2009 Barber Open Test Thread

[mlittle]

Location: Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama

Schedule...................
~~21 March 2009
9am-12pm, Firestone Indy Lights
1-5pm, Firestone Indy Lights

~~22 March 2009
9-11am, IndyCar Series
1-5pm, IndyCar Series

~~23 March 2009
9-11am, IndyCar Series
1-5pm, IndyCar Series

[mlittle]

Barber Open Test Entry List(IndyCar Series)


Will Power, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard/Delphi
Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 Target
Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11
(R)Raphael Matos, #12 Symantec 360
*E.J. Viso, #13 PDVSA
*Ryan Hunter-Reay, #13 IZOD
Justin Wilson, #19 Sonny's Real Pit BBQ
Ed Carpenter, #20 Menards/DirecTV
Milka Duno, #23 CITGO/Arctic Ice
(R)Mike Conway, #24 Dreyer & Reinbold
Marco Andretti, #26 Meijer
Hideki Mutoh, #27 Formula Dream
Graham Rahal, #02 McDonald's
(R)Robert Doornbos, #06 Muermans/Trust

*--Viso and Hunter-Reay will split driving duties at Barber

[mlittle]

Barber Open Test
Indy Lights Morning Practice Times

1 Sebastian Saavedra (27) --.---- --.---- 49 01:15.7 109.42 45
2 James Davison (21) 0.19 0.19 36 01:15.9 109.146 35
3 JR Hildebrand (26) 0.5171 0.3271 39 01:16.2 108.678 25
4 Daniel Herrington [28] 1.2005 0.6834 29 01:16.9 107.712 13
5 Martin Plowman (15) 1.7381 0.5376 39 01:17.4 106.964 38
6 Mario Romancini (5) 2.2778 0.5397 15 01:17.9 106.223 12
7 Pippa Mann (16) 2.3082 0.0304 46 01:18.0 106.182 44
8 Andrew Prendeville (2) 2.469 0.1608 38 01:18.1 105.963 37
9 Rodrigo Barbosa (55) 6.7388 4.2698 37 01:22.4 100.473 37
L-R, position--driver--car #--gap from next car--gap from 1st--laps completed--best time/best speed--fastest lap

[mlittle]

Barber Open Test
Indy Lights Final Test Times


1 Sebastian Saavedra (27) --.---- --.---- 91 01:15.7 109.42 45
2 JR Hildebrand (26) 0.0934 0.0934 87 01:15.8 109.286 84
3 James Davison (21) 0.1885 0.0951 70 01:15.9 109.149 68
4 Daniel Herrington [28] 0.5057 0.3172 52 01:16.2 108.694 41
5 Martin Plowman (15) 1.2149 0.7092 84 01:16.9 107.691 84
6 Pippa Mann (16) 1.874 0.6591 107 01:17.5 106.776 86
7 Mario Romancini (5) 1.9062 0.0322 54 01:17.6 106.732 53
8 Andrew Prendeville (2) 1.9196 0.0134 71 01:17.6 106.713 71
9 Rodrigo Barbosa (55) 5.0308 3.1112 76 01:20.7 102.599 74
L-R: position, driver, car #, laps completed, gap to next position, gap to 1st, best time, best speed, fastest lap

[mlittle]

Indy Lights Press Release

~~~LEEDS, Ala. (Saturday, March 21, 2009) - Sebastian Saavedra paced the final Firestone Indy Lights Open Test before the start of the 2009 season. Saavedra, driving the No. 27 AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing entry, turned a fast lap of 1 minute 15.6714 seconds, 109.420 mph on the 15-turn, 2.38-mile road course at Barber Motorsports Park.

Saavedra's teammate, J.R. Hildebrand, was second at 1:15.7648 and Vision Racing's James Davison was third at 1:15.8599.

Nine cars participated in the test. Other teams opted not to attend the Open Test and use private test days to prepare at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., for the doubleheader season opener April 4-5 at St. Petersburg, Fla.

~~~RLR/Andersen Racing has signed rising star Jonathan Summerton to drive its No. 9 car in the Firestone Indy Lights season-opening race at St. Petersburg. The team hopes to continue to field a car for Summerton in the remaining 13 races.

Summerton, 20, of Kissimmee, Fla., won the pole and finished third in the Atlantic Championship season opener March 20 at Sebring, Fla. driving for Genoa Racing. He finished third in the Atlantic series last year in his rookie season.

In 2007, Summerton competed in A1GP for Team USA, winning at Shanghai, China. He honed his skills in the Formula 3 Euro series, the European Formula BMW series and the Formula BMW USA series. He became the youngest driver ever to win a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he won a Formula BMW USA race at the Brickyard in 2004 at age 16.

"We are very pleased to enter into a driver development deal with one of America's brightest open-wheel stars, Jonathan Summerton," said RLR/Andersen Racing co-owner Dan Andersen. "His talent is recognized by many of us in the open-wheel community, and it is our great pleasure to have him as part of our 2009 Firestone Indy Lights lineup. We expect great things from him, beginning at St. Pete."

Summerton has tested with RLR/Andersen Racing twice; once at Sebring and once on the road course at Homestead, Fla. He'll participate in a private test at Kentucky Speedway on Monday in preparation for his Firestone Indy Lights oval test at that track on Tuesday.

"I'm very excited," Summerton said. "I've tested with the team twice now, and I know it's a very good, very professional team. I appreciate all the faith that Dan Andersen has given me. I really hope I'll be able to do the entire Firestone Indy Lights season with RLR/Andersen Racing."

Summerton's teammate on the RLR/Andersen squad is Mario Romancini.

~~~POST-TEST DRIVER QUOTES
---SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 27 AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing),

We did an awesome job as a team. We divided what we wanted to test with J.R.'s team, and we did a good job finding out the areas we need to improve on for the future. It's just a shame we couldn't finish the test and show what we learned the whole day at the end (due to a mechanical failure). Still, I'm happy with everything we learned because it's only my fourth test in this car. Being able to get up to speed this quickly is good, but I also have a lot to learn.

---J.R. HILDEBRAND (No. 26 Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing),

We started with a generic setup and realized we needed to go to the road course setup. And once we did that, we picked up speed. But we're not too concerned with that today. We're using this test just to figure some things out. Later on this year,when we get days at tracks we race on, we'll look to find speed." (About the track) "It's really a cool track. Looking at the layout, it's unclear whether it would be beneficial because there aren't that many slow corners. There's a lot of fast increasing and decreasing radius corners and a lot of bending and braking. But once you get out there, with the elevation changes, it really is a place where you can learn something setup-wise that will help us at places like Watkins Glen and Sonoma and even Mid-Ohio. It definitely is an interesting place in terms of setup, and the team is working really hard to find the right one. But the driver is working hard too, because the line isn't what you expect.

---JAMES DAVISON (No. 21 Vision Racing),

"It was a very productive test for us as a team. We were quick all day, but at the end of the day, we should have trimmed out, and that cost us a chance at fast time. It's only testing. St. Pete is when they start giving points. Still, I feel good about today. Last year, ovals were my strength, and with my new engineer Lee Dykstra I can get from the car what I need. The car had the speed to be fastest in it. We just learned something new at the end.

[mlittle]

Barber IndyCar Open Test
Morning Times
(from SU, 22 March 2009)


1 Dario Franchitti (10) --.---- --.---- 18 01:11.0 116.68 13
2 Scott Dixon (9) 0.0145 0.0145 18 01:11.0 116.656 7
3 Tony Kanaan (11) 0.1259 0.1114 22 01:11.1 116.473 13
4 Graham Rahal (02) 0.193 0.0671 33 01:11.2 116.363 33
5 Ryan Briscoe (6) 0.4477 0.2547 19 01:11.4 115.948 13
6 Will Power (3) 0.5147 0.067 19 01:11.5 115.84 19
7 Marco Andretti (26) 0.6275 0.1128 20 01:11.6 115.657 7
8 Justin Wilson [18] 0.6772 0.0497 23 01:11.6 115.577 16
9 Robert Doornbos (06) 0.775 0.0978 17 01:11.7 115.419 11
10 Dan Wheldon (4) 0.8513 0.0763 15 01:11.8 115.297 13
11 Hideki Mutoh (27) 0.951 0.0997 32 01:11.9 115.137 32
12 Mario Moraes (5) 1.0471 0.0961 33 01:12.0 114.983 31
13 Raphael Matos (12) 1.2534 0.2063 11 01:12.2 114.655 11
14 Danica Patrick (7) 1.9306 0.6772 11 01:12.9 113.59 11
15 Mike Conway (24) 2.0572 0.1266 37 01:13.0 113.393 24
16 Ed Carpenter (20) 2.2588 0.2016 38 01:13.2 113.08 37
L-R: position, driver, car #, gap to next position, gap to 1st, laps completed, best time, best speed, fastest lap

[mlittle]

(from SU, 22 March 2009)
Barber IndyCar Open Test
Final Sunday Times


1 Scott Dixon (9) --.---- 01:10.5 117.446
2 Robert Doornbos (06) 0.1336 01:10.6 117.224
3 Ryan Briscoe (6) 0.1932 01:10.7 117.125
4 Marco Andretti (26) 0.3945 01:10.9 116.792
5 Dan Wheldon (4) 0.3972 01:10.9 116.788
6 Tony Kanaan (11) 0.4422 01:10.9 116.714
7 Dario Franchitti (10) 0.4629 01:11.0 116.68
8 Will Power (3) 0.5455 01:11.0 116.544
9 Graham Rahal (02) 0.6559 01:11.2 116.363
10 Justin Wilson [18] 0.7779 01:11.3 116.164
11 Raphael Matos (12) 0.9491 01:11.5 115.886
12 Danica Patrick (7) 0.9635 01:11.5 115.863
13 Hideki Mutoh (27) 1.0508 01:11.6 115.721
14 Mike Conway (24) 1.3786 01:11.9 115.193
15 Mario Moraes (5) 1.51 01:12.0 114.983
16 Ed Carpenter (20) 2.7217 01:13.2 113.08

[mlittle]

Sunday Test Quotes


----SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fastest),

The team has done a great job for sure. Both cars definitely have got speed. It was kind of a strange day. We actually spent most of the time in the truck. It’s definitely a nice facility here, and it was great to see so many fans out here. We set our time earlier in the day, just before lunch. This afternoon we ran around on old tires just trying a really extreme setup, and got out on two laps at the end there.

----ROBERT DOORNBOS (No. 06 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, second),

I was very happy to drive on a circuit that I am familiar with, where I can use my experience in setting the car up to my liking and getting to know the team better, because it’s a whole new adventure for me. This morning we did only 10 laps and the gearbox broke, so we had to wait a couple of hours to get it fixed. We just had to stay focused for the afternoon and make the most of it. We had a good setup and we got the car to my liking and did a quick lap time. I think it’s very important to make a good first impression, because the team gave me this chance. They know what I can do. They know that I can win races, and I just need to prove it.

----RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske fifth),

It was a good day overall. We felt good about the Team Penske car’s balance, and we were really solid at the end of the day. We’re getting ready for the first race. We worked on the brake package and did some general setup work. We really focused on what the small setup changes do to the car. (About the impressive crowd at Barber Motorsports Park) It reminded me of when we used to go to Spain for F1 testing, we used to draw crowds like this. It’s pretty cool to get a chance to sign autographs and talk to fans in the paddock when it’s at a test.

[mlittle]

---Saying that the March 23 luncheon on the fifth floor of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum was "a warm dose of Southern hospitality," state and local dignitaries and community leaders formally welcomed the IndyCar Series to Barber Motorsports Park. They all hope the next visit will be for a sanctioned race at the 2.38-mile, 15-turn facility. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley broke bread with Indy Racing League CEO Tony George and other league officials - preceded by a closed-door meeting.

Gov. Bob Riley(R-AL),

It's beautiful noise out there. We hope to hear more of it in the years to come.

Terry Angstadt, IRL President-Commercial Operations,

We don't get this treatment when we got to markets to test our cars. Absolutely over the top by every measure. There were well over 20,000 people here, and when you have the broad-based community and state support that's what it takes today to put on successful events and they've demonstrated it.

Larry Langford, Mayor, City of Birmingham, Alabama,

It's not like any minivan I've ever been in my life.

Johnny Rutherford, 3-time Indy 500 winner/Driver, ICS PaceCar,

(after touring Barber Motorsports Park)This facility is incredible. The museum is absolutely a have-to-see. It's incredible the number of motorcycles and race cars that you just don't see in a lot of places. It was a lot of fun to share stories with Mr. Barber. He's done a wonderful job and is dedicated to this facility.

[mlittle]

Barber Open Test
Monday Session Times(from MO, 23 March 2009)


Pos Driver Diff Last Lap Best Time Best Speed Best Lap
1 Will Power (3) --.---- 84 01:09.5 119.213 52
2 Dario Franchitti (10) 0.3219 78 01:09.8 118.663 74
3 Ryan Briscoe (6) 0.3844 68 01:09.8 118.557 40
4 Scott Dixon (9) 0.4347 71 01:09.9 118.471 16
5 Graham Rahal (02) 0.4619 72 01:09.9 118.425 27
6 Robert Doornbos (06) 0.5672 58 01:10.0 118.247 9
7 Marco Andretti (26) 0.6351 93 01:10.1 118.132 31
8 Tony Kanaan (11) 0.8515 80 01:10.3 117.769 79
9 Justin Wilson [18] 0.862 75 01:10.3 117.751 57
10 Hideki Mutoh (27) 0.9017 95 01:10.4 117.685 87
11 Dan Wheldon (4) 1.071 57 01:10.5 117.402 23
12 Mike Conway (24) 1.2408 61 01:10.7 117.12 40
13 Raphael Matos (12) 1.2494 96 01:10.7 117.106 70
14 Mario Moraes (5) 1.265 26 01:10.7 117.08 18
15 Danica Patrick (7) 1.3854 72 01:10.8 116.881 48
16 Ed Carpenter (20) 2.0688 99 01:11.5 115.765 17

[mlittle]

WILL POWER (No. 3 Team Penske, fastest): "It was good. I haven’t spent much time with this team, so I spent the two days gelling with my engineer. We’re really working well together now. We found some good things in the car, and we found a car that suits me. We’re happy and we’ll be pretty confident going into St. Pete. This is a great track to get fit on because you never stop working. We won’t use this much energy getting around St. Pete, so it was a good workout. I was just happy to get back in the car on a road course.”

DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, second): “We accomplished a lot. It’s a really interesting track. It’s a fabulous facility – the way it’s built, the way it’s kept. The track is a real commitment track, a lot of really, really fast corners. I’m enjoying it a lot. I think if were to come back here and race a couple of changes would need to be made to create some passing opportunities, but I don’t think that would be a problem judging from what they’ve already done here. It’s been a really good weekend, get to know the team better and Scott (Dixon), as well. Each week is just learning more. It’s been a long week though with Sebring. We were at Sebring from Monday right through to Saturday night and then came right here. And before that we were testing at Phoenix. I feel like I've been working pretty hard this last week.”

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 02 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, fifth): “The car is pretty good. We’re learning quite a lot, which is important. I think at the end of the day we’re competitive here, but that’s not what matters most. What matters most to us is to make sure that when we go to all the road races we’ve got a good shot at winning, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now – learn as much as we can. I think we’re doing that. We’ve got a lot more knowledge and understanding than we did before, and that’s what we need. We’re trying things that we hope we can adapt to other tracks. That’s been our focus.”

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 Andretti Green Racing, seventh): “I think the Meijer car ran really well these past couple of days. I think we are taking the right approach at this test; we are making big changes and getting clear results. There are times during a race weekend where we need to make these types of big changes and time is not on our side. So, I think we are going to be able to show up this season with a better idea of our baselines and that will allow us to be a step ahead.”

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Andretti Green Racing, eighth): “The great thing about a test is not having the pressure of lap times and who is the fastest. We are only concerned about figuring out what to do to make the 7-Eleven car better overall. We need to understand the changes that we make and learn what or what not to do to in order to make the car better. So, it’s a win-win for us and the team as a whole.”

HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Andretti Green Racing, 10th): “I think we had an overall good test here at Barber these past couple of days. We were able to make some changes to the car that both were good and not so good, but we will be able to use all the information that we got, and use it throughout the season. I think we will be using a lot of the information in St. Pete. The Formula Dream team has worked really hard during the offseason and I feel good about going into the first race at St. Pete.”

DAN WHELDON (No. 4 Panther Racing): “It’s good to be in the race car. It’s not often we get the opportunity anymore with the restrictions on testing. A track like this I think some people criticize to some degree because the relevance that it has to St. Petersburg or Long Beach is pretty insignificant. But in terms of being able to test stuff for the track being consistent I think this is a good place. That’s not only what we have been doing, but need to be doing, because as I said with the restricted testing it’s important. The car has actually been pretty good. On my new tire run just before lunch, I did an outlap and then my best lap and then I spun. There’s stuff that we’re working through. There’s a problem with the car that I think we’re making it better. We haven’t got it to go away yet, but we’re working towards that. Certainly it’s incredibly competitive. You can see from the times it’s very close. It’s good to be here. For the limited running that Panther and I have had together, we’re really pretty competitive.”

MIKE CONWAY (No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): “It's been a good test. I think the last couple of days we definitely learned a lot about the car, not just the team but me also. We're just getting used to the car again on a road course. We struggled a bit on the first day, but the second day, we found a lot of time in the car. It was a lot easier to drive, and we gained a couple of seconds on new tires. That's a good thing, very encouraging. We just need to take what we learned at the test here and move forward to be strong for St. Pete.”

DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Andretti Green Racing): “As you know, the road courses (which require the most driving talent by a wide margin) have been my weak spot in racing, but with that being said, I think we were able to learn some things that will help me to continue to strengthen my road course races. It’s not really easy to see my lap times where they are, but I really think we are on the right track with the Motorola car. I’m glad that I was able to do a road course test with my new race engineer, Eddie (Jones) before we head to St. Pete in a couple of weeks.”