IndyCar – Multiple contenders at Long Beach

The Grand Prix of Long Beach (California) will be the scene of the third race of the seasonIndyCar. This event saw Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) win in 2015, but Will Power (Team Penske) and Sébastien Bourdais (KVSH Racing) have already won there several times.

The four-time champion will aim for a second consecutive victory after his success on the Phoenix (Arizona) oval which allowed him to climb into second place in the Championship. “It’s one of the best urban circuits and I hope to achieve the same feat as last year”, commented the New Zealander who started from third position last year.

The driver of the No. 12 DW9 will nevertheless have to be wary of the Team Penske drivers since the team has won five of the last seven poles on the Californian circuit. After missing the season opener in St Petersburg (Florida), Will Power will be particularly motivated by the idea of ​​achieving a third success.

“I was happy to get such a good result in Phoenix (3rd) where my season really started”, declared the Australian, only 20th in Long Beach last year but winner in 2008 and 2012. “The No. 12 proved to be competitive at Long Beach, but we sometimes lacked success as was the case last year when we missed qualifying and had problems in the race. »

simon pagenaud will look to maintain the lead in the Championship. After obtaining two second places at the start of the year, the Penske driver dreams of a first success. “It’s still very early in the season and I really want to win… Long Beach always offers difficult races and it is very important to qualify well to hope to progress to the front”, explained Poitevin.

His compatriot Sébastien Bourdais will have more difficulty aiming for success, but the Frenchman can still hope for a good result. “We had promising performances in St Petersburg before having problems in the race…”, recalled the four-time Champ Car champion, triple winner of the event from 2005 to 2007. “I have had many successes in Long Beach, but the last few years have been more difficult for me between the mistakes and the lack of performances. That being said, I achieved a satisfactory sixth place in 2015.”

The Long Beach Grand Prix will be followed live on Canal+ Sport on Sunday April 17 from 22:25 p.m.