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IndyCar championship focus shifts to Japan
September 14th 2009

After a three-week layoff, the IndyCar Series championship battle resumes this week – in Japan. Twin Ring Motegi is unlike any track the IndyCar Series has visited this year, which will provide a fitting battleground for the title contenders. Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske has a 25-point lead over Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti while his teammate Scott Dixon is third, 33 points back.

“It is a tough place, it's demanding,” Dixon said of the Japanese oval. “You still have the main guys running up there. The racecar goes off there really bad at some points throughout the race. That is the challenging part.”

The 1.5-mile oval features front straights each measuring 1,969 feet and 80-feet wide. The frontstretch is banked at 1.7 degrees with the backstretch at 5 degrees. The turns are 10 degrees in banking.

“It is definitely one of the toughest tracks we go to,” Dixon said. “It's funny because it is a 1 1⁄2-mile oval but it is shaped like an egg and very different. Turns 3 and 4 are very difficult but Turns 1 and 2 are so easy and wide open you get a tow going into Turn 3.

“It's completely different than any track we go to. You have half the downforce you would have at Milwaukee or Phoenix. It's really on the edge. There is a big bump going into Turn 3. I think you need to have a lot of confidence on that track. It's a tough track and if you shake your confidence at all going in there it takes a lot of commitment going into Turns 3 and 4. You have to stay committed – and some years we go there we are running wide open over 200 miles an hour, which is pretty crazy.”

“Motegi always puts on great shows so I'm looking forward to that,” said Franchitti, the 2007 series champion. “All three guys in the championship will be good there, in addition to six or seven other people. It's open season, really. The different turns offer a challenge to set up the car but it also makes great racing.

“I think it's cool. The Japanese fans are mad about their racing, so the fact we get to go there and it is part of the championship chase, it's good for them and for us.”

The Indy Japan 300 was moved this year from April to September, which will provide a different weather variable. Also, nine drivers are expected to make their debut on the racetrack.

“Those guys are having the battle. I'm not in the mix so I can do everything I can to help (Briscoe) out and get him the title,” said three-time pole sitter Helio Castroneves, who won the race in 2006. “For the Ganassi boys, they are battling each other for the title. If that becomes an issue, it would be a good issue for us.”

While the race is scheduled to be run on Saturday (allowing for a rain date on Sunday), the time difference means Versus' television coverage will actually air on Friday night, with qualifying airing at 6:00 p.m. and the race following at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

no-one will be watching lmao

Thank you DirecTV.

Yeeeeeah, and where is Sato and his second Luczo Dragon? Just bullshit.

I still do not get why they dont run Bridgestone branded tires for this race.

i dunno, man... it's pretty hard to do this.

or maybe Bridgestone doesn't want to imply that Firestone Firehawks are comparable tires to the Potenzas (the street versions, although this implies otherwise).

I know what a roval is. I meant to ask why? It would suck.

So I guess you guys are pretty stoked about the tumors, then

You're joking, right? That'd be the best roval in history.

You're joking, right? That'd be the best roval in history.

New Hampshire tbh. And the old Michigan road course.

So I guess you guys are pretty stoked about the tumors, then

New Hampshire tbh. And the old Michigan road course.