SEBRING, Fla. -- For it's initial preseason test, Bryan Herta Autosport handed the keys so to speak to the No. 98 car to Jack Hawksworth.
"It's good to be back at a racetrack for all the guys on the team and it's our first chance to sample the twin turbo from Honda," team co-owner Bryan Herta said during the midday break at Sebring International Raceway. "We're also working with Jack at this test and it's good to get his feedback at this track. He's got a good baseline of knowledge that will be helpful to us."
Hawksworth, the 2012 Pro Mazda champion and three-time race winner in Indy Lights in 2013, tested with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Dale Coyne Racing late last year. A young racer in that murky spot between hope and reality, he's seeking to secure a ride for '14.
"It makes it a lot easier to jump in the car," Hawksworth said of the familiarity of the IndyCar and 1.65-mile short course. "We've been able to work through a list of things that need testing. 2012 was a great year for me and 2013 was up-and-down year. I'm looking to be part of the series for a long time to come. We'll keep working at it."
Hawksworth will put in a second day Feb. 19 at Sebring. Also testing were A.J. Foyt Racing (Takuma Sato), Dale Coyne Racing (Justin Wilson), KV AFS Racing (Sebastian Saavedra), KVSH Racing (Sebastien Bourdais) and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing (Josef Newgarden). Martin Plowman, who earlier in the day was named as the driver of the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing entry in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500, will get behind the wheel of the No. 14 ABC Supply car Feb. 19. READ STORY
The preseason Open Test is March 17-18 at Barber Motorsports Park and the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is March 30.
"By the time we get to Barber we'll have our driver for the year, or the driver we pick, in the car," said Herta, whose team he co-owns with Steve Newey had Alex Tagliani, JR Hildebrand and Luca Filippi behind the wheel during the course of the 2013 season. "It's always better to have it done sooner, and I would have liked to be in the position to have had it done sooner, but by the same token we want to make sure we make the best possible decision for the team and our sponsors."
The former IndyCar Series driver and team co-owner of the 2011 Indianapolis 500-winning entry didn't discount adding a second car for the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 10 and the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 25.
"The road course-Indy oval doubleheader creates the opportunity to look at that," he said. "We would like to grow to two cars, even if it's on a part-time basis initially. So I think we'll look at that, but it's a little bit down the road for us. We really want to focus on this car and make sure we have a solid package and driver combination together."
Welcome to the family
Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti's wife, Jodi, gave birth to son Mario and daughter Miati Feb. 13 in Indianapolis.
The twins are the first children for the couple.
Of note
Jonathan Byrd's, a restaurant in Greenwood, Ind., and long-time supporter of Indy car racing, will be a sponsor of the Fan Force United entry driven by Scott Anderson for the Indy Lights Presented By Cooper Tires season. ... Justin Wilson will rejoin Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian to co-drive its Prototype in the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 15. ... All cars in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda will be outfitted with the latest Replay XD video cameras. Also, one driver in each series will be selected as the "Replay XD Move of the Race" award winner based on race craft. They'll receive a Replay XD camera package and the winning drivers' onboard camera videos will be posted on the series' respective websites and promoted throughout social media channels.