March 14 — Raul Boesel ran competitively in the No. 40 Brahma Sports Team Reynard Ford Cosworth XD at the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami, March 2, until late-race mechanical failure dropped him from contention. He had started eighth, ran in the top-10 all day and was ultimately classified 17th.

Now, the veteran Brazilian driver is focused on the Sunbelt IndyCarnival Australia, April 6 (ABC TV at 1:30 p.m.). The Australia race will be the 154th Indy car start of Boesel's career.

"To be fast on the Australia street circuit the car needs good traction, good brakes, good turn-in and, it must cope very well with the curbs," Boesel says. "The first thing we do is disconnect the sway bars so the right side, front and rear, is working independently of the left. This is very important. If the bars are connected when you go over the curbs, the curb launches the car to the outside corner.

"To get better traction, I run the most front and rear wing angle I can otherwise the car will understeer and nothing can be worse on a street circuit.

"This track is also very hard on the brakes. They need a lot of cool air to work properly. The driver spends most of the available practice time just finding how large the air scoops should be. Too large, and you lose speed, not large enough and the brakes don't last.

"The gearbox is also taken to the limit. The driver is always changing gears. You have to take care of the gearbox, shift at the right time, but, even so, a little prayer can always be of help."

Source: CART News Service