CART: Roberto Moreno Puts Mercedes Fifth on the Grid in Cleveland
27 June 1999
Top 10s for PacWest and Player's/Forsythe Teams
Roberto Moreno, who has been substituting for the injured Mark
Blundell in the PacWest Racing Motorola Mercedes for the past several weeks
due to injuries Blundell suffered in a testing accident, qualified fifth
for Sunday's Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland on the 2.106-mile temporary
Burke Lakefront Airport circuit. Moreno's time of 57.478 seconds (131.904
mph) came late in the session as Juan Montoya earned the pole position for
the race with a lap of 56.813 seconds (133.448 mph).
Moreno was one of four drivers utilizing the Mercedes-Benz IC108E
Phase III (E3) engine to qualify in the top 10. Both Player's/Forsythe
Racing Mercedes drivers, Patrick Carpentier and Greg Moore, will start
immediately behind Moreno in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Meanwhile, Moreno's PacWest teammate, Hollywood Mercedes driver Mauricio
Gugelmin, will start ninth.
Carpentier's quickest time was 57.540 seconds (131.762 mph), which
was only one-thousandth of a second quicker than Moore, whose best effort
was a lap of 57.541 seconds (131.760 mph). Gugelmin's quick lap was 57.597
seconds (131.632 mph).
Marlboro Team Penske's Al Unser Jr. will start 14th thanks to a
58.105-second lap (130.481 mph). He'll be followed closely by Hogan Racing
driver Helio Castro-Neves, who is in the 17th spot with a lap of 58.196
seconds (130.277 mph). Marlboro Team Penske rookie Tarso Marques will
start 23rd, having switched from a Penske chassis to a Lola, similar to
that of his teammate Unser. His quickest lap was 59.385 seconds (127.669
mph).
The start of the race is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (EDT). It will be
televised live on ESPN.
Mercedes Quotes
Roberto Moreno, No. 18, Motorola Mercedes/Firestone (Fifth/57.478 seconds)
"We put new tires on the car, and I just pushed a little harder.
The team got the tires to the right pressure, and I was able to squeeze the
time out of the car. I just went a little extra under braking and pushed
the throttle a little more. The Mercedes engine was superb. The course is
very bumpy. But we got the setup to where the car rides the bumps very
well, so we went much faster."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone
(Sixth/57.540 seconds)
"The Player's team did an excellent job from this morning to this
afternoon. We should be up front tomorrow in the race. We tried something
this morning, and it didn't work. So we went back to our setup from
yesterday, and the engineers were able to improve that some. Now it is
much better. The further back you are on the grid the better your chances
for getting involved in an accident, so we're pretty happy to be near the
front."
Greg Moore, No. 99, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone (Seventh/57.541
seconds)
"This is a very tough race track. You can drive around at one
level all day long, but it takes a lot to get that last little bit and put
in a fast lap. Turn one is very dicey. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll get
through okay. Then we'll see where we can go from there. The track is so
wide that you sometimes get cars six-and seven-wide, so you have to be real
careful for sure."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17, Hollywood Mercedes/Firestone (Ninth/57.597
seconds)
"It was a good day. We made a lot of progress with the balance of
the car. We still need to improve the ride quality because that will be
key to having a consistent car tomorrow. It's one thing to have a single
quick lap-it's another to maintain that speed over the course of the race.
I'm very happy with the direction that we're heading. All in all, it was a
very positive day."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2, Marlboro Team Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear (14th/58.105
seconds)
"Cleveland is always tough on equipment. After yesterday's
qualifying run, we decided to work on race setup so our Marlboro Mercedes
Lola is ready to go the distance tomorrow. It's going to be a very
competitive race given the close qualifying times, so we have our work cut
out for us."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 9, Hogan Racing Mercedes/Firestone (17th/58.196
seconds)
"Racing with this team, I never have any doubt I can go fast
everytime I get in the car. It's just a matter of getting everything
together. Things happen. We just didn't have data from this track since
we've never run here before with the Lola. Plus, there were too many red
flags. This team is awesome. We have a good package. I know that when we
least expect it, good things are going to happen."
Tarso Marques, No. 3, Marlboro Team Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear (23rd/59.385
seconds)
"This morning was my first time in the Marlboro Mercedes Lola at
this track, and obviously we have a lot of work to do on the balance.
After Al's qualifying run yesterday, we decided to switch to the Lola for
today's practice and qualifying. We'll continue to work on the setup
tomorrow morning and hopefully learn more about the car."
Final Qualifying, Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
June 26, 1999
Pos. Driver Engine Time Speed
1 Juan Montoya Honda 56.813 133.448
2 Gil de Ferran Honda 57.017 132.971
3 Michael Andretti Ford Cosworth 57.238 132.457
4 Bryan Herta Ford Cosworth 57.414 132.051
5 Roberto Moreno Mercedes-Benz 57.478 131.904
6 Patrick Carpentier Mercedes-Benz 57.540 131.762
7 Greg Moore Mercedes-Benz 57.541 131.760
8 Paul Tracy Honda 57.575 131.682
9 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 57.597 131.632
10 Dario Franchitti Honda 57.604 131.616
14 Al Unser Jr. Mercedes-Benz 58.105 130.481
17 Helio Castro-Neves Mercedes-Benz 58.196 130.277
23 Tarso Marques Mercedes-Benz 59.385 127.669
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