Giaffone

JOLIET, Ill. -- Felipe Giaffone, injured in a racing accident at Kansas Speedway on July 6, returned to the cockpit of the No. 21 Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Toyota-powered Panoz G Force, joining teammate Tora Takagi and the No. 12 Pioneer/Mo Nunn Racing Toyota-powered Dallara on Wednesday for the first of two days of testing at Chicagoland Speedway.

Giaffone, who had surgery July 7 at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to repair the broken right femur and pelvis he suffered after contact with Dan Wheldon and, subsequently, the Turn 2 wall at Kansas, drove some 200 trouble-free miles today and clocked a fast lap of 25.02 seconds around the 1.5-mile high-speed tri-oval. He planned to continue testing Thursday, and then return to race weekend action at Chicagoland for the Sept. 7 Delphi Indy 300.

"It feels really good to be back in the Hollywood car," said Giaffone, who finished fourth in IRL points last season. "I might be a little bit sore in the morning since I haven't driven in seven and a half weeks. But today, after a couple of runs, I was back where I think I should be."

"Of course, in the beginning, you just have to go and do it and not think about all that you've been through. But then, after a few runs, it was back to business."

Takagi, meanwhile, put in his first day of testing ever on a high-speed oval with the Dallara chassis he debuted at Gateway Raceway near St. Louis on Aug. 10 after racing a Panoz G Force chassis at the first 10 events in this his first season on the IRL IndyCar Series circuit. Takagi also put in some 200 trouble-free miles and reached a fast lap of 25.1 seconds.