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©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Homestead, Fla. — Juan Pablo Montoya, who will replace Alex Zanardi on the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team in 1999, completed the road-course portion of his first test with the team today at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex. The 23-year-old Montoya logged 294 miles during his two-day test on the 2.18-mile road course. He ran just 61 miles during Thursday's rain-shortened session but registered 233 miles on Friday. No lap times or speeds were announced. Tom Anderson, managing director of Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, said he was impressed with Montoya's inaugural test. "We couldn't be happier," Anderson said. "Juan Pablo has a tremendous amount of natural talent. He's very intelligent, he has a good feel for the car and he expresses himself very well in terms of what he's experiencing in the car. We ran him through a variety of things, including some general car evaluations, a full-tank run, some pit-stop practices and a race-start situation. We gave him an overall view of some things that happen during a race, and he did very, very well. "He's tested a lot in Formula One, so he adjusted very well," Anderson said. "It's obvious that he's very talented and has a lot of ability. All he needs is a little experience." "So far I'm really happy," Montoya said. "The car felt a little different than the ones I am used to, but it wasn't too difficult. I think I took the car pretty close to its limits, except for in a few of the corners. I was a bit off in the braking because these brakes are quite different than a Formula One car, but overall I felt really good. I'm sure the oval will be a very different experience this weekend, but that will just take some time to adjust to. "It's been a great start," Montoya continued. "I'm so excited to be a part of this team. The guys on the crew have been fantastic to work with. I'm really going to enjoy working with Morris (Nunn, chief engineer). I think he's brilliant." Montoya will test on Homestead's 1.5-mile oval course on Sunday and Monday Source: Target/Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
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