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ABC Supply Team Wraps Up Second Day of Testing in Alabama
LEEDS, Ala. Feb. 25, 2010--Vitor Meira and the ABC Supply team wrapped up their second day of testing at Barber Motorsports Park outside of Birmingham. Meira ended up 13th on the speed charts but all team principals deemed the test a success.
“Overall the test was very good,” Meira said, adding, “We have a very good race car. For me it's good to get back in the car- I've been out of it for too long. Working with Jeff Britton [chief engineer] is like we never missed a beat. We started right where we left off in 2005 which put us ahead of where we were last year. I feel very good about the season the way everyone is working so well together. “
The weather conditions were cold and breezy which made it difficult for the drivers to get heat in the tires. Many drivers spun off course and several teams’ sessions were cut short due to crashes. The 17-turn track is fast with many elevation changes, all of which combine to make it one of the most physically demanding courses on the circuit.
Meira logged a total of 60 laps today on the 2.38-mile course and was in the top 10 for most of the session which he finished 40 minutes early. Meira spun once towards the end of today’s session, citing his tires hadn’t gotten up to temperature. He didn’t hit anything and once restarted, was able to continue in the session. Meira’s lap time of 1:10.69 was about eight tenths off of Will Power’s quick time of 1:09.87 but only two tenths out of the top-10. Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon and Justin Wilson rounded out the top five.
Team Director Larry Foyt said, “I was pleased because I thought A.J., Vitor and Jeff worked really well together which I thought would happen because of Vitor and Jeff’s history and Jeff’s extensive experience in the IndyCar Series. Vitor, who hasn’t been on a road course in almost a year—that is a very long time to be out of the car especially on this type of track—he did a really good job.”
Team owner A.J. Foyt seconded the opinion, saying, “I’m very happy with what we accomplished with the ABC car. Vitor adapted to the course very well and at times was as high as third, and a lot of the time was in the top seven. We tried a lot of different things so we have a good idea of where to start when we come back. It was our first time to the track and the weather was really cold but we worked around it and learned a lot.”
The IndyCar Series will race at the pristine facility the weekend of April 11th. |
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Meira Satisfied with First Day of Testing at Barber
LEEDS, Ala. Feb. 24, 2010--Vitor Meira and the ABC Supply team got back on track today at Barber Motorsports Park for their first test session of the season and by all accounts, it was a positive session.
“We accomplished what we came to do which was to establish a baseline today working with Jeff,” Meira said, alluding to his new chief engineer, Jeff Britton who joined the team in the off season.
“It’s been over 10 months since I was on a road course and as you can see it’s taken its toll,” Meira added. “I’m still getting myself in the game. I didn’t push it as much as I normally would—I never even put a wheel off today. But today was more about gathering data to know where we are at so we can move forward tomorrow. It was a good day for the ABC Supply team.”
Cold temperatures delayed the start of the test until 11 a.m. and proved challenging for the drivers as the tires took longer than usual to build up heat (and adhesion).
Meira was as high as seventh in the mid-afternoon and then the team went back to the paddock for about an hour’s worth of changes to the set-up on the No. 14 ABC Supply car. They didn’t get quite as much track time when they returned to the pit lane because the action was slowed several times for off-track excursions. When asked to assess the changes, Meira replied that they were all in the right direction and told his chief engineer that he felt the car would have been between eighth to tenth if he’d gone out on new tires for their last run. Team owner Foyt decided to save the tires (teams are limited for the two-day test to seven sets).
Meira logged 48 laps total and was 14th out of 20 cars at the end of the day with his quickest lap around the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course clocking in at 1:11.91. Quick time of the day belonged to Ryan Briscoe who turned in a time of 1:10:50. Rounding out the top five were Helio Castroneves, Justin Wilson, Will Power and Scott Dixon.
Testing will resume tomorrow with the session scheduled to start at 9 a.m. but that may be delayed due to the cold weather predicted for tomorrow. |
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Vitor Meira and ABC Supply Team Prepare for First IndyCar Test of 2010
WALLER, TX Feb. 22, 2010—Vitor Meira traveled to the A.J. Foyt Racing team headquarters last week to spend a couple days with the team as they prepared the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda for the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test February 24-25 at Barber Motorsports Park, outside of Birmingham, Ala.
Meira took the opportunity to get a final fitting of the seat, pedals, steering wheel, mirrors and belts in the race car before it was loaded into the transporter which departs this evening.
“I wanted to touch base with the guys, spend a little time with them as we all get ready for this test,” said Meira. “This way we can go to Barber with a clear head knowing everything is ready.”
Although he tested his Indy car last September at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this open test will be Meira’s first time back on a street/road course since he raced at Long Beach in April, 2009.
“Primarily, my goal for this test is to get reacquainted with everything and everyone,” said Meira who has been running shifter karts throughout the off season. “I want to get in as many laps as possible. We have an engineer (Jeff Britton)who is new to the team, but not new to me, and we need this time to work together so we can all learn each other.” Britton and Meira worked together at Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005.
“My biggest challenge is to get back to where I was before the accident so I can take 100% advantage of what the car is capable of doing,” said Meira, whose injuries sustained in the Indianapolis 500 sidelined him for the remainder of 2009. “The first day we’ll get a baseline set-up and then the second day we can explore different set-ups.”
Meira tested at Barber Motorsport Park in 2007 when he was with Panther Racing. The IZOD Series will compete there for the first time April 11th.
“From what I remember, the circuit is a lot like the European road courses with high speed corners and elevation changes,” Meira said. “It is most like Watkins Glen in that way but it’s narrower and doesn’t have very long straights. Passing will be a challenge there.”
When Meira was in Texas last week, he had an opportunity to race Larry Foyt in the I-Racing video game. “We raced Talladega in an Indy car,” said Meira. “I was sharing the car with Larry. I never realized I-Racing was so cool! I’m glad I saw it because it is definitely worth the trouble to buy the equipment you need to get set up properly.
“I will be using it this season for sure,” he added, explaining, “We have such limited track time in the actual Indy car so whatever you can do to simulate being on the track is beneficial. The I-Racing game will definitely be a part of my preparation this season.” Currently I-Racing features seven IndyCar Series tracks (Indianapolis, Barber, Chicagoland, Homestead, Infineon, Texas, and Watkins Glen) with Mid-Ohio being added soon.
Meira will arrive at the track Tuesday, fresh from an appearance in New Orleans for sponsor ABC Supply. He will participate in the pre-season media shoot as all of the drivers have photos taken and video shot which will be used throughout the season.
Testing at Barber Motorsports Park begins Wednesday at 9 am and will continue through Thursday until 5pm. The IZOD IndyCar Series season kicks off in the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil March 14th. |
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