Hildebrand Travels the World in Search of Seat Time

02.08.2009

J.R. Hildebrand, from Sausalito, California, again joined Team USA at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport weekend in Taupo, New Zealand, driving in both rookie test sessions preceding the weekend's event. He joined a large contingent from Andretti Green Racing, all focused on learning how to get the most out of the Ferrari-powered A1GP machine.

Hildebrand and the team arrived on Wednesday but had very little time to prepare, as much of the series' cargo didn't arrive until later that day. Unfortunately this would mean that, like the previous race weekend, he was still without a seat of his own. The team worked diligently to modify what they had to try to make him more comfortable in the car, and arrived at a satisfactory compromise prior to heading out to the track.

The team began the first 30 - minute session with the setup modified only slightly from the previous race at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hildebrand was poised to set the quickest time of the session before the red flag flew on his final lap, leaving him a still-impressive fourth on the timing charts. Heading into the second and last rookie session, the team tried an alternate setup in an effort to increase grip. The changes were effective but allowed for only short stints on track between pitstops and the numerous yellow flags. Hildebrand ended the session ninth fastest, unable to put in a clear full lap, but displayed the car's potential by posting the quickest Sector One time for much of the session.

"I was fairly pleased with how things went," said Hildebrand. "The first setup was pretty good because it was well sorted, while the second setup had more potential but needed to be worked out a bit more. We could have easily been in the top five in both sessions, but ended up with poor track position at the end of both sessions and were working on the car quite a lot in the second session in particular. Overall I felt like we were making good changes and learning a lot about how different things affected the car."

After his brief stint in the cockpit, Hildebrand handed over the reins to AGR Indy Car Series driver Marco Andretti and stood by to listen and continue to give feedback while Marco completed the remainder of the weekend. Hildebrand's Indy Lights engineer Blair Perschbacher was joined by Indy Car lead engineer Peter Gibbons and assistant engineer Nick Snyder in a continuing attempt to sort out the more European-style A1GP car. Marco had mixed results with little track time available, but the team all worked well together to learn about the car and what it needed. After a disappointing qualifying session, Andretti, Hildebrand and the rest of the team were at least consoled with the best setup and racecar thus far this season in the feature race at the end of the weekend. With just a bit more time on track, Team USA will surely be a strong contender in the future events.

"It was exciting for me to have the chance to work closely with all of the AGR engineering staff," Hildebrand said. "I enjoyed being a part of the rest of the weekend even after I got out of the car, and thought that the challenge of continuing to sort out the setup was quite interesting and intriguing. I'd like to thank Andretti Green Racing along with everyone on Team USA for allowing me the opportunity once again to participate, and I look forward to the upcoming events this season."

After returning across the Pacific Ocean, J.R. made a brief stop over in Los Angeles to meet with sponsors, and then continued his travels cross-country to Homestead Miami Speedway for a Firestone Indy Lights Test.

"The test at Homestead was a bit of an up-and-down experience. In the first few laps in my car on Thursday, we had an oil pressure problem which basically shut us down for the day," observed J.R. "The weather was perfect on Thursday but the wind really picked up on Friday. Fortunately I was able to get in Sebastian's (teammate Sebastian Saavedra) car on Friday morning and get some good running in, although it was extremely windy. Regardless, it felt great to drive again and I'm looking forward to the upcoming open test here."

The next race for the A1GP Series is scheduled for February 21 - 22 in Kyalami, South Africa. With a busy schedule ahead, Hildebrand is keen to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead in 2009.