IndyCar – Dario Franchitti wins pole at Sonoma

Will he finally win this season? If Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) signed his fourth pole position of the season in Sonoma in IndyCar Series, the Scot is still waiting for a success this year, which could be the 32nd of his career. Regardless, the four-time champion of the discipline will get off to an ideal start in California since he recorded the best qualifying time on Saturday, 1:17??5271, just ahead of his teammate Scott Dixon, in 1:17 ??7196. Will Power (Team Penske) completes the top-3, while Ryan-Hunter Reay (Andretti Autosport), the reigning champion of the discipline, 4th, is ahead of the currently best placed in the Drivers ranking to succeed him this year: the Brazilian Helio Castroneves (Team Penske), 5th.

In the event of a victory for Franchitti, who, like his teammate Dixon, has already won at Sonoma in the past, this could be the fifth victory in a row for Chip Ganassi Racing on the Californian circuit. This would also be the 10th different winner this season.

With the French, simon pagenaud (Schmidt Hamilton HP) will start from 10th place, two places better than Sébastien Bourdais (Dragon Racing), qualified in 12th position. Last of the three French drivers competing, Tristan Vautier (Schmidt Hamilton) will start 14th. For his first appearance in IndyCar, the German Lucas Luhr (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing), five-time ALMS champion, admits that he has difficulty. He qualified in 25th and last position. Requisitioned by Barracuda Racing after being fired by Panther Racing after the Indianapolis 500 last May, JR Hildebrand could not do better than 18th.