Northern Light IRL: Infiniti Track Tests New 35A Indy Racing Engine

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

PHOENIX, Ariz.--Infiniti successfully track-tested its new 35A Indy Racing engine at Phoenix International Raceway this week.

Eddie Cheever Jr. and Scott Goodyear were the first to log miles on the all-new Infiniti Indy engine, completing 429 trouble-free miles on two different engines in the No. 51 Excite@ Home Dallara-Infiniti-Firestone car.

"Our technical team spent a significant amount of time testing this engine on the dynamometer and making refinements that would ensure it was ready to run right out of the box," said Steve Kight, director of marketing, Infiniti Division. "We could not have asked for a better initial track test.

"Regardless, it is a lot to ask of our teams to run this engine with less than 500 miles of on-track testing completed. They have the option to use the winning engine we had last year, so it will be up to Team Cheever and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as to whether or not to run this new engine at the Phoenix season opener. We are confident that both versions of the engine can run up front."

Scott Goodyear drove the historic first laps with the Infiniti Indy 35A on March 6. He tallied a total of 124 laps on the one-mile Phoenix oval during the three-day test.

"I am delighted with the performance of the Infiniti 35A for its first time on track," said Goodyear, who is handling testing duties for Team Cheever and will race for the team at the Indy 500. "Compared to all the engine programs that I've had on track for the first time, I was very pleased that this one occurred without any major interruptions. This allowed us to complete a lot of miles in just a few days. Between both Eddie and I, we completed more than the race distance on the first engine."

Driving 305 miles with the new engine, Eddie Cheever Jr. recorded the quickest time of 20.82 seconds.

"On our first day of testing with the new Infiniti engine we were only one-tenth of a second off our fastest time at Phoenix after running just under 200 miles," said Cheever, who won the first race with the Infiniti Indy engine last season. "It's a totally different engine; it's like having a brand-new everything. We are starting over from scratch and have to perfect our recipe. Phoenix will be the toughest race of the season for us. But we are now on the same playing field as our competition."

The new Infiniti Indy 35A engine is smaller, lighter and features a lower center of gravity than previous versions. The engine was designed in Japan by the same engineers who develop Infiniti's line of luxury vehicles. The engine was further refined by the Infiniti Motorsports design team for specific use in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series.

The 32-valve DOHC Infiniti Indy V8 was developed with the same passion for performance as the engine found in the company's flagship vehicle, the Infiniti Q45. The all-new 2002 Infiniti Q45 goes on sale April 2001 and will set a new standard for performance in the premium luxury class, with 340 horsepower and race-proven titanium valves.

Infiniti Motorsports will have two entries in the 2001 Northern Light Series season opener at Phoenix International Raceway: Robbie Buhl in the No. 24 Team Purex Dreyer&Reinbold Racing G Force and Eddie Cheever Jr. in the No. 51 Excite@Home Dallara.

Practice for the 200-lap, 200-mile Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 starts at 11 a.m. (MST) March 16. MBNA Pole Qualifying takes place at noon March 17, with the race taking the green flag at 2 p.m. March 18, live on ABC.

Text Provided By Heather Handley

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.