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FedExChampionship Series drivers Christian Fittipaldi,Andre Ribeiro and PJ Jones combined to do over500 miles of testing Thursday during a Goodyeartire test at Gateway International Racewayoutside St. Louis.
Fittipaldi (Kmart Swift Ford) and Ribeiro(Marlboro Penske Mercedes) posted comparabletimes of 25.9 seconds on their fastest tripsaround the 1.27-mile oval. Those unofficial timestranslate to lap speeds in the mid-170 mph range.
Jones' (Castrol-Degree Reynard Toyota) fastestlap was 26.8 seconds. As on the opening day ofthe test Wednesday, drivers dodged raindropsthroughout the day.
"The car is smooth around the course and I'm veryhappy," said Ribeiro. "We did a 55 lap run, andwe were very happy with everything. The tiresnever went away. Goodyear improves with eachtest."
"The car is much better than when we tested herein September," Fittipaldi said. "We got some goodruns in and made improvements throughout the day.Goodyear has done a nice job with the tires andis doing well. Just look at [teammate] Michael's[Andretti] win at Nazareth."
Testing continues Friday with three differentdrivers, including Andretti(Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford), Al Unser Jr.(Marlboro Penske Mercedes) and Alex Barron(Castrol-Degree Reynard Toyota).
Source: CART News Service
