Catchfence

FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACE REPORT
IZOD IndyCar Series – Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Streets of Long Beach, Calif.
Sunday, April 18, 2010 – Round 4 of 17

Top-5 Finishers: 1. Ryan Hunter-Reay; 2. Justin Wilson; 3. Will Power; 4. Scott Dixon; 5. Tony Kanaan.

Race Temperatures: Track ranged from 115°-121° F (46°-49° C) and ambient from 75°- 79° F (24°-26° C).

Firestone Tire Performance Recap: Firestone brought the same tire specs as used last month in St. Petersburg, and once again both performed well. The more durable primary Firehawk was the preferred tire for its durability, but still had the grip to allow nearly half the drivers to clock their fastest race lap near the end of a full stint. (A chart detailing tire use in today’s race is attached.)

From race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, #37 IZOD/Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The Firestone tires were unreal. I couldn’t believe they didn’t fall off; I turned my fastest lap at the last three laps of the race. The product that they put out – especially because I’ve raced in other series and I know how the varying levels of grip come from other tire companies – Firestone is just absolutely unreal. I don’t know what they do to their tires but I’d want nothing else on my car.”

From Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing: “We had yet another fantastic day at Long Beach, capping 20 years of consecutive racing here for us. We’ve got so many fond Long Beach memories and Ryan Hunter-Reay’s landmark win will certainly become a highlight as well. Both the primary and alternate Firestone Firehawks performed well throughout the weekend. I’m not sure a race day could be any more perfect than today, but we’re ready to come back next year and see if we can add even more excitement to this great event.”

Firestone “Tire-ific” Move of the Race: This $10,000 prize is awarded after each IndyCar Series race to the driver best utilizing his or her Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event. Nominees from today’s race are: Ryan Hunter-Reay, for his nifty pass of lapped traffic to retain the lead and go on to win; Mario Moraes, for a quiet but spectacular drive from 15th starting position to finish sixth; and Justin Wilson, who recovered from a lengthy pit stop to replace a broken front wing to finish second. Fans can vote this week at www.indycar.com to determine the winner.

- Firestone Racing, Press Release