Scotsman Dario Franchitti won pole position for Sunday’s Toronto Indy with the fastest lap in Saturday’s time trials around the 1.75-mile street course.
Franchitti completed the 11-turn circuit in 1min 1.0249secs to edge Australian Will Power for the inside front row position. AFP
Franchitti captured his third pole of the season and the ninth of his IndyCar Series career. He also won the pole for CART/Champ Car events at Toronto from 1997-98.
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“The car was good out of the box,” Franchitti said. “The lap that I did in the Fast Six, I came in afterwards and said basically, ‘That’s it. That was a hell of a lap. That was as good of a lap as I’ve driven around here’.” MiamiHerald.com
“With the changes we made in qualifying, the car was good out of the box,” said Franchitti, who sits second in the overall drivers’ standings.
“The lap I did in the (final qualifying stage) . . . I came in afterwards. I said, ‘That’s it. That was a hell of a lap, as good a lap as I’ve driven around here, and if they can go quicker, let them have at it, because that’s all she’s got.”’
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Power, the defending champion, will join Franchitti on the front row after crossing the line in 1:10.2851. Power, who competes for Penske Racing, is making just his fourth start of the season and says running a part-time season has been a challenge.
“It’s excellent to be back in a car,” said Power. “It’s been tough watching, to be honest.”
American Graham Rahal and Britain’s Justin Wilson make up Row 2. Rahal qualified third in 1:01.3301, followed by Wilson in 1:01.5157. The Canadian Press
Franchitti’s teammate, series points leader Scott Dixon, will go off eighth, while Penske’s Ryan Briscoe, tied for second in the standings with Franchitti, will start 11th. In her first career appearance at Toronto, Danica Patrick, fifth in points, will start 18th, her second-worst showing of the season.
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Helio Castroneves, one of the IRL’s best street car drivers, nearly lost control of his No. 3 Team Penske Honda trying to make the final six on his last qualifying lap. He failed and shook his head in dismay after climbing out and having words with his crew.
Andretti Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan suffered the most from the rain. He severely damaged the rear end of his No. 11 when he slid around and slammed hard into the retaining wall on the final turn of the course.
Moments later there were several more spins. The cars of Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter sustained minor damage, while Ryan Hunter-Reay, Hideki Mutoh and Tracy avoided contact with the wall.
Kanaan also slid off course in the first round of qualifying and nearly was t-boned by Mutoh. There was no contact, but neither made it to the second round. The Associated Press
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