Mazda Road To Indy update – end of day testing notes

More on Scott Hargrove

TSO had a chance to chat with Scott Hargrove and he just got the call to drive for JDC Motorsports yesterday and didn’t arrive in Indianapolis until last night.  There was no time to make a seat, so he’s using a seat from fellow Canadian Stefan Rzadzinski.

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Dusty track

We talked to a number of drivers that said the track was really dirty.  Which makes sense since the last cars to run in anger on the road course were these same Mazda Road To Indy cars at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in September of 2014.

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Juncos announcement

I (Steve) was never really great at math, but I can add 1+1 just fine.

1) Juncos Racing has a press conference scheduled for an announcement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 11:30am tomorrow.

plus

1) The Speedway Redevelopment Commission is making a race team expansion and relocation announcement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 11:30am tomorrow.

2) Juncos Racing will be moving their race shop from Brownsburg, Indiana to Speedway, Indiana.

They will join Dallara, Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing and A.J. Foyt Racing as race entities with a presence in the Indianapolis suburb.

Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda test session #2

The second one hour Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda test session was 180 degrees from the morning session, running the full 60 minutes without a red flag.

The top five times were set by:

  1. Aaron Telitz
  2. Jake Eidson
  3. Nico Jamin
  4. Garth Rickards
  5. Luke Gabin

The 17 USF2000 drivers completed 392 laps which equates to 956 miles.  Max Hanratty and James Dayson both turned 35 laps, the most any driver of the field of the field.

The top eight drivers were within one second of leader Telitz.

Team Pelfrey’s Garth Rickards was the top rookie and had the fourth quickest time of the session.

Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire test session #2

The second one hour Pro Mazda presented by Cooper Tire session of the afternoon saw two red flags interrupt running.

The top five times were set by:

  1. Garett Grist
  2. Timothe Buret
  3. Jose Gutierrez
  4. Neil Alberico
  5. Will Owen

The 22 Pro Mazda drivers completed 557 laps during the session.  That equated to just over 1,358 miles.    Expert driver Carlos Conde turned a total of 32 laps in the session, the most in the field.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire test session #2

Only 11 of the 12 drivers entered for the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tire event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway took to the track for the second one hour practice of the day.  The lone holdout was Carlin’s Max Chilton.

TSO was able to confirm that Chilton’s tub suffered a crack near the bulk head.  The exact cause of the damage is unknown, but it is thought that it occurred when he hit one of the curbs surrounding the IMS road circuit.  It is also unknown if it can be repaired or if the team will need to source a new tub.  More on this tomorrow.

All eleven drivers that took to the track this afternoon were clear of the track record by almost over one second and Pigot’s top lap of 1:15.824 is over 2.5 seconds ahead of the track record that Matthew Brabham set in qualifying last year.

The top five times of the session were set by:

  1. Spencer Pigot
  2. Ed Jones
  3. RC Enerson
  4. Kyle Kaiser
  5. Jack Harvey

The 11 drivers were able to complete 257 laps, with Juan Piedrahita’s 29 circuits being the most turned by any driver.

Something to watch

One engineer did tell us that qualifying should be a little different then we have seen at other tracks this season.  It has generally taken between four to five laps to take for the Cooper Tires to “come-in.”  But the combination of the abrasive surface (on the oval portion) and the low downforce (cars slide around more) means that tire is at it’s best one lap into a stint.  Definitely something to watch in qualifying.