Sao Paulo: Conquest Racing race report

CONQUEST RACING SAO PAULO INDY 300 RACE WEEKEND RECAP - A YEARS WORTH OF EXPERIENCES IN TWO DAYS

March 15, 2010 (Sao Paulo, Brazil)- Conquest Racing and driver Mario Romancini fought through a weekend of adversity in the initial outing for the team and driver combination. In the short two days of competition, Romancini very nearly gained a year's worth of experiences. Beginning with a crash during the first practice session and track conditions that required the IZOD IndyCar Series to make middle-of-the-nigh modifications on the eve of the race, Romancini's race day topped off the weekend when he had to weave through a multi-car accident at the start and later heavy downpours of rain during the race.

"I am glad to get this first weekend finished," said Romancini. "I learned a lot this weekend. Everything was new to me and we experienced some difficulties, preventing us from running as much as we would have liked each practice session. In the IZOD IndyCar Series, I understand now, more than ever, how important it is to get as many laps as possible to help understand the track and fully understand what to expect from the race car."

Like many of the drivers competing this weekend in Sao Paulo, Romancini liked the layout of the race track but was struggling in the Sambadrome section. The long straight was difficult for the drivers because of its slick concrete surface. However, the event promoter and the IZOD IndyCar Series made modification to the track in the nighttime hours between practice and race day which made the track better for driving.

"It was like driving on ice, which we don't do much here in Brazil," said Romancini. "It was very hard to put the throttle down without the tires spinning and the car wanted to turn sideways. The promoters and the league did a great job in fixing the problem the night before the race and it was much better on race day."

Race day was also filled with new adventures for the 22 year-old IZOD IndyCar Series rookie. At the start, Romancini had to dodge his way through a multi-car accident in front of him and then had to brave torrential rains that were so heavy the race had to be stopped for nearly 30 minutes. After the rain delay, Romancini was steadily moving up in the field and had just passed Danica Patrick for position when he made contact with the wall while trying to catch another car.

"I guess I got to experience a lot of scenarios this first weekend in IndyCar," Romancini said. "Our lap times got better as the day went on and I was getting more confidence in myself and in the car. With this first race behind us now, I am really looking forward to the next race at St. Petersburg in a couple of weeks."

"We had an eventful weekend in Sao Paulo and we have to realize the challenges of being a rookie driver on a challenging track in tricky conditions," commented team owner Eric Bachelart. "Mario has learned a lot this weekend and we will build on the season from here. I have no doubt that we will see a good improvement of performances in St. Pete. I would also like to congratulate the Brazilian promoter for putting on a first class event in a very short period of time."

Conquest Racing will be back on track March 26 for the first practice session at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

-source: conquest racing