Tough start for rookie Franchitti

Franchitti only managed to get up to 207 mph on his early runs until the team noticed the throttle had not been correctly set.

"That was kind of interesting," Dario remarked. "On my first run I was completely flat running 207 mph because my throttle was only at 50 percent. The throttle stop had shifted."

Franchitti later topped 218mph in hot, sunny conditions - but it was still well off the pace of the fastest driver Scott Sharp who broke the 227mph mark.

"The temperatures are different than when we tested here, and when the temperatures are different, the track is different," Franchitti said. "We really started very conservatively - in fact, I think too conservatively.

"We are just getting up to speed. We are out here learning, and we are going to make changes that count rather than just come out here and run around."