Catchfence

Wilson to Make Oval Racing Debut

After the opening three Firestone Indy Lights races of the season were all held on street and road courses, the action now switches to the ovals and the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway which will host Round Four tomorrow (Friday, May 28). The Freedom 100 will serve as an accompaniment to the traditional “Carb Day” festivities that lead up to the Memorial Day weekend’s 94th running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Bryan Herta Autosport drivers Stefan Wilson and Sebastian Saavedra already have one podium finish apiece to their credit this year and currently lie sixth and fifth, respectively, in the championship standings.

The pair concentrated on their race setups during this morning’s practice sessions, and remain optimistic despite qualifying only 12th and 13th for tomorrow’s 40-lap race, which will start at 12 noon. Live television coverage will be provided by VERSUS. All the ontrack action also can be followed at www.indycar.com.

Of Note:

• · Wilson will be making his very first oval track start
• · Wilson was present at Indianapolis last year, accompanying his older brother, Justin Wilson, who started 15th and was classified 23rd in the Indianapolis 500
• · Saavedra is only the third driver ever – and by far the youngest – to attempt the “double” by racing both in the Freedom 100 and the Indianapolis 500
• · Saavedra will start 33rd for the Indy 500 despite a heavy crash during practice on a dramatic Bump Day
• · Saavedra qualified fifth for the Indy Lights race at Indy last year and led three laps en route to a fifth-place finish, driving for AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing

Freedom 100 Qualifying Results:

1.   Pippa Mann                         187.989 mph

2.   Wade Cunningham               187.742 mph

3.   Charlie Kimball                    187.375 mph

12. Sebastian Saavedra             185.284 mph

13. Stefan Wilson                      184.085 mph

Stefan Wilson, #28 BHA Dallara/Firestone: “I was in Indianapolis for the whole of May last year to cheer on my brother and watch the race. I loved it. The atmosphere and the amount of people was just incredible. This is going to be my first oval race, my first time racing at Indy, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve done a few oval tests and enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and experiencing it for myself. It’s going to be a really big challenge and I just want to keep level-headed. The goal is just to finish the race, run every lap and learn as much as possible and concentrate on getting the best finish I can.” On qualifying 13th: “We have been working during practice on a race setup, so we kind of expected to be a bit off in qualifying, but hopefully it will pay off for us tomorrow in the race.”

AT-A-GLANCE… 20 years old from Sheffield, England… currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana… younger brother of IZOD IndyCar Series race winner Justin Wilson… will be making his ninth Firestone Indy Lights start… contested a partial season with First Racing/Walker Racing in 2009 earning a best finish of fourth at Toronto from six starts… tested the 2008 McLaren-Mercedes championship-winning Formula 1 car in the fall of 2009 as part of his prize for winning the 2007 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award… finished fourth in the National Class of British Formula 3 in 2008 with three poles and four wins… finished second in 2007 Formula Palmer Audi competition – his first full season of car racing – with four wins and nine podium finishes… at age 17 became the youngest-ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award and youngest-ever member of the British Racing Drivers Club…made his car racing debut in 2006 in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy… started racing cadet karts at age 9.

Sebastian Saavedra, #29 William Rast Dallara/Firestone: “It was very hot out there. I think the hottest it has been so far, and that really affects the setup. Qualifying was a bit disappointing, for sure, but we have been concentrating on the race setup so I’m sure we will have a good car tomorrow.” How are you feeling after your big crash on Bump Day? “I have a sore neck, but for everything else I feel wonderful.” How difficult has it been to adapt between the two cars? “It’s been very hard actually. Jumping from one car to the other is quite a challenge. It’s something that, setup wise, doesn’t help because the changes you might make for an Indy car don’t work on an Indy Lights car, and vice versa, but we’re getting used to it. In an Indy Lights car, you have to be more careful with everything you do with the steering wheel because any slight movement will make you lose time. On an Indy car everything is a lot faster and it’s more sensitive to changes.”

AT-A-GLANCE… 19 years old from Bogota, Colombia… currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana… will be making his IZOD IndyCar Series debut in the Indianapolis 500 starting 33rd… currently competes in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with BHA… earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished third in the 2009 Indy Lights Championship with AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing with two poles (St. Petersburg/Toronto), two wins (Kansas/Toronto) and seven podium finishes… finished second and was Rookie of the Year in the 2008 ATS German Formula 3 Cup with four poles, three wins and eight podium finishes… made his car racing debut in 2006 at the age of 15, contesting two years in Formula BMW winning three of six races in Asia and claiming one win, four podiums and six top-six finishes in eight rounds of U.S. competition… began racing karts at age 10 winning the Colombian championship in 2003 and finishing fourth in the Brazilian championship.

About Bryan Herta Autosport:

Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta and noted race engineer Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) debuted in Firestone Indy Lights competition in 2009 claiming one win, five top-five and 15 top-10 results. Herta, an accomplished racer, has won in every series he has contested including the IZOD IndyCar Series, American Le Mans Series and CART in addition to garnering Skip Barber Formula Ford, Barber Saab and Firestone Indy Lights championship titles. Amongst his career highlights are a third-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and victory in the LMP2 class at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2007. Newey’s racing career spans over 20 years and includes design and race engineering positions in Formula One and winning the 1992 Champ Car World Series title as the race engineer for Bobby Rahal. He was also instrumental in assembling both the Patrick Racing and Mo Nunn Racing teams. For more information, visit www.bryanhertaautosport.com.

- Bryan Herta Autosport, Press Release