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E.J. Viso: Preparation & Performance

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

4.10.13 (via LatinoSports.com) – How do you prepare physically for a race?

Well the physical preparation – it’s always an important one. Human beings need physical activity. One side is the cardiovascular and the other is muscular. For the cardiovascular, I normally do long runs of long lengths. At a minimum, I usually run 12 kilometers. Normally I stay in the range of 12 – 20 kilometers. That’s what I normally do for training! At the same time, swimming is great…cycling. Anything where you can keep your heart rate up.

How do you prepare mentally for a race?

I’ve been training with a sports psychologist for many years. He just passed away not long ago, but I carry over all the knowledge from the years we worked together. We have different techniques where I can put my mindset in different areas depending on where I need to be. Some of them are for relaxation, some are for concentration, some are just to bring yourself up.

One of the biggest things I remember from him always coaching me was on the level where you should keep your emotions. He said if we can manage our emotions from 1 – 10, the key is always staying around number seven. You will never want to be up to number ten even if you are extremely excited.

But at the same time, you never want to go one if you are in a bad moment – you always want to stay around seven. So doing those exercises are normally the things I try to do. They’re good because when we are around number seven, it’s when we make the best decisions.

When we are under seven, we think more with our head. But when we are above seven, we think more with our heart. Of course the perfect decision will be coming when you make a decision combining both. That’s where merging around seven, it’s going to happen.

The Rise of Ryan Hunter-Reay

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

4.8.13 (via INDYCAR Nation) – Occasionally in the sporting world, we get to witness the birth of a star. In baseball, you could point to a highly-sought prospect such as Bryce Harper. In football, you might point to a sterling rookie, such as Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.

Sometimes, the transformation to star isn’t an immediate thing. Not every athlete comes with a sure-fire pedigree, and even the ones that do don’t necessarily pan out. At times, there is a refinement, a slow realization of potential that transforms that potential into real stardom.

What we have seen from Ryan Hunter-Reay since last season falls into the latter category. The IZOD IndyCar Series’ most recent champion did not start out as a star. In fact, fans can easily recall days of frustration, of bouncing from team to team, and a general perception of poor luck and circumstance interrupting positive development.

Even as he grew into his full-time ride with Andretti Autosport, Hunter-Reay had drawbacks, races where the frustration from the school of hard knocks was palpable. There were the ups and downs in ChampCar, the Vision Racing and Foyt outsourcing, and even the brutal Bump Day events as late as 2011.

How remote did the possibility of Ryan Hunter-Reay as champion seem back then? How far did that goal seem with what we knew of RHR and his struggles? He had worked through a number of shaky rides, had never been with a top-tier team, and seemed to be one of those drivers capable of winning now and again, but not real championship material.

Yet slowly, a transformation took place. The Ryan Hunter-Reay that won Sunday at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was on top of his game, with a sort of serenity and unbroken display of talent that comes from the realization of excellence. Hunter-Reay won’t win every week, but the off weeks are handled well, mistakes are minimized, and when he’s on his game, he’s as good as there is.

Trackside Update: Victory in Alabama

Monday, April 8th, 2013

4.7.13 – After a strong start to the season, Andretti Autosport continued its winning streak this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. Respectively, Andretti Autosport drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Carlos Muñoz won the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and Legacy Indy Lights 100 on Sunday, giving the team three wins overall on the 2013 campaign.

Defending series champ Ryan Hunter-Reay got back to form Sunday, winning his first race since Baltimore last September, completing a near perfect weekend which saw him take the Verizon P1 Pole Award, then keep the field behind him as he took the checkered flag. After battling throughout the race with Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Will Power, Hunter-Reay was able to track down leader Castroneves and pass him on lap 75 of 90. “(Helio’s) tire strategy worked in our favor. We had new reds on when he had blacks on, and he was just a sitting duck at that point. I just kept patient and made it happen when I needed to. It was very challenging out there today.” Today was Ryan’s 10th career win and his first at Barber Motosports Park.

Marco Andretti continued to show his competitive nature this weekend by tallying another top-ten finish for the 2013 season. Throughout the weekend, Marco seemingly progressed during every on-track session. Starting inside the fourth row, Marco spent his day fighting his way through tough competition, and climbed his way as high as third, but sufficed for a seventh-place finish, his second top 10 in two races thus far. “I thought the RC Cola car was quicker on track than where we ended up. Not finding the podium is always tough to swallow, but having back-to-back top-10 finishes keeps us in a good position going into Long Beach.” Marco will bring the RC Cola Chevy to Long Beach in the top five in points, and will look to keep the No. 25 in position for a championship run.

Although E.J. Viso did not have the weekend he had hoped, the 28-year-old Venezuelan is not discouraged and is proud of his teammates. “Probably not the race that we wanted,” he commented. “Anyways, we stayed out of trouble and we did all we could. Unfortunately in our race there were not many (yellow) flags to give us any margins to risk and to work on strategies. It was a very clean race. Not much action on track – just trying to keep the pace with the others. That’s about it. I’m very happy for Ryan – he won the race! Hopefully my turn is coming soon.” After qualifying in 16th, Viso approached the 90-lap race with an open mind and ended up finishing in 12th – picking up two spots on the final lap as he approached the twin checkers.

Following his first career win at St. Petersburg, James Hinchliffe looked poised to establish himself as the man to beat in 2013, but unfortunately a tough result in qualifying and a first lap incident ended his day early. Heading into Turn 8 on the opening lap, Graham Rahal bumped into the back of Oriol Servia, who then ran into James. Although nothing broke immediately, something broke in the left rear shortly thereafter, and James lost drive. The safety crew began to tow the No. 27 Go Daddy Chevy towards pit lane, but a tire rolled off at Turn 5. The series made the decision to leave Hinch behind the wall and would tow him back at the next yellow; that yellow never came. “Certainly not the race that we wanted, but it wasn’t really our weekend at all,” said a frustrated mayor of Hinchtown. “It’s too bad because I think the strategy we had with the tires was going to be a good one, and obviously the car was strong with Ryan bringing home the win. It sucked to have to sit there – praying for a yellow, staying in the car, hoping we’d get the car back to the pits and maybe salvage a position or two. But ultimately it didn’t work out for us.” Hinchcliffe will still remain among the top of the charts in the points chase, but gave up a good amount of ground with his 26th-place finish. Still, James looks forward to ridding the demons at Long Beach, where he recorded his first top-five finish in 2011. “There’s nothing else you can do at this point – put it behind us and move on to Long Beach, and try to put the Go Daddy car into a better position.”

Firestone Indy Lights driver Carlos Munoz had a successful weekend at Barber Motorsports Park capturing both the pole position (his second consecutive) and the win in Sunday's 40-lap race. This is the third career Firestone Indy Lights victory for the Colombian. Teammate and K12 driver Zach Veach turned the fastest lap of the Firestone Indy Lights Legacy 100 race at Barber Motorsports Park, but that wasn't enough to secure the promising rookie a spot atop the podium. Instead, Veach had a cut tire early on in the race which would send him to pit lane for service. The 18-year-old managed to finish the race, recording a ninth-place finish when the checkered flag flew.

Team owner Michael Andretti was ecstatic with the team’s results this weekend. “It really was a perfect weekend. We got the pole in both races and the win both races and led most of the laps, you can’t ask for much more than that. I’m really happy and proud of the whole DHL crew and of the Firestone Indy Lights team. Everyone did a great job all weekend.”

The IZOD IndyCar and Firestone Indy Lights series will head to the streets of Long Beach for round three of competition in two-weeks’ time. James Hinchcliffe recorded his first career podium finish at the famed street circuit in 2012 while Ryan Hunter-Reay captured the checkered flags in Southern California in 2010.

In the meantime keep up to date on all things Andretti Autosport by joining us on Twitter (@FollowAndretti) and don't forget to 'Like' us on Facebook where you can enter to be our featured Fan of the Week.

Posted in Andretti Autosport, Firestone Indy Lights, IZOD Indycar Series | No Comments »

Hunter-Reay grabs pole for IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

(via USAToday.com) Leeds, Ala. — Two weekends ago, Ryan Hunter-Reay couldn't get his car into first gear. On Saturday, he couldn't keep it off the pole.

Thirteen days after gearbox and throttle problems kept him from properly defending his championship in the IZOD IndyCar Series season opener, Hunter-Reay rebounded with a rousing run to the pole position for Sunday's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Hunter-Reay wheeled the No. 1 Andretti Autosport Chevrolet/Dallara around the 16-turn, 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course in 1:07.0871, making up for his 18th-place finish March 24 in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Fla.

"We knew where we needed to work on it," Hunter-Reay said. "I really went to work on my driving as well, and we all did it together here. It's a great position to start from, and now we need to go make it work in warmup and for the race."

Click here to read more.

Posted in IZOD Indycar Series | No Comments »

Trackside Update: Qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park

Sunday, April 7th, 2013

4.6.13- With Sunday's Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama looming, all four of Andretti Autosport's IZOD IndyCar Series drivers took to the track at Barber Motorsports Park this morning for qualifications. Results varied for the four, but all are optimistic about their chance for Sunday afternoon's 90-lap race, as the team looks for a another victory, as James Hinchcliffe took at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg two weeks ago.

After a disappointing start to the season in Florida, Ryan Hunter-Reay responded by taking the Verizon P1 pole award – his first since the Edmonton Indy in July 2012. "You know this team has done so well this weekend – we just kept progressing," said the defending series champ. Ryan was the only Andretti Autosport driver in the Firestone Fast Six and did not disappoint. Very happy with the result, but recognizing the challenge of tomorrow's Grand Prix, Hunter-Reay made sure to not get complacent. "Now we gottamake these Firestones (tires) hang in there for the entire race. It's a very challenging track. It rewards aggressiveness, but if you step over just a little bit too far on the setup or on driving, it'll definitely punish you."

Ryan was obviously the fastest Andretti Autosport car today but dealt credit to his teammates who helped with the pole-winning setup. "I have three great teammates, four of us overall, working together in one direction. It's a good way to, hopefully, start off our season."

Marco Andretti was next up for the Andretti Autosport team as he qualified eighth with his RC Cola Chevy, but will start seventh because of a penalty to a fellow driver. "We did a great job getting up to speed," said the longest tenured Andretti Autosport driver. "I got everything out of the RC Cola car that I needed." Like Hunter-Reay, Marco is thinking positive for another strong result in Barber after his podium in St. Petersburg. "It's always disappointing to finish just outside of the Firestone Fast Six, but I think we have a great car trimmed out and we will be ready for Sunday."

Starting 16th on Sunday will be Team Venezuela's E.J. Viso. The Venezuelan was looking forward to qualifying well today, but some grip issues prevented those aspirationsas he will roll off from row eight. "We didn't find the speed we were looking for with the red set of tires (Firestone alternate red tires). Surprisingly we did lack a lot of grip." However, E.J. is optimistic that the long race will provide ample opportunity to find that sweet spot for a fast race car, and the 28-year-old will look to be aggressive to pick up spots when he can. "I believe we have a very strong car. Tomorrow is going to be a long race, a long day. We will be working hard with the strategies and having a good race craft, making every single move on track that we can."

This also wasn't the qualifying result James Hinchcliffe was looking for after his first career win in St. Petersburg. Despite being extremely quick in the open test at Barber during Spring Training, the Go Daddy team has struggled to find speed so far this weekend. The mayor of Hinchtown will start 20th on Sunday. "We didn't have the quickest car, but had enough for Q2 … got held up by another car and ended up getting knocked out." Hinch remained optimistic as usualand looked to an advantage he has over some of his competitors. "It's frustrating but we've got an extra set of reds than most (those who qualified ahead of him) in the race and maybe degradation will come into it tomorrow." The current championship points leader is still confident he and his team can make the adjustments necessary to earn a strong result tomorrow. "W e'll keep fighting and hopefully get the Go Daddy car up in a good position by the end of the day."

As for Andretti Autosport's Firestone Indy Lights drivers, the day went quite well. Carlos Muñoz led the field for pole – his second consecutive, and Zach Veach wound up fifth for tomorrow's Legacy Indy Lights 100.

Muñoz was very happy with the team's effort in preparing a fast car, helping to earn him his third career Firestone Indy Lights Sunoco Pole Award. His fast lap of 1:13.8509 is a track record in a Firestone Indy Lights car, and was recorded with 17 minutes remaining in the 45-minute session. Carlos finished seventh in St. Petersburg and will fight for his third career race win tomorrow.

Zach Veach will participate in his second career Firestone Indy Lights race tomorrow from the fifth starting spot. After holding the top spot for a short while, Zach dropped back a few positions. The team decided to put on a new set of tires to make a run for pole, and with two minutes left, Zach was running a lap good enough for third place on the starting grid. Unfortunately a red flag brought out by Gabby Chavez stalled that run and ended the session. Chavez was positioned fourth at the time of the incident, and lost his best lap, but since his second best lap was still slightly quicker than Veach's best, the positions remain the same. The young American finished fifth in St. Petersburgand will look for a strong result on Sunday.

You can catch all the action from Birmingham starting at 2 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640). Coverage will begin with the airing of Sunday's Firestone Indy Lights race and be followed by all of the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage starting at 3 p.m. If you can't make it to the television, listen along with the broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, on SiriusXM (Channel 211) and www.IndyCar.com.

Be sure to follow the official Andretti Autosport Twitter feed (@FollowAndretti) for live twitter coverage and a behind-the-scenes look at race day from Barber Motorsports Park.

Posted in Firestone Indy Lights, IZOD Indycar Series | No Comments »

Marco Andretti hoping offseason work leads to wins

Friday, April 5th, 2013

4.4.13 (via USAToday.com) – Marco Andretti spent much of IndyCar's offseason trying to figure out what was keeping him from the winner's circle

Marco Andretti thinks people have the wrong idea about his comfort level with the status quo.

The scion of one of the great racing families insists his desire to win isn't at all diminished by the apparent job security of working for his father, Michael Andretti, at Andretti Autosport.

In fact, Andretti spent the offseason examining what was holding him back in IndyCar and worked with a coach overseas.

"Just one win every couple of years is not enough for me, obviously," Andretti said Thursday. "I'm very competitive. I just want people to know I'm not going home satisfied. I'm not going home happy. And I shouldn't. That's often a misperception of me is exactly that. I'm not happy until we are in victory circle on a regular basis. We've been knocking on the door. We've been leading the wrong laps, though."

Andretti certainly knocked on the door with a third-place finish in the season opener at St. Petersburg, his first top-five finish on a street course since Toronto in 2011. Perhaps he can check off one key goal of the offseason work: Improving in street races.

Andretti enters Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Alabama with renewed confidence after a performance that "almost felt like a win."

EMERGING MEN’S FASHION LINE JOINS RACING CHAMPIONS

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS (April 4, 2013) - Four time IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Andretti Autosport and emerging men's fashion line Luna-C Clothing have joined forces to bring high-end men's apparel to the IndyCar paddock. Luna-C clothing combines trackside materials and sophisticated engineering to incorporate the finest components of open-wheel racing. Recently named one of the 10 "hottest new brands" by MR magazine, Luna-C is joining Andretti as the official after hours fashion supplier to Michael Andretti and the Andretti Autosport IZOD IndyCar Series drivers.

"I was impressed by the Luna-C clothing line right from the start," said Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport president, chairman and CEO. "We strive to separate ourselves from the pack on track and this upscale, edgy look is a perfect to set us apart from the pack off track too. I look forward to further developing our brands together."

Luna-C is an innovative company that produces automobile influenced, technology infused, racing inspired clothing. From utilizing exclusive, state of the art fabric technologies, to incorporating elements such as carbon fiber, Luna-C produces truly distinct garments perfect for the automobile enthused.

"We are pleased to announce our relationship with Andretti Autosport," said Luna-C CEO Lee Davis. "We were impressed when we met with Michael and the other members of the Andretti team. Andretti's legacy of winning is legendary, and their reputation for quality, technology, innovation, and high performance makes for a perfect match with Luna-C. As evidenced by the first race at St. Pete, the team looks great on track… it's up to us to make them look good when they're off the track! We're looking forward to working with Michael to create some awesome clothing that makes a winning statement. Stay tuned!"

Luna-C is the brainchild of gentleman racing driver Lee Davis, who leads a team of creative specialists who have been involved with some of the world's leading brands. Through its team of sales representatives, Luna-C is distributed to select upscale men's stores in the U.S., and available online at www.LunaCclothing.com.

For more information please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com or www.LunaCclothing.com.

Posted in Andretti Autosport, IZOD Indycar Series | No Comments »

Don’t Miss Out! – Week of April 1, 2013

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Want in on the action? This is the place to find where you can see the Andretti Autosport drivers in action OFF the track. Be sure to show us your photos by sending them to our Twitter – @FollowAndretti or Facebook. (All times are CENTRAL time zone.)

THURSDAY, APRIL 4

Marco Andretti on FOX 6 Good Day Alabama
@ 7:00a.m.
Marco Andretti on Rick & Bubba Radio Show
@ 7:40a.m.
Marco Andretti on Inside Alabama Racing Radio
@ 8:20a.m.
Marco Andretti on Smashmouth Radio Show
@ 8:45a.m.
Marco Andretti on The Matt Murphy Radio Show
@ 10:10a.m.
Marco Andretti on WJOX Mid-Day Radio Show
@ 10:30a.m.
Marco Andretti at Food Giant
- 2200 Village Dr, Birmingham, AL
@ 12:00p.m. – 2:00p.m.
James Hinchcliffe on CHML 900AM Radio
@ 1:05p.m.
James Hinchcliffe at Legacy Credit Union
- 810 Colonial Promenade Parkway, Alabaster, AL
@ 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m.
E.J. Viso on NBC Alabama's 13
@ 6:30p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5

James Hinchcliffe on FOX 6 Good Day Alabama
@ 8:30a.m.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6

Zach Veach & Carlos Munoz
Firestone Indy Lights Autograph Session
- INDYCAR Fan Village
@ 11:00a.m. – 11:30a.m.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, E.J. Viso, Marco Andretti & James Hinchcliffe
at IZOD IndyCar Series Autograph Session
– INDYCAR Fan Village
@ 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, E.J. Viso, Marco Andretti & James Hinchcliffe
at Andretti Autosport Twitter Chat
- @RyanHunterReay, @EJViso, @MarcoAndretti, @Hinchtown
#AskAndretti
@ 2:15p.m. – 2:45p.m.

Posted in Andretti Autosport, IZOD Indycar Series | No Comments »

EJ Viso: Five Questions

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

IZOD IndyCar Series fans are in for a treat as Venezuelan race car driver, E.J. Viso took a moment from his schedule to offer us a glimpse of the life of a race car driver. A driver since the age of five, Viso began his racing career at age five driving go-karts in his native Venezuela.

Now in his sixth IndyCar season and first with Andretti Autosport during the 2013 IZOD IndyCar season, the 28-year-old driver pilost the No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA CITGO Chevrolet.

Coming off a 2012 season where the Venezuelan native achieved four top-10 finishes and one top-five finish with a best finish at the Milwaukee IndyFest coming in fifth, Viso is currently ranked #7 in the IndyCar Standings following the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Talk about the practice sessions

We were fast, and we had a pretty good base setup, which little by little we evolved. Things were good – working with Ryan, James and Marco to better each of our setups was a great advantage for all of us.

Viso posts strong rebound in St. Pete

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

3.28.13 (via MotorSportsTalk) – EJ Viso rebounded from a difficult start to his St. Petersburg weekend to score a top-10 finish, nearly a top-five, in his first start with Andretti Autosport.

Viso, who is in his sixth IndyCar season but first under the Team Venezuela/Andretti/HVM banner, had something break on the car in Saturday morning practice that sent him into the wall and left the team scrambling to repair the car.

“We screwed him up on Saturday,” said Viso’s team principal Michael Andretti. “We made the mistake with something in the practice, and then also in qualifying it was a mistake on his car. He didn’t deserve to be where he was on the grid.”

But from 22nd on the grid, Viso methodically worked forward and edged past Justin Wilson late in the going for seventh, and nearly eclipsed Scott Dixon and Simona de Silvestro on the last lap.