A patient race from Kanaan

Tony Kanaan used a fast car and heavy fuel conservation to take advantage of Dan Wheldon's radio problems and win the 2007 Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi by 0.04828 seconds - the closest margin of victory in the five year history of the race. Dario Franchitti followed Wheldon across the line with Scott Dixon the only other car on the lead lap.

“It was a race where I had to be very patient,” said Kanaan who led just 26 laps to Wheldon's 126 circuits up front. “I think when we started the car wasn't that good. And I knew the track was going to get better towards the end of the race, so I just waited. When he made his last stop I was convinced that I could pit and come out still in front of him - so that is what we did.”

From the start of the race, Wheldon could only hear his crew in one ear, he then lost that bit of communication 25 laps in to the race and would not be able to hear his crew at all over the remainder of the race.

“It was just unfortunate that we lost communication early on,” said Wheldon. “We were then being pretty conservative with the time we had to pit. And perhaps there were some improvements that we could have made with the car over the duration of the race. It was a mistake that was made. You just can't keep doing that.”

While expressing a love for his team, Wheldon was obviously frustrated. “When we are costing ourselves opportunities to win through silly mistakes, it's tough to take.”

The other major contender, Helio Castroneves would lead the first 43 laps before, but Wheldon passed him a little after the track went back to green from a lap 32 debris caution. He would come back to finish just seventh.

The race got off to a rough start with local hero Kosuke Matsuura, spinning in turn two of the first lap. Already under fire to produce results for his Super Aguri led Japanese backers, Matsuura needed a lot more than what has basically his third straight DNF.

“I don't know exactly what happened,” said Matsuura. “I was racing into the corner and was not close to anyone. They were three wide in front of me and Marco was on the outside passing me, so I lifted and the car just spun - I think I just hit some dirty air.”

Andretti himself would bring out the third and final caution of the race when he got loose off of turn four and then ran the left side of his car into the front straightaway wall.

Ironically, Andretti had earlier complained that teammate Danica Patrick was holding him up going through the same corner. The next lap, she moved high to give way, got in the marbles and nearly crashed. Andretti's spin happened while he was moving over for leader Scott Dixon and then leader Dan Wheldon.

“I had a big understeer and I turned into it,” said Andretti, who complained of right shoulder pain after the crash. “I got out of the throttle and the front hooked and it oversteered into the wall. The X-rays were good, but I am a bit banged up. I will feel it in the morning.”

Andretti's crash brought out the caution from lap 135 to 148 and set up the final fuel mileage race to the end.

With everyone except sixth finishing Scott Sharp pitting for a splash of fuel over the last ten laps, Kanaan felt his strategy would safely deliver him the win.

“I was saving fuel for the last ten laps of the race,” said Kanaan. “At that point I was just controlling (Wheldon) him and trying to put on a bit of pressure so he would run out of fuel sooner. It paid off because when he pulled in to refuel, I just pushed really hard for the two laps (of fuel) that I had and that is how I got him.”

This was Kanaan's first victory at Twin Ring Motegi and his first for the 2007 season.

ORS / CAPSIS International