Takuma Sato, of Japan, celebrates as he crosses the Yard of Bricks to win the Indianapolis 500 auto race
Takuma Sato had victory in sight once before at the Indianapolis 500. When he attempted a last-lap pass, Sato lost control of his car, crashed and Dario Franchitti went on to his third victory in “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”
In nearly the same position five years later, Sato leaned on lessons learned in that 2012 defeat and became the first Japanese driver to win the Indianapolis 500.
“I do feel after 2012 that I really needed to correct something I left over,” Sato said. “In 2012, going into Turn 1 with Dario was a big risk. But you always learn something from those situations, and this time we proved we had what it takes.”
In winning for just the second time in IndyCar, Sato had to hold off Helio Castroneves over the closing laps Sunday to deny the veteran a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 victory. The two swapped the lead, and Castroneves made one last attempt at a pass for the win that he couldn’t make stick.
“When Helio was coming with three laps to go, on a big charge into Turn 1, we went side-by-side,” Sato said. “But this time I ended up still pointing in the right direction and still leading. It was job done, and the last two laps the car worked beautifully.”
The win was the second straight for Andretti Autosport in the Indy 500 and third in the last four years. An Andretti driver has now won the 500 five times overall dating to 2005 with the late Dan Wheldon.
Last year, it was with rookie Alexander Rossi. This time it was with Sato, who joined the team this season and had largely been overlooked at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Andretti camp expanded to six cars for the 500 to add Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 champion who brought massive European interest to the race.
Six cars never seemed to spread the team too thin, and the main issue facing Andretti Autosport was the reliability of its Honda engines. Alonso put on a thrilling show and even led 27 laps but he was sent to the paddock when his engine blew with 20 laps remaining.
Still, his race was spectacular and Alonso simply fell victim to his engine late in the race. The crowd gave the Spaniard a standing ovation as he climbed from his car.
“It’s a very nice surprise to come here with big names, big guys, the best in open-wheel racing and be competitive,” said Alonso, who didn’t rule out a return.
“The last two weeks, I came here basically to prove myself, to challenge myself,” Alonso added. “I know that I can be as quick as anyone in an F1 car. I didn’t know if I can be as quick as anyone in an Indy car.”
The Honda teams had a clear horsepower advantage over Chevrolet, but things were dicey in Indy for more than a week and certainly on race day: Before Alonso’s failure, 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay lost his engine and so did Charlie Kimball. Hunter-Reay led 28 laps and was a strong contender late.
Still, Honda had the winning engine at the end and six of the top 10.
“I’m really happy for Honda. They worked really hard to get us here,” team owner Michael Andretti said. “I know how big this news is going to be tomorrow when they wake up in Japan. It’s going to be huge. I’m really happy for them, that we were able to give them a win with our Japanese driver here.”
In a Chevrolet for Team Penske, Castroneves briefly took the lead but couldn’t hold it as Sato grabbed it back. Castroneves was disappointed to fall short of the four-time winners club — particularly since it was his third runner-up finish.
“Being second again sucks, being so close to getting my fourth,” Castroneves said. “I’m really trying. I’m not giving up this dream and I know it’s going to happen.”
Ed Jones finished a career-best third and was followed by Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan, the highest finishers for Chip Ganassi Racing.
A joyful Sato dumped a bottle of 2 percent milk over his head, received a kiss from the Indy 500 Princess and raised his finger in the air. Andretti ran down pit lane to reach Sato’s crew, then rushed to hug his driver. Even Franchitti made his way to victory lane to congratulate Sato, who was eager to see the impact of his win at home in Japan.
“This is going to be mega big,” he predicted. “A lot of the Japanese fans are following the IndyCar Series and many, many flew over for the Indianapolis 500. We showed the great result today and I am very proud of it.” Jenna Fryer, Indianapolis, AP
F1 champion Alonso swigs milk at Indy, just not as winner
Fernando Alonso (center)
Surrounded by cameras and flashing cellphones, Fernando Alonso picked up a carton of milk and took a huge swig. For much of the Indianapolis 500, it looked like the two-time Formula One champion would have a chance to perform the celebratory routine in the winner’s circle.
The 35-year-old Alonso led 27 laps in his much-hyped Indy 500 debut — the third most behind Max Chilton and Ryan Hunter-Reay — before a blown Honda engine ended his day 20 laps shy of the finish line.
It was a disappointing finish to an impressive month for the Spaniard.
“I didn’t won, but I will drink a little bit of milk,” Alonso said, thanking the media for covering his every move. “You follow me for two weeks every single minute, but I really enjoy. Thanks for the welcoming.”
Alonso announced last month he would take a break from a subpar F1 season and skip the Monaco Grand Prix to race in the Indy 500 for Andretti Autosport. His presence drew worldwide interest for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and surely provided a television ratings boost for IndyCar’s premier event.
Alonso anticipates a return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After all, he wants to become the second driver to secure auto racing’s “Triple Crown,” which means winning at Monaco, at Indy and at the 24 Hours of LeMans.
“Definitely, yes,” Alonso said. “If I come back here, at least I know how it is, everything, and it will not be the first time I do restarts and pit stops and these kinds of things. It will be easier, let’s say, adaptations. … I need to keep pursuing this challenge because winning the Indy 500 is not completed.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown raved about Alonso’s first IndyCar race.
“It was outstanding,” Brown said. “Fernando didn’t put a wheel wrong, showed what a world-class world champion he is today. … I think not many race-car drivers in this world are brave enough to do what Fernando just did. Not just from a physical standpoint, but the whole world was watching Fernando race today. He put himself out there and exposed himself, delivered the goods, which isn’t a surprise to anyone that has watched Fernando race.”
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