Helio breezes to victory
Helio Castroneves knew he had a strong car going into the Indy Japan 300 in Motegi, Japan.
He proved it Saturday, claiming his second straight IndyCar Series win of the season.
Castroneves, who won the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg earlier this month, dominated throughout the 200-lap race and crossed the finish line 6.3851 seconds ahead of defending champion Dan Wheldon.
“It’s great to finally win here in Japan,” Castroneves said. “We had a very strong car. Ever since we got off the plane, the car has been responding well.”
After securing the victory, the Brazilian driver jumped out of his Honda-powered Dallara and, as is his tradition, climbed the fence in a victory celebration.
Rain disrupted practice and wiped out qualifying Friday, but conditions were perfect Saturday for the race at the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi circuit north of Tokyo.
Castroneves, who led for 184 laps, started from the pole position because he led the IRL championship with 93 points heading into the race.
Wheldon was bidding to become the first IndyCar Series driver to win three years in a row at the same track, but couldn’t close the gap on Castroneves, who won for the first time in Japan.
“It was an up-and-down day,” Wheldon said. “My pace just wasn’t consistent and that’s what cost me. Helio has a bit of momentum, but it certainly can be stopped and I’ll do my best to stop it.”
Scott Dixon was in second place for most of the race, then fell out of contention after a delay during his last pit stop after 148 laps.
Brazilian Tony Kanaan finished third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr., Buddy Rice and Bryan Herta.
Schumacher sets record
Michael Schumacher earned the 66th pole of his career for the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, breaking the record he shared with Ayrton Senna.
Schumacher, still seeking his first win this season, covered the track where Senna was killed 12 years ago in 1 minute, 22.795 seconds.
“It has a special meaning to me,” Schumacher said, adding that he would enjoy the record more when he retires. “Right now, I’m so focused on what comes next.”
Schumacher has a record six wins in Imola. But aside from last year’s U.S. Grand Prix, when six cars raced because of a tire dispute, he hasn’t won since the Japanese GP in October 2004.
Honda’s Jenson Button qualified second and Rubens Barrichello was third.
Mistake costs Stewart
A rare mistake by Tony Stewart’s championship race team cost him a prime starting spot at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.
Stewart was supposed to start third, but had to move to the back of the field because his crew accidentally returned his qualifying tires to Goodyear and the tire company promptly destroyed them. It meant Stewart could not start the race on the tires he qualified on, a NASCAR requirement.
“It was probably too many chefs in the kitchen there working on the tires afterward,” team president J.D. Gibbs said. “One of the guys who has a great heart was trying to help out and wound up messing up.”