'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
IndyCar’s official Instagram account uploaded a clip of Graham Rahal from the 2024 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race in July. The clip focused on Rahal’s ‘five-wheel' pitstop.
The RLL driver encountered issues with his steering wheel midway through the Indy race in Toronto. The team decided to pit early and change the steering wheel along with the tires. A video of this wheel change was uploaded with the caption:
“Was @grahamrahal's "five wheel" pit stop one of the most impressive of all time?”
Trending
As the IndyCar account questioned whether the pitstop was impressive, the American driver responded in the comments with his perspective.
“Didn't fix our issues but looked impressive I suppose haha. Nothing we'd tested before”
Rahal’s steering wheel display had gone blank on lap 25. He struggled for a couple of laps with an isolated display blinking before deciding to change the wheel. However, even after the change, the problem persisted and the American made the gear changes based on his judgment.
Fellow IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist also commented on the post:
“That's dope”
RLL Racing’s official Instagram account commented with the "100" emoji.
A fan recalled when Lewis Hamilton accomplished a similar feat during the 2012 Indian GP.
Graham Rahal managed to finish the race in the Top 10 despite the issue. The RLL driver shared his experience with the steering wheel troubles after the race.
“We were lucky to get out of here in 10th place” - Graham Rahal after a “tough” 2024 Indy Toronto
Graham Rahal started the July race in P8 but soon dropped a place. The steering wheel change failed to eliminate the issue and Rahal continued to drop places. A late Red Flag with 14 laps to go after the Pato O'Ward crash helped the RLL driver make up ground. He made up positions on the restart and finished in P10.
Looking back at the Indy Toronto race, Rahal said (via Rahal.com):
“The race was looking pretty straightforward until the steering wheel went blank around Lap 25. And then it kept happening until we pit earlier than planned to change it. And it still happened the rest of the race so we will have to figure out what happened.”
“The car would only shift when the dash would light up so I had to time my shifts with when the lights went on. Mid-corner on tight corners, I would have to look at the dash to be able to shift and some guys got by me then. It was a tough one for sure. We were lucky to get out of here in 10th place,” he added.
Despite changing the steering wheel, the pitstop was only 7.7 seconds, about 2 seconds slower than an average IndyCar pitstop.
