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IndyCar Drivers Relax Before Inaugural Surfers Paradise Race

Only days before IndyCar Series' first ever visit to Surfers Paradise, some of the drivers tried to get rid of the pressure by spending their Wednesday morning on an off-road course near Alberton, Australia. Americans Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ed Carpenter and A.J. Foyt IV all tried out the dune biggies around the course accompanied by instructors Chris and Rhyce Western, reports IndyCar News.

“It's a lot of fun. It's a shame that we have to leave just as we're getting accustomed to things, because I could drive these things all day. The beautiful thing about the events they set up for the Surfers race is that they're all so different. I've swam with sharks at Sea World, and I got to do a ride with the Roulettes Air Show and now this off-road buggy thing. Some of the best experiences I've had have been here,” said Hunter-Reay.

The Rahal Letterman Racing driver is one of the few in the newly-former IndyCar Series with a previous win at Surfers Paradise. The circuit is also a well-known territory for Australian drivers like Ryan Briscoe or Will Power. Despite their rookie status this weekend, Carpenter and Foyt IV decided to join their colleague to the off-road course.

“It's fun. Any time you take a race car driver out and let them drive, they get pretty excited. I've never gone and tested another car like this before a race, like this, but it's a good experience,” admitted Carpenter after taking his four-liter V8-powered buggie around the Alberton circuit.

The inaugural Nikon Indy 300 will get under way on Sunday, with the practice sessions starting on Saturday, October 25th. Sebastien Bourdais won the Australian race last year, when comfortably leading the Champ Car Series classification, while also becoming the only driver in the championship to clinch 2 wins at Surfers Paradise.

From the current IndyCar Series drivers' lineup, only Dario Franchitti, Bruno Junqueira, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mario Dominguez have previously managed to win a race in Australia.
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