SONOMA, Calif. (August 14, 2013) – Graham Rahal and James Jakes each completed a trouble-free day of testing at the 2.385-mile, 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course yesterday at 5 p.m. PST. Once the morning fog burned off, the skies cleared and temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Both drivers are looking forward to returning to the area next week for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, August 23-25.
“The test went okay,” said Rahal, who completed 92 laps in the No 15 Big O Tires Honda. “We tried a lot of different things and have ideas for others to work on during our test next week. I think we’re headed in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go.”
“Generally I feel we made great improvements during the day,” added Jakes, who completed 74 laps in the No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda. “Sonoma is always tricky because the track is changing so much. For the afternoon session the wind had completely shifted 180 degrees so you can end up chasing conditions a lot but I feel we made some great improvements. It’s great to get some track time there before the test next week. We should be in a great position for then and the race weekend.”
An IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test is scheduled for August 21 at Sonoma Raceway and the first practice session is from 11-11:45 a.m. PT August 23. The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma will be televised live on NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, August 25.
For more information, log on to www.rahal-staging.ktnlcqy7-liquidwebsites.com, www.grahamrahal-staging.ktnlcqy7-liquidwebsites.com www.jamesjakes.com or www.indycar.com.
– RLL –