Will Power is targeting a maiden IndyCar Series podium at this weekend's Rexall Edmonton Indy after spearheading KV Racing Technology's best result of the season at Mid-Ohio on Sunday.
The Team Australia driver took fourth place in the Honda Indy 200, bettering his previous IndyCar best of eighth on the St Petersburg street circuit in April, as he headed home team-mate Oriol Servia in a 4-5 finish for Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser's squad, despite making his debut at the sweeping Mid-Ohio circuit.
He did not have a car to his liking in the early stages of the weekend, but hard work from the Aussie Vineyards–backed crew improved the set-up with every session and, although Power qualified only twelfth, he was able to move up the order quickly as a result of changing to slick tyres on the second lap - a strategy that saw him vault into third place, before briefly taking the lead on lap 57.
After three laps out front, he emerged from his final pit-stop in fourth place, and ran strongly over the final laps to earn enough points to rise two spots to eleventh in the standings. Now, with the series heading to a circuit known by only the handful of drivers that contested the former Champ Car World Series - and where he took pole position in 2007 - Power is hoping to continue his upward trend.
“I am really happy for the Aussie Vineyards team,” he said, “This was a track I had never been to and we started well behind the eight-ball, but we got the car better and better all weekend, made the right choice on tyres early on and had a good race strategy. We had the pace to ride at the front and we did. I am just really happy that we got good championship points here. Hopefully, we can do that again next weekend in Edmonton.”
