Enrique Bernoldi became the 11th driver to pass the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program on the second and final day devoted to newcomers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.
By completing the program, Bernoldi joins Australian Will Power, Jaime Camara, Jay Howard, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alex Lloyd, Hideki Mutoh, Graham Rahal, Oriol Servia, E.J. Viso and Justin Wilson in being able to practice at any speed in preparation for the 92nd running of the Indy 500.
Alex Lloyd of the No. 16 Dallara/Honda/Firestone topped the speed chart with a fast lap of 40.3528 seconds/223.033 mph on the historic 2.5-mile oval, while Hideki Mutoh was second and KV Racing Technology teammates Will Power and Oriol Servia were third and fourth, respectively.
Toowoomba-born Power, who will head to his home race the Gold Coast Indy 300 with the IndyCar Series in October, topped the time-sheets during yesterday’s opening day.
The Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program requires first year drivers wishing to contest the Indianapolis 500 to compete four phases.
Drivers must turn 10 laps of 200-205 mph, 205-210 mph, 210-215 mph and 215+ mph while demonstrating consistent car control. The first three phases must be completed on the first two days the track is open while the fourth phase may be completed during practice later in the month.
As at the close of today’s action, all of the rookies had completed the four phases except Mario Dominguez and Mario Moraes, who have completed three of the four phases of ROP and may complete the final phase later in the month, while veterans Davey Hamilton and Max Papis completed refresher tests.
The only incident came just before 1 p.m. when Jaime Camara spun entering Turn One and made moderate contact with the SAFER Barrier. Camara was transported to Methodist Hospital for X-rays as a precautionary measure. The results were negative, and he will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
The track opens to all drivers tomorrow for practice for the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500. The top 11 starting positions, including the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by AutoZone, will be determined over the weekend.
The month of May festivities will culminate with the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 later this month. The event is a major stop in the 2008 IndyCar Series calendar - a schedule that is the most diverse in world motorsports.
The 2008 schedule will take the teams and drivers to short ovals, superspeedways, and road and street courses including the Gold Coast Indy 300 which is regarded as a ‘crown jewel’ in international motorsport.
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