Indy Lights: Edmonton Indy Beckons Hinchcliffe

Edmonton Indy Beckons Hinchcliffe

Toronto, Canada (July 22, 2009) – The second leg of the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series Canadian tour takes place this weekend with Edmonton’s temporary Rexall Speedway playing host to Round 10 and Toronto’s James Hinchcliffe on Saturday 25th July as well as the Rexall Edmonton Indy the following day.

The 22-year-old Canadian racer heads west off the back of his fourth podium appearance of the year, on the streets of his native Toronto, ‘Hinch’ claiming third at the checkered flag last time out behind the wheel of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports entered #7 HinchTown.Com Dallara-Firestone.

A front-runner competing in his rookie season in the IndyCar Series’ official feeder category, James is keen to crack the top-five in the points chase after Saturday’s Edmonton race with a solitary point the difference between himself and Australia’s James Davison in fifth (236-235) heading into the event. Similarly, with four third-place podium visits to his credit already (St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Iowa, Toronto), ‘Hinch’ is targeting promotion to the top-step this weekend.

Third place however is an all too familiar spot for James in Edmonton, the home stand-out no stranger to the 14-turn, 3.145km Rexall Speedway. With three third place finishes from his last four starts at the track, competing in the Atlantic Championship, it’s safe to say James knows his way around the temporary layout. His record there also boasts two pole position starts and while he qualified on the front-row in Toronto, a first Indy Lights pole still eludes the popular racer.

“I have to say I’m really looking forward to racing back in Edmonton,” said Hinchcliffe. “It’s definitely one of the coolest events on the calendar and there’s always such a strong fan turn-out. As I’ve said before, the Canadian fans are the best out there and so passionate and knowledgeable about their racing. I’ve always enjoyed the circuit, it’s very fast and very physically demanding, probably the most in that category that we visit all year.

“We’re probably looking at a bit of a hybrid set-up for this event but we know we’ve got a good road course car and a good street course car so a mixture of those elements will hopefully help us get that first win on Saturday. I’m obviously aware of my spate of third-places this season and at Edmonton but at least I know my way to the podium and how to score well and consistently which is key to the championship!”

Round 10 of the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series, at the Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, gets underway at 2pm local time on Saturday 25th July.

Top-6 Indy Lights Drivers – R9/15: 1st Hildebrand (USA) 319pts, 2nd Saavedra (COL) 268pts, 3rd Romancini (BRA) 249pts, 4th Cunningham (NZ) 242pts, 5th Davison (AUS) 236pts, 6th HINCHCLIFFE (CAN) 235pts - www.indycar.com/indylights

ENDS – www.hinchtown.com

Photo Credit – Hinchcliffe enjoys a strong track record in Edmonton – SM-PR

For further information or interview requests please contact James Hinchcliffe: Email: james@jameshinchcliffe.com