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Bryan Herta recorded the fastest lap time and Christian Fittipaldi returned to his car Tuesday during the first day of a two-day Championship Auto Racing Teams open test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Herta (Shell Reynard Ford) sped to a top speed of 120.955 mph during the afternoon session on the 2.25-mile, 13-turn permanent road course. He had earlier topped the morning session at an average speed of 119.436 mph. Both of Herta's fast laps were achieved in his secondary car.
"Obviously, our car felt pretty good," Herta said. "We're just testing some things; learning some things about the car for Portland, just like everyone else here."
Portland (Ore.) International Raceway hosts the next event on the PPG CART World Series schedule, the June 22 Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline.
"This is a track we know well," said Herta, a resident of nearby New Albany, Ohio. "We've tested here a lot. The [Mid-Ohio and Portland] road courses are fairly similar. Obviously, you have to tailor some things to each, but I think the things we're testing here will carry over."
Fittipaldi (Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford) got back in the car for the first time since sustaining a broken right leg at the April 6 Sunbelt IndyCarnival Australia. Fittipaldi turned 28 laps in the morning session and another 31 in the afternoon. He was seventh fastest on the day, with an average speed of 118.990 mph.
"It would be much easier to do my first test on an oval, because you don't have to brake and shift so much," Fittipaldi said. "But I have to come back to the same scenario that I'll be coming back to in the next race. Mid-Ohio is one of the most physical tracks we race on, so I'm happy that it has gone well so far.
"The doctors said the only thing that was going to limit me was the amount of pain I could take. I knew it was going to hurt. If I can stand the pain, I'll drive in the next race. So far, it's bearable. It hurts at first but it doesn't get worse from that point. I actually feel pretty good relative to not driving for two months. As of now, I don't think there will be a problem coming back at Portland."
Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Reynard Honda) was second fastest at 120.724 mph, while Mauricio Gugelmin (Hollywood PacWest Mercedes) was third, at 120.557. The one lap record of 122.100 mph was set by Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda) last year.
"It felt pretty good," Gugelmin said. "We ran the car heavy in the morning to see how it would behave on full tanks. We're going through our regular testing program which involves a lot of suspension work, and it's going very well."
A total of 19 drivers recorded practice laps on the first of two days of open testing in preparation for the August 10 Miller 200 at Mid-Ohio. The session continues Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
Source: CART News Service