source:
redbullcheeverracing.com
As the sunset over the hills of Sonoma, California, the Red Bull Cheever
Racing team found themselves in 10th place as they completed the first day of
open testing at Infineon Raceway.
Today's session included a half-day of on-track activities as 18 of the Indy
Racing League's 22 drivers made their way onto the 2.2-mile, 12-turn course.
After just completing a street course on the Streets of St. Petersburg, coming
to Sonoma was a natural transition with a slightly new twist. Unlike the flat
streets they just left, this track has multiple elevation changes where the
drivers will face the challenge of going up and down hills.
For Red Bull Cheever Racing it was the series newcomer, Patrick Capentier who
logged 44 laps in his Toyota/Dallara/Firestone.
"Not too bad today. We started off decent and the Red Bull Cheever Racing team
made many improvements all day. We are still lacking some grip over the bumps in
the rear, but we are definitely improving" Carpentier remarked after the
session.
"We logged our fasted lap after we were on tires that had logged several laps
already. I think we could have been even faster if the changes had been made
about 15 laps earlier on fresh tires" Carpentier said of his 103.560mph
(1minute, 18.5629second) fastest lap of the day.
He is optimistic that things will only get better, as he reviews his day with
teammate Alex Barron who watched the practice session today from high atop turn
three with spotter Davey Hamilton. Barron will hit the track tomorrow at 9:00am
(PDT) as the Red Bull Cheever Racing team readies for the inaugural IndyCar race
at Infineon Raceway occurring in August.