source:
redbullcheeverracing.com
As the second day of open testing concluded in the wine valleys of
California, it was Red Bull Cheever Racing driver Alex Barron who walked away
holding the 12th overall position at Infineon Raceway's 2.3-mile track. The
track was slightly lengthened from the 2.26-mile course where teammate Patrick
Carpentier held the 10th position the day before.
Barron hit the track in his No. 51 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone early this morning
after sitting on the sidelines watching Carpentier at the wheel for the half-day
session on Tuesday. Barron logged a fast lap of 107.192mph (1 minute, 17.2445
seconds) and feels that watching yesterday gave him some unique insight for his
day on the track.
"Yesterday I was able to watch Patrick and the other drivers from the outside of
the circuit. I caught a glimpse of the attitude of the cars and the reactions
each driver used to optimize the power on this course," Barron commented once
the afternoon session concluded. "That helped me to be prepared when I went
on-track and to be able give good feedback to my engineers."
This test sets the scene for the drivers of the Indy Racing League IndyCar
Series as they prepare for their first road course in August, since the
inception of the league 10 years ago. For Barron and Carpentier, being in Sonoma
showed them what they, along with their Red Bull Cheever Racing teammates will
have to improve upon to run in the front when they return to the Infineon
Raceway.