CART: Walker Racing headed to Vancouver with victory in mind

3 September 1999

RACE PREVIEW: VANCOUVER

What: MOLSON INDY VANCOUVER
Round Sixteenth of the 20-races FedEx Championship Series for the PPG Cup

When: Sunday, September 5th, 1999 at 4:00 PM ET.

Where: Concord Pacific Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Monson Indy Vancouver Race takes place on roadways around False Creek in Downtown Vancouver. The site is perfectly suited for racing, using a semi-permanent piece of pavement in amusement park-style venue.

Derrick Walker - Team Owner: "Vancouver, always a pleasure to race in Canada, the fans are so supportive in the past that we enjoy the event. Street race, track position, fuel management and sticky tires."

Vancouver " Fast Facts"

1998 Champion : Dario Franchitti
Defending Polesitter: Dario Franchitti
Distance Track Layout: Reconfigured temporary street-course layout.
Length: to be determined by measurement of OMEGA.
Race Length: 90 laps (tentative).
Track Records: New course layout
Qualifying (one lap):1998, Dario Franchitti  1:04.130 (101.157 mph)
1998 Fast Lap: Helio Castro Neves - 1:06.939 (96.912 mph)

Temporary Street Circuit:  
A very narrow speed envelop. 
City streets are bumpy and crowned. 
There are few places to pass, so a well-executed pit stop can gain you a
few 
positions. 

The Setup: Mechanical grip is important on such a bumpy surface. 

The Driving Style: You can get away with small errors, but not big ones.

Estimated Pit Stops For This Race: 

Approximately every 34 to 38 laps based on fuel consumption. 

Broadcast:
ESPN2       CART Qualifying     1:30 AM ET (early)  (09/5) Sunday
ESPN2       CART 2Day       11:30 AM ET     (09/5) Sunday
ABC         CART Race       4:00 PM ET      (09/5) Sunday
CBC Canada  CART Race           4:00 PM ET          (09/5) Sunday
EuroSport       CART Race       22:00 GMT           (09/5) Sunday

1999 Cart Point Leaders:    (after 15 of 20 races): 
1.  Juan Montoya        172     6.  Greg Moore          97
2.  Dario Franchitti        168     7.  Gil de Ferran       96
3.  Michael Andretti        124     8.  Adrian Fernandez    88
4.  Paul Tracy          122     9.  Max Papis           91
5.  Christian Fittipaldi    101     10.     Jimmy Vasser        80

GIL DE FERRAN # 5 VALVOLINE/CUMMINS - HONDA/REYNARD/GOODYEAR

RACE PREVIEW: VANCOUVER

De Ferran is 7th in the PPG Cup standings with 96 points; has finished on the podium in four races, including a victory at Portland, runner-up effort at Motegi and Cleveland, third at Milwaukee. He also has qualified among the top three drivers for six events, including pole at Motegi and Toronto, second at Cleveland, third at Portland, Road America and Detroit. On the road and street courses, Gil de Ferran currently has the best average starting position - 3.57 - of any driver in the 1999 CART series.

CART: Cars Are 'Works of Art' to de Ferran

Often referred to as CART's "Renaissance Man" because of his wide range of interests, Gil de Ferran admits to a special curiosity about Championship Cars, like his Valvoline/Cummins Honda-Reynard. After all, the $1 million creations are thoroughbreds, producing more than 800 HP with computer-designed aerodynamic shapes.

"I'm definitely fascinated with the machines we race and the technology that is involved in it," says de Ferran. "That has been a part of my attraction to this sport. I think the cars are works of art. They are supreme creations of the human mind, and it is fascinating to me to try to understand everything that is involved in not only making one of those cars, but the technology of racing them. The personal challenge is to be able to take one of those beasts to the absolute limit."

History: Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Honda Reynard) owns top-four finishes in three of four career starts at Vancouver, including podium performances of second in 1995 and third in '97. He also finished fourth in 1996.

NAOKI HATTORI (Rookie) # 15 ALPINE - HONDA/REYNARD/GOODYEAR

RACE PREVIEW: VANCOUVER

Naoki Hattori: "The race in Vancouver will be my third race since my come-back. I will be much more aggressive in driving this time. My left leg has been getting much better and that let me focus on driving much more. In addition, testing in Sebring the past week went very well. I am feeling that some better things may be coming up at this race. My target is to get some points. I am really looking forward to drive well in Vancouver where many Asian racing-fans might come to see our race.'

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.