June 15th Watkins Glen Open Test

[jock25]

I don't know if any of you people will be lucky enough to be a) near Watkins Glen and b) off work! but the Open Test in preperation for the IRL race takes place tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Indycar.com News 14th June

The test, free and open to the public from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (EDT), is in preparation for the Sept. 23-25 Indy Grand Prix at Watkins Glen presented by Argent Mortgage. Fans will have access to the garage area to snag autographs and photos from 10 a.m. to noon

Here is the link to the participant list for the Open Test

http://www.indycar.com/news/2005/entry_list.html

I hope someone can get there and report back!

[rustyfan]

Finally!

Hopefully www.motorsport.com will have some photos posted from the testing later on

[GP Racer]

I won't be there tommorow, although the price is certainly right, but I have my seats for the race in Sept.!

I noticed that two of the drivers that probably need the most work on road courses won't be there, AJ FoytIV, and the Helmegarn entry, which will probably have Paul Dana driving again by race time. I guess AJ senior is doing everything he can to keep Anthony from getting better...

[Team Owner]

Originally Posted by GP Racer

I won't be there tommorow, although the price is certainly right, but I have my seats for the race in Sept.!

I noticed that two of the drivers that probably need the most work on road courses won't be there, AJ FoytIV, and the Helmegarn entry, which will probably have Paul Dana driving again by race time. I guess AJ senior is doing everything he can to keep Anthony from getting better...

Dana is out for the year. AJ's grandpa has said that he doesn't like the road courses and he will only run them out of obligation to his sponsors.

Do you know who holds the track record for W G ?

BG, at around 1:33 back in the 80's

[GP Racer]

I didn't know that Dana's injury was serious enough to keep him out that long!

TO, do you know who his replacement will be? Will it be Jimmy Kite?

Also, does AJ Foyt have any obligation to make young Anthony a better driver?

[rustyfan]

Shame to hear about Dana

As for something a bit nicer, the IndyCar website has posted a first report from Watkins Glen:

Originally Posted by www.indycar.com

Unofficially, Watkins Glen records fall in morning test session
By Dave Lewandowski
indycar.com

Wednesday Jun 15, 2005

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – There’s no better way to spend a late-spring morning in central New York than with a coffee and bagel at the track.


At least that was the thinking of hundreds of fans who lined up at the entrance to Watkins Glen International more than two hours before the IndyCar Series Open Test. More fans have been streaming into the facility on a breezy day near Seneca Lake.


The one-day session is the first official time Indy-style cars have been on the historic facility since Oct. 4, 1981. In that race, Rick Mears won and Johnny Rutherford was second. Both are still involved with the Indy Racing League as driver coaches.


After a brief shower, Scott Dixon in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone led the parade of cars on the 3.37-mile, 17-turn course. Nineteen driver-car combinations are testing. Already, long-course unofficial track records have been set.


The official record -- using the same configuration -- was set by Andrea Montermini (1:38.573; 124.174 mph) driving a Ferrari 333SP in 1997. The Formula One record of 1:33.291 by Bruno Giacomelli in an Alfa-Romeo during qualifying for the 1980 U.S. Grand Prix was set on the course that had the "Scheckter Chicane" at the bottom of the hill before the "Esses" but not the "Inner Loop" or "Bus Stop" on the backstraight.

IndyCar Series rookie Ryan Briscoe, driving the No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone, has recorded a lap of 1 minute, 33.0095 seconds (130.438 mph). Reigning IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan (1:33.1526) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (1:33.1704) also bested both records.

The test, free and open to the public until 4 p.m. (EDT), is in preparation for the Sept. 23-25 Indy Grand Prix at Watkins Glen presented by Argent Mortgage. Fans will have access to the garage area from 10 a.m. to noon, and an autograph session begins at 11:30 a.m.

“Our hope, and kind of our being optimistic, we think it’s going to be pretty popular,” Watkins Glen International president Craig Rust told the Elmira Star-Gazette. “The garage is going to be open for a couple hours to the public, and they can really get up close to the cars to see them. They’re going to be at speed. Danica’s coming. Dan Wheldon’s coming. So you have the Indy 500 (winner) along with arguably the biggest newsmaker in motorsports right now.”

Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone, and Darren Manning, driver of the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone, completed 20 laps in a closed test.


“The layout is unbelievable,” said Castroneves, who finished fifth in the twilight race at Texas on June 11. “The safety things the IRL asked they did, except a few things yet that are not a big issue. We’re going to really enjoy being at that place, not only for the layout but the history that is over there.

“We’ll have 20 laps more than anyone else, but we’re going to go there, have a good time and try to set up the car for race weekend. “We used the (May 31) session to get familiar with the track and make sure we were comfortable with the circuit; we weren’t necessarily looking for speed.”

The Glen’s heritage stems from its role as host of the U.S. Grand Prix from 1961-80. To accommodate the increased speeds of the sleek IndyCar Series cars, the circuit underwent $6 million in capital improvements since last fall.

Most of the changes involved creating more run-off room and better sight lines for the drivers. It was accomplished by moving some of the guard rails. The run-off area in Turn 1 was elevated and paved, and new tire barriers were installed around the track. A 42-row grandstand, brought over from Nazareth Speedway, along the frontstretch also was erected.

Also, make sure you check the main IndyCar front page - gotta love that image they have there

[netfindr]

That's a beautiful picture. THat's almost the same view of the track i had on saturday for the grand-am cup race, as the flag station is about 50ft south of where that photo was shot. Too bad i couldn't get the time off, otherwise i would have tried my best to flag the session today. I must admit that the changes i have seen are breathtaking, and all will love it when they run around there in sept.

[Team Owner]

Originally Posted by GP Racer

I didn't know that Dana's injury was serious enough to keep him out that long!

TO, do you know who his replacement will be? Will it be Jimmy Kite?

Also, does AJ Foyt have any obligation to make young Anthony a better driver?

According to Dr. Trammell he isn't healing as fast as they thought he would.

I'm not sure that Jimmy will be in that car for the next race at Richmond. Hemmelgarn is now looking for an American that has some money which is his normal operating mode. He can't seem to get enough money for his retirement any other way. I would expect that Jimmy will be in the car if no driver with money is found.
The only obligation ole AJ has is to stop the bleeding on the family name.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by netfindr

I must admit that the changes i have seen are breathtaking, and all will love it when they run around there in sept.

I have no doubt whatsoever about that - just the Esses alone look great after the changes

Also, the IndyCar website has now posted some images from the test. They are available [here].

One thing I noticed - have the lower portion of the Watkins Glen armco always had that reinforcement down low (as shown in several of the images), or is it something that has been added recently?

[rustyfan]

Another report from the testing (I had to edit it a bit to get it to fit - the full article is available here):

Watkins Glen open test report

BRISCOE LEADS INDYCAR SERIES OPEN TESTING AT WATKINS GLEN
Six drivers break both existing long-course records.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., Wednesday, June 15, 2005 -- IRL IndyCar® Series rookie Ryan Briscoe led a group of six drivers who unofficially eclipsed both long-course track records during IndyCar Series Open Testing at Watkins Glen International.

Briscoe turned a lap of 1 minute, 31.7200 seconds, 132.272 mph in his No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Toyota-powered Panoz. That time was .0004 of a second quicker than 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan, who was the second-fastest in his No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Honda-powered Dallara.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was third quickt with a lap of 1:31.9813 in the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone. Scott Dixon, Vitor Meira and Bryan Herta also bettered both records.

Records began falling early during the one-day test as Kanaan recorded a lap of 1:33.1526 at 11:19 a.m., fastest lap recorded on any version of the long circuit at Watkins Glen.

The long-course circuit record - when the track did not have an inner and outer loop but had the "Scheckter Chicane" at the bottom of the Esses - is 1 minute, 33.291 seconds set by Bruno Giacomelli in an Alfa-Romeo during qualifying for the 1980 U.S. Grand Prix.

The other track record -- using the same configuration used during the test -- was set by Andrea Montermini (1:38.573; 124.174 mph), driving a Ferrari 333SP in 1997. All 19 cars bettered that mark before rains brought an end to the session 30 minutes early.

The IndyCar Series returns for the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix Presented by Argent Mortgage on Sept. 25.

***

POST-TESTING QUOTES:

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 33 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz/Toyota/Firestone): "I had a good day. It was amazingly fun driving around this fantastic race track. It's so fast and challenging. It was great fun. I'd really like to thank everyone at Watkins Glen International. I know they put in a lot of work and money for the safety of the track and they definitely made improvements. My day was good. We were trying to go out at the end of the day to get some wet weather testing, but we got the checkered flag."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "I was very pleased with testing. The car was very balanced. We did a long run as well, and the car seemed to be very consistent. Unfortunately, it rained. We want to go back out, but it's just too much of a risk, especially after the long day we've had. We're very, very pleased. I know we'll have a great chance when we come back here. It will be a long wait, but that's part of the game." (About driving at Watkins Glen): "It's very challenging. Very tough, very fast. With all of those characteristics, it makes tough for the drivers and the engineers. There's a lot of history, which I need to know, because I don't know much, but it's an honor to be here."

VITOR MEIRA (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Menards Johns Manville Panoz/Honda/Firestone): "I think we learned a lot here today. It still takes some time to get back into road racing mode, but I really like this place. It reminds me of racing in Europe. It's a very fast. I think we'll have a good race here. We didn't get a chance to try some things at the end of the day due to the rain, but we were able to find a good baseline when we come back. I think everyone was excited to come back and go road racing. Most of the drivers come from that background, so we look to get back here and go racing. This place has a lot of history, and I was happy when the IRL put this track on the schedule."

BUDDY RICE (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Racing Argent Pioneer Panoz/Honda/Firestone): "I raced a sports car here in 2001 and 2002, so I had a little more background coming here. Of course, you are going a lot faster in an Indy car. I think we're a little surprised how fast we went today, and I'm sure we'll be quicker in qualifying when we come back later in the year. We'll still learn some more with our cars at the (Infineon) race (in August). We are would have liked to have run some more at the end, but rain kept us from that. I'm not sure that racing in the rain with the Indy cars would be very fun. This is a very fast track and the rain throws another variable into the equation, but it is definitely a possibility when we come back in September. But the drivers are looking to come back here. I know that."

SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "I was pretty happy with how we were running. We still had another set of tires to put on, so we were expecting to go even quicker. I felt really happy with the way the car was handling. We just needed a little more time. Unfortunately, we didn't get it. I'm really looking forward to the race. I think things will go well when we come back. The key is to stay out of trouble and making it to the end. You can't mistakes here because there's not a lot of room to go off. (Turn) 1 is about the only place you can get wheels off and still have all four corners left on the car. It's all about patience. Hopefully, we can get a good handling race car and see how things go from there."

PATRICK CARPENTIER (No. 83 Red Bull Cheever Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "What a beautiful track. It's a fast track and I like high-speed tracks. The back section is a lot of fun there. It was my first time to come here and I really enjoyed the day. I think for the race, it will be fantastic with a lot of action. It's just a beautiful facility."

TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 2 ROCKSTAR Panther Racing Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone): "This is a really great track. Lots of turns, up and down, and I like fast chicane that goes into the flat-out right hander. There are still some straights where the drivers can relax a bit. We're not looking for all-out speed here today; just trying to collect at much data as possible so we know where we stand when we come back here later this season. The main thing is to come out here and learn some new stuff. My dad, uncle and cousin have all raced here, so there's a little bit of tradition here for me. But mainly I'm hoping to continue the Panther tradition of winning when we come back here in September."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 16 Rahal Letterman Racing Argent Pioneer Panoz/Honda/Firestone): "This was my first time here, and it is a cool track. It reminds me of the European circuits, maybe like Spa. I need to learn the track more than just today. I haven't driven with this much power before on a road circuit. I had 250 horsepower in the Atlantics, but there is a lot more horsepower with these cars, so there is learning curve for me. The surface was very smooth, and I like that. It will be an interesting race when we come back here. It was good to come here and test at this place. It would be very difficult to here for the first time during the race weekend."

***

First laps: Scott Dixon's No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Toyota-powered Panoz was the first car on track today at 9:15 a.m. It was the first time that an Indy-style car has run officially at Watkins Glen since 1981. Dixon did not complete a full lap, but his teammate Darren Manning recorded the first official IndyCar Series lap at 9:23 a.m.

***

INDYCAR SERIES TESTING AT WATKINS GLEN:
Pos. No. Name C/E/T Best Time Best Speed
1 33 Ryan Briscoe P/T/F 1:31.7200 132.272 mph
2 11 Tony Kanaan D/H/F 1:31.7204 132.272 mph
3 3 Helio Castroneves D/T/F 1:31.9813 131.896 mph
4 9 Scott Dixon P/T/F 1:32.3318 131.396 mph
5 17 Vitor Meira P/H/F 1:32.7276 130.835 mph
6 7 Bryan Herta D/H/F 1:32.8251 130.697 mph
7 15 Buddy Rice P/H/F 1:33.3113 130.016 mph
8 10 Darren Manning P/T/F 1:33.3603 129.948 mph
9 26 Dan Wheldon D/H/F 1:33.5043 129.748 mph
10 83 Patrick Carpentier D/T/F 1:33.5066 129.745 mph
11 6 Sam Hornish Jr. D/T/F 1:33.5162 129.732 mph
12 27 Dario Franchitti D/H/F 1:33.6211 129.586 mph
13 55 Kosuke Matsuura P/H/F 1:33.7731 129.376 mph
14 2 Tomas Scheckter D/C/F 1:34.3470 128.589 mph
15 51 Alex Barron D/T/F 1:35.0144 127.686 mph
16 8 Scott Sharp P/H/F 1:35.0575 127.628 mph
17 16 Danica Patrick P/H/F 1:35.0883 127.587 mph
18 24 Roger Yasukawa D/H/F 1:37.8893 123.936 mph
19 20 Ed Carpenter D/T/F 1:37.9973 123.799 mph

Chassis legend: D Dallara; P Panoz. Engine legend: C Chevrolet; H Honda; T Toyota. Tire legend: F Firestone.

I think it's great reading those comments by the drivers - they all seem to really like the track