Motegi Race Thread *** SPOILERS!!! ***

[rustyfan]

Seeing as no one else has posted one despite the race being over, I might as well do it myself.

Also, I think it would be a good idea to implement an unwritten rule that no race spoilers whatsoever are to be posted in thread titles.

As I said in this thread, it's commonplace on other forums and it isn't brain surgery.

Do NOT scroll down if you don't want to learn the results of the race.































Anyhow, with that out of the way, congrats to Dan Wheldon on picking up his first career victory!


Race story off the IndyCar website;

Wheldon Dominates For First Career Victory - Andretti Green Racing Driver Gives Honda Initial Win At Home Venue
By Dave Lewandowski
indyracing.com

Saturday Apr 17, 2004

MOTEGI, Japan – The kid is on a roll.

Dan Wheldon, whose looks and persona belie his 25 years, dominated the Indy Japan 300 on April 17 for his first career IRL IndyCar® Series victory. It was his sixth consecutive top-5 finish and ninth top-10 finish in a row.

How dominating was the first victory by an Englishman in an Indy-style car race since September 1997, when Mark Blundell won at California Speedway?

He led 192 laps – the fifth-highest in IndyCar Series history and the second-most for a 200-lap event. He beat Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan to the finish line by 1.4454 seconds. He had the fastest race lap (27.2016 seconds; 201.165 mph) on the 1.5-mile egg-shaped oval. He also was the MBNA Pole Award winner with a fast lap of 26.5938 seconds (205.762 mph).

“It was an absolutely awesome day for me to win my first race,” said Wheldon, who gave engine manufacturer Honda its first victory in seven attempts at its home track. “The race itself was tough when you’ve got Tony Kanaan following you, pressing hard, and Darren Manning was pushing him. It makes it very difficult. But it worked out well for me.

“I think Honda kicked butt, and I think they deserve this more than any other engine manufacturer in the world. Their dedication to motorsports is second to none. I’m truly privileged to have one of their engines in the back of my car.”

Toyota-powered cars placed 3-5. Marlboro Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves was followed by Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Darren Manning and Scott Dixon. Dixon, the 2003 IndyCar Series champion competed with a hairline (non-displaced) fracture on the tip of the left fibula in the ankle. He suffered the injury when his car made contact with the Turn 4 wall in the first practice session April 15.

It was a race reversal for Wheldon and Kanaan. In the Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, Wheldon started from the pole and finished third. Kanaan joined his teammate on the front row, took the lead on the first lap and cruised to the victory. Under a clear sky and temperature in the mid-70s at Twin Ring Motegi, Wheldon didn’t allow anyone to slip past.

“I think for the team, Andretti Green Racing, they worked so hard in trying to achieve not only victories for their drivers, but domination,” said Wheldon, driver of the No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone. “They had four cars that ran very competitively.”

Said team co-owner Michael Andretti, who also watched AGR drivers Dario Franchitti finish seventh and Bryan Herta 14th: “It’s huge for the team and for Honda. They’ve been trying so hard and I’m so happy we were able to do it. The way we did it by dominating with Dan and Tony was just a perfect weekend. (Wheldon) just drove a perfect race. He deserves it.”

Full Race Results;

Pos Driver Name Car# Car Name C E T Start Qual Speed Laps Xs Led Laps Led Status Earnings Pts
1 Dan Wheldon 26 Klein Tools/ Jim Beam D H F 1 205.762 200 3 192 Running $120,720 53
2 Tony Kanaan 11 Team 7-Eleven D H F 3 205.690 200 0 0 Running $99,440 40
3 Helio Castroneves 3 Marlboro Team Penske D T F 15 203.281 200 1 4 Running $78,020 35
4 Darren Manning 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing G T F 10 204.345 200 1 2 Running $62,340 32
5 Scott Dixon 1 Target Chip Ganassi Racing G T F 6 204.985 200 0 0 Running $56,420 30
6 Buddy Rice 15 Pioneer/ Argent Mortgage G H F 5 205.408 200 0 0 Running $49,220 28
7 Dario Franchitti 27 Alpine D H F 9 204.395 199 0 0 Running $53,280 26
8 Kosuke Matsuura 55 Panasonic ARTA G H F 4 205.629 199 0 0 Running $51,920 24
9 Scott Sharp 8 Delphi D T F 12 203.867 199 1 2 Running $46,420 22
10 Tora Takagi 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing D T F 22 195.054 199 0 0 Running $50,400 20
11 Roger Yasukawa 16 Sammy G H F 13 203.863 198 0 0 Running $43,380 19
12 Alex Barron 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing D C F 22 199.835 196 0 0 Running $42,020 18
13 Tomas Scheckter 4 Pennzoil Panther D C F 16 202.952 184 0 0 Running $46,240 17
14 Bryan Herta 7 XM Satellite Radio D H F 11 204.015 183 0 0 Radiator $44,560 16
15 A.J. Foyt IV 14 Conseco/ A.J. Foyt Racing D T F 17 202.055 169 0 0 Running $37,700 15
16 Mark Taylor 2 Menards/ Johns Manville Racing D C F 14 203.787 167 0 0 Accident $36,340 14
17 Vitor Meira 17 Rahal-Letterman BEA Systems G H F 8 204.631 166 0 0 Clutch $34,820 13
18 Adrian Fernandez 5 Quaker State Telmex Tecate G H F 18 201.649 153 0 0 Engine $34,820 12
19 Sam Hornish Jr. 6 Marlboro Team Penske D T F 7 204.890 87 0 0 Accident $33,380 12
20 Greg Ray 13 Renovac G H F 2 205.722 55 0 0 Suspension $37,520 12
21 Robbie Buhl 24 Team Purex/ Dreyer & Reinbold D C F 21 195.358 38 0 0 Handling $32,020 12
22 Ed Carpenter 52 Red Bull Cheever Racing D C F 20 195.454 38 0 0 Mechanical $32,020 12



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