Franchitti dominates Florida openerposted in INDY27 | 03 | 2011
BATHGATE'S DARIO FRANCHITTI got the defence of his IndyCar Championship off to the perfect start when he steered clear of a destructive start before going on to win today's opening round in Florida.
The 37-year-old Scot, who started from second on the grid in his Target Ganassi racer alongside the Penske of polesitter Will Power, finished a comfortable 7.1secs ahead of the Aussie.
A number of the duo's main rivals were taken out of the race in the chaotic start at the St Petersburg street circuit. Brazilian Helio Castroneves (Penske) triggered the pile-up when he nudged the back of Marco Andretti's car under braking for the first corner.
The American then spun into and over the Ganassi of Franchitti's team-mate Scott Dixon, landing upside down as the tangle also collected his own Andretti Autosport team-mate, England's Mike Conway and the Penske of Aussie Ryan Briscoe. The incident also forced Oriol Servia (Newman/Haas) to come to a halt in avoidance.
While the uninjured Andretti and Conway' were forced into immediate retirement, Dixon, Briscoe and Castroneves' cars all needed lengthy repairs before continuing. After the mayhem had died down, Franchitti was delighted with the win.
"It's pretty much the perfect way to start the season," the Scot, who last year claimed his third IndyCar titles and second Indy500 win, said. "I knew once I got the car out in front into clear air we'd be tough to beat.
"But it's a long, long season, and this is only the start. But you couldn't really ask for anything more than winning the owning round." And the Scot had a word of praise for his cousin, F1 racer Paul di Resta.
"I've seen clips of Paul's first grand prix in Australia earlier today and I'm really pleased with the way he performed," Franchitti continued. "He looks perfectly at home in the F1 environment and we've really only started to see his full potential."
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Jim McGill