Gary Sheehan got some seat time in a Barber Dodge Pro car for the first time at Sebring International Raceway. Sheehan is coming off of three consecutive successful years in the Bridgestone Racing School Formula 2000 Championship and was looking to get a feel for the more powerful and grippier Barber Dodge Pro cars.

The Barber Dodge Pro cars are a big step up in performance compared to the Forumala 2000 cars Sheehan is familiar with. More than twice the horsepower, big slick racing tires, a six speed sequential gearbox and a lot more mechanical and aerodynamic adjustability make for a much more complex and capable race car. Sheehan did a total of four test in the Formula Reynard cars powered by 3.2 liter Dodge engines. By his last day in testing, he was turning laptimes within a second of Barber Dodge Pro series regulars Michael Valiente and Roger Yasakawa.

“The cars are way bigger and faster than the F2000′s”, Sheehan said. “It took a little while for me to get used to the additional acceleration, braking and cornering forces these cars are capable of. They are so much fun to drive! It’s encouraging to see that I’m not too far off the pace of the front running guys in the series and there is still a lot for me to learn in these cars. Now it’s just a matter of getting the funding together to run a full year in these cars.”