Friday, 29th August 2008

IndyCar rookie Will Power is hoping to be back at the front of the field in Detroit, after being robbed of a possible podium finish last weekend.

Will Power is confident that he can put on another front-running performance as the IndyCar Series reaches the penultimate stop on its 2008 championship campaign in Detroit this weekend.

The Australian looked a good bet to contend for a possible podium finish at last Sunday's event at Infineon Raceway in California, and is hoping that he can similarly overcome the IRL regulars' previous experience of the Raceway at Belle Isle to push his KV Racing Technology/Team Australia entry towards the top step of the podium.

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Power is noted for his prowess on street circuits, with Champ Car wins in Toronto and Las Vegas last season and Long Beach earlier this year, and rates the Detroit Indy Grand Prix as arguably his strongest event of the season, despite still coming to grips with the switch to the IndyCar Series. He visited the Belle Isle circuit during a promotional visit to Detroit in May, and admitted that he was looking forward to the race weekend more than any IRL event other than the non-championship outing in his homeland later in the year.

And, when it comes to Power's home event, the Nikon Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise, the gold-and-green Team Australia entry has earned the pole position the past two seasons, underlining the 2008 rookie of the year contender's ability on concrete-lined street courses.

“The Detroit track looks really technical and really nice,” Power said as he prepared to head back to the Motor City, “I've been looking forward to this track more than any other circuit other than Surfer's Paradise this year, as it just looks like a good street circuit where you have to drive really well to get a quick lap. As soon as I saw it, I had a smile on my face."

The packed IRL schedule, which is ending with three events back-to-back, means that Detroit arrives in time to prevent Power from dwelling too heavily on the frustration of running into braking problems at Infineon last weekend.

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