Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Chevrolet
IZOD IndyCar Series
RACE NOTES/QUOTES — Sunday, June 3, 2012
SATO WAS SIXTH WHEN CONTACT FORCED HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE CHEVROLET
TAKUMA SATO, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was quite a crazy start; very narrow. I was completely boxed in from the front, back and sides. But I was able to get through Turns 1 and 2 okay and gained positions. Then after that, I settled in to a rhythm in the position. We decided to make a strategy change and came in the pits earlier to get back on track in free air and also change the tires. The balance was quite difficult, not really to my liking. It’s a tough track and very difficult to settle the car. And the track was coming up as well in Turns 6 and 11. In Turn 12, I clipped a very high curb and that made a huge kickback in the steering wheel and it slipped from my grip and that was the end of the race. It’s not the way we wanted to finish. It was a difficult weekend but hopefully we come back strong at
FAST FACTS: Started 11th and was in sixth place on Lap 39 when he made contact with the wall after running over the curb and losing control of his race car… Earned his best starting position for 2012 of 12th place for his first race in
TOM ANDERSON, Managing Director Motorsport Operations: “After the on track incident, and after a quick review of the chassis, we believe the smart thing to do is to not try to repair the car in the timeframe. Under the IndyCar Series rules you aren’t allowed to work on a car during a red flag and the number of laps that it would have put us down makes the risk versus reward totally out of proportion. Add in the fact that putting the car back on track with a questionable steering system is not the thing to do in this sport. With those factors in mind we had no choice but to call it a day.”
1 WIN, 2 PODIUMS FOR RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT
NEXT UP: The series will return to action next weekend for the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 9. The 228-lap race will be televised live beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Takuma Sato earned his best series oval finish to date of fifth at Texas Motor Speedway last year.