The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Star Mazda - Team GDT's Mendez Completes Oval Test


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

INDIANAPOLIS, May 7, 2012: Seat time was what Team GDT’s Andrés Méndez needed and seat time was what he got as he drove on an oval track for the first time during a test of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR).

Méndez, 19, of Bogota, Columbia, recorded 254 laps on the 0.686-mile oval during five hours of practice in the Dallas-based team’s No. 53, which is sponsored by Datafile International SA and Grupo Kriterion.

There are three more hours of testing scheduled for the series at LOR on Friday, May 25 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. before it participates in the annual “Night Before the 500” tripleheader at LOR on Saturday night, May 26.

Méndez did 150 laps in the first session on Saturday, which ran from 9 a.m. until noon. His fastest lap was lap 124 when he tripped the timing lights in 21.316 seconds (115.857 miles per hour), which was 14th fastest for the session.

In the afternoon session, which started at 4:30 p.m. and ended at 6:30 p.m., he completed 104 laps and set his fastest lap of the day on lap 85 with a time of 21.246 seconds (116.238 miles per hour). That was 13th on the scoreboard.

Petri Suvanto set the fastest lap of the test with a 20.236 in the morning for an average speed of 122.040 mph.

In addition to gaining oval-track experience and confidence, Méndez got a little experience with drafting near the end of the day too.

“I learned a lot today,” Méndez said. “The most important thing I learned was that on an oval you must do everything as smoothly as possible, and not be afraid to be near the wall.”

Team manager Paul Mata was pleased with his rookie. “He came alive in the last hour; his feedback got a lot better.  He definitely learned a lot today,” Mata said.

“He did very well; he’d never even tested on an oval before today,” Mata continued. “He made a lot of progress.  The time sheet probably doesn’t show it but he was only 3 or 4 tenths off the leaders in the heat of the day. I’m really looking forward to coming back here for the race!”

Engineer Eric Purcell was pleased too. “Driving on an oval for the first time is daunting for any driver, and I think Andrés did a tremendous job today,” he said. “He’ll take what he learned here today and process it as he goes home and then come back even stronger.”

Méndez also got his first look at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during some Mazda Road to Indy seminars there on Friday.

“Getting a ride around the track was the best!” he said.

 
 
p