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Oreovicz: Honda’s speed at Indy surprises rivals
- Updated: May 26, 2016
6:43 PM ET
INDIANAPOLIS — Based on how the 2016 season started, expectations were low for Honda in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Honda drivers struggled in the first five races of the campaign, with a second place by Graham Rahal at the Grand Prix of Alabama and a pair of thirds achieved by Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe. Honda drivers also struggled in early testing of the speedway aero package being used at Indianapolis, Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway.
But a funny thing happened over the last few weeks. Honda Performance Development engineers got a handle on the troublesome aero kit that has vexed Honda drivers for the last two years. And the latest iteration of Honda’s 2.2-liter turbo V-6 Indy car engine looks to have provided a useful boost in power.
Honda’s increased level of competitiveness at Indianapolis caught a lot of people by surprise, including the Chevrolet-powered foursome at Team Penske, which was expected to dominate the month of May.
“I think they made a huge gain, and that was a surprise to us, because I know that we have made gains too,” said 2014 IndyCar Series champion Will Power. “They were definitely fast in qualifying.”
On Pole Day, Honda …
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