HVM Racing put both of its cars tentatively into the starting field Saturday for the Indianapolis 500, with E. J. Viso’s No.13 PDVSA Honda Dallara qualifying in the 29th position and Nelson Philippe’s No.00 i drive green Honda Dallara sitting on the bubble in the 33rd position. The team is now preparing to defend and improve those positions on Bump Day.
Weather was a significant factor on the track today and once again contributed to the drama of Indy 500 qualifying. Rain showers came down as Viso sat at the front of the qualifying line waiting to start the session, forcing the Indy Racing League to postpone track activity and send the team back to the garage for nearly three hours.
When the showers cleared and the sun appeared, the No.13 team returned to the qualifying line, but strong winds made for challenging driving conditions. Viso ran lap times of 220.452, 219.573, 220.188 and 219.673 for an average of 219.971.
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Philippe took the No. 00 car out for its first qualifying run shortly after Viso and battled similar difficult conditions. He ran laps of 216.976, 218.637, 218.213 and 218.311 for an average of 218.032.
When the final gun fired, Viso was in 29th position and Philippe in 33rd. Both cars are prepared to hit the track on Bump Day to ensure their places in the field and potentially move up in the grid.
Comments from HVM Racing Team Principal and Owner Keith Wiggins after qualifying at the Indy 500:
“We are glad to have both cars in the field as of today, but we know what Bump Day will bring tomorrow.”
“The winds made things a bit difficult today so we are hoping for calmer conditions tomorrow. But regardless of what the weather brings, we will be prepared and look forward to putting two cars in the show.”
Comments from PDVSA HVM Racing Driver E.J. Viso after qualifying at the Indy 500:
“The weather played a tough role for everyone today. It was quite windy – gusts over 27 miles an hour – and it was making Corner 2 quite difficult to drive. It was pushing me out of the corner. We prefer to keep the car in one piece, so that just makes us need to work a little harder for tomorrow.”
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“Tomorrow we will need to risk a bit more and trim out the car. It’s the only way we can find some speed.”
Comments from i drive green HVM Racing Driver Nelson Philippe after qualifying at the Indy 500:
“I’m happy I’m in the field. I also know it doesn’t mean anything because obviously tomorrow is Bump Day and I’ll be the first guy to be bumped. The good thing is that because we were in line at the end of the day today I will be the first in line tomorrow.”
“The most important thing is to qualify. We just want to be in the show.”
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