2015 Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana Race Notes

Photo: Chris Owens

IndyCar heads to NOLA Motorsports Park this week for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. Juan Pablo Montoya has the early points lead over Will Power and the rest of the Penske crew who currently hold four of the top five positions in the points standings.

Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 5:15 p.m. EDT and the green flag waves on Sunday at 3:37 p.m. EDT.

At St. Pete Penske proved that they are the team to beat this year. They led sessions throughout the weekend and nearly swept the top four places during the race. Tony Kanaan of Chip Ganassi Racing broke up the Penske team with a third place finish.

Being that the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana is a new event this year, the only time drivers have run on this course is during pre-season testing at the track which took place in March. At the test, Scott Dixon posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:18.140 lap. Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya were just .05 and .250 seconds behind him, respectively. The latter will be looking to claim his second win of the season on Sunday.

Then, unlike what we saw at St. Petersburg, we had a Honda finish in fourth position. Graham Rahal posted a 1:18.353 in his Honda powered and aero kit equipped machine and slotted himself into the top five. Chevrolet seem to have the early advantage over Honda, but it is still early. With rain expected for qualifying and the race, things could get quite shaken up this weekend. Don’t be surprised if a wet race causes Honda and Chevy to run closer together this weekend.

Other than that, there’s not much to discuss with a new race on the calendar.

Weather Forecast 

2015 Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana

Photo: Chris Jones

Graham Rahal, despite an eleventh place finish in St. Petersburg, says his team has a lot of momentum heading into the second round of the season.

Rahal was given a penalty for making contact with Charlie Kimball through turn ten on the streets of St. Petersburg, ending any hopes of a top five finish. He improved all weekend, qualifying 15th and leading the final warm up session before Sunday’s race.

“Even with an 11th-place result in St. Pete,” Rahal said, “we feel we had one of the best cars in the race and the team has a lot of momentum and can’t wait to get on track again. I really think that all signs are pointing to us being able to have a great year.”

“Our goal is to go to New Orleans and try to rack up as many points as we can, move ourselves up in the championship and kick off Long Beach and the rest of the season.”

2015 Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana

The series heads to New Orleans this week for the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana. Here’s a quick look at some of the key areas of the track the drivers will be facing on Sunday, courtesy of Scott Dixon.

Turns

“The section from Turns 1 through 6 is a lot of fun and there is another great section toward the end through Turns 10 through 14.”

Daily Report

In the report: Honda have been given permission by IndyCar to reinforce their aero kit after the amount of debris generated at St. Pete.

IndyCar: Honda allowed to strengthen its Aero Kit (Fox Sports)
“Honda has been granted permission by INDYCAR to strengthen and reinforce parts of its kit.”

IndyCar: Chevy statement on engine penalty (Racer)
“We identified a batch of valve springs that, due to a process change at one of our suppliers, may fracture before the full mileage requirement.”

“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet have over a century of history together and we’re delighted with the opportunity to continue that rich heritage.”

“Ferrari has undoubtedly made a step forward with its car in 2015, but others see the biggest gain in the area of the Italian marque’s power unit.”

IndyCar: Grand Prix of Louisiana gets ready to roll (The Advocate)

Photo: John Cote

The opening round of the IndyCar season on the steets of St. Petersburg saw 22 of the 110 laps run under caution. Wing and body damage was prevalent throughout the day which turned the race into a battle of survival.

Jack Hawksworth acknowledged the need for drivers to change their style behind the wheel with the introduction of aero kits this year heading into the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana on Sunday. 

“I don’t think it’ll take long for the drivers to adjust,” continued Hawksworth, “but certainly the style of racing is going to change a little this year as car preservation is more critical than with the old DW12 aero kit.”

“I certainly don’t think you’ll see quite as much bumping and banging as we have seen in recent years because the front wing structure is just not as strong as previously,” Hawksworth said.