From IndyCar.com
Will Power's Chevrolet is identified by the prominent No. 1 on the nose and rear wheel guards, but that's in recognition of 2014 accomplishments. This week-end's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the start of a new Verizon IndyCar Series season full of its own competition, challenges and conversations about whether the 34-year-old Aussie can repeat as series champion. Power is confident he'll be among the challengers when the season-ending GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma rolls around in late August, and he started with a bang by setting the track record March 28 on the way to the Verizon P1 award on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit.
“I can’t help but want to win," said Power, who won three times last season. "Your own personal pressure comes with that. Nothing has changed; I feel the same as I did when I wasn’t a champion. I have to go out there and win races; it’s what I want to do.” Power recorded a lap of 1 minute, 0.6931 of a second in the 10-minute Firestone Fast Six to secure the Verizon P1 Award. In the first two rounds of qualifying, Power set and reset the track record that Sebastien Bourdais (1:00.928) held since the inaugural St. Pete Indy car race in 2003. Power lowered the standard to 1:00.8344 in Round 1 and bettered it with a lap of 1:00.6509 in Round 2. It was the 37th career pole (sixth all time) for Power, who previously was the top qualifier at St. Petersburg in 2010-13.
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