Cleveland Provisional Pole Goes to Zanardi

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Cleveland Provisional Pole Goes to Zanardi
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
"In good shape straight out of the box"
Alex Zanardi took a giant step toward a series-leading third 1997 PPG Cup pole Friday by capturing the provisional pole for the Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland in the No. 4 Target Reynard Honda.
Zanardi, who won poles at the year's opening races at Miami and Australia, toured the recalibrated 2.160-mile circuit at a quick 57.423 seconds (132.031 mph) to win Friday's overnight pole. His time was well clear of Bryan Herta's (Shell Reynard Ford) 58.151 seconds (130.378 mph) lap and Michael Andretti's lap of 58.212 seconds (130.241 mph) in the Kmart/Texaco Havoline Ford. The best times for all three drivers were set on their final laps of the session.
"I'm very happy," Zanardi said. "This is an important race for us. I'm proud to be in such good shape straight out of the box. I've been spendign a lot of time analyzing Jimmy's data from last year. I like this circuit and it seems to suit my driving style. I expect more improvement tomorrow. The circuit will be cleaner. However, I can only say for now that I am happy to have a good performance today."
Defending Cleveland winner Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Reynard Honda) ranked as high as second late in the session but came up short on a last lap charge at the pole when he spun off course on the 10th and final turn of the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit.
The day's fifth fastest driver was Reynard-returnee Andre Ribeiro (LCI Reynard Honda) who joined his Tasman Motorsports Group teammates in seeing the team's recent chassis switch deliver an immediate benefit. Prior to Cleveland, Ribeiro and Tasman had struggled with a Lola Honda combination that has not proven competitive. Friday, they were the fastest team in the second group of qualifiers.
Mauricio Gugelmin, Paul Tracy, Greg Moore, Scott Pruett and Christian Fittipaldi rounded out the top ten.
Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) was in fourth place with under five minutes remaining when a spin dropped him from the running for the provisional pole. A red flag was shown to retrieve Pruett's race car and the mandatory eight minute penalty assessed to all drivers who bring out a red flag kept Pruett on the sidelines as the clock ran out. He was on the pole one race ago in Portland.
Source: CART News Service


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		Cleveland Provisional Pole Goes to Zanardi ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. "In good shape straight out of the box" Alex Zanardi took a giant step toward a series-leading third 1997 PPG Cup pole Friday by capturing the provisional pole for the Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland in the No. 4 Target Reynard Honda. Zanardi, who won poles at the year's opening races at Miami and Australia, toured the recalibrated 2.160-mile circuit at a quick 57.423 seconds (132.031 mph) to win Friday's overnight pole. His time was well clear of Bryan Herta's (Shell Reynard Ford) 58.151 seconds (130.378 mph) lap and Michael Andretti's lap of 58.212 seconds (130.241 mph) in the Kmart/Texaco Havoline Ford. The best times for all three drivers were set on their final laps of the session. "I'm very happy," Zanardi said. "This is an important race for us. I'm proud to be in such good shape straight out of the box. I've been spendign a lot of time analyzing Jimmy's data from last year. I like this circuit and it seems to suit my driving style. I expect more improvement tomorrow. The circuit will be cleaner. However, I can only say for now that I am happy to have a good performance today." Defending Cleveland winner Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Reynard Honda) ranked as high as second late in the session but came up short on a last lap charge at the pole when he spun off course on the 10th and final turn of the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit. The day's fifth fastest driver was Reynard-returnee Andre Ribeiro (LCI Reynard Honda) who joined his Tasman Motorsports Group teammates in seeing the team's recent chassis switch deliver an immediate benefit. Prior to Cleveland, Ribeiro and Tasman had struggled with a Lola Honda combination that has not proven competitive. Friday, they were the fastest team in the second group of qualifiers. Mauricio Gugelmin, Paul Tracy, Greg Moore, Scott Pruett and Christian Fittipaldi rounded out the top ten. Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) was in fourth place with under five minutes remaining when a spin dropped him from the running for the provisional pole. A red flag was shown to retrieve Pruett's race car and the mandatory eight minute penalty assessed to all drivers who bring out a red flag kept Pruett on the sidelines as the clock ran out. He was on the pole one race ago in Portland. Source: CART News Service