AAR To Put Toyota Phase III to the Test

JUST RELEASED! — The Official Directory for CART Racing
AAR To Put Toyota Phase III to the Test
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
More power on the way
Word from the Arciero Wells camp is that Max Papis will remain the onlyToyota driver with the RV8B Phase III Toyota engine and '97 Reynardchassis for the Hollywood Rio 400. AAR has taken shipment of a new '97Reynard chassis and the Phase III Toyota engine, and AAR's PJ Jones willtest the new configuration for the first time on Wednesday and Thursdaythis week.
AAR drivers Juan Manuel Fangio II and P.J. Jones were relegated to usingthe '96 Toyota RV8A engines due to a late '96 decision to not use theanticipated '97 Eagle chassis. Both AAR drivers were forced to use thePhase II engines. The Phase III engines, even if they had been availableafter Japan factory fire hindered production, will not bolt into the '96Reynard chassis. By the time AAR discovered in wind tunnel testing thatthe Eagle chassis was not up to competitive standards, no '97 Reynardswere available.
In an early January test run at the Metro-Dade Homestead MotorsportsComplex, Fangio registered a 29.2-second lap on the 1.5 mile oval. Theeffort was a highlight to the All American Racers two-day test session.This session, though, has proven to be the most promising performance ofthe RV8A since. All three Toyota drivers; P.J. Jones, Juan Manuel FangioII, and Hiro Matsushita, have suffered from low horsepower and lack ofdependability throughout the first four races of the '97 season. Theteams have felt rewarded just to finish a race.
Jones had this to say of the Toyota Development Program in a recent CARTteleconference:
"I think the most frustrating thing is showing up at a race track andyou have a few of the younger guys like Greg Moore, then AdrianFernandez, and all of them being competitive day in and day out, runningup front and on theverge of winning a race. I think to myself 'man, here I am on my secondyear driving and fourth year into this Indy-car project and we're stillnot competitive yet.' It's hard, but I have to be able to have faith inToyota. I have 100% faith in the team and Dan (Gurney)."
There may be light at the end of the tunnel though, as all four Toyotadrivers will have the new Toyota RV8B at Gateway International Raceway,scheduled May 24 outside St. Louis in Madison, IL. With two teams, fourengineers, and four drivers working together to improve the third phaseof the Toyota program, the development should now begin to accelerate.No pun intended.


		JUST RELEASED! — The Official Directory for CART Racing

		AAR To Put Toyota Phase III to the Test ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. More power on the way Word from the Arciero Wells camp is that Max Papis will remain the onlyToyota driver with the RV8B Phase III Toyota engine and '97 Reynardchassis for the Hollywood Rio 400. AAR has taken shipment of a new '97Reynard chassis and the Phase III Toyota engine, and AAR's PJ Jones willtest the new configuration for the first time on Wednesday and Thursdaythis week. AAR drivers Juan Manuel Fangio II and P.J. Jones were relegated to usingthe '96 Toyota RV8A engines due to a late '96 decision to not use theanticipated '97 Eagle chassis. Both AAR drivers were forced to use thePhase II engines. The Phase III engines, even if they had been availableafter Japan factory fire hindered production, will not bolt into the '96Reynard chassis. By the time AAR discovered in wind tunnel testing thatthe Eagle chassis was not up to competitive standards, no '97 Reynardswere available. In an early January test run at the Metro-Dade Homestead MotorsportsComplex, Fangio registered a 29.2-second lap on the 1.5 mile oval. Theeffort was a highlight to the All American Racers two-day test session.This session, though, has proven to be the most promising performance ofthe RV8A since. All three Toyota drivers; P.J. Jones, Juan Manuel FangioII, and Hiro Matsushita, have suffered from low horsepower and lack ofdependability throughout the first four races of the '97 season. Theteams have felt rewarded just to finish a race. Jones had this to say of the Toyota Development Program in a recent CARTteleconference: "I think the most frustrating thing is showing up at a race track andyou have a few of the younger guys like Greg Moore, then AdrianFernandez, and all of them being competitive day in and day out, runningup front and on theverge of winning a race. I think to myself 'man, here I am on my secondyear driving and fourth year into this Indy-car project and we're stillnot competitive yet.' It's hard, but I have to be able to have faith inToyota. I have 100% faith in the team and Dan (Gurney)." There may be light at the end of the tunnel though, as all four Toyotadrivers will have the new Toyota RV8B at Gateway International Raceway,scheduled May 24 outside St. Louis in Madison, IL. With two teams, fourengineers, and four drivers working together to improve the third phaseof the Toyota program, the development should now begin to accelerate.No pun intended.