2012 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma

The GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma was an open-wheel IndyCar motor race and held as the fourteenth and penultimate round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season. It took place on Sunday, August 26, 2012. The race was contested over 85 laps at the 2.303-mile (3.706 km) at Sonoma Raceway, California, United States.

United States 2012 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Race details
13th round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season
DateAugust 26, 2012
Official nameGoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
LocationSonoma Raceway
CoursePermanent racing facility
2.303 mi / 3.706 km
Distance85 laps
195.755 mi / 315.010 km
WeatherTemperatures reaching up to 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h)[1]
Pole position
DriverWill Power (Team Penske)
Time1:17.2709
Fastest lap
DriverRyan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport)
Time1:19.1848 (on lap 82 of 85)
Podium
FirstRyan Briscoe (Team Penske)
SecondWill Power (Team Penske)
ThirdDario Franchitti (Chip Ganassi Racing)

The race was won by Australian racer Ryan Briscoe racing for Team Penske. Briscoe finished 0.4 seconds ahead of Australian team mate Will Power with British driver Dario Franchitti finishing third for Chip Ganassi Racing. It was Briscoe's first win since the 2010 Firestone 550, and also his last win in IndyCar. Brazilian driver and Formula One veteran Rubens Barrichello finished fourth in his best result since joining IndyCar. Power's second place, coupled with Ryan Hunter-Reay finishing 18th expanded Power's lead in the championship. Power led Hunter-Reay by 36 points.[2]

The event marked a notable change in the course layout. The cars used the inner loop at the back hairpin instead of the outer loop in order to open a passing zone. The exit of the bus stop was widened to allow for more room. Another passing zone was established by using a part of the hairpin instead of cutting it off altogether.

Classification

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Race results

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Pos No. Driver Team Engine Laps Time/Retired Grid Laps Led Points1
1 2   Ryan Briscoe Team Penske Chevrolet 85 2:07:02.8248 2 27 50
2 12   Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 85 + 0.4408 1 57 43
3 10   Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 85 + 1.0497 6 0 35
4 8   Rubens Barrichello KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 85 + 8.8529 11 0 32
5 38   Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 85 + 9.4667 13 0 30
6 3   Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet 85 + 11.2575 4 0 28
7 77   Simon Pagenaud (R) Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports Honda 85 + 12.3087 9 0 26
8 4   J. R. Hildebrand Panther Racing Chevrolet 85 + 22.8121 15 0 24
9 98   Alex Tagliani Team Barracuda – BHA Honda 85 + 39.6868 8 0 22
10 11   Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 16 0 20
11 18   Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda 84 + 1 lap 20 0 19
12 19   James Jakes Dale Coyne Racing Honda 84 + 1 lap 24 0 18
13 9   Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 84 + 1 lap 5 0 17
14 14   Mike Conway A. J. Foyt Enterprises Honda 84 + 1 lap 14 0 16
15 17   Sebastián Saavedra Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 23 0 15
16 5   E. J. Viso KV Racing Technology Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 17 0 14
17 78   Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing Lotus 84 + 1 lap 27 0 13
18 28   Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 7 1 12
19 22   Oriol Servià Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 18 0 12
20 20   Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 84 + 1 lap 25 0 12
21 83   Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 82 + 3 laps 21 0 12
22 7   Sébastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Chevrolet 63 Contact 3 0 12
23 67   Josef Newgarden (R) Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda 62 Contact 22 0 12
24 6   Katherine Legge (R) Dragon Racing Chevrolet 48 Mechanical 19 0 12
25 26   Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 46 Mechanical 12 0 10
26 27   James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Chevrolet 35 Mechanical 10 0 10
27 15   Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 2 Mechanical 26 0 10
OFFICIAL BOX SCORE
[3]
Notes

1 Points include 1 point for pole position and 2 points for most laps led.

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "Weather information for the 2012 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Lewandowski, Dave (2012-08-26). "Briscoe uncorks Sonoma victory -- first since 2010". indycar.com. Indycar. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  3. ^ "Official Box Score" (PDF). indycar.com. Indycar. 2012-08-26. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
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Previous race:
2012 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
IndyCar Series
2012 season
Next race:
2012 Grand Prix of Baltimore
Previous race:
2011 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Next race:
2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma