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Christian Lundgaard couldn’t wait to shave off his moustache, eradicating the hair from his higher lip proper there on victory lane on the Honda Indy Toronto.
Lundgaard began on the pole and took benefit of the automotive troubles of IndyCar season standings chief Alex Palou to hold on to victory Sunday. His first win on North America’s prime open-wheel racing circuit additionally delivered to an finish a pact together with his greatest buddy to maintain his moustache till he climbed atop an IndyCar podium.
Lundgaard mentioned he was comfortable to be rid of the facial hair.
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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard, of Denmark, celebrates after profitable the Honda Indy auto race in Toronto, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press through AP)
“However I haven’t seen it but, so I don’t actually know what it seems like,” mentioned the 21-year-old Dane, who rubbed his higher lip all through the postrace information convention. “I assume I’ll wait and see.”
Lundgaard took the pole Saturday as regular rain made the road course round Toronto’s Exhibition Place slippery. The son of 2000 European rally automotive champion Henrik Lundgaard, the IndyCar sophomore took benefit of his off-roading background to safe the No. 1 begin place within the race.
However after qualifying, Lundgaard was pessimistic about having the quickest automotive within the precise race. In the end, he felt he had the race below management from begin to end.
“We battle, particularly on the tremendous speedways,” mentioned Lundgaard, who led the race for 53 of the 85 laps. “We’re transferring ahead regardless that we don’t have the tempo and efficiency on the tremendous speedways.
“It simply signifies that we’re going to be doing fairly good elsewhere and I feel we proved that at this time.”
ALEX PALOU NOTCHES THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY AT MID-OHIO
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard, foreground, of Denmark, celebrates together with his crew after profitable the Honda Indy auto race in Toronto, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press through AP)
Palou took second regardless of beginning fifteenth on the grid and nursing a broken entrance wing for greater than 20 laps. Colton Herta was third for his first podium end of the season.
Palou had received three of the previous 4 races on the circuit’s schedule. His podium end Sunday padded his lead within the season standings forward of Scott Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.
“I’m glad that we have been capable of overcome. It’s not straightforward in IndyCar and particularly in races like that,” mentioned Palou, who now has 417 factors to Dixon’s 300. “I feel our race was much more troublesome than it might sound should you solely take a look at the outcomes.
“At one level, I used to be within the wall, I didn’t know if we have been going to have the ability to make it from there or not.”
Scott McLaughlin and Dixon each briefly held the lead across the midway level of the race. However their choices to not pit throughout a prolonged yellow flag ultimately gave Palou and Lundgaard the possibility to maneuver into the lead once they did must cease.
ALEX PALOU EXTENDS LEAD IN INDYCAR POINTS STANDINGS WITH VICTORY AT ROAD AMERICA
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard, of Denmark, celebrates his win on the Honda Indy Toronto auto race in Toronto, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (Andrew Lahodynskyj/The Canadian Press through AP)
Lundgaard handed Palou with 24 laps to go and, realizing the Ganassi automotive’s entrance wing was coming unfastened, he floored it.
“I knew I might get previous him and that the vehicles forward of him needed to pit anyway as a result of they wouldn’t be capable of make it both on their tires or gasoline,” mentioned Lundgaard, who moved into seventh within the IndyCar standings. “I knew I needed to overtake only one automotive and he was struggling.
“As quickly as I received previous him I simply took off.”
Palou’s entrance wing was barely hanging on by the tip of the race, with one finish drooping all the way down to the bottom and a big crack within the automotive’s nostril.
“I may really feel it dragging and I used to be like ‘Oh man, that’s not good,’” Palou mentioned, including that he tried to keep away from curbs on the road course in an effort to protect the wing. “I truthfully thought that we weren’t going to finish the race with that nostril.
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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard, entrance left, of Denmark, celebrates together with his crew after profitable the Honda Indy auto race in Toronto, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press through AP)
“I feel it was solely the (sponsor stickers) that have been holding it on as a result of there was nothing else there.”
Dixon, the defending Honda Indy Toronto champion, began seventh on the grid and led for a number of laps however completed fourth after his crew miscalculated when he ought to pit.
McLaughlin, who began the race in second place, completed sixth.
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