By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter
Ricky Taylor got his first taste of a Verizon IndyCar Series car at the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship stalwart took some laps in Simon Pagenaud’s championship-winning No. 1 PPG Chevrolet for Team Penske at the 2.21-mile course.
The test was a reward from General Motors for his win in the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona alongside brother Jordan, Max Angelelli and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R owned by father Wayne Taylor.
“Every driver dreams to be an Indy car driver,” Taylor said via IndyCar.com. “It can’t hurt to be involved with (Team Penske); there are no negatives to that. To get to know all the guys and get to drive the car and get an actual feel for it in a low-pressure environment is a great opportunity for me. Even if it doesn’t lead to anything, it’s a big learning opportunity.”
Pagenaud was on hand for the test along with nearby Miami natives Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya. The Frenchman was impressed with Ricky’s performance in the test.
“Ricky’s definitely shown that he deserves to drive Indy cars,” said Pagenaud, the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion. “When you get the call to test for Team Penske, it’s really cool. It’s a big honor for him and for us. He’s a super-nice guy and he’s been taking it all in. It’s a great opportunity for him.”
Taylor will rejoin his IMSA teammates at the Sebring International Raceway tomorrow as they test for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18.
The Verizon IndyCar Series will head to Sebring next Wednesday for their final test before the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 12.
