6:00 p.m.
What a great day for the NovoRapid FlexTouch car. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing guys did a great job in strategy and a great job in pit lane. All I had to do was drive, again, just like Pocono last weekend. They gave me a great car. We didn’t have the greatest of starts but we stuck with our strategy, we stuck with the fuel mileage and all we had to do was get spots while they were there. The No. 83 Honda was great. It was pretty tough out there today with the amount of marbles on the track. It was a hot day, so for a doubleheader it was hard work but we’re already looking forward to heading to Mid-Ohio for the next round.
Thanks for all of the support!
12:30 p.m.
It's race day... number two! Another shot for the podium. We made some changes this morning in warm-up, and I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car will be fast in the race today. Hopefully the fans enjoy the standing start today!
Just finished up with a drivers meeting and am hanging with my engineers until race time. Before the race, Milos Raonic (the highest ranked Canadian tennis player in history) is coming by for a tour of the transporter and paddock. Can't wait to catch up with him again!
Tune in to Honda Indy Toronto's race 2 today at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
 |
| Morning warm-up |
5:20 p.m.
I feel badly for the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch team today. We had a really good car; we just got caught up in other peoples wrecks. It’s the first time we haven’t seen the checkered flag all year, which is a pretty good run. The car was great and we have to make the most of it here, but we learned a lot. I think we can make the car better for tomorrow, and I think for tomorrow’s race we have every chance of moving forward again.
After engineering meetings, tonight will be pretty low-key.. I'll just get a good meal and get rested for tomorrow. Thanks for watching and for the support!
 |
| Race #1 |
It's race day! And of course with the doubleheader, it's qualifying day (again)!
This morning’s qualifying session we qualified the same spot as yesterday, so we’ll start each leg of the doubleheader races from the eighth row in P16. I’m much happier with the car... the crew did a great job of making it better overnight. The No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car handled better this morning and we had a lot more confidence in it. Everyone else seemed to take the same step, so it’s still really competitive. We’ll just focus on what we need to do in the race. This afternoon's standing start will be extremely interesting.
Friday, July 12
8:30 p.m.
It was pretty slick out there for qualifying. There was only about an hour and a half of practice with IndyCars out there so there wasn't a lot of rubber down yet on the track. The track is really busy today with other series; it’s just hasn’t put any grip down yet. The guys were able to get a lap time out of it, and we were within a couple tenths of transferring, so we’re making some progress. Having Dario be the quickest in that group and being able to look at his data and to make it better will be good, not just for tomorrow, but also for the future. I think we’ll be in good shape come race time tomorrow. With the standing start, there’s more chance for trouble being in the back so you have to keep a head up for sure but I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car here in Canada is going to be good, we just have to get a clean start in the race.
On the plus side, I had a great dinner tonight with some guests from Novo Nordisk--always a good time and enjoyed the chance to catch up with them! Now it's time for some rest for race one. Tune in tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network!
1 p.m.
Just grabbing a bite to eat after practice and before qualifying! I had a great time last night at the Turbo movie premiere with IndyCar. It is so well done--and so funny! You will love it whether you're 8-years-old, or 48!
During this morning's practice, we made a good deal of changes to the No. 83 car. We didn't get a chance to really get some good laps in but I think we'll be in good shape for qualifying.
 |
| Heading out on track for the first session. |
 |
| Practice pit stop. |
11:30 a.m.
After a busy yet exciting couple of days in Washington, D.C. for the JDRF Children's Congress, I'm here in Toronto for the race weekend. This morning I visited the Novo Nordisk Canada office and had a great time meeting their employees. Hope to see a lot of them out at the track!
I can't wait to get started here at the Honda Indy Toronto. The Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team had a great race last year, with our first podium finish, and we're coming in with a good deal of momentum from our second place at Pocono. I think the whole Ganassi organization is really gelling, apparent from last weekend's podium sweep, and if we continue to build on that we'll have even more success through this second half of the IndyCar season. We'll work hard this week to see what we can do to get set for Toronto's street circuit, with the additional challenges of the double-header and standing starts to consider. We're focused on getting the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car on the podium not once but twice this weekend!
Here's a race weekend schedule for you (all times Eastern):
Friday, July 12
10:25-11:55 a.m. Practice
2:15-3:25 p.m. Qualifying #1 (on NBC Sports Network at 5:30 p.m. ET)
4:30-5:30 p.m. IndyCar autograph session
Saturday, July 13
10:35-11:05 a.m. Qualifying #2
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #1 (live on NBC Sports Network)
Sunday, July 14
10:50-11:20 a.m. Warm-up
3 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto Race #2 (live on NBC Sports Network)
You can find live timing for all sessions here. Don't forget to follow @racewithinsulin on Twitter for on-track updates from my Pit Lane Reporter (PLR)!
Posts
No comments :
Post a Comment