Jack Hawksworth, set to return in 2016 for his third Verizon IndyCar Series season and second with AJ Foyt Racing, ran among the pacesetters in the “Roar Before the 24,” the three-day test session Jan. 8-10 for teams competing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance sports car race at the end of the month.
Driving for Starworks Motorsport, Hawksworth set the fastest lap in the Prototype Challenge category in two of the seven practice sessions, including the fastest overall PC lap of 1 minute, 42.118 seconds (125.502 mph) in the final test session on the Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile road course.
Katherine Legge – a veteran of 39 Indy car races including two Indianapolis 500s – clocked the fastest lap in one session of the Prototype division, driving the unique DeltaWing DWC13. Among Legge’s teammates for the Daytona 24-hour race Jan. 30-31 is 20-year-old American Sean Rayhall, who won a pair of 2015 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires races driving a limited schedule.
At least a dozen drivers with current INDYCAR ties are scheduled to compete in the twice-around-the-clock event that kicks off the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Among them is Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ Scott Dixon, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion who is also defending his Rolex 24 overall victory along with Verizon IndyCar Series teammate Tony Kanaan in the team’s Prototype.
Six Indy 500 winners slated for Arizona Concours panel discussion
Six Indianapolis 500 Mile Race winners, whose victories span four decades, will gather for a roundtable discussion about the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” hosted by the Arizona Concours d’Elegance on Jan. 23 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix.
The Indianapolis 500 roundtable is part of a weekend celebration of vintage automobiles with the Arizona Concours on Jan. 24 as the centerpiece. The Concours events kick off Arizona’s famous Classic Car Week of auctions, shows and special events.
The roundtable discussion, hosted by seven-time Indianapolis 500 starter Lyn St. James, will include former winners Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976, 1980), Tom Sneva (1983), Arie Luyendyk (1990, 1997), Eddie Cheever (1998), Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010, 2012) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014).
“We’ve assembled a terrific group of winners of the Indy 500 from different eras with unique stories, and I’m looking forward to bringing out the excitement and energy these drivers share,” St. James said. “They’re bright, they’re interesting and they’re diverse. This is an opportunity to delve into the personalities of the people who drive these exciting race cars.”
The Indianapolis 500 will have a strong presence at the Concours, with four vintage cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum on display: a 1914 Duesenberg, 1925 Miller Junior Eight, 1955 SAC Fireboid Special and 1964 Lotus-Ford. In addition, cars from other collectors on display will be Sneva’s 1978 Penske PC-6, Luyendyk’s backup 1990 Lola-Chevrolet Ilmor when he won his first Indy 500 and Hunter-Reay’s winning Andretti Autosport Honda-Dallara from the 2014 Indy 500.
The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to nearby Phoenix International Raceway for the Phoenix Grand Prix on April 1-2, following an 11-year absence from the track.
For more information about the Arizona Concours, visit www.ArizonaConcours.com. For information about Phoenix International Raceway and the Phoenix Grand Prix, visit www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com.