BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – As remnants of morning mist in hollows of Barber Motorsports Park dissipated, 23 Verizon IndyCar Series cars were rolled onto pit lane forming a straight line.
The initial all comers test of the year exchanged nervous anticipation with purpose, and the fog of chassis uniformity was lifted in favor of radical aerodynamic bodywork kits that will certainly differentiate manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda aesthetically and potentially performance-wise.
“It’s really a new era,” Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud said before the first session on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course.
Click it: Combined session results || Session 1 results || Session 2 results
Promoter Test entry list
The March 16-17 test is designed to prepare teams and drivers for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 29 (3 p.m. ET, ABC), which will mark the competition debut of the road/street course and short oval aero components.
"The process is exciting," CFH Racing co-owner/driver Ed Carpenter said of the program that germinated during discussions to select a chassis manufacturer for 2012. "Any time you get to be a part of developing something new -- and this is a new car for the most part -- it's a challenge."
Nineteen drivers eagerly tested March 14 on the 2.74-mile, 13-turn NOLA Motorsports Park road course, and many teams will continue development of the package next week at Sebring International Raceway and NOLA in Avondale, La.
It's early days in understanding all the nuances of the high-downforce platforms, which with multiple options available can be tailored to a driver's personal style and individual racetrack. But early on, performance gains already are noticeable.
Pagenaud, driving the No. 22 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet, topped the morning lap time chart at 1 minute, 7.7456 seconds, which was six-tenths of a second quicker than the 2014 Verizon P1 Award-winning time of new teammate Will Power. Scott Dixon, who has finished second or third in the five races at Barber Motorsports Park, lowered the lap time in the waning minutes of the low-80 degree afternoon at 1:07.4805.
Dixon holds the track record of 1:06.7750 set in Round 1 of qualifying on April 6, 2013.
"I think both cars are very different, which for the fans and series will be exciting. Honestly, I don't care what it looks like as long as it's fast," said Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. “If this is any indication of the speeds, I think you will see a lot of track records broken this season.
"It's been a significant change in driveability or how to attack the car with all the downforce. We're working with balance issues, weight distributions and just trying to feel out some of the changes with the aero kit and the loads changing significantly with the corner speeds. All in all a decent day. We still have plenty to test tomorrow, and try to find some extra things for when we come back for the race in April."
Pagenaud also improved his lap time late in the afternoon (1:07.5329) to place second overall. Power, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion in the No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet, was third (1:07.5495), while teammates Juan Pablo Montoya (1:07.6266) and Helio Castroneves (1:07.7703) were fourth and fifth on the time sheet. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who handled the bulk of the on-track development work in the six manufacturer test sessions between October and January, was the quickest Honda driver (1:07.8494).
"It's almost like you're starting with a new car," said Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2012 series champion. "To make the DW12 kit work in its format, you had to make it turn and do things a certain way. Now the aero kit put load on the car in a certain way and it's own way.
"It's a work in progress, which is what testing and development is about. We have another day here at Barber and testing next week at Sebring, but you feel when you're in the car that every lap is critical because you're one step closer to the season beginning. Once the season starts, there's no more testing. We have a lot of bits to work out."
Added Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet: “Barber is a very fast track and it’s one of the tracks where you will see the most out of the new kits. When it gets fully rubbered up and we try to try to run as much downforce as possible it will be very physical around this place. It’s going to be quite a challenge. I already feel it in my neck.”
Monday, March 16th - Barber Open Test - Day 1
