Andretti Autosport To Field Three At Seventh Annual Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test

Colton Herta

Three drivers in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series will have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of Andretti Autosport’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Dallara IL-15 cars this weekend for the Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test.

With over 40 drivers representing 12 countries in 2016’s test, Australian Anthony Martin, 2017 Pro Mazda Championship runner-up and 2016 USF2000 Championship winner, will join Colton Herta and Ryan Norman at the test, piloting Andretti Autosport’s Indy Lights machines around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

Debuting in 2011, the test honors Chris Griffis, a longtime member of the motorsports community who led the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports w/ Curb-Agajanian Indy Lights organization before passing unexpectedly in September 2011.

The two-day event will feature all three tiers of the Mazda Road to Indy on track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course Circuit Saturday, Oct. 21, and Sunday, Oct. 22. This year’s test will have live timing available through IndyCar.com, IndyLights.com and the RoadtoIndyTV app.

Colton Herta
“I think the test is going to be interesting. Hopefully, the weather plays out nicely. You can switch up pretty quickly from cold to hot this time of year, and we hope to have weather on our side. Indy was a place where, I think, we struggled for race pace, so I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing what we can do. I’m super excited to get the testing going. I think we just need to get the balance right – that’s the main thing. Hopefully, we can get the balance sorted out and more to my liking. We had great qualifying pace at Indy, we qualified P2 there for the second race of the weekend, but want to work on long run pace."

Anthony Martin
“The time has finally come to jump into an Indy Lights car. I am so excited to be testing at Indianapolis with Andretti Autosport, and I am looking forward to working in a professional environment with everyone, eager and ready to learn more. The Mazda Road to Indy program has given me the opportunity to move forward and advance my motorsport career, having goals when I first came to America in 2015 to do the best I could in USF2000. I turned that into a championship win in 2016, earning a scholarship from Mazda to move up the ladder to Pro Mazda. I can’t wait for what my future holds in this new challenge!"

Ryan Norman
“I can’t wait to get back into the car at the Chris Griffis Memorial this weekend. I absolutely love Indianapolis Motor Speedway and we showed good speed in the races this past year. I’m looking forward to building off that experience, and working with Andretti Autosport toward a successful test."

Note: Andretti Autosport planned to complete a four-car test, however due to illness, Dalton Kellett will not participate in the Chris Griffiths Memorial Test this weekend.