Montagny to test IndyCar at Kentucky
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| Franck Montagny |
Franck Montagny :
"Everything went very well. It was all new for me, and to be honest, it was not so easy at the beginning. Very difficult to do everything well… The car, the setups are very different from all that I know. Martin Paré, Danica Patrick's engineer, was there. After six laps, I was able to stay flat out in Turns 1 and 2. You have to "feel" the car perfectly and at the same time, the set-ups are so different that when the car starts to slide, it's very quickly and then it's a question of feeling – you have to feel it even before it slides. The car is completely asymmetrical, with totally different geometry. For instance, in the very short straight between Turns 1 and 2, I had to turn the wheel on the right and the outside to go straight… This is something very special. Even if I often go fast in a race car, I had never driven at almost 220 mph in corners before, and it gives you some big sensations! I would have preferred to be on track with other drivers and cars, to see what it's like in the traffic, but it will be for the next time. It was important also not to damage the car and hurt myself before the Petit Le Mans race next week. I have to say I enjoyed the test and I'd like to race in the IRL in 2009. The team wants to keep me on board, either in this series or in the ALMS. It all depends on the money. Everything should be decided in October. From my side, I also have some opportunities in Europe."
Franck, who races in the American Le Mans Series for AGR this year, was delighted also by the "IRL part" of the team and said he had great fun on track. It was the same for the team, as we can see with the engineer's reaction.
Martin Paré :
"The test was very positive. Franck found a good pace very quickly. He adapted himself to the car and the track without any problems, and then we could do all the work we had for the day. It was a real testing session. We didn't work a lot on the setups, as it's difficult during a first test for the driver, but we could evaluate some aerodynamic components. The development is very limited with these cars that we know very well but we can always do something on the details to improve. It's difficult to compare the times on an oval track as the conditions are changing a lot with the wind, the temperatures and the fact that just one car on it is very different from 30 cars. But I think that Franck would have qualified himself in the Top 4 for the race there last August. He was definitely very competitive and we are really satisfied."
09/23/08 Franck Montagny had a very successful first test in an IndyCar on Monday 22nd of September, at the wheel of an Andretti-Green Racing's Dallara Honda, at the Kentucky Speedway. The Frenchman, who was driving an IRL car for the first time, and on a oval track, covered around 200 laps and set his fastest average speed on four laps at 218.18 miles/hour. This would have been the 4th fastest average speed in qualifications for last Augusts’ race on this track.
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| Franck Montagny |
Franck, who raced in the American Le Mans Series for AGR this year, was delighted also by the "IRL part" of the team and said he had great fun on track. He could race in the IndyCar Series next year.
09/18/08 Franck Montagny will have his first test in the IndyCar Series on Monday 22nd of September from 2.00 pm to 10.00 pm. He will drive an Andretti-Green Racing's Dallara-Honda on the Kentucky Speedway. Montagny drives for AGR in the American Le Mans Series since the beginning of July and won the last race on the Detroit street course.
It will be the very first test for the French driver on a oval track. He will probably have a second test, on a road course this time, later. AGR could have a 5th car in the series next year, and Montagny would be the driver alongside Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Hideki Mutoh.
A first IndyCar test on the Kentucky Speedway should have taken place last July but the car had a big crash the day before with another driver at the wheel.