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IndyCar
VIDEO: 22 IndyCar Drivers Test New Sonoma Layout
22 IZOD IndyCar Series drivers tested the revised Sonoma layout a week ahead of the race and offer their thoughts on the good and the bad.
With three recent and significant changes to the Sonoma track configuration used by the IZOD IndyCar Series, 22 drivers tested the revised circuit on Friday and came away with mostly positive reviews.
“It’s almost like learning a new track," said defending series champion Dario Franchitti. "It’s not a new track. It’s just three new corners. It’s actually quite different from what we’re used to running, but any time you can get track time with this new car it’s valuable."
The day started with two of the three revised corners--Turn 7 and Turn 9/9a--delivering what was expected, while Turn 11, which was moved closer to the traditional Turn 11 used by NASCAR, proved to be far too tight on corner exit.
After the drivers offered their suggestions during the lunch break, series and track officials removed the yellow bollards that tightened the exit radius to allow free runs out to the pit wall.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon carried over the pace that helped deliver the most recent IndyCar win at Mid-Ohio, leading the day with a lap of 1:18.90 seconds. The Honda-powered Kiwi was followed by Team Penske's Helio Castroneves who turned a 1:19.10-second lap in his Chevy-powered car.
Le Mans native Sebastien Bourdais was third with a 1:19.14-second lap in his Dragon Racing Chevy to lead the informal "Battle of France" ahead of his friend and countryman Simon Pagenaud.
Pagenaud, who leads the Rookie of the Year standings and is coming off a third-place finish at Mid-Ohio, was only .05 seconds off Bourdais with a 1:19.19.
Team Penske's Will Power completed the top 5 with a 1:19.30-second lap, and was followed by Ganassi's Graham Rahal in sixth (1:19.34), Franchitti in seventh (1:19.37), Ganassi's Charlie Kimball--who was making his return after injuring his hand at a previous test--in eighth (1:19.40), Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay in ninth (1:19.60) and Dale Coyne Racing's James Jakes rounded out the top 10 with a 1:19.86-second tour.
The rest of the drivers, starting with A.J. Foyt Racing's Mike Conway at a 1:20.11, were outside the one-minute 19-second bracket.
INTERNATIONAL VIEWERS: Click Here to watch the Sonoma Test video.
MISC
• Dale Coyne Racing's Justin Wilson lost an engine Friday afternoon, and will receive a 10-spot grid penalty after qualifying next weekend.
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Takuma Sato was the only driver to crash during the test, mangling the suspension on the left side of his Honda-powered car against the barriers in Turn 9.
• Dragon Racing has hired Michael Cannon to engineer Katherine Legge's car during her one-off road course appearance at Sonoma.
• Team Barracuda-BHA driver Alex Tagliani skipped the Sonoma test but filled his dance card in Montreal, claiming pole position for the NASCAR Nationwide race and he'll also start third in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series race after deputizing for Sebastien Bourdais at the Starworks team.
• Panther Racing's JR Hildebrand says the San Francisco 49er cheerleaders might make an appearance during the Sonoma weekend, along with head coach Jim Harbaugh and a few players, to celebrate the team's 49ers-themed livery.
• UFC fighter Josh Koscheck paid a visit to Sonoma on Friday and spent time talking with the Andretti Autosport team.
• Shortly after the test day ended, Hildebrand, Ganassi General Manager Mike Hull, Dario Franchitti, this writer and a few other members of the IndyCar Series made a hasty exit to try and beat traffic on the three-hour drive south to attend the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
“It’s almost like learning a new track," said defending series champion Dario Franchitti. "It’s not a new track. It’s just three new corners. It’s actually quite different from what we’re used to running, but any time you can get track time with this new car it’s valuable."
The day started with two of the three revised corners--Turn 7 and Turn 9/9a--delivering what was expected, while Turn 11, which was moved closer to the traditional Turn 11 used by NASCAR, proved to be far too tight on corner exit.
After the drivers offered their suggestions during the lunch break, series and track officials removed the yellow bollards that tightened the exit radius to allow free runs out to the pit wall.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon carried over the pace that helped deliver the most recent IndyCar win at Mid-Ohio, leading the day with a lap of 1:18.90 seconds. The Honda-powered Kiwi was followed by Team Penske's Helio Castroneves who turned a 1:19.10-second lap in his Chevy-powered car.
Le Mans native Sebastien Bourdais was third with a 1:19.14-second lap in his Dragon Racing Chevy to lead the informal "Battle of France" ahead of his friend and countryman Simon Pagenaud.
Pagenaud, who leads the Rookie of the Year standings and is coming off a third-place finish at Mid-Ohio, was only .05 seconds off Bourdais with a 1:19.19.
Team Penske's Will Power completed the top 5 with a 1:19.30-second lap, and was followed by Ganassi's Graham Rahal in sixth (1:19.34), Franchitti in seventh (1:19.37), Ganassi's Charlie Kimball--who was making his return after injuring his hand at a previous test--in eighth (1:19.40), Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay in ninth (1:19.60) and Dale Coyne Racing's James Jakes rounded out the top 10 with a 1:19.86-second tour.
The rest of the drivers, starting with A.J. Foyt Racing's Mike Conway at a 1:20.11, were outside the one-minute 19-second bracket.
INTERNATIONAL VIEWERS: Click Here to watch the Sonoma Test video.
MISC
• Dale Coyne Racing's Justin Wilson lost an engine Friday afternoon, and will receive a 10-spot grid penalty after qualifying next weekend.
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Takuma Sato was the only driver to crash during the test, mangling the suspension on the left side of his Honda-powered car against the barriers in Turn 9.
• Dragon Racing has hired Michael Cannon to engineer Katherine Legge's car during her one-off road course appearance at Sonoma.
• Team Barracuda-BHA driver Alex Tagliani skipped the Sonoma test but filled his dance card in Montreal, claiming pole position for the NASCAR Nationwide race and he'll also start third in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series race after deputizing for Sebastien Bourdais at the Starworks team.
• Panther Racing's JR Hildebrand says the San Francisco 49er cheerleaders might make an appearance during the Sonoma weekend, along with head coach Jim Harbaugh and a few players, to celebrate the team's 49ers-themed livery.
• UFC fighter Josh Koscheck paid a visit to Sonoma on Friday and spent time talking with the Andretti Autosport team.
• Shortly after the test day ended, Hildebrand, Ganassi General Manager Mike Hull, Dario Franchitti, this writer and a few other members of the IndyCar Series made a hasty exit to try and beat traffic on the three-hour drive south to attend the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
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