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Grand Am
GRAND-AM: Inside The IMS Test
Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller take you inside Thursday's Grand-Am test at Indy.
SPEED Staff  |  Posted September 03, 2009   Indianapolis, IN
Rolex GT cars also took to the track. Mazda's rotary engine made its first appearance in more than a century of competition at IMS. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
SPEEDtv.com takes you inside Thursday's Grand-am test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with two reports, first, from Robin Miller.

The big names of the Grand-Am series running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday all shared the same thought: this one-day test on the road course is surely leading to something big.
Seeing the Rolex Series cars staged at Indy's famous strip of bricks was an emotional affair for a number of people involved with Grand-Am. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

"There's a lot of exciting things going on in motorsports and Indianapolis is the mecca so I would hope we are part of the future," said Scott Pruett, the former Indy-car regular who has won multiple Grand-Am titles driving the TELMEX Riley/Lexus for Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates.

"Indianapolis has always been about Indy cars but then they added stock cars, Formula One and MotoGP. I think the natural progression is to add sports cars."

Buddy Rice, who captured the 2004 Indy 500 and is now wheeling the Spirit of Daytona Coyote/Porsche Daytona Prototype, expected to be back here turning left but said Grand-Am racing offers something many series can't.

"I'm not gonna lie, coming through Turn 1 backwards didn't feel normal and it was different but that's what is good about this series. We've got a lot of different cars and engines plus a lot of good drivers," said Rice, who drives the Spirit of Daytona Coyote/Porsche.

"But the best thing about this series is that you never know who is going to win from race-to-race. It's not the same two teams winning every week."

Jon Fogarty figured to be an Indy car veteran by now. He was a two-time Formula Atlantic champion but never got a ride in CART and turned down a chance to drive for Rahal/Letterman in IndyCar. He's been around long enough to know this test was more than just a favor to Grand-Am boss Jim France.

"I don't know what it is just yet but I do think there's a plan of some kind for this track," said Fogarty, a former Grand-Am champ who teams with Alex Gurney in the Gainsco Riley/Pontiac. "I think we'd put on a pretty competitive show and have a lot more action than F1 did here."

Wayne Taylor, an original member of Grand-Am's inception in 2003, has no doubt his series will be racing at IMS.

"I can't believe we'd be doing this test if we weren't coming back here fairly soon to go racing," said Taylor, who tested with son Ricky in the SunTrust Dallara/Ford. "My gut feeling? I think we'll be back here next year."

IMS officials said nothing is on future schedules for Grand-Am and there's been speculation of a Friday race to support the Brickyard 400 or a separate endurance race to coincide with the upcoming IMS anniversaries.

"It should be special," said Rice. "Not one of our 3-hour races but maybe 6 or 12 hours."

Added Pruett: "I'm partial to a 12-hour race here. Start at mid-day and then finish at midnight with our lights on. Made it a tradition and make it a big deal."

As far as track times, none were available but the majority of the competitors liked the F1 course, which had a couple of the tight turns in the middle opened up.

"We were running about 190 mph down the straightaway and I was pleased with the flow and the speed," continued Pruett. "The curbs need to be taller because we'll be tempted to fly over them but overall I liked the layout a lot."

Taylor saw room to race. "I think there are about three places to pass and it could be more but the track is still green. I think we could come here tomorrow and put on a good show."



By: Marshall Pruett

“This place is FAST,” said Jon Fogarty, 2007 Daytona Prototype co-champion and current points leader, after today’s Grand-Am test at the Brickyard. “We were in 5th gear doing 150mph before we even make the right turn onto the front straight…this place is cool…the F1 circuit is perfect for our cars.”
Michael Valiante (L) and Jon Fogarty (R) got up to speed quickly in their respective DP cars, lapping in the low 1:22 range. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

By all accounts, today's test for the Rolex Daytona Prototype and GT Series cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a resounding success. With areas of the infield open to curious spectators, an estimated 1000 people watched as the DP and GT cars sampled the Formula One circuit configuration for most of Thursday.

I’ve heard a lot of negative conjecture about Grand-Am testing (and possibly racing) at Indy, but in my view, those criticisms are unfounded when you look at the rich tradition of sportscar racing in the Midwest.

Elkhart Lake, Mid-Ohio, Brainerd, Nelson Ledges, Grattan, and a number of other tracks have played host to both professional and amateur events for decades. A sportscar race at IMS, while certainly a big deal for Grand-Am, shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans of the sport.

“Bringing road racing to the Speedway has been pretty successful with F1 and MotoGP, so this isn’t really like setting a new precedent,” said Fogarty. “IMS is centrally located to so many other tracks we race at around the Midwest, so if we can bring endurance racing to Indy, it all makes sense. It’s definitely not oil and water!”

From the perspective of the Roles Series, the IMS test went better than anyone could have expected. Some suggested today’s test was either a PR stunt or simply a favor to the France Family, but Dave Spitzer, Grand-Am’s VP of Competition, assured me their test was more involved than simply trying to generate some ink.

“The purpose of the test was to gauge the scale of the cars, the track, and what it takes to race here. We’re also here to gauge the media, the fans, and IMS about our presence. We had some very encouraging people from IMS that appreciated our appearance here, and we could not have been blessed with a more beautiful day. Jim France also flew up in the morning along with folks from competition and marketing to take part. It’s hard to get much more serious than that.”

Spitzer added that NASCAR president Mike Helton called to check in with him on a number of occasions throughout the day. “Like everyone else in our organization, Mike has an active interest in our test here today, and it was great to have everyone back home so plugged into how the day went.”

The test also afforded Grand-Am and a host of local teams the chance to meet and exchange information. “There was a neat convergence of racing luminaries from the area – IndyCar drivers and team managers, Indy Lights teams, people sniffing around and kicking the tires,” said Spitzer. “This is a complimentary path for those that maybe have a deal on the IndyCar stage and are possibly looking to add themselves to this stage.”

I was surprised initially when I learned of Grand-Am’s IMS test – it made too much sense. It was one of those ‘why didn’t they think of this before’ kind of announcements that could have been made by either sportscar series.

Grand-Am’s hunger for growth and an increased share of the North American marketplace is what led their officials to reach out to the Speedway, and for a series in need of raising its public profile, forging the link to Indy was a brilliant move.

Spitzer says the local fans, businesses and media outlets seemed to understand what a major happening today was for all involved. “From the time we arrived into town, there was an unbelievable reception – from the hotel to the ‘Yellow Shirts’ manning the gates…openly excited about Grand-Am being there. The degree of knowledge was really exciting.”
A veteran of both the Indy and NASCAR races at the Brickyard, Scott Pruett was taken aback by the enthusiasm and support from the fans and the track officials on Thursday. (Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

He also says he didn’t mind letting his Frosted Flakes get soggy when he watched a special report on a local TV channel during breakfast. “I was sitting down in the hotel lobby this morning and saw a TV program the had highlights from our race at Montreal, that we were testing today, and how it was such a unique experience. I was really done in great style and went on for a good couple of minutes. I didn’t mind sacrificing my cereal to watch it!”

For many of the Rolex pilots, driving across Indy’s famous strip of bricks at the start/finish line was something they’ll never forget. For Jon Fogarty, the open-wheel veteran tempered his enthusiasm for the event with his own views on driving at the Brickyard.

“It’s great, but for me, Indy is the Indy 500. It’s turning left at 230mph. Don’t get me wrong, we’re super excited to be here, but I think of it more as running where the F1 cars raced. The F1 course was great and it certainly has a history of its own. It was cool to see how people reacted to our cars on the track.”

Scott Pruett, 2008 Daytona Prototype co-champion, driving the #01 TELMEX Riley-Lexus for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, was emphatic about the need for a Rolex date at Indy in 2010.

“This is what we need to be doing, period. I’ve been involved in sportscars since the ‘80’s, a solid thirty years of doing it, and I can tell you without question that this was very special. It was exciting for the teams, for the fans, and I think for the track. I have to imagine it’s one of the better turnouts they’ve had for a test day in years.”

Fogarty agreed. “It looked like race day today with the fans lining the infield. The number of fans was beyond my expectations by far. That’s really cool. It’s great to have people come out to see what we do, and when you get that many people coming out for an exploratory test, it tells you a lot about how we’re regarded.”

Mazda’s motorsports manager, John Doonan, said he’s still trying to absorb the meaning of the day for the Japanese manufacturer.

“For me, it’s a little cheesy, but it’s reality. To hear the sound of the rotary engine going down the front straight was amazing. I think the grandstands were just singin’ with the scream of the 3-rotor as it went by. It’s the first time a Rotary engine has run there, and everyone seemed to notice how incredible of a sound it brought. There are a lot of sounds that come to mind when you think of Indy, so maybe we can add ours to that legacy.”

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