ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Jakes of Orlando, Fla., by way of Leeds, England, now has “a good, old-fashioned, American” nickname.
“They call me Buckshot,” Jakes says with a laugh as he points out the corresponding sticker on the rear of his helmet. “It just came out of nowhere.”
In 2011-13, his previous Verizon IndyCar Series seasons, Jakes was informally known as Jakesy. Now, with James Hinchcliffe as his first-year teammate, something had to change.
“With two Jameses flying around, the engineers thought it would get complicated,” Jakes says. “My engineer (Dan Hobbs) has a NASCAR background and thought it would fit.
“It’s kind of fun; we’ll play along with it. It actually has made life a bit easier.”
Karam rehabbing hand with quick turns
Sage Karam, competing in his second Verizon IndyCar Series race, said he was “about 90 percent” in the seat of the No. 8 GE LED Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Chevrolet on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit.
Karam is recovering from a hand injury suffered March 16 during the preseason Promoter Test at Barber Motorsports Park. He returned to the car the following week for a team test at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Foyt plans to make trip to Indianapolis
A.J. Foyt, who is recuperating from heart surgery in November, will watch the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at his home in Houston.
Foyt, 80, said he plans to be in attendance at the Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis in early May. He attended the first team test with the new Honda aerodynamic bodywork kit March 14 at NOLA Motorsports Park to watch A.J. Foyt Racing drivers Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth.
“I want to be sure I’m healed up in time for Indy, that is my goal,” Foyt said.
Power adds name to monument and other notes
Will Power affixed a plaque bearing his name to the Victory Circle monument and promptly pointed to the next available space on the granite block.
“My name is on there twice now. Let’s see if I can make it three,” said Power, who won the 2014 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the 2010 race.
The names of all the race winners, their team and corresponding year are on the monument near Dan Wheldon Way.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk is driving the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car. … Martin Plowman, who made his last Verizon IndyCar Series start in the 2014 Indianapolis 500, is joining Mario Andretti as drivers of the Indy Racing Experience two-seater. Among Plowman’s passengers this weekend was his fiancée, 2009 Miss Indiana Nicole Pollard. ... A.J. Foyt Racing is its 50th year of operation, making it the longest-operating team in the Verizon IndyCar Series. ... The Mahaffey Theater inside the St. Pete race course is marking its 50th year.
He said it
“With the new aero kits creating a different look and feel for the cars, there is a lot of energy and anticipation around the start of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series. We know how competitive the series has been in recent years and with some talented young drivers added to the mix this year, it has all the elements to be a very exciting season. This is the first time we will run four cars at Team Penske, with Simon Pagenaud joining Helio (Castroneves), Will (Power), the series champion, and Juan (Montoya), we know the level of competition will be even higher among our own team. After a long off season, we are all definitely ready for the green flag at St. Petersburg.”
-- Roger Penske