August 26, 2003
TOYOTA WINS IRL MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP IN FIRST SEASON
On the strength of 10 victories in the season’s first 13 races, Toyota officially clinched its first Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Championship when Helio Castroneves took the checkered flag this past weekend at the Firestone Indy 225 in Nazareth, Pa.
The manufacturer’s title is the second in two seasons for Toyota in major open-wheel racing, having won last year’s CART title over Honda and Ford.
“We’re thrilled to clinch Toyota’s first IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship,” said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports. “We established five goals for our first season in the IndyCar Series, and we’ve now accomplished four of the five: winning the Indianapolis 500, winning the Manufacturer’s Championship, winning our first race, and winning at Motegi. Everyone will enjoy this for a few days and then get back to work toward helping a Toyota-powered driver win the 2003 Driver’s Championship.”
Victories have become a staple of the Toyota program with 20 open-wheel wins in 32 races over the past two seasons. This year’s Toyota dominance extends even further as the manufacturer leads the IndyCar Series in virtually every statistical category. To date this season, Toyota has more than doubled the combined totals for its fellow manufacturers in wins, top-three finishes, poles and laps led.
With three races remaining in the 2003 season, Toyota-powered drivers occupy three of the top four places in the standings with Marlboro Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Gil deFerran currently first and second and Scott Dixon in fourth. Success extends throughout the program with six different Toyota drivers winning races this season, and nine different drivers having earned at least one top-three finish.
“One of the keys to our success this year has been the depth of our program,” Aust said. “We don’t have one or two good teams running our engines, we have five. We believe that’s largely due to the fact that any team that runs Toyota engines knows they’re receiving the same service and quality as everyone else with Toyota power.”
The IRL IndyCar Series continues with the Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. EDT on ABC.
IRL IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Statistics for 2003
Category Toyota Honda Chevrolet
Points 121 89 76
Wins 10 2 1
Top-three Finishes 27 9 3
Poles 10 2 1
Laps Led 1,955 390 311
August 24, 2003
CASTRONEVES,TOYOTA WIN NAZARETH; TOYOTA CLINCHES IRL MANUFACTURER’S TITLE
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) led the final 173 laps to win today’s Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway and clinch the IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Championship for Toyota with three races remaining.
- The Toyota victory is its 10th in 13 races this season and clinches the IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturers Championship for Toyota. The manufacturer now holds an insurmountable 34-point lead over second-place Honda with three races remaining. Toyota also won last year’s CART Manufacturer’s Championship. In winning the two manufacturer’s titles, Toyota has now won 20 open-wheel races over the past two seasons.
- The victory is the second in the last three races for Helio Castroneves and the fifth of his IndyCar Series career. Today’s finish is his eighth top-three of the season and his third in the last four races.
- By leading all 225 laps today, Toyota-powered cars have now led 1,955 laps this season – more than five times as many as any other manufacturer. Honda is second with 390.
- With the win today and the two points for leading the most laps, Helio Castroneves moves into the lead in the points race with 429 points – 25 points ahead of second-place Gil de Ferran; 32 points ahead of third-place Tony Kanaan; and 42 points ahead of fourth-place Scott Dixon. In the last three races, Castroneves has moved from fourth to third after winning St. Louis, third to second after Kentucky and now into the series lead with three races remaining.
- With a fourth today, Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) earned his sixth top-four in the last eight races.
- Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) earned his second consecutive top-five finish with a fifth today. He remains in sixth-place overall in the points standings.
-Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) led the first 52 laps today before developing drive train problems after his first pit stop. Dixon, the series leader in wins, has now been sidelined in four races this season while leading (Phoenix, Motegi, St. Louis and Nazareth). Dixon has led a series-high 677 laps this season.
Quotes:
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’re thrilled to clinch Toyota’s first IndyCarSeries Manufacturer’s Championship. We established five goals for our first season in the IndyCar Series and we’ve now accomplished two of our three biggest goals for this season - winning the Indianapolis 500 and winning the Engine Manufacturer’s Championship. Helio ran a terrific race today and we’re one step closer to goal number three – having a Toyota-powered driver become the 2003 IndyCar Series champion.”
Helio Castroneves, #3 Marlboro Toyota: “I can’t say enough about the Toyota engine. When we needed fuel mileage, we got it; and when I needed more power, it was there.”
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Helio Castroneves 2/1
Gil de Ferran 6/4
Al Unser Jr. 13/6
A.J. Foyt IV 18/11
Scott Sharp 17/12
Tora Takagi 19/14
Alex Barron 9/15
Scott Dixon 1/16
Tomas Scheckter 4/19
IndyCar Series Manufacturer’sPoints
1. Toyota 121
2. Honda 89
3. Chevrolet 76
IndyCar Series Driver’s Point Standings
1. Helio Castroneves (Toyota) 429
2. Gil de Ferran (Toyota) 404
3. Tony Kanaan (Honda) 397
4. Scott Dixon (Toyota) 387
Next Race: Delphi Indy 300, Chicagoland Speedway, Sept. 7, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC
August 23, 2003
DIXON,TOYOTA TAKE NAZARETH POLE
- Scott Dixon (TargetToyota) won Toyota’s 10th pole of the season to lead an all-Toyota front row in winning his fifth pole position of the season in qualifying for Sunday’s Firestone Indy 225.
- Toyota-powered cars have now sat on the pole for 10 of the last 12 IRL events.
- Toyota can officially clinch the IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Championship with a victory in tomorrow’s Firestone Indy 225.
- Scott Dixon’s pole is his fifth of the season and leaves him just one shy of the all-time IndyCarSeries record of six set by Billy Boat in 1998. Dixon has a series-high eight front row starting positions this season. Overall, Dixon has now qualified in the top-six in each of the last 12 events.
- Today’s pole-winning effort by Scott Dixon marks a series-high seventh pole this season for long-time Toyota team Target Chip Ganassi Racing. The Target team holds the distinction of winning Toyota’s first-ever race in both CART and IRL competition.
- Helio Castroneves’ (Marlboro Toyota) second is his fifth consecutive top-three start and marks his ninth top-four starting position of the season. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has now qualified second, third, first, third and second in his last five races. He also won the pole for this year’s Indianapolis 500.
- Between Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Marlboro Team Penske, the two Toyota teams earned four of the top six spots in qualifying today. Tomas Scheckter will start from the outside of row two in the fourth position, giving Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars in each of the first two rows, while Gil de Ferran placed sixth today in his Marlboro Toyota giving MarlboroTeam Penske two cars in the first six.
- With Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota) capturing the ninth starting position, Toyota-powered drivers took three of the top-four and five of the top-nine spots in qualifying today.
Toyota Nazareth Qualifying:
1. Scott Dixon
2. Helio Castroneves
4. Tomas Scheckter
6. Gil de Ferran
9. Alex Barron
13. Al Unser Jr.
16. Scott Sharp
18. A. J. Foyt IV
20.Tora Takagi
Firestone Indy 225, Nazareth Speedway, Aug. 24, ESPN, 3:00 p.m. EDT
August 22, 2003
TOYOTAS DOMINATE OPENING DAY PRACTICE AT NAZARETH; TOYOTA TAKES TOP FOUR
Looking to clinch the Manufacturer’s Championship this weekend, Toyota drivers dominated the first day of practice for Sunday's Firestone Indy 225 by registering the top four fastest drivers in each of today’s two practice sessions.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon each topped one of the individual sessions with Scheckter registering the fastest lap overall at 169.888 mph in the morning session. Dixon was first in the afternoon at 168.632 mph.
Marlboro Team Penske’s duo of Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves placed third and fourth overall. Castroneves was second in the afternoon and fourth in the morning, while de Ferran was third in the morning and fourth in the weekend.
Toyota engines also powered Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota) to third in the afternoon session and sixth overall giving Toyota five of the top-six cars for the day.
- Toyota can clinch its first IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer Championship with a victory on Sunday. The manufacturer also won last year’s CART Manufacturer’s Championship.
- Toyota will be looking for its 10th victory in 13 races this season in Sunday’s Firestone Indy 225. Scott Dixon has been the dominant driver on short ovals this season – winning at Richmond and Pikes Peak, while also leading at Phoenix and St. Louis before suffering gearbox problems at each.
Toyota Drivers
1. Tomas Scheckter
2. Scott Dixon
3. Gil de Ferran
4. Helio Castroneves
6. Alex Barron
13. Tora Takagi
16. Scott Sharp
17. Al Unser, Jr.
19. A.J. Foyt IV
Firestone Indy 225 qualifying, Aug. 23, 11:30 a.m. EDT
August 19, 2003
FAST FACTS - FIRESTONE INDY 225
Sunday, Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. EDT on ESPN
Nazareth Speedway
224 laps on the 1-mile oval for 225 miles
NAZARETH THE SITE OF OPEN-WHEEL MILESTONES – The Nazareth Speedway holds not only fond, but historic memories for a trio of Toyota drivers. Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) earned Team Penske’s 100th open-wheel victory at the one-mile Pennsylvania oval in 2000.
A year later, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) carved out his own place in history in becoming the youngest driver ever to win a major open-wheel race by winning at Nazareth in a Toyota Champ Car. Dixon’s victory came at the age of 20 years, 9 months.
Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) also holds down a place in the record books as he won the first-ever IndyCar Series race at Nazareth when he edged Felipe Giaffone and Gil de Ferran in April 2002.
Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota) also registered a victory at Nazareth on his way to the 1997 Toyota Atlantic Championship. Barron's Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing team finished as the runner-up here last year with Felipe Giaffone behind the wheel.
TOYOTA CAN CLINCH FIRST IRL MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP THIS WEEKEND – With nine victories in the season’s first 12 races, Toyota can officially clinch the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Engine Manufacturer’s Championship with a victory at Nazareth this weekend.
The manufacturer currently holds a 27-point lead over second-place Honda with four races remaining. A victory would give Toyota at least a 30-point advantage heading into the season’s final three races. Toyota only needs to start the race at Nazareth to officially eliminate third-place Chevrolet from contention. At this point, Toyota has scored 111 points to 84 for Honda and 74 for Chevrolet on the IRL’s 10-7-5 pointscoring system. Toyota handily won last year’s CART Manufacturer’s Championship as well.
TOYOTA DRIVERS IN THE THICK OF HOT CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE – Heading into the season’s final four races, three Toyota drivers are within 13 points of the top spot in the IndyCar Series title chase.
On the strength of a fifth-place finish at Kentucky, Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) is now the top Toyota driver in points with 378 – just eight behind series leader Tony Kanaan. Scott Dixon jumped up to third in the race with his fifth top-two finish of the season and sits only 12 points back, while Gil de Ferran slipped slightly to fourth, 13 points out of the lead.
Seemingly, the only sure thing about the standings is that they change as often as the weather and are almost certain to look different after this weekend’s action at the Firestone Indy 225. Dixon may be the best example of the roller coaster ride the drivers have been on this year. In the last three races, the 23-year-old led the championship after Michigan, fell to fourth following St. Louis and moved into third after Kentucky. Castroneves appears to be the driver on the rise currently, moving up one spot after each of the last two races from fourth to third with his St. Louis victory and then to second with his strong showing at the Kentucky Speedway.
TOYOTA SEEKS 10th WIN OF THE SEASON AT NAZARETH - With six different drivers scoring victories to date this season, Toyota will be looking to register it’s 10th win of the 2003 campaign at the Nazareth Speedway this weekend.
Individually, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) has a series-high three wins (Homestead-Miami, Pikes Peak and Richmond); Gil deFerran (Marlboro Toyota) has two victories (Indianapolis 500 and Nashville); and Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota at Japan), Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota at Texas), Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota at Michigan) and Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota at Gateway) each have one triumph in 2003. In addition, nine different Toyota drivers have placed in the top three in at least one race with Toyota-powered drivers earning 26 of 36 top-three finishing positions available this season.
TOYOTA INDY 400/TRD TOUR – In conjunction with the Toyota Indy 400 and the California Speedway, Toyota is inviting accredited media members to attend the Toyota Indy 400 Media Luncheon and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) Tour beginning at 11:30 a.m. on September 18 in Costa Mesa, Calif. The facility produces the Indianapolis 500-winning Toyota Indy V8 in addition to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota engine that will begin competition next season. All of Toyota’s IRL drivers will be on hand for the luncheon. Please note that no still cameras will be allowed in, but an in-house photographer will be on hand to take photography requests. Contact Greg Thome at 310/468-5017 or greg_thome@toyota.com for more information.
Toyota IndyCar Series Driver Line-Up and Position Entering Nazareth
Car Driver Season Points Standing (Victories)
Helio Castronves 2nd (1 – Gateway)
Scott Dixon 3rd (3 – Miami, Pikes Peak, Richmond)
Gil de Ferran 4th (2 – Indianapolis 500, Nashville)
Al Unser, Jr. 6th (1 – Texas)
Tomas Scheckter 8th
Scott Sharp 9th (1 – Motegi)
Tora Takagi 10th
Alex Barron 20th (1 – Michigan)
A.J.Foyt IV 20th
August 17, 2003
DIXON LEADS TOYOTA AT KENTUCKY
- Scott Dixon’s (Target Toyota) second-place finish led three Toyotas in the top-five at the Kentucky Speedway today. Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) was fourth with Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) in fifth.
- With Scott Dixon’s second-place finish, Toyota extends its IRL Engine Manufacturer’s Championship lead to 27 points over second-place Honda and 37 over third-place Chevrolet (111-84-74). A Toyota victory next weekend at Nazareth would officially clinch the Manufacturer’s Championship. Toyota only needs to start the race to officially eliminate Chevrolet from the championship hunt.
- Scott Dixon’s second-place finish is his fifth top-two showing of the season and it moves him into third-place in the driver’s championship just 12 points out of the lead.
- Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) earned his top finish since winning at Texas with a fourth-place today. It’s Unser Jr.’s eighth top-10 finish of the season.
- With his fifth-place finish today, Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) moves into second-place in the driver’s championship – just eight points out of the lead. Castroneves now is tied for the series lead in top-five finishes with eight.
- Gil de Ferran (MarlboroToyota) placed ninth and Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) was 10th to give Toyota five cars in the top 10 today.
- With his ninth, Gil de Ferran falls to fourth in points, but remains just 13 points out of the series lead.
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Scott Dixon 2/2
Al Unser Jr. 8/4
Helio Castroneves 3/5
Gil de Ferran 4/9
Tomas Scheckter 7/10
Scott Sharp 18/13
A.J. Foyt IV 19/17
Tora Takagi 12/18
Alex Barron 17/20
Next Race: Firestone Indy 225, Nazareth Speedway, Aug. 24, 3 p.m. EDT, ESPN
August 16, 2003
DIXON LEADS THREE TOYOTAS IN TOP FOUR IN KENTUCKY QUALIFYING
- Scott Dixon (TargetToyota) qualified on the outside of the front row to lead three Toyotas in the top four in qualifying for Sunday’s Belterra Casino Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. Last weekend’s winner Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) and teammate Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) placed third and fourth, respectively.
- Scott Dixon’s second in qualifying marks his seventh front-row starting spot in 12 races this season.
- Scott Dixon has now qualified in the top six in 11 consecutive races. During that span, he has has four poles, three seconds, a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth in his last 11 IndyCar starts.
- Helio Castroneves’ third-place in qualifying today marks the fourth consecutive race that the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has qualified in the top three. For the season, Castroneves has eight top-four starts.
- Gil de Ferran matched his top starting position of the season today with a fourth. It marks the fifth time in 12 races that he will start fourth this season.
- Two Toyota teams placed two cars each in the top-10. Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter were second and seventh, while Marlboro Team Penske’s duo of Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran occupy the second row in third and fourth, respectively.
- Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota) made it five Toyotas in the top eight with an eighth-place showing today.
Toyota Kentucky Qualifying:
2. Scott Dixon
3. Helio Castroneves
4. Gil de Ferran
7. Tomas Scheckter
8. Al Unser Jr.
17.Alex Barron
18. Scott Sharp
19. A.J. Foyt IV
Belterra Casino Indy 300, Kentucky Speedway, Aug. 17, ABC, 2:00 p.m. EDT
August 14, 2003
FAST FACTS - BELTERRA CASINO INDY 300
Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. EDT on ABC
Kentucky Speedway
200 laps on the 1.5-mile oval for 300 miles
TOYOTA PRIMED FOR FIRST IRL MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP – With nine victories in the season’s first 11 races, Toyota has all but clinched the first Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship with five races remaining in the 2003 season. Toyota currently sports a 25-point advantage over second-place Honda (104-79) and needs only to start the remaining five races to claim the title. The IndyCar Series awards Manufacturer’s Championship points on a 10-7-5 basis for each race.
A SEASON OF FIRSTS – It has been a season of firsts for Toyota in its inaugural IndyCar Series campaign. Heading into Kentucky, Toyota leads the series in the following:
Wins: 9 of 11 (including the last three)
Manufacturer’s Points: 104 (vs. 79 for Honda and 59 for Chevrolet)
Top-ThreeFinishes: 25 of 33 possible
Poles: 8 of 11 (including the last five)
Laps Led: 1,715 of 2131 (80.5%)
Wins by a Driver: 3 (Scott Dixon)
Poles by a Driver: 4 (Scott Dixon)
Laps Led by a Driver: 625 (Scott Dixon)
TOYOTA BALANCE PAYS OFF AS MANUFACTURER LOOKS FOR 10th 2003 WIN – With six different drivers registering victories, Toyota’s balance has paid big dividends as the manufacturer eyes its 10th win of the 2003 campaign at the Kentucky Speedway this weekend.
Individually, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) has a series-high three wins (Homestead-Miami, Pikes Peak and Richmond); Gil deFerran (Marlboro Toyota) has two victories (Indianapolis 500 and Nashville); and Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota at Japan), Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota at Texas), Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota at Michigan) and Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota at Gateway) each have one triumph in 2003. In addition, nine different Toyota drivers have placed in the top three in at least one race.
MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME – While this weekend’s race will be Toyota’s first at the Kentucky Speedway in the IndyCar Series, the manufacturer did conduct its first official full IndyCar Series test at the1.5-mile oval with Helio Castroneves behind the wheel last August. The Kentucky Speedway also was the site of victories by a pair of current Toyota-powered teams last season. Mo Nunn Racing earned its first-ever IndyCar Series victory with Felipe Giaffone in Kentucky, while A.J.Foyt IV (Conseco Toyota) won the inaugural Pro Series race at the Sparta track on his way to the series championship. In addition, Toyota earned its first NASCAR victory in the Goody’s Dash Series at Kentucky in 2001. The win was the first by an overhead-cam, multi-valve engine in NASCAR history.
The state of Kentucky also plays home to Toyota’s North American manufacturing headquarters (TMMNA) in Erlanger, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky’s (TMMK) Georgetown plant, which accounts for approximately 40 percent of the 1.2 million North American annual vehicle production. The Georgetown-based facility produces the Toyota Camry (the nation’s number one selling car), the Solara and Avalon. TMMK employs approximately 7,500 workers.
CONSISTENCY PAYING BIG DIVIDENDS FOR PENSKE TEAMMATES – Consistency has been the key to Marlboro Team Penske teammates Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves climb to second and third, respectively, in the IndyCar Series point standings.
De Ferran has been the model of consistency this season. The 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion has registered six top-three finishes in eight races since returning from an injury suffered at Phoenix, which forced him to miss the Motegi race. For the season, de Ferran has seven top-three and nine top-10 finishes in 10 races. Overall, the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske entry also leads the IndyCar Series entrant-points standings when adding de Ferran’s points to those earned in the car at Motegi by Alex Barron.
Castroneves has matched de Ferran’s total of seven top-three finishes and has eight top-10 finishes in 11 races this season. With his victory this past weekend at Gateway, Castroneves has moved into third overall, just three points behind de Ferran for second.
TOYOTA DRIVERS BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP – Three Toyota drivers are currently within 24 points of the series lead. Gil de Ferran is second, just seven behind series leader Tony Kanaan, followed closely by third-place Helio Castroneves (just 10 points out of the top spot) and Scott Dixon (24 points out of the lead).
Toyota IndyCar Series DriverLine-Up and Position Entering Gateway
Car Driver Season Points Standing (Victories)
Gil de Ferran 2nd (2 – Indianapolis 500, Nashville)
Helio Castronves 3rd (1 – Gateway)
Scott Dixon 4th (3 – Miami, Pikes Peak, Richmond)
Al Unser, Jr. 6th (1 – Texas)
Tomas Scheckter 8th
Scott Sharp 9th (1 – Motegi)
Tora Takagi 10th
Alex Barron 20th (1 – Michigan)
A.J.Foyt IV 21st
August 10, 2003
CASTRONEVES, TOYOTA VICTORIOUS AT GATEWAY
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) took the lead on Lap 158 and went on to become the sixth different Toyota-powered driver to win this season at today’s Emerson 250 at Gateway International Raceway.
- The Toyota victory is its eighth in the last nine IndyCar Series events and its ninth in 11 IRL races this season. With the victory, Toyota extends its IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship lead to 25 points over second-place Honda, (104-79). The win all but clinches Toyota’s first IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship which the manufacturer can wrap up simply by starting each of the season's final five races.
- The victory is the first of the season for Helio Castroneves and the fourth of his IndyCar Series career. Today’s finish is his seventh top-three finish of the season and his third in the last four races.
- Today’s win by Helio Castroneves makes him the sixth different Toyota driver to win this season. He joins Scott Dixon, Gil de Ferran, Scott Sharp, Al Unser Jr. and Alex Barron as IndyCar Series winners this year with Toyota power.
- With the win today and the two points for leading the most laps, Helio Castroneves moves into third in the points race and to within 10 points of the series lead. Gil de Ferran moves into second, seven points behind series leader Tony Kanaan, while Scott Dixon fell from the first to fourth-place – 24 points out of the series lead.
- With Marlboro Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves placing first and Gil de Ferran finishing third today, it continues Toyota’s streak of having at least two cars finish in the top three of every race this season. For de Ferran, the result marks his seventh top-three finish in 10 races this season and his fourth in the last five races.
- With Tomas Scheckter’s (Target Toyota) fourth, Toyota-powered cars took three of the top-four positions today. It’s the second consecutive race that Scheckter has placed in the top four after a third at Michigan.
-Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) and Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota) placed seventh and 10th, respectively, to give Toyota six cars in the top 10 today.
-Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) appeared to have the most dominant car of the race, stretching out leads as much as nine seconds before suffering gearbox problems on Lap 158 after leading 78 consecutive laps. Dixon has led a series-high 625 laps this season. Dixon wasn’t the only Toyota driver sidelined by gearbox problems. Coming off a victory at Michigan, Alex Barron was running in fourth on Lap 135 before suffering a gearbox failure due to a hit he took from behind during a pit-stop early in the race.
Quotes:
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “Helio’s run up front all season and it was just a matter of time before he won. With our ninth win, we’re very close to clinching the Manufacturer’s Championship, which was one of our main goals at the beginning of the season. Now we need to focus on helping one of our Toyota-powered drivers win the IndyCar Series title.”
Toyota Drivers Start/Finish
Helio Castroneves 1/1
Gil de Ferran 4/3
Tomas Scheckter 5/4
Tora Takagi 10/7
Scott Sharp 20/10
Scott Dixon 5/15
Alex Barron 8/16
A.J. Foyt IV 16/17
Al Unser Jr. 17/20
Next Race: Belterra Indy 300, Kentucky Speedway, Aug. 17, 2 p.m. EDT, ABC
August 09, 2003
CASTRONEVES, TOYOTA TAKE GATEWAY POLE
- Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Toyota) won his second pole position of the season and the second straight for Marlboro Team Penske at Gateway International Raceway in qualifying for Sunday’s Emerson Indy 250.
- Toyota-powered cars have now sat on the pole for nine of the last 10 IRL events – with the only exception coming when qualifying was washed out at Pikes Peak in June with the starting grid decided by practice times.
- With the pole position today, Castroneves earned his second pole of the season and the third of his IndyCar Series career. It’s the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner’s fourth front-row starting position of the season. He also won the pole at this year’s Indianapolis 500 and was second at Pikes Peak and Nashville.
- Gil de Ferran matched his top starting position of the season today with a fourth. It marks the fourth time that he will start fourth this season.
- Scott Dixon’s fifth marks the ninth time he’s qualified in the top-five in the last 10 events. Dixon now has four poles, two seconds, a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth in his last 10 IndyCar starts.
- Alex Barron has now qualified in the top eight in each of his three starts since joining the Hollywood Toyota team for Mo Nunn Racing at Nashville. He qualified sixth at both Nashville and Michigan. In four starts this season, Barron has three top-six finishes with a sixth at Indy, a fifth at Nashville and a win in the most recent IndyCar Series event at Michigan two weeks ago. When including only the races he’s competed in this season, Barron would rank second overall in points.
- Three different Toyota teams placed two cars each in the top-10 in qualifying. Marlboro Team Penske’s duo placed first (Helio Castroneves) and fourth (Gil de Ferran). Target Chip Ganassi Racing placed fifth (Scott Dixon) and seventh (Tomas Scheckter), and Mo Nunn Racing placed eighth (Alex Barron) and 10th (Tora Takagi).
- Overall, Toyota-powered drivers took three of the top five, and six of the top-10 spots.
Toyota Gateway Qualifying:
1. Helio Castroneves
4. Gil de Ferran
5. Scott Dixon
7. Tomas Scheckter
8. Alex Barron
10. Tora Takagi
16. A. J. Foyt IV
17. Al Unser Jr.
20. Scott Sharp
Emerson Indy 250, Gateway International Raceway, Aug. 10, ABC, 3:00 p.m. EDT
August 06, 2003
SECOND TOYOTA-POWERED DAYTONA PROTOTYPE TO DEBUT AT WATKINS GLEN
After having the Cegwa Sport team carry the Toyota banner solo through the first eight races of the season, the Doran Lista Racing team will field the second Toyota-powered Daytona Prototype to enter the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series this weekend at Watkins Glen in the Bully Hill Vineyards 250.
The Doran Lista team will feature the new Doran JE4 chassis, which has been victorious at Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio and Daytona. Cegwa Sports will continue to campaign its silver and blue Fabcar chassis; a 4.35-liter Toyota V8 engine will power both teams.
“We’re extremely pleased to see a second Toyota running in the Daytona Prototype series at Watkins Glen,”said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports and the president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development (TRD), U.S.A. “The Doran Lista team has long been one of the finest teams in sports car racing, and the new Doran JE4 chassis already has three wins this season. With Didier Theys and Bill Auberlen behind the wheel, the team should be competitive quickly. Combined with a strong effort from the CegwaSport team, we’re looking forward to seeing a Toyota-powered Daytona Prototype in Victory Circle for the first time.”
The Toyota-powered Doran JE4 completed a successful first test last week at the Mid-Ohio Sports CarCourse with Theys and John Fergus shaking down the car and reporting no major problems while logging almost 250 miles.
For the Cegwa Sport team, this weekend is a return to the site of the team’s finest showing of the season. In June’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, the team staged a dramatic comeback to earn its first podium finish in the new Daytona Prototype class. After starting third and climbing up to second overall in the early going, a faulty fuel pump looked like it would mean an early end to the day for the OzExe/F1 Boston/Goodyear Toyota. After limping back to the pits to repair the problem, the team returned to the track eight laps down in 23rd place and then proceeded to slice through the field. Darius Grala, owner and lead driver, combined with fellow drivers R.J. Valentine and Guy Cosmo to run down most of the field – in just the second-ever race for the Cegwa Sport entry – to place fifth overall and third in class.
Grala, the 2002 Ferrari Challenge champion, won this race last year in the GTS class. Long-time Trans-Am competitor R.J. Valentine will join Grala in an all-Massachusetts driver line-up.
August 04, 2003
FAST FACTS - GATEWAY INDY 250
Sunday, Aug. 10, 3 p.m. EDT on ABC
Gateway International Speedway
200 laps on the 1.25-mile oval for 250 miles
TOYOTA CLOSES IN ON IRL MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP –Toyota can virtually clinch the first IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship with a victory this weekend at the Gateway Indy 250. Toyota currently sports a 22-point advantage over second-place Honda (94-72) and a 40-point lead over third-place Chevrolet with the IRL’s 10-7-5 point system. A victory this weekend would give Toyota at least a 25-point lead with five races remaining, requiring the manufacturer only to start the season’s final five races to clinch the title.
TOYOTA EYES NINTH IRL WIN IN 11 RACES – Toyota heads to St. Louis looking for its third consecutive victory, and the manufacturer’s ninth in 11 races this season. Four different Toyota teams, and five different drivers, have registered wins this season: Target Chip Ganassi Racing has three victories, Marlboro Team Penske and Kelley Racing have two wins each, and Mo Nunn Racing has one victory.
Individually, Scott Dixon (Target Toyota) has a series-high three wins (Homestead-Miami, Pikes Peak and Richmond), Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Toyota) has two victories (Indianapolis 500 and Nashville), and Scott Sharp (Delphi Toyota at Japan), Al Unser Jr. (Corteco Toyota at Texas) and Alex Barron (Hollywood Toyota at Michigan) each have one 2003 triumph.
BARRON MAKES MOST OF OPPORTUNITY – After what appeared to be a break-through season in 2002 with his first IndyCar Series win and placing fifth overall in the series, Alex Barron found himself without a ride this season after sponsor woes sidelined the Blair Racing team. This year, Barron has established himself as the series’ super-sub, having substituted for three different drivers this season. With a win in the last race at Michigan, as well as a fifth at Nashville and a sixth at Indianapolis, Barron has shown that he is certainly deserving of a full-time position with a top team. In fact, if you only include the races in which he has driven this season, Barron would be second in the points standings despite having worked with three different crews and having little pre-race testing.
The Southern California native has been on the verge of stardom since winning the Toyota Atlantic Championship title and series Rookie of the Year honors in 1997. His rookie championship came in just his second season racing cars after a number of karting championships. Barron moved into a CART ride in just his third season of racing cars and became the first Toyota driver to lead a lap in CART competition. Despite running for lower-tier CART teams, he was on the verge of a CART victory twice in 2000 in just six starts, only to see his car suffer mechanical breakdowns in the last 10 laps of each race.
GATEWAY’S BEEN GOOD TO TOYOTA DRIVERS & TEAMS – St. Louis has been a gateway to victory for a number of Toyota drivers and teams as the IndyCar Series heads to Gateway International Raceway this weekend. In fact, the winners of the last three Gateway races will be in the Toyota camp this weekend.
A year ago, Marlboro Team Penske teammates Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves swept the top two spots, with de Ferran winning from the pole. Two years ago, Al Unser Jr. was victorious on the 1.25-mile oval, moving through the field from eighth position. In 2000, it was the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team that registered the CART Champ Car win with Juan Montoya, who at one point lapped the entire field, winning from the pole in hisTarget Toyota. In addition, A.J. Foyt IV (Conseco Toyota) won Gateway's inaugural Infiniti Pro Series event last season.
TOYOTA DRIVERS BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP – Three Toyota drivers are currently separated by just 22 points at the top of the IndyCar Series Driver’s Championship race. Scott Dixon heads into Gateway with the series points lead by the slimmest of margins. The 23-year-oldTarget Chip Ganassi Racing driver is just two points in front of Tony Kanaan, three points ahead of Marlboro Team Penske’s Gil de Ferran, and only 22 points ahead of Penske’s Helio Castroneves after 10 of 16 races this season.
Seven Toyota drivers currently rank in the top 10. Kelley Racing teammates Al Unser Jr. and Scott Sharp are seventh and eighth, respectively, while Tomas Scheckter (Target Toyota) and Tora Takagi (Pioneer Toyota) round out the top 10 in ninth and 10th place.
“Quotes”
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: “We’re just going to keep focused on trying to win races and if we can do that, we’ll wrap up the first IndyCar Series Manufacturer’s Championship for Toyota and put our drivers in a great position for a title. This stretch of three races in the next three weeks will go a long way in deciding the championship.”
Toyota IndyCar Series DriverLine-Up and Position Entering Gateway
Car Driver Season Points Standing (Victories)
Scott Dixon 1st (3 – Miami, Pikes Peak, Richmond)
Gil de Ferran 2nd (2 – Indianapolis 500, Nashville)
Helio Castronves 4th
Al Unser Jr. 6th (1 – Texas)
Scott Sharp 8th (1 – Motegi)
Tomas Scheckter 9th
Tora Takagi 10th
Alex Barron 20th (1 – Michigan)
A.J.Foyt IV 21st