After a recent planned test at Watkins Glen was washed out by rain, IZOD IndyCar Series teams will try again to tune up for the series' return to road courses with a test session at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course next week. The 2.258-mile road course, which hosts the Honda Indy 200 on Aug. 8 will be the fourth in a five-race road/street/airport circuit stretch that commences July 4 at Watkins Glen. Teams are coming off four consecutive oval events.
“For us, it's a good opportunity,” said Vitor Meira, who recorded a seventh-place finish June 20 at Iowa Speedway in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing. “We don't get to test very much and in a season you have to pick your fights. It's hard to focus on one; there are so many – road courses, street courses, ovals big and small – there's always room to improve.
“Where we think we have more to improve on is road courses. That's why we're going to Mid-Ohio. We're testing before we go to Watkins Glen and before Mid-Ohio and Infineon, so we'll have the benefit of that day for many races.”
Meira is scheduled to be joined by series points leader Will Power, Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske; Alex Lloyd and Milka Duno of Dale Coyne Racing; Raphael Matos of de Ferran Dragon Racing; and Adam Carroll, who will be undergoing his road course rookie test in anticipation of making his series debut with Andretti Autosport at the Glen. Mid-Ohio will not be open to spectators for the test.
Additionally, Dreyer & Reinbold's Justin Wilson was scheduled to get in laps on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval (weather permitting) on June 22-23 and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti are scheduled to test at Sebring International Raceway on June 28.
“We haven't tested on an oval yet; we've just gone from race to race and there's a limited amount you can do on a race weekend,” said Wilson. “We just wanted to go there and learn some things. Once we get into the road courses in the second part of the season you don't want to change the car back, so it just fits in really well to do it now. ”
Because of the cancellation of the series' Open Test at Kentucky Speedway on May 4, each full-season entrant has been granted an additional test day on a 1.5-mile oval at their discretion. The Indy Racing League also has worked with Infineon Raceway to make Aug. 13 available for testing in preparation for the race there on Aug. 22.