The PDVSA HVM Racing team had their day cut short during Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after damage and a suspension failure on lap 76 of the 100-lap event. It was a disappointing end to what was a strong run.
After qualifying in the 16th position, driver E. J. Viso had the No. 13 PDVSA HVM Racing Honda Dallara running near the front of the pack for a majority of the race. Utilizing a three-pit-stop strategy, the team was running as high as third during the middle stages of the event.
During a planned pit stop on lap 55, the HVM team made routine service to the car. Viso returned to the track, but moments later, after a spin at turn four, he began reporting a potential steering problem.
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The team brought the car back onto pit road under a caution at lap 75 to check the steering. A damaged rear wing and a suspension problem were detected on the car and the team was forced to retire from the opening race. HVM finished in 17th place.
Comments from PDVSA HVM Racing Owner Keith Wiggins after Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:
“It’s unfortunate because our strategy was starting to prove right. Everything was going as well as hoped. We got the car out front in the early part of the race and it was looking like we could have a good finish.”
“Obviously, it’s disappointing for the team because we were running strong. This was not a problem we could fix in the pit, and for the safety of our driver and the other drivers on the track, we had to end our day.”
Comments from PDVSA HVM Racing Driver E. J. Viso after Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg:
“It was a fun race. We were playing a different strategy and I thought it was going to pay off in the end. We had a good, fast car and we were running good lap times.”
“But then we had to stop because of a failure in the steering in the front end of the car that physically didn’t allow me to turn the steering wheel. So for the safety of everyone we had to stop. My hands have blisters and that tells you that something went wrong.”
“I want to thank the team for giving me a strong car all weekend and I am looking forward to Long Beach.”
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