Moore Impresses in GTR at Sebring

NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing
Moore Impresses in GTR at Sebring
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
Team would like to have him for every race...
SEBRING, Fla. (Oct. 17, 1997) — Team AMG-Mercedes continued itsstrong pursuit of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) GTChampionship, as all three CLK-GTRs qualified among the top five fortomorrow's three-hour endurance race at Sebring International Raceway inSebring, Fla. Bernd Schneider led the three-car, six driver AMG-Mercedesteam, recording the second-fastest qualifying lap of the historic circuit.
Schneider and teammate Alexander Wurz were followed by fellowMercedes entrants Alessandro Nannini and Marcel Tiemann, who qualifiedfourth, behind the Porsche of Yannick Dalmas and Bob Wollek. Klaus Ludwigand CART star Greg Moore will start the other Mercedes CLK-GTR from fifthon the grid. FIA GT driver point leaders J.J. Lehto and Steve Soperqualified on the pole in a McLaren-BMW.
"This morning, we had some problems with the qualifying tires notworking well on the concrete sections of the circuit," said Schneider. "Because we only have one set of qualifiers, we had to shave them down anduse them again in the afternoon. As a result, we were lacking the lastlittle bit that we needed to get the pole, but nevertheless, I'm satisfiedthat we are on the front row under these circumstances."
Schneider, in fact, turned two quick laps on the same set of tires,with the second lap only 0.02 seconds slower than his quickest time of1:56.423.
"I made a small mistake on my fast lap," said Nannini. "We had alittle problem with the rear balance on the car under braking."
The bumpy, 5.95 km (3.6 mile) circuit, built on an old airstrip, isknown for its jarring, uneven surface. The bumpy conditions are as much ofa challenge for the six Mercedes drivers as the other competition.
"It is very difficult to pass here," explained Tiemann. "Thestraights are wide, but you have to move left to right and right to left toavoid the bumps, and the slow cars do too, so it is not so easy to passthem. (In qualifying), I was not looking for a quick lap, I was moreworried about getting the race set-up on the car. It went quite okay."
Wurz, teaming with Schneider, also expressed concern about thebumps. "This is not an easy circuit for the European drivers, but I'mreally enjoying myself out there. Driving here is fun. It is also hard forthe slower cars to avoid the bumps and look in their mirrors for the fastcars, so you are never sure where to pass them."
Moore, who did not drive during the second qualifying session,said, "I've had about three and a half hours total in the car. Sitting onthe sidelines watching a car being qualified is something different, butI'm learning all new stuff this weekend. That's just one more thing to getused to. Mercedes-Benz is one of the biggest names in motorsports, and tobe one of the six guys chosen to drive the Silver Arrows is very excitingfor me."
Moore was on the pace from the very beginning, turning a best laptime of 1:58.4 on used race tires during Thursday's practice. He earnedthe respect of his five teammates for his speed right from the start andthe way he worked with the AMG team. "Greg is impressive," said AMG teamowner Hans Werner Aufrecht. "We would like to have him for every race."
Team AMG-Mercedes leads the FIA GT manufacturer's championshipstandings by 11 points over BMW, having scored four wins, sevensecond-place finishes and seven pole positions in the first nine races. Schneider is currently second in the driver's championship, seven pointsbehind Lehto and Soper. Fellow Mercedes drivers Nannini and Tiemann aretied for third with 34 points followed by Ludwig with 31 and Wurz with 25points.
Source:Mercedes-Benz


		NOW AVAILABLE! — The Official Directory for CART Racing

		Moore Impresses in GTR at Sebring ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Team would like to have him for every race... SEBRING, Fla. (Oct. 17, 1997) — Team AMG-Mercedes continued itsstrong pursuit of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) GTChampionship, as all three CLK-GTRs qualified among the top five fortomorrow's three-hour endurance race at Sebring International Raceway inSebring, Fla. Bernd Schneider led the three-car, six driver AMG-Mercedesteam, recording the second-fastest qualifying lap of the historic circuit. Schneider and teammate Alexander Wurz were followed by fellowMercedes entrants Alessandro Nannini and Marcel Tiemann, who qualifiedfourth, behind the Porsche of Yannick Dalmas and Bob Wollek. Klaus Ludwigand CART star Greg Moore will start the other Mercedes CLK-GTR from fifthon the grid. FIA GT driver point leaders J.J. Lehto and Steve Soperqualified on the pole in a McLaren-BMW. "This morning, we had some problems with the qualifying tires notworking well on the concrete sections of the circuit," said Schneider. "Because we only have one set of qualifiers, we had to shave them down anduse them again in the afternoon. As a result, we were lacking the lastlittle bit that we needed to get the pole, but nevertheless, I'm satisfiedthat we are on the front row under these circumstances." Schneider, in fact, turned two quick laps on the same set of tires,with the second lap only 0.02 seconds slower than his quickest time of1:56.423. "I made a small mistake on my fast lap," said Nannini. "We had alittle problem with the rear balance on the car under braking." The bumpy, 5.95 km (3.6 mile) circuit, built on an old airstrip, isknown for its jarring, uneven surface. The bumpy conditions are as much ofa challenge for the six Mercedes drivers as the other competition. "It is very difficult to pass here," explained Tiemann. "Thestraights are wide, but you have to move left to right and right to left toavoid the bumps, and the slow cars do too, so it is not so easy to passthem. (In qualifying), I was not looking for a quick lap, I was moreworried about getting the race set-up on the car. It went quite okay." Wurz, teaming with Schneider, also expressed concern about thebumps. "This is not an easy circuit for the European drivers, but I'mreally enjoying myself out there. Driving here is fun. It is also hard forthe slower cars to avoid the bumps and look in their mirrors for the fastcars, so you are never sure where to pass them." Moore, who did not drive during the second qualifying session,said, "I've had about three and a half hours total in the car. Sitting onthe sidelines watching a car being qualified is something different, butI'm learning all new stuff this weekend. That's just one more thing to getused to. Mercedes-Benz is one of the biggest names in motorsports, and tobe one of the six guys chosen to drive the Silver Arrows is very excitingfor me." Moore was on the pace from the very beginning, turning a best laptime of 1:58.4 on used race tires during Thursday's practice. He earnedthe respect of his five teammates for his speed right from the start andthe way he worked with the AMG team. "Greg is impressive," said AMG teamowner Hans Werner Aufrecht. "We would like to have him for every race." Team AMG-Mercedes leads the FIA GT manufacturer's championshipstandings by 11 points over BMW, having scored four wins, sevensecond-place finishes and seven pole positions in the first nine races. Schneider is currently second in the driver's championship, seven pointsbehind Lehto and Soper. Fellow Mercedes drivers Nannini and Tiemann aretied for third with 34 points followed by Ludwig with 31 and Wurz with 25points. Source:Mercedes-Benz