Drivers happy with Sao Paulo track despite woes

[Blue_Tires]

SAO PAULO — Drivers praised the newly built street track for the IndyCar season-opener in Sao Paulo despite problems the entire weekend.
The inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 was marked by a bumpy surface, a slick straight that caused the postponement of qualifying and a rain-shortened finish on Sunday.

But it also provided an exciting race, with a lot of overtaking and a thrilling finish.

Australia's Will Power won the race after passing American Ryan Hunter-Reay with three laps to go.

"That's what we need on these street circuits and road courses," Hunter-Reay said. "A lot of passing like that. We have two straightaways that were pretty long and provided pretty good passing zones. The only shame about the whole race is that it went red for some puddles because there were a lot of big dips out there and our cars hydroplane pretty easily."

The race had to be stopped near its halfway point after the puddles in some key sections made the track unsafe.

The surface also had some severe bumps in some areas, making the circuit physically demanding on drivers.

Power had to be treated for severe blisters after the race.

"Man, it was hurting," he said.

But the biggest problem was the slick surface on the main Sambadrome straight, which prompted drivers to complain on Saturday because they were not able to fully accelerate without losing control.

Cars were sliding all over the straight and several drivers crashed in practice on Saturday.

"The improvements that they did to the track last night, were like night and day," Power said. "Not a problem at all going down the front straight. I think it is just a really good day for racing. If you were fast you could pass, because there is such a good track layout here. I'm pretty sure it was an exciting race for the fans."

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RACING AT HOME: Vitor Meira's podium finish saved the day for the Brazilian fans who nearly packed the Sambadrome grandstands for the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the streets of South America's biggest city.

"The fans deserved a good finish like this," said Meira, who finished third. "I'm incredible happy with what we were able to achieve here."

Raphael Matos was fourth and the second-best among the seven Brazilian drivers who started the race, but crowd-favorites Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan struggled despite the fan support.

Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, was involved in an accident at the start and failed to get past a ninth-place finish.

Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar champion, was hit from behind after a crash involving Alex Tagliani and Dan Wheldon just before the race was red-flagged because of heavy rains near the midway point.

Rookie Mario Romancini crashed in the rain, and Mario Moraes failed to get past the first turn after a collision with Marco Andretti.

Rookie Ana Beatriz was able to finish 13th, on the lead lap.

"I'm very happy for having finish the race," she said. "It was a wonderful weekend. I was able to feel the greatness of this race, with the grandstands full and the fans cheering our names."

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INCREASED PARTNERSHIP: The IndyCar Series ethanol fuel provider and biggest sponsor last season, Apex-Brasil, had its partnership with the series extended through the 2012 season.

Apex-Brasil is the Brazilian government's export development agency and the official trade and energy partner of the IndyCar Series, representing more than 70 different Brazilian business sectors, ranging from fashion to food to furniture.

In the first two years of the partnership, Apex-Brasil estimates that the program fostered more than $370 million worth of new business in various sectors.

"This decision rewards the work we have been doing for the last year with great results," Apex-Brasil president Alessandro Teixeira said.

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A RARE TOAST: Following on the tradition of the Indy 500, Will Power savored some milk at the podium after winning the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Australian splashed some of the milk on third-place finisher Vitor Meira before taking a sip.

The milk was provided by one of the race's sponsors.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2010-03-14-14430470_x.htm