2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma 2013 took place on August 25 at the Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, United States place and was the 15th race of the IndyCar Series in 2013.

• 3.1 qualifying
• 3.2 race 3.2.1 guiding portions
• 3.2.2 yellow phase

• 4.1 Drivers' Championship

Reports

Background

After the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Hélio Castroneves led the Drivers' Championship with 31 points on Scott Dixon and 65 points on Ryan Hunter -Reay.

When GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma 2013 the drivers were a total of 150 seconds to use the push-to -pass button. The overtaking was allowed to be activated ten times in the race.

In the starting field, there were three changes. Ryan Briscoe returned to an IndyCar race weekend break back to Panther Racing. Due to the drawn in an accident in Toronto fracture of the right wrist had to pause about one months Briscoe before this race. Briscoe took over from his representation Oriol Servia. For Bryan Herta Autosport Luca Filippi gave the car to JR Hildebrand. Hildebrand was recently at the Indianapolis 500 for Panther Racing in use. He lost his cockpit after he was eliminated in the early stages of the race due to an accident. Hildebrand had received a contract for this race and the season finale in Fontana at Bryan Herta Autosport. In addition, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing announced a second vehicle, which was used together with RW Motorsports. Lucas Luhr won the race car. Luhr was in Sonoma his debut in the IndyCar Series and took more than a decade back part in a formula race. Luhr won the 2012 P1 Drivers' Championship of the American Le Mans Series and led them to the time of the race in 2013. Luhr was the first driver in the IndyCar Series from Germany. No change there was, however, at Dale Coyne Racing in the vehicle with the number 18, James Davison, who was supposed to attend a one-time use in 2013 in the previous race, was reported again. In IndyCar test at Sonoma two weeks before the race Ryo Hirakawa came across this vehicle to his first IndyCar test.

With Will Power (twice), Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Dixon, Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe ( once each ) were seven former winners of this Grand Prix.

Canaan completed at this Grand Prix his 211th IndyCar start in a row. He moved into the time list with his team boss and former sole record holder Jimmy Vasser same.

Training

In the first session Hunter -Reay drove the best time ahead of Castroneves and Franchitti. The two returnees Briscoe and Hildebrand made ​​it in fifth or ninth straight back into the top 10. Luhr took during his first official IndyCar application 2.2 seconds behind Hunter -Reay knocked off the last place. In the second session Dixon posted the fastest time of Friday. In the squares behind him the Penske drivers Castroneves and Power follow. Luhr was again repulsed with 2.3 seconds behind in last place. After the training more pilots expressed with surprise at the relatively rapid decline in Blacks, the harder tire compound. The only red flag Briscoe broke out with a ride.

In the third training Franchitti undercutting the fastest lap. He set the fastest time before Hunter -Reay and Sébastien Bourdais. Luhr was no longer in last place, but remained 2.2 seconds behind the leader. At the time when Franchitti drove the fastest lap, lay all the other pilots more than a second behind him. To the end of training, the first 14 riders were within one second.

Qualifying

Due to a change of wind direction was the route to go, unlike in the previous exercise.

The first part of the session was held in two groups. The six fastest drivers in each group came to the second segment. The remaining starting positions were determined from the result of the first Qualifyingabschnitts, where the drivers of the first group, the odd positions from 13, and the drivers of the second group were assigned to the even positions from 14. In the first group Power set the fastest lap in the second group Franchitti was the fastest pilot.

In the second segment of qualifying, the six fastest riders qualified for the final section. Power posted the fastest lap time. Next to him managed Dixon, Franchitti, Charlie Kimball, Hunter-Reay and Castroneves in the third part of qualifying, the so-called Firestone Fast Six. Franchitti used in the second part of qualifying the same set of the softer tire compound as in the first and thus decreed the only driver on a fresh set of tires for the final section.

Franchitti finally posted the fastest time and achieved the pole position ahead of Dixon and Power.

Davison was moved due to a premature engine change at ten positions to the rear.

Final training

In the final training session before the race, Dixon was fastest. In the squares behind him followed Hunter -Reay and Andretti. Davison did not participate due to a short-term engine change.

Race

At the start, Castroneves and Kimball touched in the second corner. Kimball choked it from his vehicle and set off a yellow phase. Josef Newgarden went with gearbox problems on the box, but drove on. At the restart Bourdais lost his front wing. A few laps later collided EJ Viso and Justin Wilson, setting off a more yellow phase. In the initial phase Franchitti led the race ahead of his teammate Dixon.

In the 17th round, it came to the third caution period after Bourdais Simona de Silvestro had turned in the seventh curve. Except for Hunter -Reay driver all the leading group went to the pits, so Hunter -Reay took the lead before Wilson. At the restart kept Hunter -Reay the lead and Kimball walked past him and got away with it back in the lead lap. Once in midfield Andretti, Simon Pagenaud and Graham Rahal wanted to go to third by the third curve and thereby Rahal fell back, Canaan went in the seventh curve into Hildebrand and turned him. This triggered the fourth caution period. Shortly before Dixon had driven past Franchitti. Hunter -Reay now pitted and handed the reins to Wilson. While Wilson kept the lead at the restart, there were several duels in the field. Power went to Franchitti passed to the third position, James Hinchcliffe has been pressed by Sebastian Saavedra in the run-out zone. In the 29th round James Jakes retired with an engine failure and broke the fifth yellow phase. Next to him were up on Newgarden and Takuma Satō, who had several laps down with technical problems, all drivers on the lead lap.

Wilson, who had older tires, lost the lead at the restart of Dixon and power and went to the box a little later. At about the half- time racing under green flags began the phase of the second pit stops. Power went one lap to Dixon to stop and stayed close behind Dixon. Shortly after power has been overtaken by a braking mistake of Wilson. Due pit stop went for a few rounds of Canaan and then Hinchcliffe in, before Dixon received this back in the 55th round. At this time he led the race before Wilson, Power, Franchitti, Andretti, Castroneves, Pagenaud, de Silvestro and Briscoe.

While Hinchcliffe on fresh tires worked forward and took the fifth position in the 60th round, Wilson, de Silvestro and Hunter -Reay went to their last pit stop. Remained little later Newgarden, who had gearbox problems are solved and the sixth caution period of the race from. In this, the remaining drivers went to their last pit stop. Dixon, whose box was directly behind Powers, touched when you start off the right rear Tyre carrier of Powers crew of the Jack -Man collided by the impact. Both mechanics were unharmed and were quickly back on. Dixon had driven through the area of Powers box, which led to an investigation by the race organizers.

At the restart, Dixon kept although the lead, but he was penalized with a drive-through penalty as the race director gave him the blame for the incident in the pits. Through the penalty Dixon fell back to 21st place, while Power took the lead before Wilson and Franchitti. Dixon and his racing chief Mike Hull criticized the penalty after the race, gave the Tyre carriers to blame for the collision and alleged that he had to have intentionally blocked the way. Penske racing manager Tim Cindric said that the mechanic had the same behavior in the two previous stops as in the third.

In the 78th round of an incident raised in the seventh curve from the final caution period of the race. Briscoe touched Kimball, who crashed when starting with Satō and Ed Carpenter. All drivers continued Satō was a little later on in the pits. At the restart, Wilson tried to drive by power, but was unsuccessful. Dixon, however, worked his way up to 15th place yet. During the race Luhr gave up four laps to go, Saavedra had at this stage in the ninth curve an impact into the barriers after contact with Davison. Saavedra accident did not cause yellow phase. There were only shown locally in the area of the accident site yellow flags.

Power to win him the race. It was his first win since Indy in São Paulo in April 2012. Wilson was second ahead of Franchitti, Andretti and Pagenaud. The top 10 was completed by Hunter -Reay, Castroneves, Hinchcliffe, de Silvestro and Bourdais.

Castroneves benefited from the penalty against Dixon and extended his lead on him further. The first three positions in the championship remained unchanged.

Message list

All teams and drivers used the chassis Dallara DW12 with an aero kit from Dallara and a Firestone tire.

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Classifications

Qualifying

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Race

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Guide sections

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Yellow phases

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Points standings after the race

Drivers' championship

The scoring is explained here.