Justin Wilson and engineer Bill Pappas are back at Dale Coyne Racing. With them and Honda power at its disposal, can DCR post a breakout season in 2012? Chris Estrada speaks his mind on that in the second Hot Lap of the new year.


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The group of IZOD IndyCar Series teams without an engine deal for the 2012 championship has shrunk by one, as Honda announced this afternoon that Dale Coyne Racing's two-car effort will be powered by their 2.2-liter, turbo-charged V6 engines this season.

In addition, DCR also announced three additions to their squad: English driver Justin Wilson and engineers Bill Pappas and John Dick, who comes over from KV Racing Technology. Wilson and Pappas delivered the team's lone victory back in 2009 at Watkins Glen International (see highlights above).

"I am really excited as to how all of this has come together," Wilson said in a team release. "Dale is committed to win, and it shows by him bringing back my 2009 engineer Bill Pappas, the level playing field of a new car and the much appreciated continuation with Honda engines should make 2012 a very exciting year for all of us."

Wilson has spent the last two seasons with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, where he collected two podiums, three top-5s and 11 top-10 finishes. However, he comes off an injury-shortened 2011 campaign after suffering a season-ending back injury during practice leading up to the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

He missed the final seven events of the season as a result, but now looks to reclaim his place as one of IndyCar's most talented competitors.

Here is the full team release from DCR on the signings, which have been aptly dubbed, as a whole, "putting the band back together":

Dale Coyne Racing is proud to announce that they are “Putting the Band Back Together” with its 2009 winning combination of driver Justin Wilson and renowned engineer Bill Pappas, all powered by Honda.

After a two year absence, Wilson returns to Dale Coyne Racing after bringing the seasoned team its first win at Watkins Glen, NY back July of 2009.

“I am really excited as to how all of this has come together,” Wilson said. “Dale is committed to win, and it shows by him bringing back my 2009 engineer Bill Papas, the level playing field of a new car and the much appreciated continuation with Honda engines should make 2012 a very exciting year for all of us.”

Dale Coyne Racing will once again be powered by Honda in 2012.

“Dale has shown us he is putting together a winning team,” commented Honda Performance Development President Erik Berkman. “The Honda family has a long history with DCR and we look forward to having them as a valued partner in 2012.”

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Honda has supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record-six consecutive years, the ‘500’ has not seen a single engine failure.

Wilson has shown his prowess over the years. Justin won two IZOD IndyCar races (Detroit in 2008 and again at Watkins Glen in 2009), as well as multiple wins in the former Champ Car Series. He is one of the top contenders to deal with in the pool of IndyCar driver talent.

“We are very excited about 2012 and the team we are assembling,” reflected team owner Dale Coyne.  “As to this opportunity, racing is a combination of things, team, dedication, the right equipment, and engineering and of course the driver. This combination knows each other and this coupled with Honda and other improvements in our efforts for 2012 and beyond should make for a break out year for Dale Coyne Racing.”

Returning to DCR squad in 2012 will be the talented engineer Bill Pappas. Pappas joined DCR in 2009 for that season, which saw the team win Watkins Glen and nearly win at St. Petersburg and Mid-Ohio.

“I want to thank Dale for being able to put this combination back together,” said Pappas. “I think the world of Justin and his abilities and now we can seriously get after the challenge of winning more races.”

John Dick, who has a long respected history in the sport and most recently as engineer and technical director at KV Racing will also join Dale Coyne Racing in 2012. Details of the team’s second entry and sponsorships will be coming out sometime in February.
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With James Hinchcliffe ready to become the Go Daddy Guy at Andretti Autosport and Oriol Servia now signed and confirmed at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, the final open-wheel competitors for Newman-Haas Racing have found new homes. It's still very strange to know that a heritage team such as NHR will not be back in 2012, but while the economy stopped them, at least it failed to stop the careers of a future star and a veteran standout.

Above are my thoughts on the situation. Let me know: Do you see this as a happy ending of sorts with the Newman-Haas saga? Or are you still bothered by the team's closure? Tweet your comments to me at @estradawriting. no comments

PHOTO: Oriol Servia (and his unique Salvador Dali-inspired helmet) have found a new home in 2012. Credit: Dan Boyd/IZOD IndyCar Series.

After helping Newman-Haas Racing move up the pecking order in last season's championship, Oriol Servia will look to do the same for another team in 2012.

Servia finished a surprising fourth in the 2011 standings, but found himself out of a job when the venerable NHR closed down in December due to the economy. But now the popular Spanish driver has found a new home at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, with the team confirming his signing earlier this morning.

DRR, who has joined the Lotus-powered ranks for 2012, did not release any details on car number and sponsorship for Servia.

Servia collected three podium runs last season in NHR's Telemundo-backed No. 2 machine, including a second-place finish at New Hampshire that triggered an appeal from the team. The appeal, which said Servia won the race by passing leader Ryan Hunter-Reay under the brief green period that occurred before a Lap 218 crash, was unsuccessful and Hunter-Reay was allowed to keep his victory.

In addition, Servia notched six top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes in a roaring comeback season that should make DRR co-owners Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl feel good about what their latest driver pickup can do for them.

Here's the full press release from Dreyer and Reinbold Racing:

Indianapolis, IN (January 17, 2012) - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is excited to announce that Spanish driver Oriol Servia will join the team full-time for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain, will be joining the Indianapolis-based squad for the first time. The Spaniard is coming off of an impressive 2011 season in which he qualified third for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, recorded eleven top-10 finishes, was one of three drivers to be running at the finish in all 17 races, led all drivers in laps completed (2,103 of 2,011) and was the only driver to finish in the top-10 in the first five races of the season.  As a result, Servia finished 4th in the overall IZOD IndyCar Series championship.

"With a new engine, new chassis and a revamped engineering department, we believe it is crucial to have a highly talented veteran driver to be able to develop these new components. Oriol has always been a smart driver and has always put himself and his team in a position to win races.  We are going to have to be well prepared to take advantage of his abilities and we look forward to the challenge," commented Dennis Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Co-Owner.

The veteran driver not only brings a wealth of experience to the table, but many accolades as well. His success in open-wheel racing includes a runner-up finish in the 2005 Champ Car World Series point standings as well as winning the 1999 Indy Lights championship, where he finished second in five races and earned three pole positions. Servia also gave Dale Coyne Racing its first podium finish since 1996 with a third-place run at Laguna Seca in 2004.

"I couldn't be more excited, for many reasons.  DRR is a team that I raced against since 2008 and they've always shown to be very professional at the racetrack.  Although I knew the owners, I didn't know them very well, to be honest.  Before signing with the team, like everybody else, I did my research and I couldn't find one individual that didn't speak highly of Dennis or Robbie, which gave me a lot of confidence.  I went to the team's sponsor summit last week and met all of their partners that they have been involved with for many, many years, which was another clear sign that they are good people," commented Servia.

The Spaniard is eager to begin pre-season testing and debut the new DW12 at the first event in St. Petersburg. "I started on the front row for the Indianapolis 500 and I want to improve on that.  I'm at the best point in my career and it was very important to partner with the right team.  When I visited the DRR facility in Indianapolis, I couldn't have been more impressed.  We are starting with a new engine and chassis, and I have confidence in Lotus and our ability to develop a quality product in 2012. When you have everyone pulling in the same direction like we are now is when we can accomplish our goals," continued Servia.

Feeling the same enthusiasm as the rest is co-owner Robbie Buhl.  "I think that Oriol can be a real asset to us and with the development with our partnership with Lotus and the DW12.  His experience throughout his career will be pivotal in how we develop the new car and new motor.  He had a fantastic season last year with Newman Haas and we are excited to have him as a part of our team going forward," said Buhl.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing continues to work towards a second full-time entry for the 2012 season.  Please stay tuned for more announcements to come in the following weeks. For more updates on the team, please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.

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Dragon Racing -- make that, LOTUS Dragon Racing -- is soaring again.

After its partnership with Gil de Ferran fell apart last offseason, the team was forced to go part-time and cobble together a five-race effort for Paul Tracy and an ill-fated, two-car Indy 500 program for Scott Speed and Ho-Pin Tung, which saw neither of them make the race (Tung would make his series debut later in the year at Sonoma).

But now, Jay Penske's gang has landed partner team status with Lotus and will go to a full-time operation in 2012 with an interesting combo of drivers: Four-time Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais and English pilot Katherine Legge, who hasn't been in open-wheel racing since her 2007 campaign with Dale Coyne Racing in the CCWS. The now-confirmed news first broke on Jan. 11 within the European media, with SPEEDTV.com's Marshall Pruett picking it up Stateside on the same date.

All in all, not a bad turnaround from a rough 2011 season.

As for the drivers, Bourdais raced in all nine road/street course events last year with Dale Coyne Racing while also fulfilling obligations in Europe's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. He claimed five top-10 finishes, with a top run of sixth on four different occasions at Toronto, Edmonton, Sonoma and Motegi.

Legge comes off a three-year run (2008-2010) in the DTM touring car series. She has two years of Champ Car experience under her belt, running in 2006 with PKV Racing and Coyne in 2007. This season will see her be backed by TrueCar, an automotive marketplace website.

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The series has announced more details on the upcoming Spring Training test sessions in March at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The sessions, which will run from March 5-9, will feature both IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights squads preparing for the season opener later that month at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Here's the schedule, with dates, times and teams involved:

March 5 (9 a.m. - Noon ET; 1-5 p.m. ET) and March 6 (9 a.m. - Noon ET; 1-4 p.m. ET)
Andretti Autosport, Dale Coyne Racing, Dreyer and Reinbold, Lotus Dragon, HVM, Penske, Sam Schmidt Motorsports

March 7 (9 a.m. - Noon ET; 1-4 p.m. ET)
Firestone Indy Lights teams

March 8 (10 a.m. - Noon ET; 1-5 p.m. ET) and March 9 (9 a.m. - Noon; 1-5 p.m. ET)
A.J. Foyt Racing, Bryan Herta Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing, Ganassi (TCGR/Service Central/Novo Nordisk), KV, Panther, Rahal Letterman, MSRIndy no comments

Shakedown for its own DW12 tester came yesterday in Palm Beach

With its own DW-12 decked out in classic black and gold, Lotus turned its first laps as an IndyCar engine manufacturer yesterday at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway.

Simona de Silvestro of HVM Racing was behind the wheel for installation laps, and was slated to get in more work today and tomorrow with the Lotus DW12 today at PBIR. Lotus will also do a test session next Monday and Tuesday at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

Chevrolet and Honda have been busy for months with manufacturer testing, so Lotus will certainly have its work cut out for themselves trying to catch up and get ready for Spring Training at Sebring in early March.

IndyCar.com also reports that Chevrolet and Andretti Autosport will be busy at PBIR and Sebring as well. Ryan Hunter-Reay will also test today and tomorrow at PBIR for Chevy, followed by Marco Andretti taking over for the Bowtie at Sebring next week.

In addition, the Sebring tests are also slated to feature Team Penske's Helio Castroneves and Will Power, Panther's J.R. Hildebrand, Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Simon Pagenaud, KV Racing Technology's Tony Kanaan, and Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal.

Continuing on with Lotus-based news, Bryan Herta Autosport -- a Lotus-powered team that recently signed veteran pilot Alex Tagliani for 2012 -- will be backed by Barracuda Networks, a computer security company that provides protection solutions against Internet and e-mail threats such as spam, hacking and viruses. According to a company press release, Barracuda will enjoy main sponsor branding on the car and team equipment.

IndyCar's reigning rookie of the year feels no added pressure with jump to Andretti Autosport



James Hinchcliffe is taking over one of the IZOD IndyCar Series' most prominent rides, now driving for one of the series' biggest teams, and becoming a public face for one of the series' biggest sponsors.

There's no doubt that some would see that as going into a pressure cooker of sorts, especially considering that Hinchcliffe, 25, was just a rookie last season. But the Ontario native doesn't appear to be buying that theory.

"I used to get a question about pressure when I went to Toronto -- the home races are extra pressure," said Hinchcliffe, who was officially announced today as the driver of the No. 27 Go Daddy Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport. "When the visor is down it's just a racetrack. You put the same amount of pressure on yourself everywhere you go. I think it's similar whether you're in different team situations or sponsor situations.

"From that side of it, it's going to be the same job: I have to go out and drive the racecar as best I can."

After claiming the 2011 rookie of the year title for the dearly departed Newman Haas Racing -- earning three top-5 and seven top-10 finishes en route to 12th place in the championship -- his new boss, Michael Andretti, believes that Hinchcliffe can do the job well for him.

"What caught my eye with him last year was his teammate," said Andretti, referring to fellow CART/Champ Car alum Oriol Servia, who was Hinchcliffe's veteran teammate at NHR last year. "He had a very good teammate. Oriol is a very good guy, very fast. Many times, he out-raced him and out-qualified him. That says something. That was a good benchmark for us to look at."

Another thing that may have worked in Hinchcliffe's favor? His irreverent outlook on life, which would appear to mesh well with Go Daddy's penchant for having drivers with talent and personality represent them. Go Daddy's former IndyCar driver, Danica Patrick, and the late Dan Wheldon, who was slated to take over the Go Daddy car before his death in last October's season finale, had both and Hinchcliffe looks to carry on that tradition.

"I'm excited to get a chance to work with a company that likes to be a little bit edgy, pushes the boundaries," Hinchcliffe said on the subject. "I've never been an inside-the-box kind of guy. Anybody that goes to [his website] Hinchtown.com can see that. That's why we created that in the first place, to get my personality out there a little bit, to be a little different and stand out.

"Ultimately with Go Daddy, it's a bit of a match made in heaven. I think we have a lot of the same principles and ideas on that, so it could be cool."

Despite missing the first race of the 2011 campaign due to sponsorship trouble, Hinchcliffe closed the gap against J.R. Hildebrand and made it a nip-and-tuck battle for rookie of the year in the final stages of the season before narrowly defeating the American for that honor.

However, Hinchcliffe -- and Hildebrand, plus all the other '11 rookies for that matter -- have an interesting situation on their hands for 2012. Having learned IndyCar racecraft within the cockpit of normally aspirated Dallara IR03s, they'll now have to learn some more in a brand new car, the turbo-charged Dallara DW12s.

Fortunately for Hinchcliffe, he'll have two veteran teammates to help him in Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

"For sure, I think my experience last year just at this level of competition puts me, you know, a step ahead of where a rookie coming in this year would be," Hinchcliffe said. "But there's no doubt that guys with more experience are going to be a little bit ahead of me, and that's why I'm very happy to have two experienced teammates, because I'll be able to bounce a lot of things off them and we'll all be able to help each other and be able to advance this process."

Michael Andretti must be hoping that the process doesn't take too long. With the onset of the new cars and engines expected to bring an early balance to the grid, he's looking for his drivers to be contenders and is confident that he's assembled a solid stable.

"You got to have good drivers, ones capable of winning," Michael said. "I think we put together a really strong driver lineup. I'm really excited about that, really excited about the way things have been going with Chevrolet. We have a lot of programs in place with the team that we're doing. I can tell you the excitement on the floor in our shop and in the engineering room, is quite high. So we have high expectations for coming out strong right away."

His team may grow even further before the first race of 2012 as well. Michael said that the chances of a fourth Andretti Autosport entry hitting the track currently stand at "60 to 70 percent" and that he hopes to have "something done in two or three weeks." no comments

Canadian young gun replaces Danica Patrick in GoDaddy machine



Safe to say that IZOD IndyCar Series rookie of the year James Hinchcliffe has landed on his feet.

Just weeks after finding out that his Newman-Haas Racing team would no longer compete in the series, the 25-year-old Canadian will be driving this season for Andretti Autosport in the GoDaddy.com machine that Danica Patrick made famous and the late Dan Wheldon was set to take over before his tragic death in October at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hinchcliffe, who won the series' top rookie honors despite missing the first race of the 2011 campaign due to sponsorship trouble, is very cognizant of what he's getting into, as his comments on the matter show in a piece from USA Today's Nate Ryan. Not only will he be counted on to maintain GoDaddy's sizable mainstream presence that was grown partially by Patrick's exploits, but he'll also be thinking of the man who would've been in his position had fate not intervened.

"I look at Dan Wheldon as a tremendous race car driver and a champion, but also a tremendous person and human being," Hinchcliffe told Ryan in his article. "And if that's the guy that GoDaddy wanted, to know that I was the next guy in line and thought of along the same lines is an incredibly humbling thing, and it makes me really proud. I'm going to think about him every time I get in that car. There's no doubt that a part of me will be driving for Dan this year."

In addition, he also stands to become one of Canada's standard bearers in global motorsports. The country has a strong history in racing and while it's still early yet, Hinchcliffe certainly has the potential to leave his mark alongside those of folks like Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve, Ron Fellows, and the two other Canadians in the series, veterans Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy.

So between keeping GoDaddy happy, racing for a fallen colleague, living up to his homeland's legacy and, oh yeah, driving for the legendary Michael Andretti, one would assume that he'll have a lot of pressure on him in 2012. But if we learned anything about Hinchcliffe in his first season of competition, it's that he copes pretty well with pressure, whether it's with his talent behind the wheel or with his disarming sense of humor.

Both of those things should endear him to a lot of new fans this season via his sponsor's marketing prowess. Business-wise, this is a great match. As I wrote last month on INDYCAR Nation (which, by the way, is FREE to sign up for on INDYCAR.com), GoDaddy has always strived to have its drivers possess as much charisma as they do talent. Hinchcliffe fits that bill, and when you throw in his ability to harness the Internet and social media through his online home, Hinchtown, it's a no-brainer.

Performance-wise, Hinchcliffe will have to rise up to heightened expectations. With the onset of new cars and engines this season, the playing field should be leveled for the time being and you can bet that Andretti Autosport is itching to show that their drivers -- Hinchcliffe, Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay -- are early title contenders.

Even if Hinchcliffe didn't get this ride, his second-year development would've been something to keep an eye on. But as he steps into one of the flagship rides of the series, there's so much more to watch now.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shawn Gritzmacher / IZOD IndyCar Series. no comments

After stunning the racing world by winning last year's Indianapolis 500 with the late Dan Wheldon, the Bryan Herta Autosport team is transitioning to full-time status for this season's IZOD IndyCar Series championship.

They didn't have to look far for its new driver, announcing today that Alex Tagliani will drive its Lotus-powered machine for 2012. Tagliani ran with BHA at last year's season finale in Las Vegas.

Tagliani made 16 starts last season for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, with his Indianapolis 500 pole run as the highlight of the year. He also claimed another pole in one of the two Texas races, three top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes en route to a 15th place finish in the 2011 standings.

For what I assume is a team release on the announcement, click here. no comments

Contrary to a report from SPEED Channel's Robin Miller, Dale Coyne Racing is denying that it has signed Justin Wilson for the 2012 championship.

Via their Twitter account (@dalecoyneracing), the team posted: "Just wanted to wish all the Dale Coyne Racing fans a Happy New Year! We also want to announce that we haven't signed Justin Wilson."

Miller also reported that engineer Bill Pappas was signed to rejoin DCR alongside Wilson. The engineer and driver teamed up to give the team its first victory in 25 years of racing back in 2009 at Watkins Glen International.

Wilson has been at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing for the last two seasons and is coming off an injury-shortened 2011 campaign. no comments