1. Open Test at Barber March 12-13 jump-starts action-packed season2. Former rivals working together at Firestone Indy Lights Open Test3. Second Hobbs on the road to Indianapolis 5001. Open Test at Barber March 12-13 jump-starts action-packed season: Things are noticeably different this March for James Hinchcliffe, who enters his second season with Andretti Autosport in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Calmer, more organized and clearer."The winter of 2012, the preseason of 2012 there were so many unknowns with the car and for me with the team, engines, everything," the Toronto native said. "Now there are so many of those that are known quantities, and the things that we're looking over and fighting over now are the small details. We've got so many resources to attack those, where last year we were dealing with the big, massive issues."It's 95 percent sorted so we can now focus on that 5 percent, whereas last year we were 30 percent sorted."Hinchcliffe will continue to work on that 5 percent during the first Open Test of the year March 12-13 at Barber Motorsports Park. The 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) sessions will have real-time Timing & Scoring available on indycar.com.The track time is preparation for the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 22-24 on the 1.8-mile temporary street course plus the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama two weeks later on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn Barber circuit.During both days, IZOD IndyCar Series teams will have the opportunity to practice standing starts, which will be featured during Race 1 of the doubleheader events at Toronto and Houston. The pit box at pit out will be set up with a monitoring and lighting system, allowing drivers to practice the standing start launch."Now it's all on the table; everybody is going to be there on the same track, same days and we'll see how everybody stacks up," Hinchcliffe said.Hinchcliffe, the 2011 series Rookie of the Year with Newman/Haas Racing, posted five top-five finishes and eight finishes in the top 10 in 15 races last season. Third at Long Beach and Milwaukee registered as season bests, while he qualified on the front row at Barber and Indianapolis.Hinchcliffe is confident of additional high finishes, including his first victory, this season. But, at least publicly stated, he won't be pressing for results."There are so many things in this sport that are out of your control, setting specific goals like number of wins is very difficult," he said. "It might sound clich, but as long as I feel we've done the best job that we can and do it week and week out - sometimes hopefully it will be enough to win, some weeks it will be a podium and some weeks it with be an eighth - as long as we feel we've done the best we could on those eighth-place weekends, we'll go home, learn something, figure it out and come back stronger next weekend."Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti also return to the team, which has been augmented by five-year veteran E.J. Viso. The chemistry between the drivers was beneficial in developing the chassis-engine package last season, and Hinchcliffe envisions the camaraderie continuing."Especially last year when we were dealing with the new car, guys working together the results that produces are just so much greater than guys fighting within a team," he said. "If we all work to make the car better, all of us will be higher up the grid. We'll battle each other on the track, but the more we work together off the track the further up the grid those battles will be happening."  2. Former rivals working together at Firestone Indy Lights Open Test: In 2012, Jack Hawksworth, Gabby Chaves and Sage Karam battled each other for the Star Mazda Championship title.On March 7 -- the first day of a two-day Open Test for Firestone Indy Lights teams at Sebring International Raceway -- they were working as teammates under the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports banner."These guys are my teammates, and I'll work with them, but at the same time they want to win and I'm still going to want to win, so they still are my rivals to a certain extent," Hawksworth said. "All three of the drivers are in three really good cars with a really good team. Hopefully we can push each other on and have a good season."Hawksworth, who earned the Mazda Road to Indy scholarship by winning the Star Mazda title, and series runner-up Chaves have signed contracts for 2013. Karam, who finished third in Star Mazda last year, got in laps in the No. 8 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car though he hasn't officially joined the team. He hopes to announce plans for 2013 soon. The season opener is March 23 at St. Petersburg, Fla.Hawksworth drove the No. 77 car that carried Tristan Vautier to the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights title, while Chaves drove the No. 7 car that has earned two of Schmidt's six titles. All three posted times among the leaders in both sessions."We've all been working together pretty well and it's good to have teammates you can learn from and help get the best out of each other," Karam said. "Off the track, I'm sure we'll all remain friends, but I think we'll still race each other hard even though we're teammates."Chaves, who spent a few days with Karam at his home in South Florida before coming to Sebring, has been racing against Karam since they were 10 years old in go-karts. He said having teammates he knows are fast can help the team achieve its goal of defending its series title."They're still going to be my rivals," Chaves said. "Now we're going to have to push each other harder because we know we'll have the same conditions. We're still going have to work together because we want the team to do well."3. Second Hobbs on the road to Indianapolis 500: Three decades apart, another Hobbs is on the road to competing in the Indianapolis 500.Andrew Hobbs, after successful competition in the Skip Barber Summer Series, has joined ArmsUp Motorsports to compete in the Mazda Road to Indy's Cooper Tires US F2000 National Championships Powered by Mazda. The season opens next week at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., and continues March 22-24 at St. Petersburg, Fla., as part of the IZOD IndyCar Series race weekend."I am incredibly excited to announce that I will be running with Arms-Up Motorsports this year," Hobbs said. "We've known the team for a long time and we know they put together a very competitive car. Joining the Mazda Road to Indy is a fantastic experience and I'm so happy to be a part of this program that will hopefully take me to the IZOD IndyCar Series. I can't wait to get started."Hobbs, 18, is the grandson of David Hobbs, who made four starts in the Indianapolis 500 (best finish of fifth) in the 1970s, among an international motorsports career that also include Formula One, sports cars, touring cars and Can-Am. Most recently, he's been an F1 broadcast commentator.Andrew Hobbs' birthday is May 25 - a day before the 75th running of the 500 Mile Race."Coming as he did from go-karts and then into Skip Barber, the Road to Indy is a natural progression for Andrew," David Hobbs said. "Like his grandfather before him, open-wheel racing is his first choice and what better goal than the most famous and biggest race in the world."The Milwaukee native will drive the No. 15 Pulse car. Pulse is a rear-end deterrent that pulses the third brake light when the driver steps on the brake pedal."We tested Drew straight out of his first three-day racing school, where he made a great impression on the team," said Gregg Borland, owner of the Milwaukee-based team. "We've kept an eye on his progress in Skip Barber and then tested him again last fall in the USF2000 car.  He immediately impressed us with his technical feedback along with his outright pace."We are facing a bit of an uphill battle at Sebring due to the late start, but the whole team has confidence that Drew will be a contender in the championship this year."                                                   ***The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season opens with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 24 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be televised live at noon (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, on SiriusXM and www.indycar.com. The 2013 Firestone Indy Lights season begins March 23 on the streets of St. Petersburg. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 11 a.m. (ET) on March 24, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.