Briscoe shines at Indy practice

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Ryan Briscoe has further strengthened his credentials as a favourite for next week's iconic Indianapolis 500 race, setting the pace in the latest practice session.

The Sydney driver has already clinched a spot on the front row of the grid, driving for the famed Roger Penske team, which has won the Indy 500 fourteen times.

After rain washed out qualifying last Sunday and much of the mid-week running, teams seized on a break in the weather for more running ahead of the May 25 race.

The 11 drivers who qualified cars on Pole Day last Saturday had a chance to work on their race set-ups, while those who will be fighting for the remaining spots in the 33-car field had to prepare for this weekend's qualifying as well as race day conditions.

In all, 2,628 laps were run in Thursday's session.

Briscoe was the fastest of the day with a lap averaging 223.708 mph, running with a full load of fuel.

Teammate Helio Castroneves of Brazil, a two-time Indy 500 winner, was second-fastest at 223.284 mph.

"We are amazed to get this much time in actually," Briscoe said. "Any time we can get during a rainy month like this is a bonus.

"The big thing was the first chance we had to fill the car up with fuel, run the tires down and see how much consistency we can get out of it and have a feel for what we can do in the race," he said.

While Briscoe and Castroneves are both safely in the starting lineup, Queenslander Will Power was the fastest of the non-qualified drivers, notching the sixth-quickest time of the day.

"Who knows, race day might be like this or qualifying on Saturday may be like this," Power said. "So it was good to go out there and run."