APRIL 1, 2015

(Photo by John Cote/INDYCAR)
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) held off Team Penske teammate and reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power (No. 1 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) over the final 27 laps to win the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by 0.9930 of a second. Power attempted to get by Montoya (above) in Turn 10 on Lap 101 but wasn't even close to having the corner and lost a front winglet for his trouble, as Montoya was having none of it. Power finished 1.5474 seconds Montoya. For Montoya it was his second victory since returning full time to Indy car racing in 2014 and his first on an Indy car road or street course since Vancouver in his 1999 CART championship season. "I saw (Power) make the move, but he was way too far and I wasn't going to give him the position," Montoya said. "If he was beside me, I would have said, 'OK, go ahead.' When I got to the turning point, he wasn't even close. It is a shame we touched, but it's all good, it's racing." It was the 175th Indy car victory for the team (78 on road or street courses). "It was a fight between our two guys in front. It was just an amazing weekend," team owner Roger Penske said. "To come back this year with the fast times in qualifying and win this race 1-2, and four drivers in the top six, wow, what a day." Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT Data Chevrolet) finished third, Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet) fourth and Simon Pagenaud finished fifth in the No. 22 Team Penske Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet. Read Peter's commentary on the race in "Fumes."

(IndyLights.com)
Englishman Ed Jones (No. 11 Toys for Boys Miami/United Rivers-Carlin) swept both Indy Lights races in St. Petersburg over the weekend. The rookie started on the pole and led throughout the 45-lap race on Sunday to finish a perfect opening weekend. Fellow Briton Jack Harvey (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Curb-Agajanian) finished in second place in both races. Jones set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:06.866, on Lap 21, and never looked back. His eventual margin of victory was a commanding 9.0708 seconds. The Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires field will return to action on the streets of Long Beach, Calif., on April 19.

(John Harrelson/LAT Photo USA ©2015, courtesy of Toyota Racing)
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Express Toyota Camry) holds off Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Miller Lite Ford Fusion) for the win in the STP 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. It was Hamlin's fifth win at Martinsville and the 25th of his NASCAR career at the Cup level. Pole-sitter Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion) finished third. Watch a NASCAR video here.

(Lexus)
Lexus will have its RC F GT3 concept on display at the New York International Auto Show. Based on the RC F performance coupe and developed to meet Group GT3 international racing standards, it comes with a modified version of the base RC F’s V8 engine, producing over 540 horsepower.

(Images courtesy of Audi Motorsport)
Audi is turning the wick up for the 2015 racing season with a heavily revised R18 e-tron quattro. Audi is going to compete with its hybrid sports car in the 4-megajoule class in both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and of course in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Lightweight design and a lot of detailed work characterize the fifth generation of the Audi R18, which features a twofold quantity of hybrid energy and fundamentally revised aerodynamics. “The possibilities of the revolutionary regulations that have been in effect for LMP sports cars since 2014 are far from having been fully used. The rules harbor so much potential that there is room for future developments,” says Jörg Zander, Audi Sport’s new Head of Engineering. “We expect that the technological progress resulting from the fierce competitive pressure exerted by four automobile manufacturers that are now involved will significantly improve lap times this season – while concurrently reducing fuel consumption.”
Large air inlets in the front wheel arches reduce aerodynamic drag of the body and have led to an all-new design of the headlights. The lighting units feature Matrix LED technology combined with Audi Laserlight; two innovations that improve active safety in road traffic and that Audi customers can now order for their production models as well. Audi will field two body versions for the various tracks on the FIA WEC calendar. In combination with an optimized chassis and in close cooperation with tire partner Michelin, Audi has further exploited the performance potential of the R18.  
The new R18 e-tron quattro differs visually from its predecessor even though its basic structure is closely akin to the previous model. Aero tweaks are employed to improve airflow around and through the front end and at the rear of the LMP1 prototype. Modified airflow through the sidepods with new radiator configurations for cooling the engine and the hybrid system further reduce aerodynamic drag. The engine cover fits more snugly - notably tapering off behind the cockpit - contributing to the optimized airflow as well.  While Audi has adopted the monocoque central safety cell of the race car from the previous model, the hood with the front wing and wheel arches have been redesigned. Audi also performed a new crash test for the 2015 season.

(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Chevrolet carried out a longtime tradition leading into the Month of May when the 33 directors of the 500 Festival received 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertibles on the main straightaway of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The presentation was made as part of a 100 Camaro drive-away, where the 500 Festival directors, officials from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 50 Indiana Chevrolet dealer representatives took possession of the cars and experienced a lap on the famed oval. This year's 500 Festival cars are based off the 2015 Camaro Commemorative Special Edition, which goes on sale this spring and is powered by a 6.2-liter, 400HP, L99 V8 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission with tap shift. The Commemorative Edition also includes unique 20-inch wheels; exclusive stripe; body-color front splitter; ZL1 rear spoiler and Commemorative Edition fender emblems. The Festival cars all feature a Summit White exterior with a black convertible top and adrenaline red and black leather interior. A black stripe with a red accent outline incorporates the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 graphic on the doors and includes the iconic IMS wing and wheel on the quarter panels. Additionally, the 500 Festival Camaros have a full body-colored ground effects package, red engine cover and special floor mats. For the first time ever, 50 additional special-edition Camaros have been provided to dealers across the state and are available for purchase. Several dealers within the networks of Central Indiana Chevrolet Dealers, Wabash Valley Chevy Dealers and Northern Indiana and Ohio Chevy dealers will be offering these distinctive vehicles in the metropolitan Indianapolis, Terre Haute and Fort Wayne areas, respectively. The 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will take place on Sunday, May 24.