The results of qualifying at the final round of this year's Indy Car Championship final round at Sonoma with pictures I took on the day from the public areas at turn 2.
1st 22 Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske Dallara IR12-Chevrolet, Pole Position and winner at Sonoma, thus clinching the Indycar Championship.
 |
| Frenchman, Simon Pagenaud was dominant all weekend and deserved to win this year's championship. |
I was lucky enough to be in California around the time of the final round of this year's Verizon Indycar Series Championship final round at Sonoma, so decided to pop along on Saturday to see the qualifying. Sonoma is a 2.4 mile 12 turn road course and all my pictures of the Indycars were taken at turn 2 as it is my favourite spot. I was particularly keen to go this year as a Frenchman was poised to win the crown. Simon Pagenaut didn't disappoint and dominated qualifying, being ahead at each of the three stages.
2nd 3 Helio Castroneves, Team Penske Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. Won at Sonoma in 2008.
 |
| Three time Indy 500 victor Helio Castroneves was on the front row at Sonoma. He looked like he might get pole until Simon put in a stunning lap under pressure right at the end. |
All of the Indycars have the same Dallara chassis and Firestone tires. There are two engines running in the series, Chevrolet and Honda, and each has slightly different aerodynamic packages. The red walled tyres are the faster of the qualifying tyres. Everyone starts off in the first qualifying session and then it is whittled down to the top twelve fastest and then the top six fastest go for pole.
3rd 2 Juan Pablo Montoya, Team Penske Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. One of my favourite GP drivers ever when he was racing with Williams.
 |
| Two times Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya. |
4th 12 Will Power, Team Penske Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. The Australian was 2014 Champion and winner at Sonoma in 2010, 2011 and 2013. This weekend he had a chance at winning the Championship again but Simon Pagenaud was quicker and Will eventually suffered an unlucky retirement.
 |
| Will Power came into the weekend hoping to win the championship but could only get fourth position on the grid, the slowest of the Penske cars. |
5th 15 Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara IR12-Honda. Winner on a road course at Mid-Ohio in 2015 near where he was brought up.
 |
| Graham Rahal was the fastest of the non-Penske cars and was also the fastest Honda car. He actually set the second fastest time overall but didn't go fast enough when it counted in the Top Six run-off. |
6th 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport Dallara IR12-Honda. 2012 Champion.
 |
| Top Andretti runner and the only one in the Top 6 run-off was Ryan Hunter-Reay. |
7th 9 Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara IR12-Chevrolet, last year's Champion.
 |
| Scott Dixon just missed out on the final round of qualifying. |
8th 98 Alexander Rossi, Andretti Herta Autosport Dallara IR12-Honda. This year's winner of the Indy 500 and rookie of the year in the series.
 |
| Alaxander Rossi did well at Sonoma and won the Indycar Rookie of the year trophy. |
9th 11 Sebastien Bourdais, KVSH Racing Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. Another Frenchman and 4 times Champ car champion.
 |
| Sebastien Bourdais. |
10th 21 Josef Newgarden, Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara IR12-Chevrolet, this years top points scorer on the Ovals.
 |
| Joseph Newgarden. |
11th 7 Mikhail Aleshin, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara IR12-Honda. The Russian is a previous Renault 3.5 champion.
 |
| Mikhail Aleshin. |
12th 83 Charlie Kimball, Chip Ganassi Racing Team Dallar IR12-Chevrolet. An American born in Chertsey in England, he won at Mid Ohio in 2013.
 |
| Charlie Kimball |
13th 10 TonyKanaan, Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. A Champion back in 2004.
14th 27 Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport Dallara IR12-Honda. A member of the famous Andretti clan (son of Michael) he won at Sonoma in 2006.
15th 14 Takuma Sato, A.J.Foyt Enterprises Dallara IR12-Honda. In 2013 he became the first Japanese driver to win an Indycar race.
 |
| Takuma Sato |
16th 26 Carlos Munoz, Andretti Autosport Dallara IR12-Honda. The Columbian is a previous rookie of the year and winner in Indycar racing.
17th 41 Jack Hawksworth, A.J.Foyt Enterprises Dallara IR12-Honda. This young Brit has had one podium so far in Indycar racing.
 |
| Jack Hawksworth |
18th 8 Max Chilton, Chip Ganassi Racing Team Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. A rookie from England.
 |
| Ex-Manor F1 driver Max Chilton is his first Indy Car season. |
19th 20 Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara IR12-Chevrolet. A rookie from the USA.
20th 5 James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara IR12-Honda. The Canadian was a winner for this team at their first race and also won pole at Indy this year.
 |
| James Hinchcliffe |
21st 18 Conor Daly, Dale Coyne Racing Dallara IR12-Honda. A rookie from the USA.
 |
| Conor Daly |
22nd 19 RC Enerson, Dale Coyne Racing Dallara IR12-Honda. A rookie from the USA.
 |
| RC Enerson |
A few more pictures to give some atmosphere and tell the story of practice.
 |
| Max Chilton leads Simon Pagenaud through Turn 2 in practice. |
 |
| Will Power's Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet. |
 |
| Will Power |
 |
| Ryan Hunter-Reay has a small off in practice. |
 |
| Joseph Newgarden nudges the tyre barriers at turn 2 and ends his practice session. |
 |
| Simon Pagenaud tests the circuits limits in practice in his Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet. |
 |
| Graham Rahal chases Alexander Rossi out of Turn 2 |
 |
| Three cars venture out on the circuit at the start of Qualifying. |
 |
| The same 3 cars a few moments earlier - Bourdais, Kanaan and Pagenaud. |
Great links
For Formula Car Challenge at Sonoma, click here.
 |
| Trucks in the paddock |
 |
| One of the 2 seater Indy Racing Experience cars spins as another goes by. |
 |
| Another view of the 2 seater Indy Racing Experience cars. |
John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost. However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.
John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.
