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Team Penske's Paul Tracy paced the field Tuesday as a group of five PPG CART World Series teams tested in 100-degree temperatures at California Speedway in Fontana, California.
The five PPG CART World Series teams took to a blistering hot California Speedway Tuesday as a full week of testing for the Marlboro 500 Presented By Toyota, Sunday, September 28 (Same day coverage on ESPN at 8:00 pm) shifted to high gear.
Temperatures reached a high of 103 degrees today in Fontana as Southern California continues to swelter in the midst of a heat wave that is heading into its second week. The result was a track temperature of 156 degrees, according to Firestone Tire engineers.
Among the testers on Tuesday were Team Penske drivers Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr., Team KOOL Green's Parker Johnstone and Arciero-Wells teammates Max Papis and Hiro Matsushita.
Tracy, who ran just under 40 laps, turned the day's fastest lap at an average speed of 225 mph but none of the participants were focusing on speed runs. Teammate Unser Jr. also recorded 40 laps on the two-mile track. The Penske team reported that they were experimenting with extensive changes to its Penske Mercedes-Benz package that Tracy drove to victory in three-straight oval race earlier in the season and fourth place at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway in July. California Speedway is modeled after the similar two-mile Michigan oval.
Johnstone (KOOL Reynard Honda HRR) recorded the day's high total of 95 laps with a top speed of 220 mph. Papis (MCI Reynard Toyota) recorded nearly 60 laps, as did Matsushita (Panasonic/Duskin Reynard Toyota Both averaged laps in the 214 mph to 216 mph range.
Unser Jr.'s top lap was 218 mph.
Monday's action at California Speedway was light with only Papis and Matsushita putting their Reynard Toyotas through brief shakedown runs.
Wednesday should be much busier with Greg Moore (Player's Reynard Mercedes-Benz), last weekend's Laguna Seca winner Jimmy Vasser (Target Reynard Honda HRR), Michel Jourdain (Herdez/Viva Mexico Reynard Ford Cosworth), Richie Hearn (Ralph's/Food 4 Less Lola Ford Cosworth and PacWest teammates Mark Blundell (Motorola Reynard Mercedes-Benz) and Mauricio Gugelmin (Hollywood Reynard Mercedes-Benz) scheduled to join Tuesday's group of five.
Absent from the test are new PPG Cup champion Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda HRR) and the Swift 007.i that Hearn will race in the Marlboro 500. Zanardi flew to his native Italy the night he clinched the $1 million PPG Cup last Sunday while Hearn's Swift will not be available to the Della Penna team until the race. Newman/Haas Racing will test the Ford-Cosworth powered Swift at Portland prior to its delivery to Della Penna.
Source: CART News Service