Catchfence

INDIANAPOLIS (August 19, 2010) – Conquest Racing will be looking to finish off the road and street course portion of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season with strong results at this weekend’s Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Conquest’s Bertrand Baguette put in his best performance of the season at the previous round at Mid-Ohio. The young Belgian driver is hoping he can continue on his upward swing on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course of Infineon Raceway and record another season best.

For a second race in a row, Baguette will be visiting a track that he has previously set wheels on. The driver of the #36 Ice-Watch Dallara jumped aboard his teammate’s car during the final hour of a test session at Infineon Raceway last week in order to learn the track. Despite limited time behind the wheel, the Belgian was encouraged with his performance ahead of this weekend’s race.

Conquest Racing was taking part in the one-day test at the Sonoma track in order to give their newest driver, Francesco Dracone, some extra time behind the wheel of the Dallara/Honda.

Dracone, who made his IZOD IndyCar Series debut two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio, may be faced with a steep learning curve but he is enjoying the experience and the chance to get some mileage behind the wheel of the #34 Conquest Racing machine The Italian has also progressed well since his first time in the car less than a month ago.

The Indianapolis-based team will also be trying to put an end to the string of bad luck that has hit them at Infineon Raceway in the past. In 2008, Enrique Bernoldi suffered a thumb injury that put a premature end to his season and last year, Conquest and driver Nelson Philippe were involved in a horrific crash that also ended Philippe’s season early.

Baguette and Dracone will be making their official debut at Infineon Raceway on Friday, August 20 with a one-hour practice session starting at 3:00 p.m. PT. Qualifying for round 13 takes place Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT and will be preceded by another one-hour practice from 11:30 a.m. PT.

Teams will get a 30-minute warm-up at 10:15 a.m. PT before the green flag drops on the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at 2:45 p.m. PT. The race will be broadcast live on VERSUS starting at 5:00 p.m. ET with the pre-race show.

Conquest Racing Quoteboard:

Bertrand Baguette, No. 36 Ice-Watch, RACB Dallara / Honda / Firestone

“I was able to do about 15 laps in my teammate’s car at the test last week, it’s not a lot but it’s better than nothing. It helped me discover the track and it gave me a good idea of what to expect this week. I thought it was going to be less bumpy than it actually is. There’s this big bump in Turn 1 that makes it difficult to get a good line for Turn 2. But other than that it is a very nice track, with lots of elevation changes and fast and slow corners, like the last hairpin. It’s a fun track to drive on.

“We had a good car at Mid-Ohio, so I am confident heading to Sonoma that we will have another good weekend.”

Francesco Dracone, #34 Conquest Racing Dallara / Honda / Firestone

“I’m looking forward to the race this weekend in Sonoma. Infineon Raceway is a beautiful track with many elevation changes. It’s challenging but also very fun to drive. It was good to be able to test there last week and get more time in the car. I feel more and more comfortable and I am happy with the progress I have made so far even if there is still more to be made. I’m enjoying every moment that I am in the car and hopefully I can give Conquest and myself a good result this weekend.”

- Conquest Racing Press Release