CART: Mercedes and Moore Start Strong in Detroit
6 August 1999
Penske Announces Drivers for 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series
Player's/Forsythe driver Greg Moore and Mercedes-Benz earned the
fourth spot on the grid during provisional qualifying today for the Detroit
Grand Prix at the Raceway on Belle Isle Sunday, Aug. 8. Paul Tracy is the
provisional pole-sitter with a lap of 74.269 seconds (113.716 mph). Tracy,
Juan Montoya and Michael Andretti stand between Moore and a
second-consecutive pole at this race. Moore's best lap was 74.450 seconds
(113.440 mph).
Soon after completion of provisional qualifying, Marlboro Team
Penske announced that Moore and Gil de Ferran will be the team's drivers
for the 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series. The move will mark a return
to the Mercedes family for de Ferran, who won his first CART race in 1995
at Laguna Seca (Monterey, Calif.) with Mercedes-Benz power.
Moore's Player's/Forsythe teammate Patrick Carpentier, and PacWest
Racing/Motorola pilot Mark Blundell, also used the Mercedes-Benz IC108E
Phase III (E3) engine to earn spots in the top 10 during the first day of
qualifying. Carpentier's best lap of 75.182 seconds (112.335 mph)
temporarily puts him eighth on the grid. Meanwhile, Blundell was able to
run a quick lap of 75.240 seconds (112.249 mph) in his first race back
after missing several weeks due to an accident during testing earlier in
the year. He is ninth in the field.
Gonzalo Rodriguez was impressive in his first competitive outing in
the Marlboro Team Penske Mercedes as teammate to Al Unser Jr., as he posted
the 11th-fastest time at 75.432 seconds (111.963 mph). He is followed
closely by Hogan Racing's Helio Castro-Neves, who recovered from a crash in
turn two during morning practice to post the 12th-best time of 75.581
seconds (111.742 mph).
PacWest Racing/Hollywood/Mercedes driver Mauricio Gugelmin was 16th
in the field despite minor braking and tire problems. He posted a best lap
of 75.955 seconds (111.192 mph). Unser Jr. posted the 18th-quickest time
today with a 76.423-second lap (110.511 mph).
Practice resumes tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., while final qualifying
begins at 1:30 p.m. The race begins Sunday at 3 p.m., and it will be
televised beginning at 4 p.m. on ABC-TV.
Mercedes Quotes
Greg Moore, No. 99, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone (Fourth/74.450
seconds)
"We had a good practice this morning. I think we're looking pretty
good for qualifying. I missed it in a couple of spots, so there are a
couple of tenths more we can get out there. We learned a few things out
there for tomorrow."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone
(Eighth/75.182 seconds)
"It's not too bad. We had a loose condition, but the car was
fairly decent. We can go faster tomorrow. We can make improvements and be
far better. We're working on it pretty hard. We'll try to be in the top
10 tomorrow."
Mark Blundell, No. 18, PacWest Motorola Mercedes/Firestone (Ninth/75.240
seconds)
"It's not Sunday afternoon, so we'll have to wait and see. I'm
taking it step by step. We'll see if we can push ourselves up in the
group. I'm not race fit yet, but the only way to get race fit is to get
back in the car. I'm feeling it physically. But, what I lack physically I
hope to make up for in determination."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 9, Hogan Racing Mercedes/Firestone (12th/75.581
seconds)
"Turn two is really tricky. I was so comfortable in the beginning,
but the car just snapped around and the rear went straight into the wall.
When you have a big hit like that it takes a while to recover. This track
is tough. We have to get back to where we are comfortable and confident
again. I know we have a fantastic car. I just needed a little more time."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17, PacWest Hollywood Mercedes/Firestone
(16th/75.955 seconds)
"We had a few dramas this morning. We had a leaking seal. We had
a brake problem. We were chasing the balance a little bit. We used the
setup we had for Toronto and it was terrible. We made some improvements.
We just had a bad day."
Provisional Qualifying, Detroit Grand Prix
The Raceway at Belle Isle, Detroit, Mich.
Aug. 6, 1999
Pos. Driver Engine Time Speed
1 Paul Tracy Honda 74.269 113.716
2 Juan Montoya Honda 74.363 113.573
3 Michael Andretti Ford 74.405 113.509
4 Greg Moore Mercedes-Benz 74.450 113.440
5 Gil de Ferran Honda 74.683 113.086
6 Bryan Herta Ford 74.872 112.801
7 Tony Kanaan Honda 74.986 112.629
8 Patrick Carpentier Mercedes-Benz 75.182 112.335
9 Mark Blundell Mercedes-Benz 75.240 112.249
10 Max Papis Ford 75.352 112.082
11 Gonzalo Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz 75.432 111.963
12 Helio Castro-Neves Mercedes-Benz 75.581 111.742
16 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 75.955 111.192
18 Al Unser Jr. Mercedes-Benz 76.423 110.511