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©2001 SpeedCenter Publishing Team Target Cashes in at Las Vegas Test Las Vegas, Nev. - Although Team Target didn't have time to visit the casinos while testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 22-23, ideal conditions and great cars let it hit the jackpot anyway. The Las Vegas trip, which marked the third oval test for rookies Bruno Junqueira and Nicolas Minassian (the duo also has tested at Nazareth and Phoenix), allowed the drivers to log a combined 580 miles and practice pit stops at the 1.5-mile oval. Sixty-degree temperatures and little wind contributed to the team's rave reviews of the track. "This is a fantastic race facility, " said Target Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull. "This speedway is a first-class venue with a wonderful staff. We're very lucky to have the opportunity to test here. Bruno and Nicolas ran very well and benefited greatly from this experience. The track here is very similar to the high-speed ovals they'll see at Motegi and the new track in Germany." Minassian ran on Monday and quickly picked up where he left off at the team's Jan. 4 test at Laguna Seca. In addition to pit stop practice, supervised by team manager Rob Hill, he also impressed while simulating qualifying and race conditions. Team Target engineers Bill Pappas and Julian Robertson worked with Minassian to optimize the team's 2001 aero package for higher speed ovals. "The more I drive on ovals, the more I enjoy it," Minassian said. "This is a great track and I think I adjusted to it quickly. I've been improving with each test, and I'm better at communicating my needs to the crew. I like working on the car's specifications and being involved with the changes that are being made." Junqueira took over testing duties on Tuesday and was equally impressed with Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his car's balance. "I have a wonderful crew to work with," said Junqueira, last year's F3000 champion. "I'm very impressed with their skill, and I'm really enjoying working with them to improve the technical aspects of the car. Oval racing is much different than road racing, and I'm happy to have the support of such a great crew. I really liked this oval. Even with the problem at the end of end of the day, I was very happy with how we ran today." Like most people who visit Las Vegas, Junqueira experienced some bad luck. Toward the end of the test session, a mechanical problem caused his No. 4 Toyota-Lola to spin 180 degrees and touch the wall between turns three and four. "Bruno was released with no complications after an inspection by CART's Lon Bromley," Hull said. "We've had great luck avoiding trouble on the track so far in our tests, but the drivers and the team know this is part of racing. Thanks to Champ car's high degree of safety and the HANS device, by the end of the day, Bruno was already preparing for his next test." Team Target continues it off-season testing on Jan. 31 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. Fittipaldi and da Matta Impressed with first visit to Texas JUSTIN, Texas (January 24, 2001) --- Newman/Haas Racing drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Cristiano da Matta made their first visit to Texas Motor Speedway for a media event yesterday and were impressed by both the race track and the world-class amenities. New to the CART FedEx Championship series in 2001 will be races at Texas Motor Speedway as well as an event in Mexico, Germany and England. The event at Texas Motor Speedway will bring the total of CART races in the state of Texas to two as the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston begins its third year in the series. Newman/Haas Racing team co-owner Carl Haas is a co-promoter of the Houston race with Texaco/Havoline. "The race here is going to be something completely different from any other race we will have this season because the track is one-of-a kind," said Christian Fittipaldi, driver of the #11 Kmart Toyota-Lola. "The 24 degree banking will add an extra challenge to our teams in terms of getting the car working at the maximum level. We are going to put on a great show here that will be exciting for the fans and will also get the most out of the drivers because of the close drafting. The (CART) drivers all probably heard about Kenny Brack's test here and that he didn't run as fast as we initially thought, which would have been a little too fast. But, it's one thing when you are running alone and a completely different one when you are running in a tight pack of cars at speeds over 220 mph. It can get pretty exciting at times which is probably better for those in the grandstand and on couches in living rooms instead of those in the cars but it definitely makes for a good show. Houston has a great crowd so hopefully it will be the same for our race here." Cristiano da Matta, who will drive the #6 Texaco/Havoline Toyota-Lola, agrees with his new teammate. "This track is absolutely unbelievable. You are impressed just by driving up to the track. The fact that CART receives some of its best TV ratings from this area will be good. It's always nice to come to places where we can get closer to the fans that watch our races and keep up with the series. It's more fun for the drivers to come to places where there are a lot of people who have the same appreciation for the sport as you do. I have never raced on a track with banking this steep. We took a couple of laps around the track in a van and it was pretty interesting. As of right now, we aren't planning to test here like the other teams are so I am glad we were able to at least see the track before race weekend. I think the speeds will be much higher than when Kenny (Brack) tested here. He was running alone and you go faster when you are drafting. With are cars running close and the kind of racing the banking of the turns is going to produce, I think we are going to put on a good show here. This race will be won on the last lap. It's going to be a shoot out in Texas and I hope I am part of it." Herta returns to the desert. CART's youngest American driver, Bryan Herta was back in his 2001 Ford/Reynard today, as he completed 138 miles at Phoenix International Raceway. With as many as ten cars testing, Herta's best time matched those of the five fastest cars on track. With the ambient temperature as high as 72 degrees, Herta was pleased with today's outcome. "We were fortunate today, as we had ideal weather for testing. We had a very good morning, and we were able to get a lot of track time. This afternoon we had a few problems which held us back a bit, but I feel positive overall with the progress we made today." Herta and his Zakspeed/Forsythe team will return to the one-mile oval tomorrow, with a full schedule. "We still have a lot we would like to accomplish on this test. Tomorrow we will need to make up a bit of time, as we lost some time this afternoon. The team is doing a great job, and the car feels good. I am looking forward to another solid day tomorrow."
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