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©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Hopefully, this is a sign ofthings to come," said Moore, who overcame some electronic"gremlins" to leap from 25th after the morning practice to first forthe day. "We proved last year that we could compete as a team.I've made a commitment and sacrificed a lot this year to be thebest I can be. Patrick [Carpentier, Moore's teammate and 1997CART Rookie of the Year] will drive tomorrow so I wanted to get alittle bit of the bragging rights because I think the times will bebetter [Thursday]. There's a lot more [car speed] there, for sure. Ididn't want to take too many chances today because the windwas so unpredictable. "I really like this track, I think there will be some good racing here.This track reminds me of a big Milwaukee [where Moore earnedhis first CART career victory last season], and you know I likeMilwaukee." Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) was secondfastest at 202.406 mph. Andretti, champion of last year's MarlboroGrand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota, ran only the morningpractice, and sat out the blustery afternoon session. "Nobody learned anything out there today," Andretti said. "Wemade two runs and we decided to park it for the day and try againtomorrow. They did a great job with the new track layout. I'm veryhappy. They did a great job making two long corners instead offour short corners and also taking the banking out. I think we'll beable to see some side-by-side running if there aren't anymarbles." Rookie JJ Lehto (Hogan Motor Leasing, Inc. Reynard Mercedes)was an impressive third at 201.748 mph, also set in the morning.Like Andretti, he bypassed the afternoon practice. "It's always difficult in the beginning to be from Europe and driveon the oval circuits," Lehto said. "I have tested here twice earlierand I was fortunate to have [three-time CART champion] RickMears with me to help show me the line. The biggest differenceon ovals is getting used to the car and the setup, and finding thelimits of the car." Jimmy Vasser (Target Reynard Honda), the 1996 PPG Cupchampion, was fourth fastest at 201.545 mph, and rookie TonyKanaan (LCI Reynard Honda), the defending Indy Lightschampion, was fifth at 200.960 mph. A total of 30 drivers posted practice times for the day. DefendingPPG Cup champion Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda) wasninth at 199.262 mph. A second day of practice is scheduled Thursday, with sessionsslated from 9-11:45 a.m. and 1:45-4 p.m. ET. CART's thirdannual Spring Training will help teams prepare for the FedExChampionship Series, which opens March 15 with the MarlboroGrand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota at Homestead.
see morning practice times Source: CART News Service | ||
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