Brazil’s Indy race features long straightaway

March 5, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

SAO PAULO

The IndyCar Series will open its season on the streets of South America’s biggest city, parading through a Sambadrome and a mile-long straightaway that is the series’ longest ever.

The inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 will kick-start the IRL season on March 14, marking the return of Indy-style cars to Brazil for the first time since the CART series ran in Rio de Janeiro from 1996-2000.

“The race in Sao Paulo will be a great show, the track is awesome,” Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan said. “I can’t wait to see the stands filled with fans and to feel their enthusiasm.”

The 2.6-mile temporary street circuit in Sao Paulo is highlighted by the Anhembi Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue where Sao Paulo’s traditional Carnival parades are watched by tens of thousands of revelers every year.

The Sambadrome stretches for about a third of a mile, flanked by grandstands and VIP suites on both sides that accommodate nearly 30,000 people. It is where the 75-lap race will start and end, and where the podium celebration will take place.

The Sambadrome will lead to a chicane called the Samba “S.”

Another unique feature at the Anhembi track will be its back straightaway, which at just short of a mile is the longest of all 17 tracks visited by the series this season. It also is longer than any at other venues the series has raced before, according to track designer Tony Cotman.

Drivers are expected to reach nearly 190 mph around the halfway point of the straightaway, which runs parallel to the Rio Tiete.

The straightaway, which will be followed by a sharp hairpin leading to the front straight, should provide drivers several passing opportunities.

“It’s a special circuit,” Cotman said. “It will provide a great opportunity for Indy and its drivers to put on a good show.”

Cotman said the track is similar to the one in Surfers Paradise, Australia, which also is fast and provides several passing opportunities.

The announcement that Sao Paulo was picked for the race in Brazil was made only in November and organizers didn’t have much time to chose a location in the city and set up the track. Construction began in January.