Mechanical failure denied Tomas Scheckter his first win of the season in Texas last week, but the 22-year-old Capetonian is confident he can take the chequered flag at the Honda Indy 225 this weekend.
Mechanical failure denied Tomas Scheckter his first win of the season in Texas last week, but the 22-year-old Capetonian is confident he can take the chequered flag at the Honda Indy 225 this weekend.
CARtoday.com reported on Monday that despite leading 145 laps of the 200-tour Bombardier 500 in Texas, Scheckter’s race was ruined by a near-disastrous pit lane fire and front suspension failure.
“Pikes Peak (International Raceway, in Colorado) is a difficult track. It’s like a bigger Richmond or a smaller Michigan. It’s a shame what happened to us in Texas, because we were dominating that race. Our luck will turn around, I’m sure,” Scheckter said.
“We’ve had fast cars all year and I’m confident that we’ll fast this weekend too. The altitude does affect the you and the car. You have less downforce on the car in that thin air. Hopefully, my fitness will give me an advantage put there,” he added.
Scheckter and team-mate Scott Dixon are after Chip Ganassi Racing’s third pole in the last four races in Colorado. Dixon won the coveted prize in Japan and Scheckter qualified on pole last weekend in Texas.
The Team Target Panoz G Force Toyota duo have led almost 40 per cent of the laps in the IRL so far this season. But to date, Scheckter’s best result has been fourth place in the Indianapolis 500 last month.
Perhaps Pikes Peak will be his lucky track… At last year’s Radisson Indy 225 in Colorado, Scheckter overcame a hailstorm and an ill-handling car to record what was only the second finish of his rookie season.