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| CART-Toyota Atlantic team P-1 Racing competed their first test of the new season with drivers Tony Ave and Jonathan Macri. The two ran their Toyota-powered Swift 008.a machines around the popular Buttonwillow test track on February 20-21, making progress in different areas. Ave, piloting the #20 P-1 Racing Swift, worked closely with engineer David Bruns on R&D development rather than outright speed. Light showers hampered Tuesday afternoon, but Ave was still able to get in around 100 miles that day and 125 on Wednesday, ending with a best time of 58.4 sec. "We're really pleased with the way the test transpired," says P-1 principal Bill Fickling. "Tony and David continue to learn about the car, while Jonathan ran some of the quickest times here." Macri concentrated on adapting himself to the much faster Atlantic machines over the two days, running a more conventional set-up than teammate Ave. He logged in 125 miles on Tuesday and 140 miles on Wednesday, with a fast lap time of 58.5 sec. "The car felt really good," commented Macri. "I missed a shift on my fastest lap, and according to the data it would have been a 58.3. So it's encouraging. There's still more to learn though and I'm looking forward to next week at Willow Springs." Other Atlantic teams present at the test were World Speed Motorsports (driver Grant Ryley), Condor Motorsports (drivers Rocky Moran Jr., and Frank Dancs), and Cobb Racing (driver T.J. Bell). Next week, the P-1 Racing team heads to Willow Springs for a two-day test on the fast 2.5 mile road course on February 27-28. |
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