|
INDIANAPOLIS -- Nine cars made the field on their first qualifyingattempts, ending any potential last-minute drama and assuring theMay 27 Indianapolis 500 will start with a full field of 33 cars for64th consecutive year. Things went almost as smoothly Sunday as race organizers could haveexpected. We're happy to see it, Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO JeffBelskus said. There was very little doubt in my mind that wewouldn't. To put it another way, I was confident we would end upwith 33 cars. For the first time since 2004, there were no bump attempts taking away the intrigue of last year's enthralling finish whenMarco Andretti bumped his way into the race by knocking outteammate Ryan Hunter-Reay on the final four-lap qualifying attemptof the month. The three slowest qualifiers, all of whom qualified at less than215 mph (346 kph), didn't have to sweat out anything. It will bethe first time the 11th row is filled with cars under 215 since2004, too. Despite getting a rude welcome to the Brickyard's 2.5-mile(4-kilometer) oval, former Formula One driver Jean Alesi still madethe race. The Frenchman will start 33rd after finishing with afour-lap qualifying average of 210.094 the slowest speed of anyIndy starter since the late Fermin Velez went 206.512 in 1997. It's a big relief for me to finally get into this race, saidAlesi, one of seven rookies in the Indy field. This is an amazingexperience for me. I'm 47 years old, and I have learned more in oneweek than I did in my entire Formula One career. Simona de Silvestro and Alesi will be the only drivers using thelumbering Lotus engines in next Sunday's race. They'll start 32ndand 33rd. De Silvestro had the second-slowest qualification speedat 214.393. Alesi has already said he feels unsafe on the track with fastercars trying to pass him and worries he'll become an impediment toother drivers. He was almost 16-1/2 mph slower than Saturday's polewinner, Australia's Ryan Briscoe, who went 226.484. The speed difference is too great, points leader Will Powersaid Friday when asked about the disparity. Simona is one of thebest drivers in the series, so it has nothing to do with her, ithas to do with the situation she's in, and it's a pity if it comesto her not racing. But it is bloody dangerous, honestly. IndyCar has a rule requiring cars to perform within speeds at least105 percent of the leader and demonstrate consistency with control,placement and interaction with other cars on the track. Cars thatdon't meet the requirements can be black-flagged. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as DIP LED Lamp , Led Tube Lights T8 Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit High Power White Leds today!
Related Articles -
DIP LED Lamp, Led Tube Lights T8 Manufacturer,
|
