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Mutoh Masters Ovals, Too! |
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At Kentucky Speedway Saturday night, after the IndyCar race, Super Aguri Panther Racing’s rookie Hideki Mutoh showed that the Indy Pro Series is making good progress developing drivers who can win on BOTH ovals and road courses. Mutoh-san, having won the pole and first race at the IMS Liberty Challenge double header in June, won the Kentucky 100 pole and race with as much professional class as you could imagine.
Hideki became the fourth IPS driver to join the, should we say, “IPS Complete Driver Club.” The other members are Jeff Simmons [2005], Wade Cunningham [2006] and Alex Lloyd {2007] who have won both oval and road course races. None of these three won their first oval and road race the same year though.
To gain his membership Mutoh, unlike the first three, had to pass a test, a very challenging test, given to him by not one but two of the other “Club” members. Hideki was ready for all challenges and tests when he arrived at the track. In qualifying, he kept the pole from Lloyd, who had to accept second, and Cunningham, who qualified third, by setting a new track record at 191.276 mph.
When the race started and the green flag dropped Mutoh’s start kept Lloyd and Cunningham just were he wanted them – behind him. Cunningham, however, got the better of Lloyd and claimed second place and was off to challenge Hideki for the lead as quick as possible. Although Hideki led lap 1, Wade put him to the test on the second lap and was able to get just enough ahead to claim the lead on lap 2. Test failed by Hideki.
Mutoh, however, wasted no time in putting Cunningham to the test and passed him to gain the lead back on lap 3. Then he did what he needed to do and controlled the inside of the track and in spite of constant pressure kept Wade behind him in second place.
In the meantime, Alex Lloyd held firmly to third position. That order continued at race speeds in the low 190’s until the yellow came out for a laps 9 – 17 single car accident.
Mutoh handled the restart perfectly when the track went green on lap 18 and kept Wade and Alex behind him, where they stayed in second and third. The high speeds continued as Wade kept the pressure on Hideki until a four-car accident brought out the yellow again on lap 40 of the 67 lap race. Unfortunately, the racing race was significantly reduced as the cleanup process kept the track yellow through lap 62.
When the track went green for the last 5 laps of the race it was time for Mutoh to be restart tested for the second time. He handled the restart perfectly again and controlled the lead. Behind him though, Alex Lloyd decided that it was going to be his turn to test Mutoh and he made a perfect restart on Cunningham and passed him on the low side to grab second place. Then it was after Hideki, with Wade then after Alex as well as Hideki.
On the next to last lap, 66, Alex turned in the fastest race lap with a 192.563 mph, but that was not enough to get him past Hideki, who turned in the fastest race leader lap on same lap with a 191.598 mph. In the meantime, Wade was keeping up with the two in front such that on the final lap of the race all three were racing flat out three abreast, with Hideki maintaining the low line, as they headed for the start/finish line and the checkered flag.
Hideki Mutoh hit the finish line 0.1023 seconds ahead of Alex Lloyd and 0.1567 ahead of Wade Cunningham. Test passed by Hideki!
Congratulations and welcome to the “IPS Complete Driver Club” Mutoh-san! What could have been a better or more thrilling tribute to the Indy Racing League than a three-some on the podium who were all members of the “Club”?
Kris Festa finished 4th. Jaime Camara made the comeback of the day when he started 20th and patiently, slowly and skillfully worked his way through traffic to finish 5th.
Alex Lloyd’s second place finish gives him 6 wins, 3 seconds and 1 third in the 12 races run so far. In the points standings he is at 548, which is 98 ahead of Hideki Mutoh. With three races left Alex can’t celebrate yet. Wade Cunningham is third in the points with Bobby Wilson and Jamie Camara making up fourth and fifth.
Infineon [Aug. 25/26] and Chicago [Sept. 9] coming up. The excitement and suspense is not over yet.
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