Drivers display versatility on two continents

On opposite sides of the globe and competing in divergent vehicles/race courses this past weekend, IZOD IndyCar Series drivers again displayed why they’re touted as the most versatile in motorsports.

Over in Australia, the Gold Coast 600 pitted 28 international drivers – including nine from the IZOD IndyCar Series -- with the full-time V8 Supercars drivers for two races on the Surfers Paradise street circuit.

Sebastien Bourdais teamed with Jamie Whincup to win the first race and were runners-up in the second. Bourdais, the four-time CART champion who competed for Dragon Racing this past season, earned the Dan Wheldon Trophy as the top-placing international driver for the second consecutive year.

IZOD IndyCar Series championship runner-up Will Power teamed with Mark Winterbottom to finish third in both races.

“I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed working with Mark. He is a brilliant driver and two third places give me two surfboards to take home and use on the lake I live on in Charlotte,” Power said.

Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe and Garth Tander drove to a pair of top-five finishes. Other series drivers competing were Simon Pagenaud, Justin Wilson, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Mike Conway and Graham Rahal.

Click it: Drivers talk about the second race and Aussie experience

Whincup extended his lead in the championship to 218 points over Winterbottom with three races remaining.

“I couldn’t be any happier for Jamie. He leaves the Gold Coast with an even bigger points lead so it’s been great,” Bourdais said.

At Road Atlanta, four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti co-drove a Level 5 Motorsports entry to third place (second in the LMP2 class to the team’s primary car) with his brother Marino in the Petit Le Mans.

The companion car, driven by Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut, earned the American Le Mans Series class championship for the second year in a row. Luis Diaz also co-drove the car in the 1,000-mile race (9 hours, 39 minutes) on the 2.54-mile course.

IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay teamed with Kuno Wittmer and Dominik Farnbacher to finish 20th overall and eighth in the GT class in the SRT Viper GTSR.

Honda Performance Development, which supplies its 2.2-liter, turbocharged V6 engine to the IZOD IndyCar Series, also was a big winner by sweeping the LMP1 and LMP2 class victories and championships. The triumphs marked the 49th and 50th victories for HPD’s ARX family of sports-prototype chassis/engine since the debut of the ARX-01a – a class win combined with a second-place overall finish – at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring.

“What a fantastic day, and one that caps our most successful season ever in sports car racing on a world-wide stage,” HPD president Art St. Cyr said. “At HPD, we all realize the incredible level of hard work, with long hours of preparation, that are required to produce seasons like this one, so these championships are a great reward for the efforts of everyone at HPD, our technical partner Wirth Research, and all of our partner teams.”