Davis Racing Heads to Wisconsin

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Davis Racing Heads to Wisconsin
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
Team race preview for Texaco Havoline 200 at Elkhart lake
The education of Davis Racing driver Gualter Salles continues at thisweekend's Texaco/Havoline 200 on the famed Road America circuit in ElkhartLake, Wis. For Salles, the Texaco/Havoline 200 will be the first time he hasraced on the 4.0-mile circuit set in the Kettle Morraine country ofWisconsin, although the CART rookie recently tested at the track on July29-30.
Gualter Salles (driver, Indusval-Marlboro Reynard-Ford Cosworth):
"I took a few slow laps to drive around the circuit so Icould learn it, but even going slow, I was in awe of the place. Once westarted going fast-and this place is very fast-I fell in love with RoadAmerica. It is easily my favorite race track in America and I'm reallylooking forward to racing at the Texaco/Havoline 200.
"The track has such a variety of slow, medium and fast corners with extremelylong straights, so there are lots of overtaking opportunities, but the trackis so wide open that I really enjoy driving Road America."
"Gualter was out there on probably his third or fourth lap, still going slow,when he radioed in, 'Oh, I love this place,' " said team owner Gerald Davis."He was out there doing his job and having fun at the same time, andGualter's best time of 1:44.1 was just off the fast time of the test at1:43.5. When you consider that this is a four-mile track, being that close onyour first visit is not that bad."
For Salles and the Davis Racing team, the test was an important key leadinginto the Texaco/ Havoline race weekend. "Learning Road America at a testsession is one less task we have to do when practice starts on Friday,"Salles said. "As a new driver, any chance I get to drive theINDUSVAL-Marlboro Reynard-Ford Cosworth is important because I'm stilllearning about the car and the team is always finding something new to test.The more time I have in the car, the better driver I will be and that meanswe can start going fast as soon as practice opens.
"I give a lot of credit to the Davis Racing crew for giving me a car that wasgoing this fast at the test," Salles added. "Even though we're still a secondaway from the fast guys at this test, I want to get closer. CART racing is socompetitive now that if you're not running the same times as the leaders,you're not going to be able to compete for the pole or the win. I want tofind that last second and be able to compete."
With the completion of the Road America test, Salles has now visited orcompeted at every PPG CART World Series venue remaining in 1997, with theexception of the California Speedway (Davis Racing will test at Fontanafollowing the Laguna Seca race). "Now that I've been to all the tracks, therewill be no surprises," said Salles. "The team has the setup from last yearfor Vancouver and Laguna Seca, and I know the tracks as well, so we will bethere from the start. That part of the learning curve is over, and now it'stime to turn the theory into results."


		NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing

		Davis Racing Heads to Wisconsin ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Team race preview for Texaco Havoline 200 at Elkhart lake The education of Davis Racing driver Gualter Salles continues at thisweekend's Texaco/Havoline 200 on the famed Road America circuit in ElkhartLake, Wis. For Salles, the Texaco/Havoline 200 will be the first time he hasraced on the 4.0-mile circuit set in the Kettle Morraine country ofWisconsin, although the CART rookie recently tested at the track on July29-30. Gualter Salles (driver, Indusval-Marlboro Reynard-Ford Cosworth): "I took a few slow laps to drive around the circuit so Icould learn it, but even going slow, I was in awe of the place. Once westarted going fast-and this place is very fast-I fell in love with RoadAmerica. It is easily my favorite race track in America and I'm reallylooking forward to racing at the Texaco/Havoline 200. "The track has such a variety of slow, medium and fast corners with extremelylong straights, so there are lots of overtaking opportunities, but the trackis so wide open that I really enjoy driving Road America." "Gualter was out there on probably his third or fourth lap, still going slow,when he radioed in, 'Oh, I love this place,' " said team owner Gerald Davis."He was out there doing his job and having fun at the same time, andGualter's best time of 1:44.1 was just off the fast time of the test at1:43.5. When you consider that this is a four-mile track, being that close onyour first visit is not that bad." For Salles and the Davis Racing team, the test was an important key leadinginto the Texaco/ Havoline race weekend. "Learning Road America at a testsession is one less task we have to do when practice starts on Friday,"Salles said. "As a new driver, any chance I get to drive theINDUSVAL-Marlboro Reynard-Ford Cosworth is important because I'm stilllearning about the car and the team is always finding something new to test.The more time I have in the car, the better driver I will be and that meanswe can start going fast as soon as practice opens. "I give a lot of credit to the Davis Racing crew for giving me a car that wasgoing this fast at the test," Salles added. "Even though we're still a secondaway from the fast guys at this test, I want to get closer. CART racing is socompetitive now that if you're not running the same times as the leaders,you're not going to be able to compete for the pole or the win. I want tofind that last second and be able to compete." With the completion of the Road America test, Salles has now visited orcompeted at every PPG CART World Series venue remaining in 1997, with theexception of the California Speedway (Davis Racing will test at Fontanafollowing the Laguna Seca race). "Now that I've been to all the tracks, therewill be no surprises," said Salles. "The team has the setup from last yearfor Vancouver and Laguna Seca, and I know the tracks as well, so we will bethere from the start. That part of the learning curve is over, and now it'stime to turn the theory into results."