Paul Dana and Team Ethanol Head to Japan for Run at Famed Twin Ring Motegi Indianapolis
Paul Dana, pilot of the #91 Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Firestone powered by Toyota, will make his first trip to Japan to run in the Indy Japan 300 on Saturday, April 30, at Twin Ring Motegi. Dana, who will make his third start in the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, and the Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing team have spent a great deal of time in the team’s facility on Gasoline Alley in Indianapolis since his last start in Phoenix. The team has made several changes to the No. 91 car, including replacing a defective shock, which may have contributed to problems for Dana during the Phoenix race.
Additionally, the team has added long-time Dana confidant John Walko to the mix. Walko, who was Dana’s race engineer for his Formula 2000 campaign, will be Dana’s new spotter, beginning with the Japan race.
“We’ve made some real progress since Phoenix,” Dana said. “With the advancements we made over the past few weeks and having John Walko on board, we know we can be in the hunt in Motegi and we are looking forward to being competitive.” Dana sees the 1.5-mile high-banked oval at Motegi as similar to the Gateway facility outside his hometown, of St. Louis, Mo. He knows there can be wide open racing in Turns 1 and 2 but he will have to do some solid driving to stay in the hunt through the tight turns in 3 and 4. My brother, Greg, spotted for Adrian Fernandez when he won there in 1999. He has given me some great information to help me prepare, and he says the place is amazing, almost like a cathedral to motorsports.” As a rookie this year in the IndyCar Series there are three things that really stand out for Dana about this season. First, he will be able to drive in the greatest race of all time, the Indianapolis 500, and getting to run at Watkins Glen will be a real thrill since it will mark a return to Dana’s road-racing roots.
Paul Dana Indy Japan 300 Preview 2-2-2 “But running at Motegi, in a major international event, and getting to see Asia for the first time, will standout as one of the highlights,” Dana said.
Dana is driving for team owner Ron Hemelgarn, whose cars won the 2000 IndyCar Series and 1996 Indianapolis 500. Hemelgarn was one of the founding team owners in the IRL and returns full time to the IndyCar Series after sitting out most of last season.
Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing is backed by a group of companies in the fast-growing ethanol industry, led by the major ethanol design-build firms Fagen Inc., ICM Inc., and Broin Companies. Ethanol is a high octane, high performance fuel that is clean burning, renewable and made in America. As a growing component of the United States' gasoline supply, ethanol delivers improved vehicle performance while reducing emissions and improving air quality.
