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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012 Second IndyCar season will be quite different from first By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF James Hinchcliffe spent his rookie season answering the question about the difference between IndyCar and IndyCar Lights. Now, with a year on North America's top open-wheel racing circuit under his belt, what has the Oakville Trafalgar grad learned that will benefit him this year? "Very little, actually," Hinchcliffe said with a chuckle. "So much has changed this year. I've got a new team, new teammates, a new car with a new engine. There's not a lot to relate to." There will certainly be adjustments to be made this season, but every driver will have to adjust to a new car. It is a design that Hinchcliffe says teams will be able to tweak far more than last year. There are also two new manufacturers supplying engines for the circuit. Hinchcliffe will use one of those new turbo-charged engines from Chevrolet. Last year, every team raced with the same Dallara chassis and Honda engine. "You could pretty much ballpark where everyone on the grid was going to finish, within a couple of places," Hinchcliffe said. Joining a veteran outfit like Andretti Autosport will definitely help ease the transition. Andretti is one of only three teams to run three cars -- Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the other drivers -- giving it more track time and information to set up its cars. That could prove to be a big advantage. Hinchcliffe, who will drive the green No. 27 Go Daddy car, said pre-season testing has gone well. "My first impression is that it's quick. There's more downforce," he said. "It's definitely better on road courses. On ovals, there will be slower speeds, but that means instead of going 220 (miles per hour), we'll be going 210, which is still really friggin' quick." And despite what he says, Hinchcliffe won't exactly be starting from scratch when the season opens Sunday with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He missed the race last year as his sponsorship deal didn't come together in time. Still, he went on to turn in seven top10 finishes and won the IndyCar rookie of the year. And each of those races provided him with knowledge of the tracks and of other drivers and their tendencies. "I have a year of racing at this level of competition. I have a better idea of what to expect on race day," the 25-year-old said. "The cool thing is, you are always learning. Last year, it was eighth to 12th most of the time, with the occasional top-five. This year we're looking for top-fives with the occasional podium. Each race is an experience that's going to help me get there." ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER weekend in St. Petersburg. The 25-year-old Oakville Trafalgar graduate was the IndyCar rookie of the year in 2011. BACK ON TRACK: Local racer James Hinchcliffe, pictured at a recent media event in Toronto, will begin his second IndyCar season this hey've announced the first group of racers, so I'm up next. I grab a helmet and anxiously wait my turn to hit the track in the second group of qualifiers at the Hinchtown Media Challenge. I see Sportsnet's Jim Lang with something in his hand. "What's that?" I ask. "A balaclava," he says. I knew right then he was trouble. He threw out a couple of other fancy, technical racing terms like `registration desk' and `over there.' His feeble attempt to intimidate me is not going to work, though. As the first group completes their qualifying session, the names of the second group are called out...Ryan, David, Candace, Tony, Joe. No Herb? Turns out showing up early paid off in scoring a few extra minutes with the day's host, the IndyCar rookie of the year, James Hinchcliffe -- the man whose job I've come to steal. However, I also arrived before the person stationed at the door to let guests know they had to register in order to race. OK, minor setback. The people at Grand Prix Kartways are accommodating and let me run in the consolation final, start- T Hinchcliffe's racing job safe... for now ing from the back of the grid. Well, almost the back. There's this guy in a bright green Go Daddy suit behind me. (He either missed registering, too, or he just really stinks). For the race, I'm seated in kart No. 2, which as it turns out is a fitting description of my talents on the track. As we're rolling into starting position, I set my goal, beat Hinch to the first corner and maintain my position. The light turns green and three seconds later the dream is shattered. Hinchcliffe dives to the middle and slices through the field like it's the Toronto Maple Leafs' defence. So here I am -- in last place. No problem. I'll just pick off these other media types one by one. For the next three laps, I see nothing but the HSBC logo on the back of Lang's kart. I listen to this guy on the radio driving to work. He finishes work before I start. It's almost noon, so he's probably about to fall asleep any minute. Yet, I can't get by him. How is Ryann Rigsby from Andretti Autosport ever going to report back to Michael Andretti about the young (relative to Betty White, anyway) phenom from Canada if he spends the day stuck in traffic. Hinch isn't going to tell them. Job security is tough enough in the racing game. "C'mon Lang," I yell inside my helmet. It's bad enough this guy monopolizes the media -- he's on the radio, he's on TV, See Driver, page 25