Castroneves on pole for the Indy 500

Benefiting from pole position for the Indianapolis 500 is not always a guarantee of safety, but Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) has just left its mark on the history of the race. Three times winner (2001, 2002, 2009) of the event, Helio Castroneves has just won his fourth pole on the 2,5 mile ring, after 2003, 2007 and 2009.

In 2009, the pole and then the victory of Helio Castroneves sounded like revenge, after a very difficult winter linked to a trial during which the Brazilian was accused of tax evasion.

This season, Helio Castroneves started timidly in IndyCar Series, before winning in the Barber Motorsports Park race, the third meeting of the season. He currently occupies third place in the general ranking of the discipline.

The Brazilian will therefore have the opportunity, during the Indianapolis 500, to consolidate his position in the IndyCar Series standings. But above all, he will be able to further mark the history of the race, being in a position to record a fourth success. He could thus share the record for the number of victories in this race with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser.

On the front row, Castroneves will meet Will Power (Team Penske) and Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) next weekend. On the second row, Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) is ahead of Alex Tagliani (FAZZT) and Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing).

The Belgian Bertrand Baguette, Formula champion Renault 3.5 Series and who is participating in his first Indy 500, ranked 24th, the last position to conquer this Saturday. On Sunday, drivers not qualified among the first 24 will compete for places 25 to 33 on the grid.