Ryan Briscoe confident of solid result despite late IndyCar call
Ryan Briscoe is confident that he can deliver a solid result for Panther Racing in his first outing with the team at Detroit this weekend, despite admitting that his late call-up has left him feeling under-prepared
The Australian was recruited to replace JR Hildebrand, who parted with the team earlier in the week, and goes into the series' first double-header with just one practice session in which to get comfortable before heading into qualifying and the two races.
"We're going to have to be on it [in practice], and get out there, see how the car feels and do the best we can," said Briscoe, who made a one-off appearance with Ganassi at last week's Indy 500.
"I've done plenty of miles in these cars so I'm hoping it's not a problem to get up to speed. We'll see.
"There's a lot to get used to. I'm using Townsend's Bell's steering wheel with his grips, but I felt comfortable with that. It's coming together. I've just got to go out there and give them hell."
Briscoe had originally planned to fly to Europe this weekend to begin his Le Mans preparations with Level 5 Motorsport, and said that he was only alerted to the possibility of a drive in Detroit two days before he arrived at the track.
"It was a surprise, for sure," he said. "It certainly wasn't planned!
"[Panther team co-manager] John Barnes gave me a call on Tuesday morning and asked what my availability looked like, and said that there was potential for something this weekend, and here we are.
"It has been a whirlwind, but the team has done an amazing job in getting the car turned around and getting me all fitted and ready to go.
"There's a lack in preparation [time] but I feel good."
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