What happens when the stars of INDYCAR aren’t racing? INDYCAR will give you a look at what happens when drivers get out of their cars and step into The Offseason, a mini-series starring Will Power, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden. This week, Fun in the boardroom.
Racing
KeyBank recognizes Fan Force United as Community Leader
Fan Force United may have completed its first year in Firestone Indy Lights, but its impact has already been felt in and around the racing community.
The team has been awarded the $3,000 KeyBank Community Leader Award given to the Firestone Indy Lights driver or team that best displays community outreach.
The team was associated with several charitable causes throughout the season. Emerson Newton-John ran the No. 42 Pink and Blue For Two car for two races in support of the cancer awareness campaign centered around promoting awareness of breast and prostate cancer. Also featured on its cars throughout the season was Noah’s Rainbow, a non-profit organization supporting children and families faced with life threatening illnesses in memory of Noah Paul Yamilkoski.
“It really is an honor for us,” said team co-owner Chris Williams. “We try hard to engage the community and reach out to them as our fans. We didn’t do it for any awards but more for giving back to community. We thank KeyBank for their support of the series and this award.”
Other charitable associations included the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, Megan’s Mega Weekend fundraiser, the Rich Lentz Family Cancer Benefit, Team Jeremiah and a tribute to the life of Michael Roman, an aspiring race car driver.
Source: INDYCAR
Bobby Rahal to be inducted to SCCA Hall of Fame
IZOD IndyCar Series team co-owner and 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal is among five road racing principals who will be inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame on March 2.
Joining Rahal in being honored are Skip Barber, Bill Noble, Carroll Shelby and Andy Porterfield. The SCCA National Hall of Fame was created in 2004 to preserve, protect and record the history and accomplishments of the Sports Car Club of America by acknowledging those members who have made a significant impact on its development.
Rahal was 22-years-old when he was awarded the President’s Cup following his 1975 Formula B (soon to be renamed Formula Atlantic) National Championship. Using club racing as a springboard, Rahal went on to drive IMSA and in the SCCA Trans-Am Series. He won CART championships in 1986, 1987 and 1992, as well as the Rookie of the Year award in 1982.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in November signed 2005 SCCA National Champion Graham Rahal (son of the Bobby) to drive in the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
Source: INDYCAR
Canadian Karting Standout Daniel Burkett Joins Belardi
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Belardi Auto Racing is thrilled to welcome Canadian karting standout Daniel Burkett who will join the team’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda squad for the 2013 season.
Racing since he was just nine-years-old, Burkett holds many karting accolades from Junior Championship titles to Rookie of the Year honors amongst countless podiums. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native is credited as the first Manitoban to become part of Team Canada during karting’s 2011 Rotax World Finals held in the United Arab Emirates. The 17-year-old already has ties to the INDYCAR world having been nominated in 2011 for the prestigious karting shootout held by IZOD IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe.
“I’m really excited to be joining Belardi Auto Racing,” Burkett said. “After the first test day I knew that they were a great fit for me. The team atmosphere was very evident and I got along very well with everyone. After our first test together, I could not find a reason why I should sign with anyone else.”
“We are really pleased to have Daniel join our USF2000 program this year,” remarked team owner Brian Belardi. “Daniel traveled down to Indy and tested for us last autumn, and I have to say we were very impressed with how well he transitioned from karts to the USF2000 car. He was quick right out of the box, worked well with our staff and had a great attitude. The 2013 season holds a lot of promise, and we are excited to have Daniel on board.”
Burkett is the third overall driver to the Belardi roster and second for its USF2000 program where he will join 15-year-old Matt McMurry. The 2013 season will commence on March 14 at Sebring International Raceway where the USF2000 doubleheader will be a part of the American Le Mans Series’ 61st 12 Hours of Sebring weekend.
Source: Belardi Auto Racing
INDYCAR: #TheOffseason: Episode 3
What happens when the stars of INDYCAR aren’t racing? INDYCAR will give you a look at what happens when drivers get out of their cars and step into The Offseason, a mini-series starring Will Power, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden. This week, Hinch has some trouble with the copier.
Ryan Hunter-Reays welcome first child
Ryan Hunter-Reay’s memorable 2012 got an additional memory with the birth of his first child with wife Beccy – Ryden Hunter-Reay on Dec. 28.
Ryden weighed in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 19.5 inches
“I thought we would be dealing with this in mid-January, so it was unexpected,” Hunter-Reay said. “His name is Ryden because my wife Beccy really wanted him to have the initials RHR. He’s amazing. It was such an amazing experience. He was born on Dec. 28, which is my car number, so I guess it was meant to be. The first time through is a magic experience but as a dad standing alongside, it was very nerve-racking.”
Source: INDYCAR
Ryan Hunter-Reay joins Rolex 24 field
Hunter-Reay is the latest IZOD IndyCar Series driver confirmed for the race on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn circuit at Daytona International Speedway. Other competitors include Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Charlie Kimball, James Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud and Justin Wilson.
Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette Dallara Daytona Prototype along with Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor. Teams in all classes will test Jan. 4-6.
Hunter-Reay, 32, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the seventh consecutive year, and the event will mark his 16th Grand-Am race. He co-drove the winning car in the 2007 season-ending 1,000-mile endurance race at Miller Motorsports Park outside Salt Lake City.
“I look forward to once again be driving for Wayne and working with the team that catapulted my career resurgence in 2006,” said Hunter-Reay, who has a best finish of third in the 2010 Rolex 24. “After winning the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship with Team Chevy, I’m delighted to be an integral part of Chevrolet’s biggest U.S. endurance event of the year.
“This will be my seventh Rolex 24 and I have come close to victory in the past with a podium. But joining this team and driving a Corvette DP alongside Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor should provide the best opportunity, yet, at competing for the overall win and getting on the top step.”
Last year, Hunter-Reay teamed with Marco Andretti, Michael Valiante and Scott Mayer for a 10th-place finish in a Starworks Motorsport car.
“I’ve known Ryan for years and have always thought he was a tremendously underrated driver,” team owner Wayne Taylor said. “He proved to the world what he’s truly made of by winning the IndyCar championship last season. It’s very important for our mutual partner General Motors to have him with a top team in the Daytona 24-hour.”
Source: INDYCAR
Firestone to Remain Sole IZOD IndyCar Series Tire Supplier Through 2018
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and INDYCAR announced that Bridgestone Americas’ Firestone brand will remain the sole tire supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series through the 2018 race season.
“Firestone performance and safety have been synonymous with Indy car racing for more than 100 years,” said Al Speyer, executive director, Firestone Racing. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue the ongoing success of this series by extending the Firestone brand’s history in the sport through the 2018 season. We treasure the relationships we have fostered with the league, drivers, owners and various other partners involved with the sport through the years, and look forward to continuing our legacy of high performance for which Firestone tires are known.”
Firestone has supplied tires to the IZOD IndyCar Series since the league began in 1996, and this announcement confirms the Firestone brand’s participation in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2016. As part of the partnership extension, the Firestone brand will increase its commitment to and investments in the series to help maximize the growth potential of the series.
“The Firestone brand’s significant contributions to IZOD IndyCar Series racing are the result of more than 100 years of experience competing in this sport, most recently as part of a continuous 22-year partnership,” said Jeff Belskus, interim president and CEO, INDYCAR. “The agreement expands our opportunity to continue working together to provide on-track excitement for our fans and grow the sport through coordinated and consistent off-track promotions. This is an important relationship for both Firestone and INDYCAR and we are very pleased to continue the association.”
The expanded agreement begins in 2014, and includes tires and technical support, investments in advertising, event promotions, at-track signage, hospitality, race title sponsorships and other programs. Specific details of the agreement and relationship will be announced next year.
The title sponsorship and official tire status of the Firestone Indy Lights series will run through 2013.
“Our partnership with the IZOD IndyCar Series is based on mutual respect and benefit to all parties. Our agreement to move forward together is a manifestation of the business value we both realize from this partnership as well as the legacy of safety and performance that we have built together over a century of experience,” said Speyer.
“We are proud to continue our tradition of exceptional support for the IndyCar Series. One of our future aims is to help grow interest, so we look forward to welcoming a new generation of fans to the sport while at the same time energizing the existing loyal fan base. Fans are the true end customer for both INDYCAR and Firestone, and their engagement is fundamental to our mutual future success.”
In addition to the partnership with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone brand will be the official tire of the race season kickoff — the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif.
In keeping with tradition, Firestone will remain the Official Tire of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Firestone also will continue as the title sponsor of the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway in June.
Source: INDYCAR ♦ Photo: Brian Groce
INDYCAR: #TheOffseason: Episode 2
What happens when the stars of INDYCAR aren’t racing? INDYCAR will give you a look at what happens when drivers get out of their cars and step into The Offseason, a mini-series starring Will Power, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden. This week, Josef Newgarden stumbles on a new feature of the INDYCAR conference room.
INDYCAR: #TheOffseason: Episode 1
What happens when the stars of INDYCAR aren’t racing? INDYCAR will give you a look at what happens when drivers get out of their cars and step into The Offseason, a mini-series starring Will Power, James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball and Josef Newgarden. This week, the drivers pitch in around the INDYCAR office.