Can new IndyCar beat 11-year old Champ Car?

The fastest lap time we have heard so far coming out of the Sebring IndyCar tests this year is a low-52s by Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Andretti Autosport Chevy. Now granted the new car is still being refined, but can the new car beat these Champ Car test times from 2001? We believe the record lap for a Champ Car is 49.9s around the Sebring short course. So here we are 11 years later and IndyCar still cannot beat an old antiquated 2001 Champ Car.

Back in those days we saw record crowds, high TV ratings, more sponsor money in the Champ Car paddock than NASCAR, Indy 500 TV ratings above NASCAR's Daytona 500, and cars that were faster than today's so-called state-of-the-art IndyCars. It's important to recognize just how far back Tony George set the sport when he created the IRL.

Other times posted at Sebring were Dario Franchitti and Rubens Barrichello at 53.0s flat, Kanaan low 53s, and Oriol Servia at 54.0 after limited running in the Lotus.