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PPG CART World Series champion Alex Zanardi headlines a list of 15drivers who are expected to participate in a two-day CART open testSaturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2, at the new Twin Ring Motegimotorsports complex in Motegi, Japan.
The test has been scheduled to help teams prepare for next season'sinaugural PPG CART World Series event in Japan, the Budweiser 500,scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 1998 on the newly constructed1.5-mile oval at Twin Ring Motegi.
Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda), who clinched this year's PPG Cupchampionship at the Sept. 7 Texaco/Havoline 300 at Laguna Seca(Calif.) Raceway, is one of three PPG Cup champions expected toparticipate in the test. Jimmy Vasser (Target Reynard Honda), lastyear's champion, will join his Target/Chip Ganassi Racing teammate onthe entry list, as will two-time PPG Cup champion (1990, '94) AlUnser Jr. (Marlboro Penske Mercedes).
Vasser ran several demonstration laps on the Motegi oval in hischampionship-winning car during opening ceremonies in late July.
"Twin Ring Motegi is one of the premier race tracks in all theworld," Vasser said. "It sets a new standard for oval tracks.
"The oval is very wide and will be great for racing. I think we'll beracing around the oval at 200 miles per hour - going wheel to wheeland racing side by side in the corners."
Zanardi (5) and Vasser (1) have combined for six PPG CART WorldSeries victories this season. The entry list also features threeother drivers who have combined for six victories this season,including Paul Tracy (Marlboro Penske Mercedes) with three, MarkBlundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) with two and Mauricio Gugelmin(Hollywood PacWest Mercedes) with one.
PPG Cup runner-up Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special ReynardHonda), owner of seven podium (top-three) finishes in this year's PPGCART World Series, is also on the entry list. He is joined byChristian Fittipaldi (Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford), Patrick Carpentier(Alumax Reynard Mercedes), Andre Ribeiro (LCI/Marlboro ReynardHonda), Max Papis (MCI Reynard Toyota), Juan Fangio II(Castrol-Jockey Reynard Toyota), Richie Hearn (Ralphs-Food 4 LessSwift Ford), Gualter Salles (INDUSVAL Reynard Ford) and Japanesenative Hiro Matsushita (Panasonic Duskin Reynard Toyota).
Payton Coyne Racing, Project Indy and Team KOOL Green are scheduledto participate in the test, but drivers for those entries have notyet been named.
Testing sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4:30p.m. each day at Twin Ring Motegi, located 60 miles northeast ofTokyo. The complex features a 1.5-mile superspeedway with a flatfront straightaway and a slightly banked back straightaway.
Also included are a three-mile road course, two smaller road racingcircuits, a quarter-mile dirt track, a one-eighth mile dirt track anda driving school. 
Source: CART News Service