Indy Lights: Last-minute Howard grabs fourth in thriller
By Andy Darley
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Jay Howard made the most of a last-minute call-up for the Indy Lights Firestone Freedom 100 to take a careful fourth place in a race of wheel-to-wheel action and high attrition.
Close running in the Firestone Freedom 100
Only 12 of the 22 starters finished the race, with polesitter Wade Cunningham triumphing in a tight four-way battle with JR Hildebrand, Mario Romancini and Sebastian Saavedra that saw the lead change nine times.
“That was 100 percent every lap,” said Cunningham. “That last lap and a lap I was yelling at my car to keep going like a jockey on his horse. The whole race was to and fro – it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time.”
Howard, whose Team Palm Beach International Raceway entry was so late that he was unable to take part in the first practice session, tracked closely behind the leaders and picked off Saavedra in the final laps after the Colombian clipped the wall and damaged his car.
He said: “It was actually a really fun race – it was crazy. Every time we went into turn one it was side-by-side, and two people side-by-side don’t go through turn one very well.
Jay Howard during qualifying at Indy
“There were a few white-wall incidents out there but, overall, it was really good. Considering we decided yesterday morning at the last minute that I should come and race, I think it’s a really good result for Palm Beach and everyone involved.”
Palm Beach president Ron Dixon, father of reigning IRL champion Scott, said: “The decision to put Jay in the car was a last minute deal. He had to borrow a helmet from my son and gloves and other race gear from various teams.
“He missed the first practice and got some seat time during the second. I was really impressed with his qualifying effort for the race and am pleased with his finish.”
Howard’s was the only British success of the day, as Panther’s Martin Plowman lost control early in the race and collected team-mate Pippa Mann, while Ali Jackson was forced to retire later on with mechanical problems. The trio were classified 22nd, 21st and 19th.
Brazilian Ana Beatriz was among the leaders until lap 16 when she touched team-mate Gustavo Yacaman and was sent spinning head first at full speed into the circuit’s inner wall – a surface which lacks the special safety construction of the outer wall.
A tense eight-lap safety car period followed as Beatriz was stretchered away for x-rays on knee and elbow which eventually came back as negative, leaving her with only a chin laceration as a souvenir.
Related posts:
- Indy Lights: Strous shows fellow rookies how to win
- Indy Lights: Mann shows her oval class in qualifying
- Indy Lights: Drivers get test laps under their belts
- Indy Lights: Brits field six of the best at St Pete
- Indy Lights: Plowman makes hay in Kansas crashfest
Read more about Ali Jackson, Ana Beatriz, Firestone Freedom 100, Jay Howard, Martin Plowman, Pippa Mann, Wade Cunningham.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 1:14 pm and is filed under Firestone Indy Lights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Author: Andy Darley. Ex-journalist, fan of David Coulthard and anyone who ever drove or tested for Minardi and didn't say rude things about the team afterwards. Owns a Triumph Spitfire and hopes that, one day, it'll be on the road again. Andy has written 608 articles for us.
