Bathgate’s Dario Franchitti, returning to the IndyCar Championship 12 months after enduring a miserable season in Nascar, will start Sunday’s opening round in St Petersburg, Florida, from fifth on the grid.
The 35-year-old Scot, who was been quickest in Q2 in his Target Ganassi race car, brushed the wall on the exit of Turn 14 on the 1.8-mile street course to clock a personal best Q3 time of 1min 02.6927secs.
“Obviously I’d have liked to be further up the grid,” the 2007 IndyCar champ and Indy500 winner admitted immediately afterwards, “but we have what we have. We’re still capable of winning the race from here.
“I finished third last time I raced at the circuit two years ago in 2007 and hopefully, certainly based on the pace we’ve shown already, we can start the season with a win.”
While Franchitti outpaced his Ganassi team-mate, defending champ and Kiwi Scott Dixon who lines up eighth, pole went to last year’s winner, American Graham Rahal. England’s former F1 driver Justin Wilson starts second, just 0.049s behind Rahal’s 1:02.4110s.
Meanwhile Marino Franchitti will start the opening round of the American Le Mans Series at St Petersburg from fifth on the grid in his Dyson-Mazda.
The 29-year-old, partnered by American Butch Leitzinger, clocked 1min 05.666secs to finish just 0.202s behind their team-mates, England’s Guy Smith and American Chris Dyson. The Acura of former Paul Stewart Racing driver Gil de Ferran lines up on pole.
JM