Mid-Ohio – Qualifying: Dixon on pole and new track record
Scott Dixon snagged the pole position ahead of Will Power and Sébastien Bourdais. The two leaders of the IndyCar championship, Montoya and Rahal, are 10th and 13th. 11 drivers were faster than the previous track record at Mid-Ohio.
Scott Dixon is accustomed to strong season finishes in IndyCar. Third in the championship, 47 points behind Montoya, the New Zealander puts himself in a good position for the title by starting at the front of the Mid-Ohio race. There are 3 races remaining with a total of 211 points up for grabs.
Dixon is clearly the man to beat. He was at the front during free practice sessions, he is a five-time winner at Mid-Ohio, and he secured victory last year starting from 22nd position. The Ganassi driver always performs well at the end of the season; he has never been lower than 3rd place in the final standings over the past 8 seasons.
Will Power, Sébastien Bourdais, and Helio Castroneves, respectively 5th, 6th, and 4th in the championship, complete the first two rows. Simon Pagenaud is in a distant 15th place and Tristan Vautier is last.
The leaders in retreat
Juan Pablo Montoya is once again at a disadvantage. Leader throughout the season, the Colombian is once again facing mechanical issues. He is 10th on the starting grid. The surprise of the year, Graham Rahal, will need a bit of luck to maintain his second place in the overall standings. The American will start only 13th.
7 winners in 8 races
This year, no driver has claimed more than 2 victories. There are 9 different winners in the last 13 races, including 7 different winners on the 8 road circuits.
Helio Castroneves is the only serious title contender who has not yet secured a victory this year. Charlie Kimball, Dixon’s teammate and winner of the 2013 edition, is very fast this weekend and could also vie for the win.
A 15-year-old record
The introduction of the new Chevrolet and Honda aerodynamic kits helped break 3 records; in St Petersburg, at the Indianapolis GP, and at Mid-Ohio with Scott Dixon’s pole position in 1:04.581. The previous record was 1:05.347.
The race is broadcast this Sunday, August 2nd, starting at 7:55 PM on Canal + Sport.
| Pos. | No | Driver | Engine | Time | Speed (mph) | Session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chevrolet | 1:04.5814 | 125.869 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 2 | 1 | Will Power | Chevrolet | 1:04.6782 | 125.681 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 3 | 11 | Sebastien Bourdais | Chevrolet | 1:04.9965 | 125.065 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 4 | 3 | Helio Castroneves | Chevrolet | 1:05.0625 | 124.938 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 5 | 67 | Josef Newgarden | Chevrolet | 1:05.0728 | 124.919 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 6 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | Chevrolet | 1:05.0784 | 124.908 | Firestone Fast Six |
| 7 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Honda | 1:05.0455 | 124.971 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 8 | 10 | Tony Kanaan | Chevrolet | 1:05.0647 | 124.934 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 9 | 20 | Luca Filippi | Chevrolet | 1:05.1616 | 124.748 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 10 | 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 1:05.2081 | 124.659 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 11 | 41 | Jack Hawksworth | Honda | 1:05.2291 | 124.619 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 12 | 27 | Marco Andretti | Honda | 1:05.3931 | 124.307 | Round 2 / Top 12 |
| 13 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Honda | 1:05.9650 | 123.229 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 14 | 25 | Justin Wilson | Honda | 1:05.5886 | 123.936 | Qual / Group 2 |
| 15 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Chevrolet | 1:05.9877 | 123.187 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 16 | 14 | Takuma Sato | Honda | 1:05.5933 | 123.927 | Qual / Group 2 |
| 17 | 7 | James Jakes | Honda | 1:06.0671 | 123.039 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 18 | 4 | Stefano Coletti (R) | Chevrolet | 1:05.6204 | 123.876 | Qual / Group 2 |
| 19 | 8 | Sage Karam (R) | Chevrolet | 1:06.0688 | 123.035 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 20 | 5 | Ryan Briscoe | Honda | 1:05.7053 | 123.716 | Qual / Group 2 |
| 21 | 98 | Gabby Chaves (R) | Honda | 1:06.2195 | 122.755 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 22 | 18 | Rodolfo Gonzalez (R) | Honda | 1:05.9698 | 123.220 | Qual / Group 2 |
| 23 | 26 | Carlos Munoz | Honda | 1:06.9891 | 121.345 | Qual / Group 1 |
| 24 | 19 | Tristan Vautier | Honda | 1:06.0814 | 123.012 | Qual / Group 2 |
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