GP Long Beach – Race: Dixon Breaks the Curse

New Zealander Scott Dixon had bad luck during the first two races of the 2015 IndyCar season. In Long Beach, the tide finally turned in his favor.

Helio Castroneves took off in a flash from his pole position at the start of the Grand Prix. The Brazilian quickly gained some distance on Scott Dixon, who overtook Juan Pablo Montoya. A yellow flag halted the drivers’ momentum on the 5th lap due to debris from Gabby Chaves’ car. While entering the pits during the race interruption, Luca Filippi encountered a problem with his car. He had to stop his CFH Racing car, causing a slowdown at the pit lane entrance. Surprised, Will Power stalled: he braked without having time to engage his clutch.

Some drivers still have issues with spare parts and must remain cautious. Sébastien Bourdais is in this situation following the NOLA accident and his teammate’s problems at KV Racing. However, this doesn’t prevent the Frenchman from making a great overtake on Graham Rahal on the 20th lap to take the 8th place. His compatriot Simon Pagenaud quickly imitates him for the 3rd place at the expense of Montoya.

The round of pit stops begins under the green flag on the 27th lap. Unfortunately, leader Helio Castroneves loses the lead to Scott Dixon. The Penske driver had to wait for another car to arrive before leaving his pit box. The gaps between the leading drivers are relatively tight, but the race remains calm.

The second round of pit stops begins on lap 54 for the leaders. Dixon stops first and manages to keep the lead ahead of Castroneves. Pagenaud, on cold tires, loses 3rd place to Montoya. A little further back, Kanaan and Bourdais continue their battle, benefiting the Brazilian.

The positions of these top 6 in the standings will not change until the finish. However, the battle was intense to clinch the 3rd spot on the podium: Montoya, Pagenaud, Kanaan, and Bourdais were within 0.6 second at the finish line.

Dracone criticized again

Francesco Dracone made headlines again in Long Beach. The IndyCar rookie had already faced criticism during the previous race: He injured one of his mechanics during a pit stop and blocked Castroneves while the latter was lapping him.

This time, it was Sébastien Bourdais, battling with Kanaan, who lost more than 3 seconds because of the Italian. At the end of the race, the Frenchman expressed his exasperation at Dracone’s slowness and attitude.

Saavedra: a fruitful one-shot

Sebastian Saavedra made his return to IndyCar for a single race, driving the Ganassi No. 8, which was driven by rookie Sage Karam during the first two races of the year. Saavedra was Sébastien Bourdais’ teammate for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, the Colombian’s results were very inconsistent.

Experience pays off.

At the finish, the first 7 cars are equipped with Chevrolet. In the driver championship, the top 3 are the oldest (39 and 40 years old). Juan Pablo Montoya maintains the lead in the overall standings with only a 3-point advantage over Helio Castroneves. Tony Kanaan is 3rd, and Scott Dixon moves from 15th to 4th place. The Frenchmen Pagenaud and Bourdais are 7th and 8th.

Unofficial results: