Lotus Ninth, 16Th And 20Th After First Day Of Practice For Honda Grand

[Mark H]

KV Racing Technology – Lotus drivers Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato and E. J. Viso were ninth, 16th and 20th on the speed charts after the first day of practice for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, to be held Sunday, March 27, on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, FL.

Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, had a fast lap of 64.0698 seconds (101.140 mph) on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit. Sato, No. 5 KV Racing Technology - Lotus, clocked in at 64.2429 seconds (100.867 mph), while Viso, No. 59 PDVSA - KV Racing Technology - Lotus, recorded a time of 64.5397 seconds (100.403 mph). Kanaan and Sato ran their quick laps during the second of two practices today.

Kanaan, who signed with KVRT - Lotus on Monday, is entering his 14th season of major U. S. based open–wheel competition and 10th in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is making his seventh appearance at St. Petersburg. In six previous races, Kanaan has always qualified in the top-six. He has started in the top-three five times, on the front row twice with one pole, in 2008. Kanaan has finished in the top-10 every year, the top-five all but once, on the podium four times with a best finish of second in 2005.

"The car was OK, we're working on it,” Kanaan said. “Everything is so new to me and I'm still getting used to what to do and what not to do with my new team. This was our first real test day so I'm glad it went smooth and I'm glad to be here with KVRT - Lotus and GEICO. There is still a lot of work to do, but we will get it."

Sato, who is in his second IZOD IndyCar season and second with KVRT - Lotus, is making his second appearance at St. Petersburg. Commenting on today’s practice he said, “I like the atmosphere of the race season finally starting and it’s a nice feeling to be back in the KV Racing Technology - Lotus car. We have not been on a street circuit since last July in Toronto, so the first session was good fun and I started to get my rhythm back. As the track conditions improved during the second session we struggled a bit with the balance of the car. The good thing is that we split the program between the drivers so we have a lot of data to work with tonight.”

Viso, who is contesting his fourth IZOD IndyCar season, second with KVRT - Lotus and first in the Lotus livery, will be making his fourth start in St. Petersburg. In his three previous appearances he has a best qualifying position of ninth, in 2010 and a best finish of fourth in 2008, which is also his career high on a road/street circuit. Last year, he took the lead here and led one lap before a mechanical problem hampered his efforts.

“It feels great to be back with the KV Racing Technology team especially now that we are starting this relationship with Lotus,” said Viso. “Today has been a productive day for the team. We made good progress with our setups. The morning session was a good one, I finished eighth and I was running as high as fifth, but during the last minute something happened with the car and we brushed the wall. In the second session, the car felt solid at the start of my run, but unfortunately, I went a little wide heading into the last corner and got into the dirt. I couldn’t stop the car and hit the tire barrier which damaged the front suspension, ending my session. I believe, as a team we are in a good position, so I am looking forward to tomorrow’s qualifying, it should be a good one.”

In this morning’s first practice, Viso logged the team’s fastest lap with a time of 64.5397 seconds (100.403 mph) good for eighth on the speed charts. Sato was 11th on the practice report with a lap of 64.7668 seconds (100.051 mph) and Kanaan was 12th at 64.8591 seconds (99.909 mph).

Sato announces his “With you Japan” support campaign:

Takuma Sato announced today his direct support campaign “With you Japan” to help the victims of the recent dreadful events in Japan. “With you Japan” will engage in a number of fundraising events over the coming weeks and months starting with a joint initiative involving all the IZOD IndyCar drivers. This weekend, many drivers have agreed to donate a pair of race gloves for auction. Gloves were chosen because they symbolize the hands of friendship between the USA and Japan. Sato will also carry the “With you Japan” campaign logo on his car and helmet, and has asked other drivers to do the same where possible.

 

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