sydude
01-17-2006, 12:00 PM
Marco Andretti initial test report
Racing series IRL (http://motorsport.com/news/series.asp?S=IRL) Date 2006-01-16
Andretti Completes Initial IndyCar Series Test with ArcaEx Team
SEBRING, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2006) -Marco Andretti, driver of the #26 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone completed his first Indy Racing LeagueŽ IndyCarŽ Series test earlier today at Sebring International Raceway. The two-day session, held at Sebring's 1.6-mile road course and observed by Kevin Blanch, IRL Technical Manager, represented Andretti's initial test session in the #26 ArcaEx machine as well as his first opportunity to work and interact with the ArcaEx crew.
The 18-year old Andretti is entering his rookie season in the IndyCar Series but has been competing in various levels of motorsports since the age of nine. Most recently, he participated in the 2005 Star Mazda Series on a full-time basis, placing fifth in the final championship standings while registering three top-fives over 12 events. He also competed in six IRL Indy Pro Series events, earning three victories from the pole (St. Petersburg, Indianapolis road course and Infineon Raceway) in six outings.
The 2006 IndyCar Series season begins March 26 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Homestead-Miami 300 presented by XM Satellite Radio. The event will be televised live by ABC Sports beginning at 3:30 p.m. (EST).
Marco Andretti, #26 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "Everything was a bit of an unknown to me until I got into the car, but now the questions are starting to be answered. So in that regard it was good to finally get some time in the ArcaEx car. It was great working with Eddie Jones and the #26 crew and getting to know what they need from me. It will take a little time, but we made good progress."
Michael Andretti, Chief Executive Officer, Andretti Green Racing:
"I am very impressed with the job Marco did both yesterday and today. He was on pace, gave the ArcaEx crew good feedback and didn't put a wheel wrong the whole time. He also held up well, physically. Overall, I'm very happy with his performance, as is the whole team. His initial test couldn't have gone any better."
Kyle Moyer, General Manager, Andretti Green Racing: "It was a good test for the ArcaEx team; everything went as planned. It's good to start getting Marco adjusted to working with the ArcaEx team and as he gets more and more seat time it will only get better. He worked on doing pit stops, his pit 'in' and 'outs' and all the things that it takes to being a winning driver."
Mario Andretti: "He's definitely ready for his progression into this type of race car. He looked very much at ease, he was in control and that's what I was looking for. He's not overwhelmed because the team was able to begin testing immediately and he gave good feedback. He's totally in his element and was just very impressive. This doesn't surprise me because I've seen it before in him, but you can't confirm it until you actually see it."
Kevin Blanch, Technical Manager, IRL IndyCar Series: "Marco did a great job. Considering this was his first real time in the car, he understands the car surprisingly well. He picked up on the changes that the crew made to the car, went back out and got right back up to speed, which shows that he knows how to evaluate the car very, very well. With some more laps under his belt, he should be a real contender by the time we open the season in Homestead."
-AGR-
Racing series IRL (http://motorsport.com/news/series.asp?S=IRL) Date 2006-01-16
Andretti Completes Initial IndyCar Series Test with ArcaEx Team
SEBRING, Fla. (Jan. 16, 2006) -Marco Andretti, driver of the #26 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone completed his first Indy Racing LeagueŽ IndyCarŽ Series test earlier today at Sebring International Raceway. The two-day session, held at Sebring's 1.6-mile road course and observed by Kevin Blanch, IRL Technical Manager, represented Andretti's initial test session in the #26 ArcaEx machine as well as his first opportunity to work and interact with the ArcaEx crew.
The 18-year old Andretti is entering his rookie season in the IndyCar Series but has been competing in various levels of motorsports since the age of nine. Most recently, he participated in the 2005 Star Mazda Series on a full-time basis, placing fifth in the final championship standings while registering three top-fives over 12 events. He also competed in six IRL Indy Pro Series events, earning three victories from the pole (St. Petersburg, Indianapolis road course and Infineon Raceway) in six outings.
The 2006 IndyCar Series season begins March 26 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Homestead-Miami 300 presented by XM Satellite Radio. The event will be televised live by ABC Sports beginning at 3:30 p.m. (EST).
Marco Andretti, #26 ArcaEx Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "Everything was a bit of an unknown to me until I got into the car, but now the questions are starting to be answered. So in that regard it was good to finally get some time in the ArcaEx car. It was great working with Eddie Jones and the #26 crew and getting to know what they need from me. It will take a little time, but we made good progress."
Michael Andretti, Chief Executive Officer, Andretti Green Racing:
"I am very impressed with the job Marco did both yesterday and today. He was on pace, gave the ArcaEx crew good feedback and didn't put a wheel wrong the whole time. He also held up well, physically. Overall, I'm very happy with his performance, as is the whole team. His initial test couldn't have gone any better."
Kyle Moyer, General Manager, Andretti Green Racing: "It was a good test for the ArcaEx team; everything went as planned. It's good to start getting Marco adjusted to working with the ArcaEx team and as he gets more and more seat time it will only get better. He worked on doing pit stops, his pit 'in' and 'outs' and all the things that it takes to being a winning driver."
Mario Andretti: "He's definitely ready for his progression into this type of race car. He looked very much at ease, he was in control and that's what I was looking for. He's not overwhelmed because the team was able to begin testing immediately and he gave good feedback. He's totally in his element and was just very impressive. This doesn't surprise me because I've seen it before in him, but you can't confirm it until you actually see it."
Kevin Blanch, Technical Manager, IRL IndyCar Series: "Marco did a great job. Considering this was his first real time in the car, he understands the car surprisingly well. He picked up on the changes that the crew made to the car, went back out and got right back up to speed, which shows that he knows how to evaluate the car very, very well. With some more laps under his belt, he should be a real contender by the time we open the season in Homestead."
-AGR-