JUST RELEASED! The Official Directory for CART Racing | ||
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Word from the Arciero Wells camp is that Max Papis will remain the onlyToyota driver with the RV8B Phase III Toyota engine and '97 Reynardchassis for the Hollywood Rio 400. AAR has taken shipment of a new '97Reynard chassis and the Phase III Toyota engine, and AAR's PJ Jones willtest the new configuration for the first time on Wednesday and Thursdaythis week. AAR drivers Juan Manuel Fangio II and P.J. Jones were relegated to usingthe '96 Toyota RV8A engines due to a late '96 decision to not use theanticipated '97 Eagle chassis. Both AAR drivers were forced to use thePhase II engines. The Phase III engines, even if they had been availableafter Japan factory fire hindered production, will not bolt into the '96Reynard chassis. By the time AAR discovered in wind tunnel testing thatthe Eagle chassis was not up to competitive standards, no '97 Reynardswere available. In an early January test run at the Metro-Dade Homestead MotorsportsComplex, Fangio registered a 29.2-second lap on the 1.5 mile oval. Theeffort was a highlight to the All American Racers two-day test session.This session, though, has proven to be the most promising performance ofthe RV8A since. All three Toyota drivers; P.J. Jones, Juan Manuel FangioII, and Hiro Matsushita, have suffered from low horsepower and lack ofdependability throughout the first four races of the '97 season. Theteams have felt rewarded just to finish a race. Jones had this to say of the Toyota Development Program in a recent CARTteleconference:
|