source:
redbullcheeverracing.com
Patrick Carpentier completed his first round of testing with Red Bull Cheever
Racing at Sebring International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I really liked driving the car," explained Carpentier of his Sebring test. "At
first I was skeptical about how it would perform on a road course, but as soon
as I got a feel for the car it proved me wrong. The braking was a little
different, but it handled well and was pretty smooth around the corners."
Carpentier in his No. 83 Red Bull Cheever Racing Toyota-powered entry logged
over 100 laps on both the 1.45-mile Sebring road-course and the 1.5-mile
Homestead oval.
"Patrick completed two very successful testing sessions," said team owner Eddie
Cheever Jr. "He had the opportunity to learn how an IndyCar performs on both a
road course and an oval and accumulated lots of important data to analyze over
the winter."
Canadian-born Carpentier was ecstatic about his first oval test in an IndyCar.
"I can't believe how fast the car was at Homestead," Carpentier said. "I've
driven on ovals before in ChampCar, but it was even more exciting in an IndyCar.
I'm sure it will be different racing with a big pack of cars, but it was still a
great experience. I can't imagine what it will be like at a track like Richmond
where it's only three-fourths of a mile. It must be crazy!"