Aussie Power seeks repeat as IndyCar opens

Will Power defends his IndyCar season title starting with Sunday's season-opening St. Petersburg Grand Prix, the Australian's breakthrough after years of near misses having made him hungry for more success.
The 34-year-old from Toowoomba was second in the season points chase in 2010, 2011 and 2012 before fading to fourth in 2013, but Power bounced back to win the 2014 crown.
"To finally get it, get the monkey off the back, it has given me more motivation this year," Power said. "I don't have to worry about that. I know I can do it. Hope to back it up this year."
Power will also be seeking a repeat of his victory in the season opener on the Florida streets, a race he also captured in 2010. He also won last year at Detroit and Milwaukee, giving him 24 US open-wheel triumphs, three of them in ChampCar. He has won at least three races a year since taking five in 2010 with a high of six in 2011.
Roger Penske's Chevrolet-powered squad features Power, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya and Frenchman Simon Pagenaud, who joins after three strong years with Schmidt Peterson.
"I've personally been working hard to get to this point in my career," Pagenaud said. "I'm here now, and the pressure is off. I want to enjoy it."
Brazil's Castroneves came within 0.06 of a second of matching a record with a fourth Indy 500 crown, losing out to American Ryan Hunter-Reay.
"Last year was exciting, really cool, to hear so many people saying about what a great race," Castroneves said. "The end was terrible, but the race was really cool. To be in that challenge, fighting for the win, have that opportunity, it was just awesome."
Castroneves also finished second to teammate Power in the season points chase and the Aussie figures his biggest challenge this time around could again come from the Penske Racing fold.
"I think it's going to be a tight inner team battle," Power said. "I think the team is going to be the strongest it has been for a number of years this year."
- New aerodynamic design for 2015 -
Montoya, the 1999 series champion, was fourth overall in his first IndyCar campaign since his Indy 500-winning season of 2000. He spent 2001-2006 in Formula One with Williams and McLaren and won six races before jumping to the US stock car circuit in 2006 and spending eight seasons there with Chip Ganassi Racing before returning to IndyCars with Penske last year.
"I think all four of us understand that number one is Team Penske, the team winning, working together to get that," Montoya said. "It's all about developing the car."
That's a priority this year because IndyCar features a new aerodynamic car kit this season to help boost performance and adopt innovations in speed as well as safety and technology.
"It's almost like you're starting with a new car," said 2012 IndyCar season champion Hunter-Reay. "It's a work in progress, which is what testing and development is about."
Andretti Autosport features Americans Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, Colombia's Carlos Munoz and Swiss Simona de Silvestro while Ganassi's IndyCar entry includes Brazil's Tony Kanaan, Americans Sage Karam and Charlie Kimball and New Zealand's Scott Dixon, a three-time series champion who shrugs off the appearance changes of the new aero designs.
"I don't care what the car looks like as long as it's fast," Dixon said.
Other notable racers include Japan's Takuma Sato, Britain's James Jakes and Jack Hawksworth and Canada's James Hinchcliffe. Newcomers among IndyCar's 25 racers include Karam, Colombia's Gabriel Chaves and Monaco's Stefano Coletti.
The IndyCar season has 16 races, ending on the Sonoma road course on August 30, with the Indianapolis 500 oval classic set for May 24. A planned season opener three weeks ago in Brazil was canceled after government funding was pulled.
Source: AFP