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| Tristan Vautier had a good comeback season |
When the Frenchman Tristan Vautier lost his ride at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports after winning Rookie of the Year in 2013, I thought we would never see him in IndyCar ever again. It's not that he wasn't talented enough for IndyCar, it's just he didn't have the funding to keep a ride for more than that season and with so many drivers interested in competing in IndyCar, it just appeared Vautier was going to be on the outside while a bunch of other drivers got a shot.
To be honest, Vautier owes James Davison all the credit in the world for his career revival. If it wasn't for Davison, who competed full-time in Pirelli World Challenge, having to miss Indianapolis 500 qualifying to race in PWC at Mosport, than Vautier wouldn't have to qualify the car and he probably wouldn't have been in this year's Indianapolis 500 after Vautier got a late call to stay in the U.S., not go to Silverstone to race in the Blancpain Endurance Series and replace Carlos Huertas, who was diagnosed with an inner-ear condition.
In the car, Vautier had some good results. He had a fourth at Belle Isle 2 and a sixth at Mid-Ohio. His few mistakes were very notable. He hit a crewmember at Fontana and he took out Graham Rahal at Pocono after making a move that was never going to work. He didn't light the world on fire but he put Dale Coyne Racing is much more competitive situations than they were at the start of the season. Perhaps he has kept his IndyCar career for a little longer as he scored 175 points in 11 races.
Tristan Vautier's 2015 Statistics
Championship Positions: 22nd (171 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 10
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 20
Average Finish: 16.454
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| Rodolfo González became the third Venezuelan to compete in IndyCar |
Somehow, Rodolfo González finished ninth at Sonoma. Had it not been for Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya coming together and Graham Rahal being run over by Sébastien Bourdais and Josef Newgarden having a disastrous pit stop and poor strategy by Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, Rodolfo González might not have even broken the top fifteen but he finished ninth and will have a top ten to his credit.
In his other five starts, he really wasn't a factor. Twentieth at Barber, two retirements at Belle Isle, 18th at Toronto and lead a few laps as the field cycled through pit stops and a 20th at Mid-Ohio. His best start was 21st in his first start at Barber.
Remember, Hiro Matsushita had seven top ten finishes in his career, including a sixth at Michigan in 1994 and a tenth in the 1995 Indianapolis 500.
Rodolfo González's 2015 Statistics
Championship Positions: 26th (94 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.4
Average Finish: 18.333
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| Pippa Mann set some personal bests in 2015 |
Pippa Mann ran the six ovals for Dale Coyne Racing. She started 25th at Indianapolis but that race was marred after she and James Davison got together and injured a crewmember for Tristan Vautier. At Texas she finished 17th and scored her first career lead lap finish at Fontana when she finished 13th. She retired from the two short tracks of Milwaukee and Iowa and had early mechanical troubles at Pocono hamper her day and ruin her best career starting position of 17th. She was able to match her career best finish of 13th at 2.5-mile triangle but she did finished 15 laps down.
Pippa Mann's 2015 Statistics
Championship Positions: 29th (76 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 21.833
Average Finish: 18.6
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| Francesco Dracone's season wasn't pretty |
The Italian Francesco Dracone started the first five races of 2015 and failed to finish in the top twenty once. He failed to finish on the lead lap once and had his race at NOLA end prematurely after he hit a crewmember coming into his pit stall.
Francesco Dracone's 2015 Statistics
Championship Positions: 34th (38 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 23.25
Average Finish: 22.4
The Others
Carlos Huertas made three starts in 2015 before being diagnosed with an inner ear condition and having to step out of the car for the remainder of the season. Prior to being sidelined he had a mechanical issue end his St. Petersburg race early and give him the honor of being the first retirement of the 2015 season. He had a spun ruin his day at NOLA and finished a lap down on the IMS road course.
Conor Daly got his second career IndyCar start driving for Dale Coyne Racing after Rocky Moran, Jr., who was going to attempt to make his IndyCar debut at Long Beach, broke his wrist in Friday practice. Daly got in the car on Saturday and out qualified Dracone and finished on the lead lap in 17th.
James Davison's Indianapolis 500 was ruined by the contact with Pippa Mann in the pit lane but the Australian was at the timesheet in multiple practice sessions during the month of May.
Dale Coyne Racing has the capability to be a top team but with the drivers they "hired" at the start of the season, they had shot of competing. Once they put the likes of Vautier, Daly and Davison in their cars, they team was competitive straight up with the other teams and didn't need other's misfortune to get a result. Dale Coyne Racing had won in every season of the DW12-era until this season. The only other teams to win in every year of the DW12-era: Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport. If Coyne had hired Justin Wilson and Ryan Briscoe at the start of the year, they could have had at least one driver in the top ten of the championship.
As for 2016, I have no idea what direction this team is looking toward. Will Vautier be back? Will one or both of the Coyne cars continue to be rotating doors of drivers? Will Coyne get serious and hire qualified drivers? I have no idea. Dracone should never be allowed in an IndyCar again. González bought some time with that top ten. Mann has yet to run a road or street course in her IndyCar career, so I don't know how serious of a candidate she will be for a full-time seat. There is no news on Huertas' condition. Davison seems set in sports cars. If Daly wants to become a full-time IndyCar driver, there are better options than Coyne but it might be a good seat for him to jump-start his career. Think of what Minardi did for the likes of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.
Dale Coyne Racing weren't dreadful in 2015 but we know they are better than what they showed. If this team wants sponsors, they should hire drivers that say to a sponsor, "we are committed to winning and we have the talent to be on the top step of the podium where your logo can be predominately seen by all."
