IRL Japan Indy 300

Twin Ring Motegi

Race Report

Japan Indy 300
Twin Ring Motegi
Motegi, Japan

A.J. Foyt IV and Team Conseco salvaged a 15th place finish in the Japan Indy 300 Saturday afternoon through perseverance and a ‘never give up' attitude.

Dan Wheldon won the race giving Honda its first Indy car victory in seven years at the track which they designed and built. Second through fifth were Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Darren Manning and Scott Dixon.

Eager on the start of the 300-mile event, Foyt IV saw his race nearly come to an end when his car broke loose coming off turn four and jumped sideways. The youngster's amazing car control enabled him to save it from spinning and although he lost a few spots, he was able to continue.

"I thought to myself, ‘Oh No' but then the car straightened out," Foyt IV said afterwards. "It was close but when I got it under control, the car really was good. I thought we were going to have a good race."

Indeed, Foyt IV picked off a couple of cars in the initial going and was closing in on the pack ahead which included Tora Takagi, Helio Castroneves and Tomas Scheckter. Then on lap 23 he radioed in that the engine quit and he coasted into the pits.

Low fuel pressure due to a fuel pick-up problem was determined as the cause and owner A.J. Foyt ordered Team Conseco to ‘fill ‘er up' and send the No. 14 on its way, ten laps down to the leader. The problem surfaced again just 17 laps later and the team realized it was going to be a busy day in the pits for them.

"The car would not pick up the fuel once it passed a certain point which was about 15 to 17 green flag laps or the equivalent of using 10 gallons of fuel," Foyt said. "We just had to pit him more frequently to keep in the race. Our strategy went from winning to finishing the best we could."

The fuel pick-up problem contributed to a second problem, namely the gearbox which needed to be changed midway through the race.

"The gearbox started acting up when the engine quit several times and it became obvious we needed to switch it out which we did," Foyt said. "We started the change during a caution period but the race went back to green before we were able to complete it. We lost about 20 laps, but without the change I doubt we could have finished the race."

As it was, Foyt IV finished the race in 15th position, 31 laps down.

"It was a long day for Team Conseco," he said. "I could never get in a rhythm because we had to pit so often and I had to keep out of the way of cars racing for the win. When you're out of contention, the last thing you want to do is cause problems for someone else. But we were able to get a 15th place finish and if we had just given up when the problem started, we would have finished last. I'm glad that we were able to hang in there."

The team's initial post-race diagnosis of the problem centered on new fuel lines dictated by Toyota Racing Development which prepares the engines for the No. 14 Dallara. The team will be making changes in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 which is the next race on the IRL IndyCar Series schedule.

Earlier in the week, A.J. Foyt IV did several appearances on behalf of the Indy Racing League. On Tuesday he met with the governor of the Ibaraki prefecture which is where Twin Ring Motegi is located. Later that same day he met with the mayor of Utsunomiya, one of the cities near the track and where Team Conseco stayed during their trip. Foyt received a "friendship certificate" from the Mayor. Foyt did several interviews over the course of the weekend and proved popular with the Japanese fans who showered him with unique gifts including a special kimono, Japanese hand fans, dolls, and a bowling pin!

Team Conseco will be in Indianapolis April 27 – 28 to take part in the IRL Open Test scheduled at the Speedway. All cars must switch from the 3.5-liter to the smaller 3-liter engine, the League's latest attempt to reduce speed and increase safety. The switch has reduced the available horsepower by about 100 hp. It is estimated speeds will drop 10 – 15 mph. The IRL has also instituted some changes in the aerodynamics of the cars to prevent them from getting airborne, tendency which contributed to several horrific accidents last year.

Opening day for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 is May 9th. Pole Day is set for May 15th. The race will be televised live by ABC on Sunday May 30th at 12 noon eastern time.
 

NOTES & QUOTES: IRL Japan Indy 300

A.J. Foyt IV on Japan: "I like Twin Ring Motegi because it is a superspeedway, so it's fast, but it also has its challenges like turns three and four where you have to get out of the gas and downshift. My main goal is to win the race and if we can't do that, then we'll finish as good as we can and get as many points as we can. "My first impression of Japan was a good one. I liked the country. The fans were real nice and very polite. They did something that no one's done before, at least in my career. They gave me some neat gifts when I gave them an autograph. That was pretty cool. They also had some really cool electronic stuff, it was more high-tech than what we have. The only problem I had was figuring out what kind of food to eat."

Foyt IV was among the 12 drivers who tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway April 3rd. "Our Indy test went pretty good. We flew in that morning from Houston so we didn't start running till the middle of the day and the wind started picking up then. We had some gearbox problems that we had to get sorted out. We ran over 200 miles and the speeds were consistent. Overall, we were satisfied. It was a good start."

A.J. IV will be arriving in Japan a day early to meet Japanese dignitaries including the Governor of Ibaraki prefecture and the Mayor of Utsonomiya which is the city where Team Conseco is staying. omesteH

In last year's Japan Indy 300, Foyt IV was running his best race yet when a rookie mistake put him out of the race. He was rejoining the race after completing a green flag pit stop when the combination of cold tires and full fuel tanks cost him dearly. Foyt IV explained, "I went out on cold tires and full tanks and it just pushed real bad in turn 3 and I got in the marbles. I almost had it saved but then it hooked right at the end and I spun and hit the wall coming off four." Foyt IV sustained an abrasion to his knee and a cut thumb but was otherwise uninjured.

The Japan Indy 300 will be shown live at 11:30 PM Friday night, April 16th on ESPN 2.