2006 Indy Japan 300: Castroneves Dominates at Motegi

The 2006 Indy Japan 300 gave Helio Castroneves a commanding win at Motegi, the only race of the IRL season held outside the United States. Rain had ruled out qualifying, so the grid was set by entrant points and Castroneves started on pole. He led the race for most of its distance and finished 6.3851 seconds ahead of Dan Wheldon.

Where was the Indy Japan 300 held and why did it matter?

The race was held on 22 April 2006 at Twin Ring Motegi in Tochigi, Japan. It was the third of 14 scheduled races on the 2006 IRL calendar and the ninth annual edition of the event, the fourth under IRL sanctioning. The track is a four-turn paved oval 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long.

The Japanese round was confirmed for the 2006 schedule in September 2005. It was the only race of the season held outside the United States, which made it an unusual trip for the series.

A rain-shortened weekend ended with the same name at the top, and a title lead that kept growing.

Who led the championship before Motegi?

Castroneves led the Drivers' Championship with 93 points before the race, ahead of Scott Dixon on 70. Dan Wheldon had 64 points, Sam Hornish Jr. had 62, and Tony Kanaan and Kosuke Matsuura were tied on 54 each. Wheldon was the defending race winner and wanted a third straight victory at Motegi.

No driver in the history of the Indy Racing League had won the same race three years running, so a Wheldon win would have been a first. Castroneves, meanwhile, began the race at the top of the standings and was looking to extend his lead.

What changed in the driver line-up for the weekend?

Rahal Letterman Racing named Jeff Simmons, a seven-time Indy Pro Series winner, as the full-time driver of its No. 17 car through to the end of 2006. He replaced Paul Dana, who had been killed at Homestead-Miami Speedway before the season's Japanese round. Team co-owner Bobby Rahal said Simmons had earned the seat through years of hard work up the ladder system.

Cheever Racing's No. 51 car was driven by Tomas Enge, because Eddie Cheever chose to race in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series at Virginia International Raceway. Enge learned of the change while testing a V8 supercar in Australia, then had to travel home to the Czech Republic for a visa and complete IndyCar paperwork in Indianapolis before reaching Japan.

Ed Carpenter was back in the car after missing the St. Petersburg race. He had been injured in the same Homestead crash that killed Dana, and his return added another name to a grid already shaped by withdrawals and replacements.

How did rain shape practice and qualifying?

Qualifying was washed out by rain, so the grid was decided by entrant points, and Castroneves was awarded pole, the tenth of his career. Rain had already cancelled the morning practice on Thursday, and the afternoon session was extended to 110 minutes to make up time. Castroneves was quickest in that session at 27.1937 seconds.

Friday brought more rain, and officials cancelled the morning practice and the qualifying session. Organisers judged that the second group of drivers had not received equal practice time, so the starting order was based on points. The track dried in time for a final 90-minute session at 2:30 p.m., when Castroneves again led with 27.1464 seconds.

Hornish Jr. had a moment on Thursday when the rear of his car snapped loose and he hit the SAFER barriers at turns three and four. He was unhurt. Simmons was involved in the only incident on Friday, when he hit the barriers at turn four with 14 minutes left and his car was destroyed, forcing his team to use a backup.

How did the race unfold?

Castroneves pulled away at the start and built a lead of close to two seconds over Dixon in the opening laps. Wheldon passed Dixon for second and took the lead on lap 25, but Castroneves had trouble putting a slower car a lap down and handed the lead back on the way.

The first caution came two laps after Wheldon's lead, when Enge's car failed mechanically and drifted across the path of Carpenter. Both cars crashed at turn three, though neither driver was hurt. Under that yellow the leaders all pitted, and Castroneves emerged ahead of Wheldon.

The second caution came soon after the restart on lap 42. Sharp spun at turn four, and Simmons ran into Chesson, who hit the inside wall. Simmons's car then slid into Sharp's path and rolled along the front straight before landing on all four tyres. All three drivers walked away unhurt, and the green flag came out again on lap 53 with Castroneves 1.9153 seconds clear of Wheldon.

Rice and Patrick were the first to pit under green on lap 93. Castroneves gave up the lead to Kanaan on lap 94, when he came in for four tyres and fuel. Kanaan led his first lap of the season, and then Dixon, Scheckter and Meira took turns in front before Castroneves got back ahead on lap 101.

A second wave of stops followed around lap 141, and Dixon closed in and tried to pass Castroneves, but Castroneves defended his position. Castroneves pitted a few laps later, on the same lap that Franchitti's car struck tyre changer Steve Price, who was taken to Dokkyo University Hospital with a leg injury.

Dixon, who had led three laps after Castroneves's last stop, stalled his engine as he left his pit stall on lap 148. Shortly afterwards, Giaffone lost control at turn three after Hornish Jr. pushed him toward the wall, and that brought out the third and final caution.

Castroneves led the field back to green and then drove off into the distance. Wheldon conserved fuel and tyres, and the gap grew to more than six seconds over the final 33 laps. Castroneves led 184 laps in all, the most of anyone in the race, and he finished the job after his last pit stop on lap 147.

Who finished where at Motegi?

Castroneves took the win ahead of Wheldon and Kanaan. Hornish Jr. was fourth, and Buddy Rice finished fifth. Herta, Matsuura, Patrick, Dixon and Meira completed the top ten, while Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Scheckter and Lazier were the last classified finishers.

What did the result do to the title race?

The win extended Castroneves's lead to 146 points, 42 more than Wheldon on 104. Hornish Jr. improved to third on 94 points, while Dixon fell to fourth on 92. Kanaan held fifth with 89 points, and the field was set for the Indianapolis 500 later in May.

The win was Castroneves's second in a row. Hornish Jr., also of Team Penske, climbed to third, so the team had two cars in the top three. Wheldon remained second in the standings on 104 points.

What did the drivers say after the race?

Castroneves said the team had been fast from the start, despite the short practice time, and he credited a car that was perfect all day. Wheldon called the result reasonable on points but said Castroneves had been too strong, while Kanaan said his unscheduled stop had been a cautious move after a possible loss of tyre air pressure.

Simmons said two wrecked cars in one race weekend was something he had never done before. Enge said his front suspension broke early in the race, leaving him a passenger. Carpenter was disappointed and said the Vision team had been working hard but could not catch a break.