ZAMPEDRI, SALAZAR LATEST TO TEST AT SPEEDWAY

    

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, April 16, 1997 -- Teammates Alessandro Zampedri and
Eliseo Salazar returned to the Speedway today for the first time this year
in the Copec/ Cristal/Scandia Dallara/Oldsmobile Aurora. Salazar ran 58 laps
around the 2 � mile oval with a top lap speed of 213.483 miles an hour.
Zampedri totaled 37 laps in the same car with a best lap of 209.351 miles an
hour in his first time behind the wheel since his accident on the last lap
of the 1996 Indianapolis 500. 

Robby Gordon turned the fastest lap of the day at 216.310 miles an hour in
the Coors Light G Force/Oldsmobile Aurora during a Goodyear tire test in
preparation for the 81st running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25. 

Buzz Calkins also continued pre-May testing at the track. Calkins ran a
total of 79 laps, the most of any driver at today's test session in the
Bradley Food Marts G Force/Aurora. 

Robbie Buhl was second-quick of the day with a lap of 214.016 in the
Glidden/Menard Special G Force/Oldsmobile Aurora/Firestone.

Indy Racing League points leader Mike Groff ran 23 test laps in the Jonathan
Byrd Cafeteria Bryant Heating and Cooling G Force/Infiniti Indy/Firestone,
and IRL rookie Jack Miller continued driver's test simulation laps in the
AMS Crest Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone car on his third day at the track.

***

QUOTES:
ALESSANDRO ZAMPEDRI: "It was good to be back in the car. After a year of
being out, it felt great. It took me a few laps to get comfortable, I had a
new seat and an all-new car. I'm pretty happy...I ran almost 210. There is a
lot left in the car, and I didn't want to overdo it today. You can train as
hard as you want to before you get in the car, but when you do get back in
the car the muscles you work are totally different."

ELISEO SALAZAR: "Obviously, we need to do a lot of testing but I'm happy
that in our first few laps we were able to get up to around 207 (miles per
hour). We're just a few miles from the top speed that has been set over two
months of testing so it's an encouraging start. We're working more on being
comfortable than speed at the moment."

MIKE GROFF: "We didn't run many laps today. Everything is kind of new to us
and we look at testing as a series of small experiments. Tomorrow we're
going to run the other chassis and engine (the T-car) and try some subtle
differences with the engine and just keep going from there."