Catchfence

Indianapolis, IN (May 14, 2011) - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing managed to get some valuable first laps in for opening day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the weather rolled in. The team’s drivers Justin Wilson (No. 22 Z-Line Designs), Paul Tracy (No. 23 WIX Filters), Ana Beatriz (No. 24 Ipiranga), were all able to log some laps before the rain fell, but unfortunately Davey Hamilton (No. 11 HP) was unable to get any track time.

Today was a good start for the month for Wilson and Tracy. Both drivers were able to get out on track and record some laps before the rain rolled in. Justin only did one run for the day, but fortunately it was a successful one. He was able to shake the car down and recorded a speed of 222.360 mph, making him the 10th fastest for the day. After the first run, the No. 22 Z-Line Designs crew came back to the garage to make some changes to the car, but weather came in and Wilson was unable to get back out.

It was a similar story for WIX Filters pilot, Tracy. The Canadian got right up to speed and the car felt completely comfortable with each change that the team made. He was able to get a few good runs in and call it a day. Tracy was 11th quickest with a speed of 222.295 mph.

Although track time was limited, that didn’t hinder Ana Beatriz too much. The Brazilian was able to get out on track and dust off the cobwebs. As she worked on getting up to speed, Bia was unable to get a read on her dash. She was able to run a couple of laps before she had to come in to try to fix the problem. The No. 24 Ipiranga crew brought the car back to the garage to makes some changes and work on the car, but the rain started to fall and she wasn’t able to get back out. She was the 22nd fastest with a top lap speed of 220.537 mph.

It was a different situation for Davey Hamilton. The pilot of the No. 11 HP machine was unable to log any laps today. The veteran driver was set to run last out of the other three DRR drivers. After the others did their first run in practice, the team found a problem on all of the cars and didn’t want to take the chance, so they not only made the change to all three, but to Davey’s as well. When it was time to go back out, the weather set in and he was unable to get on track. Fortunately, the track dried, but as the team rolled the No. 11 HP car out to pit lane it started to rain again.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will be on track tomorrow for day two of practice for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. For more updates on the team, please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.

What they have to say about the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500…

Justin Wilson, No. 22 Z-Line Designs: “Today was alright. We only did one run and it was okay and the Z-Line Designs car felt okay. It was good to get back out on track and to shake the car out. It would have been nice to really get into it, but we were getting up to speed and we brought the car back to get checked out and to make a couple of changes and then the weather came in. I’m looking forward to getting back out tomorrow and to get more miles.”

Paul Tracy, No. 23 WIX Filters: “The first day on track was great. I’m really, really happy with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and with the work that they have done preparing the WIX Filters car for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. It was just a seamless day today. We went out with a test plan in mind and we made four individual changes. Every change made the car a little bit better and a little bit better and we ended up at 222.295. We were 11th quick and Justin was 10th, so overall I’m pretty happy with where we ended up and we will keep working tomorrow.”

Ana Beatriz, No. 24 Ipiranga: “It was good to be back in the car. We did one lap time just to see how the car felt and we stopped. The speed didn’t show up on my dash, so we tried to work it out for a couple of minutes and we couldn’t find it. So, we went back out there to really feel the car at a high speed and it felt great, but because we couldn’t see the speeds that I was actually doing and if I was improving and getting better, we decided to pit to fix the problem. We went back to the garage to set the car down. This is the first day and we want to make sure that we can get all of the problems fixed today so that we can start tomorrow strong. It started raining today so unfortunately we were unable to get back out, but we have extra tires for tomorrow, and I hope we will be able to use them all.”

About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is entering its 12th season of full-time competition in 2011, making it one of the longest-tenured teams in IZOD IndyCar Series competition. Current Co-Owners, Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl, first teamed in full-time competition at the Walt Disney World Speedway in January of 2000. With Buhl behind the wheel, the two owners tasted victory in their debut race. The 2009 IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener, on the streets of St. Petersburg, marked Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s 200th series start. DRR now has over 270 starts to tuck under its belt and has qualified a total of 27 cars for the Indianapolis 500. In its history, the team has boasted a championship list of alumni drivers. Besides Buhl, the team has run Indianapolis 500 winners, Al Unser, Jr., Buddy Lazier, and Buddy Rice, along with IZOD IndyCar Series race winner, Ryan Briscoe. The team has one of the longest lines of heritage in American open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 as Dennis Reinbold’s grandfather, “Pop” Dreyer, built leading roadsters that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

More information on the team can be found at www.dreyerreinboldracing.com.

More information on the IZOD IndyCar Series can be found at www.indycar.com.

- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Press Release