CART: Homestead hosts numerous tests
10 March 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Homestead-Miami Speedway played host to a bevy of FedEx Championship
Series
teams last week, most of whom were continuing with preparations for the
season-opening Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota, March
24-26
on the 1.502-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval. A total of 12 teams and
17
drivers participated in test sessions during the week, including defending
FedEx Championship Series champion Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) of
Target/Chip Ganassi Racing.Others participating in the tests included Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola), Montoya's Target/Chip Ganassi Racing teammate; Patrick Racing teammates Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) and Roberto Moreno (Visteon/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard); Marlboro Team Penske's driving tandem of Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) and Helio Castro-Neves (Marlboro Honda Reynard); Player's Forsythe Racing teammates Patrick Carpentier (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) and Alex Tagliani (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard); Mo Nunn Racing driver Tony Kanaan (Panasonic Mercedes Reynard); Della Penna Motorsports driver Richie Hearn (Ziff Davis Toyota Reynard) and Walker Racing rookie driver Shinji Nakano (Avex Honda Reynard).
"I think we are in very good shape as far as starting the season," said Fernandez, whose session Saturday at Homestead was part of a 1,300-mile week of testing for Patrick Racing at Homestead and Phoenix International Raceway. "During the off-season testing program, the Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford-Cosworth has run without any major problems. We won't really know what we have until we start racing, but I am confident we will have a good season. We have a good baseline for the Miami race, but most important, we have a good team structure and good personnel. We are better organized and prepared as a team, plus, Roberto and I work very well together. I am very confident going into the start of the season."
De Ferran and Castro-Neves combined to put more than 700 miles on their Champ Cars during two days of testing.
"We had a very positive test, and I feel we're well prepared for the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami [Presented by Toyota]," de Ferran said.
"We left Spring Training [Feb. 8-10] with a few ideas of how we could tweak the Marlboro car and the car responded to the changes. During the race simulation, the car was fast, consistent and reliable, so we're all looking forward to the race and getting the season off to a good start."
Testing also took place on the 2.18-mile road course at Homestead, with Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) and Carpentier among those participating. "We were just working on basic setups and didn't really work toward adapting the car to the track for a fast lap," said Andretti, who is concluding a three-day test on the Homestead oval today.
"We were working on different concepts and making big changes that take between one and two hours. You can't do those kinds of things during a race weekend. Overall, I was pretty happy with the car at the end of the test."
Carpentier said the Player's Forsythe Team made substantial gains during a day-long session at the road course last Thursday.
"We were able to make a lot of progress on the Homestead road configuration, especially on the fast corners. It shares similarities with the track at Portland, and the work we did here should help us with our setup for that race. I thoroughly enjoyed working with my new engineer [Canadian Michael Cannon]. I think the chemistry on our team is outstanding."
Text provided by CART
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