KV Racing works on race setups during Bump Day at Indy

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY WORKS ON RACE SETUP DURING FINAL FULL DAY OF PRACTICE FOR INDIANAPOLIS 500

Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

SPEEDWAY, In. – May 20, 2012 – It was Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but with all three cars safely in the field, KV Racing Technology took the opportunity to work on their race setups on the final full day of practice for the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 to be held May 27th in Speedway, Indiana.

Tony Kanaan, in the No. 11 GEICO | MOUSER ELECTRONICS - KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone entry, who will start eighth in the Indy 500, had a fast lap of 219.749 mph good for 14th on the speed charts. He has led the team in speed in all eight practice sessions. Kanaan, who will be starting his 11th Indy 500, ran 66 laps today giving him 304 since full practice began on May 10. In 10 previous races Kanaan has finished in the top-10 five times with a best showing of second in 2004. He has led a total of 214 laps at the speedway and is the only driver in history to lead laps in his first seven Indy 500 starts.

“We spent today setting the car up for the race”, said Kanaan. “I was able to do a lot of running in traffic and see how the car felt so overall it was a good day.”

Viso, behind the wheel of the No. 5 CITGO | PDVSA – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone car, who will grid ninth for the race, was second fastest on the team for the sixth time in eight sessions with a speed of 219.644 mph good for 15th on the practice report. Viso, who logged 60 laps today for a total of 379, will be contesting his fifth Indy 500. His ninth place qualifying position is by far the best at the Brickyard. His previous high was 18th in 2011. In four previous races the 27-year-old Venezuelan has a best finish is 24th

Commenting on practice today, Viso said. “After having a very satisfying qualifying yesterday, we worked on race setup today. We had plenty of things we needed to adjust and now we believe we are in a more comfortable position to race.”

Barrichello, piloting the No. 8 BMC | EMBRASE – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone machine, will start 10th in his first Indy 500. He had a fast lap today of 219.330 mph good for 18th on the speed. Barrichello turned 78 laps today for a total of 526, by far the most of the KVRT trio. The 39-year-old Brazilian, a veteran of 19 Formula One seasons, is attempting to become the first driver to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the U. S. Grand Prix Formula One race (won in 2002) that was held on a road course that incorporated part of the IMS oval.

“I spent today working on how the car would feel in traffic”, said Barrichello. “There were a lot of cars on track and I am still trying to get used to how that feels. The race will be extremely busy so it was nice to be able to practice in that situation.”