CART: Saturday Practice Times Drop As Expected
25 March 2000
By David TrefferContributing Editor-The AutoChannel
HOMESTEAD, FL: Throw out the time sheets from Friday. The engineers have been busy during the overnight hours. Speeds have increased dramatically. Yesterday's best time (26.437 seconds) 204.532 mph set by Tony Kanaan is now only 8th fastest.
Leading the way for the field in this morning's session was Miller Lite Team Rahal driver Kenny Brack. Brack drove his Cosworth powered Reynard to a time of 25.815 seconds for a speed of 209.460mph. For Brack the improvement from Friday to Saturday was a substantial 8/10ths of a second. Also moving up the speed chart was Target driver Juan Montoya who, like Brack, improved over 8/10th's of a second.
The one constant that was being refrained up and down pit row were the changeable weather conditions. The winds that were affecting yesterdays times were diminished this morning as they often do in Florida. By lunchtime the forecast was for more of the same as yesterday. A steady 10-15 mph breeze out of the Northwest.
Third fastest of the morning session was Brack's teammate Max Papis who turned in a best lap of 26.163 seconds for a speed of 206.674 mph. For Papis, who was the fastest man during spring training, the session was an improvement of 6/10th's of a second.
So what will be the answer for this afternoon's qualifying? The temperatures will be pretty much the same as yesterday. The wind could be the one variable that the driver's will have to contend with. Qualifying is alway an interesting time. Some teams will choose to go with working on a race set-up and not really bother with trimming the car. For other teams the prestige of putting their car up front is the goal. Either way it always makes for good theatre.
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