The 33-year old IndyCar Series rookie has visited the famed podium at the world's most famous racing facility, having finished third in the 2004 United States Grand Prix on Indianapolis' 2.6-mile road circuit, and that trip is his goal again this year as he comes to the Indianapolis 500 with KV Racing Technology.

His first Indianapolis action will come in this Saturday's rookie orientation session as, despite having driven the #5 Lotus-backed Dallara-Honda in five rounds this season, Sato's sixth start in the IZOD IndyCar Series will be just his second on an oval track. Two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway, he made a sensational debut in the specialised discipline, when he raced through the field and battled for fifth with three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

Unfortunately, Sato's day ended prematurely when his car was forced into the wall with 14 laps remaining, but his impressive first oval performance caught the eye of many in the paddock, and KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser believes the personable Japanese could be very competitive in his first Indy 500, particularly with the advantage of a strong engineering staff - based around the likes of John Dick, Garrett Motherseed, Iain Watt and Bill Pappas - and Indy 500 veterans Paul Tracy, EJ Viso and Mario Moraes as his team-mates in the four-strong team.

"Indianapolis is going to be a very special weekend," Sato admitted, "I have a lot of new things to experience and the track will be a whole new challenge - a very exciting one.

"After working together with Jimmy when learning the Kansas Speedway oval for the last race, we have developed a great understanding, so I am really looking forward to getting onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next week and finding out all about it.

"I have great memories of Indianapolis, having raced there four times in F1 and got my first podium in 2004. The place holds a special place in my heart but, then, I drove only a part of the famous banking in the opposite direction...."

Tracy is joining Takuma Sato, E.J. Viso and Mario Moraes for the four-driver KVRT attack in the world's biggest auto race at the world's most famous racing plant.

The popular Canadian racer, who placed a controversial second place at Indy in 2002, bring his No. 15 GEICO—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine to the Brickyard with a little added firepower this year. Tracy teams up with his former team boss Barry Green and engineer John Dick to formulate one of his strongest combinations ever at Indy. Tracy returned to Indy last year for the first time since his 2002 protested finish and placed ninth after running as high as fourth. Recently shedding 35 pounds from a tough workout regime, the personable racer has been preparing for his Indy return for six months. Now, he believes this year's effort with GEICO, Green, Dick and KVRT will provide a superb chance to take him to victory lane.

Sato, who has been on the podium at Indy before with a third place in the 2004 USGP Formula One race, comes to the Speedway for the first time on the famed oval. The driver of the No. 5 Lotus — KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone car is experiencing his first season in the IZOD IndyCar Series and made his first oval start last week at Kansas. Sato ran as high as fifth in his oval debut before being eliminated in a crash with 14 laps remaining.

Sato will make his first Indy laps on Saturday (May 15) in "Rookie Orientation." The last Lotus entry at Indy was in 1969 when Art Pollard qualified 12th. Mario Andretti was to drive a Lotus that year before a practice crash sidelined the car. Andretti won the 1969 race in a Hawk back-up machine.

Viso, the personable Venezuelan driver, was impressive at Kansas in the No. 8 PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone mount. Viso put in an impressive showing, driving from 16th to fifth before he clipped the outside barrier on lap 72. Viso, a two-time Indy 500 starter, will make his first Indy 500 appearance under the KVRT banner this year.

Moraes, the youngest IZOD IndyCar Series regular at age 21, has continued to show potential in the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry this year with a sixth at Long Beach and seventh at Kansas. The Brazilian driver finished off last year with strong runs at Chicagoland Speedway (third), Twin Ring Motegi (fifth) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (seventh) in the final three races.

This year's Indy 500 will be telecast on ABC-TV at noon EDT.

DRIVER QUOTES:

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Indianapolis is going to be a very special weekend for me! I have a lot of new things to experience and, of course, the track will be a whole new challenge. I already have great memories of Indianapolis, having raced there four times in Formula One, but then I drove only a part of the famous banking and in the wrong direction. But having got my first podium here in 2004, the place holds a special place in my heart. I hope to add to those great memories here this month. After working together with Jimmy (Vasser) when learning the Kansas oval for the last race, we have developed a great understanding and I respect his opinions and instructions. So I am really looking forward to getting onto the oval this week and finding out all about it."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest race in the world. It is an important race for me. I think my No. 8 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology car will be very competitive for Indy. I had one of my best oval cars at Kansas. Things are coming together with the engineers and that will translate in a strong car for qualifying and the race this month. The entire KVRT team has a solid foundation for the oval tracks right now. "

PAUL TRACY, #15 GEICO — KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I think Barry (Green) and I feel the same about the 2002 race. Deep down we know what happened there. We both don't have a baby Borg‑Warner (trophy) for it. This is a topic that I think will probably go down in history as one of the most fiercely debated topics over many, many years. You're coming up now on eight years, close to a decade, and people still argue this situation fiercely.

I've been training like crazy. I feel I'm in the best shape of my life right now. Jimmy has told me all winter they're going to have a great car for me with great engineers. I feel, bringing in Barry is the icing on top of the cake. We've just got to go out there and get it done."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "It is always exciting to come to the Indianapolis 500. It is such a big event. The KV Racing Technology team has been working hard to improve the oval setups as we come to Indy. The Kansas race wasn't quite as good as we wanted. We still got a top-ten finish though. Last year's Indy 500 was very short for me, so I want to put in an excellent performance for this big race."

PAST LOTUS MOMENTS AT INDY

● Jim Clark debuted at Indy in 1963 with the Lotus 29 and nearly won the race, finishing second to Parnelli Jones.

● Clark won the 1965 race in a Lotus 38 to record the rear-engine car victory at the Brickyard.

● The 1965 Indy 500 saw an all-Lotus 38 front row with A.J. Foyt, Clark and Dan Gurney.

Takuma, who started eleventh in the #5 Lotus-KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, had fought his way past the likes of Will Power, Victor Meira, Danica Patrick and Ryan Hunter-Reay before his misfortune with just 14 laps to go. He was eventually classified in 24th place.

"Today was a very exciting day for me being my first oval race," Sato reflected. "I was running in sixth place with 14 laps to go when a yellow flag came out. There was a pack in front on the restart while I was racing Hideki (Mutoh) side-by-side. It looked like he was pushing up to the wall and I had nowhere to go.

"After having a conversation with Hideki, he was being pushed up into me by the lapped orange car. We both had nowhere to go. It's very, very unfortunate. I feel bad for the fans, particularly for all of the Japanese fans and all of Hideki's fans.

"The KV Racing Technology Lotus Team did a fantastic job though. It's just frustrating and I'm very disappointed not to finish. However I really enjoyed racing with many great drivers and gaining a lot of positions as well as understanding how oval racing works."

Up to that point, Taku and his Lotus-backed KV Racing Technology Dallara-Honda had made steady progress through the field, as the ex-Formula 1 star belied his lack of oval experience by battling with - and overtaking - some of the best exponents of the art of oval racing.

The 1.5-mile Kansas tri-oval features average lap speeds of 210mph plus, definitely far removed from what Sato is used to! The initial plan, for Taku and the other IndyCar Series newcomers, was to undertake their rookie test in the week after the preceding race at Long Beach, but that was cancelled due to bad weather.

It was rescheduled for Wednesday, and Taku was happy with the outcome. "It was my first taste of an oval. I did more than100 laps and it was important in understanding how an IndyCar works on an oval, and set-up choices. On your own it was quite comfortable and I got a lot of understanding."

The weather caused further delays to the race weekend on Friday, but finally the full field got out for practice, presenting another new experience for Sato. "It was just so different running on an oval with the other cars. There was a lot of turbulence in the pack and the car can lose grip easily so the lines have to be different to get more air for the down force. It was valuable experience and I definitely needed that understanding before the race."

For his first oval qualifying session, Taku did an extremely good job to complete the 13th fastest run of four consecutive laps. He was promoted to 11th on the grid due to penalties applied to two cars ahead of him, and was the fastest of the three KV team drivers, both of whom had at least a season's oval experience to their credit. "I was very pleased with the qualifying performance," he said. "We were concentrating on the race set up in practice so it was good to see that my first ever qualifying trimmed car performed well."

Come the start of the race, it was easy to spot the oval newcomer, as caution prompted Sato to drop several places down the field. "Once you lose momentum you lose so many places! But after that I was able to just settle, keep working and battle a lot."

Indeed, Sato was on the fringe of the top 10 as the first pit stops rolled around, and crucially was on the lead lap when the first caution period arrived. That made a big difference, as Taku was pincered between Dan Wheldon and Milka Duno as he exited the pit lane, making contact with the Venezuelanand being forced to make an extra, precautionary stop. "Dan just came up to me and Milka also kept closing so really I had nowhere to go. We had a collision and really it was a big shame because it meant another pit stop and I lost a couple of positions."

From there, Taku went forward again, racing and passing some big names of IndyCar racing, until he was battling with Helio Castroneves inside the top six. "One by one I gradually moved my position up. It was definitely great fun to be racing side by side and battling with some great drivers. The whole thing was 100 per cent racing. You would go side by side for three consecutive laps, not quite manage to pass, and just back off a bit and then work it out again. It was really exciting racing."

Sato's spotter, keeping him informed over the radio, was Roger Yasukawa, a driver who was racing in England at the same time Taku was winning in Formula 3 and who then became a regular in the IndyCar Series for some years. "We've always got on well and he has good experience in IndyCar so it's great to work with him."

Unfortunately, the afternoon ended just as the race went green after what should have been the final caution. "There was a big pack in front. We'd just done our pit stops, Hideki and I, and we were running P5 and P6. At the restart I was side by side with Hideki. For me, what I saw was he came up and we ran out of road. But afterwards I found out that Simona de Silvestro, who we were lapping, had moved up quite unnecessarily. Hideki was aware that I was there but had no choice. There was nothing we could do. It was very unfortunate."

Next comes a test at Kentucky Speedway in a couple of days' time, following by promotional work in Japan in advance of the Motegi race, and then the build-up to the big one: the Indianapolis 500, which is the next race. "It's going to be the busiest month of the year! But I've had a great experience understanding what oval racing is. Indy will be very different characteristics to Kansas, but we will keep a good momentum going from this weekend and I am very much looking forward to having a new challenge."

Takuma, the former F1 star making his first oval start Saturday in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300, turned in one of the most consistent four-lap showings on the fast 1.5-mile tri-oval west of Kansas City. Takuma drove his machine to the eleventh starting position in the 27-car line-up that takes the green flag at 2 pm [local time].

Takuma tested his car Wednesday at Kansas Speedway under the guidance of co-team owner and former open-wheel champion Jimmy Vasser and recorded 115 laps in very windy conditions. He came back Friday and had to wait for rain and hail to pass through the Speedway before getting a chance to practice in the mid-afternoon.

Takuma's four-lap average of 210.335 miles per hour led the KV Racing Technology three-driver line-up with Mario Moraes, in the #32 KV Racing Technology car, in twelfth at 210.186 m.p.h. and E.J. Viso, in the #8 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology machine, in 16th at 209.700 m.ph.

"This has been a great day for the #5 Lotus – KV Racing Technology team. I am happy to have made it to qualifying after the bad weather delayed practice this morning," Takuma reflected.

"The team provided me with a great car in order for me to learn this oval and gain confidence with how the car reacts in traffic. Qualifying was a new experience for me and I am really looking forward to the race tomorrow."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA – KVRT HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Qualified 16th: "The #8 PDVSA – KV Racing Technology car felt very safe today, its just we lacked the necessary speed in qualifying. I am pleased to be back on ovals, I had a good season last year and I am hoping tomorrow will be the start for an even better one."

Despite having spent more than a decade in international motorsport and started some 90 grands prix in F1 between 2002 and 2008, Sato has never previously competed on an oval – but this weekend's fiercely-contested Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will soon change all that.

The popular Japanese ace's challenge will entail 200 laps on race day of the famous 1.5-mile track, totalling 300 miles in all – and the 2004 and 2005 editions remain inside the top ten of the closest IndyCar finishes of all time.

In preparation for what lies ahead, Sato has recruited the help of seasoned pro and multiple oval-winner Jimmy Vasser. The 1996 Champ Car Champion and co-team owner of Lotus Racing's partners – KV Racing Team (KVRT) – worked with the former BAR-Honda and Super Aguri star during a successful pre-race testing session earlier this week, and with the American's assistance and strong KVRT oval set-ups, the man inside the cockpit is aiming to put in a solid performance in the No. 5 Lotus this weekend.

"I feel comfortable, confident and excited about this new challenge," the 33-year-old enthused. "The director of Lotus Motorsport, Claudio Berro, has given me some great advice – he told me to turn left and left again and keep turning left faster than anyone else!"

"We've already had a lot of new experiences this season and we're eager to take on this one," added Berro. "I am pleased with our performance during the practice session and look forward to Saturday's race in what has already been an exciting season for the Lotus IndyCar team."

But what’s so hard about driving round and round in circles, you might also ask? It sounds like a sat navs dream. However it’s not as straight-forward (excuse the pun) as it might seem. Taku will have to complete 200 laps of the famous 1.5 mile Kansas track totaling 300 miles in all, and when you think about it, that’s an awful lot of left hand turns.

As if the numbers alone weren’t enough to send even the most level of heads spinning, the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 is well known in the IndyCar world as being fiercely contested, even now the 2004 and 2005 races remain in the top 10 of closest finishes for the series.

Taku has taken this new challenge seriously and recruited the help of seasoned pro and multiple oval track winner Jimmy Vasser. The former champion and co-team owner of Lotus Racing’s partners, KV Racing Team (KVRT) worked with Taku on a pre-race testing session earlier this week. With Vasser’s assistance and strong KVRT oval setups, Taku is expected to put in a solid performance on the fast Kansas track in the No. 5 Lotus.

Commenting on the race ahead, Taku said: “I feel comfortable, confident and excited about this new challenge. The Director of Lotus Motorsport, Claudio Berro has given me some great advice, he told me to turn left and left again and keep turning left faster than anyone else!”

Following a successful practice session on Wednesday, Director of Lotus Motorsport, Claudio Berro said: “We’ve already had a lot of new experiences this season and we’re eager to take on this one. I am pleased with our performance during the practice session and look forward to Saturday’s race in what has already been an exciting season for the Lotus IndyCar team.”

Hopefully this story explains the unusual format, we figured that as Taku has to drive round and round in circles, we’d give you a little taste of the experience too. We’re nice like that!

While Taku is clearly no rookie when it comes to single-seater competition, with 90 Formula One starts to his credit and a podium appearance in 2004 USGP at Indianapolis, he has yet to compete on an oval, and will take his first steps to learning the unique discipline during a pre-race test at Kansas Speedway on Wednesday 28 April.

The former Jordan, BAR, Honda and Super Aguri F1 star will be under the tutelage of former CART champion - and KVRT team owner - Jimmy Vasser at the test, and will be able to call on the multiple oval track winner in Saturday's 300-mile feature race.

With the first four events in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series were on the sort of road courses that allowed Taku to make his name, Vasser's assistance and KVRT's strong oval set-ups, should allow the 33-year old Japanese ace to put in a solid performance at the fast Kansas.

"This will be my first oval race in the #5 Lotus–KV Racing Technology car, and it's hard to know how I feel until I do my first few laps at the test on Wednesday," Taku admitted, "However, having the help of Jimmy Vasser, who has won many races on ovals, I feel comfortable and excited for this new challenge."

Moraes, the youngest regular on the 17-race circuit at age 21 (photo below), came from 15th to finish sixth in the street battle at Long Beach two weeks ago, but the Brazilian driver now changes his racing mode to the fast 1.5-mile tri-oval west of Kansas City.

The driver of the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone open-wheel machine was extremely competitive on the oval tracks at the conclusion of the 2009 campaign with a third at Chicagoland Speedway, fifth at Twin Ring Motegi and seventh at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the final three races. Moraes also had top-tens at Milwaukee and Texas.

Moraes' recent surge to the front of the IZOD field might be credited to the addition of his new engineer, veteran Iain Watt, who worked with many top IndyCar Series drivers before spending the last four years in NASCAR competition. Watt joined KVRT before the Barber event three weeks ago.

In a contrast to Moraes' oval success, his KVRT teammate Takuma Sato enters his first oval competition of his extensive racing career. The former Honda Formula One star will be under the tutelage of former CART champion and co-team owner Jimmy Vasser, a multi-time oval track winner. Vasser will work with Sato in a pre-race testing session this Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's 300-mile feature.

While Sato is no rookie with 90 Formula One starts including a third in 2004 USGP at Indianapolis, the 33-year-old racer has yet to compete on an oval track. The first four events in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series were on road courses. With Vasser's assistance and strong KVRT oval setups, Sato is expected to put in a solid performance on the fast Kansas track in the No. 5 Lotus—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone car.

E.J. Viso, the popular 25-year-old Venezuelan, rounds out the KVRT lineup in Kansas in the No. 8 PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone mount. Viso put in an impressive showing two years ago at Kansas by running in the top-ten in his first visit to the oval. This year, Viso will be working with veteran engineer Bill Pappas in their first oval race in 2010 with KVRT.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am looking forward to getting back to ovals with KV Racing Technology. Unfortunately, we couldn't test last week in Kansas because of the bad weather. However, we finished last year with a good oval setup so I am hoping we can have a good weekend. Working with Iain (Watt) has been a very good experience for me so far. I think we can work well on the ovals too."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "This will be my first oval race in the #5 Lotus – KV Racing Technology car at Kansas this weekend. It's hard to know how I feel until I do my first few laps at the test on Wednesday. But having the help of my team owner Jimmy Vasser, who won many races on ovals, I feel comfortable and excited for this new challenge."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I have some good memories from the Kansas oval track, so I am looking forward to going back there. We now have four straight oval races on the schedule. It is a big change from the four straight road circuits. I believe the #8 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology car will be fast this weekend. I think we can get off to a good start to my oval season at Kansas."

After showing top-six form the previous weekend at Alabama's Barber Motorsports Park, Sato was buoyant on the trip west to Long Beach. "I was confident and more comfortable in the car," he said. "We were all upbeat and the team was very excited coming to Long Beach."

But there wasn't much excitement in Friday practice, as Taku's Lotus-backed Dallara-Honda and his team-mates struggled. "Long Beach is a historic place and the atmosphere is great but we as a team simply struggled with grip, because the car was skipping and sliding and I couldn't get a good feeling. So to learn the circuit in an unpredictable car is always tricky, particularly the very last section of the track - going into the hairpin there are quite a few lines and it was a bit confusing."

Things didn't look up on Saturday. "We changed almost everything but it still wasn't good. It was not only me but EJ Viso, my team-mate. Last year he qualified fourth here, and he struggled a lot too... We had to make another big, radical change for qualifying."

Did it work? "Honestly? Unfortunately No… It wasn't about balance. The balance was not far away and on a street circuit you never get a perfect balance – we all know that. It was just that the pure grip was so low and the car didn't have any bite."

Even worse, in the qualifying lottery all three KV drivers - Sato, Viso and Mario Moraes – were drawn together in the opening group. They ended up eighth, ninth and 10th in their group, giving them 15th, 17th and 19th (for Taku) on the grid. For the first time in his IndyCar career, Sato failed to make round two of qualifying.

There was a glimmer of hope in Sunday morning's warm-up: "We did some big changes almost every session and the problem for that was we couldn't have a chance to settle the set up and have it tuned. So we went through the details overnight and made a small change from qualifying and indeed it was a positive improvement. Still we needed a lot more but it was clearly better."

Not that there was much chance of gaining places, even at the start. "In the final hairpin there is only one line, so there is no chance to get all the grid side by side for a rolling start. By the time the back of the pack came round the hairpin it was about trying to catch up - the race had already started! I had no chance to overtake even at Turn 1, but I settled into a rhythm immediately. I was happy with my pace and I could go a lot faster, so I started to save tyres and fuel."

As he would be through most of the race, Sato was stuck behind another car. "When the guy in front pitted I nailed it, but the people who pitted behind me had already been running in good clean air. It didn't work out so well for us today because when I came out I had already lost a position."

Worse was to come, as Alex Lloyd emerged from his pit stop… "He came out of the pits with cold tyres and I overtook him, but he quite unnecessarily tried to protect his position and couldn't stop on his cold tyres and hit me. I spun and lost a chunk of time, and that put me in a difficult position because now I was close to being lapped."

Even worse, just after Taku was lapped by the leader, there was a collision right in front of him between Graham Rahal and Mario Romancini that led to the only full-course yellow of the race. If it had happened a few laps earlier, Sato could have caught up the pack and gone racing again. Now, a lap down and running just behind the leader on the road, his race was effectively over.

"After the restart I had good pace, and was hanging on (just 0.1 seconds slower than front-running Penske pair Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves), but in a blue-flag situation race control said I had to give way. Once you do that there are another 10 cars behind, so you have to let them lap you too! I finished the race but it was a really disappointing weekend."

Now, from the tight street circuits, a new adventure begins, as Sato heads to Kansas Speedway for his first oval race on May 1. "It is a quick change to my mind and I have to consider everything about oval racing. I'm flying to Kansas and first I have to do my rookie orientation test. It's going to be quite exciting I hope!"

Sato was unable to improve more than one place on his 19th starting position, despite initially making moves up the order, after his #5 Lotus-KVRT Dallara-Honda was collected by Dale Coyne Racing's Alex Lloyd, causing the Japanese ace to spin. Although he was able to return to the fray, and continued to take the chequered flag, he was a lap down on winner Ryan Hunter-Reay.

"It was a tough weekend," Taku admitted, "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, as we saved our tyres 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 tyres, 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."

Moraes, the youngest full-time driver on the IZOD IndyCar Series at age 21, turned in a spectacular drive Sunday in the 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach when he drove his No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car from 15th to sixth in the 85-lap feature event.

Moraes, who rejoined KVRT at the season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, didn't have any pre-season testing with the team but has proven to be a contender following his impressive Long Beach performance. Starting 15th, Moraes, along with solid pit stops from his KVRT crew, battled his way around several title challengers to record his best 2010 finish.

Moraes fought by the likes of Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Dan Wheldon, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves in a sensational run that saw Mario pass the most cars in the race. The addition of veteran engineer Iain Watt has been a major factor in Moraes' strong performance. Watt joined KVRT before the Barber race last weekend.

Moraes' KVRT teammates, E.J. Viso and Takuma Sato, recorded 15th and 19th place finishes respectively on the tough, narrow 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit. Viso, driving the No. PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, moved as high as tenth from his 17th starting position. Sato, in his first Long Beach Grand Prix, had his No. 5 Lotus—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone car hit from behind by Alex Lloyd, causing a spin. Sato returned to action to take the checkered flag.

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the event followed by Justin Wilson, Will Power, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Moraes.

KVRT now travels to Kansas Speedway on May 1 for the Road Runner 300, the first oval race of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 6th: "Since the start of the weekend, Iain (Watt, Moraes' engineer) and I worked well together. It is just Iain's second race with the team. Qualifying was disappointing. I thought we had a better car than 15th. In the race, I got a good start and tried to save fuel. It is very hard to save fuel on this circuit. We were able to use the tires well, and the car handled very good throughout the race. I am very happy for our KV team. Iain and I are learning about each other with every race. I am feeling more comfortable with him now. I am gaining more confidence with my driving too. I was able to make a move on Helio (Castroneves) on the restart in turn one. The car just felt good all day. Now, we move to straight four oval races and we need to work on that setup in the test this week at Kansas."

E.J. VISO, #5 PDVSA - KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 15th: "It was a straight forward race so we couldn't do much as far as strategy. It's a shame because the car was balanced all through the race, but we just lacked a chunk of grip everywhere around the circuit. We will just have to keep working hard and I am confident that we will improve. But, right now the most important thing is to get ready for the oval in Kansas."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE, Finished 19th: "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."

The trio of Takuma Sato, Mario Moraes and EJ Viso looked primed to move to the second phase when late session heroics by Alex Tagliani, Ryan Briscoe and Marco Andretti bumped them from the top twelve in preparation for the 36th running of the Toyota Grand Prix.

Sato, making his Long Beach debut at the wheel of the #5 Lotus-KVRT Dallara-Honda, eventually finished 19th, with a lap clocked at 100.209mph and will line up on the inside of row ten for round four of the IndyCar campaign on Sunday.

"It was a very tough and disappointing day," the Japanese ace commented, "We tried many different things since yesterday but, unfortunately, the car just isn't working well. We changed it quite a bit for qualifying, but we still need to find more grip. We will review and analyse everything overnight for tomorrow."

On a more positive not, Sato announced a new personal agreement with IRacing and Interush for the forthcoming Motegi race.

Despite his inexperience, Taku posted times that kept him in the top ten for much of practice, before the #5 Lotus-KV Racing Technology entry was shuffled back to 13th by late improvements from some of his rivals. Sato's best time was a 1min 11.385secs effort to put him comfortably mid-pack in the sizeable IndyCar field.

"Long Beach is a special event but, for me, it is one of the new circuits, so I have to learn it," Taku noted, "We struggled with the balance of the car a bit today, so we have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Qualifying for the 36th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach takes place Saturday, with Sato hoping to progress to the Firestone Fast Six for the second time in as many races following his sterling effort at Barber Motorsport Park a week ago.

Moraes, the 21-year-old Brazilian, drove the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine to one of only eight times under the 71-second barrier on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit through the streets on the Southern California seaside city. The youngest full-time driver in the series recorded the eighth quickest lap of the day with a time of one minute, 10.964 seconds. Ryan Hunter Reay set the best time Friday with a 1:10.634 clocking.

Following Hunter Reay Friday was Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan, Alex Tagliani, Will Power, Justin Wilson, Dario Franchitti and Moraes.

Moraes qualified 12th last week at Barber Motorsports Park.

Takuma Sato, a Formula One veteran whose a rookie in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series, posted times in the top-ten for much of the practice in the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car before taking the 13th best time. Sato's top time was 1:11.385 in his first appearance on the famed Long Beach track.

E.J. Viso, who qualified fourth in last year's Long Beach event, suffered through some traffic troubles on Friday afternoon. Viso's top time was 1:11.930 for 17th best in the No. 8 PDVSA—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone.

Qualifying for the Sunday's 85-lap main event is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (PDT) Saturday with the Firestone Fast Six finale. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be televised live Sunday on the VERSUS Network beginning at 3:30 p.m.(EDT).

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES, #32 KVRT HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Overall, it was a good day for the #32 KV Racing Technology team. My engineer, Iain Watt, and I have been spending a lot of time together getting to know each other and we have worked very hard to make the car faster. It is great to be back in Long Beach. Unfortunately, last year we did not have the result that we wanted, so I am looking forward to this weekend and having a good finish."

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KVRT HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Long Beach is a special event, but, for me, it is one of the new circuits. So I have to learn the circuit. We struggled with the balance of the car a bit today. So we have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA – KVRTHONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "The changes we made from practice 1 to practice 2 we didn't find all of the speed we wanted. But, we had problems with traffic with our second set of tires, so we weren't able to put a lap together. Normally, with your second set of tires, you can improve up to a second a lap. That was a progression I think we were going to achieve. But because of the traffic, we couldn't. We still need to improve the car and find more speed for qualifying."

The squad brings some history of Long Beach as Formula One veteran and IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Takuma Sato drives the #5 Dallara-Honda in the 36th edition of the 'Long Beach Street Party', as Lotus has a rich history on the famed circuit.

Despite Sato's green-and-yellow livery not appearing in Long Beach, the British marque was victorious there with IndyCar legend Mario Andretti in 1977, a year before the American drove the #5 John Player-backed Lotus to the F1 world championship with six race wins, although he only managed second in Long Beach during his 1978 title run.

Although he comes to the Beach for the first time, Sato - a podium finisher in the 2004 US Grand Prix - has shown blistering speed with his new mount, including qualifying for the Firestone Fast Six last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. A mechanical problem halted the Japanese driver's charge in a spirited on-track battle with Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan at the Alabama road course, but he heads for California in good spirits.

"Long Beach is such a historical place for motor racing that, even though I've never been there, I know the race is always an exciting one with a great atmosphere," he noted, "I am getting a more comfortable feeling every time I jump in the car, and I am getting used to the whole environment, so I am pleased about this coming back to back race weekend - especially after Barber where I collected many positives."

The KVRT squad brings back some history of Long Beach when Formula One veteran and IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Takuma Sato drives the No. 5 Lotus—KVRT Honda/Dalllara/Firestone machine on April 16-18 in the 36th edition of the " Long Beach Street Party."

Sato, a podium finisher in the U.S. Grand Prix in 2004, comes to Long Beach for the first time, but his sponsor has a rich history on the famed street circuit.

The Lotus car has been victorious at Long Beach with legendary Mario Andretti piloting the Formula One version to the winner's circle in 1977 with a great late-race pass. The following season, Andretti drove the No. 5 John Player Lotus to the prestigious World Championship with six race wins. Andretti finished second at Long Beach in his 1978 title run.

Sato has shown blistering speed with his new mount so far as a rookie including qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. However, a mechanical problem halted the Japanese driver's charge in a spirited on-track battle with Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan.

E.J. Viso and Mario Moraes join Sato in the KV Racing Technology contingent at Long Beach, and both young racers figure to be strong on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit.

Viso, the personable Venezuelan, was very impressive in qualifying last year with a season-best fourth starting position. At St. Petersburg this year, he was leading the race when a part failure cost him a chance for his first IndyCar win. The No. 8 PDVSA/KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry is no stranger to Southern California either. Viso attended Rolling Hills Prep School in the South Bay area as a teenager.

Moraes, the youngest full-time driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series at age 21, turned in his best 2010 run last week at Barber after qualifying 12th. The Brazilian has been impressive in the other California road track too. Mario's best road course finish is fourth at Sonoma, Calif., last year. Moraes drive the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car.

Team owner Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar winner, will compete in the Toyota Pro-Celebrity race to be contested on Saturday, April 17, at 11:40 a.m. (PDT).

DRIVER QUOTES:

TAKUMA SATO, #5 LOTUS - KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Long Beach is such a historical place for motor racing. Even though I've never been there I know the race is always an exciting one with a great atmosphere. I am getting a more comfortable feeling every time I jump in the car. I am getting used to the whole environment so I am pleased about this coming back to back race weekend especially after Barber where I collected many positives."

E.J. VISO, #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am very happy to be returning to Long Beach with the PDVSA - KV Racing Technology team. I think it is one of the best street courses in the series and I have very happy memories of the place. Last year, I qualified fourth and I am hoping this year things will be even better. After St. Pete, I can say we have a pretty strong car on street circuits and hopefully we are going to have an even better one here. Coming from a difficult and hard weekend at Barber, I know we have learned a lot and every time we gather more data so I am sure the PDVSA - KV Racing Technology will have a good weekend in Long Beach."

MARIO MORAES, #32 KV RACINGTECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I am looking forward to being back at Long Beach with KV Racing Technology. It's going to be my second race with my new engineer (Iain Watt) and now we know each other better. I'm understanding better how he works, so hopefully the team and I will have a good finish after all the hard work the guys have put in."

The scenic road circuit in Alabama was the only track on this year's IndyCar schedule that Sato already knew, owing to his earlier test at the venue with the KV Racing Technology team. "I knew we were going to be much more comfortable than in the first two races," he said, "although the test was held in record cold conditions. Now in contrast it was going to be quite hot, so I knew that even though my understanding of IndyCar was increasing it would still be quite challenging."

Practice on Friday went well: "I was not particularly happy with the balance in first practice, so we had to change it, but by the end of the second I was reasonably happy and had a good baseline for qualifying."

On this occasion, qualifying would mean different conditions, as it took place at 9.20 on Saturday morning. "The track conditions changed again because of

the lower temperature, and with the new red option tyres it was a bit of a challenge.

"This time we tried a more traditional qualifying approach. We can only use two sets of the red tyres in qualifying, and at the first two races I used them from the start to be sure of going through to the next round. This time we were sure we need to make most of it so I used the prime tyres for my first run to check the balance change overnight, then went onto the red tyre for my second run." It worked a treat, with Taku the second fastest overall from his qualifying group, behind only fellow ex-Diamond Racing Formula 3 team driver Will Power.

Then, in the second round of qualifying, Sato set the fifth-fastest time to move into the Firestone Fast Six for the first time in his IndyCar career. "We jumped into Q2, but getting a lap was incredibly difficult. There are no tyre warmers, so you have to get the balance with warming up the fronts and rears, and there was traffic, but I got a good enough lap to go to Q3, which was a great feeling. I was very pleased.

"I planned to use my second set of red tyres, which I'd used in Q2, but unfortunately I couldn't really feel good grip. It's easy to say now that brand-new prime tyres might have been better but we didn't know it at the time. It was a bit of a shame, but still I was happy to be able to go racing from sixth on the grid."

Which meant more learning. "It was only my third rolling start, and again I took a extremely cautious approach, but you don't really have to do that from the third row, because everyone is good to go. Putting the gas on at the start went well, but then I got close to Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti so I was cautious, just to make sure there was no risk, and slowing down relatively early. Then of course Dario Franchitti came by and then I could see Tony Kanaan on my right, and I said, 'OK here we go - we are racing.'

"I really enjoyed it. I was side by side with Tony in Turn 2, 3 and 4, and braking into Turn 5 he was again coming on my outside. It was possible because of Tony. I really respect him and he is such a great driver."

Taku settled into seventh place, tracking Franchitti ahead and inching away from Kanaan, but after 10 laps the throttle failed. "Suddenly I was just coasting on the back straight, and I knew instantly it was something to do with the throttle. I put the car in neutral and was coasting down to the pit lane, but the circuit has a lot of uphill and unfortunately my momentum was not enough to get back, so I stopped and had to wait for rescue."

Once back in the pits, Sato had to jump out of the car while the team repaired the throttle. He then rejoined, setting the sixth-fastest race lap as he battled to the end. He finished on the road between Power and Andretti, who were fourth and fifth - in other words, where he would have hoped to finish without losing 22 laps!

"Mentally it is not great to have to take your helmet off in a race and put it back on again, but I was pleased to be back racing, and I needed to experience my first pit stop and chequered flag of course! I raced with many different people, had a lot of battles and did some overtaking. We scheduled the pit stops as if I was racing and tried to simulate what would happen if I hadn't needed to stop for so long, but of course I didn't want to disturb other people's races, and I learned how to save fuel."

This coming weekend is the next race, on the Long Beach street circuit in California, which used to be an F1 track in 1976-83 -long before Taku's era! "It's nice to go there with some experience from a race and having a better understanding of the whole thing. I'm going to a place I don't know but I'm more comfortable and Long Beach has a great history. We'll keep working and hopefully I can repeat what I did in qualifying at Barber and have a good

race."

The Japanese ace looked to be very competitive after making the Firestone Fast Six in qualifying on Saturday, and waged a tremendous battle with past IndyCar Series champions Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan in the opening part of the 90-lap race. However, a throttle part failure on the #5 Lotus-KVRT Dallara-Honda left him stranded on the track on lap eleven, forcing a full-course caution.

After receiving a tow back to the pits, the Lotus/KVRT crew replaced the faulty part, allowing Sato to return to the action some 22 laps later and, although a long way behind, he recorded solid laps to record his first finish of the season in 25th spot.

"It's motor racing and things happen, but I had a good start and a exciting battle with TK in the early portion of the race through turns two, three, four and five," Sato reflected.

"The crew did a good job replacing the throttle part and I was able to rejoin the race, and I was racing with many different people today. Despite being down quite a number of laps, it was good experience to run to the end."

The KVRT crew now prepares for one of the IndyCar Series' biggest events, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, in California this coming weekend (16-18 April).

"The KV Racing Technology engineers came up with a change that really improved the car from yesterday to today. That made all the difference in qualifying. I think we could have done a little better, but overall it was a good qualifying. It is my best of the season. We just have to keep working on the car and improve it some more for the race."

"It is great to be having a race at Barber Motorsports Park. I was not able to participate in the open test this year, but liked the track a lot last year. KV Racing Technology gave me a great car so I am excited to go back. It will be fun to race a natural road circuit again."

As you know, Lotus is back in IndyCar and at the 3rd round of the 2010 IZOD Indy Racing Series in Alabama, Lotus' driver Takuma Sato is aiming for a racing "revolution" of his own.

The Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union takes place this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama and the Lotus IndyCar, with the number 5, will line up in the iconic Lotus green and yellow colour scheme once more.

Claudio Berro, Director of Motorsport for Lotus said: "I am really looking forward to this weekend. The Lotus mechanics together with the KV Racing team have been working hard on getting the perfect set-up for Taku to suit his driving style. Barber Motorsports Park feels like a home from home as the resort houses the largest collection of classic Lotus cars anywhere in the world, so I would like to think that we have a small psychological advantage over our competitors."

Takuma Sato, ready to show his true colours, is looking forward to the race: "The track at Barber is a lot more like an F1 circuit, which is what I am used too. I do enjoy the street races, but they can be harder to get into a rhythm, so I am really looking forward to pushing myself and the car hard, making up for the issues we had at the last race at St Petersburg and making Lotus proud."

So apologies, dudes, but let's give Colin and Takuma a bit of presidential glory!

*Jim Clark was the first driver to win the Indy 500 with a rear engine car – no front engine car has won the race since.