A pair of incidents set back Panther Racing s drivers Sunday in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and despite the best efforts of the crew to help them gain positions, Vitor Meira and Kosuke Matsuura finished 16th and 17th, respectively.
Meira was off and running during the early part of the Grand Prix, jumping two positions at the start and climbing to sixth place in the early stages. The Brazilian soon experienced a gearbox problem, which contributed to him sliding into the tire barrier in Turn Four. The car was towed to the pits and the Delphi Panther team changed the damaged front wing, switched out the gearbox and hand Meira back in the chase after losing only three laps. He was able to pick up one position, but could climb no higher than 16th on the final grid.
For Matsuura, the day was especially frustrating after being taken out on the first lap of the race by the same driver who ended his drive last weekend in Homestead. Jeff Simmons, who started 12th, was unable to get his car under control as cars were checking up entering the fourth turn of the track, and ran into Matsuura, damaging the Japanese driver s rear wing. The Super Aguri Panasonic Panther team took the car back to the garage and quickly repaired the damages. Despite his best efforts, Kosuke was only able to pick up one more spot and finished in the 17th position. Last weekend, Simmons lost control of his car on Lap 97 directly in front of Matsuura, crashing them both.
The next IndyCar Series event will be held at Twin Ring Motegi on Saturday, April 21st, with coverage provided by ESPN, the IMS Radio Network and XM Satellite Radio. Meira finished 10th at Motegi last season. For Matsuura, the race marks a return to his home country and a track where he has finished inside the Top Ten in each of his three starts. His best result came there last season, when he started sixth and finished in seventh place.
