NASCAR driver Kyle Larson and Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson made their debut in IndyCars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson felt comfortable in the Indy car and had Tony Kanaan as his coach, while Ericsson sported a nondescript black fire suit for his first day with Andretti Autosport. Both drivers expressed their excitement and enjoyment of the experience. Larson's debut was part of his preparation for the Indianapolis 500, and he received guidance from Jeff Gordon. The drivers' participation in the event signifies their transition to a new racing discipline.
🌧️ In a rain-affected qualifying session, an LMP2 went fastest overall but it was the #10 @WayneTaylorRcng Acura taking pole position for the #IMSA finale at Road Atlanta. #PetitLeMans FULL RESULTS 👇 https://t.co/GzzGj4LzHA
Marcus’ first laps as an Andretti driver 🤘 https://t.co/WKaRILDdwJ
Marcus Ericsson is on the track 🙌 https://t.co/RVLZLJakWh
.@Ericsson_Marcus is sporting a nondescript black fire suit for his 1st day in the car with @AndrettiIndy. Sponsorship still TBD (or maybe to be announced). He did confirm, I believe for the 1st time (which had long been expected) that Olivier Boisson will engineer his car. https://t.co/grm9i9HUgA
The remarkable story of how a talented young rookie has sprung from the sidelines into #IndyCar's champion team for 2024 ⬇️ https://t.co/h6GVRltHxL
Jenson Button will make his series debut at the #IMSA Petit Le Mans finale. Driving the JDC-Miller Motorsport’s customer Porsche 963, @james_newbold outlines what the 2009 #F1 champion can expect ⬇️
Strapped in and getting those laps... in! @PatricioOWard is getting busy in Barcelona as part of our Driver Development programme. 👊 https://t.co/5W6saGvanZ
The journey to #IndyCar for Linus Lundqvist has been a long and unconventional one. But after his Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis on Wednesday, everything has come full circle. Full story here⬇️ https://t.co/RhqtpzqLHK
Kyle Larson enjoyed a really meaningful and successful Indianapolis 500 rookie orientation day and is now approved to practice, qualify and race. What everyone involved said today. https://t.co/WcE7sBOUiS
Kyle Larson takes first laps in an IndyCar https://t.co/0RG57kVJhT
It's all @BourdaisOnTrack so far at Road Atlanta with the No. 01 Cadillac leading the way in both the first and second practice sessions of the day. #PetitLeMans #IMSA https://t.co/EXPpyNXXHz
Jeff Gordon is still a race car driver at heart and wants to debrief with Kyle Larson about ROP but his role with the IMS program is the same as what he does with Hendrick -- relationships, sponsors, content, etc. "It's a different Jeff Gordon," Mr. H quips https://t.co/LHKWyGbDhw
Tony Kanaan is coaching Kyle Larson through his Indianapolis 500 preparation and getting him adjusted to the car differences. But TK says Kyle won't remember a lot of details from today come May and encouraged Kyle to just have fun. "Your first time here is special." https://t.co/HXBuMCJNPI
Kyle Larson felt very comfortable in the Indy car at IMS -- it was harder for him to go slow early in the orientation than it was to go faster near the end. https://t.co/OSjSGxVmjF
Kyle Larson said he thinks he did around 220mph in an ARCA car on the Michigan repave and today’s top speed was close if not faster. He said there is so much grip, you don’t feel like you are going 220mph. Says adding about 20mph for qualifying will be different.
Someone at IMS asked Kyle Larson about "Kyle Larson Mode" in a race car. Larson: "I don't know what Kyle Larson Mode is. I feel like Kyle Larson Mode has a lot of over-driving and a lot of mistakes."
Kyle Larson's immediate takeaway from his first time driving an Indy car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway https://t.co/6poDzoZbd5
Kyle Larson after completing his Indy 500 rookie orientation program: "It was fun. The speed and the grip didn't feel scarier than I thought it might. ... It went really smooth." Says he needs to work on details like pit road because the wheel is "slow" to turn.
Kyle Larson has completed Phase 2 of his Indy 500 ROP. By my count, I believe that’s through 37 laps total in both phases (including in and out-laps).
Porsche believes its extensive recent GTP testing program puts it in a strong position for this weekend’s title-deciding #PetitLeMans finale of the #IMSA SportsCar Championship 👇 https://t.co/YtE8G5T3ct
.@MarcusArmstrng after his 1st taste of the @IMS oval: "I enjoyed it a whole lot more than I expected – and that’s not to say I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but the intensity of it, it’s pretty special." https://t.co/SFll06tX3E
Barcelona in a Formula 1 car. Here we go, @ryohirakawa! 👊 The McLaren Racing Driver Development programme driver takes to the track for the first time in papaya. 🏁 https://t.co/sTkhUiKrKU