Rookie Briscoe Posts Top Time in Friday's IRL Practice

SONOMA, Calif. - Australian rookie Ryan Briscoe was
fastest in practice Friday with a lap at 108.130 mph in preparation for
Sunday's Argent Mortgage Indy Grand Prix, the first major open-wheel
event in 35 years at Infineon Raceway.

 

            Briscoe just bested two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio
Castroneves, who posted a lap at 108.072. Reigning IRL IndyCar(r) Series
champion Tony Kanaan was third-fastest at 108.012, followed by New
Zealand's Scott Dixon at 107.670 and first-timer Giorgio Pantano at
107.620.

 

            Briscoe, Dixon and Pantano gave the Target Chip Ganassi team
three of the top five spots on the first speed chart going into
Saturday's qualifying sessions.

 

            Pantano, who was named to drive by car owner Chip Ganassi
only a week ago and had only tested an IndyCar machine once before
Friday's sessions, was the biggest surprise as the fastest in the first
practice. Others in the top five clocked their best speeds in the second
session.

 

            "It was actually a pretty good session," said Briscoe. "We
didn't get any yellows like in the first session, so we were able to get
a pretty good rhythm out there. The car on new tires was handling well.
There were a couple of points we need to improve still, but it's
definitely exciting o be back on the road course."

 

            Castroneves also improved in the second session.

 

            "The car was fast right off the bat," he said. "In the
second session, we had a radio problem. They were calling me in and I
kept going because I was having so much fun. We put on tires too late
and the car was experiencing oversteer and balance problems, so I kind
of struggled. We want to be first, but we want to be first tomorrow."

 

            Kanaan indicated third-fastest was acceptable Friday.

 

            "We're just working toward qualifying and trying to find the
best setup for the 7-Eleven car," he said. "We had a couple of issues. I
spun twice, so I'm not very happy with the setup I have right now. We
finished third-fastest on the day, so it doesn't look that bad."

 

            Rookie sensation Danica Patrick was 17th in practice Friday
with a lap at 104.250.

 

            "It's good to be back on a road circuit," Patrick said.
"That's my background and it feels neat to get there again. But to be
honest, my experience is limited on road racing big cars like the
IndyCars. Guys like Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Helio (Castroneves)
and Bryan (Herta) have a lot of experience with the bigger cars. But
we're getting better each time out."

 

            Marco Andretti, son of Michael and grandson of Mario who has
two victories to his credit in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series this
year, was fastest in practice for that series with a lap at 97.686,
followed by Indianapolis 500 veteran Jeff Simmons at 97.487.

 

            "Things went pretty well," Marco said. "The balance is far
from perfect. We still have a lot to work on. The track is a little
different than the last time I was here (for a Star Mazda event). The
track is very busy and you don't have a lot of time to rest. Qualifying
is going to be critical for sure. You need to be able to run up front
all day."

 

            Qualifying for both series, plus qualifying, warmup and
races for the SPEED Mazda Miata Series and the Moly Shield Oil Historic
Grand Prix are scheduled Saturday at the Sonoma facility.

 
         

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------

John Cardinale

VP of Media/Community Relations

Infineon Raceway

Highways 37 &121, Sonoma, CA 95476

wk: 707-933-3907

cell: 707-334-9805