Sato completes 2-day Sebring test

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing concluded four days of testing with Takuma Sato this week at Barber Motorsports Park on Monday and Tuesday and two additional days at Sebring International Raceway on Thursday and Friday of this week. Sato completed 130 laps today at the 1.67-mile Sebring International Raceway course under warm conditions that reached 87 degrees for a total of 195 laps (325 miles) over the two days.

“We had another very productive day," said Sato. “We ran more mileage than yesterday and made good progress through the whole day. We carried on with the test plan from yesterday and learned many things. I feel we really moved forward over the course of the testing. It was little windy but the track stayed very consistent which helped a lot. The team did a really great job and we had a solid four days of testing with no major issue. I am very pleased with our start; the testing has gone smoothly so far."

“I am extremely pleased with our performance at Sebring," added Tom Anderson, Managing Director Motorsport Operations at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “Its amazing what a little bit of testing will actually do. We look like a completely different race team from our first two days at Barber. Obviously the experience of working together in this environment helps us improve our performance. Takuma and (technical director) Jay O’Connell worked together well and did a fantastic job. They took what they learned at the Honda test in December and expanded on that and they got us into the box as far as the setup goes. By doing that and having the speed yesterday it really allowed us to concentrate on other things today. We made our first full tank run and basically simulated a race distance so I was really pleased that the car ran flawlessly which is a credit to the guys. I am very optimistic about doing well when we come back here in March for the open test and also of being on top of our game for the start of the season."

Testing will resume at Sebring International Raceway on March 5-6 and 8-9 when the IZOD IndyCar Series will hold an all-series open test. The field will be split into two groups that will each test two days with RLL testing on March 8-9. The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season begins with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete on March 25.