The Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval will be busy next week, with multiple IndyCar testing programs taking place over the course of three days.
Wednesday, October 11 will see the first on-track running of the week, with Tom Blomqvist, Marcus Armstrong, and Linus Lundqvist taking to the 2.5-mile oval to complete the Rookie Orientation Program.
Kyle Larson will then hit the track on Thursday to complete his own orientation in preparation for his Indy 500 / Coca-Cola 600 double attempt in 2024.
The orientation sessions are a mandatory precaution imposed by IndyCar in order to familiarize the high speeds before allowing them onto the track with a full field of experienced drivers.
Each driver will complete a few laps at prescribed speeds, typically 10 laps between 205 and 210 MPH, in order to get a feel for the car and get comfortable with the low downforce package.
Once the required number of laps are complete, and race control feels the drivers are in sufficient control of their vehicles, they will be allowed to move to a faster speed range.
The process continues until they are running at the full capabilities of the DW-12 chassis and are averaging nearly 230 MPH.
Aside from the rookie testing, there will also be high speed testing conducted of the series’ new hybrid engine package.
Alex Palou and Colton Herta will be driving Honda’s test cars on Thursday, while Will Power and Alexander Rossi will test out Chevy’s version of the new setup.
Power and Palou will hit the track again on Friday, with Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas joining them to sample the new technology on the oval for themselves.
The new hybrid components have been tested at a fair share of tracks over the past couple months in increasingly demanding situations, and many more tests are scheduled throughout the offseason.
The hybrid system is scheduled to be implemented for the full 2024 IndyCar season, and the series wants to make sure the system is as reliable as possible before the first race in March.
