The Japanese driver is competing in just his eleventh race in the series, but posted a top five practice speed in the #5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology Dallara-Honda on the tricky 1.96-mile City Centre Airport circuit. Sato, still getting accustomed to the unique layout and tarmac surface, stayed in the top ten for most of Friday's one-hour practice before vaulting into the top five with his final lap of the day, recording a speed of 114.449mph.

"It's my first time here on the Edmonton City Centre Airport track, and it is indeed a pretty unique track," Sato admitted, "It is so wide and extremely bumpy, but we expected this.

"We made steady progress throughout the practice session and, as my confidence grew, the car got better over the bumps. The end of the session was quite busy, but we were able to get in a good run which is important before qualifying tomorrow."

Sato, a seven-year Formula One veteran, is competing in just his 11th race in the 17-event campaign but the driver of the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry posted a top-five practice speed in the 1.96-mile, 14-turn City Centre Airport tarmac surface. Sato recorded a speed of 114.449 miles per hour with the fastest set by defending race winner Will Power at 115.176.

Sato, still getting accustomed to the unique circuit, stayed in the top-ten for most of Friday's one-hour practice before vaulting into the top-five on his final lap of the day.

E.J. Viso, the 25-year-old Venezuela driver, also recorded a top-ten run Friday in the No. 8 PDVSA—KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine with a speed of 113.683 m.p.h. Viso, in his third Edmonton event, said the bumpy track even blurred his vision under braking on several sections of the track. But his car was solid throughout most of the circuit. Viso will be looking to make his first Firestone Fast Six qualifying finale Saturday when time trials begin at 3:30 p.m. MDT.

Canadian star Paul Tracy enjoyed a much better Friday practice session from a week ago at Toronto in the No. 15 Honda Canada—Make A Wish—Motegi Wheels Honda/Dallara/Firestone car. The 31-time race winner posted a top-six speed in the Friday morning action and returned in the afternoon with the ninth best speed at 113.543 m.p.h. despite sitting out 10 minutes for a repair.

Young Mario Moraes, a top-five finisher at Watkins Glen took the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry to 13th fastest Friday at 113.183 m.p.h.

DRIVER QUOTES:

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "It is indeed a pretty unique track. It's my first time here on the Edmonton City Centre Airport track. It is so wide and extremely bumpy but we expected this. We made steady progress throughout the practice session and as my confidence grew, the car got better over the bumps. The end of the session was quite busy, but we were able to get in a good run which is important before qualifying tomorrow."

PAUL TRACY -- #15 HONDA CANADA – MAKE A WISH — MOTEGI WHEELS — KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We had an overall good day today with the Honda Canada — Make A Wish – Motegi Wheels car. Everything kind of went to plan in the morning. We were in the top-six in the morning practice and we had a little issue with the car in the afternoon. We started on old tires and we went through some good changes. Plus they were a lot of yellows (flags) and we couldn't get a good stint of laps together. At the end, I was able to squeak in one good lap in for a top-ten clocking. With a little more time in the afternoon, I believe we would have better and closer to the top-five. This is a tough track on a driver and car. But I'm pleased with the first day of running here at Edmonton. "

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We have a pretty complete car after the first day. The grid is so tight and this is one of those places that you have to push so much harder to pick up positions. You have to go over the limit sometimes. Putting all of the sectors of the track together is difficult too. This is a bumpy and unstable track, so it is very hard to run consistent laps here. It is even difficult to find the reference points under braking since you are going up and down in the cockpit. Your vision gets blurry. Overall, I think we have a good car going into qualifying."

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Overall, the day was good. Unfortunately, at the end of the second practice session despite new tires, we weren't really able to get in any runs because of the yellow flags. However I was able to get my fastest time on my last lap even though there was traffic. The car felt good, and I think we are capable of having a top-10 qualifying tomorrow."

Taking place a week after Taku's debut 'north of the border' in Toronto - where he exited after a clash with KVRT team-mate Mario Moraes - the Edmonton race takes place on the runways of the city's airport, and offers an entirely different challenge to the teams and drivers.

Despite his rookie status, Taku has been competitive in road racing qualifying - with two top-six starting positions in the #5 Lotus-backed entry - and will be looking for both another appearance in the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday afternoon and a strong race result on Sunday after running as high as fourth in the recent Watkins Glen event.

"Edmonton will be another adventure run for me!" he insisted, "This place is again a very unique circuit as it is based on an airfield and well known to be possibly the most physical place because of its short straights, constant corners and, of course, the famous bumps...

"The car set-up will be unique, but KV Racing had strong cars there last year so I feel positive for the weekend."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Edmonton will be another adventure run for me! This place is again a very unique circuit as it is based on an airfield and well known to be possibly the most physical place because of its short straights, constant corners and, of course, the famous bumps… So the car set up will be unique as well but KV Racing had strong cars there last year so I feel positive for the weekend".

The claustrophobic little track in Toronto's Exhibition Place is a tricky one to learn, as Taku discovered over Friday's practice sessions with his Lotus-backed Dallara-Honda. "Toronto is well-known as an extremely unique and tricky street course," he said. "It has many bumps and a lot of concrete patches, at almost every corner, which is very unpredictable. It's so difficult to put everything together. On a concrete patch you lose so much grip. You turn in on Tarmac, start cornering, then as soon as you hit a concrete patch you understeer. Then when the rear tyres touch the patch the whole car drifts, and when the fronts get back on the Tarmac it grips suddenly and massive oversteer! Together with the bumps that isn't going to help.

"It's very difficult to get the set-up right and to get the right racing lines. On some corners you even have to miss the apex!"

Nevertheless, Sato chipped away until, after the third hour of practice on Saturday morning, he was cautiously optimistic of making it through to the second round of qualifying for the top 12.

"We made progress steadily," he said. "It was difficult to get everything right but we started to pick things up. It always helps when you get onto a new set of tyres and I hoped that I could attack more on the softer red tyres."

Indeed that proved to be the case. Taku was within 0.1 seconds of the top spot in his group on the opening runs, and there appeared to be every chance that he would make it past the first hurdle. "On my second timed lap I was P1 of the group. I picked up good grip and could go even faster I was sure, but into the hairpin under braking the gearbox had a problem. It electrically cancelled everything and I had no drivetrain. The pit-lane was too far and unfortunately I had to stop."

Even more unfortunately, at this point two other cars came to a halt on the circuit and the session went under yellow flag conditions. So Taku was towed back to the pit and because he was the last person to arrive back it caused a delay to the session and, under IndyCar rules, Taku would lose his fastest two times, even though he was not the cause of the yellow! This relegated him to ninth in the group and 18th on the grid for Sunday's race.

A storming opening lap to the race lifted Taku to 15th position, but then he slid back over the next two laps, losing positions to EJ Viso, Tomas Scheckter (Sato's former British F3 rival from 2000), Mario Romancini, Paul Tracy and Moraes.

"We tried different things in the warm-up but they did not work out, so we tried a different set-up for the race and hoped it was working well. The start of the race was very exciting, and the opening lap was great fun. There was a lot of side-by-side stuff but unfortunately I then lost a few positions. On this course, once one person has passed you and you've lost momentum, it's so difficult and you continuously lose places. But I had great battles with PT and EJ - we gave each other enough room and I was sure I could challenge them later on."

Sadly he wouldn't get chance. Sato had been inching closer to Moraes when, on the 16th lap, the Brazilian gave him an opportunity to pass. "He made a mistake in Turn 1 and I pulled alongside him on the stretch to Turn 3. We were side by side going into the braking zone. The next thing, I cannot believe it! He didn't leave me any room on the outside and kept moving on me so I had nowhere to go and we made contact. I am so struggling to understand it."

So, another unfortunate result, but at least the next race follows straight after, with the IndyCar circus heading west to the prairie province of Alberta for a race on the Edmonton airport circuit, a fast and wide track.

"Toronto is all about survival, and I wanted to challenge and couldn't. It was such a shame, but nevertheless the next race in Edmonton is only a week away, so I will turn my head forward and hopefully we can have a good weekend."

Tracy, driving the No. 15 Honda Canada-Make A Wish-KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, suffered through a tough qualifying run Saturday and was forced to start 24th on the 26-driver field on the 1.74-mile, 11-turn street track.

But the two-time Honda Indy Toronto winner had his fans on their feet in the middle of the main event when he held the lead.

Tracy and his Honda Canada/Motegi Wheels crew attempted a unique strategy to get the local star up into the lead and led the race for 14 laps before having to pit for fuel. Tracy was hoping to use his new fuel strategy to race with the leaders, but traffic posed a problem for him. He then stalled his car in turn three trying to make a pass. Tracy then came back from 20th to finish 13th at the checkered flag.

Tracy wore a blue and white firesuit that was signed by more than 400 Make A Wish donators. Honda Canada worked with the Make A Wish Foundation to raise tens of thousands of dollars this week in Toronto. The promotion will continue next week in Edmonton.

Young Mario Moraes, coming off an impressive fifth place at Watkins Glen two weeks ago, drove the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car to 14th Sunday from his 20th starting position.

E.J. Viso, driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, battled most of the race for a top-ten position but was caught up in a late race incident with Alex Tagliani and Rafael Matos. Despite a little front end damage, Viso continued to finish the event in 19th place.

Takuma Sato, the rookie driver in the No. 5 Lotus — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, ended his race early when he and Moraes made contact in turn three on lap 16. Sato was credited with the 25th position on Sunday.

DRIVER QUOTES:

PAUL TRACY, #15 HONDA CANADA—MAKE A WISH—KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 13th: "I think we could have been a top eight, but several things didn't fall our way. We struggled the first little bit with the handling. The car seemed to come alive at the end. My pace was as fast as the leaders and I was pretty happy with that. The yellow flags hurt us in the end. We waited to pit the first time and then got some green flag laps to get a little space for our first pit stop. But the three yellow flags put us in a bad position for our strategy. We felt we could run with the leaders if we got a break. We led some laps and got some good air time for Make A Wish, Honda Canada and Motegi Wheels. We had to deal with too much traffic after the first stop, and I tried to make a dive in turn three. The rear end got loose and I stalled. That put us back a lap. I just wish we could have qualified better. But we learned some things today and we'll get better for Edmonton next week. This was a great week back home with all of the appearances for Make A Wish and Honda Canada. I wanted a better finish though."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 14th: "I think we should turn the page on this weekend. It was tough for our KV Racing team. We can look forward to the Edmonton race. I feel badly for (Takuma) Sato. I wasn't expecting him to be in that spot on the track. He was in my blind line and it was similar to Helio (Castroneves) and PT (Paul Tracy) last year. So the two cars came together. Later in the race, the car felt pretty good but we need to get ready to improve for Edmonton. We just need to forget about this weekend now."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 19th: "I got hit by (Dan) Wheldon in turn three at the start and dropped several positions. But our pace was then good and I thought our car was coming along very well. Our strategy was good too. We were getting into position to move up in the race. I was racing closely with Tag (Alex Tagliani) and (Rafael) Matos. Tag took Matos wide and I couldn't avoid clipping Matos' wheel. He spun and I got hit. We changed the front wing and I went back out to at least finish today. It wasn't what we wanted but we got to the checkered flag. I thought our pace with No. 8 PDVSA car was pretty good

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 25th: "It was an exciting start and I was able to battle with other drivers and gain a few places. Then I was following my teammate (Mario) Moraes. I caught up very rapidly on him out of turn two and pulled alongside of him on the back straight. We went into the braking area in turn three, but I guess he didn't see me out there and made contact which unfortunately ended my race. It is so disappointing."

Viso, driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, looked to be in a strong position for the Firestone Fast Six shootout Saturday after a sensational second place practice run in the morning session. The Venezuela driver was on a blistering pace throughout the one-hour morning runs. However, changing track conditions seemed to affect Viso's mount in the opening round of afternoon qualifications.

Viso moved to fourth early in the qualifying round but finished out of the top-six transfer spot and will start 13th in the 26-driver lineup for the 85-lap feature. Viso's best speed was 102.884 miles per hour. Justin Wilson won the pole position at 104.827 m.p.h. Sunday's race will be televised live on ABC-TV beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Rookie Takuma Sato also showed speed in the first round of qualifying Saturday in the No. 5 Lotus — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car. The F-1 veteran posted a solid time that would have him advance to the second round, but a mechanical problem caused him to stop on the track. Due to the stoppage, Sato was penalized, losing his two fastest qualifying laps and will start 18th on Sunday after a 102.212 m.p.h. lap.

Mario Moraes, coming off a strong fifth place at Watkins Glen in the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, had difficulty with the slippery track in recording a top speed of 101.747 m.p.h. Moraes will start in the 20th spot Sunday.

Two-time Honda Indy Toronto champion Paul Tracy, a Toronto native, suffered through a tough day in his hometown. Tracy, driving the No. 15 Honda Canada — Make A Wish—KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, experienced an ill-handling car in qualifying and must start 24th in Sunday' main event. Tracy, who came from 15th starting spot last year to challenge for the lead, expects to be charging Sunday at the drop of the green flag in front of his fans.

DRIVER QUOTES:

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Everyone with the No. 8 car felt like we would have a good car after the morning practice when we were P2. When we put the other tires for qualifying on, we had huge understeer and we couldn't keep up the pace with the other drivers. I thought we had the speed to be in the top-three in the first qualifying session since we had done it earlier. It is difficult to understand because the car was so good before qualifying. Now, we'll have to get the race car prepared for warm-up on Sunday and find the speed once again."

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Its a very disappointing day for us. Toronto is a tough venue, but we made steady progress in the practice sessions. However, in qualifying, it looked like I was fast enough to move into the Q2 session but a mechanical failure caused me to stop on track. This resulted in a penalty and I lost my two fastest laps. Nevertheless, we'll work on the car in the morning warm-up and be ready for the race Sunday."

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I was surprised how slippery the track was today. I just couldn't get the grip that I needed to put in a good lap. I love the Toronto track and I was expecting a good run after our top-five race at Watkins Glen. So I am disappointed with the qualifying run. We'll work hard overnight to improve the car for the race. Starting at the back of the field is difficult, but Paul (Tracy) showed last year that you can come from the back and race at the front. That will be our goal."

PAUL TRACY — #15 HONDA CANADA — MAKE A WISH — KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I really don't know what happened in qualifying. The car wasn't handling right. There was something drastically wrong with it. Now, that we are back at the truck, we found something wrong with the car's setup. It is very disappointing. It's too bad it happened during qualifying. The car just didn't do what we wanted. It was strange because I couldn't figure out why the car was feeling so weird. It didn't perform like that on Friday and earlier on Saturday. So, now we'll have to start from the back and drive our way up the field." HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We started out pretty well this morning. But we had a little issue with the car in the afternoon. We really only got about five laps of running. We got the car back out to the pits with about two minutes to go. But we weren't going to get the tires up to temperature in that amount of time. So we didn't run. Right now, we'll baseline off of E.J.'s car in the morning. Our cars were pretty similar to begin with and he ended up in the Top Seven today. He thinks the changes they made were quite good. That puts us up an extra set of tires on the rest of the field for Saturday. We'll be ready to go in the morning."

PAUL TRACY -- #15 HONDA CANADA – MAKE A WISH — KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We started out pretty well this morning. But we had a little issue with the car in the afternoon. We really only got about five laps of running. We got the car back out to the pits with about two minutes to go. But we weren't going to get the tires up to temperature in that amount of time. So we didn't run. Right now, we'll baseline off of E.J.'s car in the morning. Our cars were pretty similar to begin with and he ended up in the Top Seven today. He thinks the changes they made were quite good. That puts us up an extra set of tires on the rest of the field for Saturday. We'll be ready to go in the morning."

Tracy, a two-time Toronto winner (1993 and 2003), always seems to live up to his nickname of the "Thrill from West Hill" when he races through the streets of Exhibition Place.

Last year was no different as the Canadian legend, winner of 31 career IndyCar races, drove a brilliant race from his 15th starting position to contest Helio Castroneves for second. But Tracy's rival wasn't up for letting him pass in turn three and both crashed in turn four on the 2.84-km, 11-turn track.

Now, Tracy seeks a little revenge with his beautiful No. 15 Honda Canada—Make A Wish—KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry when the track opens Friday morning. Tracy returned to road racing action at Watkins Glen two weeks ago when he piloted the Dreyer & Reinbold car to 14th. This race will be Tracy's 18th Toronto start.

KV Racing Technology, co-owned by former champion Jimmy Vasser and entrepreneur Kevin Kalkhoven, has entered four drivers for the Honda Indy Toronto with young star Mario Moraes, former GP2 sensation E.J. Viso and veteran Formula One racer and IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Takuma Sato joining Tracy in the four-car assault in the Toronto streets.

Moraes, the youngest regular in the series at age 21, comes to Toronto off his best finish of the year — fifth at Watkins Glen. The Brazilian figures to be a contender this weekend in the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car after impressive road racing runs this season. His last street race, Long Beach, saw Moraes come from 15th to 6th.

E.J. Viso, driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, has been playing catch up in the past two races with a third (from 19th) at Iowa and 11th (from 25th) at Watkins Glen. Viso is always a strong street-course racer and should be in the middle of the action in Toronto.

Formula One veteran Takuma Sato, in the No. 5 Lotus — KV Racing Technology entry, will make his Toronto debut, but the personable Japanese star is no stranger to Canada, where he competed at Montreal in F-1 competition. Sato, who qualified a season-best fifth at Watkins Glen, finished sixth in 2007 and 10th in 2002 at Montreal. This will be his fourth street event in 2010.

DRIVER QUOTES:

PAUL TRACY, #15 HONDA CANADA - MAKE A WISH - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "It is always exciting to return to Toronto. It's my hometown and the race I always want to win. I thought I was close to winning last year when I came from the back to challenge for the win. Now, I look forward to this year's event with a little bit of revenge after last year's race. It is tough to come in as a part-timer against the top teams. It's like Wayne Gretzky now putting on skates and playing the playoffs. I have had nearly a year out of the car. The Watkins Glen race help get the rust off for me. Now, I'm ready to do battle."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am looking forward to going back to Canada. The KV Racing Technology team gave me a fast car at Watkins Glen two weeks ago so we know we have the car and the ability. I'm also looking forward to having Paul (Tracy) back with the team. He has a lot of experience at this track and hopefully with his knowledge, the whole team can have a successful weekend."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Toronto is a really nice track and a great place to come back to.

It's a mixture between St. Petersburg and Long Beach, with some good bumps and the long straight. This is definitely a place where mechanically you need to be pretty soft in order to find good braking, traction and grip in the slow corners. We have made good progression over the last two races and, hopefully, I will have a good result here."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "This will be my second visit to Toronto - my first one was after the Canadian GP at Montreal three years ago when I visited Honda Canada and got a really warm welcome. It was so nice to see all the enthusiastic employees and then enjoy a great evening dinner downtown where they had such a great atmosphere. So I really enjoyed the last visit. Now I am coming back there for racing which is very exciting! The Toronto street course has a great history and the KV team was very competitive last year so I am looking forward to having a strong weekend."

Moraes, the talented 21-year-old Brazilian, came from his ninth starting spot to pass Justin Wilson, Marco Andretti and Dan Wheldon late in the race and score his first Top Five finish since last year on the 17-race open-wheel campaign. Moraes, whose best finish previously this year was sixth at Long Beach, drove a similar race to the California run where he came from 14th to sixth. Moraes and his KVRT crew managed fuel strategy masterfully as Mario raced wheel-to-wheel with Wheldon, Rafael Matos, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay to the finish.

Moraes' crew was also superb Sunday. The No. 32 KVRT squad picked up several positions for Moraes in pit lane with sensational pit stops that pushed the young driver into a battle with the leaders. His best road finish is fourth at Sonoma last year.

E.J. Viso, driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, experienced an adventurous weekend after Saturday morning's frightening turn two crash that required the Venezuelan to move to a backup car and to the end of the 25-driver starting lineup. Viso was unable to qualify on Saturday as his crew built a new car for Sunday's feature. But like Iowa two weeks ago when he passed 16 cars to place third, Viso passed 14 drivers Sunday at Watkins Glen to produce a solid 11th place.

Rookie Takuma Sato, in the No. 5 Lotus — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, turned in his best qualifying effort Saturday and started fifth on the grid. In the early portion of the race, Sato battled in the lead pack and moved to fourth in his debut at the famed Watkins Glen circuit. Unfortunately, Sato's charge to the front was halted later in the race when his car's performance wasn't similar to the earlier laps. After a late pit stop, Sato was able to collect the 15th place at the checkered flag.

The KVRT trio will be joined by Canadian star Paul Tracy in the next round of the IZOD IndyCar Series in the annual Honda Indy Toronto set for July 16-18. Tracy, driving the No. 15 Make A Wish/Honda Canada Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, is a past Toronto winner and huge favorite in his hometown. The Honda Indy Toronto will be televised on ABC-TV.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 5th: ""I can tell you that the last two races were tough for the KV Racing Technology team with not finishing. I am happy with the team as they gave some position on pit lane today. I was able to gain some positions on the track. I worked really hard on fuel conservation today. We managed the fuel very well. I think I finished with nothing in the fuel tank. Overall, it was good day to get back into the Top Five again. And hopefully we can improve for the Toronto race. I love Toronto. It is a great track and I love to race there. I think we can get a strong run there and finish higher on today's finish."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 11th: ""It was a straight forward race for me. I just kept listening to my engineer, Bill Pappas, and driving as hard as I could. I was pretty much driving a blind race because we pitted early for a different strategy. I didn't have many people in front of me until the end when I was able to make several overtaking moves. It was difficult to keep the pace throughout the race because I lost the readings on my dashboard. I didn't get any lap times or sectors on my screen. I just listened to Bill all day and he is good at giving me information and strategy. It is a shame we didn't qualifying. Because, if I had been in the Top Ten in qualifying, I think I could have been in the Top Four today. We had a good car all weekend. Just the (Saturday practice) incident hurt our overall weekend. Again, I had to pass a lot of cars. I passed 14 cars today. We passed 16 at Iowa. It would be good to start further up the grid for Toronto."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 15th: "I'm very disappointed. The race started very well, it was exciting and I was able to move up a position. In the first stint, I was running fourth and comfortably with the leaders. But after the first pit stop, we lost positions and speed and that then made it a very hard race to the end. I was hoping to have a very strong race, but we did still learn a lot today. I'm ready to get the Lotus car into a strong position at the next race in Toronto."

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am very disappointed that I couldn't qualify today. In practice I was pushing hard and went wide at Turn one. When I rejoined the track, I took a bump which broke the skid pad and bent under the car. This caused my front tires to lift and I lost steering control. It's a shame because the car was fast. However, it's a long race and anything can happen, I am grateful to be here and to be able to get back in the car for tomorrow."

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 2, 2010) — Young Mario Moraes, who put in a spectacular performance in his last road course event in April at Long Beach, led the three-driver contingent for KV Racing Technology in the opening round of practice Friday at the famed Watkins Glen 3.37-mile permanent road circuit.

Moraes, who drove from 15th to sixth place in the streets of Long Beach, piloted the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car consistently in the top-ten for the entire one-hour afternoon session and posted the tenth best time of 1 minute, 32.256 seconds. The youngest regular on the IZOD IndyCar Series was pleased to be back on the road courses after over a two-month layoff, and expects to be more competitive in Saturday's qualifying runs set for 1:15 p.m. EDT.

Moraes, whose best road circuit finish is fourth at Sonoma last year, comes off a tough incident two weeks ago at Iowa when he was eliminated in the first lap of the event due to another car spinning into his machine. Moraes qualified fourth at Watkins Glen last year and could be a challenger for a Firestone Fast Six spot in Saturday's 90-minute time trials.

E.J. Viso, coming off a career-best third place finish at Iowa, was a little frustrated in Friday's action due to slower traffic in the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car. Viso, who has recorded two top-ten finishes at Watkins Glen the past two years, was 14th fastest Friday with a 1:33.180 clocking. The Venezuela driver is thrilled to be back at Watkins Glen this weekend as the famous circuit is one of his favorites in the U.S.

Series rookie Takuma Sato, making his initial Watkins Glen appearance, spent most of the one-hour practice run learning the 11-turn permanent course. The driver of the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry ran a total of 14 laps and registered the 18th fastest of the 25-driver field at 1:33.339. Sato's last permanent road circuit performance at Barber Motorsports Park saw the Japanese star qualify sixth, his best starting position in his first eight IndyCar Series races.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Overall, the KV Racing Technology team had a good day. The car felt good but we are still a little behind the leaders. We will change some things tonight and see how that works tomorrow (Saturday). I feel great to be back on the road courses again and hope we have a good weekend."

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We had a couple of issues that were out of our hands. I got caught in some traffic and didn't get a quick lap. Plus we got our fastest laps at the end of the runs. We have a few things to fine tune for Saturday. But we have a good direction with the car. I have always like coming to Watkins Glen. This track reminds me of circuits in Europe with very fast corners. I think we'll be in better shape tomorrow (Saturday)."

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am happy to be back on road courses again especially as the test got cancelled a few weeks ago. Despite doing a track walk, I was surprised how bumpy and narrow it can be in parts, but very fast and I enjoyed it. Today was spent getting familiarized with the track and the car and getting back in the rhythm for road courses. We will look at the data tonight and get the car ready for tomorrow."

What result could Sato have achieved in his Lotus-liveried KV Racing Technology Dallara-Honda? Well, at the time he was running third, behind eventual race-winner Tony Kanaan and Indy 500 victor Dario Franchitti, and ahead of Helio Castroneves. But Franchitti would ultimately retire with mechanical problems, and Kanaan lost time in a pit-stop incident that dropped him behind Castroneves, before he re-passed his fellow Brazilian to win. Let's just say a podium was very possible.

But sadly, that was denied Taku with 73 laps remaining of the 250-lap race, when a misunderstanding with a backmarker forced him into the wall. And, in case you think 73 laps is a long way from home, just remember that Iowa Speedway is less than 0.9 miles long, with a lap time of just 18 seconds! It is that configuration that makes Iowa a unique track on the IndyCar calendar.

"I was looking forward to turning right again by testing at Watkins Glen straight after the last race in Texas," said Sato, "but that was cancelled due to very bad weather so we went to Iowa. It is a short oval, so we use the big wings from road courses, but because of the combination of high downforce and high banking we use the hard tyres from superspeedways.

"Because the spec of car we run at Iowa is so different we had two one-hour practice sessions, and that helped me a lot. I had time to learn the track, learn the tyre and then time to work on a set-up for the race. I had a very positive practice and I was happy with the car."

It was looking good going into qualifying, where Taku put himself seventh on the grid.

"It was quite challenging," he said. "The superspeedway tyre is hard, but there are only two warm-up laps before the qualifying run, and because the lap is only 18 seconds the tyres are not ready when you go into Turn 1 on your first qualifying lap, but of course you have to commit. The bumps are massive but you have to keep it on-line. In Turns 3 and 4 it was understeer and oversteer, but you just use both front and rear anti-roll bars and the weight-jacker to settle it. I was very pleased to take seventh on the grid."

Now that he is gaining experience of oval racing, the Japanese star was able to consolidate that position early in the race.

"I'd done three starts on ovals and have some idea how it will work, " he reported. "I was able to be quite aggressive and not lose positions this time, and was surrounded by quality drivers. It was great, exciting moments, going two, even three-wide into Turn 1 with all the bumps.

"In my first stint in Texas we were too conservative on the car set-up and I had massive understeer, so this time we went more aggressive. The car worked well ,but again there was a little too much understeer. After the first, second and third stints we adjusted the front flap and tyre pressures to improve it.

"Racing with the top group was really encouraging and exciting and enjoyable. It was great battling with Helio, and a great feeling to go two-wide with him for many laps."

After he had dispatched Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon, Sato was up into third place.

"When I overtook Dixon it was a very exciting moment to see only two guys in front," he confessed. "We had worked on the car, and now I was happy to commit.

"I was coming up to lap Danica Patrick and Alex Lloyd. My closing speed was quite high and I had no doubts or anything – I had been dealing with lapped cars many times, but unfortunately the timing was bad this time. I saw they were running in the middle of the track, so I looked inside. By the time we got to Turn 3 Alex went to the inside, and I had to lift and even brake, but I was closing so quickly I had massive turbulence. Then suddenly the nose was pointing the wrong way and by the time it was straight I was too high into the marbles and it never came back.

"It was such a shame, because the team worked so hard and I was really enjoying oval racing – but you really have to learn and get experience. It was disappointing, but I've found many positives on ovals and I'm confident we can do a great job when we go back to them later in the season."

For now, though, it's a run of road and street races, starting on 4 July with a trip East to New York State and the charismatic Watkins Glen circuit, home of the United States GP from 1961 to 1980.

"I'm looking forward to more road courses, especially now I'm more familiar with everything in IndyCar," Taku enthused. "I couldn't test there, but I can't wait to race there because it's a beautiful circuit."

Viso, driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, came from 19th starting position on the .875-mile high-banked oval west of Des Moines to a valiant third spot and celebrated on the victory podium with winner Tony Kanaan and second place Helio Castroneves. Viso worked his way through some wild action on the tightest oval track in the 17-race series, as he drove past the likes of polesitter Will Power, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay to race for the lead with Kanaan and Castroneves.

Viso's previous best finish in the IndyCar Series was fourth at St. Petersburg in 2008. The third place tied the best finish for a KV Racing Technology driver since the Indianapolis-based joined the series in 2008. Mario Moraes finished third last year at the Chicagoland Speedway.

Viso's stellar performance Sunday in Iowa was almost upstaged by the tremendous rookie performance of Takuma Sato in the No. 5 Lotus—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry. Sato, who qualified an oval track best seventh on Saturday, had the Iowa fans on their feet with a sensational drive into the Top Three by lap 169 when he passed Hunter-Reay and Dixon on consecutive laps. Sato then closed on leaders Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti before a turn four mishap sidelined the popular Japanese driver for the day.

Sato attempted to lap a back marker in the fourth turn when the Lotus car slid up the banking and made contact with outside wall. It was a disappointing finish to a spectacular drive for the former Formula One star in just his fourth oval race.

Mario Moraes his No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, was eliminated from action early in the 250-lap event when Justin Wilson spun his mount in the fourth turn, taking himself and the KVRT driver out of the race.

After four consecutive oval track races, Viso, Moraes and Sato move back to the road courses with upcoming events at Watkins Glen (July 4), Toronto (July 18), Edmonton (July 25) and Mid-Ohio (August 8). The Watkins Glen contest will be televised live on ABC-TV beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

DRIVER QUOTES:

E.J. VISO, #5 PDVSA - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 3rd (High best career finish): "There are not many words to describe my feeling right now. The PDVSA - KV Racing Technology car felt great today. It has been a very tough year for KV Racing Technology. The team has a lot of great people and drivers and we deserve to be higher in points than where we really are. Today just showed that we can run and compete with the top teams. This is my first podium in the IZOD IndyCar Series and I want to thank my engineer Bill Pappas and my crew for giving me such a good car. I want to dedicate today to my father for Father's Day. I hope now our luck has changed and hopefully this won't be the last podium this year."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 19th: "I'm extremely disappointed and feel very sorry for the Lotus- KV Racing Technology team. They did a tremendous job over the weekend. I was lapping traffic when I looked inside and a car came down on me causing me to loose my air and putting me in the wall. We worked on the car during every stop, trying different set ups to match the environment we had today, which I was happy with. Once again I'm so disappointed not to finish the race today but I have at least come away with many positives."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 25th: "The car was pretty good. It felt solid. I feel so sorry for my KV Racing Technology team. This is the second time this has happened to us. It happened last year at Iowa with (Raphael) Matos spinning in front of me. I tried to avoid him but he got me. This year it was the same with Justin (Wilson)."

NEWTON, Iowa (June 19, 2010) — IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Takuma Sato, who had never raced an oval track until seven weeks ago, looked like an oval veteran Saturday as he drove the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry to a season best seventh qualifying position on the tight Iowa Speedway oval.

Sato, a Formula One veteran with 93 events, will start Sunday's Iowa Corn Indy 250 event inside of row four, alongside recent Texas winner Ryan Briscoe, when the green flag drops at 1:30 p.m. CDT. The 250-lap contest will be televised live on Versus-TV.

Sato posted four laps over the 180 miles per hour mark Saturday on the .875-mile oval track east of Des Moines with an average speed of 180.672 m.p.h. Will Power won the pole position with a 181.337 m.p.h.

Sato, whose best previous oval qualifications were 11th at Kansas and Texas, has adapted well to the new oval racing with strong top-ten performances in the middle of his three initial oval races. The seventh qualifying spot for Sato just missed his 2010 qualifying best of sixth earlier this year on the road course at Barber International Raceway.

Mario Moraes piloted the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car to a four-lap average of 178.974 m.p.h. to place the Brazilian driver in 16th position in the 25-driver lineup. Moraes had to sit out the morning practice session due to a mechanical issue, but the 21-year-old racer was strong in the second practice in the afternoon.

E.J. Viso, coming off an impressive run in the Texas Firestone 550K, had to settle for 19th on the Iowa starting grid in the No. 8T PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine with a 178.091 clocking. Viso drove to the top-five at Kansas and Texas races before misfortune dropped the Venezuela driver back at the finish.

DRIVER QUOTES:

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am very happy with the result today. The Lotus-KV Racing Technology team did a fantastic job. I had a reasonably productive practice session this morning. We worked hard on improving the setup for qualifying so I am very happy with the progress we made. The G-loads are high here with the heavy download package and the high banks especially in turns one and two. I have driven many types of ovals in the last two months and this one is completely different to the other three. Oval racing is always exciting and I look forward to the race tomorrow."

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We expected more speed in the KV Racing car. Unfortunately, we had a problem in the morning practice and we lost almost all of the session. In the second practice, the car felt pretty good and I think we will have a solid car for the race. A lot of things can happen in 250 laps here."

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "It wasn't the speed we were expecting in qualifying. I was happy with the car that we had in practice. The race trim runs that we did in the morning practice are going to pay off in the race. It's a shame we didn't go faster in qualifying because the car has the potential. In my first two flying laps, I had a moment over the bump in turns one and two. The car felt like the front was a bit too positive for qualifying. But I do feel good about our car for the race. At Kansas and Texas, we were able to come from the back to the Top Five, so I am looking forward to moving up in the race."

NEWTON, Iowa (June 15, 2010) — The tight Iowa Speedway oval, site of this Sunday's Iowa Corn Indy 250, will make for some of the most exciting open-wheel racing in the 17-race IZOD IndyCar Series this year.

For KV Racing Technology drivers E.J. Viso, Mario Moraes and rookie Takuma Sato, the Iowa 7/8-mile banked oval is different than any track they will compete on during the season. The "Bull Ring" layout is tough for the drivers and their engineering staff. The teams use three different compounds of Firestone tires and various road racing wing packages on the Honda-powered cars.

At least Viso and Moraes, with two Iowa races under their belts, have an idea of what they are to expect when the 25-driver field flies into turn one on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

But the F-1 veteran Sato, entering only his fourth oval track race this weekend, will be in for a new experience when the green flag drops. The Japanese star is a road racing specialist who has been in a sharp learning curve on the oval tracks.

The popular 33-year-old driver of the No. 5 Lotus—KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry has put in impressive oval runs at Kansas and Indianapolis, running as high as sixth in both events. A part failure halted Sato's Texas race, but the help of veteran racer Roger Yasukawa has continued Sato's progress in his oval racing education. Now the Iowa track brings a new challenge this weekend for Sato.

Viso, driving the No. 8 PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, comes off a strong showing at the Texas oval a week ago when the Venezuela competitor battled in the Top Five with Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Viso also went from 16th to fifth at Kansas in the first 60 laps before a lapped driver forced him into the turn one wall.

Viso's hard-charging style has made him a crowd favorite and the Iowa crowd will keep their eye on the No. 8 machine this weekend.

Moraes, the youngest series regular at age 21, has been an oval contender in the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine. The Brazilian has worked well with veteran engineer Iain Watt to give the team a strong combination including a seventh place at Kansas.

DRIVERS QUOTES:

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KVRT HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I was a little disappointed when the Watkins Glen test (June 9) was cancelled due to the bad weather because I was so looking forward to go around the beautiful circuit and particularly turning right again! Nevertheless, I am up for the next Iowa race after a little break. It will be another new type of oval and experience for me. It requires a high downforce package from the road course and it's the shortest oval track in the series. The race should be a very exciting one like the previous high-banked Texas. So I am looking forward to going there."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA - KVRT HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "The Iowa Speedway is a fun track to drive. The racing is always tight on the small oval, but very entertaining for the fans. The track surface is a little bumpy and, with full tanks, it is difficult to handle the car sometimes. We run the road racing wings for this oval, so that helps the downforce of the car. Our PDVSA-KV Racing team has been very good on the ovals at Kansas and Texas. I think we'll have a good car for the Iowa oval. This race is the last of four ovals in a row, so we want to finish off the oval stint with a strong effort before moving to the road courses."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV Racing Technology HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I feel great to be back at the Iowa Speedway. Last year we had a great car, but the race didn't finish the way we wanted. So this year, working with my engineer Iain (Watt), I think we are going to be better. I know that we are working hard to have a quick car from the first practice throughout the weekend."

EDMONTON (June 14, 2010) – Canadian Paul Tracy's KV Racing Technology car for the Honda Indy Edmonton will be sponsored by Honda Canada, and will support Make-A-Wish® Canada at the Honda Indy Edmonton race on July 25.

Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, is one of the most successful and exciting drivers in the history of open-wheel racing. The native of Scarborough, Ontario, will pilot the #15 Honda Canada / Make-A-Wish Canada / KV Racing Technology / Honda / Dallara / Firestone car.

"Honda is a company built on the dreams of its founder and all of its Associates, which is why Honda's corporate slogan is The Power of Dreams," said Steve Hui, assistant general manager of the Honda Prairie Zone. "It's the power of dreams that has led us to innovations and new technologies over the years. We're very pleased to be associated with Make-A-Wish Canada which is helping to turn the wishes and dreams of Canadian children with life-threatening medical conditions into a reality.

"We believe Make-A-Wish Canada and Honda Canada are a perfect fit because of our shared belief in and pursuit of the power of dreams."

Commenting on the support, Jennifer Ritter, CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada, said, "Because of this generous support, we will be able to promote awareness of our vital mission and to continue to fulfill the dreams of our courageous 'wish children' across Canada.

"Make-A-Wish exists for one reason only – to grant wishes to children living with life-threatening medical conditions. We impact our wish families' lives at a time when they need to know that their community cares about what they are going through, as their child battles for his or her life.

"To a child living with a life-threatening medical condition, a wish is more than a desire – it is an experience that can create a life-changing impact, not only for the wish child and their family, but for other families, friends, volunteers, donors and entire communities. We believe that Make-A-Wish, through our mission, volunteers and supporters, is helping to nurture a kind and caring Canada."

According to KV Racing Technology co-owner Jimmy Vasser, "We are extremely pleased that Paul Tracy will pilot a KV Racing Technology entry with sponsorship from Honda Canada in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. Having Paul drive in front of his countrymen with an organization like Make-A-Wish Canada on the sidepods of a KVRT car is an honor and a privilege. I personally want to thank Honda Canada for making this possible."

Tracy, a Canadian fan favorite, will be contesting his sixth race in Edmonton. In five previous starts at Edmonton, he has finished in the top-10 a total of five times with four top-five showings, and one podium performance.

"I want to thank Honda Canada, Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser for the opportunity to race in front of Canadian fans," Tracy said. "I am especially thankful because it is a tremendous honor to represent Make-A-Wish Canada. I am proud to be able to support and raise awareness for this organization that assists Canada's children in need of wishes coming true."

The Edmonton race will be Tracy's ninth IndyCar start. Now in his 20th season, Tracy has crafted a career that has established him as one of the top drivers ever to step into the cockpit of an open-wheel car. The resident of Las Vegas is among the top-10 in almost every Champ Car career statistical category including wins, 31 (tied for seventh all-time), poles, 25 (ninth all-time), and laps led, 4,238 (sixth all-time).

Tracy has 75 career podium performances, 102 top-five finishes and 144 top-10 showings in 270 starts (262 in Champ Car and eight in IndyCar, tied for seventh all-time). In the 15 seasons in which Tracy has competed in over 80 percent of the races, he has finished in the top-10 in the championship standings 10 times including eight times in the top-five, four in the top-three and captured the championship in 2003.

About Honda Canada Inc.:

Honda Canada (www.Honda.ca) has sold more than 3,300,000 Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada over the past 38 years. A record high 91 per cent of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada last year were produced at the company's assembly plants in North America. In addition, 52 per cent of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada last year were built at the two Honda of Canada Mfg. plants in Alliston, Ontario, which has built more than 5,300,000 Honda and Acura cars and trucks since 1986.

http://lotusfiles.co...rsportvideo.mpg

2010 Driver's cap.

2010 Driver's Cap

We've introduced a new design to celebrate Takuma's debut in IndyCar Racing! It's based on his car colour, Lotus racing green, with yellow and white accent lines. On the front, his car number '5' emblem adds a retro classical flavour and Taku's 2010 personal sponsors' logos are arranged on both sides and on the back.

One Size/Adjustable: 57 - 59 cm

Material: 100% Cotton

Price: US$42.00

Fast Helmet T-Shirt (White and Black, ^*Pre order)

This t-shirt is made from 100% certified organic cotton for luxuriously-soft comfort. Its exclusive wrap-around design features Takuma's racing helmet, as well as his IndyCar Series racing number '5' prominently on the front and

his sponsors' logos on the back.

Material: 100% Organic Cotton

Color: Black

Unisex Sizes: Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium (M), Large (L), Extra

Large (XL)

Price: US$38.00

^*Pre-Order

Pre-ordered items (currently just the Fast Helmet T-Shirt) will be available for delivery by late-June. The delivery date may change without notice. If merchandise other than pre-ordered items are ordered at the same time, all merchandise will be shipped together when the pre-ordered items become available

You can access the shop via http://www.takumasato.org/shop.asp

Serving as Takuma's 'spotter' during the oval races is veteran IndyCar driver Roger Yasukawa, a five-time Indianapolis 500 starter.

Yasukawa, runner-up to Dan Wheldon in the 2003 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year standings, brings a vast level of experience to the Formula One veteran and IndyCar rookie Sato, who drives the #5 Lotus – KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry.

Yasukawa has started 39 races in the IZOD IndyCar Series and is still actively pursuing a ride in the series. But in the meantime, Roger is assisting as an at-track coach for the former F1 star Sato.

Yasukawa started working with Takuma last month at the Kansas Road Runner Turbo 300 in his first oval race. Taku ran as high as sixth at lap 180 before his car was knocked into the front straightaway wall and out of the race.

At the Indy 500, Taku took his #5 Lotus – KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry from 31st starting spot to sixth by lap 105. Unfortunately, Sato suffered a pit mishap on lap 107 and was penalised two laps for the incident. Sato came back from 28th and finished 20th in his first Indy 500.

At Texas last weekend, Sato qualified a strong 11th but was forced into the turn two wall on lap 57 when a suspension part failed.

Yasukawa speaks to Sato in English on the radio during all on-track activities, but in the garage area, the two speak in Japanese.

"When Takuma is on the track, I can talk pretty straight forward with him in English," said Yasukawa. "But back in the garage and the truck, I can get more detailed with him in Japanese. He understands certain terms better in Japanese and he can express his views better that way too.

"We have a good relationship both on and off the track. Oval racing is not easy at first for a road racer. I hope I am helping Takuma understand the ovals better with each race. He has done a great job for his first oval track experiences."

"I am thankful to have Roger helping me on the ovals," Taku added. "His experience is valuable to me. We are working well together. He understands what I am saying about the car and assists me in learning oval track racing. The ovals are so new to me."

This was the third in a run of four successive oval races, with the track in Fort Worth featuring the steepest banking in IndyCar - and, as a result, very high lap speeds.

"It's definitely an interesting place," said Sato. "It's quite similar to Kansas, but bumpier and certainly the banking is very interesting! We had only one hour of practice before qualifying, so it was quite restricted what we could do, but I needed to get used to going through the banking. It felt strange after Indianapolis - in a crazy way it's very impressive!

"We were concentrating on race set-up, and it was very hot temperatures so very low grip. It was supposed to be easy to go two-wide, but that was very difficult with such a lack of grip."

Taku qualified a strong 11th. "I was happy where I landed in qualifying and felt comfortable. After that, we had an evening session to simulate the conditions that we would have in the night race on Saturday evening. But it was still only around seven in the evening so it was quite warm. Even so, half the banking was in the shadows and I was surprised at how much difference that made to the car. Everything is so temperature-related on the ovals, so that made things unpredictable for the night race. But there you go, and I was definitely looking forward to it!"

The race began well, with Sato battling strongly in the pack. "I went to the start cautiously, but I didn't need to be as cautious as I was in my first oval race at Kansas. I just kept a decent position and I was able to follow the pack, which was very exciting. Two-wide, three-wide and sometimes even four-wide! It's really crazy and because of the bumps there were sparks everywhere.

"I settled down and started working, and was quite happy with the first 15 laps. I lost a few positions in the first few laps but then I was able to make them up again. Then I started to struggle with balance and the car went to big understeer. You can use the anti-roll bars and the weightjacker in the car to transfer weight, but it was just stuck in understeer big time.

After 20 laps my pace went down quite significantly and I had to lift for most of the corners. I wanted to pit but I knew I had to stay on the lead lap."

Finally a yellow came, enabling the first pit-stop. "We had new tyres with different pressures and added front wing. It made a significant difference and I was overtaking people inside, outside and enjoying the race. But then I had a sudden feeling in Turn 2. The car sat down and was suddenly pointing in the wrong direction. I knew something had broken in the rear suspension, but it's not a nice feeling being a passenger, waiting for the crash into the wall."

Luckily, Taku emerged unscathed, and now looks forward to a test on the Watkins Glen road circuit this week, before the next round at the Iowa Speedway oval on June 20.

"Physically I'm OK," he said. "It's just a shame. I felt good in the car and could have had an enjoyable race. Iowa is a low-grip track and bumpy, so we will use a big wing from road courses. But before then I'm looking forward to turning right again at Watkins Glen!"

Takuma, the rookie driver of the #5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, qualified in a strong eleventh place on the grid at the 1.5-mile oval but his race would come to an early end.

Heading into turn two on lap 57, Takuma suffered a failure in the rear suspension which saw him go into the barriers.

Takuma walked away uninjured and watched the remainder of the race from the Lotus team's pit area.

"The start was quite exciting," he said. "It's a great track, especially for side-by-side racing. But soon, I started to struggle with the balance and I lifted through the corners. I was just hanging on and waiting until the first stop.

"The crew did a great job to get back the balance during the first pit stop. I was able to keep pace and overtake people. Going into turn two, there was a sudden failure and I went into the wall. The impact was very gentle. It is such a shame to have it end like this."

The driver of the No. 8 PDVSA — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine drove his way from his 14th starting position to race in the Top Five in the 95-degree heat on the 1.5-mile tri-oval. The popular 25-year-old racer was impressive as he battled wheel-to-wheel with the likes of Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon with just 40 laps remaining of the 228-lap contest.

On the final stint, Viso's machine didn't handle as well as previously and he finished in the 11th position at the checkered flag. Overall, Viso's performance was the strongest of his 2010 season which now moves to the tight oval in Newton, Iowa, on June 20 at Iowa Speedway.

Viso showed strongly in Friday's night practice session. He and his lead engineer Bill Pappas, found a "sweet" spot with the car's chassis that proved valuable in the brutal track conditions on the high-banked oval north of Ft. Worth. Viso looked in position for his first Top Five of the year when the car created an oversteer problem.

Mario Moraes put together a charge midway through the race when a left rear tire issue caused him to pit on lap 64. Moraes then wheeled his No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car from 20th to 11th by lap 120. However, a tangle with Castroneves on the frontstraight ended Moraes' race on lap 130.

Rookie Takuma Sato, who qualified a strong 11th in his Texas debut, suffered a rough ride in the No. 5 Lotus—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry on lap 57 when a rear suspension piece failed and he was sent to the turn two wall. Sato walked away uninjured and watched the later portion of the race from his Lotus team's pit area.

Viso, Moraes and Sato will now prepare for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, June 20, at Iowa Speedway beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

DRIVER QUOTES:

E.J. VISO, #5 PDVSA - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 11th: "I want to thank the team for giving me a very good car today. I think had a top five car. Unfortunately, in the last stint, we had a problem with the handling as the car was just very loose. I almost lost it a couple of times in turn two at the end. That is why we lost some positions at the end. It was very strange and we are going do some research on the problem. Our car was fast for most of the race. We had a consistent package for the majority of the race. I'm looking forward to the Iowa race now."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 21th: "I couldn't hear my spotter say anyone was on the outside. Then I got hit and started spinning. I thought I was by myself. It is a tough one for the KV Racing team. We have to get ready for Iowa now."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 25th: "It was a tough weekend. After qualifying Saturday, we made a number of changes to the car for this morning's warm-up and it was a positive move. The race started solidly. We saved our tires and fuel to stretch our first stint. It was all setting up nicely, but in the second stint, Alex Lloyd came out of the pits on cold tires. He couldn't stop and struck my car under braking, causing me to spin. That really ended my race because there was no full-course caution until the end. In all, it was a very disappointing and tough race, but it was another good learning experience for me. Next, we race in Kansas and my first oval test will be there this coming Friday. I am very excited to start my oval adventure."

With track surface temperatures at over 135 degrees and air temperature at 95 playing havoc with the drivers' setups of their cars, KV Racing Technology drivers Mario Moraes, Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso managed to survive the brutal conditions to post solid performances.

Moraes, who finished tenth last year at Texas, drove the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car to a four-lap average of 213.800 miles per hour to record the ninth fastest speed of time trials. Moraes' run was the best of the three KVRT driver Friday.

IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Sato continues to be impressive on the ovals in the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine. In only his third oval track event, the personable Japanese star clocked the 11th fastest speed of qualifications Friday with a speed of 213.692 m.p.h. in his four-lap average. Sato has run as high as sixth in each of his first two oval races at Kansas and Indianapolis but results have not been in his favor at the checkered flag.

Sato is hoping for better luck Saturday night in the 228-lap feature on the fast 1.5-mile tri-oval north of Ft. Worth. The Firestone 550K will begin at 7:45 p.m. CDT and seen live on Versus TV.

Viso looked to be in excellent position for an outstanding qualifying run after recording the fourth fastest speed in the first practice session Friday in the No. 8T PDVSA — KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry. The hotter track conditions seemed to affect Viso's car more than the other KVRT drivers, as the popular Venezuelan posted a 213.336 m.p.h. over four laps for 14th on the starting grid.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We worked on our race car in the afternoon practice. We will do the same this evening too. The car felt good in qualifying. But our concentration right now is to get the best car for the race conditions. It will be a night race and the track will change a lot from today's qualifying runs. So I am really looking forward to the race on Saturday night. We had a problem in the Indy race and we couldn't find it. So we changed everything coming to Texas. I feel good about our car now."

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE:

"We were able to make progressive steps in the Lotus car considering the limited practice time. This track is very impressive, the highest banking in the series. It's kind of crazy in a good way. We went straight into qualifying and I am pleased where we ran this afternoon (11th in his first appearance at Texas). We'll see how we do in the night practice this evening. I think we will have a good strong car for tomorrow."

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "We had a good test run this afternoon in practice. So I actually thought I would go a little bit better in qualifying. I love this Texas track. It is one of my favorite in the championship. I'm looking forward to racing at night. It is a lot of fun. We worked on our race setup too. So I think we'll have a good car in the race. It is a long race, 228 laps, and we will have time to make adjustments with the car."

FOR KV RACING TECHNOLOGY THIS SATURDAY

Viso and Sato Ready For Fast Oval Action

FT. WORTH, Tex. (June 2, 2010) — Young Mario Moraes has been impressive

lately on the high-banked ovals as he comes to Texas Motor Speedway this Saturday,

June 5, for the Firestone 550K IZOD IndyCar Series race.

Moraes, the youngest series regular at age 21, has recorded several strong

showings on the fast oval tracks including third at Chicagoland, fifth at Motegi and

sevenths at Homestead and Kansas.

So the lightening fast 1.5-mile tri-oval north of Fort Worth should fit right into

the young Brazilian's strengths when he wheels the controls of the No. 32 KV Racing

Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry.

Moraes will be part of the three-driver assault of KV Racing Technology that

also includes hard-charging Venezuelan driver E. J. Viso and former F-1 star and IZOD

IndyCar Series rookie Takuma Sato.

Viso, driving the No. 8 PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, made a sensational

drive in his last 1.5-mile oval performance at Kansas when he drove from

16th to fifth in just 60 laps. But Viso's mount touched the turn one wall as he was

passing a back marker, forcing an early retirement from the event. Now the personable

25-year-old racer expects another strong run this Saturday in the Firestone 550K.

Sato, the driver of the No. 5 Lotus — KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/

Firestone machine, enters only his third oval race of his career at Texas after a stellar

Formula One career that included a podium finish in the USGP at Indy in 2004. In

Sato's oval debut at Kansas, he ran as high as sixth with 20 laps to go when his bright

green Lotus was taken out of competition.

Last Sunday in the Indy 500, Sato started 31st and was in the top-ten by the

halfway portion of the 200-lap classic. But a pit penalty cost Sato two laps and the potential

of winning "Rookie of the Year" honors at the legendary Brickyard.

Qualifying for the Firestone 550K is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. CDT on Friday

(June 4) with the 550-kilometer contest set for 7:45 p.m. CDT Saturday on Versus TV.