INDYCAR NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 21, 2013

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.  Hildebrand builds chemistry with Barracuda Racing

2.   Vasser presents former teammate Zanardi for Hall induction

3.  Of note

1. Hildebrand builds chemistry with Barracuda Racing: JR Hildebrand admitted he had to shake off some rust after nearly three months out of an IZOD IndyCar Series car.

“I’m pumped to be back,” the 25-year old from Sausalito, Calif., said after turning his first laps in the No. 98 Barracuda Racing Honda at an Open Test at Sonoma Raceway on Aug. 21. “As much as anything, it’s just getting back out and getting a feel for things.”

All 25 cars entered in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma participated in five scheduled hours of testing on the 11-turn 2.385-mile road course. Hildebrand, the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, said setting quick laps time was secondary to getting accustomed to working with his new team and engineer Todd Malloy.

“I’ve been in the shop with the team and talking through the strategy behind the setups and what I think about the track and my experience and trying to be as prepared as possible,” Hildebrand said. “I feel like we’re off to a reasonable start. The most important thing is to get up to speed on and off track.”

The test served as a chance for Hildebrand to begin building chemistry with Barracuda Racing, which is evaluating its options for next season by fielding Hildebrand and Luca Filippi. Hildebrand stopped short of calling this weekend’s race – or his next opportunity with the team at Auto Club Speedway in October – an audition for a 2014 race seat.

 “This is as much about getting used to being somewhere else and so far, I’ve really enjoyed the environment,” he said. “I think for all of us, we’d like to put a result together. It would be good for me, good for the team. This about all of us getting together and doing a good job.”

2. Vasser presents former teammate Zanardi for Hall induction: KV Racing Technology co-owner and former CART champion Jimmy Vasser wasn’t at Sonoma Raceway for the Open Test.

Vasser was in Detroit where he was slated to introduce former Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Zanardi for induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Zanardi will join motorsports industry legends Harvey Firestone, Jack Chrisman, Masten Gregory, Brad Lackey, Bud Moore and Robert E. Petersen in the Silver Anniversary class. Also, chassis constructor and technology innovator Bob Riley will receive the Bob Russo Motorsports Heritage Award for his numerous contributions to racing.

Zanardi drove in Formula One before moving to the Target Chip Ganassi Racing Indy car team in 1996, capturing rookie of the year honors and series championships in 1997 and 1998.  More recently, Zanardi has made headlines as an elite Paralympic athlete in handbike cycling, winning a pair of gold medals and a silver while representing his native Italy in the 2012 London Paralympics.

3. Of note:  GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman will be the grand marshal of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma…Also, GoPro will offer special ticket discounts and has created a GoPro Zone for fans to capture the high-speed action in Turns 1 and 2…Save $20 off a race day ticket by visiting www.racesonoma.com/indycar (provide the serial number from your camera) or show your GoPro at the gate when you arrive at the raceway…Hildebrand and the Barracuda Racing team visited the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Cypress Center on Aug. 20 to raise awareness about the critical local issue of food assistance. Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties provides assistance to more than 250,000 people each month (about one in 10 residents)…Charlie Kimball was the first California native to win an Indy car race since Los Gatos’ A.J. Allmendinger won five races in 1996.

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The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 25 at Sonoma Raceway. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Baltimore 100 on Sept. 1 on the streets of Baltimore. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 1 p.m.