Taylor has first IRL run with Panther
Mark Taylor, the new Infiniti Pro Series champion, had his first run in an IRL IndyCar yesterday (Wednesday), completing 150 laps of Texas Motor Speedway for the crack Panther Racing team
The Briton, who dominated the IRL's feeder category driving for Panther, is one of a number of drivers being considered by the team to replace double champion Sam Hornish Jr, who is departing for Penske at the end of the year.
"It's a great opportunity to drive the Panther IRL car," said Taylor, who conducted set-up and aerodynamic work for the team. "The extra power and grip is quite something. The Infiniti Pro Series has helped me make the transition and I felt very comfortable, very quickly. Someone pointed out that our time today would have put us on pole for the IRL race here earlier in the year which is quite surprising. It's been a great experience and I am confident I can run the car well in races."
Although no times from the test were released, Taylor was able to lap comfortably in the 219mph bracket, running close to the pace achieved by Hornish, who tested on Tuesday.
"Mark did a great job," said Panther co-owner Mike Griffin, "he took to it like a duck to water and to be honest it is what we have come to expect from him, he is a quick learner and adapted very well. The Infiniti Pro Series has stood him in good stead for the next step."
Indy500: Starting grid
IndyCar: Colton Herta takes victory at St. Pete
Barber IndyCar: Lap 1 Crash
Barber IndyCar: Palou wins at Birmingham
The F1 champion who became an Indy king in his second career
Emerson Fittipaldi’s decision to go racing with his brother led to him falling out of F1, but he bloomed again on the IndyCar scene. NIGEL ROEBUCK considers a career of two halves
The lasting legacy of a fallen Indycar rookie
Jeff Krosnoff was plucked out of obscurity to become a respected and highly popular professional in Japan, and then got his big break in Indycar for 1996. But a tragic accident at Toronto 25 years ago cut short a promising career and curtailed his regular team-mate Mauro Martini's passion for racing
The two key areas where Dixon needs to re-assert his authority
OPINION: Having been Chip Ganassi Racing's IndyCar focal point for the best part of a decade, Scott Dixon has been so far outgunned by new team-mate Alex Palou in 2021. After finishing behind the Spaniard at his traditional happy hunting ground at Mid-Ohio, Dixon has work to do to assume his traditional position in the team and the standings
The winners and losers of IndyCar 2021 so far
At the halfway point in the 2021 IndyCar Series season, we've had seven winners in eight races, spread between five teams – none of them Team Penske. In this unusual season, even by IndyCar standards, who’s excelling and who’s dragging their heels?
Castroneves: How I kept it under control to make Indy 500 history
Helio Castroneves’ overwhelming vivaciousness outside the cockpit belies a hardcore racer who knows how to plot his moves – and then recall it all. A day after his fourth Indy 500 win, he explained his tactics
How 'chess master' Castroneves cemented his Indy legend status
Helio Castroneves joined AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears with the most Indianapolis 500 wins after edging past Alex Palou on the penultimate lap of a thrilling race that validated Michael Shank's faith in the veteran Brazilian - who is discovering that there is life after Penske after all
Indy 500 preview: Will experience or youth be victorious at the Brickyard?
A quarter of the drivers racing in the 105th edition of the Indianapolis 500 are former winners - but are they the favourites? The veteran drivers largely impressed in qualifying - but there's also a plethora of young guns looking to secure victory at IndyCar's flagship race...
What will it take to get American drivers in Formula 1?
The FIA says it wants American drivers in Formula 1, but would it take an IndyCar driver to transfer or does an American need to join the European junior ladder system to get there?
