IndyCar 2015: Montoya vs. Rahal
Little by little, the end of the 2015 IndyCar season is approaching, and only 42 points separate leader Juan Pablo Montoya (445) from his closest rival, American Graham Rahal (403). A championship battle that is closely followed by Scott Dixon, who is currently in third place with 397 points.
The Honda Indy 200 is the penultimate race, a track that has hosted Formula cars on its 3.860 meters since 1962 and where three Colombians have been able to conquer victory.
A Foreign Warrior on the Lexington Track
Roberto José Guerrero joined the IndyCar series in 1984, but it wasn't until 1987 that he could celebrate his first win. On April 12, 1987, the driver from Antioquia had his glory day by finishing first at the Phoenix International Raceway.
The year 1987 was promising for Guerrero, who had a competitive car against the "monsters" of motorsport at that time. Bobby Rahal, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, and Emrson Fittipaldi were his rivals. On September 6, 1987, driving his March Cosworth for the Granatelli team, the Colombian achieved his second victory at the Mid-Ohio racetrack.
Montoya vs. Tracy
Shyness on the track was not invented for Juan Pablo Montoya, who as a rookie in 1999 made the headlines of newspapers with positive news for Colombia. Such was the case on August 15, 1999, at Mid-Ohio, the day the driver from Bogota won the fourteenth race of the championship.
"Montoya's Race," titled by the newspaper El Tiempo, was not an easy win. The driver started from the 12th position, had Dario Franchitti as his major opponent and championship leader. However, the mano-a-mano battle was with Paul Tracy, Franchitti's teammate from Team Kool Green.
Montoya's skill allowed him to catch up positions at an overwhelming pace until reaching the first place. The capital driver finished more than 10 seconds ahead of Tracy, with Franchitti in third place.
Gabby Dominated from Start to Finish
The Mid-Ohio racetrack was generous to the young driver in 2013 in the Indy Lights. The driver from Bogota started in the pole position after qualifying the day before with a time of 1:13.336, which gave him his first pole position of the season.
"What an incredible weekend, I couldn't ask for more. I want to thank my team and sponsors because without them, I wouldn't be here. Also, my family who supports me unconditionally, the fans, and all of Colombia. Thank you very much," said Chaves that year.
About the Track
Lap Number: 90 counterclockwise
Fuel: 70 gallons of Ethanol
Bonus Points: Four. Two points for leading the most laps, one point for the pole position, and one point for leading at least one lap.
Advanced Positioning System: Starting from this race, the cars are marked with integrated multicolor LED panels.