The activities this Friday in Baltimore were affected by problems on the track and between the two reduced practices, Helio Castroneves could only complete 13 laps, earning 12th place overall.

In the morning, preparations for the Grand Prix of Baltimore, 14th and penultimate round of the IZOD IndyCar Series, summed up the three laps. The red flag was needed for a solution to be defined by the drivers and Indycar officials.

The railroad tracks that cross the bump-intensive racetrack, constituted in the most serious problem, though ripples were also present in other parts of the street circuit.

In the area of the tracks, the idea of shaving the site was replaced by an improvised tires chicane, which was approved in the second free practice reduced in half (30 minutes). Tonight, Indycar officials will work on a final chicane.

“It was a shame what happened today here in Baltimore. These track problems should have been already solved, but unfortunately the tests schedules could not be performed as we expected, because our time in the track was too short. In the other hand, it was a good decision to have stopped Practice 1, to avoid a more serious accident. Hopefully tomorrow (Saturday) we can have a normal working day,” said Castroneves

The schedule for this Saturday and Sunday in the Eastern Time zone:

Saturday, September 1
Practice 3 – 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Qualifying – 12:30 am – 1:20 pm

Sunday, September 2
Race: 2:45 Green Flag to 75 laps