Barrichello Chooses to Stay for Third Day of Testing

Rubens Barrichello made the decision to stay in Sebring Wednesday for a third and final day of IndyCar testing.

Originally, the Brazillian was only scheduled to partake in two days of testing with KV Racing and Tony Kanaan on the Florida road course. However, the Indianapolis Star‘s Curt Cavin reported early Wednesday that Barrichello opted to stay with the team Wednesday.

Testing duties now alternate between Kanaan and Barrichello in the No. 11 KV Racing Chevrolet and E.J. Viso in the No. 5. machine.

The racing world seems united in their apprehension awaiting for Barrichello’s decision, especially the IndyCar world. Barrichello made a promise to his wife at one point to avoid racing on American ovals. But, following the development of the DW12 and IndyCar’s departure from many 1.5-mile ovals, that promise may face reneging.

Barrichello recently told Kanaan he was impressed by the friendliness and closeness of the IndyCar paddock. Kanaan alluded that may play some role in Barrichello’s decision.

For footage from Sebring testing, below is a video on-board Kanaan’s DW12 as he navigates the Sebring short-course. Check out his son’s hand prints on the back of his helmet.

Weekend Round Up (Jan 20-22)

I apologize for a lack of content over the weekend. I was out of town and away from computer access for much of the weekend to attend a baptism for my niece. With that in mind, here’s a brief look at what’s happening in the racing world since Friday night.

Michael Shank Racing Wins Rolex 24: After years of trying, the Michael Schank Racing team won their first Rolex 24 at Daytona. The team, consisting of A.J. Allmendinger, Oz Negri, John Pew and Justin Wilson, fought off a hard-charging Ryan Dalziel in his Starworks Motorsports entry to win the famed event by a mere 5.2 seconds. The narrow margin of victory marked one of the closest finishes in endurance racing history. The win also gives strong momentum to the Michael Shank Racing squad as they begin the endeavor into a new field of racing: IndyCar. Full results from the Rolex 24 here.

Tracy to MSR in 2012?: Speaking of Rolex 24 winners, Michael Shank Racing, there have been strong indications that a deal to sign 22-year IndyCar veteran and 2003 CART Champion, Paul Tracy, to their IndyCar program. Tracy was in Daytona competing against MSR in Doran Racing’s DP. ““I’m trying to do a deal with Michael Shank to start an IndyCar team with himself and AJ Allmendinger,” Tracy told Speed.com’s Marshall Pruett. “We have a sponsor lined up. We need to put together an engine program this week and tie up a couple of other lose (sic) ends of some other contractual stuff, and if we can do that, then we’ll get the car put together and try to get to Sebring to test.” One obstacle facing Tracy and MSR are the sponsor connections Tracy has to Honda-Canada. MSR signed an engine contract with Lotus but, should Tracy bring Honda dollars and connections, the MSR team may be easily coaxed into signing on with Honda instead. Tracy has been on the hunt for a full time IndyCar ride since the last year of Champ Car in 2007 when he drove for Gerry Forsythe’s team.

Paul Tracy last drove full-time in 2007 for Forsythe Racing's Champ Car team. Could Tracy become MSR's driver in 2012 for his farewell tour from IndyCar racing? (Photo: Zach Wenzel)

IndyCar Teams Resume Testing, Barrichello Turns First Laps: A large group of IndyCar teams have returned to a testing regimen to prepare the new DW12s for competitive action. KV Racing, Andretti Autosport, Dreyer and Reinbold and Panther Racing have all turned laps at Sebring today with more expected to join the group this week. The test marks the first time new Andretti Autosport driver, James Hinchcliffe, dons his new GoDaddy.com colors. The one stealing the spotlight in Sebring, however, is an IndyCar rookie having only turned his first laps in an IndyCar but a few hours ago. The rookie comes highly recommended though by much of the paddock, especially Tony Kanaan. Of course, we’re talking about the most experience Formula One driver in history, Rubens Barrichello. The Brazilian is evaluating a potential run in the IndyCar series this year following his departure from WilliamsF1. Officially, the test is set only to allow Barrichello to provide his expertise feedback on the new car’s development. But many, including Barrichello, have left open the possibility to run in IndyCar.

Barrichello’s first departure from pit lane in an IndyCar was posted to KV Racing’s youtube channel and can be seen below.

Sutil Attempted Resolution with Lux: German F1 driver, Adrian Sutil, attempted to resolve the bar fight saga with Lotus Team Executive, Eric Lux, out of court it has emerged. Sutil realizes the outcome of the case largely determines what will become of his career. He acknowledged attempts to resolve the situation out of court with Lux, whom he cut with a broken glass in a Shanghai night club. The 28- year old talked to SID news agency about the severity of the situation. “I’m sorry, extremely sorry, I didn’t want it to happen,” Sutil said. The former Force India driver told SID despite appealing to Lux out of court, Lux had no interest and “wanted to destroy” Sutil. Lux received phone calls from Sutil in his efforts to apologize, but Lux never accepted the calls. “I expected him to come to Luxembourg and apologize to me. A call is not enough,” Lux testified. Sutil and Lux did discuss resolutions but none were agreed upon. Sutil claimed Lux’s demands were outlandish and involved a “very, very high amount” of money as well as Sutil’s sitting out of numerous Grands Prix.

Speed Records in 2013?

Speed records might not be broken in 2012 by the new, DW12 IndyCar Dallara. But 2013 might be a different story, according to IndyCar’s Vice President of Technology, Will Phillips in an interview with Autoweek.

During initial testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the DW12 never approached the speeds set in 2011– topping out at a measly 215 mph and some change. Through wind tunnel testing, engineers found a solution for the car to reach the same speeds seen in recent years at the Speedway.

In 2013, however, as the addition of aero kits come into play, Phillips expects speeds to steadily increase and old records broken. As the aero kits are added to the cars, “the car could be exceeding expectations as they reduce drag further,” Phillips said. Phillips went on to say it’s not just about the car being capable of reaching the speeds aerodynamically, but also mechanically. The drivers always have to find the appropriate balance between the two to reach maximum performance.

IndyCar fans have patiently awaited the utterance of “a new track record” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since Arie Luyendyk’s blistering lap of 237.498 mph during qualifying in 1996. Luyendyk also set an unofficial record that same year when he set a lap of 239.260 mph in practice for the Indianapolis 500.