There is no off-season, it seems, for RLR/Andersen Racing, which has spent the last two weeks preparing for the 2008 Indy Pro Series campaign by testing drivers from its ladder system.

In action at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Sebring International Raceway, the team ran regular 2007 pilot Andrew Prendeville alongside two of its Star Mazda protégés - Jonathan Goring and Jonny Baker - as well as Brad Jaeger, who raced Mazda with the team in 2006 before racing against Prendeville in the 2007 IPS.

"It was probably one of the best testing programmes I've ever had," Prendeville said of the two two-day tests, "We had four solid days of testing, and were able to learn some things about the car that we didn't have time to work on during the season. We had set plans for what we wanted to get accomplished during the tests, and we got
through our list. It was very effective."

Jaeger tested the RLR/Andersen IPS car one day at both tracks, switching back to familiar surroundings after contesting the majority of 2007 Indy Pro Series races with Brian Stewart Racing this year.

"The testing went really well at both Homestead and Sebring," he reported, "It was really interesting to see the differences between the car I drove all year and the car I drove at these two test days. Most people think the cars are all the same because it's a spec series, but they can feel totally different depending on the set-up. It's hard to describe the differences, but each set-up has its strengths and weaknesses. I thought we made some good advancements to the car's set-up over the course of the tests, and I enjoyed working with the RLR/Andersen team. It was a great learning experience for me."

The other two other drivers to run with the team were getting their first taste of wheeling an Indy Pro Series car and only drove during the two days at Sebring. Goring and Baker raced full-time with Andersen Racing in Star Mazda in 2007, but received the IPS chance as part of the team's incentive programme.

"I drove an Atlantic car once before so I had something to compare it to," said Goring, who did about 40 laps at Sebring, "The Indy Pro Series car was a bit heavier, [but] it is a great car. I worked with all the RLR/Andersen Racing Indy Pro Series engineers and mechanics. We went over the data and discussed the set-up, and made progress every time we went out. I want to thank Dan [Andersen] very much for the opportunity."

Briton Baker was equally grateful for the opportunity to try the more powerful machine, even though he has no plans to step up to IPS in 2008.

"Dan very kindly offered me half a day in the car as an end-of-season present," he confirmed, "The car was the quickest I have ever driven, but I didn't feel overwhelmed
by it at all. The only thing I struggled with was the downshifting [but], if I had more time in the car, this wouldn't be a problem. However, I approached this test as a fantastic learning experience that would be great as I know where I want to be next year, which is in Star Mazda with Andersen Racing again."

Andersen reported that both Goring and Baker had left a positive impression after their outings.

"We were delighted to be able to test these talented young drivers and, based on their times, we feel they are ready to compete in the Indy Pro Series if they so choose," he said, "They demonstrated their ability to adapt quickly to a much higher horsepower race car. When they do make the jump to the Indy Pro Series, they will be formidable."