Ernesto Viso and Enrique Bernoldi not only shrugged off their rookie credentials, but also provided added confidence to the Champ Car converts by leading Sunday's IndyCar event in St Petersburg.
The South American pair only joined the series at the last minute, but gave HVM Racing and Conquest Racing plenty of front-running exposure in an event eventually won by another former Champ Car team, as Newman/Haas/Lanigan took Graham Rahal to an IndyCar debut victory.
In their only second start in the series, Viso and Bernoldi eventually came home fourth and fifth in the Honda Grand Prix, the Venezuelan having climbed though the field from 15th position, and leading eleven laps along the way.
After the skies opened while the field was sitting on the pre-grid, the first ten laps of the race were run under caution as track cleaners attempted to reduce the large puddles forming on the course. Once released from behind the pace car, however, Viso drove a clean, consistent race, moving up five spots in only eight laps under green.
On lap 34, the HVM team decided to take a gamble with tyres, as the racing line was getting drier every time around. Viso pitted for slicks and fuel under caution, and the tactic proved right as the majority of the field made their stops under green. Viso duly moved up to third place, before passing both IRL veteran Vitor Meira and fellow newcomer Bernoldi and pulling away in the lead on lap 48.
Still distancing himself from the pack on lap 59, the Venezuelan's progress was halted by another caution and, although he received a beautiful stop from the HVM team, Viso found himself passed by IRL favourites Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan on consecutive restarts. Relegated to fifth position, he moved back into fourth when Ryan Hunter-Reay ran out of fuel with one lap remaining and remained there to the chequered flag.
![Enrique Bernoldi - Conquest Racing [pic credit: IRL/Snoddy]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/426227.jpg)
