Zanardi Poised for Record

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Zanardi Poised for Record
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
6 consecutive poles possible
In Friday's round of qualifying at Surfer's Paradise, AlexZanardi, driver of the #4 Target/Chip Ganassi Reynard Honda, posted the fastestlap, positioning him for a shot at a record sixth straight pole.
Zanardi's time was faster than second place Christian Fittipaldi (#11KMart Budweiser Swift Ford) by a full 1.082 seconds and 1.164mph. Thisafter having suffered some electrical problems earlier in the day,allowing Zanardi's team minimal time to explore set-up changes. Alex' morning sessiontime was 1:38.240, which he eclipsed during the afternoon session with ascreaming lap at 1:36.156.
"It was a very good lap," commented Zanardi. "Nevertheless, I am surethe track will be better tomorrow and I think we will have to improve mycar to stay on the pole."
Zanardi's comment regarding the likelihood of improved track conditionsfor Saturday's session seems to be in agreement with other drivers. Manyhave commented about the fact that the street course is located close tothe ocean and beach, causing sand build-up on the track surface.Obviously, the more laps that are run and the more rubber that is laiddown, the more traction will develop on this temporary track.
Also in evidence are the effects of the CART rule changes for '97. Lastyear, after the Friday opening qualifying session at Surfers Paradise,Scott Pruett led the pack with a time of 1:36.283 and a speed of104.467. This year, even with rule modifications that reducedturbo-boost and horse power, while the track was re-configured and lengthened by 1/1000th of a mile, Zanardi's speed of 104.642still breaks the previous qualifying record of 1:34.313, set by Michael Andrettiin 1995. If track conditions do improve, and qualifying doesn't get rained out, at least Zanardi and Fittipaldi expect to be able to shave twomore seconds off of their times.
Lola's woes seem to be continuing as well. Of the top ten provisionalqualifiers, eight were Reynards and two were Swift chassis. The topfifteen cars were made up of nine Reynards, Two Swifts, two Penskes andtwo Lolas. Adrian Fernandez and teammate Andre Ribeiro finished 12th and13th respectively, with times of 1:38.667 and 1:38.767. Lola recently modifiedthe rear bulkhead of the T9700, adding stiffness to the chassis. This was done following the disappointing showing at the season opener at Homestead, where Lola cars appeared to have structural problems.In the meantime the Lolas of Tasman Motors, Payton/Coyne, Della Penna, andProject Indy have tested at Sebring, FL with markedimprovements. The teams hope to translate those improvements into results onthe track soon.
Tomorrow's final qualifying session is scheduled at 12:30pm.


		Check out the latest Sports Guides from Starting Blocks Int'l

		Zanardi Poised for Record ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. 6 consecutive poles possible In Friday's round of qualifying at Surfer's Paradise, AlexZanardi, driver of the #4 Target/Chip Ganassi Reynard Honda, posted the fastestlap, positioning him for a shot at a record sixth straight pole. Zanardi's time was faster than second place Christian Fittipaldi (#11KMart Budweiser Swift Ford) by a full 1.082 seconds and 1.164mph. Thisafter having suffered some electrical problems earlier in the day,allowing Zanardi's team minimal time to explore set-up changes. Alex' morning sessiontime was 1:38.240, which he eclipsed during the afternoon session with ascreaming lap at 1:36.156. "It was a very good lap," commented Zanardi. "Nevertheless, I am surethe track will be better tomorrow and I think we will have to improve mycar to stay on the pole." Zanardi's comment regarding the likelihood of improved track conditionsfor Saturday's session seems to be in agreement with other drivers. Manyhave commented about the fact that the street course is located close tothe ocean and beach, causing sand build-up on the track surface.Obviously, the more laps that are run and the more rubber that is laiddown, the more traction will develop on this temporary track. Also in evidence are the effects of the CART rule changes for '97. Lastyear, after the Friday opening qualifying session at Surfers Paradise,Scott Pruett led the pack with a time of 1:36.283 and a speed of104.467. This year, even with rule modifications that reducedturbo-boost and horse power, while the track was re-configured and lengthened by 1/1000th of a mile, Zanardi's speed of 104.642still breaks the previous qualifying record of 1:34.313, set by Michael Andrettiin 1995. If track conditions do improve, and qualifying doesn't get rained out, at least Zanardi and Fittipaldi expect to be able to shave twomore seconds off of their times. Lola's woes seem to be continuing as well. Of the top ten provisionalqualifiers, eight were Reynards and two were Swift chassis. The topfifteen cars were made up of nine Reynards, Two Swifts, two Penskes andtwo Lolas. Adrian Fernandez and teammate Andre Ribeiro finished 12th and13th respectively, with times of 1:38.667 and 1:38.767. Lola recently modifiedthe rear bulkhead of the T9700, adding stiffness to the chassis. This was done following the disappointing showing at the season opener at Homestead, where Lola cars appeared to have structural problems.In the meantime the Lolas of Tasman Motors, Payton/Coyne, Della Penna, andProject Indy have tested at Sebring, FL with markedimprovements. The teams hope to translate those improvements into results onthe track soon. Tomorrow's final qualifying session is scheduled at 12:30pm.