EDMONTON, Alberta -- The 2012 Dallara chassis prototype made its testing debut on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last August, and this week 22 IZOD IndyCar Series drivers will test the refined road/street course package of the new car in advance of the Aug. 3-5 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
The July 26 event at the facility in Lexington, Ohio, will be open to spectators from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. They’re welcome to bring food and/or coolers to watch the activity from the Keyhole or infield of the 2.258-mile, 13-turn course. Enter through Gate 3. Tickets for the race weekend will be available for purchase at Gate 2.
Click it: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio weekend schedule
Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon has won the race three of the past five years, including in 2011. He’ll be joined at the test by teammate Dario Franchitti, the reigning series champion and 2011 race runner-up, series championship points leader Ryan Hunter-Reay and Edmonton Indy winner Helio Castroneves.
Indy cars have been competing at the venue since 1980 (Johnny Rutherford winning). The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be the 12th of 15 stops of the season.
Mid-Ohio has partnered with the Graham Rahal Foundation and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for a special race weekend tiket offer at www.midohio.com/zoo, with $5 of each Zoo Donation ticket sold going to the Graham Rahal Foundation.
The first 1,000 tickets sold will come with a voucher for free admission to the Columbus Zoo in 2012 and a Graham Rahal autographed hero card. All fans that purchase these Zoo Donation tickets will be entered to win a VIP experience at the Columbus Zoo and a meet and greet with Rahal during the race weekend.
Fans who already purchased tickets can call 800-643-6446 to donate $5 to the Foundation. During the event weekend, fans also have the opportunity to donate to the Graham Rahal Foundation at most concession and souvenir stands.
General parking is free and children 12 and under are also admitted free.
Rahal finished fourth in the Edmonton Indy in the No. 38 Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing car.
Interest remains in third Canadian race
INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard reiterated his interest in a third IZOD IndyCar Series race in Canada. Toronto and Edmonton occupy July on the 2012 schedule.
"The timing is really good because you do have (Canadians) James Hinchcliffe and Alex Tagliani and they are very competitive," said Bernard, who did not hint at a preferred location.
His goal is 19 races for 2013, and "we're making progress," including numerous oval racetracks. Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., will play host to the season finale on Sept. 15.
"We saw this year what we set out to do and that is have really good crowds at those ovals," Bernard added. "We have Fontana left, and our goals (for attendance) there are realistic (because) it's so big. Ovals are a very big part of the definition of our sport."
Bourdais to compete at the Brickyard
Four-time CART champion and Dragon Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais will co-drive a Starworks Motorsport car with Alex Popow in the North American Endurance Championship category of the three-hour GRAND-Am Brickyard Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.
Bourdais drove the final stint with Starworks in Round 2 of the NAEC, finishing third in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen with Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio earlier this month.
Of note
Alex Tagliani led a field-high 49 laps. ... Caught by Race Control: Sebastien Bourdais (blocking; drive-through penalty), Josef Newgarden (pit speed violation; drive-through penalty) and Charlie Kimball (avoidable contact on the final lap; 30-second penalty). ... Will Power advanced the most positions (17th to third) in the race. ... Ryan Negron of Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports, who was a crew member on Simon Pagenaud's car when he won the 2006 Formula Atlantic race in Edmonton, remained in Indianapolis for the race weekend with his newborn son. Chris Fortney, who also was on the Atlantic team, is the right-rear tire changer on Pagenaud's No. 77 car. ... Edmonton Mayor Stephan Mandel was the grand marshal and gave the command to start engines. ... Tickets for the 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest (June 14-15) are available at www.MilwaukeeIndyFest.com, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park box office or by phone at 414-266-7100.