Unser Returns To Action At Homestead With Playa Del Racing

INDIANAPOLIS — IndyCar Series officials announced that Peak Motor Oil will sponsor the Peak Motor Oil Pole Award at all 2008 IndyCar Series events. 
The award, presented to the fastest qualifier each race weekend, builds on the strong partnership already in place between the IndyCar Series and Peak Performance Products.
The Peak Motor Oil Pole Award will give $10,000 to the fastest qualifier at each race on the schedule except for the Indianapolis 500, where it will award $100,000 for the top qualifier. In addition to the $100,000 for the Indianapolis 500 polesitter, Peak will award $25,000 to the second place Indianapolis 500 qualifier and $10,000 for the third-place qualifier. These top-three qualifiers will make up the Peak Motor Oil Front Row.
“It makes good business sense for the IndyCar Series to partner with trusted, quality consumer brands like PEAK,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series. “So we’re thrilled to see their interest in expanding our existing relationship and we look forward to working with them throughout this season to maximize the opportunities that we both have in front of us.”

• After a long off-season, Playa Del Racing is ready to get back on track with Al Unser III behind the wheel of the Ethos for Earth car No. 21 Indy Pro Series machine.
Playa Del Racing will make its 2008 debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday during testing with several other teams. Unser will return to the driver’s seat for the first time since the 2007 Nashville race.
“It’s been a long and cold off-season, but we’re ready to go racing,” says Susan Schafer, co-owner of PDR. “We have had our share of off-season issues, but we’re extremely excited about getting back on the track this week at the test in Homestead.”
PDR’s team will feature a new face this season with the hiring of veteran engineer Doug Forker. Forker will bring more than a decade of experience in motorsports engineering in hopes of elevating PDR to the team’s first victory in 2008. Team veteran Rick Duman will return for the second-straight year as crew chief.

• At KV Racing Technology, 30 crew members combined to work 5,460 hours in the 14-day period from when they took delivery of their IndyCar Series Dallara chassis and when the team’s truck departed for Sebring Int’l Raceway.
The hard work paid off as drivers Oriol Servia and Will Power combined to turn more laps, 96 and 77 respectively, than any other driver in the first test of the new equipment. Power was the fastest of the day, recording a best lap of 52.9685 seconds, 113.501 miles per hour on the 11-turn, 1.7-mile circuit.
KV Racing Technology is one of three teams, along with Dale Coyne Racing and Conquest Racing, that tested at Sebring March 19-20 in preparation for their transition to the IndyCar Series.
“It was good to go run around today and get back into form, because I haven’t driven for five or six months — since Mexico City,” Power said. “It’s good for driver fitness. It’s really good to have a run like this before I get on the oval, which I’ve never done before.
“(The car) is pretty similar to the Champ Car. They run on the same tire; similar weight, similar wheel base, a little less horsepower and not as much grip, but it’s a car and therefore you try to make it go as quick as you can.”
Servia and Power were the first drivers on track in the morning. Dale Coyne Racing’s Bruno Junqueira got on the track before the lunch break while his teammate Mario Moraes and Conquest’s Franck Perera and Enrique Bernoldi began turning laps in the afternoon.
 
• Conquest Racing has signed former Formula One driver Enrique Bernoldi as a teammate to Franck Perera for the 2008 IndyCar Series season.
“I am very happy to be joining Conquest Racing,” Bernoldi said. “I think we have an interesting season ahead of us. At the beginning, we will have to learn a lot because it is a new car for the team and for me, and especially to race on ovals which I never did, but it will be interesting. I’m very motivated and I think we will do a good job.”

• AFS/Andretti Green Racing announced today that Indy Pro Series veteran Arie Luyendyk, Jr. has joined its two-car Indy Pro Series team.
Luyendyk, who will join Raphael Matos at AFS/Andretti Green Racing, will drive the No. 26.

• Alliance Motorsports officials announced that Indy Pro Series veteran Chris Festa will drive the team’s No. 24 car during its debut season in the series.
“This is a great day for our organization,” said team co-owner Tyce Carlson. “Chris is one of the most poised and experienced drivers in the Indy Pro Series, and we intend to compete for race wins at the drop of the green flag. We have built an incredible group of talented people that will surround Chris to ensure his success.”