CART: Walker Racing Nazareth Preview
29 April 1999
GIL DE FERRAN # 5 VALVOLINE/CUMMINS - HONDA/REYNARD/GOODYEARRACE PREVIEW - FACT SHEET: NAZARETH
What: Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota is
Round four of the 20-races FedEx Championship Series for the PPG Cup
When: Sunday, May 2, 1999 . Practice, Thursday & Friday. Qualifying, Saturday.
Where: Nazareth Speedway is located at Nazareth, Pa. The "world's fastest one mile oval", is known for its unique track layout and 34-foot change in elevation. The track is set in the beautiful Lehigh Valley, which provides a scenic backdrop from the 65-foot high grandstands. Fans enjoy a spectacular view of close wheel-to-wheel racing from state-of-the-art seats.
Distance: 225 miles, 225 laps
The Circuit:
-Front stretch is 50' wide and banked 3 degrees
-Turn One is 50' wide and banked 3 degrees
-Turn Two is 60' wide and banked 4 degrees
-Turns Three and Four are 55' wide and banked 6 degrees
-Backstretch is 60' wide and 1200' long with 2.7 degrees banking
-Pit road is 53' wide, 1,200' long and contains space for 42
individual stalls
-The track has an elevation change of 34 feet
-Nazareth Speedway has a warm-up lane 18' wide and 3/4-mile long. This
unique
safety feature provides a lane separate from the racing surface for
drivers
traveling slower than racing speed to warm-up their engines and tires
without
interfering with faster cars.
Broadcast:
Qualifying: Saturday/early Sunday May 2 - ESPN2 -
12:00am-1:00am
Race: Live coverage Sunday, May 2 - ESPN - 12:30 - 2:30 PM
.
Canada - TSN 12:30PM (Live), TV Eurosport at 18:30GMT CART 2day: - Sunday May 2 - ESPN2 - 12:00 to 2:00 PM
1998 Champion : Jimmy Vasser Defending Polesitter: Patrick Carpentier
Track Records:
200 miles record: Nigel Mansell on Sept. 19, 1993. 1:15:37.273, 158.686
mph.
225 miles record: Paul Tracy on April 27, 1997. 1:153:31.337, 118.919
mph.
1999 Cart Point Leaders:
1. Greg Moore 39
2. Adrian Fernandez 33
Gil de Ferran, Walker Racing 33
4. Michael Andretti 32
Gil de Ferran - 1999 Driver Index Report
Race Qualify Start Finish Race Points Rank Miami - Homestead NQ 25th 6th 8 6th Motegi - Japan 1st 1st 2nd 1+16 3rd Long Beach - California 7th 7th 6th 8 2nd
GIL DE FERRAN # 5 VALVOLINE/CUMMINS - HONDA/REYNARD/GOODYEAR
Gil de Ferran's Walker Racing Valvoline/Cummins/Honda/Reynard was again the top Goodyear contender in Long Beach. De Ferran finished a solid fifth, emerging triumphant from a lengthy scrap with Michael Andretti, and is now tied for second in the PPG Cup standings.
History: 1998 De Ferran qualified and finish fourth, 8.016 seconds behind winner Jimmy Vasser. Was his second consecutive fourth-place effort at Nazareth. 1997 he qualified and finish fourth.
Year Qualify Start Finish
1998 4th 4th 4th
1997 4th 4th 4th
1996 17th 17th DNF
1995 18th 18th DNF
Gil De Ferran: " This, to me, is the most difficult mile oval circuit on the schedule. Nazareth is a place where there is very little time to react, you cannot let your concentration go for even one part of one second, because for most of the lap, drivers are in a turn. Fortunately, starting position is not too critical here, it is more important to have a consistent car for the race. Setup of the car is crucial to success, as turn 1 and 2 are very different from the steeper banked turn 3 and 4 area. Everything is so close, it seems you are in tight traffic all of the time. When you are passing another car, or someone is passing you, the wheels are literally inches apart. With the rule changes to the wings configuration, you have to be very careful because with less downforce., there's not as much grip, and the car is more difficult to drive at the limit. It's always tough to race at this place."
Naoki Hattori: "I wish I could race the Champ car at the short oval track in Nazareth. I really wanted to experience racing one of the most toughest oval tracks in the CART series, very heavy traffic and difficult to pass other cars. I am glad that my teammate, Gil, has been doing a terrific job out there in the past three races. I hope that he will keep it up in Nazareth, also."
"By the way, the fractured bones are getting healed as expected, and my rehabilitation has been going well. I started to put some weight on the injured side of my foot, and I will be able to put my whole body weight on it soon. The injured left foot is very important for controlling the clutch, so I am seriously working hard on my rehabilitation program. I have also started working on strengthening and conditioning my upper body and the right leg. My exercise program will be carefully but quickly progressed by my trainer. This may be a long way to go, but I will go back to the race much quicker than expected. I am also starting to taking more English classes to improve my English skills to better communicate with my team crew members."
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