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PREMA sets date for first IndyCar test
The NTT IndyCar Series’ newest entrant has chosen The Thermal Club in January as the site of its first major track test ahead its inaugural season.
Owned and run by Rene Rosin and Angelina Ertsou, the Italian PREMA Racing team has secured Chevrolet engines and the services of Callum Ilott (main image) to lead the program with promising rookie Robert Schwartzman as his teammate.
A shakedown somewhere near PREMA’s new shop in Indianapolis is possible, and afterwards, the pair will log their first serious mileage in California on January 28 along with Andretti Global, provided the date holds.
“It's very fluid at the moment,” Ertsou told RACER. “It's changing almost every day, so even if I tell you something now, it might not be the same thing in a few hours! Honestly, it's been crazy. It's very difficult to tell you now that it's going to happen and if [Therma’s] going to be the first one, or it might not, I don't know.”
For the sake of clarity, PREMA has informed IndyCar of its plan to test at Thermal, and if that were to change, the change would need to be approved by the series in the same way the Jan. 28 date has been accepted and added to the official testing calendar.
“The first race is at the end of February, so if we're not on track in January, I should be worried,” Ertsou added with a laugh.
Marshall Pruett
The 2026 season marks Marshall Pruett's 40th year working in the sport. In his role today for RACER, Pruett covers open-wheel and sports car racing as a writer, reporter, photographer, and filmmaker. In his previous career, he served as a mechanic, engineer, and team manager in a variety of series, including IndyCar, IMSA, and World Challenge.
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