Saturday, May 19, 2012

Hinchcliffe on Pole for Now


INDIANAPOLIS – We’ve gone through the original qualifying line – and then some – and now have a break in the action following a crash by Oriol Servia.

Servia spun in Turn 4, backed into the inside wall at the head of the pits, then smacked the attenuator at the entrance of the pits, spun around and came to a rest. Servia, who started on the front row last year but has struggled this year, climbed from the car.

The provisional fast nine has some big surprises, both in terms of who’s in (E.J. Viso and Rubens Barrichello) and who’s out (everyone who drives a Chip Ganassi car).

James Hinchcliffe, driving the car intended for Dan Wheldon, has the provisional pole with a four-lap average of 225.746 mph.

Rounding out the front row at the moment are Will Power (225.399 mph) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (225.289 mph).

The second row consists of Helio Castroneves (225.282,) Ryan Briscoe (225.078 mph) and Marco Andretti (224.680 mph).

Rookie Josef Newgarden, Viso and Barrichello make up the third row.

Barrichello, a Formula One veteran who won the 2002 United State Grand Prix at Indianapolis, knocked Alex Tagliani, last year’s pole sitter, out of the top nine with a run of 224.264 mph.

Tony Kanaan was securely in the fast nine with an average of 225.100 mph, but that run was disallowed because his car did not have the required ballast.

Photo credit: Forrest Mellott / Indianapolis Motor Speedway 

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