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©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Target/Chip Ganassi Racingdrivers Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi, who have won thelast four FedEx Championship Series events, concluded asuccessful two-day testing session at the Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course on Wednesday. Zanardi, who has taken the checkered flag at the Mid-Ohiorace the last two seasons, logged a total of 253 laps (571miles) during his two-day Firestone tire test. He ran 114 lapson Tuesday and boasted the fastest lap among the 16 driverswho were testing, clocking a time of 65.5 seconds on the2.258-mile road course. On Wednesday, Zanardi registered139 laps and was again quickest on the day, clocking a lap in65.0 seconds. Vasser, who finished second at Mid-Ohio in 1996 and fifthlast year, used Tuesday's test to work on mechanical grip andbalance characteristics. He ran 77 laps and registered thethird-fastest lap of the day (65.9). In Wednesday's session,Vasser ran several different suspension and aero packagesin preparation for not only the Mid-Ohio race, but for theupcoming Cleveland and Toronto races. He completed 78laps and was again third-quickest on the afternoon, clocking alap in 65.3 seconds. "All in all it was a very good testing session," said TomAnderson, managing director of Target/Chip Ganassi Racing."Neither driver had any mechanical problems, and we wereable to try out a lot of new ideas. The engineering staff willspend the next few days analyzing the data and makingcalculated changes going into the Cleveland race." The 16-driver field at Mid-Ohio is thought to be the largestever for a private test. The other drivers were PatrickCarpentier, Adrian Fernandez, Dario Franchitti, RobbyGordon, Richie Hearn, Bryan Herta, Tony Kanaan, JJ Lehto,Greg Moore, Max Papis, Scott Pruett, Bobby Rahal, AndreRibeiro and Paul Tracy. The drivers will return to Mid-Ohio for the Miller Lite 200 onAugust 9. Next up on the FedEx Championship Series is theMedic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland on July 12. Source: CART News Service | ||
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