AUSTRALIA’S Will Power scored his 28th win in the American Indycar series last weekend, elevating himself to second in the championship standings and providing a great chance to match his 2014 title win.
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Toowoomba-born Power, then 17, made his circuit racing debut at Lakeside Raceway in 1998, driving a Datsun 1200.
He never would have imagined that he would finish up being a consistent front runner in Indycar racing.
In 1999 he moved to the state Formula Ford series, which he went onto win in 2000. The following year he finished second in the Australian FF championship behind current Supercar driver Will Davison.
Power’s move to the Australian Drivers Championship in 2002 in a Formula Holden was rewarded with a comprehensive title win.
The next year he made the big decision to go overseas to compete in the British Formula 3 championship.
Limited funds restricted outings and results the next two years before in 2005 he contested the World Series by Renault, picking up two victories.
He also got his first drive in the Championship Auto Racing Team series with a drive at the Gold Coast.
Power’s first win in the CART series came at Las Vegas in 2007.
But then there was a period of conflict in open wheel racing in America.
This led to a frustrating period for Power, before he was given a chance to join Roger Penske’s highly successful team in 2009.
Unfortunately, a bad crash curtailed his championship aspirations.
Two fractured vertebrae put him out of action for most of the season.
In 2010, Power scored five wins and eight pole positions to secure the first of three consecutive second place championship finishes.
In 2013, he finished fourth overall. But the following year he took out the title with three wins, three seconds and a third in what proved to be a tough and competitive season.
Third overall in last year’s title race was disappointing in some respects.
But it was made more acceptable with a close second place at the prestigious Indianapolis 500, the best result by an Australian driver.
This season, Power has bounced back from early medical issues that caused him to miss the first round to score three wins from the past four races.
Since 2007, Power has scored 28 wins, 47 podiums and 44 pole positions from 124 starts.
He’s qualified on the front two rows at the Indianapolis 500 seven times in nine starts.
I well remember a very committed Power during his early FF and Formula Holden days, and nothing has changed.