2006 Indy Racing League Testing Schedule & News

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IndyCar Series teams prepare for open test at Kansas

Post by mlittle » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:27 am

Following one of the fastest races in series history, most of the teams in the IRL IndyCar Series are on the road again, this time to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for the first of two open test sessions prior to the June 24 race at Richmond.(the only teams not participating are Aguri-Fernandez Racing, which will only have driver Kosuke Matsurra present, along with the recently departed Hemelgarn Racing). There is also some activity from the IRL's Indy Pro Series, as several teams are testing there also.

Open test results from Kansas to be posted later this evening.......
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What a Surprise.......

Post by mlittle » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:14 am

18 drivers took to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for today's Open Test, and, as expected, the first four spots were all taken up by Target/Ganassi and Marlboro-Team Penske drivers. 17 IndyCar Series drivers and Indy Pro Series driver Chris Festa participated in the 6-hour test. All drivers ran a combined total of 2,859 laps and four of them nearly ran the 200-lap race distance of the upcoming race 2 July at Kansas. Several teams, such as Rahal-Letterman Racing, used the time to continue progressing on the Dallara chassis(the team prior to Texas had been the works Panoz team in the series), and although their times were nothing to brag about, this track has been kind to the team over the years(2004-Rice and Meira finished 1-2; 2005-Patrick qualifies P1, Meira finishes 3rd).

Here are the results of the open test...........................
1}Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi Racing..................25.339 sec/216.021 mph(172 laps)
2}Dan Wheldon, Target/Ganassi Racing................25.486 sec/214.710 mph(166 laps)
3}Sam Hornish, Jr., Marlboro-Team Penske...........25.525 sec/214.399 mph(195 laps)
4}Helio Castroneves, Marlboro-Team Penske.........25.571 sec/213.994 mph(198 laps)
5}Kosuke Matsurra, Aguri-Fernandez Racing..........25.585 sec/213.873 mph(152 laps)
6}Vitor Meira, Panther Racing...............................25.672 sec/213.153 mph(185 laps)
7}Eddie Cheever, Jr., Cheever Racing..................25.724 sec/212.717 mph(197 laps)
8}(R)Marco Andretti, Andretti-Green Racing..........25.729 sec/212.679 mph(189 laps)
9}Tomas Scheckter, Vision Racing........................25.768 sec/212.356 mph(196 laps)
10}Tony Kanaan, Andretti-Green Racing................25.769 sec/212.345 mph(154 laps)
11}Ed Carpenter, Vision Racing.............................25.778 sec/212.278 mph(182 laps)
12}Bryan Herta, Andretti-Green Racing..................25.787 sec/212.202 mph(122 laps)
13}Dario Franchitti, Andretti-Green Racing.............25.807 sec/212.034 mph(154 laps)
14}Buddy Lazier, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing...........25.848 sec/211.698 mph(191 laps)
15}Buddy Rice, Rahal-Letterman Racing................25.989 sec/210.568 mph(135 laps)
16}(R)Jeff Simmons, Rahal-Letterman Racing.........26.066 sec/209.925 mph(146 laps)
17}Danica Patrick, Rahal-Letterman Racing............26.212 sec/208.762 mph(76 laps)
18}Chris Festa, Cheever Racing--IPS.....................26.283 sec/208.190 mph(50 laps)(*)

(*)--Festa had completed his ICS rookie test in the first three-hour session and, under series rules, was allowed 50 laps of track time in an ICS racecar during the second three-hour session
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Camara gets first taste of an IndyCar

Post by mlittle » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:30 pm

While Indy Pro Series driver Chris Festa was the first to get an IndyCar Series test under the IRL's new testing rules, he wasn't the only one over the past week, as Andretti-Green Racing's IPS team and driver Jaime Camara tested at Nashville Superspeedway back on June 16. Under IRL rules, any IndyCar Series team that fields drivers in the series' developmental system(IPS) can test those drivers during the year, and AGR took advantage of it, as Camara did 90 laps around the 1.33-mile concrete oval under the tutelage of 3-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford and AGR driver Tony Kanaan, whose car Camara drove for the test. Afterwards, Camara said,
The test went really well. I didn't know exactly what to expect when I got in the car because an IndyCar has a lot more downforce, grip and power than I'm used to. You feel a lot more G-forces in the car at a place like Nashville because I have to lift in my (Pro Series) car, but there was no lifting in the IndyCar.
AGR co-owner Kim Green added,
This is a great opportunity for a young driver like Jaime, who has shown a lot of potential in the Indy Pro Series. It's also important for AGR to help develop young drivers, which is something we have always had an interest in.
During the test, Camara came within .2 secs. of Kanaan's fastest times while on-track, and says he's confident of finding an IndyCar ride in the future, noting that,
An IndyCar ride is not easy to find, but I'm going to try to find one for 2007. This test was a big step in my career and I think I showed the team that I can do a good job in an IndyCar.
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What Else is New....Hornish tops RIR test

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:22 pm

19 drivers took to the 3/4-mile Richmond International Raceway for the series' last major open test of 2006, and, as expected, Marlboro-Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr. topped the timing charts with a lap of 15.792 sec./171.407 mph), which was set just before he smacked the outside wall going through turn 4, putting an end to a hectic test session.(BTW, his team will have the backup car ready for race practice tomorrow.) Prior to the 17 veterans going on-track, rookie drivers Marco Andretti and Jeff Simmons were allowed an extra 90 minutes of track time to acclimate themselves to the track prior to the start of the session. Here are the results from today's session......

1}Sam Hornish, Jr., Marlboro-Team Penske....................15.792 sec/171.407 mph(130 laps)
2}(R)Marco Andretti, Andretti-Green Racing....................15.947 sec/169.315 mph(104 laps)
3}Tony Kanaan, Andretti-Green Racing...........................15.963 sec/169.212 mph(105 laps)
4}Scott Sharp, Aguri-Fernandez Racing...........................16.007 sec/168.674 mph(136 laps)
5}Dario Franchitti, Andretti-Green Racing........................16.017 sec/168.569 mph(116 laps)
6}Bryan Herta, Andretti-Green Racing.............................16.021 sec/168.530 mph(98 laps)
7}Kosuke Matsurra, Aguri-Fernandez Racing....................16.088 sec/167.828 mph(128 laps)
8}Helio Castroneves, Marlboro-Team Penske...................16.099 sec/167.703 mph(149 laps)
9}Ed Carpenter, Vision Racing........................................16.107 sec/167.627 mph(102 laps)
10}Dan Wheldon, Target/Ganassi Racing.........................16.108 sec/167.609 mph(126 laps)
11}Buddy Rice, Rahal-Letterman Racing..........................16.176 sec/166.914 mph(77 laps)
12}Tomas Scheckter, Vision Racing.................................16.281 sec/165.833 mph(121 laps)
13}Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi Racing............................16.298 sec/165.667 mph(88 laps)
14}Vitor Meira, Panther Racing........................................16.315 sec/165.494 mph(100 laps)
15}(R)Jeff Simmons, Rahal-Letterman Racing...................16.442 sec/164.208 mph(81 laps)
16}Danica Patrick, Rahal-Letterman Racing......................16.496 sec/163.675 mph(91 laps)
17}Felipe Giaffone, A.J. Foyt Racing.................................16.570 sec/162.948 mph(104 laps)
18}Eddie Cheever, Jr., Cheever Racing............................16.575 sec/162.899 mph(155 laps)
19}Buddy Lazier, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing......................16.907 sec/159.697 mph(47 laps)
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Klein to get IndyCar test

Post by mlittle » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:24 am

Current IRL Indy Pro Series driver Jonathan Klein will be the third driver to test an IndyCar Series car under the series' new testing rules, following test sessions at Kansas for Chris Festa(Kansas-June 13) and Jaime Camara(Nashville-June 16). Andretti-Green Racing officials announced the test today, which will be held at the legendary Milwaukee Mile July 10, where Klein will test along with two of Andretti-Green's current IndyCar Series drivers, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti.
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Bussell completes rookie test

Post by mlittle » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:30 am

Veteran Indy Pro Series driver Nick Bussell can add his name to the list of drivers that have completed their rookie tests for the IndyCar Series, as the Vision Racing IPS driver completed his test at Kentucky Speedway back on July 31. Bussell, who competes for Vision Racing in the IPS, completed over 100 laps, setting a fastest speed of 211.828 mph. Supervising the rookie test was the IRL's chief technical inspector, Kevin "Rocketman" Blanch, who remarked about Bussell's performance....
He had a great day and passed with flying colors. There were no glitches; he tried the short line, he tried the high line, moved the car around and understood the car well. He had no problems understanding what the car was telling him. He practiced a lot of things he'll need to know in the IndyCar Series including a couple (of) pit stops, going out on cold tires and getting back up to speed. They had push built into the car and he picked up on that right away. They made a few changes to improve grip, and he picked up on that right away.
When asked about his day, Bussell said,
It's a huge benefit for any of us Indy Pro Series drivers to go out and get that experience. I grew up wanting to drive an IndyCar, and now I've had that opportunity. I don't think its' sunk in quite yet. Everything was really smooth. The car felt real good. I think it shows how good a job Vision Racing has done. The car was really good, it was almost effortless.
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Several drivers to test at Chicagoland.......

Post by mlittle » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:29 pm

IRL officials announced that drivers Jeff Simmons, Marco Andretti, Marty Roth and Sarah Fisher will take acclimation tests(or in Fisher's case, a re-acclimation test) at Chicagoland on August 31 in preparation for the season finale on Sept. 10th. When asked about the upcoming test, Fisher had this to say.....
I'm really looking forward to the test and getting a baseline and going from there. I think there are some things we can do with the downforce levels and take some drag out of the cars and make them turn a little bit better. We have a good game plan going there and we'll just continue to fine tune it and hopefully (the test) will be flawless. Chicago's a bit easier than Kentucky but each track has its' tendencies that you have to apply. It's been a while since I've been there (but) I'm sure there are (new) things I'll pick up.
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IRL to conduct compatibility tests at Daytona

Post by mlittle » Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:36 pm

Officials with both the Indy Racing League and Daytona International Speedway announced earlier today plans for a compatibility test at the "World Center of Racing", a/k/a Daytona International Speedway on Spet. 26-27 in an effort to determine whether the track can be used for off-season testing. Noted IRL VP of Operations John Lewis,
We are both excited and curious to see the IndyCar Series cars on the road-course and high-banked third and fourth turns of Daytona International Speedway. A compatibility test is due diligence by the league to enusre our equipment is well-suited with a facility. We had inquired with International Speedway Corporation(ISC) about (an) alternative warm-weather venue for our preseason testing and that led to the planned compatibility test at Daytona. The IndyCar Series is committed to continuing its' preseason oval testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway and in this case we will be at Daytona to see if the facility could be a possible option for our road-course preseason testing in the future.
Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig added,
We're happy to welcome the IndyCar Series to Daytona International Speedway. The IndyCar Series has asked to test here at Daytona, we had an opening on our schedule and we're happy to accomodate them.
Currently the IRL races on the following ISC-owned tracks: Homestead-Miami Speedway, Watkins Glen International Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Michigan International Speedway. During the compatibility tests, the IndyCar Series will look at the following......
~~how the cars transition from the road-course section onto the superspeedway
~~tire wear/side loads
~~braking zones at various points around the track

In addition, series officials will compare the data with that from both Ganassi Racing and Cheever Racing, both of which compete in the Rolex Sports Car Series; Honda Performance Development(HPD) techs will be present to check for any issues that come up with the new 3.5-liter H-16S engines. The test will also be the first using 100%-grade ethanol racing fuel, which the IRL will use on race weekends beginning in 2007.

Four teams(Team Penske, Andretti-Green, Panther and Target/Ganassi) will conduct the actual testing, which will take place on a 10-turn, 2.73-mile road-course layout incorporating portions of the 2.5-mile high-banked(29-degree) superspeedway and portions of the track's infield road course.
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Historic day in Daytona......

Post by mlittle » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:25 pm

Here's two pictures from today's testing at Daytona International Speedway.....
http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/ ... sting8.jpg
http://www.autoracing1.com/Images/2006/ ... ytona3.jpg

For years, there were two things that could, in polite racing circles, never be said in the same breath......IndyCars and Daytona. That ended today as the IRL IndyCar Series began the first of two historic days of testing at the "World Center of Racing"......how historic was it: oh, about 50 or so reporters showed up at Daytona to watch! 8) 8) :shock: :shock: :shock:

At approximately 10:07 am this morning, Panther Racing's Vitor Meira throttled off of pitlane onto the 2.73-mile Daytona road course, marking the first time since 1959 that Indy-style cars were driven at Daytona. While most were concerned with whether the drivers and their machines could handle the high-banked(and its' 31 degrees, not 29 degrees...... :shock: ) Daytona superspeedway, mostly they were concerned with the historical implications of today's tests.....

Vitor Meira, #4 Lincoln Tech/Revive USA D/H:
It's a pleasure to be involved in motorsports history. It was very, very cool to be the first car out. It's the most banking I've ever felt, which was a very different sensation (from Texas).
The two-day tests are meant to serve two purposes......first, sources within the IRL have said that the series is interested in racing at Daytona, possibly as soon as 2008, and this week's compatibilty test, plus a full-field test later in the year, will weigh heavily in those decisions. Secondly, today marked the first tests for Honda H-16S Indy V8, which is 3.5 liters instead of 3 liters to accomodate the new 100% ethanol racing fuel the series will use in 2007.

Although no official times/speeds were reported, Honda techs reported that cars were topping out at just over 200 mph exiting turn 4. Testing is to continue Wednesday...... 8) 8) :shock:
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Post by Julian Mayo » Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:38 pm

The Green machine reminds me of a Benneton :shock:
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Post by mlittle » Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:52 pm

More pictures from the IRL's historic testing session at Daytona........
http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/ ... p_3037.jpg
http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/ ... 4large.jpg

Day 2 of the session was pretty much like the first; speeds went up, and as the second of the two picture links above show, so do any attendant risks.
But all in all, it was an excellent session, by far, and according to officials w/the IRL, Daytona Intl. Speedway, and HPD, everything went according to plan.

Bottom line......expect a full-field testing session sometime in the near future and if everything plans out, a possible race on the Rolex 24 road course as early as 2008. 8) :shock: :shock: :lol: 8) :D :D
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