Team Green finds comfort zone at Homestead.

Dario Franchitti and the #27 Team KOOL Green crew tested for the first time this year last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, allowing the Scot to put names to faces among his reshuffled line-up.

As well as getting the KOOL-backed Honda-Reynard up to speed, the test was designed to familiarise Franchitti with his crew, which features a number of new faces this season including race engineer Iain Watt and chief mechanic George Klotz.

With the TKG team focusing on the aerodynamic package, Franchitti turned a best lap of 27.1secs while completing 65 laps on Thursday. Twenty-four hours later, he ran another 96 trouble-free laps, recording times consistently in the 26secs range, including a 26.3, which is the fastest time seen at Homestead during winter testing.

"This was a great test for the team," said team manager Kyle Moyer, "We had no mechanical failures on the car and we were able to keep it running quick, even in race balance."

Moyer noted that Franchitti came to the test after spending time in Austria where he was part of a rigorous physical training programme, and added that the Scot was "in the best shape I've ever seen him in."

Franchitti expressed satisfaction with the test and the progress he made in establishing an effective working relationship with his crew.

"I'm starting to get more comfortable with the new guys on my team," he reported, "It is interesting working with Iain and George, my relationship with both of them is building quickly and we're working really well together. I've worked hard on my physical conditioning this winter, and I can see George and the crew have also worked hard on the car. I'm ready to learn even more about the new car in the next couple of weeks."

Franchitti and the #27 TKG team will be testing during seven of the next 17 days. Their test programme resumes on 14-15 February, this time on the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.