Saturday
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Qualified 8th and 25th For The Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300
Press Release
Today’s session didn’t go the way Justin Wilson had hoped. The Brit diligently chipped away all day and was working hard to make it into the Firestone Fast Six. He advanced to the Fast Twelve, but unfortunately he fought balance issues with the No. 22 HP machine and did not advance to the Firestone Fast Six. Wilson will start 8th (1:22.6471, 110.465 mph). At last year’s Brazil race, Wilson started on the second row in 3rd position and finished in 11th place.
After breaking her scaphoid bone at the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Florida a month ago, Beatriz had a two week break to rest her wrist before jumping in the car for her home race. The Brazilian soldiered through the practice sessions and kept her head down as she qualified the Ipiranga car. The morning and afternoon practice sessions were meant for Bia to get more track time under her belt. As qualifying rolled around, the Brazilian didn’t quite get the grip she was hoping for and as a result clocked a time of 1:24.8246 (107.629 mph) and will start 25th.
Last year, Ana Beatriz made her IZOD IndyCar Series debut at her home race in Brazil. With limited track time, the Brazilian driver was quick to impress her home crowd. The 26-year old proved that she was ready to be in the IZOD IndyCar Series as she was the highest finishing rookie and female for the season opener on the streets of São Paulo in 2010. She also made the Brazilian fans proud as she became the first Brazilian female race-car driver. Beatriz qualified 22nd and finished 13th for last year’s event.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will be on track tomorrow for the Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 in São Paulo, Brazil. The race telecast will air live on Sunday, May 1st at 12:00 pm (ET) live on VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, Sirius and XM channel 94. For more updates on the team, please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.
What they have to say…
Justin Wilson, No. 22 HP: “Unfortunately, we didn’t make the Firestone Fast Six today. It’s a shame because we have been okay all day. I thought that we had a little bit more in it, but we just couldn’t get the balance where we liked it for qualifying. It’s how it goes. We’ve made three out of four Firestone Fast Six’s so far, which apart from Will (Power) that’s not a bad average. We have some work to do. We’ve got to try and make the car a little bit quicker and a little bit better. All in all, I think we made good progress today. We made some positive steps and moved forward. I think it’s been good, but the competition level is high and it’s pretty tight. It’s disappointing, but I think we have a good race car.”
Ana Beatriz, No. 24 Ipiranga: “Well, the session was a little bit disappointing for us. We thought with the Firestone “red” tires we could gain more time and we didn’t. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that much grip and I couldn’t put a lap together. We were a little bit disappointed in some of the corners, I think we should be better tomorrow. My wrist still hurts a little bit especially when the track grips up and you have to be more aggressive, so we’ll see for tomorrow. It’s frustrating because we didn’t have a very good session.”
About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is entering its 12th season of full-time competition in 2011, making it one of the longest-tenured teams in IZOD IndyCar Series competition. Current Co-Owners, Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl, first teamed in full-time competition at the Walt Disney World Speedway in January of 2000. With Buhl behind the wheel, the two owners tasted victory in their debut race. The 2009 IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener, on the streets of St. Petersburg, marked Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s 200th series start. DRR now has over 270 starts to tuck under its belt and has qualified a total of 27 cars for the Indianapolis 500. In its history, the team has boasted a championship list of alumni drivers. Besides Buhl, the team has run Indianapolis 500 winners, Al Unser, Jr., Buddy Lazier, and Buddy Rice, along with IZOD IndyCar Series race winner, Ryan Briscoe. The team has one of the longest lines of heritage in American open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 as Dennis Reinbold’s grandfather, “Pop” Dreyer, built leading roadsters that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
More information on the team can be found at www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.
More information on the IZOD IndyCar Series can be found at www.indycar.com.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Press Release
Article Tags: Ana Beatriz, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle, IZOD, IZOD IndyCar Series, Justin Wilson, Streets of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
