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(3-21-08) The six days of
IndyCar preseason road course testing are over, the question
remains as to whether there is anything we can learn from the
combined results? The answer of course, is absolutely nothing
other than what teams and drivers were there, what the new
assigned car numbers are and who was quickest on any given day.
We did get to see some pretty cars along the way though, welcome
three new teams and six new drivers.
Taken out of context from the chart below, the slowest time of
all, Milka Duno's 56.4081, looks embarrassing. In truth, she
shared her car with Townsend Bell, and her turn came on the
first day of testing, on a very green track, when Tony Kanaan's
best time 53.5, and he was one of only three drivers to run in
the 53's at all. Six drivers, including Milka ran slower than
Ryan Hunter Reay's 54.1880, and three were in the 55's or worst.
If you look at the chart below you will see that most individual
best times came on even numbered days, the 2nd day of each
succeeding session. The only two exceptions were Duno, who ran
only one day, and Bruno Junqueira, who made tire barrier contact
19 laps into his 2nd day of running, the contact took out the
left front wing and suspension. I assume the team didn't have
the spare parts to fix the car, and the oval track
wing/suspension parts needed this coming Monday are different
anyway. Also note that the days single best times came on the
20th, the 6th and also the 4th, the 2nd day of each session.
Track conditions are the biggest factor, but equally important
are driver familiarity with the course layout, and the teams
ability to get the gearing correct.
There are those that will point to Danica Patrick's 18th ranking
and try to make some sort of statement about that, in truth, all
you can say is she was the 4th best AGR driver over the two days
they had to work with, which also turned out to be the most
challenging pair of days as well.
Obviously when Team Penske, TCGR
and others took to the course on the 3rd and 4th day, track
conditions were much better, and lap times improved. By the time
the cars of the former CCWS teams got to Sebring this week, it
was four days after thousands of miles of racing in the 12-Hours
of Sebring had concluded. While there was plenty of rubber on
the track the first day, it may have been a dissimilar rubber
compound, and it may have been oil and grease lased from all
that racing as well. Be that may, Will Power, driving the KV
Racing Technology Dallara Honda, broke into the 52's rather
quickly. |
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The following morning the teams
arrived at the course facing what you see above. Fortunately the
dark clouds and rain were part of a fast advancing cold front
that left the area quickly enough for them to get the course dry
and the cars back out by noon. While the overnight rain probably
washed off any grease and oil left from the 12-hour, it will
take months to wash that much rubber. In the ensuing 5 hours of
running, Oriol Servia set quick time of the this part of the
testing, and Power bettered his Wednesday time.
The chart below may be the most
blatantly unfair one I ever put together, and offered the most
lame comparisons, but that was my intent in doing so, it serves
that purpose well. Still, there are those out there that want to
see how everyone matches up, and all they wish to see is the
numbers. There you go. |
