Schedule -
2013
Snippets
2013
Race & Results
3:42Simona at Dallara in Italy
News - 2013
- "Finally we made a podium finish!"
- Simona de Silvestro finishes fifth at Grand Prix of Baltimore
- Tough day at Milwaukee
- Simona Penalized Finishes 16th
- Simona finishes 16th in Race 1 of the Dual of Detroit
- KV Racing Technology Drivers Qualify 12th and 15th for Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway
- De Silvestro takes a spin -- on the dance floor
- 'IndyCar 36' goes behind scenes with Simona De Silvestro at 10:30 p.m. (ET) May 24 on NBC Sports Network
- De Silvestro Finishes 8th and Kanaan has Fuel Issue at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
- De Silvestro recalls Long Beach win
- New KV Racing teammates off to a strong start
- KV Racing Technology Off to a Good Start with 4th and 6th Place Finishes at St. Pete
- KV Racing Technology driver's Simona De Silvestro and Tony Kanaan will start tomorrow's IZOD IndyCar season opener 3rd and 11th respectively
- De Silvestro Tests With KV Racing At Barber
- KV Racing Technology signs de Silvestro for 2013
- De Silvestro Joins KV Racing Technology
Contact: www.simonadesilvestro.com
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Simona started in the 17t spot at Baltimore and finished 5th, her 2nd best IndyCar finish. At Sonoma, she moved up 13 spots to take 9th. At Baltimroe, she moved up 12 spots to take 9th. At this rate, if she can qualify in the top 15 she's got a good chance at a podium finish if not a win.
Simona started in the 22nd spot after an engine change moved her back 10 spots. She finished the race in 16th at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Simona will start 12th on the grid for the Firestone 500
at Texas Motor Speedway, 3 spots in front of teammate Tony
Kanaan. However, because they hadn't learned they have a
cracked block from the previous weeks race, she is penalized
10 spots for putting in a new engine. Almost seems like the
Lotus days but at least they know the new Chevy engine will
be as completitive as the old one, not like with Lotus where
they had little hope of getting a strong engine. 
Simona started the 97th running of the Indy 500 in the 24th spot and finished 17th.
For the first time since 2011, four women have qualified for the 2013 Indy 500. Simona will start in the 24th spot on the grid.
Simona started in San Paulo Brasil in the 8th spot, her second top 10 start in the first four Indy Car races of 2013. She finished 8th, her third top 10 finish of four races.
Simona started 20th at Long Beach and finished on the lead lap in the 9th spot.
Simona started 14th at Barber and finished on the lead lap in the 18th spot.
Simona showed her stuff at St. Pete. Leaving Lotus,
finally for a more reliable engine, she qualified her Chevy
in 3rd and finished the 110 lap race in 6th.
De Silvestro, Kanaan, Vautier, Servia, Bourdais, Carpenter, Pagenaud, Hildebrand and Saavedra will test February 27 at Sonoma Raceway. The all-day session Feb. 27 is open to the public and free. “This week is the calm before the storm,” de Silvestro said. “I’m excited to get back behind the wheel and think we’re going to have a great start to the season.”
De Silvestro Joins KV Racing Technology
Final race of the season sees the new Lotus engine blow in practice and major boost problems during the race caused the team to pull out of the race. Hope she gets a chance to race a real race car in 2013. She and the team deserve it.
Busy Week for Lotus HVM Racing in Fontana
News -
2013
"Finally we got a podium
finish!"
Soon after Simona De Silvestro finished a career-high second in Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, she was analyzing how to improve in Race 2.
De Silvestro, driving the No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva car for KV Racing Technology, qualified sixth on the 1.634-mile, 10-turn circuit at Reliant Park and lined up fifth for the standing start because of a grid penalty issued to Sebastien Bourdais for an unapproved engine change.
She ran in the top six for all but six of the 90 laps, finishing behind Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Danica Patrick (win at Twin Ring Motegi in 2008, runner-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in 2010) and Sarah Fisher (2000 at Kentucky Speedway) are the only other females to record an IndyCar Series podium finish.
"Finally, we have our podium," said De Silvestro, whose previous best was fourth in the 2011 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. "We've been waiting for this for a long time. It seemed like a pretty good car the whole weekend. I qualified up there and then the race went actually pretty good."
De Silvestro, 25, of Switzerland, was competing in her 63rd IZOD IndyCar Series race. She was coming off a fifth place on the streets of Baltimore. A week earlier at Sonoma Raceway, she advanced 13 positions relative to her starting spot to finish ninth.
"I think when I look at the season, I think we started off really well with the 78 car (qualifying third and finishing sixth in the St. Petersburg opener), and then in the middle we kind of had a slump," said De Silvestro, who is completing her first season as Tony Kanaan's teammate at KV Racing Technology. "Later, I think the biggest key we did is we just focused on what I needed in the race car and the results have been coming."
Her contract with team co-owners Jimmy Vasser and Kevin Kalkhoven ends after the Oct. 19 finale at Auto Club Speedway, but this result couldn't hurt in free-agent negotiations.
"This was only a one-year deal, and I felt like going
into this year things would go much smoother," she said. "It
kind of didn't really until now. Pressure was there for sure
to get this done. I'm really happy that it's actually coming
together now, and we've had a lot of momentum in the last
three races. I think that's really cool, and I think it just
shows that we can be up there and fight in the front."
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2013/10/10-5-De-Silvestro-earns-career-best-finish
Simona de Silvestro finishes fifth at
Grand Prix of Baltimore
KV Racing Technologydriver Simona De Silvestro gave herself a nice birthday present by finishing fifth today in the crash filled Grand Prix of Baltimore on the 2.4-mile,12-turn temporary street circuit in Baltimore, Maryland.
De Silvestro, who turned 25 today, qualified the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy - KV Racing Technology car 19th, but lined up 17th after penalties for unauthorized engine changes were assessed to two cars. She was on the move from the drop of the green flag and was in 10th place when the first of six caution periods occurred. De Silvestro, who drove a smart, patient race, stayed in the top-10 the whole time dropping back only following pit stops. However, it was in the latter stages of the race that she really showed her mettle. After being collected in the second to last of a series of multiple car crashes, De Silvestro pitted to get a new front wing. She rejoined the contest in 15th place and over the next 17 laps drove with determination and skill making several notable and often daring passes to earn her best finish of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar season.
"I'm definitely really happy with P5," De Silvestro said." It was kind of a crazy race. I don't think we had the fastest car out there, but we had a pretty good call on the pits when we got stuck in one of the wrecks. After that we were able to move forward and had some pretty good restarts. The Nuclear Clean Air Energy car was really good at the end, so I'm pretty happy with it for sure. Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday."
De Silvestro earned her best finish in three starts at
Baltimore surpassing a 12th in the inaugural 2011 event. The
talented Swiss driver has now placed in the top-10 six times
this year and her first top-five showing. Today's fifth
place performance tops a sixthplace finish in the
season-opener at St. Petersburg. More importantly today's
result extends her streak of solid results to six races (an
oval career-high 11th at Pocono, 10th and 14th place
finishes in Toronto, an11th in Mid-Ohio, a ninth in Sonoma
to go with today's fifth place showing) that has moved her
up four places in the standings from 19th to15th with 278
points.
Source: PR Release
De Silvestro, driver of the No.78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy - KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone entry, qualified 24th on the 24-car grid, but started 22nd when Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball were accessed penalties for unauthorized engine changes. She had a tough day from the start. The car wasn't handling great early on which resulted in the 24-year-old Swiss driver making contact with the wall in turn four and stalling the engine. The safety team was able to restart the car and De Silvestro drove back to the pits for new tires. She came in a few laps later for a new rear wing. That stop put her seven laps down from the leaders, but the team had hopes that the new wing would be enough for her to finish the race. Unfortunately, the damage suffered made the No. 78 car undriveable; De Silvestro's day was done on lap 69.
"The car was loose from the start and then it just took
off," De Silvestro said. "We made contact with the wall. The
guys changed the rear wing and we went back out, but I don't
know if it was damage from the crash or what, but it really
wasn't driveable after that. I feel bad for my Nuclear Clean
Air Energy sponsors that we had such a short race, but we
just weren't ever able to get the car fixed right.
Source: Press release
Simona Penalized Finishes
16th
De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, had a penalty ridden weekend. Although qualifying 12th, the Swiss driver started 22nd today due to a ten-spot penalty for an engine change after Detroit and received another penalty during the race that cost her what looked to be her best finish on an oval. De Silvestro was running 13th and was making a strong push forward when she received a 30-second stop and go penalty for passing the pace car which dropped her back to 22nd. She continued to push hard the rest of the race passing several cars on her way to a disappointing 16th place finish.
"The car was awesome all night and we just kind of got unlucky out there," De Silvestro said. "First of all with the yellow; when it came out we were stuck behind the leader. We fought our way back and then we got a 30-second penalty; I don't really know why. But, at the end of the day, the car was awesome and I think we could have had an awesome finish. We learned a lot. I think for me it was a really good experience. It was just a lot of fun out there racing and passing people. Big thanks to the team; they did an awesome job the whole week. They gave me a really comfortable car out there, so big thanks to them, Chevrolet and Nuclear Clean Air Energy."
Steve Moore, team manager, was proud of the job his drivers did. "Simona drove a heck of a race," he said, "but unfortunately she had a blend-line infringement that cost her a stop and go penalty. We feel it was a very harsh penalty, but she came back and drove back through the field finishing 16th"
The team looks to continue their strong performances on
ovals next weekend in Milwaukee, WI for the Milwaukee
IndyFest. The race will air live on ABC June 15th at 4:00
p.m. ET.
Source: Press rlease
De Silvestro Crashes on Lap 8 in Race
2 of the Dual in Detroit
KV Racing Technology wrapped up the Dual in Detroit disappointed with the results as Simona De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car crashed on lap 8 finishing 24th.
Jimmy Vasser, team co-owner, was disappointed as well, but thinks the team will rebound nicely in Texas. "Well it's definitely not the result we wanted to put up for Chevrolet at their home race here at the Dual in Detroit," he said. "However, we'll take our lumps and try to learn from our mistakes and go to Texas. I feel bad for Simona. It looked like she was really driving hard at the beginning of the race; she moved up and looked a bit like TK there following him through the pack. She was looking racey and it was just unfortunate that she ran over some piece of metal and got a puncture that took her out of the race.
De Silvestro had a miserable day crashing on lap 8 in turn 8. The Swiss driver wasn't exactly sure when she got out of the car as to what happened to put her in the wall, but she was certain that she was disappointed to be out of the race so early.
"A puncture on the right front tire kind of ended our day pretty abruptly," she said. "I went into the braking zone and the tire was flat so it kind of locked up and at that point you can't really steer or do anything. I ended up in the wall which was definitely frustrating because it was on lap 8 and you never want to be out of the race so early. But, I felt like we moved forward quite a bit on the restarts and I think we would have been ok during the race. The Nuclear Clean Air Energy car was ok and we were moving forward, but now we have to look forward to Texas. I think we can be pretty competitive, especially with the cars we've had on the ovals; especially at Indy. Texas is a different beast, so hopefully we'll be alright and have a really good race there."
Steve Moore, KVRT team manager, is determined to turn things around for Texas. "It was a disappointing day for Simona," he said. "She had a strong run going, but unfortunately a cut in the tire caused her to crash and be out of the race early on. We have a lot of work to do when we get back to the shop. We'll regroup and head to Texas."
The team heads back to Indy tonight and will begin
preparations for Texas bright and early tomorrow
morning.
Source: Press release
Simona finishes 16th in Race 1 of the
Dual of Detroit
KV Racing Technology started 17th and 19th on the grid for the first race of the Dual in Detroit today after qualifying 17th and 19th earlier in the day for tomorrow's race. Regardless of the poor starting positions, the team was still confident that they would be able to move up through the field during the race and celebrate good results for new sponsor Hippino.com and long-time sponsor Nuclear Clean Air Energy. While it looked like that would be the case early on, neither car ended up having the speed to maintain their advances.
Simona De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, had a frustrating day. However, despite finishing 16th today De Silvestro remains positive about her chances for tomorrow. "I think it was a hard race," she said, "we fought hard, but we kind of got squeezed out on the wrong side on the one restart and lost five positions there. That was a bit frustrating, but I think we're kind of ok. We still need a little bit of work for tomorrow, so we're going to go back and open the books again and try to do it better. During the race we learned a lot and that should really help. Hopefully we can improve tomorrow and bring the Nuclear Clean Air Energy home to a better finish than today."
The team is hard at work making changes that they expect will help them get better results in tomorrow's race. Team co-owner Jimmy Vasser expects some big changes. "It was just a terrible day for the setup of our cars," Vasser said. "Both cars were slow, so I imagine there will be some big changes tonight. The good news is that it's a double-header and we've got another chance tomorrow. We've got to come back out with something better than that. I'm a little embarrassed for my team and our sponsors; Hippino came on board this weekend. TK did an awesome job driving; it was obvious on his restarts. He got us up to fourth place at one point, but the car just had no speed in it and he wasn't able to hold it. I'm expecting some big changes tonight on both sides."
While not happy with today's results, team manager Steve Moore thinks the team will be able to come back strong tomorrow. "It was obviously not a good day for the 11 or 78 cars today," he said. "They managed to make some places up during the race, but unfortunately neither one of them had a very good car. We'll make some changes tonight and come back tomorrow strong."
The team will start tomorrow's race in the same positions
as today, but anticipate much better results.
Source: Press release
KV Racing Technology Drivers
Qualify 12th and 15th for Firestone 550 at Texas Motor
Speedway
KV Racing Technology's Simona De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, had her best qualifying session ever at Texas Motor Speedway, qualifying 12th for her fourth start at the super speedway. Teammate Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 Sunoco - KV Racing SH Racing - Chevrolet Firestone, qualified 15th for tomorrow's race, but will start 14th after De Silvestro moves to 22nd on the starting grid due to a 10-spot penalty.
De Silvestro felt she had the car for a better qualifying result, but was happy with what she accomplished. "I think we're pretty happy with where we are," she said. "We fell off a little bit on the second lap; maybe I should have utilized the tools I have in the car a little bit more, but I think we should be fine. This is my best qualifying here, so I want to thank Chevy for that."
Kanaan, whose four-race Sunoco sponsorship debuts this weekend, was disappointed with today's qualifying result. "We missed a bit on the gears for qualifying and that hurt the speed on our run, putting us back in the 14th spot for tomorrow's start," he said. "The good thing is that we run warm-up at night here at TMS, which gives us a chance to get the car closer to what we need for the actual race conditions. I think we'll be strong for the race"
If evening practice is any indication, Kanaan looks to be on the mark, having topped the time charts for the session. De Silvestro also ran strong, posting the 7th fastest time of the evening. Both cars appear ready for tomorrow's race.
The No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car faces a 10-spot penalty on tomorrow's starting grid as a result of an engine change. De Silvestro's Chevrolet engine was cracked in her crash last weekend at Detroit, but the damage wasn't discovered until after the team got back to Indy which was outside the time window to avoid a penalty. "We have a 10-grid penalty for tomorrow so we'll end up a little bit further back," De Silvestro continued, "but the important thing is that we have to focus on the race car; getting to where we're able to run on different lines out there; that's going to be really, really important. Hopefully we'll get everything where it needs to be and bring the Nuclear Clean Air Energy car home to a good finish."
Kanaan hopes to carry over his strong oval performances into tomorrow's race for new sponsor Sunoco who joins the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner here at Texas as well as the upcoming Iowa, Pocono, and Mid-Ohio races. Also joining the KVRT No. 11 car this weekend is DreamWorks' animated movie "Turbo".
Steve Moore, team manager, expects good results tomorrow. "We saw solid efforts by both the 78 and 11 cars in qualifying today. We didn't find the speed we were looking for in qualifying, however we're still confident that we have two good race cars going into tomorrow night. We're looking forward to a good result.
Kanaan and De Silvestro will work to take the speed they
found in tonight's practice and put it to use moving through
the field during tomorrow night's Firestone 550. Watch the
action live on ABC starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Source: Press release.
De Silvestro takes a spin -- on the
dance floor When in Texas …
That was Simona De Silvestro’s philosophy when she walked in to Billy Bob's Texas on June 6 to learn the rudiments of line dancing. Instructor Wendell Nelson whirled the KV Racing Technology driver – wearing cowboy boots – around the dance floor following the weekly 45-minute session.
Learning to line dance -- a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps for a group -- has been of goal of the Swiss-born De Silvestro.
“There was a full group of people learning, so there were a lot of people and it was kind of cool because you could kind of fall in,” she said. “I’m a terrible dancer, so I thought being in a line would be easier because you could look around and see what’s going on. But most of them were pretty confused, too. But it was a lot of fun.
“I’ve been looking for it for years now, since I moved to the U.S. I was like, ‘Man, I really want to do that once,’ and I didn’t know where to go, so to go there was really fun. It was a good experience.”
De Silvestro was sent home with a “cheat sheet”
with outlined steps for her to continue her education and
possibly to teach some of her fellow IZOD IndyCar Series
competitors following the Firestone 550 on June 8 at Texas
Motor Speedway.
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2013/06/6-7-De-Silvestro-takes-a-spin-on-the-dance-floor
'IndyCar 36' goes behind scenes with
Simona De Silvestro at 10:30 p.m. (ET) May 24 on NBC Sports
Network
Simona De Silvestro has the unquestioned respect of fellow IZOD IndyCar Series competitors on and off the racetrack. The Swiss-born driver and her manager, Imran Safiulla, are working on the commercial end to achieve the "first gender-neutral athlete in a multi-gender sport."
How female athletes are marketed globally is among the story lines of 'IndyCar 36' featuring the KV Racing Technology driver who will compete in her fourth Indianapolis 500. NBC Sports Network will broadcast the show at 10:30 p.m. (ET) May 24.
Producer Sean Belby leads the viewer behind the scenes with De Silvestro during the race weekend in early May in Brazil, weaving in an interview with her father, Pierluigi, who provided video footage of De Silvestro's early karting events, with a discussion of her being a role model as part of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiatives through her car's primary sponsor.
Other segments of the show include interviews with team co-owner Jimmy Vasser and teammate Tony Kanaan, race footage and a look at the logistics of moving the entire IZOD IndyCar Series to and from Sao Paulo by SOS Global Express.
"This is the most rewarding 'IndyCar 36' I've produced to date," Belby said.
The show closes NBC Sports Network's coverage of Coors
Lite Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (11 a.m.-4
p.m.), which highlights the final IZOD IndyCar Series
practice session on the 2.5-mile oval, the 40-lap Firestone
Freedom 100 live and the Pit Stop Challenge. Bob Jenkins is
the host.
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2013/05/5-23-INDYCAR-36-features-De-Silvestro
De Silvestro Finishes 8th and
Kanaan has Fuel Issue at the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300
KV Racing Technology had a great start to the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle, with Brazilian Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 Itaipava - KV Racing - SH Racing car, starting fourth and Simona De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car starting eighth. Kanaan quickly moved up through the field leading a total of 12 laps and looked poised for his first podium finish of the season, while De Silvestro did a great job maintaining a top-ten position while conserving fuel for a late-race push that the team hoped would also take her to the podium.
Unfortunately, things didn't work as planned. Kanaan ran out of fuel on lap 51 just as he was scheduled to make a pit stop and De Silvestro, despite passing several cars on her final stint, finished 8th as the yellows didn't work in her favor.
De Silvestro ran a solid race, but felt she had the potential to finish higher. "I think it was a really good race," she said. "We had to save fuel on the strategy we ran and with the yellows we got stuck behind slower traffic. The last stint we could go hard and we passed a lot of cars. That was a lot of fun. I wish the whole race would have been like that. I think it was good, but I think it would have been better if we had come in and got some more fuel to run harder. The car was on rails on blacks and on reds, so that was a lot of fun. It was a pretty good ending even though I think we had a chance to finish a little higher. I'm happy with my second straight top-ten finish."
Steve Moore, team manager, thought De Silvestro drove a great race, but was disappointed with Kanaan's result. "A great day for the 78 car," he said. "Simona drove a great race, starting eighth and finishing P8. It's always great to finish in the top-ten. It's disappointing on the 11 car. Having a miscalculation and always having difficulty finding telemetry at this track, the two combined together resulted in us running out of fuel on track. Obviously it was very disappointing for Tony in front of his home crowd."
Kanaan chose to look on the positive side of the day. "It's hard to find some words to explain the whole situation," he said, "but I must say that we won and lost together. We don't know what exactly happen, but we're looking at this in a positive way; we had the opportunity to win and were competitive throughout the weekend. I would love to win in my hometown and I have to thank everyone for the kindness I received during the race; it was something indescribable. For sure we know that are going strong to the Indianapolis 500".
Jimmy Vasser, team co-owner, was extremely disappointed for Kanaan and his sponsors and is looking into the cause of the No. 11's fuel issue. "Very, very disappointing for Tony Kanaan in his home Grand Prix while representing the race sponsor Itaipava," Vasser said. "I think the fans had a good show; they knew we were here. What happened on our fuel calculations...we ran the car out of fuel, there's no doubt about that. But, our alarms didn't go off and our numbers showed that we should have had a gallon in the car at that time. I've called for a full detailed report of the sequence of events that led to the car running out of fuel. Until I have that from the team when we get back I can't speculate on exactly where the problem happened. But, all-in-all I think they knew we were here.
Vasser goes on to say, "Simona had good pace all weekend; maybe not the race she would like to have had with the way the strategy played out. But, we put it behind us and we go to the biggest event of the year, the Indianapolis 500. I think we're well prepared for that and I'm just looking forward to getting on to the next one."
The team heads back to Indy tonight to regroup and finish
preparations for the Indianapolis 500. The Greatest
Spectacle in Racing airs live on ABC Sunday, May 26th at
11:00 a.m. ET.
Source: Press release
De Silvestro recalls Long Beach
win
On this date in 2008, Simona de Silvestro won the Champ Car Atlantic race on the streets of Long Beach for Newman/Wachs Racing.
On April 21, she’ll compete in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the fourth time and the first for KV Racing Technology in the No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva car.
“It was a pretty exciting day,” de Silvestro said of the sunny April day. “It was my first-ever win in Atlantics and also the first time I ever drove the Nuclear Clean Air Energy car. We got the win together and we’re still together today.”
She’ll start 18th in the 80-lap race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn course.
“Hopefully, we can get a strong result. Winning at Long Beach is special because there is so much history here.”
Also on this date five years ago, Danica Patrick became
the first female to win a major closed-course open-wheel
race. It was at Twin Ring Motegi with then-Andretti
Autosport. She was transported overnight to Long Beach to
kick off a media tour.
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2013/04/4-20-Notes-De-Silvestro-recalls-first-win
New KV Racing teammates off to a
strong start
Two years ago, the focus of the TV broadcast late in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was on Simona de Silvestro, who was attempting to chase down Tony Kanaan to claim her first IZOD IndyCar Series podium finish.
She finished fourth -- her best showing to date -- in the HVM Racing car, but gathered attention for the spirited run on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit after starting 17th.
In the season opener March 24, it was Kanaan pushing the No. 11 Hydroxycut KV Racing Technology-SH car over the final five laps in an effort to overtake de Silvestro and potentially claim a spot on the podium.
He finished fourth. She finished sixth as the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car faded on the final two laps of the 110-lap race on worn alternate Firestone tires. Still, it was a solid start for the drivers as new teammates and the team that last won an Indy car race in 2008 (Will Power).
"It's definitely a good start of the season for everyone at KV Racing, finishing fourth and sixth," said Kanaan, a newlywed. "My car was flawless while on track. The only problem we had during the race was that I couldn't shift into neutral during my last stop. That cost me three spots on track and made me work a bit more for this fourth-place finish.
"It's unfortunate that Simona couldn't hold off that third place. She was running strong up front until she had no more tires. She deserved the podium. I guess Marco (Andretti) had a newer set of Firestones than both Simona and I, so it was a matter of time for him to get by us."
De Silvestro started third -- her best showing to date -- in the start of her fourth IZOD IndyCar Series season.
“It’s been a good weekend for us," she said. "Unfortunately, we lost a few positions at the end there. I think we can be pretty happy with sixth. Now we know what we have to work on for the next race (April 7 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama). It was really cool to be up front all day with Will (Power), Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) and everybody.
"I think we can learn a lot from this weekend to have a
better result at the next race. I really want to thank Chevy
and my Nuclear Clean Air Energy sponsors for all their
support. I’m really excited to get to Barber and see
what we can do there.”
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2013/03/3-24-KV-starts-strong
KV Racing Technology Off to a Good
Start with 4th and 6th Place Finishes at St. Pete
KV Racing Technology had an exciting start to the 2013 IZOD IndyCar season with fourth and sixth place finishes. Both KVRT drivers spent the day in the top ten with Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 HYDROXYCUT - KVRT-SH Racing Chevrolet/Firestone car, finishing fourth and De Silvestro, driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, finishing sixth.
Kanaan, who started 11th, pushing hard all race and overcame a stall in the final pit stop on his way to his 107th career top-five finish. His combined streak of consecutive starts, which includes his career in CART and IndyCar is now 197, which currently puts him second in the standings behind KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser who has 211 consecutive starts.
Kanaan was pleased with the day's results. "It's definitely a good start to the season for everyone at KV Racing, finishing fourth and sixth", he said. "My car was flawless while on track, the only problem we had during the race was that I couldn't shift into neutral during my last stop. That cost me three spots on track and made me work a bit more for this fourth place finish. I was impressed that my last set of scuffed red Firestones lasted that long and I can't say enough about my Chevy engine. It's unfortunate that Simona couldn't hold on for third place. She was running strong up front until she had no more tires. She deserved the podium. I guess Marco had a newer set of Firestones than both Simona and I, so it was just a matter of time for him to get by us."
While not her best finish, De Silvestro who is in her fourth season in the IZOD IndyCar Series and first with KV Racing, did have one of her strongest races running most of the day in third, fourth or fifth place. It looked like she was going to grab her first podium, but with less than 10 laps to go her Firestone reds started to fade. She managed to hold on until the final lap when Marco Andretti, TK and Scott Dixon managed to get past her.
"It's been a good weekend for us." De Silvestro said. "Unfortunately we lost a few positions at the end there. We kind of ran out of tires at the end. I think we can be pretty happy with sixth. Now we know what we have to work on for the next race. It was really cool to be up front all day with Will, Hinch and everybody; it was awesome. I think we can learn a lot from this weekend to have a better result at the next race. I really want to thank Chevy and my Nuclear Clean Air Energy sponsors for all their support. I'm really excited to get to Barber and see what we can do there."
Team owner Kevin Kalkhoven was pleased with the team's efforts. The first thing is," he said, "my congratulations to Steve Moore as team manager. He put together a very, very good two team operation in a relatively short period of time. And of course, congratulations to both TK and Simona, they did really well. I'm very proud of the whole operation."
Jimmy Vasser agrees with his partner. "We're off to a great start," he said. "What can you say about TK? He's a consummate professional. He overcame a stall in the pits that dropped him back a few positions, but he worked his way back through the field. He did a great job today.
Vasser went on to say, "Simona was awesome today. We knew she had it in her and that if we gave her the tools she needed she'd be competitive. It would have been great if she had been able to hang on and finish on the podium, but the last few laps she struggled with grip and couldn't hold off Marco in the end. I fully expect both of our drivers to be back up front at Barber."
Team Manager Steve Moore was also proud of his drivers and crew. "It was a good day for KV Racing," he said. "We're very excited about the results. We had a couple of issues in the pits, but the drivers and the crews rebounded. It's not the end result that we wanted, but we'll take the positives out of it and move on to the next race."
KVRT drivers will be in action again in two weeks at
Barber Motorsports Park. Make sure to tune in and catch TK
and Simona in action. The NBCSN broadcast begins at 2:00
p.m. ET with the green flag scheduled to wave at 2:40
p.m.
Source: Press release
KV Racing Technology driver's
Simona De Silvestro and Tony Kanaan will start tomorrow's
IZOD IndyCar season opener 3rd and 11th
respectively.
For De Silvestro, the driver of the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy car, this is the best qualifying of her IndyCar career; her previous best was 7th at Edmonton in 2010. Her best start here in St. Petersburg was 14th also in 2010.
When asked how much fun she was having, De Silvestro, in her fourth IndyCar season, said, "It's awesome. The whole weekend has been going really well for us and it's really cool to finally get the results we wanted. Thanks to KV Racing Technology for giving me the opportunity, and to the whole Nuclear Clean Air Energy campaign for supporting me after the year we had last year. It's cool to get the results. It's unbelievable. We were right there with Will and Sato who are usually always up there and it's fun to be up there with them."
De Silvestro and teammate Tony Kanaan battled for 3rd place here in 2011 with Kanaan willing the skirmish and taking the podium, while De Silvestro drove to her best finish of fourth. In eight starts at St. Petersburg, Kanaan has been on pole once (2008) and finished on the podium five times, with his best finish of second in 2005.
Kanaan, who drives the No. 11 Hydroxycut - KV Racing Technology - SH Racing Chevrolet/Firestone entry, always expects to be running up front and was disappointed to not make the Firestone Fast Six today. "It's a shame," he said. "We had very good momentum going on the #11, the Chevy power was great and the Firestone tires help up well. I had a Top-Five car, but we made a minor change between the qualifying sessions that did not go our way, leaving us back in 11th on the grid. Well, tomorrow is another day and I'm sure we'll be fine when the green flag flies."
KV Racing team manager Steve Moore is happy with the success the team has shown in the first two days of the season. "A very good day for KV Racing," Moore said, "everyone's very excited with the results for the day. Obviously it shows all the team's hard work and testing through the off season is starting to pay off. We're just looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully we can carry the momentum the team built over the winter through the rest of the season."
"I think it was a good day overall," team co-owner Imran Safiulla said. "We're very pleased. It was a fantastic job by the boys on the engineering side and Simona did a hell of a job staying composed. This partnership with Chevy has been great for us and we look forward to good things there. We missed a little on the No. 11 car, but I think we'll be there during race conditions tomorrow. We're looking forward to hopefully keeping both noses clean and bringing them home."
Both drivers had a full contingent of sponsors on hand today to cheer them on. Kanaan welcomed new sponsor Hydroxycut and supporters from Entergy, AREVA, and other Nuclear Clean Air sponsors were at the track to cheer De Silvestro's success.
Kanaan and De Silvestro will make their season debuts
tomorrow when the 2013 IZOD IndyCar season kicks off in St.
Petersburg, FL. The race will air on NBC Sports Network with
coverage starting at noon. The IMS Radio Network will bring
the action live to fans. Both the radio broadcast and live
timing and scoring can be found on www.indycar.com. Radio
broadcast can also be heard on XM Radio 211/Sirius Radio
211.
Source: Press release
De Silvestro Tests With KV Racing At
Barber
Promising Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro turned her first laps on Monday at Barber Motorsports Park using Chevy power during a test with KV Racing, and told SPEED.com it was everything she was hoping for after being saddled with the uncompetitive Lotus powerplant during the 2012 IndyCar Series championship.
“It was a lot of fun, especially here at Barber where there’s a lot of elevation and you can go up the hill pretty quick and don’t have to push it like last year,” she said. “The Chevy engine is pretty awesome. I learned a lot today and I think it was just a lot of fun to get back in a real race car.” (Your fans are looking forward to that too. You didn't complain about what you were stuck in last year. For that, we admire you. Just glad IndyCar didn't require you to run another year with a manufacturer who should never have been let in to the series in the first place. They may have competitive cars in other areas of motor sports but they sure didn't seem to care much about being competitive in IndyCars. Welcome back to real racing, Simona. - Editor)
De Silvestro spent the entire season with the down-on-power 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 Lotus, but managed to impress on occasion--especially on the street courses--once the Engine Developments Limited-built motor received a number of concessions to increase its competitiveness.
With little hope of fighting for meaningful results, de Silvestro and her HVM Racing team focused on improving chassis setup on the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy entry. The 24-year-old worked with veteran open-wheel engineer Gerald Tyler at HVM, forming an effective partnership which could continue next year.
“I think what we had to do last season helped a lot,” de Silvestro explained. “We started with [KV driver] Tony Kanaan’s setup he used at Barber during the race, which was a lot different than what we used here so we learned a lot. Me and my engineer clicked last year and really worked well from Detroit on. Having a winning engine will help a lot, so from that point of view, I look at what we did [with the Lotus] and think we learned a lot that will help me now.”
As one of the most positive drivers in the paddock, de Silvestro’s spirit and resolve was tested repeatedly during the 15-round championship, but as she shares, it only took a few laps in KV’s Dallara DW12-Chevy to put a tough 2012 season to rest.
“Today I really felt like a little kid and had so much fun,” she said. “You push the car and know a lap time was going to come out of it. Last year, we never had that. You’d drive the wheels off the car and you’d still be 20th. That’s a big confidence boost. Today, I just took it all in. It was like it was the first time I ever drove an Indy car.”
In addition to KV’s two cars for de Silvestro and Kanaan, Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Charlie Kimball tested at Barber, along with Dale Coyne Racing’s Justin Wilson. Lap times weren’t released, but de Silvestro felt confident about her relative pace.
“I think we can be happy with our speed today,” she remarked. “With the setup we had, I think we can do more to make it how I like it, but it was very good. Tony did a lot of work on dampers and it really feels like a lot of progress is already being made in just one day.”
An announcement regarding de Silvestro's plans for 2013
is forthcoming.
Source: auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-de-silvestro-tests-with-kv-racing-at-barber/
KV Racing Technology signs de
Silvestro for 2013
Simona de Silvestro felt the need to leave the comfort of the only team she’s ever raced for in the IZOD IndyCar Series to advance her career. KV Racing Technology hopes the infusion of the young driving talent can bring it back to the front.
The popular Swiss driver will join KV Racing Technology in 2013, where she will drive the No. 78 Chevrolet-powered Indy car alongside former series champion Tony Kanaan.
“It’s definitely exciting to be joining KV Racing (Technology),” de Silvestro said. “I’ve had a lot of good results in the past and I think this will help me get more (results). Having a teammate like Tony is really cool. I’m just really looking forward to the season.”
After being saddled with the underachieving Lotus engine in 2012, the 24-year-old native of Thun, Switzerland began looking at options for the 2013 season. She said she’s found a “perfect fit” with KV Racing Technology, which fielded cars for Kanaan, E.J. Viso and Rubens Barrichello in 2012.
"I am very happy to welcome Simona to KV Racing Technology," says team co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. "I have been watching her race for many years and she shows tremendous talent. I think we will really see this on the road/street courses and having Tony as a teammate will provide her a wealth of information, so I am excited for what the 2013 season will hold."
KV Racing Technology also welcomes Imran Safiulla as a team principal. Safiulla, an international industrialist who has supported De Silvestro’s racing efforts since 2006, expects the new arrangement to be a successful endeavor for both De Silvestro and KV Racing Technology.
"We are delighted to announce Simona to KV,” said team co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “She has shown a lot of determination and to now be able to work with someone as experienced as Kanaan will be a huge asset for her. I would also like to welcome our new co-owner Imran Safiulla to the team and hope we have a successful 2013."
But leaving HVM Racing, the team which brought her to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2010, didn’t make de Silvestro’s decision very easy.
“When you change teams it’s always hard,” said de Silvestro, who tested with her new team for the first time on Oct. 29 at Barber Motorsports Park. “The other team was like a family, but it was time for a change, and this opportunity made a lot of sense. You have to get used to working with new people, especially when you’ve been somewhere three years with the same people. But yesterday, it was fun and we had a good test for the first time together.”
Key to the move was the support of sponsors Nuclear Clean Air Energy, Entergy and AREVA, who will move along with de Silvestro to her new team. Working with a teammate for the first time in her career was also appealing.
“I think it’s really important to have a teammate,” she said. “In my career, I’ve always been by myself. I think having data and having someone like Tony on the team will really help me. Tony and I get along really well. He has lot of experience knows a lot about the car and racing. Having him as a teammate is really important, and I’m going to learn a lot from him.”
And it also leaves her confident that she can contend for podiums and wins in 2013.
“That was my goal last year, but we didn’t have
the engine to do it,” de Silvestro said. “I think
have great team behind me, great engineering support and
Chevy power will be a big difference. It’s fun to drive
again. Hopefully, it can push us forward to accomplish all
of our goals.”
Source: www.indycar.com/News/2012/10-October/10-30-Simona-de-Silvestro-Joins-KVRT-for-2023
De Silvestro Joins KV Racing
Technology
KV Racing Technology announced today that they have signed Swiss IndyCar driver Simona De Silvestro for the 2013 IZOD IndyCar season. De Silvestro joins current driver Tony Kanaan, making the team a two-car entry. This will be the first time De Silvestro has had the opportunity of running with a teammate since moving up to the IndyCar series in 2010. She brings with her the Nuclear Clean Air Energy campaign sponsorship.
“I’m really excited to be joining KV Racing Technology,” De Silvestro said, “I think it’s going to be great having Tony as a teammate. It’s never easy to make a change like this, but I’m confident that it’s the right move for me going forward. I do want to thank Keith and HVM Racing for helping me gain a ton of experience these last three years. Even though we struggled last year with our engine, I learned a lot. Now it’s time to move on and look forward to next season. I’m proud of the fact that I’m the spokesperson for the Nuclear Clean Air Energy campaign and very happy that Entergy, AREVA, and all my sponsors will continue to support my racing efforts”.
The Nuclear Clean Air Energy Sponsorship is comprised of multiple members of the nuclear industry most notable being Entergy Nuclear and AREVA.
“I’m excited for Simona,” John Herron, CEO of Entergy Nuclear, said. “This is the first time she will have a teammate in the IndyCar series and I think Tony Kanaan is going to be a really good one for her. Entergy is looking forward to being part of KV Racing Technology and we’re very happy that we will now be working with Chevrolet. We think Simona is a great driver and ambassador for our industry and look forward to continuing our support of her racing endeavors.”
“AREVA, the global leader in clean energy production, is once again pleased to partner with the Nuclear Clean Air Energy team. We join Simona and the team in delivering the message of safe, clean, affordable and reliable nuclear energy," stated Mike Rencheck, chief operating officer, AREVA, Inc.
KV Racing Technology, formed in 2003, has accumulated an impressive 335 starts with 19 podiums, five poles and two wins. Team management is looking forward to having De Silvestro come on board.
"I am very happy to welcome Simona to KV Racing Technology," says team co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. "I have been watching her race for many years and she shows tremendous talent. I think we will really see this on the road/street courses and having Tony as a teammate will provide her a wealth of information, so I am excited for what the 2013 season will hold."
KV Racing Technology also welcomes Imran Safiulla as a team principal. Safiulla, an international industrialist who has supported De Silvestro’s racing efforts since 2006, expects the new arrangement to be a successful endeavor for both De Silvestro and KV Racing Technology.
"We are delighted to announce Simona to KV,” said team co-owner Jimmy Vasser. “She has shown a lot of determination and to now be able to work with someone as experienced as Kanaan will be a huge asset for her. I would also like to welcome our new co-owner Imran Safiulla to the team and hope we have a successful 2013."
De Silvestro has already made herself familiar with the
team while testing yesterday at Barber Motorsports Park in
Alabama. The team expects to test again at Texas and Sebring
before the end of 2012.
Source: Press release
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2013 IRL Schedule (Grid/Finish/Qualifying Speed/Laps Completed/Status) |
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Date |
Track |
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Mar 24 |
Streets of St.
Petersburg |
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Apr 7 |
Barber
Motorsports Park |
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Apr 21 |
Streets of Long
Beach |
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May 5 |
Streets
of San Paulo |
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May 26 |
Indianapolis
Motor Speedway
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Jun 1 |
Detroit
Belle Isle Park |
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Jun 2 |
Detroit
Belle Isle Park |
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Jun 8 |
Texas
Motor Speedway
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Jun 15 |
The
Milwaukee Mile
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Jun 23 |
Iowa
Speedway |
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Jul 7 |
Pocono 400 |
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Jul 13 |
Streets
of Toronto |
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Jul 14 |
Streets
of Toronto |
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Aug 4 |
Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course |
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Aug 25 |
Infineon
Raceway |
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Sep 1 |
Streets
of Baltimore |
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Oct 5 |
Houston Race 1 |
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Oct 6 |
Houston Race 1 |
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Oct 19 |
MAVTV
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2013 IRL Results (Grid/Finish/Qualifying Speed/Laps Completed/Status) |
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Mar 24 |
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Apr 7 |
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Apr 21 |
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May 5 |
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May 26 |
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Jun 1 |
Detroit
Belle Isle Park |
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Jun 2 |
Detroit
Belle Isle Park |
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Jun 8 |
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Jun 15 |
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Jun 23 |
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Jun 7 |
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Jul 13 |
Streets
of Toronto |
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Jul 14 |
Streets
of Toronto |
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Aug 4 |
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Aug 25 |
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Sep 1 |
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Oct 5 |
Houston
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Oct 6 |
Houston
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Oct 19 |
MAVTV
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