Sato Spins Into Turn Two Wall In Lotus Kvrt Machine

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 22, 2010) — What a day for KV Racing Technology Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

Two KVRT drivers banged the outside wall during practice and qualifying runs for the May 30 Indianapolis 500, and two drivers made the Top 24-driver first day lineup with some late day drama.

Mario Moraes, at the wheel of the No. 32 KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car, experienced a roller coaster ride in his two qualifying runs on the legendary 2.5-mile oval. In his first qualifying attempt, Moraes had recorded three solid 224-mile per hour laps but spinning his car into the turn two wall on the final lap o qualifications.

Moraes' KVRT crew, led by Greg Senerius, replaced the broken parts on the rear of the car in under 45 minutes and had the car back in action 20 minutes later. After a three-lap practice run, Moraes' car was pushed back in the qualifying line for one last chance dash. The 21-year-old Brazilian star didn't disappoint with a superb four-lap qualifying run at 224.888 m.p.h. as the final gun went off to end the qualifying session. Moraes will start 13th in the 33-driver field on May 30.

E.J. Viso, who crashed in turn one Tuesday in practice, clocked an impressive 224.380 four-lap average in the backup No. 8T PDVSA — KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine in the hot afternoon weather conditions. Viso, the popular Venezuela driver, qualified 19th Saturday.

Earlier in the day, rookie Takuma Sato, who had recorded a 225 m.p.h. lap during the week, suffered a hard hit against the turn two wall in the Saturday morning's warm-up session in the No. 5 Lotus - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car. Sato climbed his mount and was transported to Methodist Hospital for precautionary X-Rays. Sato left the hospital in the afternoon and will examined on Sunday's morning by IZOD IndyCar Series officials for clearance to qualify his car. Sato's beautiful green and yellow Lotus car is being rebuilt in the KVRT garage area at the Speedway.

Paul Tracy, the personable Canadian star, didn't enjoy the qualifying rounds of Moraes and Viso on Saturday with the No. 15 GEICO—KVRT Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry. Tracy had a problem with his car in the morning qualifying run and had to wait until the afternoon to make his attempt. Tracy recorded a 238.856 four-lap average before being bump out of the 24-driver first day lineup. Tracy will try to make the 33-driver starting field on Sunday.

DRIVER QUOTES:

MARIO MORAES -- #32 KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "After the crash on the last lap in the first qualifying attempt, our KV Racing crew did an amazing job to get my car back onto the track in about an hour. My car was sliding around too much in the first attempt. We lost some downforce for that attempt. But the team came back and gave me a good car for the last attempt. The car was outstanding for that run and I feel good about our race setup too. I qualified a little better (7th) last year, but I feel our 13th spot is a good position for a 500-mile race."

E.J. VISO -- #8 PDVSA – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "It was a pretty eventful week for me and our PDVSA -- KV Racing Technology team. I had a problem in my first qualifying attempt, so I brought the car back into the pits. The second attempt felt good, especially in turns two, three and four. But turn one gave me a problem. I almost had a big moment on my third lap there. So I decided to take it easier on the final lap and get a solid speed."

PAUL TRACY – #15 GEICO – KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "I really don't know what to say. Somehow we lost our way today. We were quick the other day, but, for some reason, the GEICO car doesn't have the speed in qualifying trim. It is frustrating for the whole GEICO – KV Racing team. We will be ready to go on Sunday."

TAKUMA SATO -- #5 LOTUS — KV RACING TECHNOLOGY HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE: "Such a shame that we had the problem today in practice. We were making good progress and experimenting with some set up changes before qualifying, but unfortunately one of the changes was a bit too extreme. I would like to thank my team for working so hard to repair the car and look forward to being fit enough to drive tomorrow morning."