Takuma Sato wins an thrilling and action-packed 101st Indy 500 for the first time

Takuma Sato wins an thrilling and action-packed 101st Indy 500 for the first time in his IndyCar career

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit today, Andretti Motorsport driver Takuma Sato made up for the heartache of 2012 Indy 500 by winning the 101st Indy 500 ahead of three time winner Helio Castroneves in second place and Indy 500 rookie Ed Jones in third place in a race that was full of drama, incident, heart-break and driving perfection.

Sato spent the early part of the race running towards the front of the field, but the ex-Formula 1 racer faded into the middle of the pack ahead of the final quarter of the race as a number of drivers gambled on strategy.

The Indy 500 had everything you can possibly want in a race; a race that featured several crashes. The worst of the crashes occurred on Lap 53 when the car of Scott Dixon (a four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion) crashed into Jay Howard's car, went airborne and then crashed on to an infield wall. Dixon and Howard walked away from the wreckage.

During the first half of the race, Fernando Alonso showed the world why he is a two time Formula One world champion battling the front of the grid and then taking the lead of the race which was incredible as a rookie at the event.

But a string of cautions throughout the second half of the race brought Sato into the mix for victory when the leaders aligned on strategy, with the most notable incident being an engine failure for F1 star Fernando Alonso.

Alonso spent the first half of the race battling at the front of the pack and was a genuine contender for victory at several points in the race as he diced with Sato and fellow Andretti team mate Alexander Rossi at the front of the field.

However, Honda’s engine concerns proved to be justified as it lost three of its V6 twin-turbos through the ’500, (the other two drivers being Ryan Hunter-Reay with Alonso’s car conking out 21 laps from home and ending his chances of a famous victory.

But no matter what happened with Alonso's engine; he should be proud of what he achieved at first attempt of the Indy 500. He drove with passion, conviction, confidence and most importantly pride and showed that if he has a winning car underneath him, he can most certainly deliver and that ability can never be questioned by motorsport fans anymore.

On the restart following Alonso’s stoppage, a multi-car wreck between Will Power, James Davison, Oriol Servia and James Hinchcliffe resulted in another caution and set the stage for a final 12-lap sprint to the flag.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Max Chilton held the lead from Sato on the restart and fought hard to keep the Andretti driver back, with Penske’s Helio Castroneves moving fast to pass both in quick succession. Sato finally got by Chilton before re-passing Castroneves with five laps to go, but was unable to shake the Brazilian off his tail throughout closing stages.

Sato managed to break clear on the final lap and was told he could push flat without worrying about fuel, allowing him to cross the line two-tenths of a second clear of Castroneves and secure a famous Indy 500 victory at the 101st race. This is Sato's first victory at the circuit and becomes the first Japanese driver to win the event which is a fantastic achievement.

Sato finished ahead of three time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in second place and ahead of Ed Jones in a brilliant third place who drove an amazing race as a Indy 500 rookie.

Max Chilton finished the race in an astonishing fourth place ahead of Tony Kanaan in fifth place, Juan Pablo Montoya in sixth place, Alexander Rossi in seventh place, Marco Andretti in eighth place, Gabby Chaves in a stunning ninth place and Carlos Munoz who rounded off the top ten finishers.

Ed Carpenter finished in eleventh place ahead of Graham Rahal in twelfth place, Mikhail Aleshin in thirteenth place, Simon Pagenaud in fourteenth place and Sebastian Saavendra in fifteenth place.

As we head into the latter stages of the grid, JR Hildebrand finished the Indy 500 in sixteenth place ahead of Pippa Mann in a credible seventeenth place and Spencer Pigot in eighteenth place.

Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Oriol Servia, James Davison, James Hinchcliffe, Fernando Alonso, Charlie Kimball, Zach Veach, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Sage Karam, Buddy Lazier, Jack Harvey, Conor Daly, Scott Dixon and Jay Howard did not finish the race.

The classification of the Indy 500 is as follows:-

1. Takuma Sato JPN Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda 200 laps
2. Helio Castroneves BRA Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet + 0.201s
3. Ed Jones UAE Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda + 0.528s
4. Max Chilton GBR Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda + 1.136s
5. Tony Kanaan BRA Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda + 1.657s.
6. Juan Pablo Montoya COL Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet + 1.715s
7. Alexander Rossi USA Andretti Herta Dallara-Honda + 2.422s
8. Marco Andretti USA Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda +
2.541s
9. Gabby Chaves COL Harding Racing Dallara-Chevrolet + 3.831s
10. Carlos Munoz COL A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Chevrolet + 4.532s
11. Ed Carpenter USA Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara-Chevrolet + 4.623s
12. Graham Rahal USA Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara-Honda + 5.031s
13. Mikhail Aleshin RUS Schmidt Peterson Dallara-Honda +
5.699s
14. Simon Pagenaud FRA Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet + 6.051s
15. Sebastian Saavedra COL Juncos Racing Dallara-Chevrolet + 12.667s
16. JR Hildebrand USA Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara-Chevrolet + 33.219s
17. Pippa Mann GBR Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda + 1 lap
18. Spencer Pigot AUS Juncos Racing Dallara-Chevrolet + 6 laps
19. Josef Newgarden USA Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet 186 laps
20. Will Power AUS Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet 183 laps
21. Oriol Servia ESP Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara-Honda 183 laps
22. James Davison AUS Dale Coyne Racing Dallara-Honda 183 laps
23. James Hinchcliffe CAN Schmidt Peterson Dallara-Honda 183 laps
24. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda Andretti Dallara-Honda 179 laps
25. Charlie Kimball USA Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda 166 laps
26. Zach Veach USA A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Chevrolet 155 laps
27. Ryan Hunter-Reay USA Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda 136 laps
28. Sage Karam USA Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara-Chevrolet 125 laps
29. Buddy Lazier USA Lazier Partners Racing Dallara-Honda 118 laps
30. Jack Harvey GBR Michael Shank Racing Dallara-Honda 65 laps
31. Conor Daly USA A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Chevrolet 65 laps
32. Scott Dixon NZL Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda 52 laps
33. Jay Howard GBR Schmidt Peterson Dallara-Honda 45 laps

Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa