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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Team Penske’s Briscoe, Power Lead Saturday Sonoma Test
Team Penske’s pair of Aussies set the benchmark at Infineon Raceway on Saturday, while Rubens Barrichello turned 59 laps on the daunting track.
Ryan Briscoe was feeling encouraged about how Saturday went for Team Penske and the IndyCar Series as a whole at Sonoma. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
Team Penske’s pair of rapid Aussies set the benchmark for speed at Infineon Raceway on Saturday as Ryan Briscoe eclipsed teammate Will Power during the six-car Chevrolet manufacturer test.
Briscoe’s 1:17.49-second lap and Power’s 1:17.83-second tour around the 2.3-mile, 12-turn road course were the only two times below the 1:18-second barrier. Power set pole for last year’s Infineon race with a 1:18.8-second lap on sticky Firestone Reds, and fresh rubber on the track.
“I think we’re working through the different setups pretty well so far,” Briscoe told SPEED.com. “A lot of what we’re learning in Sebring is transferring over here, so it’s kind of backing up the tests that we’re doing. I feel like the car is suiting my driving style; I welcome the change. It’s good working with Jonathan (Diuguid, Briscoe’s engineer).
“We went a lot faster than what last year’s pole time was on Red tires, and we’re getting pretty close to the track record around here. It’s pretty good for a day when the track’s green and we’re running standard tires and going that fast. It’s good fun.”
Power set the pace during the morning session with a 1:18.1, but suffered an engine failure on entry to Turn 1, which kept the 2011 championship runner-up off the track until the final hour of the test.
After his mechanics installed a fresh Chevrolet engine, and with the ambient temperatures low enough to make finding traction nearly impossible, Power made a number of late runs and could be heard spinning the tires off the slower corners and put on a display for the fans as he pushed hard while balancing the power oversteer.
“We haven’t gotten in a lot of running so far,” he said during the lunch break, “but we’re making good progress and there’s a lot more time in the car and the track.”
At the end of the day, Power was feeling positive about the work his team had put in, but was still trying to reconcile some of the Dallara's base handling deficiencies.
"I went out and was just getting up to speed, really," he continued. "On used tires, a 1:17.8 was pretty good. The car's very difficult to drive, still.
"I'm still feeling the weight distribution issues. It still feels numb; it's just got a flat understeer almost everywhere that I really want to get rid of. Team Penske has made a lot of progress with the car, so it just feels like this is part of car more than anything."
Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay went third-fastest with a 1:18.43, and said the team spent most of Saturday working on a laundry list of items, rather than chasing lap times.
“I thought it was a productive day for the team,” he said. “We got through a long list of items. We’re working on quite a few projects at once, and we’re getting some direction there. I think it was a good day. The new car is a lot of fun around this track. We’re almost a second-and-a-half under last year’s pole and we’re barely scratching the surface.”
KV Racing’s E.J. Viso’s 1:18.50 was good enough for fourth, followed by local product JR Hildebrand who set a 1:18.73 in his Panther Racing entry.
Rubens Barrichello, making his first visit to the daunting circuit, rounded out the day’s times with a 1:18.91.
The Brazilian, who was met with a chorus of applause from the grandstands whenever he walked onto pit lane, told SPEED.com he took some extra time to master the blind corners and numerous elevation changes.
Briscoe’s 1:17.49-second lap and Power’s 1:17.83-second tour around the 2.3-mile, 12-turn road course were the only two times below the 1:18-second barrier. Power set pole for last year’s Infineon race with a 1:18.8-second lap on sticky Firestone Reds, and fresh rubber on the track.
“I think we’re working through the different setups pretty well so far,” Briscoe told SPEED.com. “A lot of what we’re learning in Sebring is transferring over here, so it’s kind of backing up the tests that we’re doing. I feel like the car is suiting my driving style; I welcome the change. It’s good working with Jonathan (Diuguid, Briscoe’s engineer).
“We went a lot faster than what last year’s pole time was on Red tires, and we’re getting pretty close to the track record around here. It’s pretty good for a day when the track’s green and we’re running standard tires and going that fast. It’s good fun.”
Power set the pace during the morning session with a 1:18.1, but suffered an engine failure on entry to Turn 1, which kept the 2011 championship runner-up off the track until the final hour of the test.
After his mechanics installed a fresh Chevrolet engine, and with the ambient temperatures low enough to make finding traction nearly impossible, Power made a number of late runs and could be heard spinning the tires off the slower corners and put on a display for the fans as he pushed hard while balancing the power oversteer.
“We haven’t gotten in a lot of running so far,” he said during the lunch break, “but we’re making good progress and there’s a lot more time in the car and the track.”
At the end of the day, Power was feeling positive about the work his team had put in, but was still trying to reconcile some of the Dallara's base handling deficiencies.
"I went out and was just getting up to speed, really," he continued. "On used tires, a 1:17.8 was pretty good. The car's very difficult to drive, still.
"I'm still feeling the weight distribution issues. It still feels numb; it's just got a flat understeer almost everywhere that I really want to get rid of. Team Penske has made a lot of progress with the car, so it just feels like this is part of car more than anything."
Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay went third-fastest with a 1:18.43, and said the team spent most of Saturday working on a laundry list of items, rather than chasing lap times.
“I thought it was a productive day for the team,” he said. “We got through a long list of items. We’re working on quite a few projects at once, and we’re getting some direction there. I think it was a good day. The new car is a lot of fun around this track. We’re almost a second-and-a-half under last year’s pole and we’re barely scratching the surface.”
KV Racing’s E.J. Viso’s 1:18.50 was good enough for fourth, followed by local product JR Hildebrand who set a 1:18.73 in his Panther Racing entry.
Rubens Barrichello, making his first visit to the daunting circuit, rounded out the day’s times with a 1:18.91.
The Brazilian, who was met with a chorus of applause from the grandstands whenever he walked onto pit lane, told SPEED.com he took some extra time to master the blind corners and numerous elevation changes.
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