IndyCar Teams Hit the Grand Prix Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Alexander Rossi’s Honda-powered racer topped the timesheets on Friday’s IndyCar test.
Several IndyCar teams and drivers selected by their respective manufacturers took to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course on Friday afternoon. The test gave series' veterans the chance to squeeze in some laps ahead of the 2018 Grand Prix of Indy, but also awarded several rookies a chance to get behind the wheel of a 2018 IndyCar.
The road course test was initially delayed about 90 minutes due to lower-than-expected ambient and track temperatures. The Drive, who was on-site at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, recorded an air temperature of just 35 degrees at 11 a.m. EST, which was the original starting time for the test session.
The sun eventually came out and so did Will Power, who felt confident the track temperature had risen enough to lap the 1.9-mile circuit safely. Power's Chevy-engined racer managed to impress with a lap time of just 69.14 seconds, which was originally recorded as the day's fastest lap.
According to Motorsport, an ECU-data review later in the day revealed that Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi recorded a lap time of 69.08 seconds, edging Power's best lap by six-tenths of a second. Other IndyCar veterans that got on with the program included Penske's Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud who scored the third- and fourth-fastest practice times.
The biggest surprise of the day came courtesy of IndyCar rookie Jordan King who piloted the Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevy machine to the second-fastest spot of the day. King, who qualified fourth on the grid at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, managed to eclipse his teammate Spencer Pigot with a lap time of 69.19 seconds.
Other rookies that took to the road course included Indy Lights driver Aaron Telitz, who had the opportunity to drive James Hinchcliffe's Schmidt Peterson Motorsport race car, and Pietro Fittipaldi, who put in a solid 70 laps at the wheel of the Dale Coyne Racing-Honda machine.
