McIntosh Endures Engine Trouble During Indy Test

Woman of pressdog® Shannon McIntosh participated in a Road to Indy test on the IMS road course with Pabst Racing Services. Two questions, 1) is "Pabst" related to the beer and 2) is Pabst the team of 2012 for Shantastic? I'll get on that, while you read this news release:

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEST FOR MCINTOSH A STRUGGLE

Testing At IMS Doesn't Go As Planned But Shannon McIntosh Remains Optimistic

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 31, 2011) – Mazda Road to Indy driver Shannon McIntosh had a flurry of emotion as she sped across the 100-year-old “Yard of Bricks” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in her USF2000 machine this past weekend during a two-day test as apart of the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test. 

"After testing at 'The’ Indianapolis Motor Speedway, my feelings are on both sides of the fence,” said McIntosh, making her first public appearance in a Pabst Racing Services race car. “Testing at a place that I've spent a lot of time dreaming about from the sidelines on Memorial Day weekend was surreal. Driving down the front stretch, over the bricks, seeing the pagoda and thousands of grandstands was an amazing sight.”

McIntosh, one of over 30 cars testing at the famed Brickyard, had the opportunity to sample equipment from the Pabst Racing Services team following a season spent with Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing. 

“I am extremely happy with the Pabst Racing team,” continued McIntosh. “This was my second weekend working with them and I couldn't feel more at home. The guys worked extremely hard and I am confident in the outlook for 2012."

While McIntosh may be very happy with the experience with the Pabst team, McIntosh noted the test wasn’t quite what she expected.

“I'm very bummed that we struggled with engine issues during the two day test at IMS,” said McIntosh. “The problems got continually worse and we spent a lot of time with trial and error looking to identify the root of the problem. This is just a racing thing so we will take it with a grain of salt and continue looking forward.”

Pabst Racing Services was equally happy to have McIntosh despite the difficult test.

"We were really looking forward to the Indianapolis test with Shannon after an impressive test with her at Autobahn a few weeks ago,” said Augie Pabst III, team owner, Pabst Racing Services. “Unfortunately we developed a problem with the engine that we could not correct at the track.  Shannon fought an uphill battle starting with the second session on Friday afternoon."

Remaining optimistic during her testing sessions in true Midwestern fashion, McIntosh carried a memorial on her race car in memory of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon.

The 22-year-old McIntosh toured the 13-turn, 2.5134-mile road course just 60 times as she capped the four-hour testing session and her first laps at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

“The road course itself was an awesome track and I hope to drive there again soon,” said McIntosh.

Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the USF2000 National Championship, presented by Cooper Racing Tires and powered by Mazda, is one of two series part of both the INDYCAR's Mazda Road to Indy ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program.

Comments

[DZ]

Better circuits arnd that track in the future for her I'm sure. Go Shan!

[The Speedgeek]

"1) is "Pabst" related to the beer?"

Roger that. Pabst Racing Services is run by the son of the Augie Pabst that won like a zillion races at Road America and elsewhere back in the '50s and '60s, and who is the direct descendent of the Pabsts who started the brewery back in the late-1800s.

http://www.pabstracing.com/history.html

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20067132,00.html