EBRAHIM UP TO SPEED QUICKLY ON FIRST AMERICAN OVAL RUN

To the casual observer, one would have never known that Team Fan Force United's Firestone Indy Lights Series driver Armaan Ebrahim was spending his first ever test day on an American oval circuit. He took to the course carefully and within just a few laps, was laying down times that he and his team were very proud of.

Tuesday, American IndyCar held its first open test day for the Indy Lights competitors on the 2.0 mile / 3.22 km Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, California. After a challenging weekend in Long Beach, Armaan and the team were hungry for some success; and success is exactly what they found.

Following his first session on track, Ebrahim admitted that this was a totally different type of racing than he was used to. "The first few laps were a little hairy for sure, but the #24 JK Tyre Dallara stuck well to the track and I got comfortable quite a bit quicker than expected. I tried a few different lines and was running flat to the floor all the way around after about ten laps."

Speeds were quick too, with Armaan turning laps at better than 188 miles per hour which, when running alone without a drafting partner, would have qualified him in the top 5 or 6 cars on the day. Driver coach, team owner and IndyCar veteran driver Tyce Carlson was very impressed with the rookie's ability to adapt so quickly. "I think he did a great job for his first time on an oval. He was very consistent and was able to run flat for most of the day. We were very happy with the test today."

Two more oval test days lie ahead as the teams prepare to compete on the ovals in the next three rounds of the Indy Lights Championship. On May 25th, all the attention of the racing world turns to the historic 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of The Freedom 100, the primary support race to the Indianapolis 500 (May 27).

Commenting on racing at Indy, Ebrahim said, "I'm really looking forward to the month of May in Indianapolis. It's the biggest race of the year for us and my crew has a lot of winning experience at this track. We are all getting pretty pumped for this race and today went a long way to justify our chances. It's going to be a great month and we will be ready!"