Northern Light IRL: Teams get busy during Miami and Phoenix Testing

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

MIAMI- Preparations for the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season continued Feb. 6 as several teams tested at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Kelley Racing drivers Scott Sharp and Mark Dismore, Cunningham Racing's Shigeaki Hattori and Bradley Motorsports' Buzz Calkins all tested on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for the Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami on April 8.

"Even though we didn't get in much track time on Tuesday, we still managed to run four miles an hour faster than our first test here," said Dismore, who participated in the first Indy Racing test at Homestead-Miami Speedway in December. "Right now, I'd predict the pole for our race will go around the mid- to upper 201s. If it's cool, with no wind, it could go at 203 mph."

Calkins turned his first laps at Homestead-Miami with a fast lap of 199.2 mph in the late afternoon. Hattori, who won in Indy Lights at Homestead-Miami in 1998, also turned his first laps at the track in an Indy Racing car.

Defending Indy Racing Northern Light Series champion Buddy Lazier tested at Phoenix along with teammate Stan Wattles for Hemelgarn Racing. Also at Phoenix was rookie Felipe Giaffone with Hubbard-Treadway Racing. All three drivers tested in preparation for the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on March 18.

Text Provided By Paul Kelly

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