IndyCar manufacturers get back on track in California
"It was a productive day," said Dixon, who was behind the wheel of the Honda-powered Dallara DW12. "There was a long list of things to do and that we got done. Handling is still an issue, but I think and hope we are making progress.
"Tomorrow and in the future we need to work on weight distribution. We need to somehow get more weight up front and make the car not as loose going into the corners. I think with time that will come."
Teams are scheduled to receive their first chassis next week and their testing window opens in mid-January. The season kicks off March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
"I have a few tests before the holiday and think that each time we go out we can make improvements before we head into the 2012 season," Dixon added. "We'll take it one day, one test and one lap at a time and get it right."
It was Briscoe's first time in the new chassis powered by the 2.2-liter, twin turbo Chevrolet V-6 engine. The afternoon session included a Firestone tire test.
"Before today I was very jealous to be on the outside looking in," said Briscoe, who was preceded in testing by Team Penske teammate Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay of Andretti Autosport and 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan. "It is good to be here and working on making the new car reach its potential.
"The new car has some great technology that the drivers enjoy for sure. We tested lots of Firestone compounds. We ran plenty of laps today and had great reliability. I am happy with the car and the Chevy engine is so consistent, a beautiful engine."