INDIANAPOLIS — Just days after playing host to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted the first Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series-sanctioned test in track history.
Five Daytona Prototypes and four GT cars participated in the test on the 13-turn, 2.534-mile Formula One road course at IMS during Thursday’s two-hour morning session.
The drivers and teams navigated the 16-turn, 2.621-mile MotoGP layout for 15 minutes in the afternoon session before switching back to the Formula One layout for the remainder of the two-hour session.
Scott Pruett, Buddy Rice and Ed Carpenter, all with extensive experience at IMS, took part in the test session along with several other drivers.
“The speed we were just doing, about 190 (miles per hour), so that itself is pretty awesome,” said Pruett. “The curbs need to be taller; we’ll be tempted to go over the top of the curbs onto the grass. Other than that, the layout is pretty good. I’m pleased with the flow and the speed.”
Rice, a former Indianapolis 500 winner, said that, despite feeling a little out of place at first on the road course, the test went well.
“I’m not going to lie, coming through (oval) turn one backwards didn’t feel normal at all,” Rice said. “It’s great to come back here. It’s a beautiful day and it’s great for Grand Am. It’s a great course, the tracks really wide.
“To be able to come here and run on the F-1 course, obviously nobody thought anything other than F-1 cars would run here. We have five DP’s and four GT’s, I think it’s good.”
While the test is the first at IMS sanctioned by Grand Am, it’s not the first time a Daytona Prototype has turned laps on the IMS road course. IMS Board of Directors member Tony George, along with Carpenter and Stephan Gregoire, turned laps in a private test with Vision Racing prior to the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2007.
“We came down here and shook the car down before Daytona a couple years ago,” said Carpenter. “I don’t know if I’d call that experience or not. I’m just out here to have fun today; I’ll leave the decisions to everyone else.
“The car feels a lot like I remember it. It’s a pretty big adjustment getting out of what I’m used to into one of these. They drive quite a bit different. The track seems OK. It keeps getting better the more cars run on it. Right now there are a lot of marbles on it and that makes it hard for passing.”