There will be minimal idle time for IndyCar Series teams and drivers March 17-18 as they converge on Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for the first of three Open Tests this season.
“There’s always way more stuff to test than track time so we’ll have our hands full,” said reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who returns to the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car.
Twenty-three driver/car combinations are scheduled to participate. Real-time Timing & Scoring for the sessions (10 a.m.-noon and 2-5 p.m. CDT) will be available exclusively on www.indycar.com. ENTRY LIST
“You kind of hit reset and go through the testing sequence you’ve had from previous years and then progress through the developments of the offseason,” Dixon added.
The 18-race season kicks off March 28-30 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach follows April 11-13, and the series returns to Barber Motorsports Park for the fifth Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 25-27.
Every full-season entrant has been on track at least once since the 2013 season finale Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway as part of its 18 total test days available through the final 2014 race. Test days are comprised of engine manufacturer tests, team tests, Open Tests and full-size wind tunnel tests.
Each full-season entry is allowed four fresh engines supplied by either Chevrolet or Honda, starting with the Open Test through the Aug. 30 finale at Auto Club Speedway. All Honda-powered cars at Barber will utilize its new-for-2014 twin-turbocharged 2.2-liter V6 engine. Additionally, drivers will have the opportunity to practice standing starts using the new lighting system built by INDYCAR.
Third-year Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing driver Josef Newgarden said the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course featuring 80 feet of elevation change is challenging but fun to drive – an ideal place to run through a multi-point preseason checklist.
“There’s constantly changing elevations from every corner that you are going through,” said Newgarden, who tested March 10 at Barber. “That adds a difficult element to get the car to work because the car wants to behave differently when it hits compressions and hills. You are in a big bowl and to me it feels mostly like a rollercoaster more than any other track we go to.”
Last April, Newgarden charged from the 22nd starting position to finish ninth (then a career best) in the 90-lap race. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 series champion, won from the pole, while Dixon was the runner-up for the fourth consecutive year.
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy with highs in the low 60s both days; negligible chance of precipitation.
For fans: The test days are open only to Barber Motorsports Park season pass holders. Season passes can be purchased at www.barbermotorsports.com.
Race weekend: The fifth Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama is April 25-27 at Barber Motorsports Park. Children 12 and under are admitted free with an adult ticket-holder, and there are other deals – including a trackside tavern – waiting for you. For tickets and info, visit www.barbermotorsports.com.