The weather was hot but the on-track action was hotter as Forsythe Championship Racing joined the other teams of the Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda for a busy two-day test session at MSR Houston Raceway's demanding 2.38-mile road course about 30 miles south of its namesake city. With everyone having limited experience with the brand new combination of a Swift 016.a chassis and 2.3-liter 300-horsepower Mazda-Cosworth engine, many sets of Yokohama Advan tires were consumed as the teams and drivers prepared for Saturday night's Fast Track 100 at a temporary road course built around Reliant Stadium for the Grand Prix of Houston.
Andreas Wirth - #37 INDECK/Wirth Solar Mazda-Cosworth/Yokohama/Swift 016.a
P1 overall -- 1m18.669s/108.912mph
Leads point standings after winning the first race of the season at Long Beach in April
"Now that is a nice test track! It is a very physical circuit so it's good training in this heat and humidity. We worked on a street circuit setup for the race in town on Saturday night so the car wasn't really perfect for this track, but I still managed to come out with the quickest time which is always important for momentum. We got through all of our checklist items and now we are ready for the race!"
James Hinchcliffe - #3 Emexis/INDECK Mazda-Cosworth/Yokohama/Swift 016.a
P5 overall -- 1m19.013s/108.438mph
Third in point standings after Long Beach
"This was a good test for us. Half the track was a pretty good simulation of the circuit we're going to race on this weekend so it was productive. This place is very physical so it was a good place to get used to the heat and humidity we're going to see this weekend and next week in Monterrey (Mexico). I'm beat...anybody who says they aren't sore tomorrow is lying!
Leonardo Maia - #7 INDECK Mazda-Cosworth/Yokohama/Swift 016.a
P16 overall -- 1m19.921s/107.206mph
Ninth in point standings after Long Beach
"What a fun test! The track here is just great; physical and challenging. We came here with the setup ready for the race this weekend and didn't want to change that too much, but we made lots of progress and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. We're going to have a good car and I'm hungry for a good result. Nobody has raced on the track before, so I'm optimistic that we're going to be right in the thick of things."
Richard Philippe - #37 INDECK Mazda-Cosworth/Yokohama/Swift 016.a
P9 overall -- 1m19.418s/107.885mph
29th in point standings after a DNF at Long Beach while running sixth
"We got all of our test items done and the car is quick and consistent so I'm very ready for the weekend. The heat and humidity is a lot like my hometown of Miami but I've been training hard and I'm looking forward to the race. Houston is a great city and the race is going to be incredible. It looks like it's going to be an outstanding event for our team so I'm pumped!"
John Brunner
Team Manager
"Things went well. It was a very hot two days, but all four drivers stuck to the plan and we accomplished a lot. We intentionally avoided chasing lap times since this circuit is a little different from what we'll expect this weekend but overall it went well. All four of the guys spent some time sampling the Texas mud (all four drivers went off track at least once but with no significant damage) but I think we're well prepared for the Fast Trac 100 on Saturday night. It's going to be great racing around the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium, so tonight we'll pack things up and head up the road to get ready for the race!"
-Forsythe Racing -
