Hill, 29, is the son of 1961 World Champion Phil Hill
source:
indyracing.com
After Red Bull Cheever Racing completed a one-day road course test at Sebring
International Raceway in Florida with Scott Speed from the Red Bull Junior Team,
it was Derek Hill's turn to take the wheel of the Toyota-powered Dallara on the
Homestead-Miami Speedway oval Dec. 17.
Hill, 29, is the son of 1961 World Champion Phil Hill. He has three years
experience in the FIA International Formula 3000 series, and is looking at
options to compete professionally in the United States. Hill has Barber Dodge
Pro Series, Formula Dodge and International Ferrari Challenge championships
under his belt.
"This is a great opportunity to test with a well established IndyCar (Series)
team and to get my rookie test behind me," he said. "Getting into an IRL car is
an important step towards my goal of competing in the IndyCar Series and doing
the Indy 500. Testing with the Red Bull Cheever team on the same day as Patrick
(Carpentier) and with the Toyota engine is going to give me a solid introduction
to the IRL car."
Speed, 21, of Manteca, Calif., won two Formula Renault championship titles in
Europe ¬-- the first-ever championships by an American driver in European junior
formula - this year.
"Scott Speed's driving skills were very impressive, especially for a racer at
such a young age," said team owner Eddie Cheever Jr. "His performance and
feedback were excellent. It was a great opportunity to have him test his skills
in another application and compare those skills to existing IndyCar drivers
(Patrick Carpentier and Alex Barron)."
Speed was impressed with the handling of the car and (pardon the pun) its speed.
"It was my first time driving an IndyCar (Series car), so I didn't know what to
expect, but the car handled really well and was a very powerful package to drive
compared to the Formula Renault cars," he said. "I worked really well with the
whole Red Bull Cheever Racing team and had an awesome experience."