CART: Moore, Mo and Mercedes
1 November 1998
Greg Moore, who led the last seasons Marlboro 500, and Mauricio Gugelmin, who set the record for the fastest lap in racing history as he qualified on the pole here a year ago, picked up where they left off in 1997, setting the pace for the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Team during the first day of practice at the two-mile California Speedway.
Greg Moore
Lap times were approximately half a second and 5-6 mph slower than Gugelmins 1997 pole-winning lap of 30.316 seconds (240.942 mph) thanks in large part to the Handford Device, a high-drag rear wing, which debuted earlier this season at Michigan Speedway for the U.S. 500.
Gugelmins PacWest Racing teammate Mark Blundell, who is the defending race champion, turned the sixth-fastest lap of the day in his Motorola Reynard/Mercedes.
In the final event of his rookie CART season, JJ Lehto was 15th, while fellow first-year Champ Car pilot Helio Castro-Neves survived a spin to post the 24th quickest lap time. Marlboro Team Penske drivers Andre Ribeiro and Al Unser Jr. were 17th and 21st, respectively, and Patrick Carpentier was 23rd in the second Players/Forsythe Racing entry.
Morning practice and qualifying are scheduled for tomorrow. Sundays 250-lap, 500-mile race will start at 12:30 p.m. local time and will be televised live on ESPN.
Mercedes Quotes
Greg Moore, No. 99, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Third -
31.089 sec.
"Today is not bad considering we havent tested here. We got a
good tow around the race track. We knew we had a good car coming in here.
At Michigan we ran strong. Here is a similar setup. The only real
difference is here there are some bumps in turn one. You have to change
the setup a little, but not much. With the Handford wing, this race is
going to be just like Michigan."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17 Hollywood Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Fourth -
31.105 sec.
"We filled the tank up to do a long run, and we were in the
middle
of that. About three laps before I had the problem, the engine didnt feel
quite right, not as sweet. Then it went between turn three and four, which
is probably the worst place to have it go. Im happier with the car than I
was at Michigan (Speedway), but weve still got a lot of work to do."
Mark Blundell, No. 18 Motorola Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Sixth - 31.187
sec.
"Were not going too bad. Obviously, whoever gets the tow and
has
the gearing to go with it gets the quick lap times. But were working to
make our car good in traffic. Our car didnt work well in traffic at
Michigan (Speedway), and thats not what you want for the race."
JJ Lehto, No. 9 Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 15th - 31.328
sec.
"We had a big handling problem with the primary car, but the
backup
car was working decently, so I was able to go like I wanted to. We lost a
lot of time with little problems today, and the cars still a little bit
nervous over the bumps. Hopefully, well run clean and get done tomorrow
morning what we were hoping to do today. But I think the qualifying times
are going to be a lot slower. These guys doing 235 (mph-laps) are just
getting an incredible tow."
Andre Ribeiro, No. 3, Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 17th - 31.363
sec.
"We had a good start to our Marlboro 500 weekend. The car is
improving in each session, and were gaining grip. At these kinds of
tracks, the best strategy is to slowly work on setting up the car to get
the best balance for the race. We were in the top ten this afternoon, so
hopefully well be in the top-five tomorrow. The most important thing is
that we are making progress with the Marlboro Penske/Mercedes."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2, Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 21st - 31.593 sec.
"The whole team has been working really hard to get ready for
this
weekend, and we were able to try a number of things with the Marlboro
Penske/Mercedes during todays sessions. we had the car working well in
Michigan, and Andre ran well today, so were optimistic about qualifying
and the race."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone:
23rd - 31.639 sec.
"We didnt get much of a tow. I got behind Tony Kanaan, but I
passed him pretty quickly. We were consistent even in traffic, which is
good. Who gets the best tow is the one who is going to be number one. We
didnt get a tow."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 16 Alumax Reynard/Mercedes/Goodyear: 24th - 31.708
sec.
"I was coming into the pit lane and tried to shift down
through the
gears, but it went from fourth gear to second gear, locked up the wheels,
and I spun. We had some trouble with the gears before. We thought we fixed
it, but obviously we didnt. Thank God I didnt hit anything. Its much
better to have this problem coming into the pits than it is to have it out
by the wall."
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