Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:
1. Power hopes to maintain dominance in Sao Paulo
2. Sato logs miles to get to Sao Paulo
3. Of note
1. Power hopes to maintain dominance in Sao Paulo: Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay joked that Will Power has at least two trophies bigger than the two he’s earned for finishing second in the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300.
“Actually, I have all of them,” Power quipped.
The Team Penske driver is the only IZOD IndyCar Series competitor to win on the streets of Sao Paulo, after winning the races in 2010-12. He enters this year’s race eighth in the championship with a best finish of fifth at Barber Motorsports Park last month.
“The first three races have been interesting,” Power said in the event’s pre-race press conference. “We’ve had the pace this year, but haven’t been able to put it together. I’ve had some success here at this track, but the competition will be tight. It will be tough to get a good result this weekend.”
Power’s success at Sao Paulo may make him the odds-on favorite according to the other drivers – in fact Team Penske teammate and IZOD IndyCar Series point leader Helio Castroneves called him the favorite – but the Australian knows that he can’t change the way he approaches the race due to his past results.
“My mindset for this race is the same as I have every weekend,” Power said. “I need a good weekend to score points for the championship and get the most out of everything. I’ll do my absolute best this weekend.”
2. Sato logs miles to get to Sao Paulo: A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato flew 12,900 air miles (20,760km) this week to get to Brazil from Tokyo, where he went following his win at Long Beach. He won’t return to Japan until summer.
Sato attended a victory press conference in his home country and said becoming the first Japanese driver to win an Indy car race has raised the profile of the series in Japan.
But now, Sato has a new goal:
“The championship is my target now that I have won a race,” he said. “The series is so competitive and consistency is the key. Every weekend you need to be best of the best.”
3. Of note: Former IZOD IndyCar Series driver and current BAND Sports commentator Felipe Giaffone was one of the drivers of the INDYCAR Experience 2-seater in Sao Paulo…Among the visitors to the IZOD IndyCar Series paddock on May 3 were Rubens Barrichello and Roberto Moreno.
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The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle on Sunday, May 5, on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network live, during the network’s coverage of Carb Day.
