Cars with Honda engines swept the top five spots - led by MBNA Pole Award winner Dan Wheldon - in qualifying for today’s Indy Japan 300. The manufacturer has never won in six tries since the first Indy-style car race at Twin Ring Motegi (one in the IRL IndyCar Series; five in CART).
Wheldon, driving the No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone, won his second consecutive pole with a fast lap of 26.5983 seconds (205.762 mph) on the 1.5-mile oval.
“I give a lot of credit for my top to my engineer, Eddie Jones, and to Honda,” said Wheldon, who also led the field to the green flag in the Copper World Indy 200 on March 21. “They’ve worked extremely hard for this race. They enabled me to be in this position, and (Andretti Green Racing teammate) Tony Kanaan did a fantastic job relaying feedback to me that made my car easier to drive for the qualifying run.
“I’m privileged to be in this position and enjoy the driving right now.”
It is the third pole in as many races this season for Honda, which had three in 16 events in 2003. It will occupy seven of the top 10 starting spots today.
“Racing is defined by being fast, being consistent and being out front - regardless whether it’s qualifying or it's racing,” said No. 13 Renovac Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone driver/owner Greg Ray, who will join Wheldon on the front row after posting a fast lap of 26.5990 seconds (205.722).
“It has significant impact that we’re here in Japan at a track that Honda owns, but for whatever reason they have not won here. To have two Honda cars on the front row and to have 10 drivers (with Honda power) driving the wheels off the things to try to win is important.”
It was the best qualifying effort with Access Motorsports for Ray, and his best since starting from the pole with Team Menard in 2001 at Nashville.
“We knew that probably a 26.4 (seconds) would be the mark,” said Ray, referring to the pole time. “The wind played a little havoc out there. We are still the smallest team on the grid; I have one car. You can take only so many risks, and I left a little bit on the table. But it was a good lap and we were pleased with that."
This race marks the first anniversary for Access Motorsports.
"There were a lot of good cars left, and for us to hold up under those conditions makes me very proud," said Ray, who went out sixth of the 22 qualifiers.
Kanaan, who won the Copper World Indy 200 on March 21, will start third (26.6031 seconds; 205.690). Kosuke Matsuura, a native of Aichi in central Japan, qualified fourth in the No. 55 Panasonic ARTA Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone. Buddy Rice completed the Honda top five in the No. 15 Pioneer/Argent Mortgage Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone.
Toyota-powered cars driven by Scott Dixon (sixth), Sam Hornish Jr. (seventh) and Darren Manning (10th) broke up the Honda monopoly.
Dixon, in the No. 1 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, took his qualifying laps with a hairline (non-displaced) fracture on the tip of the left fibula in the ankle. He suffered the injury when his car made contact with the Turn 4 wall in the first practice session April 15.
“My ankle is fine. In fact I really don’t feel it at all when I am in the car, but it might be a little sore after the race,” Dixon said.
Courtesy of the Indy Racing League
