MOTORSPORT: Alonso turns his talent to Indy 500

Formula 1 is a no-win for Fernando Alonso at the minute, so he will skip the Monaco Grand Prix next month in favour of the Indianapolis 500.

Unlike the uncompetitive 1.6-litre V6 Honda hybrid power unit in his McLaren MCL32, the 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6 he will have behind him in a Dallara DW12 chassis at the Brickyard is a winner.

However, the 35-year-old Alonso has never driven an IndyCar nor raced on one of America’s superspeedways, although F1’s visits to Indianapolis last decade took in part of the world-famous, 2.5-mile (4km) lightly-banked oval.

In an amazing deal, made possible because of the Spanish dual world champion’s dissatisfaction at finding himself in what has become the worst team in F1, he will race a sixth car at Indy for Andretti Autosport.

Honda says it is “delighted” at the deal, negotiated by McLaren’s new American commercial chief Zak Brown, and the car will be painted in the papaya orange of the early McLaren machinery built by the late New Zealander Bruce McLaren.

Jenson Button, still under contract to McLaren but not racing this year, could be brought back to substitute for Alonso at Monaco – if the British 2009 F1 world champion wants.

Alonso, a two-time winner of the Monaco GP, says he dreams of emulating a ‘triple crown’ – Monaco, Indianapolis and the Le Mans 24-Hour sports car classic in France – won only by the late Graham Hill.

While ultimate success at The Brickyard is a long shot first-up, American Alex Rossi – briefly an F1 driver – won the Indy 500 as a rookie last year with the Andretti team and Honda power.

Honda also has won the first two races of this year’s IndyCar series in Florida and California.

Alonso admitted that a lot of his preparation for the Indy 500 “will be virtual”, but he is “confident that I’ll get to grips with it fast”.

“I’ll be on a steep learning curve though,” he said.

McLaren cars won at Indianapolis three times in the 1970s but the team has not had a presence in the 500 in the past 38 years.

Andretti Autosport chief Michael Andretti, who raced for McLaren in F1 alongside Ayrton Senna in 1993, said it was “a great honour” to be partnering the once-mighty team in its return to The Brickyard.

Mansour Ojeh, an influential shareholder in McLaren, said the Alonso experiment could be the forerunner of the team having a greater presence in IndyCar.

It could also go back to Le Mans, which it won in 1995 with its F1 GTR sports car, at some time, Ojeh said.

Although unusual now, it was not so uncommon for F1 drivers to race in the Indianapolis 500 and at Le Mans in the 1960s and ’70s.

Australia’s Jack Brabham and the Cooper Car Company led the F1 ‘invasion’ at Indianapolis in 1961. While Brabham never won the 500, his Scottish contemporary Jim Clark did, in 1965 – and Englishman Hill the next year.

Brit Nigel Mansell won the IndyCar series title in 1993, the year after his F1 crown, while another ex-F1 racer, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, has won the 500 twice.

Porsche and Toyota take different WEC routes
While it’s the Bathurst Six-Hour for production cars at Easter, the World Endurance Championship for sports and GT cars gets underway at Britain’s Silverstone too with a six-hour race.

Only Porsche and Toyota remain in the WEC’s top category – Le Mans Prototype 1 – after Audi’s withdrawal at the end of last season.
As part of efforts to slow the LMP1s, they are allowed only two aerodynamic configurations this year rather than the previous three.

Porsche is virtually conceding the Silverstone round by running its low-drag spec on its two 919 Hybrids this weekend, while Toyota – which will be desperate to win Le Mans for the first time after last year’s heartbreak – wants to accumulate early points and will run its high-downforce aero kit on its TS050 Hybrids in Britain.
Euro F3 debut for young Aussie ace
Australia’s rising international open-wheeler star Joey Mawson will make his Formula 3 debut in that category’s European championship races at the WEC round.

The reigning German Formula 4 champion, Mawson – 21, and from Sydney – will be up against 19 other talented young drivers from 11 countries, including Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick – who he has shaded in the past.

Mawson said he was aiming simply for top 10 finishes in the three F3 races at Silverstone.

“It’s a very big ‘stage’ … there will be a lot of very influential people in the world of motorsport in attendance,” he said.
Australian GT snaps up ex-Holden manager
Former Holden motorsport manager Simon McNamara has been appointed commercial director of the Australian GT category.

“Australian GT is in a really nice shape for marquee brands,” McNamara said.

Category owner Tony Quinn said it “needed a little bit more commercial direction with the advent of GT4, the Australian Endurance Championship and Australian GT Championship”.

New Zealand mechatronics engineer Michael Rasmussen has become the category’s technical manager.
Penalties stand as Penske loses NASCAR case
Penske Racing in America has lost its appeal against a 35-point penalty on one of its NASCAR drivers and former series champion, Brad Keselowski.

And a $US65,000 fine and three-week suspension on crew chief Paul Wolfe will be enforced after the appeal against a weight and measurement failure on Keselowski’s Ford Fusion at this season’s Phoenix oval race was dismissed.

Wolfe had already served one week of that suspension, while the other two weeks were held over until the appeal was decided.

Keselowski is fourth in NASCAR’s Monster Cup standings, 41 points behind Chevrolet-driving leader Kyle Larson, but the Penske man would be only six points off the lead without the penalty.