Honda Cars : Honda goes 1-2-3 in Detroit's Chevy-sponsored race | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Dario Franchitti (left), of Scotland, Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, and Simon Pagenaud, of France, stand on the podium after IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix auto race on Belle Isle in Detroit, Sunday, June 3, 2012. Dixon won the race, while Franchitti came in second and Pagenaud finished third.

Photograph by: Carlos Osorio , AP

By LARRY LAGE, Associated Press
DETROIT - Honda went 1-2-3 in the Chevrolet-sponsored Detroit Grand Prix in the shadow of General Motors world headquarters.
Scott Dixon won Sunday's race that was shortened because poor track conditions stopped the races for 2 hours and was followed by Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti and rookie Simon Pagenaud.
IndyCar points leader Will Power finished fourth, the best finish by a Chevy-powered car.
"It's a testament to everybody that works at Honda on the racing," Pagenaud said. "The first (four) races were all Chevy wins. Honda stayed in the game.
"They found what we needed and I think we can attest here that we really enjoy driving the engine. The engine is behaving really nicely, and it's performing really well."
Penske Racing started the season with a four-race winning streak with Helio Castroneves earning the first and Power getting the next three victories.
Teams with Honda engines have had improved performance after IndyCar allowed them to make turbocharger changes, much to Roger Penske's dismay, to catch up to Chevy's power.
Dixon's first victory of the year followed Franchitti winning the Indianapolis 500 the previous week.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: The Detroit Grand Prix was back in the Motor City for the first time since 2008 and it has two more years left on a contract with Chevrolet to sponsor the race and IndyCar to keep the event on its schedule.
Roger Penske's Michigan-based company invested a lot of money into sprucing up Belle Isle after four years of neglect tarnished the gem, but patching up the road course didn't go very well. There were numerous holes in the asphalt and concrete. Pot holes and grooves that were recently filled with synthetic rubber became exposed. Crews filled the gaps with epoxy that settled enough for the race to resume after a 2-hour delay.
Detroit Grand Prix event chairman Bud Denker vowed that track conditions wouldn't be a problem again next year.
"We have more paving than patching to do that's for sure," Denker said.
DEFENDING DUD: Justin Wilson was fired up to be back on Belle Isle after winning the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix, the last time auto racing was in the Motor City.
His excitement didn't last long.
Wilson didn't complete a lap before he was knocked out of the race because of a suspension failure. The Dale Coyne Racing team fixed the problem well enough to get Wilson back on the track later in the race, but he completed just 28 of the 60 laps.
"Not a great day," he said. "We brushed the wall, bent the wishbone and I'm really disappointed with that. That ended our day pretty much. The guys worked hard trying to give us a good car and we got caught up."
SUH SPEED: Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was the grand marshal of the Detroit Grand Prix after serving in the same role at the Phoenix 500 NASCAR race earlier this year.
"It's definitely a blast for me to be here," Suh said. "I've love racing ever since I had an opportunity to get into it. My first race out here would have been at MIS (Michigan International Speedway) with NASCAR. And then I've gone across the world and ventured off, and been to Formula One and obviously the Indianapolis 500."
"You get to hear those engines roar, and you get that thrill. It's like getting ready to start the beginning of a football game or being lucky enough to introduce Kid Rock at one of his concerts."
Suh was among the celebrities in last year's Gumball 3000 Rally, a seven-day car race stretching across 10 European countries.
SPARK PLUGS: IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard confirmed before Sunday's race that an August event scheduled in China may not happen. "We have a backup plan," he said, declining to provide details. ... Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro were pushed back 10 spots on the grid at the start of the race, getting penalized by IndyCar for unapproved engine changes at Indianapolis 500. Rahal started 17th and finished 19th while de Silvestro went from 25 to 13.

Source:

http://www.vancouversun.com/cars/Honda+goes+Detroit+Chevy+sponsored+race/6725913/story.html#ixzz1wpryZ8Dr

Honda Cars : INDYCAR: Franchitti claims third 500 win in Honda 1-2 finish | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Dario Franchitti came from the rear of the field to win a dramatic Indianapolis 500 Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon to the checkered flag in a 1-2 finish for Honda in near-record heat and humidity. It is the third Indianapolis 500 victory for Franchitti, and the third for Honda with engine manufacturer competition.

After starting 16th, Franchitti was hit during his first pit stop by the car of E.J. Viso, spinning Franchitti around and dropping him to the rear of the field. But he fought back to the front, reaching the lead for the first time on Lap 151 and then entering into a multi-car battle for the victory over the final laps.

Once at the front of the field, Franchitti spent the late laps trading the lead with Dixon, part of a record 34 lead changes during the race; while the Honda Dallaras of Takuma Sato and Justin Wilson; as well as the cars of Tony Kanaan and Ed Carpenter all looked like potential race winners.

Carpenter was the first to fall by the wayside, spinning without contact on Lap 180. On the Lap 184 restart, Kanaan jumped from fourth to the front on the run to Turn One, but the yellow came out again just three laps later as Marco Andretti spun and crashed without injury.

On Lap 194, the green flag waved for the final time and both Franchitti and Dixon passed Kanaan. Sato also was quickly past Kanaan and then Dixon. On Lap 199, Sato moved alongside Franchitti and attempted a last-lap pass for the lead as they entered Turn One. But Sato lost control mid-corner, made contact with Franchitti and then spun hard into the wall, crashing without injury.

Franchitti was momentarily sideways, but corrected for the slide and claimed his third Indianapolis 500 victory, and the 96th IndyCar win for Target Chip Ganassi Racing at the 96th running of the Memorial Day weekend classic. Dixon finished second, with Honda drivers Justin Wilson seventh, Charlie Kimball in eighth and Townsend Bell, ninth.
The IZOD IndyCar Series now enters June with a run of four consecutive race weekends, starting with the June 3 Belle Isle Grand Prix temporary street circuit race in Detroit, Michigan, followed by oval races at Texas Motor Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile and Iowa Speedway.

Dario Franchitti (#50 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 16th, finished 1st, his third Indianapolis 500 victory, 31st IndyCar victory (all with Honda power) and first win of 2012: “I moved over for Takuma [Sato]. I knew he was coming and I moved up the track. I felt it was a good move, but he got loose underneath me. It was the last lap of the Indianapolis 500 and I didn’t expect him to lift. I think he did everything right up until the point he lost the rear of the car. It kind of reminded me of Emerson [Fittipaldi] and Little Al [Unser, at the 1994 Indianapolis 500] at the end there. This means the world. This is Indianapolis.

I also have to say ‘thank you’ to Honda. I have all of my [IndyCar] wins with them and today showed us all exactly why. They worked incredibly hard throughout the event, and never more so than in the week after qualifying. Honda showed us all today what they can accomplish.”

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified 15th, finished 2nd, led 53 laps: “We had the car to win today. Between the efforts of the team and Honda we had the power, reliability and mileage we needed, but at the end it was Dario’s race. He did a hell of a job today, so I’m super happy for him, but super gutted for myself. Still, it couldn’t be a better day, a 1-2 finish for the Target Chip Ganassi team at the Indianapolis 500.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda victory in the Indianapolis 500: “This is why we go racing. To be able to participate in such a competitive race is one of the most amazing things in my career with Honda. It was an exciting day, and a great race for the fans – but pretty stressful for the participants! Any of several Honda drivers would have been a deserving winner today, but somehow it seemed destined that this was Dario’s day. He drove a fantastic race, never giving up after getting hit during his first pit stop. It was an inspiring drive, and an incredible race, that had all of us riveted throughout. My congratulations to all our associates at Honda Performance Development, who worked so hard to make this victory a reality. What a great day.”

Source;
http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-claims-third-500-win-in-honda-1-2-finish/