled off after making up two spots and was credited with 23rd. Hinchcliffe ran the remainder of the race, though he finished 29 laps off the lead in 22nd.

Dixon was also hit in the rear, dropping him to 21st position. His car suffered minor damage and after a quick pit stop for repairs, was back on-track.

Then, on Lap 8, pole sitter Will Power suffered a mechanical issue – he appeared to lose the use of first gear – dropping him from the front of the field to 12th. He later nosed into the Turn 11 tire barrier on Lap 43, but was able to return to the pits.

However, Power soon reported that he couldn’t shift gears at all in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and he dropped as many as eight laps off the lead while the team made repairs.

Alexander Rossi and Josef Newgarden looked like they were headed for strong days in the first half of the race – Rossi led most of the opening stint after Power’s trouble, while Newgarden briefly led after passing Rossi on Lap 49.

However, a Lap 56 caution – Zach Veach spun off course in Turns 10 and 11 – ruined their strategy, as each was looking to to make three pit stops. The ill-timed caution forced them to pit, and they dropped to 16th (Newgarden) and 17th (Rossi) at the time.

At the checkered, Rossi could only work his way up to eighth, while Newgarden could do no better than 10th.

As a result, Dixon leads Rossi by 29 points entering the season-ending INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma. Power and Newgarden and tied for third, 87 points back of Dixon, but long shots for the championship now.

“It was a huge day for the team today and feels like a win for us,” Dixon said. “The points, whatever it is, is not a huge amount. I couldn’t see anything once I got off in the dirt at the start, it was just dust everywhere.

“Then I kept getting hit and hit and thought, ‘Oh, this isn’t going to be good.’ Luckily, we were able to keep the PNC Bank car running, back up from the incident and continue. What a crazy day.”

NOTES:

  • Carlos Munoz, filling in for the injured Robert Wickens, finished a respectable 12th given he’s only competed in just one race this season (Indianapolis 500).
  • Charlie Kimball had one of his best days of the season. He qualified last (25th) and finished seventh.
  • Just a week after Honda won the manufacturers championship for 2018, chassis maker Dallara celebrated it’s 300th win when Sato took the checkered flag Sunday.
  • Santino Ferrucci had a decent run in his IndyCar debut. While he finished 20th, he was only four laps off the lead lap.

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).