All nine of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series racers were outfitted with Pirelli P Zero Racing Slicks during the first group sports car test ever conducted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Daytona Prototypes and Acxiom GT race cars also participated in the recent historic exploratory event on the track’s Grand Prix Formula 1 and Moto GP road course layouts.
The test “was an opportunity for all of us to learn,” says reigning Daytona Prototype Co-Champion Scott Pruett. “That’s what we’re all about here. I think Pirelli did a great job. We were not here to put on a race, we were here to learn and make things better. I know Pirelli is committed to being a part of that.”
Pruett tested the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with teammate Memo Rojas. Another top Daytona Prototype team that took its first laps at Indy was GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and 2007 Co-Champion Jon Fogarty. Fogarty and teammate Alex Gurney are the current class championship leaders with two races left on the 2009 schedule. Team owner/driver Bob Stallings also did a brief stint in the morning session behind the wheel of the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley.
“The Pirellis will, for sure, be able to stand up to the abuse this place dishes out,” says Fogarty about the notoriously abrasive Indy surface. “The construction is robust and they can probably handle it. But a lot of marbles build up and that’s the issue for putting on a good race. When the marbles build up, it could be a one-groove track and make it really difficult to overtake. If we can somehow reduce that, then we would be in good shape.”
Five Daytona Prototypes and four GT teams participated in the testing. While the bulk of the time was spent on the 2.534-mile, 13-turn Grand Prix Formula 1 layout, teams also did a short stint on the modified 2.621-mile, 16-turn Moto GP layout.
Among the top GT competitors participating in the test was the No. 70 Castrol/SpeedSource Mazda RX8 of Sylvain Tremblay and team engineer/driver David Haskell.
“Obviously, different tire manufacturers have had some history here before, and as abrasive as this surface might be, we were able to almost do a full stint with no problems on the Pirellis,” Tremblay says. “No failures, no issues, no shaking. A lot of it is car setup and how we drive. In the end, we are very happy with the performance of the Pirelli tires.”
Only a pair of 2¾-hour races remains on this year’s series schedule. Next up is Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City on Sept. 19. The season-ending race is at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 10.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
