Fernando Alonso Completes Rookie Orientation at Indy

May 3, 2017 Joey Barnes Breaking News, Formula One, Headline News, IndyCar Comments Off on Fernando Alonso Completes Rookie Orientation at Indy
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso has completed his Rookie Orientation Program for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.

The 35-year-old Spaniard took on three phases of ROP with a total of 50 laps and ran a best time of 40.9735 seconds (219.654 mph) around the 2.5-mile oval.

The program for incoming rookies consists of 40 laps that run as follows:

  • Phase 1 is 10 laps over 210 mph.
  • Phase 2 is 15 laps over 215 mph.
  • Phase 3 is 15 laps over 220 mph.

Marco Andretti did a shakedown of the No. 29 McLaren Honda Andretti entry to get a comfortable balance on the car prior to handing it off to Alonso.

The 32-time Grand Prix winner will take on an additional practice day on May 15 for a rookie session before official practice for the Indianapolis 500 gets underway.

A solid first impression for Alonso at Indianapolis as continued testing will happen following a brief break, but the overall test day is expected to be cut slightly short with weather looming.

Fans can view the test at racecontrol.indycar.com.

About Joey Barnes 601 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.
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