Viso crashed hard and will need a new gearbox for Friday. (LAT Photo) » More Photos

HORS D’COMBAT

The day went considerably less well for E.J. Viso and Bruno Junqueira. Viso spun and backed into the Turn One wall in the first practice session, damaging the HVM Racing Dallara-Honda’s gearbox. Although the team had a spare gearbox on hand, it was setup for an oval test planned next week and could not be changed-over in time for the second practice. The team expects to have their car ready for Viso tomorrow.

Junqueira was one of at least a dozen to spin in the Turn Two-Three chicane. However, he was the only one to slide down the access road linking Turns Four and Seven, damaging the tub of his Dale Coyne Racing entry on the curbing in the process. Like Viso, he was done for the day. However, the Coyne team will change over to its spare tub and, like Viso, be ready for action tomorrow.

PAYBACK TIME, PART I

There may be a bit of a rivalry developing between Ryan Hunter-Reay and Enrique Bernoldi. You’ll recall that Bernoldi was livid after the two collided in the early stages of the Mid-Ohio race, being of the opinion that the collision resulted from a wildly optimistic overtaking effort on RHR’s part.

Evidently the issue was not settled at Mid-Ohio as the twosome got into it again today in the first practice session, the result being quite an aerobatic display by Bernoldi as he wound up on the roughest part of the front straightaway and bounded high in the air at 160+ mph, before slamming down and spinning – without contact – in Turn One to bring an end to the session.

PAYBACK TIME, PART II

In its efforts to level the playing field this year, the IndyCar Series has afforded the “transitional” teams an extra practice session on the ovals as well, of course, as the now traditional two day head start at Indianapolis for Rookie Orientation. In this, the first (and perhaps only, depending on the fate of the Gold Coast GP) track on which the former Champ Car teams have an experiential advantage, the IndyCar Series redressed the balance somewhat by affording the newcomers to Edmonton with one extra set of slick Firestone Firehawk tires for the weekend in order to speed their acclimation to the City Centre Airport circuit.

More than one Champ Car-ista was heard to mumble about their not getting an extra set of tires at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio, but then you’re never going to make everybody happy, are you?