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CART: Moreno's initial test with Patrick Racing 'fantastic'

27 January 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

After being rained out of his first scheduled test at Laguna Seca Raceway last week, new Patrick Racing driver Roberto Moreno completed his first test with the team Monday on the road course at Firebird International Raceway, and termed it "fantastic".

"We had a fantastic first two days of testing," said Moreno, who recorded a quick time of 47.6 seconds in the Visteon/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard. "We ran a lot of miles, which allowed me to get into the rhythm of being a race car driver again. I was up to speed from the first day. It was just a lot of fun. I was very pleased with the performance of the Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/ Firestone package.

"We tried a lot of different things and made a big improvement the second day. The new Ford-Cosworth engine is definitely a better engine; it has a very good, wide power band. I was also very pleased with the performance of the Firestone tires. They were strong and very durable. We were able to run 60 laps on one set."

Added Patrick Racing General Manager Jim McGee: "This was our first time at Firebird with the new car and the first time we have tested with Roberto and his car. I think it was a very successful test and I am very pleased with the results. We came up with some solid answers here at Firebird and we have a good menu for our next road test at Sebring."

Moreno and Patrick Racing teammate Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) moved to Phoenix International Raceway for test sessions Tuesday and today. The team's testing program continues at Sebring on Feb. 5-6, just prior to CART's fifth annual Spring Training test sessions, Feb. 9-10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Text Provided by CART

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