This article is about the sanctioning body. For other meanings see IndyCar (disambiguation). For an overview of U.S. National Championship auto racing, see American Championship Car Racing.

IndyCar
Sport	Open-wheel cars
Area of jurisdiction	North America
Formation date	1996
Headquarters	Indianapolis, IN
President	Randy Bernard
Official website
www.indycar.com

IndyCar is the trade name of an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. IndyCar sanctions four racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series^[1] (often abbreviated ICS or IICS) with its centerpiece Indianapolis 500, and developmental series Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship and the U.S. F2000 National Championship, which are all a part of The Road To Indy.

The trade name INDYCAR was officially adopted on January 1, 2011, as the trade name of racing operations of Indy Racing League LLC.

IndyCar is owned by Hulman and Co., which also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex and the Clabber Girl brand.

Sanctioned series[link]

IZOD IndyCar Series[link]

The IndyCar Series is the name adopted in 2003 for the premier series sanctioned by IndyCar. The series was known as the Indy Racing League until the beginning of the 2003 season. Izod was announced as the IndyCar Series title sponsor in 2010, a deal expected to run for at least five years.^[1]

The series initially raced exclusively on oval tracks, as the series was founded partly in response to the increasing prominence of road and street courses on the CART schedule. In 2005, the series abandoned its unofficial ovals-only stance, and added three road–street course events. By 2009, the series had a roughly 50/50 split of ovals and road/street courses.

Firestone Indy Lights[link]

Firestone Indy Lights is the development series for the Izod Indycar series. It originally started in 2002, as the IRL Infiniti Pro Series coincidentally in the same year as CART's own Indy Lights series came to an end. Since the merger of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, the Indy Lights name returned. The Indy Lights run as support races to IndyCar Series races. In the past, a round during the United States Grand Prix was also apart of the schedule.

Star Mazda Championship[link]

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is an open-wheel racecar driver development series in North America. Competitors use spec Formula Mazda race cars built by Star Race Cars. The original series, using first-generation tube-frame cars started in the early 1990s, with the current, high-tech, carbon-fiber car released in 2004. The series has historically included road courses, street courses, and ovals. The series' primary sponsors are Mazda and Goodyear and the cars, while purpose built for the track with carbon fiber monocoques, are powered by 250 horsepower Mazda 'Renesis' rotary engines. The series' stated goal is "to develop new race driving talent". In 2010 the series became a part of The Road to Indy.

U.S. F2000[link]

USF2000 is a series IndyCar started sanctioning in 2010. Originally started in 1991 and folded in 2006, it was restarted in 2010 as part of the "Road to Indy" ladder series. The series runs with Star Mazda at every event, though it doesn't run at a few races Star Mazda does.

Championship point system[link]

Like other governing bodies, IndyCar awards points based upon where a driver finishes in a race. The systems for both the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights are identical. The top three drivers are separated by ten and five points respectively (see this section table). The fourth through tenth place finishers are separated by two points each. Eleventh through eighteenth are separated by one point each. Eighteenth through twenty-fourth score twelve points each. All other drivers who start the race score ten points. New for 2009, 2 points (instead of 3 points, as in previous years) will be awarded for the driver who leads the most laps, and 1 point will be awarded to the driver who claims the pole position, except at the Indianapolis 500.

For the Indianapolis 500, qualifying points are awarded for all 33 cars at the Indianapolis 500. The point scale slides based on the teams that qualify for the top-nine shootout, then descending by speed and position.

History[link]

Indy car name[link]

"Indy car" is sometimes used as a descriptive name for championship open-wheel auto racing in the United States. The Indy car name derived as a result of the genre's fundamental link to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (often referred to as the "Indy 500"), the best-known and most-popular auto race in North America.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in 1980, the term Indy car was often used to describe the race cars in the events sanctioned by CART, which had become the dominant governing body for open-wheel racing in the United States. The Indianapolis 500, however, remained sanctioned by USAC. CART recognized the Indy 500 on its schedule, and awarded points for finishers in the race from 1980–1995 despite not sanctioning it. The two entities operated separately, but utilized the same equipment.

In 1992, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway registered the IndyCar trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and licensed it to CART, which renamed its championship the IndyCar World Series. All references to the name "CART" were decidedly prohibited, as the series sought to eliminate perceived confusion from casual fans with the term kart.

During the 1996 season, the IndyCar mark was the subject of a fierce legal battle. Prior to the 1996 season, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George had created his own national championship racing series, the Indy Racing League. In March 1996, CART filed a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an effort to protect their license to the IndyCar mark which the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had attempted to terminate. In April, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway filed a countersuit against CART to prevent them from further use of the mark. Eventually a settlement was reached in which CART agreed to give up the use of the IndyCar mark following the 1996 season and the IRL could not use the name before the end of the 2002 season.

Following a six-year hiatus, Indy Racing League, LLC announced it would rename their premier series the IndyCar Series for the 2003 racing season. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc., a subsidiary of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, is the current owner of the IndyCar mark and licenses that mark to the Indy Racing League for use in connection with the IndyCar Series. CART (and its successor Champ Car) races outside the United States were still permitted to use the Indy moniker, such as the Toronto Molson Indy and Lexmark Indy 300, though the distinction is moot now, as the two series have unified. Post-unification, a heavy emphasis has been placed on deemphasizing the IRL moniker and replacing it with the IndyCar name. This became official on January 1, 2011 as Indy Racing League LLC adopted as its trade name INDYCAR, with all official documents stating "Indy Racing League LLC, d/b/a INDYCAR."

Split with CART[link]

The Indy Racing League was founded in 1994 by Tony George and began racing in 1996. CART had sanctioned Indy car racing since 1979, when the organization broke away from USAC. George blueprinted the IRL as a lower-cost open-wheel alternative to CART, which had become technology-driven and dominated by a few wealthy multi-car teams, much like Formula One. It initially attracted some of the smaller teams who believed in the vision presented by Tony George.

The split between the IRL and the CART governing body was extremely acrimonious, and both series greatly suffered because of it. The rivalry between competing groups of fans was most active on the Internet, especially on motorsports message boards, and tended to affect any attempts at impartial views of either racing series.

The most bitter point of conflict between CART and the IRL was the Indianapolis 500, long considered the crown jewel of North American motorsports. After the beginning of the IRL in 1996, Tony George restricted entry of the starting 33 cars to 25 IRL cars from full-time IRL teams, with only eight other cars being permitted to start. In retaliation, CART scheduled what was supposed to become its new showcase event, the U.S. 500, at Michigan International Speedway on the same day, but it drew far less fan interest and was discontinued after its 1999 running. Although modified in 1999, the initial Indy 500 policy toward CART was held up as proof of George and the IRL's ill-intent towards CART.

In 1997, Tony George specified new technical rules for less expensive cars and "production based" engines that outlawed the CART-spec cars that had been the mainstay of the race since the late 1970s. For the next few years almost all of the CART teams and drivers did not compete in the race. While this situation allowed many American drivers to participate in an event they might otherwise have been unable to afford, the turbulent political situation and the absence of many top IndyCar drivers, big-name sponsors and faster CART-spec cars cast something of a shadow over the race. It was certainly arguable that to the average fan, the replacement of at least fairly well known foreign drivers by almost-unknown American ones was not perceived as a real gain.

At its inception, the series and George himself were criticized by members of the media and some CART competitors. The IRL's early seasons consisted of sparse schedules, mostly unknown drivers, and inexperienced teams, even in the Indy 500. Eventually, the schedule expanded and the caliber of drivers improved. The IRL began to draw teams from CART starting in 2000, contributing to the latter's bankruptcy, re-branding as Champ Car in 2003, and ultimate demise and absorption by the IRL in 2008.

The IRL–CART split was a primary factor in an overall loss of interest in open-wheel motor racing in North America.^[2] NASCAR has since supplanted open-wheel racing as the most popular auto racing sport in the United States, and from 1995 onward, NASCAR's Daytona 500 has surpassed the IRL's Indianapolis 500 in U.S. television ratings. The split has also hurt overall sponsorship of US open-wheel racing. In 2006 and 2007, several top CART and IRL drivers left for the more lucrative NASCAR, including Dario Franchitti, A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish, Jr., and most recently Danica Patrick,^[3] although Franchitti returned to the IRL for the 2009 season due to a lack of sponsorship in NASCAR.^[4]

In later years, the IndyCar Series has become similar to the CART series from which it separated. The winner's circle of IndyCar is now dominated by a few wealthy teams—including those from the old CART series, such as Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske—a strong contingent of foreign-born drivers, and has a schedule which includes nine races that are not contested on ovals.

Unification with Champ Car[link]

On January 23, 2008, Tony George offered Champ Car management a proposal that included free cars and engine leases to Champ Car teams willing to run the entire 2008 IndyCar Series schedule in exchange for adding Champ Car's dates at Long Beach, Toronto, Edmonton, and Australia to the IndyCar Series schedule, effectively reuniting American open wheel racing.^[5] The offer was initially made in November 2007.^[5] On February 10, 2008, Tony George, along with IRL representatives Terry Angstadt and Brian Barnhart, plus former Honda executive Robert Clarke, traveled to Japan to discuss moving the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.^[6] Moving that race, or postponing it, would be required in order to accommodate the Long Beach Grand Prix, which was scheduled for the same weekend.^[6] Optimism following the meeting was high.^[7]

In February 2008, Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George and owners of the Champ Car World Series completed an agreement to unify the sport for 2008.^[8] The result was that the Champ Car World Series was suspended except for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Many of the former Champ Car teams moved to the IndyCar Series using equipment provided by the League.

Driver safety[link]

Driver safety has also been a major point of concern, with a number of drivers seriously injured, particularly in the early years of the series. There have been four fatal crashes in the history of the series. Compared to road racing venues, the lack of run-offs on oval tracks, coupled with higher speeds due to the long straights and banked turns, means that there is far less margin for error. Car design was attributed as a leading cause of early injuries, and the series made improvements to chassis design to address those safety concerns. Following a series of spectacular high-profile accidents in 2003, including American racing legend Mario Andretti and former champion Kenny Bräck, as well as the death of Tony Renna in testing at Indianapolis, the IRL made additional changes to reduce speeds and increase safety.

IndyCar was the first racing series to adopt the SAFER soft wall safety system, which debuted at the Indianapolis 500 and has now been installed at almost all major oval racing circuits. The SAFER system research and design was supported and funded in large part by the Hulman-George family and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.^{[citation needed]}

Fatalities[link]

• Scott Brayton – (May 17, 1996), 1996 Indianapolis 500 practice session.
• Tony Renna – (October 22, 2003), Firestone private testing session.
• Paul Dana – (March 26, 2006), 2006 Toyota Indy 300 practice session.
• Dan Wheldon – (October 16, 2011), 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Hélio Castroneves practicing at the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

• 

  Roberto Moreno practicing the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

• 

  Marco Andretti (left) practicing with father Michael at Indy in 2007.

• 

  A Honda engine for 2007 to 2011.

See also[link]

• List of IndyCar teams
• List of IndyCar Series racetracks
• ABC Sports Indy Racing (video game)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website of the Indianapolis 500
• IndyCar on Versus.com

James Hinchcliffe
Hinchcliffe at the 2011 Indianapolis 500
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1986-12-05) December 5, 1986 (age 25) Oakville, Ontario
2012 IndyCar Series
Debut season	2011
Current team	Andretti Autosport
Car no.	27
Starts	16
Wins	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Previous series
2009–10 2006–2008 2006–07 2005 2004	Firestone Indy Lights Atlantic Championship A1 Grand Prix Star Mazda Series Formula BMW USA
Awards
2010 2011	Greg Moore Legacy Award IndyCar Rookie of the Year Tony Renna Rising Star Award

James Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver from Oakville, Ontario currently competing in the IndyCar Series. On January 10th, 2012 it was announced that Hinchcliffe would succeed Danica Patrick as the driver of the #27 Go Daddy.com car for Andretti Autosport.^[1]

Racing career[link]

Early racing[link]

After karting, he started his open-wheel career in 2003, when he finished 3rd in Bridgestone Racing Academy F2000 series. Next year he was top rookie in Formula BMW USA, winning three races. In 2005, he raced in the Star Mazda Series, finishing 3rd overall with three wins. In 2006 he moved to the Champ Car Atlantic Series series with Forsythe Racing. He won one race at Portland and scored two other podiums, but was only able to finish 10th in the overall standings.

A1 Grand Prix[link]

He then joined A1 Team Canada in A1 Grand Prix. He finished 8th in the sprint race and 13th in the feature in his first race at Zandvoort, then had a stunning weekend in Brno. He scored 2nd in the sprint race at the Czech round and led the feature for the majority of the race, but clashed with eventual winner Alex Yoong dropped him down to 5th. He raced next at the Beijing round, finishing 4th in the sprint race and 10th in the feature (which he could have won but for a team pitstop strategy error), and then returned after two races out at the New Zealand round, where he finished 6th in both races.

'Hinch' once again raced in the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2007, this time with the Sierra Sierra team. He finished 4th in points without a win. During the season he was also a guest commentator on the international feed for Champ Car World Series races. He returned to Forsythe Racing for the 2008 Atlantic Championship season, again finishing 4th in points but this time capturing a win in the second race of the season at Laguna Seca.

Firestone Indy Lights Series[link]

For the 2009 season, he competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series for perennial powerhouse team Sam Schmidt Motorsports in their #7 car. Hinchcliffe struggled by #7 car standards, finishing 5th in points without a win or pole position. In 2010 season, he signed on with the less historically-successful Team Moore Racing in their #2 entry. Hinchcliffe captured three wins and five more podium finishes on his way to second in the championship behind French rookie Jean-Karl Vernay who was driving the Schmidt #7 car.

He also served as the driver analyst for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 as regular driver analyst Davey Hamilton was competing in the race.

IndyCar Series[link]

Hinchcliffe after qualifying for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

In April 2011, Hinchcliffe signed with Newman/Haas Racing to compete in the remainder of 2011 IndyCar Series season, excluding the Twin Ring Motegi race, after missing the first race of the season at St. Petersburg. He made his debut at Barber Motorsports Park and failed to finish after making contact with a spinning E. J. Viso. He then picked up his first career top five finish in just his second start in the series on the Streets of Long Beach with a 4th place finish. Hinchcliffe then collected a top ten on the Streets of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He finished 9th.

James started 13th in his first Indianapolis 500. Hinchcliffe ran up front for an early portion of the race before crashing on lap 101 and finishing 29th.

Following the Indy 500, was the Firestone Twin 275s in Texas. 'Hinch', however, struggled in both races and had finishes of 20th and 19th, respectively. Hinchcliffe then rebounded to collect his 2nd top ten of the season with a 6th at the Milwaukee Mile. ^[2] Hinchcliffe was strong for the rest of the year, collecting Rookie of the Year Honors, just beating out Panther Racing's J.R. Hildebrand. However, after the 2011 Indycar season it was announced that Newman/Haas racing would not be returning to Indycar making Hinchcliffe a free agent. On January,10th 2012 it was announced that Hinchcliffe will replace Danica Patrick as driver of the GoDaddy car renumbered to #27, the same used by Canadian drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve.^[3]

Motorsports career results[link]

Complete A1 Grand Prix results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

American open–wheel racing results[link]

(key)

Atlantic Championship[link]

Indy Lights[link]

IndyCar Series[link]

** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.

*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Indianapolis 500[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• IndyCar Driver Page

Takuma Sato Sato at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010. Nationality Japan Born (1977-01-28) 28 January 1977 (age 35) Tokyo, Japan 2012 IndyCar Series Debut season 2010 Current team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Car no. 15 Former teams KV Racing Technology Starts 39 Wins 0 Poles 2 Fastest laps 0 Best finish 13th in 2011 Previous series 2002–2008 2000, 2001 2000, 2001 1999–2001 Formula One Masters of Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix British Formula Three Championship titles 2001 2001 2001 Macau Grand Prix Masters of Formula 3 British Formula Three Takuma Sato at an autograph session at the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Formula One World Championship career Nationality Japanese Active years 2002–2008 Teams Jordan, BAR, Super Aguri Races 92 (90 starts) Championships 0 Wins 0 Podiums 1 Career points 44 Pole positions 0 Fastest laps 0 First race 2002 Australian Grand Prix Last race 2008 Spanish Grand Prix

Takuma Sato (佐藤 琢磨, Satō Takuma^?, born January 28, 1977 in Tokyo) is a Japanese automobile racing driver and (in terms of podium finishes) the most successful Japanese Formula One driver in history. He is currently racing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in IndyCar Series.

Junior Years[link]

Sato is unusual among Japanese drivers in having relatively little motor racing experience in his native country. He initially competed in bicycle racing, where he won several national junior-championships.

He began his karting career in Japan in 1996, at the late age of 19, and later entered the Suzuka circuit Racing School (SRS), a racing school managed by Honda. In 1998, Sato stepped up into the All-Japan Formula Three Championship and drove for the Mugen-Dome project, but he broke his contract with the team in mid-season and moved to England to pursue a career in European racing. Through 1998 and 1999 he raced in Junior Formula races throughout the continent, moving to the British Formula Three Championship at the end of 1999. In 2000 and 2001 he pursued full seasons in British Formula Three, finishing third in 2000 and winning the championship in 2001, and taking 16 wins over the two years. He also competed in international races at Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, and Macau.

Promotion to Formula One[link]

Jordan[link]

In 2002 Sato graduated to Formula One with the Honda-powered Jordan team, and was paired with Giancarlo Fisichella. His low point was a tremendous crash in Austria, caused when Nick Heidfeld lost control of his Sauber under braking and hit the side of Sato's car, punching a hole in the side of the cockpit.^[1] Sato suffered a minor concussion, and was unable to leave the car for several minutes because of his legs being stuck, but soon recovered. At the final race of the season, his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit, Sato scored his first points. He finished the 2002 season with 2 points, 5 points behind his teammate Fisichella. He managed to outqualify his more experienced teammate 4 times.

BAR[link]

Sato celebrates his first and only F1 podium at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

In 2003, Sato moved to British American Racing (BAR), another Honda powered team, as a test driver, but drove the final race of the season at Suzuka in place of Jacques Villeneuve, finishing sixth. In 2004, Sato drove full-time for BAR and regularly challenged for the top five positions, achieving the second-ever podium finish for a Japanese driver (after Aguri Suzuki at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix) by finishing third at the United States Grand Prix. He also achieved second place in qualifying for the European Grand Prix, behind only Michael Schumacher. His overall points tally suffered due to a series of mechanical problems, particularly with his Honda engine. Rumours in the paddock suggested that BAR were testing experimental parts on Sato's car; but these seem also to have been unfounded. Nevertheless Sato finished the 2004 season eighth in the drivers' championship (with 34 points). Sato and his team mate Jenson Button took BAR to second place in the constructors' championship.

Sato (right) side-by-side with Jarno Trulli at the 2005 Canadian GP

Sato was retained by BAR-Honda for the 2005 season, but the 2005 car was not as close to the front of the pack as the previous year's design. Sato missed the Malaysian Grand Prix with illness, and both drivers were disqualified from the San Marino Grand Prix and the entire team banned from the two subsequent races for using cars which were underweight when all fuel was removed. The Court did not find that this was deliberate.^[2] (see British American Racing article). Things didn't improve for Sato as the season progressed, he was involved in a number of racing incidents on the track, most of which were deemed his fault. He scored only 1 point during the season and subsequently did not retain his drive for 2006.

Super Aguri[link]

Sato at the 2006 United States Grand Prix.

Honda completed its takeover of BAR at the end of 2005, creating a works Honda team. Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello were announced as the race drivers for 2006, although Sato was offered the role of third driver. Instead he chose to drive for the new Super Aguri team, set up by Japanese former F1 driver Aguri Suzuki using Honda engines and updates of four-year-old Arrows chassis. Expectations were therefore very low. Early 2006 races saw Sato comfortably outpace rookie teammate Yuji Ide, continuing the trend with Ide's successors; Franck Montagny and Sakon Yamamoto. Sato went on to finish tenth at the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, ahead of his team-mate Yamamoto, Robert Doornbos' Red Bull, both Scuderia Toro Rossos and both MF1s.

Sato at the 2007 British Grand Prix.

Sato at the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Sato remained at Super Aguri for the 2007 season and was joined by Anthony Davidson who had previously been his team mate at Carlin Motorsport in British F3. Sato started the season strongly, setting the team's best ever qualifying result of tenth place for the championship-opening Australian Grand Prix. He finished eighth in the Spanish Grand Prix, to record Super Aguri's first ever world championship point.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Sato finished sixth after having a race that had seen him move from the middle of the grid to a high of fifth, passing Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen before a pit-stop error dropped him back to eleventh. He moved up five places in the last 15 laps, passing Toyota's Ralf Schumacher and then on lap 67 the McLaren-Mercedes of world champion Fernando Alonso (this was met with cheers around the track).^[3] Sato was voted "Driver of the Day" on the British ITV website, ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton, who had won his first race. This was Sato's last points finish of the season. He finished 17th in the Drivers' Championship standings with four points, his best result since 2004 when he drove for BAR.

Sato stayed with Super Aguri for 2008, but the team was in severe financial difficulty and withdrew from F1 with immediate effect in the week before the Turkish Grand Prix after the failure of several rescue packages. In late 2008, Sato took part in tests at Jerez with Scuderia Toro Rosso, to become a candidate to fill the seat vacated by Sebastian Vettel. He was competing against former Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Bourdais and Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver Sébastien Buemi for one of the two race seats.^[4] He first drove on September 18, more than four months since Super Aguri's withdrawal, and tested for the team again for two days in November, setting the fastest time on the 17th,^[5] 3 tenths ahead of Buemi, and proceeded by setting the second-fastest time on the 18th,^[6] just ahead of Bourdais, and two tenths ahead of Buemi.

Sébastien Bourdais eventually won the race seat and in March 2009 it was announced that Sato would not be the reserve driver for the Red Bull team.^[7] He subsequently spent 2009 on the sidelines, but stated in October that he was talking to both active and incoming Formula One teams about a drive for 2010. These talks did not produce a drive in F1 for Sato in the 2010 season.

Switch to IndyCar[link]

Sato driving for KV Racing at the 2011 Indy Japan 300.

Sato visited the Indianapolis 500 in May 2009. He signed with KV Racing Technology to drive in the 2010 IndyCar Series season ^[8] finishing in 21st place, he signed for the same team for 2011.^[9]

2011 has seen Sato display the same raw speed that was evident in the other categories he has contested. Working with teammate and mentor Tony Kanaan, he has managed to claim pole positions at Iowa and Edmonton. However, he still seeks his elusive first win as he continues to be plagued by accidents.

During the 2012 Indianapolis 500, Sato attempted to pass race leader Dario Franchitti going down the front straightaway taking the white flag. He pulled to the inside of Franchitti in an attempt to beat him to turn one in order to get the preferred racing line. Being the final lap of the race neither drive wanted to give way. When both drivers reached the turn Sato had no choice but to drive down on the apron of the track. Sato lost control of his car due to the lack of grip, spinning into the turn one wall. Though slight contact was made between the two drivers, Franchitti managed to maintain control of his vehicle until the yellow flag came out declaring him the winner. Though the incident may have been thought by some as an illegal move on Franchitti's part for Blocking which is an illegal move in Indy Car. Indy Car Officials declared the incident legal moments later, giving Franchitti his 3rd Indianapolis 500 Victory and placing Sato in 17th place unable to finish due to damage from the incident.

Helmet[link]

Sato's helmet is grey with a red line (with blue gradient outline) in each side of the lower area going down the chin, a straight red line over the grey area, a blue white and red ring around the top and under the red line, featuring a Blue and white gradient grid pattern in the chin area and in the top area (inside the blue ring). When he raced for Indycar under the Lotus banner, his design changed to Green with Yellow go-faster stripes crossing the top with a lotus picture, a Indy 500 trophy picture and a Indy 500 logo in the sides.

Personal life[link]

Sato is married and has two children with his wife, Chiharu.^[10]

Motorsports career results[link]

Career summary[link]

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

American open–wheel racing results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

IndyCar Series[link]

¹ The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.

* Season in progress

Indianapolis 500[link]

See also[link]

• List of Japanese people
• Andrew Gilbert-Scott - his manager since his Junior Formula career in Europe until 2009

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Takuma Sato

• Takuma Sato's official website
• Takuma Sato career statistics
• Takuma Sato Racing Simulation Seat

References[link]