CART: Moore Leads Mercedez at Cleveland
25 June 1999
Greg Moore was the fastest Mercedes driver during provisional qualifying
today for Sunday's Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland at the 2.106-mile
Burke Lakefront Airport circuit. Moore and the other seven drivers powered
by Mercedes-Benz IC108E Phase III (E3) V8s will have another shot to better
provisional pole-winner Gil de Ferran's time of 57.745 seconds (131.294
mph) during tomorrow afternoon's final qualifying session.
Moore's quickest lap today in his Player's/Forsythe Mercedes was 58.042
seconds (130.623 mph), which was good enough for seventh on the grid so
far. Marlboro Team Penske's Al Unser Jr. is currently 11th in the field
having posted a lap of 58.105 seconds (130.481 seconds). He is followed
closely by PacWest/Motorola/Mercedes Racing driver Roberto Moreno (who has
been substituting for the injured Mark Blundell for the past several
races), who turned a lap of 58.173 seconds (130.329 mph) for the 12th
position.
Moore's Player's/Forsythe teammate Patrick Carpentier is 13th thanks to a
lap of 58.204 seconds (130.259 mph), while PacWest/Hollywood/Mercedes
driver Mauricio Gugelmin is 14th with a lap of 58.367 seconds (129.895
mph). Helio Castro-Neves is 18th on the time sheets having completed a lap
of 58.679 seconds (129.205 mph)
CART practice continues tomorrow from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., while final
qualifying will be held from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. (EDT). The start of the
race is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (EDT). It will be televised live on ESPN.
Mercedes Quotes
Greg Moore, No. 99, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone (seventh/58.042
seconds)
"This was not too bad. We improved from this morning. It's
unfortunate we didn't get a clear run on our last set of tires. We've got
a good place to start from for tomorrow. (On his mid-session spin) I was
just trying to go a little too fast. I kicked up some grass, but it was no
big deal."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2, Marlboro Team Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear (11th/58.105
seconds)
"After the morning practice session we made a number of changes to
the Marlboro Mercedes Lola which paid off. I could hustle the car better,
and we picked up a lot of time. The whole team worked incredibly hard
getting the car ready, and I'm pleased with the progress Goodyear has made.
The field is really tight-a tenth of a second will move us up a lot."
Roberto Moreno, No. 18, Motorola Mercedes/Firestone (12th/58.173 seconds)
"It wasn't bad. We improved a lot. We haven't got the best out of
the car yet. The red flag during the session prevented us from getting a
better lap on our second set of tires. One of the problems here is that
when you follow someone and they cut the corner, they put a lot of dust on
the track and it makes it very slippery. It takes a couple of laps to
clean the track off again. You get your best laps when the track is
clean."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone
(13th/58.204 seconds)
"I'm pretty happy. The front of the car was unstable in the
high-speed corners, but we'll try to fix it. This track only gets used
once a year, so it goes from very slippery to more grip through the
weekend. Plus, there are a lot of bumps. We need to increase our front
stability."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17, Hollywood Mercedes/Firestone (14th/58.367
seconds)
"We had a lot of push due to our aerodynamic package on the car.
The engineers made a change, and it was better. Now I'm fighting to have
better ride quality. Plus, I got in some traffic and we had a number of
yellow flags, so I never got in a fast lap. We're in the fast group
tomorrow, so that should improve things."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 9, Hogan Racing Mercedes/Firestone (18th/58.679
seconds)
"We were put a little bit behind the eight ball with the second set
of tires. The red flag came out just as I was getting into my fast laps.
Obviously, this track is a new setup to us, having never raced here before
with the Lola. We've got a good direction to go for tomorrow, so I'm not
really concerned. There's one more qualifying session during which we can
improve."
Tarso Marques, No. 3, Marlboro Team Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear (22nd/59.089
seconds)
"This is the first time I've driven at Cleveland, and we're
struggling with our setup. We were able to improve the car for qualifying,
but we still have a lot of work to do on the Marlboro Mercedes Penske. I
like the track very much, and I hope we can improve for tomorrow.
Provisional Qualifying, Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
June 25, 1999
Pos. Driver Engine Time Speed
1 Gil de Ferran Honda 57.745 131.294
2 Paul Tracy Honda 57.787 131.199
3 Bryan Herta Ford Cosworth 57.822 131.120
4 Michael Andretti Ford Cosworth 57.853 131.049
5 Juan Montoya Honda 57.882 130.984
6 PJ Jones Ford Cosworth 57.906 130.929
7 Greg Moore Mercedes-Benz 58.042 130.623
8 Christian Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth 58.063 130.575
9 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 58.080 130.537
10 Dario Franchitti Honda 58.103 130.486
11 Al Unser Jr. Mercedes-Benz 58.105 130.481
12 Roberto Moreno Mercedes-Benz 58.173 130.329
13 Patrick Carpentier Mercedes-Benz 58.204 130.259
14 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 58.367 129.895
18 Helio Castro-Neves Mercedes-Benz 58.679 129.205
22 Tarso Marques Mercedes-Benz 59.089 128.308
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