Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 11th. He drove a smart patient race and was sitting in ninth place when he pitted for the first time during a caution period on lap 26. Unfortunately, an uncooperative wheel nut prolonged his first stop dropping him to 16th place. Fighting his way back, Kanaan moved into fifth place on lap 51 where he remained until the lap 79 of the 80 lap contest when he assumed fourth as Ryan Briscoe was forced to pit for fuel. Kanaan, who was making his fourth appearance in Edmonton, had his best weekend here. His 11th place starting position surpassed his previous high of 13th in 2009 and the fourth place finish easily topped a ninth place showing in 2008

"It was a good result, it was a good race and it's great for the Geico – KV Racing - Lotus crew," Kanaan said.. "If felt good being out there with those guys, you know, all guys that know what they are doing like Justin, Ryan and Dario. We had some great battles and finishing fourth after starting eleventh and on top of that having a bad pit stop is pretty rewarding, especially considering that I got back to fourth in the championship. I feel bad for my teammates because I know that all the three KV cars were supposed to be in the top-five."

Kanaan earned 32 points today and picked up one spot in the championship race. He is now fourth in the standings with 253 points just 29 out of third. The 36-year-old Brazilian has been extremely competitive and extremely consistent through the first half of the 2011 season. In 11 races this season, the perennial championship contender has finished in the top-10 seven times with five top-five showings and two podiums (second at Iowa and third at St. Petersburg). In six events on street or road circuits this year he has finished in the top-10 four times including two top-five showings and one podium (third at St. Petersburg, fourth here in Edmonton, sixth at Barber and eighth in Long Beach). .

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started a season-high fifth and ran in fifth or sixth place throughout the first stint. Following his first pit stop, on lap 26, he was sitting in ninth place due to some drivers that were out of sequence with the lead cars. However, following the restart he became involved in an incident with Scott Dixon in turn five, which claimed several drivers today, and by the time he rejoined the race he was a lap down to the leaders. Viso continued to battle throughout the remainder of the contest and earned 12 championship points giving him a total of 147 and placing him 20th in the standings. This was Viso's fourth start in Edmonton. His best performance here was last year when he qualified sixth, which he topped this year, but finished eighth.

"This for sure was not the result we could have achieved." Viso said. "I started up at the front and on one of the restarts I made contact with Dixon, which I feel bad about as he finished the race some laps behind. It was a pretty messy corner and I got too close and braked on the inside and we hit. I then lost a lap waiting to be restarted and from then on there was not much else we could do. We had a pretty fast car during the race. I think I got the second fastest time and we showed we were strong as a team all weekend. I want to thank everyone who is part of KVRT – Lotus who has helped make us stronger and also my sponsors PDVSA. I really feel bad. I thought we had a chance for a podium."

.

There is no other way to describe Sato's race then being a victim. He qualified the No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus on the pole, led the first 18 laps, the third time he has led laps this season (Brazil and Iowa), dropped to fourth place after having a problem on lap 19, but then came storming back during the restart following the first caution to move into second place. Immediately following the restart Sato was heading into the now infamous turn five when he was hit on the left rear by Ryan Hunter-Reay which caused Sato to spin (Hunter-Ryan received a drive through penalty for "avoidable contact" and following the race sought out Sato and apologized). .While the damage was minimal, it did cause Sato's car to stall and by the time track officials got him restarted he was a lap off the pace and his race was essentially over. This was Sato's second start in Edmonton. In his Edmonton debut last year he qualified 13th and finished ninth. Sato earned 13 points this weekend, one for the pole and 12 for his efforts in the race, but dropped two positions in the standings to 16th with 180 points. He is 32 points out of 10th.

"It is disappointing finishing in the back like this. The start was very exciting. I had a good feeling leading the race. Then I had a little problem with the balance and lost some positions. After that there was a caution and we changed tires. On the restart I regained most of the positions and was running in second. Everything was looking good and I was comfortable with the pace, but unfortunately Hunter–Reay hit me and damaged my car and put me a lap down. It was a long race after that and very difficult to stay motivated. I feel very bad for all the crew. They worked so hard all weekend. It was a positive weekend for us until the middle of the race. I am just so disappointed."

Next up for KVRT – Lotus is the Honda Indy 200, August 5-7, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The race will be broadcast live, Sunday, August 7 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

E. J. Viso qualified a season - high fifth while Tony Kanaan will start 11th.

Sato, behind the wheel of the No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus machine, took the pole with an outstanding lap of 78.5165 seconds (101.971 mph) on the new 2.256-mile, 13-turn Edmonton City Centre Airport temporary street circuit. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, had a fast lap of 78.7383 seconds (101.684) and will grid on the inside of row three while Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, posted a lap of 79.0190 seconds (101.322 mph) and will lineup on the inside of row six.

This is the second time in team history that KVRT – Lotus has had three cars advance to the second round of qualifying (first time was at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010) and the third time that the team has had at least two cars make the Firestone Fast Six (Will Power and Oriol Servia did it twice in 2008 at Edmonton and Sonoma). The team has now had a least one driver advance into the second round of qualifying in five of the six street/road events this year missing only at Toronto. Sato has advanced to the second round four times (St. Petersburg, Barber, Sāo Paulo and Edmonton) and Kanaan three times (St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Edmonton). This is the first time Viso has advanced this year.

Sato, in just his second IndyCar season, captured his second career IndyCar pole today, first on a street/road course and second in three races (first pole came on the oval at Iowa). He advanced to the Firestone Fast Six for the first time this season and fourth time in 15 IndyCar street/road events. Prior to today his best starting position on a street/road course this year was 10th in Brazil (career-high was third at Mid-Ohio last year). Sato now has qualified in the top-11 in eight times in 10 races this season (not counting the second race in Texas where the grid was determined by a draw) and the top-10 six times. He is the only driver other than Will Power to capture a pole on a street/road circuit this year. The 34-year-old from Japan is competing at Edmonton for just the second time. In his debut here last year he qualified 13th and finished ninth.

"It is a fantastic day and a special moment for me and, of course, the team," Sato said. "I have to say a big

thank you to the KV Racing Technology – Lotus team. We had an extremely tight schedule today due to

the weather yesterday, but as it has been for a while now, we have three drivers and engineers working

together to come up with the right setup. I was comfortable, I was confident, so I was able to commit during

qualifying and challenge for the pole and to win it was a great result for us."

Sato, currently 14th in the standings with 167 points just six out of 10th, has had a couple of strong

performances on street/road circuits this year including an IndyCar career-high fifth at St. Petersburg

and an eighth at Brazil.

Viso built on the momentum he gained from his best street/road course performance of the season, a ninth

place finish two weeks ago at Toronto, with his best qualifying effort of the year surpassing a sixth place

starting position at Milwaukee. It is the first time this season he has advanced to the Firestone Fast Six and

the third time in his IndyCar career (qualified fourth in Long Beach in 2009 and sixth here at Edmonton last year). This is Viso's second best starting position in his IndyCar career behind Long Beach. The 26-year-old Venezuelan, who is 20th in the standings with 135 points, will be contesting his fourth race in Edmonton. He had his best performance here last year qualifying sixth and finishing eighth.

"First off I want to congratulate my teammate Takuma Sato for his pole today," Viso said. "I also want to congratulate our team and thank my sponsors PDVSA and Herbalife. I think we have been doing a good job all season and now the results are starting to show. We had a strong car in both practice sessions today and felt that we had a good car for qualifying, which we did. I am still missing a little bit of speed in the fast corners which is where Takuma is faster than me and if it wasn't for that, we could have started first and second. That is definitely something I wish we could have done. So far, I only have positive comments about the new track layout. I think it is a track that suits everyone. Tomorrow is going to be a long, but fun race. There are a lot of places to overtake and definitely starting ahead of the pack is always an advantage."

Kanaan has qualified in the top-10 in five of 10 races this year (not counting the pole

he drew for the second race in Texas). He earned his best starting position in four

attempts here at Edmonton surpassing a 13th place starting spot in 2009. His best

finish is ninth in 2008.

"It was a productive day for the KVRT – Lotus team," Kanaan said. "I mean we put two

cars in the fast six and got the pole with Taku. We started with a different setup and got

lost and eventually got behind schedule with our car, but still managed to qualify in 11th

place. Not a very good day for me, but a very good day for the team."

Kanaan is fifth in the championship race with 221 points just 11 out of fourth. He has

been extremely competitive on the street/road circuits this season finishing in the

top-10 in three of the five races including a podium, third, at St. Petersburg (Barber, sixth; Long Beach, eighth).

Friday practices were cancelled due to rain, so two sessions were run prior to qualifying today with KVRT – Lotus showing good speed in both. Viso took team honors in the first practice with a lap of 80.0915 seconds (99.966 mph) putting him sixth on the practice report. Kanaan was second fastest at 80.2532 seconds (99.764 mph) placing ninth on the speed charts, while Sato, who spent most of the session in the top-five, had a quick lap of 80.2867 seconds (99.723 mph) and ended up 12th. In the second practice, Sato took the top spot on the speed charts with a time of 78.9772 seconds (101.376 mph) on his last lap. Viso was third with a lap of 79.0469 seconds (101.287 mph). Kanaan struggled in the second practice posting the 18th fastest time at 79.7347 seconds (100.413 mph).

The Honda Indy Edmonton will be broadcast live, Sunday, July 24 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

Teammate Takuma Sato had an early race incident and finished 20th while Tony Kanaan, the third of the KVRT – Lotus drivers, was charging through the field when he became the victim of an incident while working lap three and finished 26th.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, had one of the most bizarre races of the season. Starting 18th he worked his way up

to eighth, but an inopportune caution dropped him back to 19th after his first pit stop. Shortly thereafter he got his first tire puncture forcing him

to pit. Another caution shortly thereafter allowed Viso to refuel twice before going back on the charge. He got as high as second and was running in

third, and saving fuel, when he was hit and received his second puncture.

Pitting for tires and fuel he rejoined the race in 18th place with 23 laps remaining in the 85-lap contest. Once again, Viso was on the move and

with the help of some mistakes by other drivers fought his way back into the top-10, finishing ninth.

"It was a very up and down race," Viso said. "I started at the back and made it to the front and then I had a puncture. I pitted and then started

from the back again, made it to the front and had a pretty good strategy call to put me in to second position. I then got hit by Wilson which caused

another left rear puncture. This put me to the back again and then I made it back into the top-10 finishing ninth. I believe we had a pretty good car

especially with the black tires, with the red tires I think we still need to work a little harder. I am sure we will fix this for Edmonton and have a

good race in two weeks."

Viso scored 22 points today and is 20th in the standings with 135 points, 23 out 15th. The 26-year-old Venezuelan earned his third top-10 finish of

the season (seventh and 10th at Texas), best on a street/road course (street/road course career-high is fourth at St. Petersburg in 2008, overall

career-high, third in Iowa) and best finish in three races at Toronto. He has

had competitive races on the street/road circuits this year, but a run of bad

luck has prevented him from finishing in the top-10 until now (at St.

Petersburg, punctured tire, Barber, hit by another competitor, Long Beach,

attempted pass resulted in contact, Brazil, questionable blocking penalty).

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 19th and was running in 18th when on lap eight he made contact with the back of another car while heading into a corner. The contact caused damage to his front wing and the left side front and rear suspension. After repairs were made, Sato returned to the race six laps off the pace. However, with caution flags flying regularly and cars routinely dropping out of the race, the team decided to continue to compete and take the opportunity to work on tire and fuel strategies for upcoming street and road events.

"I am disappointed," Sato said. "It was a difficult race and there was so much going on out there I just got into the back of another car. By the time we repaired my car, I was six laps down, but with the way the race was going we thought we could pick up some positions and work on some things for the other street and road course races."

Sato earned 12 points today and is now 14th in the standings with 167 points just six out of 10th. The 34-year-old from Japan has finished in the top-10 four times this season (IndyCar career-high fifths at St. Petersburg and Texas, eighths at Milwaukee and Brazil). In addition, he has earned his first pole (Iowa, the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar pole), led his first IndyCar race (at Brazil) and scored his first top-five finishes. Sato made his second appearance in Toronto (finished 25th last year). He has been strong on road and street circuits this year. In addition to the fifth at St. Petersburg and the eighth at Brazil, Sato had top-10 performances nullified by incidents at Barber and Long Beach.

Kanaan race was probably the most unfortunate of the three drivers. He qualified the No. 82 GEICO- KV Racing Technology – Lotus machine 16th, but was on the move from the drop of the green flag gaining four spots on the opening lap. On lap three, Kanaan was in 11th place when Ryan Briscoe attempt to pass. Kanaan moved over giving Briscoe plenty of room to the inside, but Briscoe could not make the pass clean and hit Kanaan squarely on the right side. The damage proved too extensive to repair ending Kanaan's day.

"I gave Briscoe plenty of room and he still took me out, Kanaan said. "It was too early in the race to be doing stupid moves like that. I had a good car and was moving up the field. I guess I overtook four cars in the first lap, so I was going to the front. It's a shame for the GEICO KV-Lotus guys."

Kanaan earned 10 points today and is fifth in the championship race with 221 points just 11 out of fourth place. In 10 races this season (Texas two starts), he has finished in the top-10 six times with four top-five showings and two podiums (second at Iowa and third at St. Petersburg). The 36-year-old Brazilian, who made his seventh start at Toronto today, has finished in the top-10 twice here with a best showing of fourth last year. Kanaan has been extremely competitive on the road/street circuits this season finishing in the top-10 in three of the five races including the podium at St. Petersburg (sixth at Barber and eight in Long Beach).

Next up for KVRT – Lotus is Edmonton Indy, July 22-24, on the Edmonton City Centre Airport street circuit in Edmonton, Canada. The race will be broadcast live, Sunday, July 24 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO- KV Racing Technology – Lotus, qualified 16th with a lap of 60.0149 seconds (105.274 mph) on the 1.75-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit. He will start on the outside of row eight. E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus recorded a lap of 60.1191 seconds (105.091 mph) while Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, had a fast lap of 60.1003 seconds (105.124 mph). Even though Viso had a slower time than Sato, he will start 18th based on being ninth in the second group in Round No. 1 while Sato will start 19th based on being 10th in the first group in the first round. Viso will start on the outside of row nine with Sato on the inside of row 10. This is the first time this year (five street/road events) that KVRT – Lotus has failed to get at least one driver into the second round of qualifying.

Kanaan, who will be making his seventh start at Toronto tomorrow, has now qualified in the top-10 five times in seven attempts with a best starting position of fourth in 2001. In six previous races on the streets of Toronto, the 36-year-old from Brazil has finished in the top-10 twice with a best showing of fourth last year. Kanaan has qualified in the top-10 five times in nine races this year (not counting the fact he drew the pole in the second race in Texas) with a best starting position of third on the oval in Iowa. His best street/road course starting spot is eighth at St. Petersburg.

"It was a tough qualifying," Kanaan said. "We left with seven minutes to go and on my fast lap I got blocked twice and missed out on moving up to Q2. I believe that I had a top-six car, so it's a shame that we're going to start mid-pack. My car is good for the race, so it's going to be a matter of keeping myself out of trouble during the race to get a good result for the GEICO-KV-Lotus guys".

Kanaan will be looking to continue his strong start to the 2011 season and move up in the championship race. He is currently fifth in the standings with 211 points just three points out of fourth and 19 out of third, on the strength of six top-10 finishes, four top-five placements and two podium performances (second at Iowa and third at St. Petersburg). Kanaan has been strong on the road/street circuits this year finishing on the podium at St. Petersburg (third), sixth at Barber (started 24th and then picked up an astonishing 18 positions) and eighth at Long Beach. The only time he has failed to finish in the top-10 on a road/street circuit this year was in Brazil when he was hit on the opening lap and forced to pit for repairs.

Viso will be making his third start at Toronto. His best qualifying position is 13th last year and his best finish is 13th in 2009. The 26-year-old Venezuelan has a best qualifying position this year of sixth on the Milwaukee Mile with a road/street course high of 17th at Long Beach. His career high on a street/road course is fourth at Long Beach in 2009.

"We definitely didn't deserve the qualifying results we got as a team," Viso said. "We showed all weekend that we had cars to be in the top-10. I was unable to find that extra bit of grip with the red tires that the other drivers found and I think this is something that really cost us. The race tomorrow is going to be a long one, so we need to plan to have a conservative approach to it. It can be a little bit chaotic so I need to try and stay out of any issues and just get to the end of the race."

Viso is 21st in the standings with 113 points, 29 out 15th. Although he has not qualified well on street and road circuits, he has been competitive in the races only to have his efforts nullified by what can only be described as bad luck. At St. Petersburg, Viso was running ninth before suffering a punctured tire. At Barber, he was in 11th place when he was hit by another competitor and at Long Beach was sitting in 10th when an attempted pass resulted in contact. In Brazil, he was having his best race of the year, driving from 26th to second, however IndyCar officials determined he was blocking and accessed him a drive through penalty.

Sato is making his second appearance in Toronto. In his debut here last year he qualified 18th and finished 25th. The 34-year-old from Japan has now qualified in the top-11 in seven of the nine events this year (no qualifying for second Texas race), including five top-10 starting spots and three in the top-five and one pole (Iowa, his first). He best qualifying position on a street/road course this year is 10th in Brazil (IndyCar career high on street/road course is third at Mid-Ohio last year).

"It was a disappointing qualifying session," Sato said. "In practice this morning we struggled with the balance and grip of the car. We tried some different things in qualifying and the car was better, but it wasn't enough to get through the first round of qualifying. We will have review everything tonight and work hard to come up with some changes for the race tomorrow.

Sato, who is having a solid second IndyCar season, is also looking to move up in the standings. He has been in the top-10 much of the season and currently sits 13th with 155 points just six points out of 10th. So far this year, Sato has already earned his first pole (becoming the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar pole), led his first IndyCar race (23 laps at Brazil) and scored his first top-five finishes (St. Petersburg, street circuit and Texas, oval). He has finished in the top-10 four times (the fifths at St. Petersburg and Texas, eighths at Milwaukee and Brazil). Sato, a veteran of seven Formula One seasons, as expected, has been extremely competitive on road and street circuits this year. In addition to the IndyCar career high tying fifth at St. Petersburg and the eighth at Brazil, he has had several strong performances thwarted by misfortune.

Kanaan led the team in the final morning practice before qualifying with a time of 60.3029 seconds (105.771mph) putting him fourth on the practice report. Viso was 10th overall with a lap of 60.5577 seconds (104.330 mph) with Sato 21st at 60.9857 seconds (103.598 mph).

The Honda Indy Toronto will be broadcast live, Sunday, July 10 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO- KV Racing Technology – Lotus posted the team's fastest lap with a time of 61.0130 seconds (103.552 mph) on the 1.75-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit. He was in the top-10 the entire day and in the top-five for most of it.

"It was a very positive day," Kanaan said. "You know, when the day starts well like today, it makes things a lot easier on everyone at the team. In the morning we waited for the track to rubber up and only made minor changes to the car.

It was a good start to the weekend, but what counts here is qualifying and that is tomorrow."

Kanaan will be attempting to qualify for his seventh race in Toronto. In his previous six events he has qualified in the top-10 five times with a best starting position of fourth in 2001. He has finished in the top-10 twice with a best showing of fourth last year. The 34-year-old Brazilian has had a solid start to the 2011 season. In nine races (counting Texas as two races), he has finished in the top-10 six times with four top-five placements and two podium performances, a second in Iowa and third at St. Petersburg. In addition to the podium at St. Petersburg, Kanaan has finished sixth at Barber (picking up an astonishing 18 positions from start to finish) and eighth at Long Beach. The only time he has failed to finish in the top-10 on a road/street circuit this year was in Brazil when he was hit on the opening lap and forced to pit for repairs. Kanaan is fifth in the championship race with 211 points just three points out of fourth and 19 out of third.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, who was at the top of the speed charts for most of the morning practice, dropped to 19th by the end of the session. He rebounded in the afternoon practice, despite not putting on

a second set of new tires, recording a time of 61.4937 seconds (102.742 mph).

"Toronto is going to be a very difficult race for everyone," Viso said. 'The field is extremely tight and just one tenth will make a huge difference where we start. Today we worked as a team with each driver going steadily through their list and we believe that we will come up with a good setup for tomorrow's qualifying. We had a few little issues in the first practice session today and I was unable to use my second set of tires, but that's part of the game. We just need to keep working hard in practice and qualifying tomorrow."

Viso will be making his third start at Toronto. His best qualifying position is 13th last year and his best finish is 13th in 2009. The 26-year-old Venezuelan has struggled in street/road course qualifying, but he has had some very competitive performances only to have his efforts nullified by what can only be described as bad luck. At St. Petersburg, Viso was running in ninth before suffering a punctured tire. At Barber, he was in 11th place when he was hit by another competitor and at Long Beach, he was sitting in 10th when an attempted pass resulted in contact. In Brazil, he was having his best race of the year, driving from 26th to second, however IndyCar officials determined he was blocking and accessed him a drive through penalty. The 26-year-old Venezuelan is 21st in the standings with 113 points, 29 out 15th.

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, who led the team with the eighth fastest time in the first practice, also did not used a second set of new tires in the second practice and logged a lap of 61.6753 seconds (102.440 mph) in the afternoon session.

"It was a good test because we were able to try various things," Sato said. "Unfortunately, some of the things we tried didn't work out the way we thought they would, but it was good that we found that out during today's test. Now we will review what we collected to determine the best setup for tomorrow's final practice before qualifying."

Sato is making his second appearance in Toronto. In his debut here last year he qualified 18th and finished 25th. The 34-year-old from Japan has had a season of firsts including his first pole (Iowa), leading his first IndyCar race (23 laps at Brazil) and scoring his first top-five finishes (St. Petersburg, street circuit and Texas, oval). Sato has qualified in the top-11 in seven of the eight events (no qualifying for second Texas race), including five top-10 starting spots and three in the top-five and the one pole. He has finished in the top-10 four times (the fifths at St. Petersburg and Texas, eighths at Milwaukee and Brazil). His record this year on road/street circuits would be very impressive if not for some misfortune that has hindered his results. At Barber he was solidly in the top-10, but was involved in an incident that damaged his car. At Long Beach, he was racing with eventual winner Mike Conway, when he was hit from behind. Then in Brazil, he was leading the race, but a late stop for fuel dropped him to eighth. Sato, who has been in the top-10 in the standings much of the season, currently sits 13th with 155 points just six points out of 10th.

Sato led the team in the first practice with a time of 61.8075 seconds (102.103 mph) putting him eighth on the practice report. Kanaan was ninth with a lap of 61.8908 seconds (102.083 mph). Viso, who spent much of the session in the top-five finished 19th with a lap of 62.7775 seconds (100.641 mph).

There will be another practice session tomorrow from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. followed by qualifying at 12:50 p.m. The Honda Indy Toronto will be broadcast live, Sunday, July 10 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

Iowa. Teammate E. J. Viso battled a difficult car and finished 17th while Takuma Sato was having a strong race, but had a late race incident and finished 19th.

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO- KV Racing Technology – Lotus, the defending Iowa champion, started a season-high third and never ran lower than fourth the entire race. He took the lead for the first time on lap 203 of the 250 lap competition and held it for five laps. Dropping into second place he pressured race leader and eventual winner Marco Andretti until resuming the top spot on lap 212, holding it until

laps 231 (20 laps for a total of 25), before relinquishing it again to Andretti. Over the final 19 laps he challenged Andretti trying to force him into an error that never materialized. 'It was a fun race," Kanaan said. "These are the kind of races that make it good to be a race car driver

- hard fought for us and great for the fans. You always want to win but if you finish second, knowing that you did all you could, fought your hardest, you can't be upset. This GEICO - KV Racing Technology - Lotus team is definitely heading on the right direction.'

Kanaan has been the strongest of the three KVRT – Lotus drivers this year, especially on ovals. In addition to today's second place performance he has finished fourth at Indy, 11th in the first race in Texas and fifth in the second and was fighting for a win at Milwaukee, leading 33 laps, before a late race incident ended his day in 19th place. Kanaan has led a total of 97 laps this season, all on ovals. In the nine races this year (counting Texas as two races), Kanaan has finished in the top-10 six times with four top-five placements and two podium performances (second here in Iowa and third at St. Petersburg). He earned 40 points tonight and now sits fifth in the championship race with 211 points and is just three points out of fourth and 19 out of third.

E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, who made his fourth appearance in Iowa, started 19th, the same as he qualified last year when he finished an IndyCar career-high third, but unlike last year, could not advance. He struggled all night with the car and never got higher than the 17th place, earning 13 points and is now 21st in the standings with 113 points.

"I had such a difficult car that I had to battle so hard through the entire race," Viso said. "This is the closest thing to a nightmare. I am more tired after this race than I have ever been. The car I had this weekend was not my primary car, it was the backup, so we are all glad this weekend is over. Now we head to some races where we will have our proper equipment and we know that works because we have it in the past. We just have to keep working as a team. I want to congratulate Tony on his podium finish. Once again we showed we are a strong team and getting better with each race.

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started on the pole, the first of his IZOD IndyCar career and the first time a Japanese driver won an IndyCar pole, and led the first seven laps. He was never lower than fourth and spent most of his race in second place. Driving a smart patient race he pressured then leaders, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti, and appeared to be a sure bet to finish on the podium. However, shortly following his third and final pit stop, Sato lost control of the car going over the bump in turn two and hit the wall ending his day. .

"The car got loose going over the bump in turn two and I lost it," Sato said. "I feel very sorry for the crew, the fans and the sponsors. Up until then everything was looking good. I am very disappointed."

Sato captured his first pole in just his 26th IndyCar start, 13th on an oval and second at Iowa.

Sato made his Iowa debut last year qualifying seventh and running strong, until an incident late in the race ended his day. The 34-year-old from Japan has shown remarkable improvement on ovals and steadily asserted himself during his second IndyCar season. He has qualified in the top-11 in seven of the eight events (no qualifying for second Texas race), five times in the top-10 with three top-five starting positions and the one pole. He has finished in the top-10 four times (fifths at St. Petersburg and Texas, eighths at Milwaukee and Brazil) and led 30 laps (23 in Brazil, his first in the IndyCar Series and seven tonight). Sato earned 13 points and is now 13th in the championship standings with 155 points.

Next up for KVRT – Lotus is the Honda Indy Toronto, July 8-10, on the streets of Toronto, Canada. The race will be broadcast live, Sunday, July 10 on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET

Tony Kanaan battled for the win until late in the race, but fell victim to an incident and finished 19th while E. J. Viso was fighting for a top-four finish when he too was victimized and finished 20th.

Sato, #5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started fifth but quickly moved into fourth where he remained until the latter stages of the first stint which saw him drop to ninth. During his first pit stop he became entangled with some of hiscrew and as a result lost time and incurred a "drive through"

penalty. Re-joining the race in 15th and one lap off the pace, Sato, with the help of a solid pit strategy and great pit work by his KVRT – Lotus crew, un-lapped himself and fought his way back through the field to earn his fourth top-10 finish of the season.

"It was a tough, long race," Sato said. "I was able to run a comfortable pace at the start of the race. In the middle of the stint I started to struggle with the balance and it was difficult to maintain the pace. Then during the pit stop it was very crowded and I got tangled up getting into the pit box. So I got a drive through penalty, which put me at the back of the field anddown a lap, but over the next two caution yellows we managed to get our lapback and I fought my way back into the top-10. I want to give a big thank you to my crew. They did a great job. It was a difficult day for the team, but I had a good experience in my first Milwaukee race."

Sato, who wore a black armband in today's race in memory of his father, Kazutoshi Sato, who passed away on Wednesday, June 15, made his first start in Milwaukee today. The 34-year-old from Japan has earned this season IZOD IndyCarcareer high fifth place finishes at St. Petersburg and Texas plus eighth place finishes here in Milwaukee and Brazil. Sato scored 24 points today and moved up to ninth in the championship standings with 142 points.

Kanaan, #82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started a season high fourth, but quickly moved into third where he ran with the leaders throughout the first stint. He took over second place shortly after the first pit stop and then stormed into the lead on lap 116. He spent the remainder of the second stint fighting with Dario Franchitti leading for 18 laps dropping back and then leading for another 13 laps (33 total). Kanaan fell to third after the second pit stop, but was back in second shortly thereafter. For the remainder of his race, he put pressure on race leader Helio Castroneves, who was reporting to have a problem with his left rear tire. On lap 194 of the 225 lap contest, Kanaan attempted to make his move, but it didn't work out.

"Well, it started out as a good day for the GEICO - KVRT - Lotus team," Kanaan said. "The car was good on the long runs. We raced each other pretty hard and when I saw the opportunity to pass Helio in lapped traffic I went. Unfortunately it didn't work and I lost the rear. It's a shame because I hate to make mistakes especially when it was an easy first or second place car. But hey, I was trying as hard as I could...that one just slipped away from us."

Kanaan, who has now led four different Milwaukee races, has finished in the top-10 seven times including five top-five performances with two wins, 2006 and 2007 in 12 starts on the Milwaukee Mile (five CART sanctioned events and seven IndyCar). He has finished in the top-10 in five of the eight races this year (counting Texas as two races) with three top-five placements and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg). Kanaanearned 12 points today and sits sixth in the championship race with 171 points, 17 points out of third. The 36-year-old Brazilian made his 139th consecutive IndyCar start today establishing a new IZOD IndyCar record (all-time record held by KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser with 211).

Viso, #59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started an oval career high and season high sixth and was never lower than that the entire race. Driving his best race of the year the young Venezuelan was solidly in fourth place, where he spent much of his race, and very much in line for his best finish of the season. However, on lap 163 he attempted to pass another car and slid into the wall ending his day.

"We had an amazing race and a great setup that was a combination of all my teammate's preferences," Viso said. "I really think I had a good car, maybe not as fast as the leaders but we had a car to finish in the top five at the most. I was passing the lap car and I got high and went into the marbles and it sent me into the wall. That is what happens and it is unfortunate. I feel bad for the mechanics and my crew because they put this car together for me. I am looking forward to Iowa now and there is nothing else we can do."

Viso made his third start in Milwaukee today having previously competed here in 2008 and 2009. His best finish is eighth in his Milwaukee debut in 2008. Viso, who was coming off consecutive top-10 finishes, seventh in the first race in Texas and 10th in the second, for which he won the Firestone Tire-ific Award in each race, earned 12 points today and remains 20th in the standings with 100 points.

Next up for KVRT – Lotus is the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer, June 24-25, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The race will be broadcast live, Sunday, June 25 on Versus at 8:00 p.m. ET

KVRT – Lotus picks up third Firestone Tire-ific Award:

Viso collected the Firestone Tire-ific Awards for his outstanding performances in each of the two Texas events (improved 12 positions in the first race and 19 in the second for a total of 31 overall). All three KVRT – Lotus drivers have now won the award this year. Kanaan won it in St. Petersburg and Sato captured the award in Brazil.

Kanaan, #82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus posted a fast lap of 164.638 mph (22.1942 seconds), while Sato, #5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, came in at 163.897 mph (22.2945 seconds).

Viso finished seventh in the first race in Texas and 10th in the second, earning consecutive top-10 showings for the first time in his IndyCar career. He also led two laps, his first of the season. For his effort, the 26-year-old Venezuelan won the Firestone Tire-ific Award, which is voted on by the fans for both races. Viso will be making his third start in Milwaukee having previously competed here in 2008 and 2009. He recorded a best qualifying position of 10th and a best finish of eighth both in his Milwaukee debut in 2008.

"We had a limited amount of practice time today because of an electronic problem," Viso said. "We will continue to work our way through our program tomorrow and I'm curious to see how some of the changes will affect the car.

I am sure that once we have been through our worksheet we will have a good conclusion to set up the car in the right direction for the race."

Viso, the victim of bad luck at the start the 2011 season, has now had three strong finishes in the last four races (finished 13th in Brazil). Although 20th in the standings with 88 points, Viso is just 20 points out of 10th place.

Kanaan, who finished 11th in the first event, fifth in the nightcap at Texas and led 39 laps, his first of the season, will be making his 12th appearance on the Milwaukee Mile (five starts in CART sanctioned events and six in the IndyCar Series). In 11 races, he has qualified in the top-10 eight times with a best starting position of second in 2004. He has finished in the top-10 seven times including five top-five performances with two wins, 2006 and 2007.

"The car felt good today," Kanaan said. "We worked on the race setup a lot and made some improvements. I didn't run my second set of tires during the session and a lot of people did so that will help us. The car felt consistent through the run. All-in-all it was a good day for the GEICO - KV Racing - Lotus guys."

Kanaan has finished in the top-10 in five of the seven races this year (counting Texas as two races) with three top-five placements and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg). The 36-year-old Brazilian, who is looking to establish a new IndyCar record for consecutive starts, at 139 (all-time record held by KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser with 211), this weekend currently sits fifth in the championship race with 159 points and is just 10 points out of third.

Sato started an IZOD IndyCar career oval high fourth and finished a career oval high fifth in the first race in Texas, which also tied his career best IndyCar finish (first achieved this year in St. Petersburg). In the second race he placed 12th. The 34-year-old from Japan is making his first start on the Milwaukee Mile,

Commenting on today Sato said, "The conditions were quite a bit different from the last time we were here for the test. It was better today than when we tested so were able to try a few things and step-by-step we made a good progression with the setup. However, we still have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Sato, who will be contesting just his 25th IndyCar race and 12th on an oval, has opened the 2011 season strong. In addition to the fifth and 12th place finishes in Texas and the fifth at St. Petersburg, he finished eighth in Brazil where he led 23 laps (his first in an IndyCar). Sato is currently 10th in the championship standings with 118 points.

There will be two practice sessions tomorrow, the first at 9:45 a.m. (CT) and the second at 12:55 p.m. (CT). Qualifying is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. (CT)

The Milwaukee 225 will be broadcast live on Sunday, June 19 on ABC beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET

A FIFTH PLACE FINISH IN FIRESTONE TWIN 275s

FT. WORTH, TEXAS – JUNE 12, 2011 – KV Racing Technology – Lotus had its strongest performance since joining the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2008 last night in both the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. 

The Firestone Twin 275s consisted of two races last night each running 114 laps with half the normal championship points awarded in each race.  E. J. Viso, #59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus scored two top-10 finishes placing seventh in race No. 1 and 10th in race No. 2 on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway tri-oval.  Teammate Tony Kanaan, #82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, was 11th and fifth respectively.  Takuma Sato, #5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, the third of the KVRT – Lotus drivers, finished fifth and 12th.  All three KVRT – Lotus drivers contested two races at night for the first time.

Viso started 19th in the first race, but was on the move from the drop of the green flag.  Showing determination, but also driving a smart race, he quickly made his way through the field picking up 12 positions to earn his first top-10 finish of the 2011 season.

For the second race, the field was gridded based on a draw with each driver turning a Firestone tire to see his grid position.  Viso ended up 29th out of the 30 cars.  Undaunted, he proceeded to repeat his performance in the first race and charged through the field.  By the end of the event he had improved an additional 19 positions (an incredible total of 31 for the night), led his first laps of the season and earned his second top-20 finish.

“I am pretty happy with the result last night,” Viso said.  “It was great to finish in the top-10 in both races especially coming from so far behind (19th and 29th).  I want to thank my team, it has been a rough start to the season, but we always knew that we had the potential and finally I was able to repay them with a good finish.  In the second race it was tough starting in the last row, but I was able to gain 19 places and it was a lot of fun out there.  With the race being shorter than normal though, it was hard to catch the guys up front.  I am looking forward to Milwaukee next weekend.  I think we will also be fast there.  It’s a short and fun place where a lot of car control is needed.  Once again thanks to all my sponsors, especially PDVSA and my crew for all their hard work.”

Viso made his fourth appearance and contested his fourth and fifth race in Texas last night.  Prior to then his best showing in Texas was an 11th place finish last year (his oval best finish is a third at Iowa last season).  With last night’s performance, the 26-year-old Venezuelan may have finally shaken the bad luck that has plagued his 2011 season.   He has now had three strong finishes in the last four races having placed 13th in Brazil to go with last night’s strong showings.  Viso earned 13 points in the first race and 10 in the second for a total of 23 points.  Although he remains in 20th place in the standings, he is only 20 points out of 10th place.

Kanaan started a season high sixth in the first race, but handling problems soon saw him drop to 10th place.  Always the fighter, Kanaan continued to battle and managed a solid showing in the first race.

During the halftime drawing for grid position, fortune smiled as Kanaan drew the pole position for the first race.  Never one to waste an opportunity he held the lead for the first 38 laps, also his first of the 2011 season, before dropping to second.  Kanaan settled into fifth place shortly after the fIrst pit stop and while he was unable to challenge the leaders he fought a very smart, strong race the remainder of the way.

“We got lucky with the draw for race two,” Kanaan admitted.”  After race one I knew that we knew I didn't quite have the speed of some of the other guys.  We changed the car quite a bit between races and I liked the changes we made...the only problem is that everyone else had time to make changes too.  But hey, anytime you get out of Texas in one piece it's a good race...and we are still fifth in the championship race, so we'll take it,” he said.

Kanaan made his 10th and 11th starts at TMS (IndyCar ran two races here in 2003 and 2004 one in June and one in October) giving him 138 consecutive IZOD IndyCar starts (139 total career IndyCar races) which ties him with Scott Sharp for the series record (all-time record for consecutive starts is held by KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser with 211).  The 36-year-old Brazilian, who is in his 14th U. S. based open-wheel season and 10th in the IndyCar Series, has finished in the top-10 in all but two races here in Texas with seven top-five showings including five podiums with one win, in June of 2004.  Kanaan has had a very impressive start to the 2011 season.  He has finished in the top-10 in five of the first seven races (counting two races in Texas) with three top-five showings and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg).  Kanaan earned 24 points last night, tied for the team high, but dropped one place in the standings and now sits fifth in the championship race with 159 points.  He is just 10 points out of third.

Sato started an IZOD IndyCar career oval high fourth for the first of the twin 275s and drove the best oval race of his career.  He was never lower than sixth the entire race and got as high as third.  He showed patience and the ability to attach and defend at the appropriate time.  The fifth place finish was a also an IZOD IndyCar career oval high for Sato and tied his IndyCar career best finish which he first achieved at the 2011 season opener in St. Petersburg..

In the second race, Sato, like Viso, was a victim of the draw picking the 25th staring spot.  Never-the-less, with his confidence high from the fifth place finish in race one, Sato slowly but surely worked his way through the field and by the half way point of the second race was sitting in 12th place.  Despite several furious battles he managed to hold station through the remainder of the contest and earned his second consecutive solid oval finish.

Commenting on the race Sato said, “I want to thank the entire KVRT – Lotus team.  It was a great weekend and we achieved a strong result.  The first race was solid.  The balance was not great at the start of the race and I lost some positions, but I gained them back later, which was exciting.  The second race was really crazy.  I started from the back of the pack, but I got through.  It was difficult to gain many positions because there were no cautions, but .I enjoyed having to fight back.  I had a couple of moments while battling other cars, but I am very pleased. with where we finished today.

Sato, who contested just his 23rd and 24th IndyCar races and 10th and 11th on an oval last night, made his second and third starts at TMS.  Prior to then the 34-year-old from Japan had a  best oval finish of 12th at Motegi last year.  Last year in his TMS debut in 2010, qualifying 11th, but a mechanical failure ended his race and he finished 25th.  Sato has opened the 2011 season strong.  In addition to last night’s fifth and 12th place finishes, his highlights this year include the fifth at St. Petersburg and an eighth place performance at Brazil where he earned the Firestone Tire-ific Award for his pass of Will Power for the lead and then leading 23 laps (his first in an Indy car) before he was forced to pit for a splash of fuel.  Sato earned a total of 24 points tonight and picked up four places in the standings moving him back into the top-10 in 10th.

This is the first time the IZOD IndyCar Series has run two races on the same day however it is the 18th time that IndyCar have utilized the format.  The last time was during a CART sanctioned event at Atlanta in 1981.

Notes:

E.J. Viso has been nominated for the Firestone Tire-ific award for both race one and two for the incredible amount of places he picked up in both races.  Please vote for him on www.indycar.com.

Next up for KVRT – Lotus is the Milwaukee 225, June 17-19, on the Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The race will be will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET

With

temperatures hovering in the mid-nineties and track

temperatures reaching 135 degrees, KV Racing

Technology – Lotus had its strongest qualifying

performance of the season and will start two cars

in the top-six in tomorrow’s Firestone Twin 275s

at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. 

Takuma Sato, #5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus,

qualified a IZOD IndyCar career oval high fourth

with a two-lap average of 214.470 mph on the 1.5-

mile Texas Motor Speedway tri-oval.  Teammate

Tony Kanaan, #82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology

– Lotus qualified a season high sixth with an

average speed of 214.252 mph.  E. J. Viso, the

third of the KVRT – Lotus drivers, will start 19th

after posting a speed of 212.494 mph.

The Firestone Twin 275s will feature two races on the same evening each scheduled for 114 laps.  Today’s qualifying determined the grid for the first race which will be run at 7:45 p.m. CT tomorrow night.  The grid for the second race will be determined by a draw at the end of the first race.  The second race will start at approximately 9:45 p.m. CT.  Half of the normal amount of championship points will be awarded in each race. This will be the first time the IZOD IndyCar Series has run two races on the same day however it will be the 18th time that IndyCar have utilized the format.  The last time was during a CART sanctioned event at Atlanta in 1981. All three KVRT – Lotus drivers will be attempting to run two races at night for the first time in their careers.

Sato, contesting just his 23rd IndyCar event and 10th on an oval, is competing for just the second time at TMS.  He was the last of the 30 cars (the second largest field of the season behind the Indy 500) to make a qualifying attempt and had his second consecutive outstanding oval qualifying effort (qualified a team-high 10th for the Indy 500).  This is the third time in six races this season that Sato has qualified in the top-10 (also started 10th in Brazil).  His previous best oval starting position was seventh last year at Iowa.  Sato’s IndyCar career high qualifying position is third last season on the road course in Mid-Ohio.  The 34-year-old from Japan, made his TMS debut in 2010, qualifying 11th, but a mechanical failure ended his race and he finished 25th.

Speaking about his qualifying effort Sato said, “It was fantastic, very exciting.  The car was balanced and really felt good.  After morning practice we were confident that we could have a good qualifying effort and after watching TK’s (Tony Kanaan’s) run I was even more confident.  Now, we really need to concentrate on getting a good car for the race which is a very different car from qualifying.”

Sato has opened the 2011 season strong although his results do not reflect how consistently competitive he has been. Sato’s highlights this year include finishing an IndyCar career high fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg and an eighth place performance at Brazil where he earned the Firestone Tire-ific Award for his pass of Will Power for the lead and then leading 23 laps (his first in an Indy car) before he was forced to pit for a splash of fuel.  Sato is 14th in the championship standings with 94 points.

Kanaan will also start in the top-10 for the third time this season (eighth at St. Petersburg and 10th at Long Beach).  The 36-year-old Brazilian is making his 11th appearance at TMS (IndyCar ran two races here in 2003 and 2004 one in June and one in October).  Kanaan has now qualified in the top-10 seven times here at TMS, including three times in the top-five with a best starting spot of third in the June race of 2004.  He has finished in the top-10 in all but one race with six top-five showings including five podiums with one win, also in June of 2004.

“Good qualifying run, I think that the GEICO-KVRT-Lotus guys did a great job,” Kanaan said.  “I mean, qualifying doesn’t matter a lot here, but it’s definitely nice to be back at the front again.  Now we’ve gotta work for the race.  Race one is going to be very interesting and race two we really don’t know what to expect.  Overall, two cars in the top six and I’m sitting a lot better than I have in the past…now we’ve got to move forward.”

Kanaan has had a very impressive start to the 2011 season.  He has finished in the top-10 in four of the first five races with two top-five showings and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg).  He currently sits fourth in the championship standings with 135 points.  Kanaan is in his 14th U. S. based open wheel season and 10th IndyCar season.  Should he start both the Firestone Twin 275s he will tie the IZOD IndyCar Series record for most consecutive starts at 138 (tied with Scott Sharp.  The all-time record is held by KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser at 211).

Viso is making his fourth appearance in Texas.  In three previous races he has a best starting position of 14th and a best finish of 11th, both last year.

“I am not happy with qualifying 19th, but to be honest this is one of the tracks where qualifying worries me the least,” Viso noted.  “In the past, I have started at the back and made my way through the field and this is a pretty fun track to try and do that again.  We will try and stay out of trouble during the race and hopefully we will have a good race tomorrow night.”

Viso, who has been plagued by bad luck this season, is hoping to turn things around tomorrow by having a strong oval race despite his qualifying position like he did so often last year.  The 26-year-old Venezuelan started mid-field several times last season only to charge to the front early in the race.  Viso, 20th in the standings with 65 points, cannot seem to catch a break this year.  He had a tire punctured in St. Petersburg, was hit from behind at Barber and had contact while trying to make a pass at Long Beach.  In Brazil, it looked like his luck was changing when he placed 13th in horrible weather conditions, but at Indy his misfortune resurfaced when he was again hit from behind on lap 27 and went into the wall.

Kanaan led the team in the first practice with the eighth fastest lap (213.683 mph, 24.5129 seconds) (Sato was 11th, 213.423 mph, 24.5428 seconds, Viso, 24th, at 212.067 mph, 24.6997 seconds,).  There is another practice scheduled from 6:45 – 7:15 p.m. CT tonight.

The Firestone Twin 275s will be will be broadcast live on Versus beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET

Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 22nd on the historic 2.5-mile superspeedway oval, however, on a day in which he would be officially credited with passing 18 cars, but in reality was easily double that amount, was on the move on the drop of the green flag. On lap 60 he was running sixth when he came down pit lane for a stop, only to have another car get waved out in front of him forcing him to overshoot his pit. When he finally returned to the track he was in 24th position. Furious, but undeterred, Kanaan worked all the way back through the field, getting as high as second, before making his final pit stop on lap 179 which dropped him back to 10th. Over the final 21 laps he passed an additional six cars to earn his highest finish at the Speedway in five years.

"This is unbelievable," Kanaan said. "First I've got to thank my KV Racing Technology guys for the great car, great strategy and great stops. Also I want to thank my sponsors, GEICO and Lotus for being here. Even having the problem when the Conquest guys sent Pippa out right in front of me, we still could get our car up there again. I lost count of the cars I overtook during the race going from 22nd to fifth to 24th to fourth... Man, I had a lot of fun! I love this place, the fans, everything and that's what keeps bringing me back every year."

Kanaan made his 10th start at the Brickyard today. He has now finished in the top-eight five times and in the top-five four times with a best showing of second in 2004. Kanaan has also led 214 laps at IMS and is the only driver to lead laps in his first seven Indy 500 races. Last year starting last and finishing 11th was one of Kanaan's most impressive performances here, but today's effort ranks among the best performances ever. The 36-year-old Brazilian who is in his 14th U. S. based open wheel season and 10th IndyCar season has been extremely impressive opening the 2011 IndyCar Series season. He has now finished in the top-10 in four of the first five races with two top-five showings and a podium performance (third at St. Petersburg). He has officially picked up a total of 43 positions (starting spot to finishing spot) on the track in five races. Kanaan earned 36 points today and is now fourth in the championship standings with 135 points.

E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 18th, his best qualifying position in four races at IMS, and was also on the move from the drop of the green flag picking up five places in the first 21 laps. However, following the restart after the first of seven caution flags today, he was hit from behind, spun and made contact with the wall damaging his car beyond repair.

"It was a restart," Viso said. "I was running with Graham (Rahal) and (James) Hinchcliffe and I don't know if Hinchcliffe missed a gear or something, but he lost his momentum coming out of turn four. Rahal went to the inside and I went to the outside as we were approaching turn one and I got hit in the left rear tire and spun. It had nothing to do with the double file restart, he hesitated and then I got hit in the rear."

Viso has been plagued by bad luck this season. His tire was punctured in St. Petersburg, he was hit from behind at Barber, had contact while trying to make a pass at Long Beach then in Brazil it looked like his luck was changing when he placed 13th in horrible weather conditions, but today it seemed to be some of the same old misfortune. The 26-year-old Venezuelan is 20th in the standings with 65 points,

Takuma Sato, No. 5 MonaVie - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, appearing in his second Indy 500 started 10th following an impressive qualifying performance. He lost a little ground early in the race, but was clearly settling in and working with his car when on lap 20 his car slid up into the wall when another got underneath him and he lifted to avoid contact.

"I started in a strong position 10th on the grid, which was going to give me a good opportunity in the race. After the start, I struggled a bit, but I was sure that we could improve the balance of the car during the race. I settled into a good rhythm. However, communication between the driver and the spotter is fundamental in oval racing. Today we had a communication problem and I was not informed that there was a car approaching my inside line. I was already into turn one at full speed when I was told the car was there. I had to lift and my car washed out. I am very disappointed because I felt we could have performed well here today."

In his only other appearance at the Brickyard, last year, the 34-year-old from Japan struggled in qualifying and started 31st, but had a strong race getting into the top-10 before he had a problem in the pits and ended up finishing 20th. Sato opened the 2011 season strong, finishing an IndyCar career high fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg before having strong performances at Barber and Long Beach nullified by late race incidents. In Brazil, he had a breakout performance leading 23 laps, his first in an Indy car, before he was forced to pit for a splash of fuel and finished eighth. Sato, who earned the Firestone Tire-rific award for his performance in Brazil, is 14th in the standings with 94 points.

Todays fourth and eighth place finishes are the best for KVRT in four races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (total of 12 starts). The team made its first appearance at the Speedway following unification in 2008 with a two car effort. In 2009, KVRT fielded three cars with Townsend Bell finishing fourth and Paul Tracy placing ninth. In 2010 the KVRT tried to qualify four cars, but fell short with Tracy failing to make the field. This year KVRT had four cars in the race. In addition to the three KVRT – Lotus cars KV Racing Technology also fielded a fourth car under the KVRT – SH Racing banner with Indy veteran Tomas Scheckter behind the wheel drove to an eighth place finish.

Next up for KVRT is the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. The races will be broadcast live on Versus at 8:00 p.m. ET

Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, lead the team by topping the 227 mph mark for the first time on the historic 2.5-mile Brickyard oval with a speed of 227.054 mph placing him 12th on both the session and combined speed charts.  Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, was above 225 mph for the second day in a row with a lap of 225.707 mph putting him 25th on today’s report.  E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, got above 225 for the first time with a lap of 225.406 mph.  This was the first time all three KVRT – Lotus drivers exceeded the 225 mph mark.

Sato, who will be trying to qualifying for his second Indy 500, ran 51 laps today giving him a team high 174 since the Speedway opened.  Commenting on his day the Japanese star said, “It was another productive test day.  We tried many things with the race setup and in qualifying trim.  It was good because we tried a lot of things that helped me understand the bigger picture.  We still have a few things to do before qualifying, but today was a valuable day.”

Kanaan ran 49 laps today for a total of 171.  Speaking about today’s final practice the talented Brazilian, , who is attempting to make the field for his 10th Indy 500, said, "We're still working hard in order to get the car where we want it to be, but it's not been easy. There are a lot of fast cars out there but there are also a lot of people getting tows, so the truth will only come out tomorrow during qualifying when each driver takes their laps by themselves. I think it's going to be hard to qualify tomorrow, let’s see."

Viso logged a team high 61 laps on the last day of testing giving him 173 in three and a half days of practice.  The determined young Venezuelan, who is looking to qualify for his fourth Indy 500, said “It was another pretty good testing day…great weather. We were once again able to complete our program for the day.  We went out tried some different qualifying setups and also worked on our race trim.  I think little by little we are making a stronger car, but we still have a lot of work to do to analyze all the data we collected.  Qualifying is tomorrow and we believe we have a lot of the answers.  We just need to put them all together for qualifying and then we will focus on reviewing the data for the race trim.”

A total of 40 cars ran a total of 2254 laps today making the total since Opening day, 6709.  Helio Castroneves posted today’s fastest lap and the quickest so far at 228.611 mph.   

Qualifying for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 begins tomorrow with Pole Day, when the pole and the first 24 spots on the grid will be determined.  Bump Day is Sunday, May 22 when the final nine cars will qualify.  The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, May 29.  It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

On the sixth day since the track opened, conditions were ideal for the first time and all three KVRT – Lotus drivers took full advantage making significant progress with their car development program. Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus lead the way with a fast lap of 225.802 mph putting him 13th on both the session and combined speed charts.  Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus also topped the 225 mph mark with a speed of 225.308 mph placing him 19th  while E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, recorded a fast lap of 224.056 good for 32nd on today’s report.  This was just the second full day the team has been able to practice and the third out of the six days they have been on track.  Last Saturday’s Opening Day session was cut short by rain.  It is also the first time the team has had two drivers exceed the 225 mph mark.

Commenting on his day, Kanaan, who ran 72 laps today (total of 122), said, “Finally a full day of practice for everyone.  I was kind of scared when I saw the sun coming out today.  I wasn’t used to that.  It was an okay day.  It is the second to last day before qualifying and people have a tendency to get a little bit anxious, but when you get older, like me, you don’t panic anymore you just look at your chances.  You have to be realistic.  To qualify on the first day is going to be a huge accomplishment, but I can’t start any worse than last year anyway.”

Sato, who is making just his second appearance at the Brickyard and ran 66 laps today (a team high total of 123 in two and a half days of practice) said, “At last a dry day.  We made good progress throughout the day.  We did both a qualifying run and a race run.  We had the positive side today, but also we learned some things that we need to improve before tomorrow.  So it was a good day because we understand what we need to do.” 

Viso, who ran a 45 laps (a total of 112), said, “We were finally able to put some laps together after some rainy days.  I think it was a pretty efficient day for the whole team.  We were able to work on some of the things we needed to try.  We did a lot of quality testing.  Again all of the laps we did were without a tow or in traffic.  Tomorrow is going to be a mixed day.  We will do some more testing for qualifying and then work on our race setups.  We still need to find a little bit of speed to be safe for qualifying, but I believe with the progress we have made we should be okay.”

Practice began promptly at 12:00 noon.  All three KVRT – Lotus cars went on track shortly after 12:00 p.m. and began working through their individual assignments.  A total of 40 cars ran a total of 2394 laps today.  Alex Tagliani posted the fastest speed at 227.778 mph.  

KVRT - Lotus will resume practice tomorrow, weather permitting, in preparation for this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 qualifying.  Pole Day, when the pole and the first 24 spots on the grid will be determined is scheduled for Saturday, May 21.  Bump Day, when the final nine cars will qualify is scheduled for Sunday, May 22.  The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29.  It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Two KVRT – Lotus cars qualify for IZOD Pit Stop Competition:

Kanaan and his No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus crew qualified for the IZOD Pit Stop Competition scheduled for Carburetion Day, Friday, May 27, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET.   Nine crews, including Takuma Sato’s No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus crew, were already qualified for the event based on their pit stop performance at previous races.  A total of nine other crews competed today including E. J. Viso and the No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus crew.  The No. 82 crew posted the fastest time of the nine with a stop of 7.895 seconds.  The winning crew of the competition will earn $50,000.

With temperatures hovering in the high 40’s and a stiff wind blowing, team officials felt that nothing of value could be learned by practicing today and that the risk of damaging the cars outweighed anything that could be gained.  Most of the other competitors agreed as only two cars ran a total of 13 laps today.  In the first four days of practice for the 2011 Indianapolis 500, KVRT – Lotus has not been on track twice and one of the two days they were was shortened.  In addition to today’s weather related problems, Opening Day, Saturday, May 14 was abbreviated and Sunday, May 15 was cancelled due to rain.

Today’s inclement weather however did not go to waste as the team took the opportunity to practice pit stops in preparation for tomorrow’s IZOD Pit Stop Competition qualifying.   Nine crews, including Takuma Sato’s No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus crew, have already qualified for the event based on their pit stop performance at previous races.  A total of nine other crews will compete tomorrow starting at 9:00 a.m. to fill the final three slots.   The IZOD Pit Stop Competition will be held on Carburetion Day, Friday, May 27 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET.

With essentially only a day and a half of practice, Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, has recorded the team’s fastest lap with a speed of 223.033 mph.  He has run a total of 50 laps.   Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, has a top speed 222.505 mph in 57 laps, while E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, the team leader in laps completed with 67, has posted a speed of 221.096 mph.

KVRT - Lotus will attempt to resume practice tomorrow, weather permitting, in preparation for next weekend’s Indianapolis 500 qualifying.  The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29.  It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

KV Racing Technology – Lotus had a successful, if rain shortened, Opening Day of practice yesterday. Although on track time was limited, the team was able to start their Indy 500 program by shaking down all three cars. Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, was the fastest of the three KVRT – Lotus drivers with a speed of 220.883 mph putting him 20th on the speed charts. E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, logged a fast lap of 220.529 mph placing him 24th, while Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus recorded a lap of 220.387 mph putting him 25th.

Sato is looking to qualify for his second Indy 500, Viso his fourth and Kanaan his 10th.

KVRT - Lotus will attempt to resume practicing tomorrow, weather permitting, in preparation for next weekend's Indianapolis 500 qualifying. The 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29. It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

On a day when track time was limited due to rain and shaking down the car was more important than speed, Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus, was the fastest of the three KVRT – Lotus cars posting a speed of 220.883 mph on the historic 2.5-mile speedway oval putting him 20th on the speed charts. E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus, logged a fast lap of 220.529 mph placing him 24th, while, Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus recorded a lap of 220.387 mph putting him 25th.

Sato, who turned a team-high 23 laps, made his IMS debut last year. Regarding his return to the Speedway he said, "I am happy to be back at the Speedway. Things went smoothly today. The first run was fast and cool. It was just a shakedown of the car to be sure everything was working. Unfortunately, the day was interrupted by rain, but at least we got in part of the day and got our program started."

Viso, who ran 16 laps today, is making his fourth appearance at the Brickyard. Commenting on today's opening day of practice the young Venezuelan said, "I think today we pretty much accomplished what we were looking for. We know how the car is running and now it's about getting it up to speed. It's going to be a long couple of weeks, so we need to have a lot of patience and put all the information from each day together so we are prepared for race day."

Kanaan, who logged 19 laps and will be attempting to qualify for his 10th Indy 500 said, "It was an ok day. It was the first day for me with the team driving on ovals. I was trying to judge my measurements and run my setup for the first time. Not a lot to say really, just glad we went out and did a couple of runs and understood how the car reacts, but, like I said it's just the first day."

Practice began promptly at 12 noon with the first KVRT – Lotus car taking to the track at approximately 12:15 p.m. when Kanaan turned one "installation" lap. All three cars ran laps in the first hour before heading to the garage for setup changes. Sato returned to the track in the mid-afternoon before rain started to fall at approximately 3:00 p.m. halting practice. The rain stopped and the track dried allowing Kanaan and Viso to run a few laps in the late afternoon, but a second round of showers brought an end to on-track action at 5:25 p.m. 35 minutes before the scheduled 6:00 p.m. close. A total of 33 cars turned a total of 669 laps today. Ed Carpenter posted the fastest speed at 224.786 mph.

The 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29. It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

All three KVRT – Lotus drivers, Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology – Lotus and E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology - Lotus, are scheduled to be on track at 12:00 noon tomorrow.

Kanaan, in his 15th season and 10th in the IndyCar Series, is considered one of the greatest drivers never to win the Indianapolis 500.  He will be looking to rectify that situation this year.  The 36-year-old Brazilian is no stranger to the Speedway having competed here nine previous times.  He has qualified in the top-six a total of eight times, in the top-five six times and on the front row twice with one pole in 2005.  Kanaan has finished in the top-eight on four occasions and in the top-five three times with a best showing of second in 2004.  He has led 214 laps at IMS and is the only driver to have led laps in his first seven Indy 500s.  Last year, Kanaan had a very impressive performance.  Starting an Indy 500 career low 33rd (last) he charged through the field, got as high as second and finished 11th.  The 2004 series champion and perennial championship contender is currently sixth in the standings with 99 points.  He will be attempting to qualify for his 136th consecutive IndyCar race (137th overall), just two shy of the Series record (Scott Sharp – 138, all-time record held by KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser – 211).

“Obviously I am excited to be back at the Speedway,” Kanaan said.  “Last year was a struggle for me, but I am with a new team and I think just looking at the color and the number of the car that made so much history here, it kind of adds a little pressure, but I am excited.  It is the month of May again and I have not driven the KVRT – Lotus car on the oval, so I don’t know what to expect.  This place has been pretty good to me.   I am still looking for my first win here, but with the number 82 and the history of the color of that car, maybe we can make it happen.” 

Sato, in his second IndyCar season, will be looking to qualify for his 22nd IndyCar event and second at the Brickyard.   Last year, he qualified 31st and made a spirited run into the top-10 before having a problem on a pit stop and falling back to finish 20th.  The 34-year-old from Japan has been impressive at the start of the 2011 season.  He finished an IndyCar career high fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg, then had on-track incidents negate very competitive performances where he looked to be a assured of at least a top-10 finish at Barber Motorsports Park and Long Beach.  In Brazil, Sato qualified a season high 10th then charged to the front of the field in the extremely wet conditions that prevailed over the two days of the rain delayed race.  Unfortunately, Sato had to pit for a splash of fuel late in the race dropping him back to sixth.  He eventually finished eighth, but moved back into the top-10 in the championship race, at No. 10 with 80 points,

“This is just an amazing event and obviously this year, as it's the 100th anniversary, it will be even more special,” Sato said.  “Indianapolis Speedway is a completely unique venue and nothing like any other oval.  We use the very thin super speedway wings that makes you go very fast, but also makes it really challenging in all corners and in traffic.  Finishing last year’s 500 was valuable experience for this year.  I am very motivated and the team has been working on the car over the winter - it looks absolutely beautiful, a really great job. I just can't wait to start this event.”

Viso, who is in his fourth IndyCar season, will be trying to qualify for his 55th IndyCar race and fourth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  In three previous races at the Speedway, the 26-year-old Venezuelan has a best starting position of 19th (2010) and a best finish of 24th (2009).  Viso has been plagued by bad luck during the early part of the 2011 season.  He suffered a puncture in the season opener then was the victim of an on-track incident at Barber.  In Long Beach he was having a strong race when an attempt to pass another competitor resulted in contact.  However, his performance in Brazil, a patient and smart race which resulted in a 13th place finish, in what can only be described as horrible conditions may have been just the thing to get him headed in the right direction.  Viso is 24th in the standings with 51 points.

“This is the month that we have all been waiting for,” Viso said.  “The Indy 500 is something that is huge for anyone in racing and especially for us because we have been building up to this moment.  Tomorrow will be the first day we put the cars on the track and we are definitely excited about that.  These first days are all about being calm, checking all of our equipment and starting to think about how we are going to play our cards. The hard work and progress we have made as a team so far has been good and I am sure it is all play out later in the month.”

The 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 will be held Sunday, May 29.  It will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

For most of yesterday's Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 it looked like Takuma Sato was going to take his first ever IndyCar victory, but his strategy gamble sadly didn't pay off. He crossed the line in eighth, earning 24 valuable points.

Think Brazil, think tanning oil, caipirinhas, and as little clothing as possible. Sao Paulo had different ideas, though, when torrential rain on Sunday meant not even the TV cameras could pick out the action, let alone the spray-inflicted drivers. This summoned the red flags and the race was postponed till Monday, which was still pretty damp.

With just one hour 19 minutes of the race left to run, the order was resumed from Sunday, with Taku-san P3 having started a season-high tenth, and KV Racing Technology-Lotus team-mates EJ Viso 11th and local hero Tony Kanaan 26th. The team had rebuilt the Brazilian's car during the red flag period, after an accident left him with a smashed ride and an injured left hand.

Come Monday, Sato was straight on the case, passing Ryan Briscoe for second place on Lap 5 and, after a caution period, stealing the lead from Will Power when the Penske driver pitted. The Japanese racer, who's in his second season of IndyCar, led the next 23 laps, the first of his career. But he was gambling with his fuel strategy. With the race shortened to 55 laps, the team were hoping for enough yellow flag periods to let them save sufficient fuel not to require a pitstop. But, after the mid-race yellow which saw Power and the majority of other drivers pit, the flags never came out again. Flat-out, Sato's green and yellow KVRT-Lotus became thirsty.

As Marco Andretti and Viso wrestled for second - which resulted in the latter receiving a blocking penalty - Taku was able to pull away in the lead. But a lack of cautions meant he had to pit on Lap 49, surrendering victory to Power.

Taku settled for eighth, while EJ came an unlucky 13th, and Kanaan bounced back from a nine-lap deficit to take 22nd and 12 points - a real achievement considering he was in the medical centre for most of Sunday. Kannan is now sixth in the championship with 99 points, Sato tenth with 80, and Viso 24th on 51.

Commenting on the race Takuma Sato said: "We came to this race expecting to be competitive, but after practice and qualifying, it was clear that we weren't at the top level in dry conditions. However, on Sunday, even though I have never driven the car in wet conditions and never used the wet tire, I was immediately comfortable. I really enjoyed the race. Every time we had a restart I was able to gain positions and overtaking the two Penske cars was great. Once I got in the lead I was able to control the pace and was saving fuel massively. However, in the end our strategy did not work and in hindsight we should have pitted for fuel during the final caution because we were not in a position to take a gamble. It was a shame we did not make it, but I want to thank the entire team for all their hard work this weekend."

KVRT-Lotus Team Principal Jimmy Vasser, said: "Taku drove like a champion today. He earned the title as the new rain master. Unfortunately, the team made the wrong call. At the time we felt there was a high probability there would be at least one more yellow, which is all we needed to finish the race. However, at the end of the day we made the wrong call. Taku showed today that his first win is not far away."

Director of Group Lotus Motorsport Claudio Berro said: "We might not have the results to show for it, but Sao Paulo was a very strong outing for the KVRT Lotus team. Taku's wet weather skills were riveting to watch and with a different strategy he could have won. But that's motor racing. EJ drove well too, and we're all relieved that Tony was able to compete at the restart of his home race. The team did a great job to get his car ready. Next stop, it's the big one, the Indy 500, and a race with the Lotus marque stamped in its history books. We hope to achieve a deserving result there."

Lotus driver Takuma Sato finished eighth today in the rain postponed and shortened Itaipava Sāo Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle on the challenging and bumpy 2.6-mile,11-turn Sāo Paulo, Brazil temporary street circuit. Teammates E. J. Viso and Tony Kanaan finished 13th and 22nd respectively.

Heavy rain and water wreaked havoc with the cars and forced IndyCar officials to stop and then postpone yesterday's scheduled contest after 14 laps. Today's race, which was a timed event, a total of two hours between yesterday (40 minutes and 46 seconds) and today (one hour, 19 minutes and 14 seconds), was held under dark skies, but wet conditions.

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, started a season high 10th, and despite having never driven an IndyCar in the rain, drove skillfully avoiding all the carnage during yesterday's opening laps. When the race was halted he had advanced seven positions to third place where he started today. Five laps after the resumption of the race this morning Sato passed Ryan Briscoe for second place. Then on the restart following the second caution he overtook Will Power for the lead. Sato led the next 23 laps, the first of his IndyCar career, but late in the race it became obvious he would not get the final caution he needed to finish the race with the fuel he had.

On lap 49 of the 55 lap contest he pitted for a splash of fuel dropping him back.

"We came to this race expecting to be competitive, but after practice and qualifying it was clear that we weren't at the top level in dry conditions," Sato said. "However, yesterday, even though I have never driven an IndyCar in wet conditions and never used the wet tire, I was immediately comfortable."

Sato went on to say,"I really enjoyed the race. Every time we had a restart I was able to gain positions and overtaking the two Penske cars was very exciting. Once I got in the lead I was able to control the pace and was saving fuel massively. However, in the end our strategy did not work and in hindsight we should have pitted for fuel during the final caution because we were not in a position to take a gamble. It was a shame we did not make it, but I want to thank the entire team for all their hard work this weekend."

Commenting on the race strategy KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser said, "Taku drove like a champion today. He earned the title as the new rain master. Unfortunately, the team made the wrong call. At the time we felt there was a high probability there would be at least one more yellow, which is all we needed to finish the race. However, at the end of the day we made the wrong call. However, Taku showed today that his first win is not far away."

Sato, in his second IndyCar season, made his 21st IndyCar start and second in Sāo Paulo . Last year, he made his IZOD IndyCar debut here, but his race ended at the drop of the green flag with an incident that knocked him out of the race. Sato,who earned 24 points today and moved into 10th place in the standings with 80 points, opened the season with an IndyCar career high fifth place finish in St. Petersburg. In the next two events, Barber and Long Beach, on-track incidents negated extremely competitive performances where he looked to be a assured of at least a top-10 finish.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology - Lotus, started last (26th) after a mechanical failure caused a crash in Saturday afternoon's practice and repairs could not be made in time for qualifying. Viso drove a smart but aggressive race avoiding all of yesterday's trouble. He gained an incredible 15 positions yesterday and was in 11th place where he started today. Viso was on the move immediately this morning picking his way through the field until he was in second place. However, shortly thereafter IndyCar officials assessed him a drive through penalty for blocking which dropped him out of the top-10.

"I am very grateful to the team for all their hard work this weekend," Viso said. "We had a mechanical problem on Saturday that put the car into the wall totaling it. Unfortunately, we could not get the spare car ready in time for qualifying so I had to start the race last. We made it all the way up to second place then I was given a drive through penalty for blocking. I do not agree with the decision the series made to penalize me. All I was doing was braking in the dry areas of the track. I never blocked, I was just doing what everyone else was doing. After that I started overtaking cars again, but at that point it was pretty late in the race."

Viso, who is in his fourth IndyCar season, made his 54th career start and second in Sāo Paulo. Last year he started 17th and finished 12th in a hard fought race. The determined young Venezuelan has been plagued by bad luck during the early part of the 2011 season, but may have turned the corner today He is.currently 24th in the standings with 51 points.

Kanaan, who drove the No. 82 Itaipava – KV Racing Technology – Lotus here in Brazil, started 21st after a problem with his front wing and a penalty hampered his qualifying effort. On the first lap yesterday, Kanaan was hit causing severe damage to his car and injuring his left hand. As the crew made repairs, Kanaan was treated and medically cleared to resume racing, which he did in 26th place and nine laps down. Despite the handicap, Kanaan continued to battle in today's race and scored 12 valuable championship points.

"Today was kind of a different day. I woke up knowing that I was already nine laps down and that anything I could get on track would be a plus. Anyway, knowing that getting the laps back would be unrealistic, we used this race to log some laps and get to know the car better under these circumstances. Unfortunately the weekend did not go our way, but the promoters, IndyCar and the fans did a great job putting the show together."

Kanaan, who made his 136th consecutive IndyCar start, just two shy of the Series record, and second on his home soil (finished 10th in last year's inaugural event). , Kanaan, who had to go job hunting for the first time in many years and signed with KVRT – Lotus just six days before the start of the season, has been impressive through the first part of the 2011 season. He has finished in the top-10 in three of the four races this year and is currently sixth in the championship race with 99 points.

Next up for KVRT - Lotus is the 2011 Indianapolis 500, May 14-29. The race will be held on May 29th and be televised on live on ABC at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Lotus driver Takuma Sato qualified 10th for tomorrow's Itaipava Sāo Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle on the streets of Sāo Paulo, Brazil. Tony Kanaan, who was penalized, qualified 21st while E. J. Viso missed qualifying after a mechanical failure caused a crash that could not be repaired in time. He will start 26th.

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, qualified with a lap of 82.7379 seconds (110.344 mph) on the challenging and bumpy 2.6-mile, 11-turn Sāo Paulo temporary street circuit and will start on the outside of row five. The 10th place starting position is his season high and is the third time in four tries that he has reached the second round of road/street course qualifying this season (started 11th at both St. Petersburg and Barber).

"It was not an easy day, but through both practice sessions we made steady

progress," Sato said. "I tried everything I could in qualifying and the team did

put everything together, but we just lacked speed. So, tonight we need to

review the data we collected today and work hard to find some more speed

for the race. Under the circumstances, I am reasonably happy with the

performance today and I feel we can have a strong race tomorrow."

Sato made his IZOD IndyCar debut here last year, starting 10th but was

knocked out of the race following an opening lap incident. He has started

his second IndyCar season strong finishing an IndyCar career high fifth at

the season opener in St. Petersburg. Then at Barber and Long Beach,

on-track incidents negated extremely competitive performances where he

looked to be a shoe-in for at least a top-10 finish. Sato is currently 13th in

the standings with 56 points just eight points out of 10th place.

Kanaan, who is piloting the No. 82 Itaipava – KV Racing Technology – Lotus for his home race, originally qualified 15th with a lap of 83.684 seconds, but was penalized for an illegal wing change and assigned his fast time prior to the change, (84.2205 seconds.108.401 mph), dropping him to 21st on the grid. He will start on the inside of row 11.

"During our first outing the team noticed that according to our telemetry there was something wrong with the front wing of the car. I came in and the team swapped wings, but I ran out of time to get a good lap. After the qualifying was over we were informed that we got penalized because of the wing change. It will be a long day tomorrow, but this track is good for overtaking, so I'm confident that we'll improve during the race."

Kanaan will be making his second start on the streets of Sāo Paulo tomorrow.

Last year, he qualified sixth and finished 10th. The talented Brazilian is third

in the championship race with 87 points just 35 points behind series leader

Dario Franchitti. He is one of four drivers to finish in the top-10 in each of

the first three events of the 2011 season and has improved 25 positions

(starting position to finishing position) in the three events. Kanaan will be

making his 136th consecutive IndyCar start tomorrow putting him just two

shy of the Series record.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, had a mechanical

failure through no fault of his own during the second practice session that

resulted in a crash. The car was damaged so severely that despite the

valiant and best efforts of his crew, the car could not be repaired in time

for qualifying. As a result, Viso will start last, 26th, in tomorrow's race on

the outside of row 13.

"Unfortunately, after going over the car the team found we had a mechanical failure that caused me to crash during the second practice session," Viso said. "The car suffered a lot of damage and even though my crew, with help from some of the guys from the other two KVRT – Lotus crews, worked very hard we just didn't have enough time to fix the car for qualifying. Obviously I am disappointed. We improved the car a lot during practice and I thought I had a chance for a good qualifying session. However, with this track and the way things have gone in the last three races anything is possible, so I am hoping for the best tomorrow."

Regarding Viso's incident KVRT – Lotus General Manager Mark Johnson

said, "We are very disappointed that we had a mechanical failure today

which ended up with E. J. crashing through no fault of his own. The team

takes 100% responsibility for what happened today. We are all working

hard to help E. J. overcome the bad luck that has hampered his performance

at the start of this season, so today's problem is even more frustrating."

Viso, in his fourth IndyCar season, will be making his 54th career start and second in Sāo Paulo tomorrow.

Last year he started 17th and finished 12th in a hard fought race. The determined young Venezuelan has been plagued by bad luck during the early part of the 2011 season. He suffered a puncture at St. Petersburg, was hit by another competitor at Barber and at Long Beach, was having a strong race when he attempted a pass that resulted in contact. Viso is currently 25th in the standings with 34 points

Kanaan led the team in both practices today. He had the eighth fastest lap (85.6099 seconds, 106.642 mph) in the morning session (Viso was ninth at 85.7079 seconds, 106.520 mph, Sato, 13th, 85.8121 seconds,106.391 mph). In the afternoon practice Kanaan recorded a time of 84.5128 seconds (108.026 mph) placing him 10th, Sato was second on the team and 18th on the practice report, 64.8441 seconds, 107.604 mph. Viso had the mechanical failure in the afternoon and ran just five laps.

KVRT – Lotus road/street course qualifying:

When Sato advanced to the second round of qualifying today in Sāo Paulo it was the fourth consecutive time that KVRT – Lotus has had a least one driver get to the second round of road/street course qualifying. Tony Kanaan has advanced to the second round twice (St. Petersburg, qualified eighth and Long Beach, qualified 10th. Sato has done it three times (St. Petersburg 11th, Barber Motorsports Park, 11th and here in Sāo Paulo, a season-high 10th).

Sato visits Brazilian school children:

Early Friday, April 29, Takuma Sato visited a unit of the Unified Educational

Centers (CEU) in Jaçanã, a neighborhood in the north of Sāo Paulo. Taku,

who launched the "With you Japan" charity program to raise funds for children

who are victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern coast

of Japan on March 11, visited some classrooms and spoke with about 120

students, ages 13-15, in the amphitheater through a Japanese-Portuguese

interpreter. After a brief video introduction, Sato explained about effects of

the disaster in Japan then fielded questions from the students about the

terrible events and about IndyCar racing. At the conclusion the, students

recorded a videotaped message of support to Japanese children affected

by natural disaster.

"I really enjoyed sending a message to the students. They were very interested, focused and energetic," Sato said. "It was also very emotional when they sang their welcome song."

Itaipava Sāo Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle broadcast time:

The Itaipava Sāo Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle will be broadcast live on Versus starting at 12:00 noon ET on Sunday, May 1.

Lotus driver Tony Kanaan will be looking to continue his strong start to the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season when he ventures to his native Brazil for the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé, April 30 – May 1, on the streets of São Paulo, Brazil.

Teammates Takuma Sato and E. J. Viso will also be looking for strong performances this weekend as both drivers try to move-up in the championship standings.

Kanaan, who will pilot the No. 82 Itaipava – KV Racing Technology – Lotus for his home race, currently sits third in the championship race with 87 points just 28 points out of second place and 35 out of first. The 2004 IndyCar Series Champion is one of just four drivers to finish in the top-10 in each of the first three events of the 2011 season placing third in the season opener at St. Petersburg, sixth at Barber Motorsports Park in round two and eighth two weeks ago in Long Beach. Even more remarkable is the fact that Kanaan has officially made up 25 positions in the first three races (started eighth finished third in St. Pete – 5; started 24th and finished sixth in Barber – 18; started 10th, finished eighth in Long Beach – 2). This does not take into account the fact that following the first pit stop at Long Beach he fell to 26th before fighting his way back to finish eighth (18 positions). Kanaan will be making his second start on the streets of São Paulo. Last year he qualified sixth and finished 10th.

Commenting on racing in his home country Kanaan said,"As soon as I got to Brazil, while I was still on my way home from the airport I decided to go to the track to feel the vibe. I'm very happy to race at home in front of my fans and at a track that's really good for overtaking and that puts on an awesome show for the crowd. It's going to be a busy week for sure, but it's also going to be a rewarding one. We got here in a good spot in the championship and I hope we leave here heading to Indy the same way. I'm very focused and excited for this race. Racing back in my home country is very special."

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, has also been impressive in the first three races of the season although his results do not reflect how well he has performed. The Japanese star finished an IndyCar career high fifth at St. Petersburg before placing 16th and 21st at Barber and Long Beach respectively despite driving very competitive races. The final results in the last two races were especially disappointing because in each event he was in line for at least a top-10 finish. Long Beach in particular was extremely frustrating because Sato was battling with eventual winner Mike Conway late in the race when he was hit from behind and suffered a punctured tire. Sato, currently 13th in the standings with 56 points, but just eight points out of 10th, made his IndyCar debut in São Paulo last year. He qualified 10th, but an opening lap incident knocked him out of the race.

"The São Paulo street course is a great venue," Sato said. "It has such a long straight with heavy breaking at the end, which makes overtaking possible. Although the track is incredibly bumpy all around, it is quite challenging. Last year, this event was my debut race in the IZOD IndyCar series and unfortunately my day ended immediately after the start, so I am really looking forward to having a good race there this year. We still need to work really hard to challenge the top group, but I feel very positive with our constant progress and the performance from my KVRT-Lotus team, so I hope we have a great chance to have a strong race.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology - Lotus, in his fourth IndyCar season, has been the victim of some bad luck in the first three races. The young Venezuelan, who is currently 25th in the standings with 34 points, suffered a puncture in the season opener when he ran over some debris, then was hit by another competitor at Barber. At Long Beach, he was having a strong race when he attempted a pass that resulted in contact ending his day. Last year, Viso had a solid performance in São Paulo. Starting 17th he fought his way to a 12th place finish in a brutal race.

"I'm exited on going back to Brazil which last year was such a colorful and exciting race," Viso said. "The track has a special character because of the slow corners and it is such a long race. Also the weather is always a factor this time of year, so the track conditions change and that will bring some excitement to the weekend."

Kanaan extends streak:

Kanaan will be attempting to make his 136th consecutive IndyCar start this weekend, which extends his streak as the active driver with the most consecutive starts (Series record – Scott Sharp – 138, All–time leader – KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser – 211).

Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 Nestlé television times:

The Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 Nestlé will be broadcast live on Versus beginning at 12:00 noon ET.

Lotus driver Tony Kanaan overcame adversity to finish eighth and hold onto third place in the championship race today at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, California.

Teammate Takuma Sato was having a strong performance when he was hit from behind and suffered a punctured tire dropping him to 21st. E. J. Viso, the third KVRT – Lotus driver was also having a good race before becoming involved in an incident and placed 25th.

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 10th and

remained there until his first pit stop when a fueling issue dropped him to

25th place. At that point, showing the heart of the champion he is, Kanaan

battled, scratched and clawed his way back to 16th position. During a

restart on lap 67 of the 85-lap event, the race leaders crashed and Kanaan

found himself in 10th where he continued to fight culminating in the

improbable eighth place finish. Kanaan earned his fifth top-10 finish in

eight tries on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach temporary street circuit.

His best showing was third in 2009 (placed fifth twice, last year and in his

TGPLB debut in 1998).

"It was a long day," Kanaan said. We had a little bit of an issue with a pit

stop and that cost us the race. We still finished in the top-10 which is a

decent result. Things like that should not be happening, so we have to go home and fix it."

Kanaan has opened the 2011 IZOD IndyCar season with three strong performances. He finished third at St. Petersburg and sixth at Barber Motorsports Park to go with today's eighth place showing. The talented Brazilian and 2004 IndyCar Series Champion earned 24 points today and remains third in the championship standings with 87 points just 35 out of first and 28 out of second.

Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, started 22nd, the first time he failed to make the second round of road/street course qualifying this season, and basically stayed there through the first part of the race. Following his first pit stop he started to climb through the field and after his second stop was sitting in 10th. He got through the carnage in turn one from the incident following the restart on lap 67, however in turn eight he was hit from behind by another competitor and had a tire punctured essentially ending his race.

"I am extremely disappointed," Sato said. "It was a clean start and a strong race. We saved tires and fuel and really concentrated on our strategy. Other drivers ahead of me pitted early, but I was able to stretch a few laps more, which helped me move up. After the restart I was running as high as seventh and side-by-side with Conway, who won the race, but I got hit from behind. This caused me to get a puncture and I had to return to the pits. Overall, I felt we worked well together as a team and I had a good strategy, but we still need to work hard on pure speed. Hopefully we can improve this for Brazil."

Sato, who is in his second IndyCar season, made his 20th IndyCar start and second in Long Beach today. He has also had an impressive start to the season even though his last two results have not reflected how well he has performed. Sato, from Japan, finished an IndyCar career high fifth at St. Petersburg, but has place 16th and 21st at Barber and Long Beach respectively despite driving very strong races. Sato picked up 12 points today giving him 56 for the season good for 13th in the standings just eight points out of 10th.

Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology - Lotus, started 17th, moved into 16th on the first lap and stayed there until just before his first pit stop when he moved into 12th place. He was 11th after the first round of stops and moved into 10th just prior to his second stop. Following this stop he attempted to pass another competitor and the two cars made contact knocking Viso out of the race.

"I was having a good, clean race," Viso said." "We were running in the top-10. Then after my second pit stop I was attempting to pass another car and we made contact. I haven't looked at the video, so I don't want to say too much, but I thought it was a legitimate pass because the other driver had lost momentum after being overtaken by other car. It is a shame because I think we were in a position to have a good result. We will just have to try and get things going in Brazil."

Viso, who is in his fourth IndyCar season, made his 53rd career start and fourth in Long Beach today. The young Venezuelan, who has been the victim of some bad luck in the first three races of the season, is currently 25th in the points race with 34 points.

Next up for KVRT - Lotus is the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 Nestlé, April 30 – May 1, in São Paulo, Brazil. The race will be broadcast live on Versus beginning at 12:00 noon ET.

Kanaan extends streak:

Kanaan made his 134th consecutive IndyCar start today, which extends his streak as the active driver with the most consecutive starts (Series record – Scott Sharp – 138, All–time leader – KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser – 211).

KV Racing Technology – Lotus Long Beach Grand Prix history:

KVRT – Lotus has made 20 starts at Long Beach between 2003 and 2011. They have qualified in the top-10 six times with a best starting position of fourth by Will Power in 2008. They have finished in the top-10 nine times with two top-five showings including a win, again by Power in 2008. Also in 2008, in the Champ Car World Series finale, KVRT placed three cars in the top-10 with Power winning, Oriol Servia finishing fifth and KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser, in his last open-wheel race, placing 10th.

Lotus driver Tony Kanaan qualified 10th for tomorrow's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the streets of Long Beach, California. Teammates E. J. Viso and Takuma Sato will start 17th and 22nd respectively.

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, the fastest of the three KVRT – Lotus drivers qualified with a lap of 69.7352 seconds (101.596 mph) on the challenging 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach temporary street circuit and will start on the outside of row five. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV

Racing Technology – Lotus was 17th recorded a lap of 70.1465 seconds (101.000 mph) and will lineup on the inside of row nine. Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, had an official time of 70.8196 (100.040) after his two fastest laps were taken away after he caused a yellow flag at the end

of his session. He will grid on the outside of row 11. This is the third consecutive time that KVRT – Lotus has had a least one driver advance to the second round of road/street course qualifying.

Kanaan has reached the second round of road/street qualifying twice and qualified in the top-10 twice in the first three races of the 2011 season (started eighth in St. Petersburg). The talented Brazilian will be making his eighth start on the streets of Long Beach tomorrow, qualifying in the top-10 five times including capturing his first career pole in 1999. He has finished in the top-seven on four occasions in seven previous races with a best showing of third in 2009 (placed fifth twice, last year and in his TGPLB debut in 1998).

"It is a very tight field, so it was a very exciting qualifying," Kanaan said. "We got held up on our fastest lap so that cost a tenth which would have put us in the top-eight. From tenth to eighth is really not a big deal. I am excited for the race. I think it is going to be a great race. It is also nice to see all the fans showing up as usually here in Long Beach. Let's see what is going to happen tomorrow.

Kanaan is in his 14th season of U. S. based open-wheel racing and 10th in the IndyCar series. He will be making his 134th consecutive IndyCar start tomorrow, which extends his streak as the active driver with the most consecutive starts (Series record – Scott Sharp – 138, All–time leader –

KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser – 211). In the first two races of the season, Kanaan has finished third at St. Petersburg and sixth at Barber Motorsports Park. The 2004 IndyCar Series Champion is currently third in the standings with 63 points just 31 out of first and 24 out of second.

Viso, in his fourth IndyCar season, will be making his 53rd career start and fourth in Long Beach tomorrow. He will be looking to reverse a run of bad luck that has plagued him in the first two races of the season starting tomorrow. The young Venezuelan career best qualifying effort came here at Long Beach in 2009 when he started fourth and has a solid ninth place finish to his credit in three previous starts. Viso is currently 24th in the standings with 24 points, but is just 18 points out of 10th place.

Commenting on today's qualifying effort Viso said, "I am frustrated about our qualifying session. I believe the team made good progress through the weekend so I expected to be in the top-12. I think the way we worked this weekend was the start of something positive. It is the first time we have worked this way as a team and I think it is the right way. Long Beach is always an unpredictable race. I believe we will have a good pace in the race. The key will be to stay on track, stay clean and the race will come to you."

Today's session was the first time this season that Sato has not advanced to the second round of road/street qualifying having started 11th at both St. Petersburg and Barber. Sato, who is in just his second IndyCar season, will be making his 20th start tomorrow and second in Long Beach.

"It was a tough qualifying session because we could not find the speed we needed," Sato said. "The alternate tire upset the balance and I simply could not go fast enough. I am disappointed. The last race we improved the car in the warm up on race day, so tonight we will review all the data we collected

today and work hard to improve the car for tomorrow's race."

In the first two races of the season, Taku, as he is known in native Japan, has earned an IndyCar career high fifth at St. Petersburg and placed 16th at Barber after a series of incidents denied him a top-10 finish. Sato is eighth in the championship standings with 44 points and just 10 points out of fifth.

In this morning's first practice, Kanaan led the team with the seventh fastest lap recording a time of 70.7390 seconds (100.154 mph) putting seventh on the combined practice report. Sato was ninth on both the session and combined speed charts at 70.8919 seconds (99.936 mph), while Viso was 11th on both reports with a lap of 70.9617 seconds (99.840 mph). All three drivers turned their fastest practice laps during this morning's practice.

KV Racing Technology – Lotus Long Beach Grand Prix history:

KVRT – Lotus has made 17 starts at Long Beach between 2003 and 2010. They have qualified in the top-10 five times with a best starting position of fourth by Will Power in 2008. They have finished in the top-10 eight times with two top-five showings including a win, again by Power in 2008. Also in 2008, in the Champ Car World Series finale, KVRT placed three cars in the top-10 with Power winning, Oriol Servia finishing fifth and KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser, in his last open-wheel race, placing 10th.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach TV:

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on Versus starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.

Lotus has the advantage of fielding a team with three talented drivers. They used that advantage today as all three shared the workload during the first day of practice for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, to be held Sunday, April 17, on the streets of Long Beach, California.

KVRT – Lotus spent the morning session running through their test plan, then in the afternoon took what they collectively learned and refined it in the afternoon practice. At the end of the day, with a clear direction established for tomorrow's qualifying, Tony Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, was the fastest of the three KVRT – Lotus drivers and the 11th fastest in the field of 27 with a lap of 71.5954 seconds (98.956 mph). Takuma Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, was 15th on the speed charts posting a time of 71.8077 seconds (98.664 mph), while E. J. Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology – Lotus was 20th recording a lap of 71.9979 seconds (98.403 mph). All three drivers ran their quick laps during the afternoon practice on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach temporary street circuit.

Kanaan is coming off a third place finish in the season opener

in St. Petersburg and a spectacular performance at Barber

Motorsports Park in round two where he improved 18 positions

to finish sixth. The 2004 IndyCar Series Champion is currently

third in the standings with 63 points just 31 out of first and 24

out of second. Kanaan, from Brazil, will be making his eighth

appearance on the streets of Long Beach this weekend. In

seven previous races he has qualified in the top-six a total of

four times including capturing his first career U. S. based open-wheel pole in 1999. He has finished in the top-seven on four occasions with a best showing of third in 2009 (placed fifth twice, last year and in his TGPLB debut in 1998).

"We had a good and productive day," said Kanaan. "We had the opportunity to test a lot of different things on the car and we found a good baseline for tomorrow's practice and hopefully we'll have a strong qualifying session."

Sato finished an IndyCar career high fifth at St. Petersburg, then qualified a team-high 11th at Barber where he was on course for a top-10 finish before having some difficulties and finishing 16th. The Japanese star, in just his second IndyCar season, is eighth in the championship standings with 44 points and just 10 points out of fifth. Sato, who based on his performance on the streets of St. Petersburg, is primed for another strong weekend here in Long Beach where he will be making his second start.

Commenting on today's practices Sato said. "We tried many things today and we made reasonably good progress, however the field is again very competitive. We really need to work hard on improving the speed of the car. I think all three drivers collected valuable data today that we will go through tonight.

Viso, who suffered a puncture in the season opener and then was the victim of an on-track incident at Barber, is looking for some better luck. The young and determined Venezuelan currently sits 24th in the standings with 24 points. However, he is just 18 points out of 10th place. With a good performance in Long Beach, where he has enjoyed some success, he could easily move within striking distance of a spot in the top-10. Viso's career best qualifying effort came here at Long Beach in 2009 when he started fourth and he has a solid ninth place finish to his credit in three previous starts.

"Today was day where we did a lot of work as a team," Viso said. "We divided the work load between the three cars. Now we have to sit down and put the best scenarios together. During the last part of the session we made some changes to my car that I think were good, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do back-to-back runs on my second set of new tires because of the yellow flags. We are heading in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do to improve the car.

In this morning's first practice, Kanaan led the team with the 10th fastest lap recording a time of 71.9816 seconds (98.425 mph). Viso was 13th with a lap of 72.1992 seconds (98.129 mph) and Sato was 17th at 72.5953 seconds (97.593 mph).

Sato announces International "With you Japan" Program:

KVRT – Lotus driver Takuma Sato introduced today the

International "With you Japan" Program to help support children

affected by the tragedy in Japan. The program, which

collaborates with the "Children Mending Hearts" organization,

will engage in several fundraising events including speaking

engagements, merchandise sales, celebrity collectible auctions

and mobile phone donations. Sato will also carry the "With you

Japan" program message on his car and helmet.

For information and how you can help, please visit:

www.WithYouJapan.org or "With you Japan" Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/WithYouJapanCharity or Children

Mending Hearts: www.childrenmendinghearts.org

KV Racing Technology – Lotus Long Beach Grand Prix history:

KVRT – Lotus has made 17 starts at Long Beach between

2003 and 2010. They have qualified in the top-10 five times

with a best starting position of fourth by Will Power in 2008.

They have finished in the top-10 eight times with two top-five showing including a win, again by Power in 2008. Also in 2008, in the Champ Car World Series finale, KVRT placed three cars in the top-10 with Power winning, Oriol Servia finishing fifth and KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser, in his last open-wheel race, placing 10th.

Kanaan looking to extend consecutive race streak:

Kanaan will be attempting to qualify for his 134th consecutive IndyCar race tomorrow, which would extend his streak as the active driver with the most consecutive starts (Scott Sharp hold the series record with 138 while KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser is the all-time leader with 211 consecutive starts).

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach TV:

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be broadcast live on Versus starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.

The City of Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach honored KV Racing Technology – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser today by inducting him into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame at the sixth annual ceremony in Long Beach, California.

Vasser, along with Target Chip Ganassi Racing which was also honored today, join an illustrious list of drivers and teams which include: Mario and Michael Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Newman Haas Racing, Bobby Rahal, Brian Redman and Al Unser Jr.

"This is fantastic…a great honor…a great surprise…I am humbled," said Vasser. "I want to thank the City of Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach for this honor. To be inducted with all of these great names in motorsports is tremendous and my first reaction was that I was not worthy. I think it was my last win here, in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race last year that pushed me over the top and got me inducted.

"I looked out from the podium today and I think it is a little serendipitous. The guy who gave me my first ride at age six, my dad (Jim Vasser Sr.) is here. The guy who ran my first IndyCar team, Mike Hull is here. The guy who's team I had most of my success with, Chip Ganassi is here. And, the guy who gave me my last IndyCar ride and got me started in my new career as a team owner, Kevin Kalkhoven is here. I think that is very special."

Vasser, who won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in 1996 en route to the CART PPG IndyCar World Series Championship, began attending the event in 1983 as a spectator and has not missed a race in Long Beach since. His last open-wheel start came at Long Beach on April 20, 2008 with KV Racing Technology and last year he won the Pro category of the 2010 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. As a team owner he won the TGPLB in 2008 with Will Power driving.

About Jimmy Vasser:

Vasser is one of the most recognized names in all of open wheel racing. The 1996 CART Indy Car World Series Champion joined KV Racing Technology - Lotus in the dual roles of owner and driver in 2004.

Vasser, who drove IndyCars and Champ Cars for 14 seasons plus one race in 2006 and 2008 (both at Long Beach) owns some of the finest credentials in U.S. open-wheel racing history. He began his racing career in quarter midgets and was the 1986 SCCA National Formula Ford champion. Vasser started his Indy car career in 1992 with Jim Hayhoe Racing and was the fastest Indy 500 rookie qualifier. He scored his first podium finish in 1993 with a third at Phoenix.

Vasser's prime years were spent away from the Indy 500 due to the CART-IRL split but he did win three 500-mile races in his career including the inaugural U.S. 500 at Michigan in 1996. Driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Vasser scored the team's first CART series championship in 1996 with four victories including a popular win at Long Beach. His title also was the first for Honda in Indy car competition.

In addition to his championship in 1996, the native of California was runner-up in 1998 and placed third in the standings in 1997. Vasser, who made his last start in the Champ Car World Series' final event at Long Beach on April 20, 2008 (finishing 10th), stands among the leaders in most of the career statistical records including wins, 10, podium finishes, 33, poles, nine, laps led, 988, and earnings $12,093,244. He started 238 races (233 CART/Champ Car and five IndyCar – 11th on the all-time) and holds the record for consecutive starts with 211. A determined and consistent competitor, Vasser was running at the end of 149 of his last 194 starts (dating to Milwaukee in 1995) and finished in the top-10 in 136 of his 238 starts. He was a perennial championship contender having placed in the top-10 in the championship standings in nine of his last 11 full seasons (concluding with the 2005 season).

Driving for such legendary owners as Chip Ganassi, Pat Patrick and Bobby Rahal, Vasser's victories were scored on some of the most famous tracks, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Michigan and California. In addition, Vasser won, with a dramatic last-lap pass of Michael Andretti, and still holds the fastest 500-mile race in U.S. history with an average speed of 197.995 miles per hour at California Speedway in 2002.

Vasser, who continues to drive competitively in sports cars, is deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the team. He is also a valuable asset in IZOD IndyCar Series team owners meetings providing his insight from both a driver and owner perspective. Off the track, he is the owner of three auto dealerships and a vineyard in Napa, California and various real estate properties in North America.