The 2005 season was a period of change for the Indy Racing League side of the US open-wheel split, as road and street courses were added to the schedule for the first time since the inception of Tony George’s series in 1996. And two impressive performances from a series rookie switching over from Formula 1 with one of the series’ grandee names hinted at a bright future ahead.
But although Giorgio Pantano would turn out again for Chip Ganassi Racing after his “unforgettable” two-race deal in 2005, peaking with a fourth place at Watkins Glen after qualifying on the front row, the former Jordan driver had to wait another seven years for the next shot in what turned out to be his final IndyCar appearance subbing for an injured Charlie Kimball.
A total of six outings, completed by three nondescript showings for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2011, make for an underwhelming tally for a driver who won the 2000 German Formula 3 championship in his first full season of car racing. Not least given the Italian’s clear promise as a newcomer to the US scene in a Ganassi team recovering from its lowest ebb.
“I think I did something well, for me, in two races without experience, without knowing any circuits over there, without knowing the cars,” reflects Pantano, who today is a successful constructor of his own karts. “I didn’t understand to be honest why after what I showed, I didn’t have a proposal for the following year.”
Ganassi had gone winless in 2004, and the 2005 season was little better as it laboured with Toyota engines that lagged behind the dominant Honda unit. The horsepower deficit had limited fellow behemoth Team Penske to just three wins split between new signing Sam Hornish Jr and its double Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, but Ganassi fared even worse.
Its 2003 champion Scott Dixon hadn’t even recorded a top-five finish from the first 15 rounds of 2005, as Andretti-Green cleaned up. Dan Wheldon won four of the opening five races of the season including at St. Petersburg, the first of the year’s three tracks to include right-hand corners, and the all-important Indy 500. His team-mates Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta all got in on the act too, while Honda power also helped Fernandez Racing’s Scott Sharp to score his final open-wheel win at Kentucky.
Source: Autosport