INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Sept. 17, 2013

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Hawksworth enjoys first test in Indy car 

2. Hunter-Reay to support cancer charity 

1. Hawksworth enjoys first test in Indy car: Firestone Indy Lights competitor Jack Hawksworth’s first experience in an IZOD IndyCar Series car left him wanting more.

The Englishman, who won the Star Mazda Championship in 2012 and has won three races in Firestone Indy Lights this season, tested a car for Rahal Letterman Racing at Sebring International Raceway on Sept. 17.

“I really enjoyed it,” Hawksworth said. “All of the guys made me feel really welcome, I worked well with all the guys, the engineers, mechanics. It was just a fantastic day. 

“It was a lot of fun, and I think we had a really strong day as well. What was really cool about it was that we actually went into a test plan. We were testing things, we weren’t just going out and doing laps, you were working with an IndyCar team on a test day and trying to develop the car and things that they want to test. I really enjoyed that part of it. It was obviously a bit of an eye opener working with an IndyCar team and the way they work, and it was a great day.”

Hawksworth has tested a Firestone Indy Lights car at Sebring, which aided in his adapting to the higher downforce and horsepower produced by an Indy car. 

“The big thing is for me that the braking is different, in the Lights car you can’t hit the brake nearly as hard as you can hit it in an IndyCar,” he said. “But the way you actually drive the car in terms of how you went into the corner, how you try to get your turning done in the corner is quite similar.”

Hawksworth, who is locked in a fierce battle for the Firestone Indy Lights title and the Mazda Road to Indy scholarship given to the champion,  is hopeful of moving up to the IZOD IndyCar Series in the future. The experience of driving the Indy car has only heightened the dream.

“It’s a great experience, for sure it’s opened my eyes to IndyCar,” he said. “If anything it’s just made my desire to be in IndyCar more real and just made me even more passionate about it, because I had such a fun day and such a great day.”

2. Hunter-Reay to support cancer charity: IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will participate in the annual Dolphins Cycling Challenge as part of Team AutoNation.

The DCC is a two-day cycling event with 10 ride options from 13-170 miles. The ride, which benefits the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, will take place in South Florida on Nov. 2-3. It is a collaborative effort between the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, with 100 percent of rider-raised funds going directly to cancer research at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Nearly one-third of cancer is said to be preventable and with early detection, many more cancers can be caught in their early stages saving lives,” said Hunter-Reay. “Our goal is to create an awareness of the importance of getting tested.”

Hunter-Reay, who lost his mother to colon cancer in 2010, is committed to helping in the global fight against cancer along with AutoNation, a presenting sponsor of Racing for Cancer, which Hunter-Reay co-founded in honor of his mother.

“AutoNation is on a mission to, along with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Michael Mandich with the Dolphins Cycling Challenge, drive home the point to the public and our 21,000 associates that early detection saves lives,” said Mike Maroone, President and COO of AutoNation. “Many of us at AutoNation knew Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich, Dolphins’ star player and “voice” of the Dolphins for many years. It is in his memory that we are raising money to fight cancer through the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Racing for Cancer.”

Hunter-Reay’s participation in the DCC highlights the belief that all of us can make a difference in the fight against cancer.

“The DCC is committed to supporting the community and the only local academic cancer center,” said Dolphins Cycling Challenge CEO, Michael Mandich.  “We are thrilled to have Ryan riding as part of Racing for Cancer and Team AutoNation.  We could not do it without our corporate teams and their riders.”

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The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers doubleheader on Oct. 5 and 6 at Reliant Park. Both races will be televised live by NBC Sports Network (3 p.m. ET on Oct. 5 and 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 6) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5 at Houston’s Reliant Park. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 6