Bathgate’s Dario Franchitti begins his bid to win a second Indianapolis 500 when he takes part in the opening practice session at the 2.5-mile superspeedway tomorrow.
The 36-year-old became the first Scot to win America’s Blue Riband race since the legendary Jim Clark when he splashed through the rain in 2007.
“Winning three years ago was the biggest day of my life,” Franchitti, who will pilot his Target Ganassi car in today’s session, admitted today. “I can still remember the final laps so well.
“Jim Clark had, always been my racing hero and to emulate him by winning the Indy500 32 years after he’d achieved it was just fantastic,” the double IndyCar champ continued.
“It’s going to be great to get back on the track on Saturday. Indianapolis is a very, very special place to be and to race. The Indy500 is the biggest race of the year and the two-week build-up starts now.”
All the competitors will practice at the high-speed oval this week before tackling qualifying next weekend. The 250-lap race goes ahead on Sunday, May 30.
JM