IRL Testing at Homestead
We visited the IRL testing at Homestead Florida in early 2009. It was our first visit to this facility and it certainly will not be our last. We had never given the track much thought because it is so far from almost everyone but it is a terrific facility. You can see the entire track from almost every seat and there are no huge stairs to climb; the stands are low and long.
We are partial to the shorter 1.5 mile or shorter tracks. This track is a 1.5 mile and with the banked turns the IRL cars really look good.
There was also a lot a filming going on at the track prior to testing and we managed to get a few photos of the camera car. These things always intrigue me. Ugly as sin but they are relatively fast and maneuver around the race cars for action shots with what appears to be little difficulty. Considering all the misplaced weight and contraptions hanging on the car that says a lot about the builder of such vehicles.
The following are some shots you might enjoy. Not every team was present and some of the cars looked like they were ready to race while other looked like they needed a lot of shake down time. Some of the teams spend as much time practicing pit stops as they did on the track.
Now for the photos of Homestead IRL testing.
This is a view of Homestead from the top of the stands near the start/finish line.
Marco Andretti # 26 and Danica Patrick #7
Bruno Junqueira #18
Stanton Barrett #98
Dan Wheldon #4
Pretty bike but I recommend the car for racing!
Raphael Matos #12
Danica with the paparazzi.
Dario Franchitti #10 (He’s Back!)
Jaime Camara #34
Graham Rahal #06 and Vitor Meira #14
Penske Team but no Helio
Jaime Camara #34
Vitor Meira #14
Milka Duno #23
Ryan Briscoe #6
Ed Carpenter #20
Part of the film crew.
Danica
Dan Wheldon #4
Ed Carpenter
Ryan Briscoe
Scott Dixon #9
On track camera car.
Weldon
Tony Kanaan #11
How would you like to have every move you make photographed just before or after you jump into a race car! Danica seems to not even notice.
