IRL: Dan Wheldon Panther Racing test notes

Last Thursday Dan Wheldon ran a 22-lap test session in the Pennzoil Panther Racing Dallara-Chevrolet in which he will make his Indy Racing League (IRL) debut on Sunday 8 September in the Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Wheldon's successful test took place on the 1.25-mile oval Gateway International Raceway circuit at St Louis and it enabled the 24-year old to ensure that everything will be ready for the official testing days at Chicagoland Speedway on 28 and 29 August.

After Thursday's shakedown, Dan Wheldon commented: <I>'More than anything, today was a good skakedown run for the team and the car. We made sure that all the systems were working, so that when we go to Chicago next week we can spend two days testing to get ready for the race, not to make sure the car works.

I am looking forward very much to making my IRL race debut at Chicagoland Speedway with Panther Racing and Chevrolet power and am grateful to the team for giving me more track time than was originally planned.

Dan Wheldon -- who has been Rookie of the Year in three different formulae in the USA in the last three years -- will become the first English driver to race in the Indy Racing League.

-dwr-