Love Blooms In Moraines Of Central Wisconsin

Indy cars return to scenic, historic and beloved Road America this weekend. (Photos courtesy of INDYCAR)
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
Differences of opinion, heck, vociferous arguments are inseparable parts of sports. Pick a topic, voice an opinion and start an argument. Pretty much that simple. Except, it appears, when the sport is auto racing and the topic is best road course in North America.
Next up for the IndyCar Series is Sunday’s race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. This week, drivers were asked about their series’ return to the scenic 4.048-mile course which runs through the wooded moraines of central Wisconsin and the opinion was virtually unanimous.
The place just does not have many, if any, detractors among teams and drivers.
That includes drivers who have competed on the historic track, which began life in the early 1950s. And it also includes drivers who have merely tested the track or, even, know it just by reputation.
Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car Series race at Road America in 2007 – the last time Indy cars raced there.
There was no ambiguity from Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, France, when asked his opinion of the facility.

Graham Rahal eyes the apex of Turn 5 at Road America. It’s a turn that features plenty of action.
much so that he actually wondered if it would cost him chance to win at his favorite American road circuit.
Takuma Sato, a former Formula One driver, called Road America “superb”. Asked if it reminded

The start/finish straight is one of several long, high-speed stretches at the 4-mile Road America road course.
him of some of the iconic European road courses, Sato said, “A little bit but not necessarily. If anything is similar, it is as fast as I experienced at possibly Imola [outside of Bologna, Italy]. Both tracks are the classic narrow type of track but very fast with good elevation change.”
“The biggest challenge is the downforce question: How much do you run?” said No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda driver James Hinchcliffe.“You’ve got long straights sure,

Ryan Hunter-Reay powers through the wooded moraines at Road America.
but you also have wicked fast sections and some really big brake zones so you can pile on the downforce and kill them on the brakes and in the carousel, or do you trim it out for the straightaways and hope you can hang on in the twisty bits?”
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Fast Facts
2007 (most recent) race winner: Sebastien Bourdais (No. 1 McDonald’s Racing Team-Newman/Haas Racing)
2007 (most recent) pole winner: Sebastien Bourdais (No. 1 McDonald’s Racing Team-Newman/Haas Racing), 1:41.535, 143.525 mph
Qualifying record: Dario Franchitti, 1:39.866, 145.924 mph, Aug. 19, 2000
NBCSN television broadcasts: Practice, noon ET Friday, June 24 (live); Qualifying, 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday, June 25 (tape delayed); Race, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, June 26 (live). Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, June 24
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, NBCSN (Live)
3 – 4:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
Saturday, June 25
11 – 11:45 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #3, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
3 p.m. – Qualifying for the pole (three rounds of knockout qualifying), NBCSN (5:30 p.m. ET, same-day delay)
Sunday, June 26
8 – 8:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series warmup, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
11:32 a.m. – Driver Introductions
12:07 p.m. – Command to Start Engines
12:15 p.m. – The race (50 laps/202.4 miles), NBCSN (Live)
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Race notes:
• There have been six different winners in the eight previous Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2016: Juan Pablo Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix International Raceway), Simon Pagenaud (Streets of Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500), Sebastien Bourdais (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle-2). Dixon’s win at Phoenix on April 2 tied him for fourth on the all-time Indy car victory list with Al Unser at 39. He is the active leader in wins. Bourdais’ win at Belle Isle on June 4 tied him with Bobby Unser for sixth on the all-time list with 35 wins.
• The race will be the first Indy car event conducted at Road America since 2007 and the 26th Indy car race at the track since it hosted its first Indy car event in 1982.
• It will be the seventh race on a road/street course in 2016. The first six races were won by Montoya (St. Petersburg), Pagenaud (Long Beach, Barber and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Bourdais (Belle Isle 1) and Power (Belle Isle 2).
• Nine drivers entered this weekend have previously raced Indy cars at Road America: Bourdais, Helio Castroneves, Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Montoya, Pagenaud, Power and Graham Rahal. Three of those drivers have led laps at the track (Bourdais 92, Montoya 52 and Castroneves 24).
• Bourdais is the only driver in the field that has won an Indy car race at Road America, winning the final Champ Car race at the track in 2007. Bourdais has finished on the podium in all four of his previous starts at Road America. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi have the most wins by an Indy car driver at the track (3).
• Six drivers have won the Road America race from the pole: Mario Andretti (1983, 1984 and 1987), Danny Sullivan (1989), Paul Tracy (1993), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Bruno Junqueira (2003) and Bourdais (2007).
• Drivers who have won at Road America have gone on to win the Indy car championship six times: Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Villeneuve (1995), Alex Zanardi (1997), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Bourdais (2007).
• Team Penske has won three times at Road America (1989, 1992 and 1993) and is one of two current teams to win at the track. Chip Ganassi Racing has won twice at Road America (1997 and 2001). Newman/Haas Racing won a record 10 times at Road America.
• Four rookies – Max Chilton, Conor Daly, Spencer Pigot and Rossi – are entered. Rossi leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 65 points over Daly with Chilton 103 points behind.
• Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 258th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 199 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the third-longest streak in Indy car racing.
• Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 320th career Indy car start, which would tie him with Al Unser for fourth on the all-time list.
• The 2016 season is the second in which aerodynamic bodywork component kits are used. The aero kits, produced by engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda for their respective supplied teams, are the latest technical innovation to enhance on-track performance through competitive aerodynamic development. Each manufacturer produces two kits for teams – one for short ovals/road courses/street courses and another for superspeedway ovals – but within each kit, teams have multiple component options available.
• The second season of aero kit competition complements the fifth year of engine manufacturer competition between Chevrolet and Honda with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. It will be another season testing speed and durability to determine the manufacturer champion.
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