Juan Pablo Montoya drives Chevy to a second Indy 500 victory

Montoya passes teammate Will Power for the win at the Brickyard

The old guy ruled Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who turns 40 in September, joined the Indianapolis 500’s two-time winner’s club with a late-race flurry. He passed Team Penske teammate Will Power on the outside in turn one on lap 198 of 200 and held on.

Montoya won his first 500 as a series rookie in 2000, then went to Formula One and NASCAR before joining Roger Penske’s IndyCar Series organization last year.

Penske went to victory lane for a record-extending 16th time and the first time with Montoya, who won for Chip Ganassi the first time.

Montoya won despite being 30th early in the race after being forced to pit with rear-wing damage following contact from Simona de Silvestro. Montoya wasn’t happy with the Swiss driver, but he kept his cool and recovered.

Power settled for second with Charlie Kimball of Ganassi Racing third and teammate Scott Dixon fourth. All four of those drivers are powered by Chevrolet.

The top-finishing Honda was driven by Graham Rahal in fifth.

Marco Andretti was sixth with three-time 500 winner Helio Castroneves seventh.

The race hadn’t even started and there was trouble on the track. Conor Daly’s second 500 ended on the pace lap when it appeared his car’s exhaust system caught fire. Alex Tagliani had a shifting problem, but he was able to leave the grid due to a push start.

In the first turn of the race, Takuma Sato tried to use his momentum to go from the outside of row eight to the outside of row seven, but that didn’t work. Sage Karam, who had the position, couldn’t do anything about already being two-wide, and three cars at the corner’s exit was too much. Karam and Sato collectively hit the wall.

Behind them, Ryan Briscoe tried to slow up and was clipped from behind by James Davison. The two Australian drivers had started on the last row as a result of not having qualified the car. Briscoe’s car wasn’t damaged, and he soldiered on after refiring. Davison’s car wasn’t hurt either.

Under the caution, de Silvestro ran into the right rear corner of Montoya’s car, breaking part of his rear wing. The broken piece came off in turn four before Montoya could pit.

On lap 62, short-track champion Bryan Clauson had his car drift high in turn four and hit the wall. Clauson was not injured.

Ed Carpenter’s difficult month came to an end on lap 113 when he hit the wall in a crash including Oriol Servia. Carpenter tried to pass Servia entering turn one on the inside, and Servia came down on him. The crash was reminiscent of last year’s involving Carpenter and James Hinchcliffe, although in that instance Carpenter was in the other position. Neither driver was injured.

The crash was the second in the past eight days for Carpenter, who destroyed a car in the morning practice before qualifying. That crash, in turn two, was more dramatic as the car got airborne. His team, CFH Racing, also crashed a car in practice with Josef Newgarden.

In the caution for that accident, three Dale Coyne Racing cars were on pit road at the same time. Pippa Mann was leaving her pit box when Davison’s car pulled out. They made contact, pushing Davison’s car toward Tristan Vautier’s car, which was parked. Both right-side crew members were knocked in the air, the one working the rear tire taken off pit road in an ambulance.

Tony Kanaan, the 2013 race winner, was a top contender until he lost control in turn three following a pit stop. He had asked for and received a wing change on that stop, and the change in downforce must have caught him off guard. The back end of the car stepped out, hitting the wall. He was not injured.

On lap 176, three cars came together in a big crash. Things started with Jack Hawksworth clipping the back end of Sebastian Saavedra. They both slid to the wall, and Saavedra’s momentum took him into the path of rookie Stefano Coletti. The impact was fierce, with Coletti hit Saavedra’s car in the left wheel. Debris scattered and the front of Coletti’s car lifted slightly in the air, but it was not the airborne crash of earlier in the month.

Saavedra’s damaged car slid to the inside wall where there was another impact. Saavedra had to be extricated from the car and carried to the ambulance.

The race was held without Hinchcliffe, who remained at an Indianapolis hospital following injuries suffered earlier in the week.

 

Indianapolis 500 ResultsPos.Car #DriverManufacturerLapsRunning / Reason Out12Juan Pablo MontoyaChevrolet200Running21Will PowerChevrolet200Running383Charlie KimballChevrolet200Running49Scott DixonChevrolet200Running515Graham RahalHonda200Running627Marco AndrettiHonda200Running73Helio CastronevesChevrolet200Running86JR HildebrandChevrolet200Running921Josef NewgardenChevrolet200Running1022Simon PagenaudChevrolet200Running1111Sebastien BourdaisChevrolet200Running125Ryan BriscoeHonda200Running1314Takuma SatoHonda200Running1424Townsend BellChevrolet200Running1528Ryan Hunter-ReayHonda200Running1698Gabby Chaves (R)Honda200Running1748Alex TaglianiHonda200Running187James JakesHonda200Running1929Simona de SilvestroHonda200Running2026Carlos MunozHonda200Running2125Justin WilsonHonda199Running2263Pippa MannHonda197Running2317Sebastian SaavedraChevorlet175Contact2441Jack HawksworthHonda175Contact254Stefano Coletti (R)Chevrolet175Contact2610Tony KanaanChevrolet151Contact2719James DavisonHonda116Mechanical2818Tristan VautierHonda116Mechanical2932Oriol ServiaHonda112Contact3020Ed CarpenterChevrolet112Contact3188Bryan ClausonChevrolet61Contact328Sage KaramChevrolet0Contact3343Conor DalyHonda0Mechanical

 

Read more »

Motorcyclist fatalities drop for second straight year

Motorcyclist fatalities drop for second straight yearChris Bruce

Riding a motorcycle in the US is continuing to get a little safer. Based on a preliminary survey of 2014 fatality data, the Governors Highway Safety Association is predicting a second consecutive year-over-year drop in deaths. If this actually happens, it would be the first time on record since 1997.

The GHSA is predicting 4,584 motorcyclist deaths in 2014, a 1.8-percent drop. Last year, it initially forecasted 4,610 fatalities for 2013. However, the official number turned out to be 4,668 fatal accidents, which was still a year-over-year drop from 2012.

The organization bases its forecasts on motorcycle fatality data for January through September in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. From this raw info, deaths fell in 27 states in 2014, increased in 19 and remained the same in four, plus DC.

While good in the short term, the news isn't entirely rosy for bikers. The lowest year for fatal accidents that the GHSA has on record is 1997, when 2,116 people died. While down from the recent peak fatalities of 5,312 motorcyclists in 2008, deaths were still about 26-percent higher in 2013 than 2003.

The GHSA still thinks there's a lot to do to reduce rider deaths, though. Based on the 2013 data, 28 percent of fatal crashes involved riders with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.08. Additionally, 34 percent of those killed were speeding, and 25 percent didn't have a valid motorcycle license. The press release below offers a summary of the predictions, but you can read the entire, 22-page report for yourself in PDF format, as well.Show full PR textMotorcyclist Fatalities Projected to Drop for 2nd Straight Year

Preliminary data show a decrease, but fatality rates continue to outpace those of other motor vehicles

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists gather in Washington D.C. for the annual Rolling Thunder "Ride for Freedom" this Memorial Day Weekend, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is projecting that motorcyclist fatalities decreased for the second straight year in 2014, based on preliminary state data. However, this latest Spotlight on Highway Safety report also notes that there is much more work to do: motorcyclist fatalities are 26 percent higher than a decade ago, while other motor vehicle fatalities are 28 percent lower.

GHSA has produced motorcyclist fatality trend reports annually since 2010, which provide an early look at current data and developing issues. Adjusting the numbers to account for underreporting, GHSA projects the final motorcyclist fatality total for 2014 will be 4,584 – approximately 1.8 percent less than the 4,668 recorded in 2013. This will be the second straight year in which this number has decreased, and only the third decrease since 1997.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia provided preliminary motorcyclist fatality counts for the first nine months of 2014. Compared with the first nine months of 2013, motorcyclist fatalities decreased in 27 states, increased in 19 states, and remained the same in four states plus the District of Columbia. The report was authored by Dr. Allan Willams, former chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

While the projected decline in motorcyclist fatalities is good news, the report points out that motorcycle safety progress lags behind that of other motor vehicles. For example, in 2013, the rate of motorcyclist fatalities per registered vehicle was about the same as in 1997, whereas during that time period the rate of fatalities per passenger vehicle dropped 66 percent. Safety improvements to passenger vehicles, such as structural improvements to vehicle design, increases in seat belt use, electronic stability controls and policies such as graduated driver licensing, account for a large portion of the decline in passenger vehicles but do not impact motorcyclists.

There is little evidence that risk factors for motorcyclists have been reduced in recent years, and fluctuations in motorcyclist fatalities are likely to have more to do with economic factors and weather patterns affecting exposure.

"We are glad to see a continued decrease in motorcyclist fatalities, but the number of motorcyclist deaths on our roadways is still unacceptable," said Kendell Poole, GHSA Chairman and Director of the Tennessee Office of Highway Safety. "While we support technology advances such as antilock brake systems and traction control, state laws and behavioral changes are critical to saving more motorcyclist lives."

Poole emphasized the importance of all states adopting universal helmet laws and notes, "By far, helmets are the single most effective way to prevent serious injury and death in the event of a motorcycle crash."

Currently, only 19 states and D.C. require all riders be helmeted. Another 28 mandate helmet use by riders younger than age 18 or 21, and three have no requirement. According to a 2014 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, the use rate of helmets in universal law states was 89 percent, compared with 48 percent in all other states.

In addition to increasing helmet use, the report also recommends that states focus on motorcycle safety programs that:

Reduce alcohol impairment. In 2013, 28 percent of fatally injured riders had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08.

Reduce speeding. According to the most recent data, 34 percent of riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 21 percent for passenger vehicle drivers.

Ensure motorcyclists are properly licensed. In 2013, 25 percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes did not have a valid motorcycle license, compared to 13 percent of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Encourage all drivers to share the road with motorcyclists. According to NHTSA, when motorcycles crash with other vehicles, the other driver is often at fault. Many states conduct "share the road" campaigns to increase awareness of motorcyclists.

States conduct much of their motorcycle safety programming through federal safety grants administered by NHTSA. Currently, Congress restricts state programs by permitting them to address only motorcyclist training and programs that encourage drivers to share the road with motorcyclists. GHSA has been a strong advocate for broadening these parameters to give states more flexibility to fund effective approaches to addressing motorcyclist safety, such as efforts to increase helmet use and reduce drunk riding.

All 2014 data in the report are preliminary. The report presents data through September 2014. State-by-state data and image files are available from GHSA.

# # #

Related Video:

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-477211{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-477211, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-477211{width:100%;display:block;}

Read more »