FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Speedway, Ind. – With the start of the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season just under two months away, official testing is underway with the first test taking place over two days at the Sebring International Raceway.
Weather unfortunately was a factor over the two-day test, bringing massive amounts of rain to the 17-turn road course. Even with the rain, Jacob Abel didn’t let that diminish what he and his No. 51 ABEL Construction crew had planned.
“We knew there would be rain, but the amount of rain we had at Sebring over the two days was crazy. We had to adjust our run plans a little bit to account for the rain, but overall I think it was still a very productive test for us,” said Jacob Abel.
Abel wasted no time getting up to speed, topping the charts on day one and ending up second on day two, amongst the 19 competitors taking place in the two-day test.
“Obviously its great being towards the top of the timing sheet and it gives our team a bit of a boost heading into the season knowing that things we worked on in the off-season seem to be paying off. But we also know that this is just testing, and we have to keep digging and trying to find more,” exclaimed Abel.
Driving his freshly liveried No. 22 S Team Motorsports LLC car, Yuven Sundaramoorthy didn’t let the weather affect his plans for the two-days in Florida, completing 149 laps, second most of all drivers participating in the test.
“I’m really happy with how the test went for us, even with the rain on both days. Even though we were hoping to be able to run the entire time in the dry, getting more experience in the rain never hurts,” said Sundaramoorthy.
The rain didn’t stay for the entirety of the testing sessions, as dry conditions made their appearance at the end of the second day allowing for some time on the dry circuit.
“It was great to get a bit of dry running time towards the end of the day and work on some setup items for St. Petersburg, so I would say the test for us was incredibly productive, and I’m excited to get to Laguna (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) and keep working on our setups,” said Sundaramoorthy.
Next up for ABEL Motorsports is the final INDY NXT series test at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on February 5-6 before the team makes their annual trip down to Florida for round 1 on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Keep up with all things ABEL Motorsports by following the team on social media or by visiting www.abelmotorsports.com.
Abel Motorsports including team Principal, Bill Abel, has been competing since 1972. ABEL Motorsports is now on to the third generation with Jacob Abel being the flagship driver for the team. The team was able to capture the inaugural F3 Americas Championship in 2018, and currently competes in the freshly rebranded INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as well as the team’s first entry into the Indianapolis 500 with driver RC Enerson. For more information visit the official team website at: www.abelmotorsports.com