South African IRL star Tomas Scheckter and Kiwi team-mate Scott Dixon have qualified on the front row for Saturday’s Bombardier 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.
South African IRL star Tomas Scheckter and Kiwi team-mate Scott Dixon have qualified on the front row for Saturday’s Bombardier 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.
The Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force Toyota duo set the fastest laps in single car qualifying under lights around the 2,4-kilometre banked oval on Thursday night. Scheckter’s quick lap of 352,9 km/h to earn the MBNA pole position bettered Dixon’s 351,8 km/h.
In addition to the R78 900 cheque earned for winning pole position, Scheckter also receives a one-year lease to a new Cirrus SR-22 aeroplane, which will be presented to Scheckter during the weekend.
“This team is starting to gell and we’re understanding one another,” the 22-year-old Capetonian said. “Our testing has paid off and, it seems, the Toyota engine likes this place”.
Dixon, who had never competed in a night race, found his car, “pretty good. We tested here a lot in December and, from here, we definitely need to get some points. I think we’re going to have a very competitive race on Saturday night.”
Tora Takagi starts third for Saturday’s Bombardier 500, the fifth race this season. The 2003 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Rookie of the Year fired off a lap of 350,8 km/h in his Pioneer Panoz G Force Toyota.
Tony Kanaan continues to be the top Honda driver and will start fourth in the Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda with a lap of 349,4 km/h set just before Takagi took to the track. Kanaan is “still learning” when it comes to driving a race car at night but appeared to be catching on, reported.
Felipe Giaffone earned the fifth starting spot in the Hollywood Panoz G Force Toyota with a lap of 348,833 km/h and said: “The track didn’t change a lot since practice but it’s a completely different place under the lights. I think we’ll see another close finish here on Saturday night.”
Former Indy 500 winner and 1998 Indy Racing League champion Kenny Brack lines up in sixth spot with his Miller Lite Dallara Honda and the Swede acknowledged he was “flat all around the track. We need to do some more work and that is what tomorrow will be all about”.