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[/media-credit]The IZOD IndyCar series stays north of the border for the eleventh round of the 2012 season this weekend with Edmonton Indy. It will be the fifth IndyCar sanctioned race at the Edmonton City Centre Airport and the eighth race to be held at the venue, with Champ Car holding the first three races beginning in 2005.
This will be the second race to be run on Edmonton’s new layout, which was modified in 2011 to help promote overtaking throughout the race.
Mike Conway, driver of the #14 ABC Supply Company Honda for A.J. Foyt Enterprises believes the changes to the track layout last year have had a positive impact on the racing that takes place in Edmonton.
“It kind of made racing really good, which is kind of what you need around that place,” Conway tells IndyCar.com when referring to the hairpins configured into the new layout of the track.
The winner of the 2011 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach looks forward to racing at Edmonton again this weekend after running well but receiving a drive-through penalty last year after making contact with Oriol Servia.
“It’s a fun little track, very rewarding, so bumpy in some places but it just makes it a challenge of dialing the car in,” says the Englishman.
Justin Wilson is a driver excited to get back to the Alberta area. The pilot of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Sonny’s BBQ Honda has experienced much success on the Edmonton Circuit. Of the seven races Wilson has run on the airport layouts, he has accumulated five top-5 finishes including winning the 2006 iteration of the race.
“Edmonton is a unique track and the way its laid out the fans can see most of it,” Wilson says to the IndyCar Series’ website regarding the new layout used for the race beginning in 2011.
Though, the areas the IndyCar’s run through at the Edmonton City Centre Airport differ from the layout driven by Wilson from when he won, Wilson states that he enters the race weekend with the same strategy.
“Exactly the same philosophy applies, a couple more hairpins create some more out braking opportunities,” he says.
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[/media-credit]Wilson looks to claim another victory at the Edmonton circuit on July 22nd and he enters the weekend ready to work hard to continue his success.
The winner of the 2012 Firestone 550 states “It’s a tough track, its high commitment, you’ve got to be very precise. I think it’s going to be a challenge with these new cars, it’s going to be hard work from the cockpit.”
Edmonton Indy can be seen on NBC Sports Network at 2 PM on Sunday, July 22nd.
