Harvey leads Piquet as Lights drivers complete Sonoma IndyCar test
Indy Lights championship leader Jack Harvey declared himself happy with his first IndyCar test after narrowly beating Nelson Piquet Jr and Matt Brabham to lead the non-regulars at Sonoma
Seven drivers turned out on Thursday for the special test, which was allowed under an IndyCar rule that grants teams two additional on-track days if an Indy Lights driver completes at least 50 per cent of the running in each car.
Harvey completed 55 laps in a Schmidt car set up by Ryan Briscoe and finished with a fastest lap of 1m18.93s, which was good enough for sixth overall in the morning session.
Formula E champion Piquet was just behind him on the unofficial times at 1m19.02s for Team Penske, while Brabham managed a 1m19.03s with Andretti Autosport in the afternoon.
"I loved every minute of it," Harvey said.
"In Indy Lights last year I won both races [at Sonoma], so I was really excited when I knew this track was going to be my first test.
"I'm pretty happy with what we've achieved.
"This car is so much bigger, so much more power.
"I mean at the end of the day it's still a race car, but the power and the weight of the car and the size of it were the things I noticed straight away."
His title rival Spencer Pigot, who ran alongside Piquet for Penske, was also impressed by his first run in an IndyCar.
"After a few laps I was able to start pushing more and more," he said.
"I was able to get comfortable fairly quickly.
"We went through a lot of video and data beforehand, and I talked to Will [Power] a lot.
"Team Penske has helped me a lot to get up to speed quickly.
"This car carries so much speed through the corners and carries so much downforce. It's a new experience and a lot of fun."
Also testing were Sean Rayhall (with Scott Dixon for Ganassi), Ryan Phinny (alongside Sebastien Bourdais at KV), and Ed Jones (with RLL's Graham Rahal).
Additionally, Mikhail Aleshin completed a refresher test with Schmidt ahead of his IndyCar comeback at Sonoma, a year after he was injured in a crash at Fontana.
"I feel like I'm home," he said. "It's a great team and a very nice car.
"The difference is very big compared to last year.
"There's more downforce now so it's not very easy, but I have some experience handling it, so I am enjoying it."
Unofficial times put Power fastest overall with a 1m17.37s in the afternoon.
The teams will return to Sonoma Raceway for the double-points season-finale at the end of this month.
USAC champion Bryan Clauson locks in Indy 500 start in 200-race aim
AJ Foyt to miss last two IndyCar races of 2015 after knee surgery
Cosworth: F1 return not on radar despite Ford's comeback
Cosworth is not considering a future return to Formula 1 despite former partner Ford’s comeback with Red Bull in 2026, saying it “hasn’t been a focus.”
Ekstrom joins World RX as sporting director for 2023 season
One-time World RallyCross Championship title-winner Mattias Ekstrom will join the series promoter as sporting director ahead of its second season of its full-electric regulations.
FIA president Ben Sulayem steps back from day-to-day F1 operations
The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has stepped back from the day-to-day running of Formula 1 ahead of the new season.
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
OPINION: Motor racing still has some way to go to usurp cricket as India's favourite sporting discipline. The long-awaited return of international motorsport to the country this weekend with the Hyderabad E-Prix is an important step in the right direction, but it will take more than Formula E's arrival to cause a true shift
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.