Photo Credit: Chris Jones/IndyCar
Fifteen of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series drivers tested today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The test was so that teams and drivers could assess the new configurations of both the Chevrolet and Honda superspeedway aerodynamic kits. More than 500 laps were turned between all fifteen drivers who were also trying to dodge the intermittent rain that was affecting area. As a result, valuable date was gathered for the teams in preparation for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor oil next month.
The driver whom posted the fastest lap of the day, which was 223.477 mph, was Marco Andretti in his No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda.
“We ran through quite a bit of different combinations as part of the aero kit configuration test,” said Bill Pappas, INDYCAR vice president of competition, race engineering. “The conditions weren’t ideal, but we did get a lot of information to go over and look through over the next couple of days to get ready for the month of May.”
Prior to the test all the cars were fitted with domed skid plates set up for the undercarriage of the Dallara IR-12 chassis. This was done as a safety measure and will be mandated to use on all superspeedways this year on the IndyCar schedule. These domed skit plates will add approximately six times the amount of downforce (compared to the 2015 configuration) so that when a car spins, it will slow the car prior to any potential contact. They will also raise the speed at which a car would have to traveling for it to become airborne.
“On the safety standpoint of the domed skid, it’s a big improvement, especially in the 90-degree yaw,” said reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who ran just 30 laps in the morning session in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. “We’ve got to look at safety before anything. Yes, it’s going to make the car maybe a little more difficult (to drive), but every car has a pedal and we have more downforce to put on to compensate for the loss.”
Andretti laid down his overall fast lap during the morning session while his Andretti Autosport teammate, Ryan Hunter Reay in the No. 28 Honda, laid down the fastest lap during the afternoon session and the second quickest lap of the day at 222.047 mph. Simon Pagenaud, in the No. 22 Penske Chevrolet, was the third fastest at 221.293 mph.
Chevrolet and Honda both conducted a private test at IMS yesterday so therefore both Penske and Ganassi opted out of the afternoon session. All the Honda teams and drivers participated in the afternoon figuring they would get all the track time that they could with the new aero kits.
“It’s going to be interesting with these skids, for sure,” said Graham Rahal, who turned 48 laps in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda with a best lap of 218.619 mph. “It’s going to take some work to get them to where we need them to be to be raceable.”
James Hinchcliffe driver of the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Honda, applauded all the efforts that both manufacturers and IndyCar have made and for them all working together during the test so they could all develop at car that will check all the boxes when practice for the Indianapolis 500 begins on May 16th.
“The good news is we all seem to be working toward the same thing,” Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 5 Honda, said. “We are all genuinely trying to make a safer car but a car that still races well. I think there is a way to appease both sides of that argument. “Hopefully by the time we show up here for practice week, we’ve found that compromise and everybody can be relatively happy.”
