IndyCar
Honda Racing Birmingham test notes 2011-03-15
Birmingham Open Test
Edited: Jun 1, 2018, 12:48 PM
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Penske Drivers Lead IZOD IndyCar Pre-Season Test
Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
Pre-season testing for the IZOD IndyCar Series concluded Tuesday at Barber Motorsports Park with two Team Penske drivers -- Helio Castroneves and Will Power -- leading the field after two days of running on the 2.3-mile road course located near Birmingham, Alabama.
Nearly all series regulars turned up for the Barber test, the only “Open Test” prior to the season opening March 27 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Power led the field from the first practice on Monday morning up until the final hour on Tuesday afternoon, when teammate Castroneves nosed ahead by just two one-hundredths of a second for overall honors.
Competition among the 24 drivers taking part at Barber was fierce, with half the field covered by less than one second, and just two seconds separating first and 23rd. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished the test third overall, followed by Ryan Briscoe in the third Team Penske entry and series returnee Oriol Servia, driving for Newman Haas Racing. Carrying “Pray for Japan” graphics on the side of his KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara, in honor of his homeland following last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Takuma Sato rounded out the top six at the test.
Helio Castroneves (#3 Team Penske Honda) quickest in testing: “This guy [Will Power] just keeps pushing and pushing, so we always have to try harder, too. It’s good. It’s fun. Our goal as a team is to finish 1-2-3 every race. We want to accomplish what we’ve failed to do the last three years: win the championship. The track got quicker and quicker this afternoon as everyone tried really hard on their last sets of tires. The field is really tight again this year, it’s going to be a great season.” Pre-season testing for the IZOD IndyCar Series concluded Tuesday at Barber Motorsports Park with two Team Penske drivers -- Helio Castroneves and Will Power -- leading the field after two days of running on the 2.3-mile road course located near Birmingham, Alabama.
Nearly all series regulars turned up for the Barber test, the only “Open Test” prior to the season opening March 27 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Power led the field from the first practice on Monday morning up until the final hour on Tuesday afternoon, when teammate Castroneves nosed ahead by just two one-hundredths of a second for overall honors.
Competition among the 24 drivers taking part at Barber was fierce, with half the field covered by less than one second, and just two seconds separating first and 23rd. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished the test third overall, followed by Ryan Briscoe in the third Team Penske entry and series returnee Oriol Servia, driving for Newman Haas Racing. Carrying “Pray for Japan” graphics on the side of his KV Racing Technology Honda Dallara, in honor of his homeland following last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, Takuma Sato rounded out the top six at the test.
Helio Castroneves (#3 Team Penske Honda) quickest in testing: “This guy [Will Power] just keeps pushing and pushing, so we always have to try harder, too. It’s good. It’s fun. Our goal as a team is to finish 1-2-3 every race. We want to accomplish what we’ve failed to do the last three years: win the championship. The track got quicker and quicker this afternoon as everyone tried really hard on their last sets of tires. The field is really tight again this year, it’s going to be a great season.”
-source: honda racing
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