Armaan on pace at the Auto Speedway

Fontana (California), April 18 (IANS) India's Armaan Ebrahim had his first taste of an oval circuit in the United States as he warmed up to the challenge by getting up to speed after a few tentative laps around the 3.22 Kms long Auto Club Speedway during the Firestone Indy Lights test session here.

Following his first session on track Tuesday, Ebrahim, sponsored by JK Tyre, admitted that it was a totally different type of racing than he was used to.

'The first few laps were a little hairy for sure, but the car stuck well to the track and I got comfortable quite a bit quicker than expected. I tried a few different lines and was running flat to the floor all the way around after about ten laps,' he said.

Speeds were quick too, with Armaan turning laps at better than 188 MPH which when running alone without a drafting partner would have qualified him in the top five or six cars on the day.

Driver coach, team owner and Indy car veteran driver Tyce Carlson was impressed with the rookie's ability to adapt so quickly.

'I think he did a great job for his first time on an oval. He was very consistent and was able to run flat for most of the day. We were very happy with the test today.'

Two more oval test days lie ahead as the teams prepare to compete on the ovals in the next three rounds of the Indy Lights Championship. May 25, the attention will be on the historic 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of The Freedom 100, the primary support race to the Indianapolis 500 (May 27).

Commenting on racing at Indy, Ebrahim said: 'I'm really looking forward to the month of May in Indianapolis. It's the biggest race of the year for us and my crew has a lot of winning experience at this track.

'We are all getting pretty pumped for this race and today went a long way to justify our chances. It's going to be a great month and we will be ready!'