For the second spherical of the 2023 IndyCar Sequence season, and the Indianapolis 500, two-time Indy winner Sato is driving Ganassi’s #11 entry, which is raced on street and road programs by sequence rookie Marcus Armstrong. Six-time IndyCar champion Dixon says he’s trying ahead to working with the Japanese veteran.
“Clearly I’ve raced Taku for a few years however by no means been on the identical workforce,” he stated. “We have additionally had our comings collectively – in Texas it is occurred a couple of instances! Hopefully the primary rule of Chip’s – do not hit your team-mate – hopefully that performs robust!
“I am trying ahead to it. He is a super-talented man. He is super-intense. I feel his information and what he does, simply his strategy, too, from what I’ve already seen, he is fairly full on.
“That focus to element, the expertise that he has from different groups but in addition at this circuit goes to be actually good. I would wish to assume that he’ll do extraordinarily effectively.”
Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
Relating to the aero configuration changes for TMS (and Indy) announced last month, Dixon was fulsome in his reward of what the sequence is making an attempt to realize. At Texas, the underwing sidewall has been made optionally available however there are additionally new optionally available flap wickers accessible to connect to the highest floor trailing fringe of the underwing.
IndyCar can also be permitting a brand new further underwing internal bargeboard and using street and road course strakes in any respect ovals, whereas the Speedway infill wicker can also be permitted at Texas and Indy.
“This yr the NTT IndyCar Sequence has carried out a great job of bringing some up to date aero items which I feel will certainly tighten the pack and permit for some side-by-side racing,” stated Dixon who’s a five-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I feel the addition of the “high-line follow” will give everyone a minimum of some thought of what that grip degree is like… It is undoubtedly a fairly large adjustment so far as including downforce to the automobile for the race.
“I feel the mix of the extra aero, it’ll be fairly chilly, too, which can assist [and] … the excessive line follow [and] of perhaps not having a contemporary quantity of regardless of the NASCAR floor stuff [PJ1] is on prime will certainly change it as effectively. All of these ought to make the second lane a bit extra usable, which will certainly tighten up the pack, and in the end make it much more racy for everyone.
“I feel for the drivers you simply hope it does not turn out to be a pack race [but] I do not assume it’ll be that excessive.”
