CART: Michael Andretti tunes up for season opener
16 March 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola), no stranger to
success on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway, completed 125 test miles
on
the 1.502-mile oval last Thursday in preparation for the season-opening
Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota, March 24-26.
Despite windy conditions, Andretti ran a top lap of 25.61 seconds, one-tenth faster than the quickest time of 25.76 seconds recorded by Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) during Spring Training at Homestead last month. Andretti is a two-time winner (1997, '98) in FedEx Championship Series competition at Homestead and also recorded a runner-up finish there last year.
"The conditions weren't the best because of the high winds, but despite that, we have learned a lot since Spring Training," Andretti said. "The car feels great. All of the elements are coming together for a great season. We always set our goals [for the next season] high during the off-season, but our testing has given us a good level of confidence. The Ford and the Lola have been working well. The team has been working well and I am ready to race. The competition is going to be tough, but I think we are in the best shape we have been in the past four years."
Andretti's Newman/Haas Racing teammate, Christian Fittipaldi (Big Kmart Ford Lola), is wrapping up the team's off-season testing schedule today on the road course at Homestead.
Text provided by T.E. McHale
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