J.R. Hildebrand Completes Successful Test in Sebring with Genoa Racing

01.16.2008

January 16, 2008  Indianapolis, Ind.

Champ Car Atlantic Series driver J.R. Hildebrand, of Sausalito, California, had a very successful two-day test at the Sebring International Short Course this past weekend with Genoa Racing. He tested alongside fellow Atlantic Series veteran Tom Sutherland and longtime racer Larry Connor with Genoa, as well as both the Forsythe Championship Racing and Jensen Motorsports Atlantic teams.

Hildebrand quickly got acquainted with the team and car after being out of the seat for some time due to a post-season injury. Working with team engineer and manager Thomas Knapp on setup for most of the day on Saturday, he was just tenths off the pace of the front-running Forsythe drivers.

"First off, it was great just to get back in the car," Hildebrand said. "I was able to get back into the groove really quickly so we could immediately start working on the car. We got caught out a little by the weather on Saturday, but we made up for it in a big way on Sunday, so I was really pleased with how it went."

With rain looming on Sunday, the team made some productive setup changes right away which allowed Hildebrand to gradually improve his times. He unofficially posted the fastest lap of the test by the end of the morning and continued to outpace the other drivers throughout the afternoon.

"It was good to be down there with Forsythe since they set such a high benchmark, and I was glad that things were so competitive," related Hildebrand. "I would really like to thank Angelo Ferro and the Genoa team for the opportunity to do the test."

Up next for the Champ Car Atlantic Series is the first of three pre-season group tests at the Sebring International Short Course on February 5th and 6th. Hildebrand has yet to confirm his plans for the upcoming year but is rigorously preparing for whatever lies ahead. For more information on him, visit his website at JRHildebrandRacing.com.