Takuma Sato Tag

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Friday practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series concluded in preparation for Saturday’s INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Will Power is the man to beat. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet topped the time sheet in both sessions with a fastest lap of 1 minute, 10.0866 seconds in the first session. Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi was second in the No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda while the Ed Carpenter Racing rookie Jordan King was third in the No.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer LONG BEACH, California —The opening day of practice for the 44th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach kicked off with two practice sessions with Andretti Autosport on the fast end of the grid. The duo of 2010 Long Beach winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi were second and third in the morning session but in the afternoon Rossi led the field from Hunter-Reay. 2015 Long Beach winner Scott Dixon led the first session with a 1 minute, 8.4112 second lap around the 1.968 mile street circuit.Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer Friday was the practice and qualifying day ahead of Saturday’s Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix at ISM Raceway, the first oval in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season and it was a definite day of unpredictability. Preseason testing had Rahal Letterman Lanigan at the top of the time sheets, but after the first session Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato were 17th and 18th, respectively. Chevrolet had the top two positions with Simon Pagenaud first and Tony Kanaan second ahead of five Honda carsRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Canada’s new hero came calling on his final timed lap as Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Robert Wickens secured pole position in his No. 6 Lucas Oil Honda for the 2018 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. One of his biggest assists in preparation? YouTube. “I was working hard over the winter, Monday to Friday, watching IndyCar races online on YouTube, anywhere I could find them, just trying to learn,” said Wickens. “Like I think I watched like eight years of St. PeteRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Oriol Servia is now entered in the Indianapolis 500. In a new partnership between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship team Scuderia Corsa, Servia will attempt to qualify the No. 64 Honda in what could be his 10th Indianapolis 500. “It is an honor to compete at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” said Scuderia Corsa team owner Giacomo Mattioli in a team release. “To be a part of this great racing heritage and tradition is something I alwaysRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg begins this weekend to officially mark the start of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The season opener will also showcase the dawn of a new era with the universal aero kit. The 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit will play host to 24 drivers eager to make a strong run out of the gate, including defending series champion Josef Newgarden. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have brought together a preview for the upcoming year for INDYCAR. Video Credit: Mobil 1Read More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief With the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season rapidly approaching, Motorsports Tribune is previewing each of the teams competing on the tour. The site’s IndyCar staff will break each team down, laying out their results from the previous season while previewing the year to come for the organization and their driver(s).  Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Drivers: Graham Rahal, Takuma Sato What Happened Last Year: A trying start turned into another strong season in 2017 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Graham Rahal piloted the team’s lone full-time entry in the No.Read More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer AVONDALE, Arizona – Takuma Sato completed a Rahal Letterman Lanigan sweep of this weekend’s Verizon IndyCar Series open test at the ISM Raceway. The driver of the No. 30 Mi-Jack Honda logged the fastest lap of the weekend at 19.379 seconds (189.885 mph) late in the three-hour session during Saturday evening’s final three-hour session. “The open test was very successful,” Sato said. “Lots of things done and lots of things to be tried, and I think over the course of two days we learned a lot. Great car,Read More

By Josh Farmer, Contributing Writer AVONDALE, Arizona – The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing pair of Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato topped the charts in Friday’s Verizon IndyCar Series’ open test at the ISM Raceway. Rahal lapped the 1.022-mile oval in 19.457 seconds (189.090 mph) during the evening’s three-hour test session. The driver of the No. 15 United Rentals Honda, who turned his first laps with the new aero package on an oval, was pleased with the team’s progress. “The pace of the team, the pace of the cars, it seems good,”Read More

By Aaron Bearden, Contributing Writer Motorsports Tribune reviews the season of the top 10 drivers from the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Our list continues with the eighth-place championship finisher, Takuma Sato. Takuma Sato, No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda 2017: 8th in the championship  Wins: 1, Top 5: 4, Top 10: 7, Poles: 1, Laps Led: 41 Best Finish: 1st (Indianapolis 500) His championship hopes may have sputtered over the summer months, but Sato’s 2017 will be forever be remembered as a tale of redemption after his fateful drive toRead More