2009 IRL Team Reports: KV Racing Technology

IRL Team reports for the 2009 IRL season

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2009 IRL Team Reports: KV Racing Technology

Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:03 am

~~~KV RACING TECHNOLOGY OPENS 2009 INDYCAR SEASON WITH HONDA GRAND PRIX
OF ST. PETERSBURG

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - MARCH 30, 2009 - - KV Racing Technology will contest its seventh season of open-wheel completion, and second in the IndyCar Series, starting this weekend with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, April 3-5, on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

KV Racing Technology (KVRT) is owned by successful venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven and 1996 Series Champion Jimmy Vasser. Kalkhoven and Vasser, along with General Manager
Mark Johnson, who is entering his fourth year with the team, have built KVRT into a contender for podium finishes as well as a resident of the top-10 in the championship standings.

KVRT will open the 2009 season with Mario Moraes behind the wheel of the #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine. Moraes, 20, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be contesting his second IndyCar season. Last year he drove for Dale Coyne Racing, and despite competing on all 16 IndyCar tracks for the first time, earned three top-10 finishes with a best showing of seventh at Watkins Glen (10th at Nashville and Infineon Raceway) and a best starting position of 10th at Edmonton. Moraes led his first career IndyCar laps at the Indianapolis 500. In his only previous start in St. Petersburg, Moraes qualified 22nd and finished 16th.

"I am really looking forward to the start of the season and racing with KV Racing Technology," Moraes said. "It is fantastic to work with such an experienced group. We have done a lot of work during the preseason and I am really impressed with the work of the engineering staff and crew. I have already learned a lot and appreciate their support. The entire team has made me feel very welcome and I just want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser for this opportunity."

Johnson has surrounded the youthful Moraes with a wealth of highly experienced racing talent. Team Manager David Brzozowski, who counts over 20 years of experience in open-wheel racing, heads up an outstanding crew of technicians including Chief Mechanic Steve Moore. In addition, the team boasts a veteran group of engineers led by John d#$%, Dave Faustino and Garrett Mothersead.

"We made good progress during the preseason, but still have a lot of work to do," Johnson said. "The entire team has worked hard to put us in a position to be successful, but we know it is going to be a long season. I am just looking forward to getting started this weekend in St. Petersburg."

KV Racing Technology Notes:

KV Racing Technology will be making its fourth start in St. Petersburg. In three previous races the team has qualified in the top-10 twice with a best starting position of second by Will Power in 2008 (Oriol Sevia started seventh in 2008). They have finished in the top-10 all three times with a best showing of seventh by Servia last year (Power placed eighth). Patrick Lemarie earned the team's first top-10 finish in their first race placing 10th in St. Petersburg in 2003 (qualified 14th).

KVRT was the most consistent and highest ranked of the teams transitioning from the Champ Car World Series to the IndyCar Series last year. Both KVRT drivers spent much of the season inside the top-10 in the championship standings eventually placing ninth (Servia) and 12th (Power).

KV Racing Technology was established in 2003. The Indianapolis-based team has earned two victories the first by Cristiano da Matta in Portland in 2005 and the second by Will Power in Long Beach in 2008. They have captured two poles, Tristan Gommendy at Mont Tremblant in 2007 and Vasser at Milwaukee in 2005 (Will Power captured the pole at the 2008 Surfers Paradise, Australia exhibition race).

For more information about K V Racing Technology visit: www.kvracingtechnology.com
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Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:11 am

KV Racing Technology
Friday Report

~~~KV RACING TECHNOLOGY 17th AFTER FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE FOR HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - - APRIL 3, 2009 - - Round #1 2009 IndyCar Series season - -

KV Racing Technology driver Mario Moraes was 17th on the combined speed report following the first day of practice for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his second appearance on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, posted a fast time of 64.7751 seconds (100.038 mph).

In the first practice, a 90-minute session run on a wet track due to morning rain, Moraes was ninth out of the 21 cars at 65.7412 seconds (98.568 mph). The second session went for 60-minutes and featured 22 cars on a dry track in the afternoon. KVRT used the session to experiment with some changes and while Moraes posted his quickest time of the day, on the 18th of the 26 laps he completed, he dropped down on the speed charts.

"We got a lot of work done today, but we obviously still have a lot more to do," Moraes said. "The KVRT -- Votorantim team will go over all the data and I am sure we will be better tomorrow."

Moraes, in his second IndyCar season and first with KVRT, qualified 22nd and finished 16th here last year in his IndyCar debut. The 20-year-old native of Sao Paulo, Brazil earned two of his three top-10 finishes during his inaugural IndyCar season on road courses placing a season high seventh at Watkins Glen and 10th at Infineon Raceway (also 10th on the oval in Nashville). Moraes had a season best 10th place starting position in 2008 on the street circuit in Edmonton.

Tomorrow will feature a split practice with the first group going out at 8:05 a.m. Moraes will be in the second group which practices 8:35 a.m. Morning practice will be followed by qualifying which is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. and will be broadcast tape delay on Versus. The race will be broadcast live, Sunday, April 5, on Versus at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:32 am

~~~KV RACING TECHNOLOGY'S MARIO MORAES QUALIFIES 20TH FOR HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- APRIL 4, 2009 -- Round #1, 2009 IndyCar Series season -- KV Racing Technology's Mario Moraes qualified 20th for tomorrow's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his second appearance on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, posted a fast time of 63.4520 seconds (102.124 mph). He will grid on the outside of Row #10.

"The KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim car was improved a lot from the morning practice. In qualifying, I ran into traffic on my fastest lap and was unable to get back to power quick enough so we didn't qualify where we would have liked," Moraes said. "I just want to thank everyone at KVRT for all their hard work. Fortunately for me, I have a good race strategist in Mark Johnson and an outstanding pit crew, so I am confident that we can do better in tomorrow's race."

Moraes was 17th on the speed charts after yesterday's twin practices with a time of 64.7751 seconds (100.038 mph). In this morning's practice, which was run in two groups, he went out with the second group and ran the 19th fastest lap of his session, 64.5309 seconds (100.417 mph)

Moraes ran again in Group #2 in Round #1 of qualifying. He did two stints, the first of six timed laps on the primary or "black" tire and the second of seven timed laps on the alternate "red" tire, which is softer and faster, but less durable. He recorded his fast lap, which was also his fastest of the weekend on his last timed lap.

Moraes, 20, who is in his second IndyCar season and first with KVRT, will be making his 17th career IndyCar start, second in St. Petersburg and first with KVRT tomorrow. Today's 20th place qualifying position is his highest at St. Petersburg. Last year, in his IndyCar debut, Moraes qualified 22nd and finished 16th. Moraes' career best qualifying position is ninth at Long Beach last year. His best IndyCar start is 10th on the street circuit in Edmonton also last year. The native of Brazil has earned two of his three career top-10 finishes on road courses (career high seventh at Watkins Glen and 10th at Infineon Raceway last year).
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Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:38 pm

-----Damaged Suspension Ends Promising Performance By KV Racing Technology At Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg


ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 5, 2009 -- Round #1, 2009 IndyCar Series season - Damaged suspension ended what was shaping up as a promising performance for KV Racing Technology and driver Mario Moraes today at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his second appearance on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, started 20th. He was driving a solid race and was positioned to move into the top-six based on a tactically sound race strategy devised by the team. However, on lap 32, Moraes, who got as high as 12th, was running in 17th place following his second pit stop when Hideki Mutoh hit him in the right rear breaking the suspension and ending his day. Moraes finished 21st.

"It is really too bad. KV Racing Technology worked very hard to get the car right for the race and we had a really good strategy. I honestly think we could have finished well inside the top-10 today."

Moraes, 20, is in his second IndyCar season and first with KVRT. He made his 17th career IndyCar start, first with the team and eighth on a road/street circuit in a U.S. based open-wheel series (seven in IndyCar and the Champ Car event in Long Beach last year). Moraes, a native of Brazil, made his IndyCar debut in St. Petersburg last year qualifying 22nd and finishing 16th. Two of his three career top-10 finishes have come on road/street circuits including a career high seventh at Watkins Glen in 2008.

Next up for KV Racing Technology is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-19, on the streets of Long Beach, California. The Long Beach event is Round #2 of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. It will be televised live on Versus at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Post by mlittle » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:02 pm

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY LOOKING TO DEFEND TITLE AT TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - APRIL 14, 2009 - - KV Racing Technology will be looking to defend its title this weekend at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-19, on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn, temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California.

KVRT captured the Long Beach event last year, and in fact placed three cars in the top-10, when it served as the Champ Car World Series finale. Will Power, then driving for the team, qualified fourth, but took the lead on the first lap and led 81 of the 83 laps en route to the victory. In addition, Oriol Servia placed fifth and team co-owner Jimmy Vasser, making his first Champ Car start since Long Beach on April 9, 2006 finished 10th.

Current KVRT driver Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, also contested the Long Beach race last year. Moraes, then a rookie driving for Dale Coyne Racing, was making just his third U.S. based open-wheel start. He qualified 19th and then was involved in an incident on lap five ending his day in 20th place.

"This will be the first time all the IndyCar's will compete in Long Beach and I think it's going to be a very competitive and tough race," Moraes said. "Qualifying will be very important because, like any street circuit, passing is difficult. KV Racing Technology won here last year, so I am confident we will have a good car in Long Beach. My goal is to be consistent, have a good race and get some points towards the championship."

Moraes, 20, is coming off a 21st place showing in the 2009 IndyCar season opener at St. Petersburg. However, his final finishing position does not tell the whole story. The native of Brazil, who started 20th, steadily made his way through the field, and was running as high as 13th, when on lap 31 he was hit by another competitor and knocked out of the race. Had he been able to continue, Moraes, who got outstanding pit work from his KVRT crew and was using a different race strategy, could easily have finished well inside the top-10.

Moraes, in his second IndyCar season and first with KV Racing Technology, will be making his 18th career IndyCar start (19th in U.S. based open wheel series counting Long Beach in 2008) and eighth on a road/street circuit (seven in IndyCar). He has earned two of his three career top-10 finishes on road/street circuits including a career high seventh at Watkins Glen in 2008.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 17-19, on the streets of Long Beach, California is Round #2 of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. It will be televised live on Versus at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:51 am

~~~KV Racing Technology Press Conference Transcript: Paul Tracy Indy 500 announcement
April 17, 2009
Long Beach, Calif.

An Interview with Paul Tracy, Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Max Papis

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome you all to the KV Racing Technology media conference. Just to introduce everybody, and then we'll have some remarks by Mr. Kalkhoven, Mr. Tracy and Mr. Vasser, and then we'll open it up to questions. Kevin Kalkhoven, co-owner of KV Racing Technology on the far right, Paul Tracy next to him, our special guest, the Geico Gecko, and then the other co-owner Jimmy Vasser.

KEVIN KALKHOVEN: Thank you all for coming. It's really with great pleasure that I announce that Paul Tracy, one of the most interesting and fun drivers on the North American motor racing scene, is going to be racing for KV Racing Technologies at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with support from Geico. Geico Insurance is an outstanding industry leader in the industry, and I'm confident that Paul, with the support of Geico and the KV Racing team, is going to provide a competitive, exciting and fascinating, if you know any of his history, entry into the Indianapolis 500. So it's with great pleasure I make this announcement.

We're now actually going to demonstrate, if you've seen the advertisement, Paul demonstrating his confidence in Geico by falling backwards into the arms of the Geico Gecko.

PAUL TRACY: For me it's a very exciting day. Obviously it's been extremely, extremely frustrating to have only raced one time since the merger of the two series back together. It's been a year since I competed here at Long Beach, and I only did one race last year in Edmonton. I felt that I did a good enough job to warrant being back in a car, but that didn't transpire, and I'm very fortunate to have the support of this Indianapolis 500 effort of not only Kevin and Jimmy's team but also Geico.

I need to thank Doug Barnett for putting that deal together with Geico, and I'm excited. For me to go back to Indy after '02, I only have one purpose in going there, and that's to win the race. That's why I chose Jimmy's team and Kevin's team, because I feel they've got the most competitive package out there that is available.

Jimmy and I have known each other for more than 20 years on and off the racetrack and have a good friendship with each other, live in the same town, so it was just a natural fit, and I'm excited. Obviously it's going to be a big month of May for me, and it's going to be pretty exciting.

JIMMY VASSER: Well, to echo what everybody said, this is a great thing not only for KV but for IndyCar racing. To get PT back out there I think is going to be phenomenal for the month of May. Hopefully this could lead into some other things for the future, as well. He's a great champion, done so many great achievements. If you look at his numbers, they're phenomenal. He's in the Top 10 in every category that there is in IndyCar racing, and I'm really excited. He usually calls me about five times a day on the telephone, and so I'm going to be able to get to call him from the radio and from the timing stand.

The real reason he got this deal with Geico is he's the guy that looks the most like the caveman (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: We're going to open the floor to questions.

Q: Question for Paul: Your friend Max Papis is sponsored by Geico, any chance he would come to Indy with you?

PAUL TRACY: Well, I think it would be great. Obviously Max and I have both had a relationship with Geico for a couple years. I drove the Geico NASCAR car a couple years ago. But I don't really know what Max's plans are right now. It would be great to have him as a teammate. He's always telling everybody he's got the heart of a lion. But I think I would really show him who has the heart of a lion, but that's a question you'd have to ask him.

Q: Paul has been away from oval racing for quite a while, and you guys with the transition last year, everybody came over and had some difficulty getting the cars to be competitive. How competitive do you feel he's going to be able to be at Indy?

JIMMY VASSER: Well, I think Paul, it's not going to take him long. He's going to be able to get right up to speed. I have every confidence in that. You saw what he did at Edmonton last year. Although it was on a road course, Paul has shown himself to be one of the toughest competitors on ovals, and I think he's going to be a great addition to our lineup and help Mario along, as well. He's going to be a good teammate for Mario.

We've done a lot of work on our cars over the winter. I think you've seen it at Homestead with our times on the oval. So I think all the stars are lining up and we're going to have something pretty special here.

Q: Paul, are you going to get any extra time at Indy to get back up to speed? And also, any possibility of Toronto and Edmonton?

PAUL TRACY: We're not going to take the rookie orientation program. I don't think they let past winners do that there (laughter). You know, for me, I mean, it's been a couple years since I've been there, but it's -- the track is the same. The tradition of Indy is the same. It's four corners. If the car is right, and Jimmy has promised me their cars are right right now, they had a great practice --

KEVIN KALKOVEN: It has four wheels right now (laughter).

PAUL TRACY: They had a great practice this morning, so for me it won't take me very long to get back up to speed. I think I proved that in Edmonton last year, and I think that's probably the toughest track that the series goes to in terms of rough and fast.

You know, I'm excited. I'm ready to get back out there and show what I can do.

Q: And Canada?

PAUL TRACY: Well, we're working on it. Obviously it's a tough economic time right now, and I'm fortunate enough that I've got good sponsors that have helped me through this economic time. I've got some personal sponsors with Monster that have stuck behind me. I've been able to put together some small deals to do a couple little things, NASCAR stuff along with Doug.

So for Geico to come on board, we're going to do the best we can to generate as much media exposure, excitement around their product and their brand, and if that leads to more, then that would be icing on the cake. But there's been no promises made.

Q: Kevin, is there any chance you could run a third car at Indy?

KEVIN KALKHOVEN: In answer to the third car question, we would love to; we could. It's just a question of sponsorship. But I suppose that's always the question.

But in the meanwhile, it's great to have Geico on board, it's great to have Paul on board, and I think it's going to make it just an entertaining month of May like only Paul could make it and only a gecko could help him.

MAX PAPIS: To answer the question, first of all, I just want to welcome Paul back into the Geico family. As you guys well know, I'm driving the No. 13 car in the Sprint Cup Series, and that's a great challenge in itself. We are going to be racing in two of the biggest races in the world at the same time. I'm still figuring out who is going to wear the gecko outfit. If I do that on the Coca-Cola 600 or in Indy, or maybe we're going to do it at the same time in the winner's circle.

But it's just a great opportunity, and I'm sure Paul is one of the most exciting figures I've ever met. Me personally, I'm really proud to share a common sponsor, and I think we share a lot of passion both for the sport, and it's good to see that Geico brought back Paul where he belongs. I know that people always said that I have the heart of a lion, but maybe you could say he has the heart of a tiger.

Q: It looks like another pretty important driver is coming back to the series this weekend, too. Helio has apparently been acquitted on one charge and then will be retried maybe sometime in the future on another, but he's supposed to be on his way here very shortly. I wonder if you guys could comment on getting Helio back in the series.

PAUL TRACY: Obviously it's all kind of up in the air. There's a lot of rumors flying around outside the pressroom before we came in here. That would be great if it happened. I'd love to compete against him, and obviously I'm going to Indy to win and so is he. I want to compete against the best guys, and that's what I'm going there for.

JIMMY VASSER: Fantastic news for Helio. I can only imagine the ordeal he went through. It really must have taken a toll on him. I'm happy for him to be acquitted and to be on his way here, I suppose, and potentially be in the race on Sunday. Yeah, that's going to be very exciting news, or it is exciting news, and it's going to be great to see him back.

Q: You've been absentee for about two years. (Inaudible.)

PAUL TRACY: Well, as I was laying on the couch watching the disaster of a race at St. Pete, I felt like I could get out there and clean everybody's clock, the way they were driving. So from that standpoint I feel I've still got the skills to do this. Like I said, my last race, you can only judge somebody on their last race, and the last race I came, I got off the couch and finished in the top five.

We're going to do the best we can, and we're going there to win. Nothing else really matters to me other than winning the race. Finishing second, third, fourth is really not an option in my book. So that's what we're going to try to do.

Q: You've worked with some owners that were a lot older than you like Jerry and Roger. If Jimmy is on the radio are you going to call him "dude"?

PAUL TRACY: I've called him worse things than "dude."

No, it'll be interesting because Jimmy and I have raced against each other since I think we first came across each other in '86 racing Atlantic cars. We've run against each other our whole careers, since we were teenagers. From that standpoint it'll be pretty fun working with Jimmy, and a lot of the guys on Jimmy's team are all from Forsythe, so I've worked with the team. I've worked with the engineer that's going to work with me. He's been an engineer for me before. From that standpoint it's not like I'm going to have to learn anything, and it should make getting there and doing it pretty easy.

Q: Who is the engineer?

PAUL TRACY: John D ick.

MAX PAPIS: If you want I can give you some advice. On my NASCAR career that I'm doing so far, when I don't want them to know what I'm saying or when I get really upset, I talk in Italian. I've got a couple words you can tell Jimmy, the major, the most important words.

Q: Any chance that you might put Paul in a car for Kansas just to give him some oval time?

JIMMY VASSER: No. No chance.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you all very much.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:43 pm

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY LOOKING FOR SOLID PERFORMANCE AT ROAD RUNNER TURBO INDY 300

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - APRIL 22, 2009 - - KV Racing Technology will be looking for a solid performance this weekend in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas

KVRT driver Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his second appearance on the 1.5-mile tri-oval, is coming off two tough performances in the first two events of the 2009 season. However, with a year's worth of oval competition under his belt, and an outstanding test earlier this year at Homestead Miami Speedway, where he was sixth on the speed charts, the 20-year-old Brazilian is anxious to compete on an oval.

"Last year Kansas was really hard for me because we had the wheel nut come off in the first practice and then we didn't make qualifying," Moraes said. "But after the test in Homestead with KV Racing Technology earlier this year, I'm very excited and anxious to race on an oval. I think both the team and I learned a lot and collected some good data at Homestead. I think we have a good baseline setup for Kansas and I am confident we can have a good race."

In the first two races this year Moraes has finished 21st at St. Petersburg and 19th at Long Beach. However, in each event he showed that he can compete for finishes in the top-10. At St. Petersburg, Moraes, started 20th, but was running as high as 13th when he was hit by another competitor and knocked out of the race. Had he continued he would have finished well inside the top-10. At Long Beach, after starting 13th, Moraes was running as high as ninth, but once again became a victim when he was struck from behind and spun. Going down a lap in the incident, Moraes, with the help of a shrewd strategy and solid pit work, got back on the lead lap. He then posted the second fastest lap of the race before going off-course to end his day.

Moraes, in his second IndyCar season and first with KVRT, will be making his 19th career IndyCar start and 11th on an oval this weekend. His best oval performance was in Nashville last year where he qualified 20th and finished 10, one of three top-10 finishes he has in his young career.

The RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300, April 25-26, at the Kansas Speedway, Kansas, is Round #3 of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.
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Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 26, 2009 7:18 pm

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY'S MARIO MORAES QUALIFIES INDYCAR CAREER HIGH SIXTH FOR THE ROAD RUNNER TURBO INDY 300

KANSAS CITY, KS -- APRIL 25, 2009 -- Round #3, 2009 IndyCar Series season -- KV Racing Technology's Mario Moraes qualified an IndyCar career high sixth today for the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, making his second appearance, but actually qualifying for the first time, on the 1.5-mile tri-oval posted a four-lap average of 210.197 mph. He will grid on the outside of Row #3.

"I think the KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim team did a great job," Moraes said. "This is my best IndyCar career qualifying position, so I am very happy. The KVRT engineers made the right decision about changing the setup of the car, they did a great job and the crew did an outstanding job preparing the car. Last year I wasn't able to qualify because my wheel nut came loose in practice and I had to start the race from the back. This year however, I am in a much better position and I look forward to the race tomorrow."

Moraes was 15th on the speed charts following the morning practice with a speed of 209.877 mph. For qualifying he went out 19th of the 22 cars and logged four incredibly consistent laps. All four were his quickest of the day with the fastest and slowest laps separated by just .089 mph.

Last year, in just his second career oval event, Moraes started 27th because of the wheel nut incident and despite just six laps of track time, drove a solid race to finish 17th.

Today's sixth place qualifying position surpasses Moraes' previous high of 10th on the street circuit in Edmonton last year. It easily exceeds his previous oval best qualifying effort of 20th at Nashville and Richmond, also in 2008, and improves on a season high 13th place starting spot last weekend in Long Beach.

Moraes, 20, the second youngest driver in the IndyCar series, is in his second season and first with KVRT. The native of Brazil will be making his 19th career IndyCar start, third with KVRT and 11th on an oval. In 10 previous oval races, Moraes has a best finish of 10th (Nashville), one of his three IndyCar career top-10 showings (Watkins Glen - career-high seventh; Infineon Raceway - 10th). This is the best starting position for KVRT in three attempts (two races) at Kansas. Last year Will Power qualified 18th. The team's best finish is 11th by Oriol Servia also in 2008.
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Post by mlittle » Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:51 am

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY'S MARIO MORAES FINISHES 11TH IN ROAD RUNNER TURBO INDY 300

KANSAS CITY, KS -- APRIL 26, 2009 -- Round #3 2009 IndyCar Series season -- KV Racing Technology driver Mario Moraes had a solid tune-up for next month's Indianapolis 500 with an 11th showing today in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway tri-oval in Kansas City, Kansas.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology - Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who qualified a career high sixth, drove a smart, patient race and once again got solid pit work from his KVRT crew. He spent much of the contest in the top-10, but eventually settled for a finish just outside. Moraes earned 19 points for his effort and now sits 19th in the championship standings with 43 points.

"The KV Racing Technology - Votorantim team did a great job today," Moraes said. "I felt the #5 KVRT car was setup well for the race. It was just unfortunate that I overshot my pit twice, but the crew did an outstanding job in turning me around quickly and prevented me from losing too many places. I enjoyed my first oval race of the season and look forward to the Indy 500 next month."

Moraes, 20, the second youngest driver in the IndyCar series, is in his second season and first with KVRT. The native of Brazil made his 19th career IndyCar start, third with KVRT, second at Kansas and 11th on an oval today. This was Moraes' second best finish on an oval behind a 10th place showing in Nashville last year, his highest finish in Kansas and his best performance in three races this season. The 11th place showing also ties KVRT's highest finish in three attempts (two races) at Kansas.

Next up for KV Racing Technology is the 93rd Indianapolis 500, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Indy 500 is Round #4 of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. It will be televised live on ABC at noon ET.
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Post by mlittle » Tue May 05, 2009 11:35 am

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SECOND APPEARANCE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - MAY 4, 2009 - - KV Racing Technology will make its second appearance at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana beginning tomorrow when Paul Tracy takes to the track for the first time since 2002 for a "refresher" course.

The 2009 Indianapolis 500, May 24, marks the opening of the Centennial Era for the Speedway and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the facility. The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be in 2011.

Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, is one of the most successful and exciting drivers in the history of open-wheel racing. The native of Canada will be sponsored by GEICO Insurance and pilot the #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry. He will team with Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, in a two-car effort for KVRT.

Tracy will be contesting his sixth Indy 500 and first since 2002 when he was the runner-up. In five previous races at the Brickyard he has a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993. The talented Canadian will be making his 2009 IndyCar Series debut as he attempts to qualify for just his third IndyCar race, albeit over three different seasons. In addition to the 2002 Indy 500, Tracy ran the IndyCar Series event at Edmonton last year qualifying 15th and finishing fourth.

"For me, the only reason I want to race in the Indianapolis 500 is to win. It's not to go there to qualify and make the field and have a good day," Tracy said. "I want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and my sponsor GEICO for giving me this opportunity. Obviously KVRT is a good team, they've got competitive cars and I've worked with a lot of the guys on the team, the mechanics and engineers, in the past. Quite a few of them were on the crew when I won the championship in 2003, so it should make the transition and getting up to speed fairly easy."

Moraes had a solid tune-up for this year's Indy 500 a little over a week ago in Kansas. The 20-year-old Brazilian, who made just his 19th career IndyCar start and 11th on an oval, qualified a career-high sixth and finish 11th, his second highest finish on an oval. He completed all 200 laps in Kansas and now sits 19th in the championship standings with 43 points. Moraes, the second youngest driver in the IndyCar series, is in his second IndyCar season and first with KVRT. He will be making his second appearance at the Speedway starting on Wednesday, May 6 with the other veterans. Last year, Moraes qualified 28th, ran a solid race and was running at the finish completing 194 of the 200 laps, to place 18th in his baptism at Indy.

"I am excited about going back to Indianapolis for the 500," Moraes said. "The Indy 500 is a special race. There is nothing else like it. Last year was my first Indy 500 and first 500-mile race so it was all new and there was a lot to learn. This year, I have a car that is fast and a very experienced team to support me, so I am confident that we can have a competitive race."

The 2009 Indianapolis 500, May 24, is Round #4 of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. It will be televised live on ABC at noon ET.
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Post by mlittle » Thu May 07, 2009 11:37 am

PAUL TRACY RUNS FASTEST LAP OF DAY IN FIRST APPEARANCE FOR KV RACING TECHNOLOGY AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SPEEDWAY, IN - - MAY 5, 2009 - - Round #4 2009 IndyCar Series season - - It didn't take long for open-wheel superstar Paul Tracy to get up to speed. In his first appearance for KV Racing Technology at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway and first at the Brickyard since his controversial runner-up finish in 2002, Tracy, in the #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine, turned the fastest lap of the day with a speed of 223.089.

Tracy, who ran a "refresher" course for veterans during rookie orientation today, went out for the first time at 2:00 p.m. His first session consisted of just six laps, but by lap three he posted a speed of 220 mph. The talented Canadian, who is a fan favorite, ran a total of 26 laps (23 timed laps) and was consistently over 220 mph. His fast lap came on the 21st of his timed laps.

"I am just excited to be back on track," Tracy said. "The GEICO - KV Racing Technology team did a great job today. The mechanics, the engineers, everyone on the team did great. The first few laps were a little hair-raising, but the car was good, just like Jimmy Vasser said it would be, so I just had to keep my foot down. I want to thank GEICO, Kevin Kalkhoven, my personal sponsor Monster and Firestone and Honda, who are all contributing to this program, as well as everyone who is involved on the team for making this an exciting day for me."

Tracy will be contesting his sixth Indy 500 and just his third IndyCar event. In five previous races at the IMS, he has a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993. His best finish is the runner-up performance in 2002 when track officials ruled that a pass by Tracy on Helio Castroneves during the closing laps of the race occurred after the yellow light came on thus nullifying what would have been a winning move.

During a span of 18 seasons, Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, has crafted a career that has established him as one of the top drivers ever to step into the cockpit of an open-wheel car. The resident of Las Vegas, Nevada is among the top-10 in almost every Champ Car career statistical category including wins, 31 (sixth all-time), poles, 25 (eighth all-time), and laps led, 4,231 (sixth all-time) in 263 starts (261 in Champ Car, tied for eighth all-time and two in IndyCar).

KV Racing Technology will continue testing tomorrow in preparing for the next weekend's 2009 Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, will practice as all the veterans take to the track for the first time. The 2009 Indianapolis 500 marks the opening of the Centennial Era for the Speedway and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the facility. The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be in 2011. The race will be broadcast live on ABC on May 24.
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Post by mlittle » Thu May 07, 2009 11:49 am

RAIN CANCELS SECOND DAY OF PRACTICE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SPEEDWAY, IN - - MAY 6, 2009 - - Round #4 2009 IndyCar Series season - - Paul Tracy's top speed of 223.089 mph in the #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone machine held up for a another day as rain washed out the second day of practice and first day when all cars were scheduled to run in preparation for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Commenting on the rainout Tracy, who ran a "refresher" course for veterans during rookie orientation yesterday, said, "Well, the GEICO - KV Racing Technology team has the fastest car for the first two days of this year's Indy 500. Seriously, it is always important to get track time here at the Speedway, but we were fortunate enough to be able to run some laps yesterday. With the rain today and more predicted for tomorrow, I think having run yesterday could give us a little advantage over the competition heading into qualifying weekend."

Teammate Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who was scheduled to take to the track for his first day of practice today said, "I am a little disappointed that I could not get out for practice today. After seeing how good the KV Racing Technology car was yesterday with Paul (Tracy), I am excited to get back in and run some laps to get ready for qualifying on Saturday."

Tracy will be contesting his sixth Indy 500 and just his third IndyCar event. In five previous races at the IMS, the native of Canada has a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993. His best finish is the runner-up performance in 2002 when track officials ruled that a pass by Tracy on Helio Castroneves during the closing laps of the race occurred after the yellow light came on thus nullifying what would have been a winning move.

Moraes will be making just his second appearance at the Brickyard. The 20-year-old Brazilian made his IMS debut last year qualifying 28th and finish 18th.

KV Racing Technology will attempt to test tomorrow in preparing for the next weekend's 2009 Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
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Post by mlittle » Fri May 08, 2009 10:26 am

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY TO FIELD CAR FOR TOWNSEND BELL AT 2009 INDIANAPOLIS 500; HERBALIFE TO SPONSOR ENTRY

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - MAY 7, 2009 - - KV Racing Technology will field a car for IndyCar veteran Townsend Bell, sponsored by Herbalife, at the 2009 Indianapolis 500, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Bell will pilot the #8 Herbalife -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry beginning the second week of qualifying. He will join Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone and Paul Tracy, #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone, in a three-car effort for the team. The 2009 Indy 500 marks the opening of the Centennial Era for the Speedway and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the facility. The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be in 2011.

"I am pleased to announce that Townsend Bell and Herbalife will be joining KV Racing Technology for the 2009 Indianapolis 500," said KVRT co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. "Townsend is a proven talent who will provide valuable experience and knowledge to the team during the month of May. I also want to welcome and thank Herbalife for joining our effort. Herbalife is an outstanding company and we appreciate their support of Townsend and KVRT."

"Townsend is a talented athlete who exemplifies a healthy, active lifestyle" said Herbalife Chairman and CEO Michael O. Johnson. "We're glad to offer him an edge from a nutritional standpoint to be a strong racer, and we're proud to have him representing us at one of the world's most popular sporting events."

Bell, a 34-year-old American, will be making his third start at the Brickyard. Last year, competing in just his second Indy 500, he had a solid race qualifying 12th and finishing 10th. The native of California made his Indy 500 debut in 2006 qualifying 15th then battling his way into eighth place before suspension damage ended his day placing him 22nd.

"I want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Herbalife for the chance to compete with KV Racing Technology at this year's Indianapolis 500," said Bell. "Turning back the clock to 2001, Jimmy was my teammate in my first Champ Car event. Now, I have the honor of racing for him and that is very special. I really want to express my gratitude to Herbalife for their support. Without Herbalife this would not be possible. I have been using Herbalife products for over a year now and have never felt better. I am proud to lead Herbalife's "Mission for Nutrition" on the race track."

Bell was the Indy Lights Rookie of the Year and championship runner-up in 2000. The following year he captured the Indy Lights title. He also made his Champ Car debut in 2001 contesting two races for Patrick Racing with a best showing of 12th at Rockingham, England. In 2002, Bell made nine starts for Patrick Racing with a best finish of fourth in Portland. Heading overseas in 2003, Bell competed in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship placing ninth in the standings with a best showing of third at Hungary. He also tested for BAR-Honda and the Jaguar Formula One teams in 2003. Bell made his IndyCar debut in 2004 competing in 10 events for Panther Racing recording five top-10 finishes including an IndyCar career high of fifth at Nashville in his second start. He made one IndyCar start in 2005 competing at Michigan for Panther, made the one start at Indy in 2006 and did not compete in 2007. Bell made seven starts in 2008 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with a best finish of eighth in Richmond.

"I am very pleased to have Townsend and Herbalife join KV Racing Technology," said KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser. "Townsend has experience in IndyCars and at the Speedway which will benefit KVRT as we go through our program in preparation for the Indy 500. Also, with Herbalife on board I think the entire team will benefit by using their products during the long hours we put in during the month of May."
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Post by mlittle » Fri May 08, 2009 10:43 am

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY'S PAUL TRACY 12th, MARIO MORAES 16th AFTER FIRST FULL DAY OF PRATICE FOR 2009 INDIANAPOLIS 500

SPEEDWAY, IN - - MAY 7, 2009 - - Round #4 2009 IndyCar Series season - - KV Racing Technology drivers Paul Tracy and Mario Moraes were 12th and 16th respectively on the speed charts following the first full practice for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Tracy, #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone, had the top speed entering today's practice at 223.089 mph following Tuesday's practice for rookies and veterans running "refresher" laps. Yesterday's practice was cancelled due to rain so today's session began at 10:30 a.m. instead of the usual 12:00 noon giving drivers additional practice time. Tracy ran 85 laps today with a fast lap of 222.671 mph. Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, made his first appearance of the year on the 2.5-mile Brickyard oval running 60 laps and posting a fast lap of 222.150 mph. A total of 32 competitors practiced today.

"We had a good day with the GEICO -- KV Racing Technology car," Tracy said. "We ran a lot of laps in traffic with a lot of race level downforce. Our objective today wasn't to try to be the fastest, but to work on the race setup. We are inside the top-12 in race trim, which is great because it looked like most of the teams were working on their qualifying setups. So from that standpoint I am happy with how the way the day went. However, we are not where we feel we should be for qualifying, so our goal tomorrow will be to start trimming the car out and get ready for qualifying."

Commenting on his day Moraes said, "Today was good. We were not worried about trying to get a qualifying setup, it was more important to get comfortable with the KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim car again at these speeds. Tomorrow we are going to concentrate on our qualifying setup for Saturday."

Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car Series champion, is tied for seventh on the all-time career wins list. The native of Canada will be contesting his sixth Indy 500, his third IndyCar event and his first race with KVRT. In five previous races at the IMS he has a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993. His best finish is a controversial runner-up performance in 2002.

Moraes is making just his second appearance at the Brickyard, 12th on an oval and participating in just his 20th IndyCar event. The 20-year-old Brazilian, the second youngest in the series, made his IMS debut last year qualifying 28th and finishing 18th. In 11 previous oval events, Moraes has a best finish of 10th last year in Nashville (career best finish is seventh on the Watkins Glen road course also in 2008).

KV Racing Technology will test again tomorrow in preparation for this weekend's 2009 Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
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Post by mlittle » Sat May 09, 2009 11:17 am

KV RACING TECHNOLOGY'S MARIO MORAES 14TH, PAUL TRACY 17th ON FINAL DAY OF PRACTICE BEFORE POLE DAY

SPEEDWAY, IN - - MAY 8, 2009 - - Round #4 2009 IndyCar Series season - - KV Racing Technology drivers Mario Moraes and Paul Tracy were 14th and 17th respectively on the speed charts following the final day of practice before tomorrow's pole day qualifying for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, May 24, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.

Moraes, #5 KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone, ran 32 laps today posting a fast lap of 223.575 mph while Tracy, #15 GEICO -- KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone, made 30 circuits around the 2.5-mile Brickyard oval recording a quick lap of 223.372 mph.

"Today we worked on the KV Racing Technology -- Votorantim car for qualifying," said Moraes. "We were able to do some good runs, the car felt stable and I think we found some speed for qualifying. Tomorrow we will make a few extra changes and hopefully we qualify in the top-11."

Tracy said, "Today was okay for the GEICO -- KV Racing Technology team. We began trimming the car out, but we're still not completely there. We spent today running laps on our own working on the qualifying setup. I don't think we were as fast as we need to be for qualifying, but we are not totally trimmed out yet. We were just outside the top-12 on our own today, without drafting, so I think we can still reach our goal of qualifying on the first day in the top-11."

Moraes will be trying to qualify for his second Indianapolis 500 and just his 12th oval race. The 20-year-old Brazilian, the second youngest driver in the series, made his IMS debut last year qualifying 28th and finishing 18th. In 11 previous oval events, Moraes has a best finish of 10th last year in Nashville (career best finish is seventh on the Watkins Glen road course also in 2008).

Tracy, a native of Canada will be attempting to qualify for his sixth Indy 500. In five previous races at the IMS he has a best qualifying effort of seventh in 1993. His best finish is a controversial runner-up performance in 2002.
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