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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Andretti Hits 218.6 At Indy Test
Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti uses a tow to hit 218.625 mph around the famed 2.5-mile Brickyard in testing on Wednesday.
Marco Andretti lapped IMS at a best of 218.6 mph with some serious help, while 216s were the average for drivers running on their own. (Photo: IMS Photo)
Tony Kanaan didn’t go a whole lot faster in Wednesday’s test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than he did last November but he’s not sure it’s all that important.
"They did a good job with the changes, it’s 90 percent better to drive,’’ said the 2004 INDYCAR champion, referring to the suspension, aero and weight distribution changes to the new Dallara chassis. "I know people are always talking about speeds but most of them can’t tell if we’re running 215 or 230.
"We killed somebody running 225 so maybe we need to start at 215 and figure things out.’’
Marco Andretti (Chevy), Scott Dixon (Honda) and Kanaan (Chevy) all topped 218 mph during the roughly six hours of running but that came courtesy of some help in traffic.
"I had a mega tow on that lap,’’ admitted Andretti, last year’s winner at Iowa who has a second and two thirds in his six starts at Indianapolis. "The best I could by myself was 216 and we’re not setting the world on fire but it’s only the first day.
"As a driver I want to run 240 but the car is fun to drive and it’s the same for everybody.’’
With a smaller rear wing and the changes mentioned above, the hope had been that 220 mph would easily be achieved. The fastest unofficial lap from the last test was 214 mph.
"I’m convinced when we come back we’ll be be over 220 for qualifying,’’ said Will Phillips, the vice president of technology for INDYCAR. "It was a good day for feedback, the engine manufacturers found some issues early on that took a while to get on stop of but they did a good job and everyone was able to run this afternoon.’’
Asked if the changes were successful, he replied:
"Tony Kanaan gave me a thumbs up on four of the five. So now I’ll get some feedback from the engineering groups and see about making some small tweaks for May.’’
"All in all it was a good day with people testing and nobody smacked the wall.’’
Three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and J.R. Hilebrand topped 216 mph while Justin Wilson ran 213, Mike Conway and Takuma Sato 212 and Ed Carpenter 207 but never got a hot lap due to some technical glitches.
"We’ve got to run this engine at a Sonoma test, Long Beach and Brazil so I don’t think anybody was pushing it,’’ said Dixon, who has back-to-back runner-up finishes in the first two races of 2012.
Kanaan and Andretti tried running close to other cars and found it pretty exciting.
"These cars are wider and there’s a lot more turbulence,’’ said Kanaan. "I’m not concerned about the speeds, I just want to know `Is it going to be a good race?’ That’s the key.’’
Ed Carpenter had an undisclosed issue that kept him from posting a fast speed, the four Lotus teams did not participate in the test and rookies Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden were running at Texas on Wednesday.
Rank, #, Chassis/Engine/Tire, Driver, Speed
1 26 Andretti, Marco D/C/F 218.625
2 11 Kanaan, Tony D/C/F 218.439
3 10 Dixon, Scott D/H/F 218.094
4 3 Castroneves, Helio D/C/F 216.942
5 4 Hildebrand, JR D/C/F 216.641
6 18 Wilson, Justin D/H/F 213.753
7 14 Conway, Mike D/H/F 212.767
8 15 Sato, Takuma D/H/F 212.573
9 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/F 207.518
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: IMS Test April 2012
SPEAKING OF LOTUS
John Judd Jr. took exception this paragraph in this week’s commentary on the Barber race:
"Not only is the Lotus/Judd engine strapped for cash and shy on horsepower (by an estimated 50 compared to Honda and Chevrolet), it’s a rarity right now because there are only five of them for their five drivers.’’
Judd’s response:
"What you have reported is un-true, we are not strapped for cash. There is no evidence that the Lotus engine is 50 HP down on Honda and Chevy. It would not have been possible for Lotus cars to maintain position or overtake other cars in the races were that to be the case.
"And there are more than five engines in circulation. Spare engines were available throughout the weekend at St. Pete and Barber. I would be grateful if you would retract these false statements.’’
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
"They did a good job with the changes, it’s 90 percent better to drive,’’ said the 2004 INDYCAR champion, referring to the suspension, aero and weight distribution changes to the new Dallara chassis. "I know people are always talking about speeds but most of them can’t tell if we’re running 215 or 230.
"We killed somebody running 225 so maybe we need to start at 215 and figure things out.’’
Marco Andretti (Chevy), Scott Dixon (Honda) and Kanaan (Chevy) all topped 218 mph during the roughly six hours of running but that came courtesy of some help in traffic.
"I had a mega tow on that lap,’’ admitted Andretti, last year’s winner at Iowa who has a second and two thirds in his six starts at Indianapolis. "The best I could by myself was 216 and we’re not setting the world on fire but it’s only the first day.
"As a driver I want to run 240 but the car is fun to drive and it’s the same for everybody.’’
With a smaller rear wing and the changes mentioned above, the hope had been that 220 mph would easily be achieved. The fastest unofficial lap from the last test was 214 mph.
"I’m convinced when we come back we’ll be be over 220 for qualifying,’’ said Will Phillips, the vice president of technology for INDYCAR. "It was a good day for feedback, the engine manufacturers found some issues early on that took a while to get on stop of but they did a good job and everyone was able to run this afternoon.’’
Asked if the changes were successful, he replied:
"Tony Kanaan gave me a thumbs up on four of the five. So now I’ll get some feedback from the engineering groups and see about making some small tweaks for May.’’
"All in all it was a good day with people testing and nobody smacked the wall.’’
Three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and J.R. Hilebrand topped 216 mph while Justin Wilson ran 213, Mike Conway and Takuma Sato 212 and Ed Carpenter 207 but never got a hot lap due to some technical glitches.
"We’ve got to run this engine at a Sonoma test, Long Beach and Brazil so I don’t think anybody was pushing it,’’ said Dixon, who has back-to-back runner-up finishes in the first two races of 2012.
Kanaan and Andretti tried running close to other cars and found it pretty exciting.
"These cars are wider and there’s a lot more turbulence,’’ said Kanaan. "I’m not concerned about the speeds, I just want to know `Is it going to be a good race?’ That’s the key.’’
Ed Carpenter had an undisclosed issue that kept him from posting a fast speed, the four Lotus teams did not participate in the test and rookies Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden were running at Texas on Wednesday.
Rank, #, Chassis/Engine/Tire, Driver, Speed
1 26 Andretti, Marco D/C/F 218.625
2 11 Kanaan, Tony D/C/F 218.439
3 10 Dixon, Scott D/H/F 218.094
4 3 Castroneves, Helio D/C/F 216.942
5 4 Hildebrand, JR D/C/F 216.641
6 18 Wilson, Justin D/H/F 213.753
7 14 Conway, Mike D/H/F 212.767
8 15 Sato, Takuma D/H/F 212.573
9 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/F 207.518
PHOTOS: Click Here or on the image below to view INDYCAR: IMS Test April 2012
SPEAKING OF LOTUS
John Judd Jr. took exception this paragraph in this week’s commentary on the Barber race:
"Not only is the Lotus/Judd engine strapped for cash and shy on horsepower (by an estimated 50 compared to Honda and Chevrolet), it’s a rarity right now because there are only five of them for their five drivers.’’
Judd’s response:
"What you have reported is un-true, we are not strapped for cash. There is no evidence that the Lotus engine is 50 HP down on Honda and Chevy. It would not have been possible for Lotus cars to maintain position or overtake other cars in the races were that to be the case.
"And there are more than five engines in circulation. Spare engines were available throughout the weekend at St. Pete and Barber. I would be grateful if you would retract these false statements.’’
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
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