CART: A Pair for Penske Team
6 May 1999
Marlboro Team Penske announced Tuesday that it will field two Marlboro Mercedes Penskes at the May 15 Rio 200 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Veteran two-time FedEx Championship Series champion Al Unser Jr. will drive his customary #2 entry, while Brazilian native and FedEx Championship Series rookie Tarso Marques will campaign car #3. It will mark the first two-car effort of 1999 for Marlboro Team Penske which, prior to this year, had run at least two cars in every FedEx Championship Series season since 1982.While Marlboro Team Penske has entered only one car in each of the first four rounds of the FedEx Championship Series, Unser. Jr. and Marques have both driven for the team this year. Unser Jr. began the year behind the wheel, but sustained a broken right ankle in the season opener at Homestead and missed subsequent starts at Japan and Long Beach. Marques filled in at both events, finishing 14th in his FedEx Championship Series debut at Japan and 25th at Long Beach, before Unser returned at Nazareth. "As I outlined at the pre-season press conference, our long-term plan has been to utilize a young test driver as we continue the development program of the 99 Marlboro Mercedes Penske," said team owner Roger S. Penske. "Tarso did the job for us when he filled in for Al in Japan and Long Beach, and we want to give him more seat time and race experience." Marques, a veteran of Formula 3000 and Formula One competition, looks forward to competing in his homeland. "For sure, it will be extra special to be able to race in my home country of Brazil," he said. "I havent raced there since 1996 in Formula One. Ive never been to the track in Rio, so once again everything will be new for me, but I hope that I can learn the circuit quickly and do my best to help the team. I enjoyed racing in Japan and I look forward to starting my second oval race; at least now I have a better feel for oval racing, especially the re-starts and working the traffic." Unser Jr., whose most recent teammate at Marlboro Team Penske was Andre Ribeiro, another native Brazilian, is anxious to pair up with Marques at Rio. "Im looking forward to running with Tarso for the first time," said Unser, who won the series championship in 1990 and 94. "He did a good job for the team in Japan and Long Beach, and its great that he gets to run in his home country of Brazil for Marlboro Team Penske."
Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.