TW finishes 15th in Indy Elite Indianapolis GP
Tanner Watkins brought his No. 24 Avery Huffman Defeat DIPG Foundation machine home in 15th during tonight's iRacing Indy Elite Series Indianapolis Grand Prix. Watkins finished one lap behind race winner Josh Chin.
Watkins started the 40-lap race by qualifying 14th. After finding himself as low as 19th early on, he worked his way back up near his initial starting position.
TW and several other drivers were trying to save fuel throughout the event as driver worked to avoid making two pit stops down the long Indianapolis Motor Speedway pit road.
Despite having to cope with the fuel strategy, Watkins noted how much more he enjoyed racing on the track with the new aero kit.
"I actually preferred the new car," Watkins admitted when asked how this car differed from the Dallara IR-12 used up until March. "You have more room for error to slide the car around, even though we were fuel saving the entire race. This car allows you to drive it a few different ways and be aggressive."
When asked what he took away from the race, TW expressed a need to be better at carrying speed while conserving fuel, also noting he was off the pace during the race.
"Looking to continue to improve at road courses through the year but it has been pretty stale lately," Watkins noted. "I would just like to thank the Avery Huffman Defeat DIPG Foundation for their support and hopefully we can have a tremendous month of May with them at Indianapolis."
The next race for the Indy Elite Series is the 3rd running of the Indy Elite Indianapolis 500, to be held on Sunday, May 6. Watkins expressed his excitement about being able to run on ovals with the new car.
"We are putting our month of May program together and doing all we can to make up ground. This will be quite the test next Sunday, and a good barometer of where we are at before the iRacing Indianapolis 500. I am looking forward to it."
The race will be broadcast live on Sunday, May 6 on RaceSpot TV and iRacing.com/live.
