Panther Racing and driver Dan Wheldon decided to forgo this week's IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park and instead test at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., due to the cooler than expected temperatures.
Panther Racing Chief Engineer David Cripps explained the decision to test in Sebring, saying, "The inclement weather that's being predicted for Barber, is not really going to be conducive to what we had planned for our test for Sao Paolo. Our current setup is based on warmer environments in Sao Paolo, Long Beach, and St. Pete, and Barber's not going to present that for us. We felt it would be more advantageous to get to Sebring and hopefully a warmer climate. Hopefully, Sebring will be more advantageous for our preparation."
Also skipping the test due to the forecast was the new FAZZT Race Team with driver Alex Tagliani.
"We are in the fortunate position of having had very successful tests at Homestead and Sebring in January,” said FAZZT General Manager Rob Edwards. Since those tests, our engineers have continued testing on the seven-post rig, gearbox rig and in the wind tunnel to further develop our race package. Given the inclement weather forecast for Barber over the next few days and after much discussion, we believe the best use of our time is to continue our preparations for Brazil here in Indianapolis."