Montoya dominates another road course

RED-HOT ANDRETTI SEEKS CONTINUED FedEx CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SUCCESS ATMID-OHIO'S MILLER LITE 200
 

DETROIT (August 9, 2000) - The FedEx Championship Series season did notbegin on a good note for Michael Andretti.

On second thought, perhaps it did if you consider the historicalsignificance.

With finishes of 22nd at Homestead and 14th at Long Beach, Andretti (BigKmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) went scoreless through the first two eventsof the campaign. Only once in 16 previous FedEx Championship Series seasonshad he recorded back-to-back scoreless finishes to start the season.

Interestingly, the other instance occurred in 1991 when Andretti finished14th at Australia and 16th at Long Beach, but then charged through theremaining 15 events of the campaign with eight wins en route to his onlyFedEx Championship Series championship. Now in his 17th season, Andrettifinds himself positioned for a run at a second crown as the series preparesfor Round 13, this weekend's Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports CarCourse (4 p.m. ET Sunday, tape delay, ABC-TV).

Andretti has parlayed victories at Japan and Toronto and points-payingresults in nine of his past 10 starts, including seven top-four finishes,into a 120-98 championship lead over Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard)of Patrick Racing through the season's first 12 rounds. This marks thelatest point in the season that Andretti has held the championship leadsince his 1991 title.

Andretti is also a two-time winner on the 2.258-mile permanent road courseat Mid-Ohio, having scored back-to-back victories from the pole in 1990 and'91. He also owns podium finishes of third in 1989 and '96 and claimedconsecutive pole positions from 1990-92.

Other previous Mid-Ohio winners in this weekend's field include defendingFedEx Championship Series and reigning Indianapolis 500 champion JuanMontoya (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the defendingchamp, and Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing FordReynard) of Patrick Racing, who was victorious in 1998. Montoya andFernandez are both among the top eight in the championship heading into theweekend. Montoya stands eighth with 77 points and Fernandez sixth with 79.

Following Andretti and Moreno in the points race through 12 rounds of thechampionship are Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro TeamPenske, third with 89 points; Cristiano da Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldComToyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsports, fourth with 82 and Paul Tracy (KOOLHonda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green, fifth with 80.

Fernandez stands sixth, followed by rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard)of Team Rahal, seventh with 78 points; Montoya; Jimmy Vasser (Target ToyotaLola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, ninth with 68 and Patrick Carpentier(Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing,who rounds out the top 10 with 65.

Following the Miller Lite 200, the FedEx Championship Series travels toElkhart Lake, Wis. for Round 14, the Motorola 220, on Sunday, Aug. 20, atRoad America.

WHO'S HOT

Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) ofNewman/Haas Racing has vaulted to the top of the FedEx Championship Seriespoints race by finishing fourth or better in six of his past seven starts,and seven of the last nine. The run consists of victories at Japan andToronto, runner-up efforts at Milwaukee, Michigan and Chicago, andfourth-place performances at Portland and Cleveland. Andretti holds a 120-98points lead over second-place Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard) ofPatrick Racing. Overall, Andretti has scored championship points in nine of12 starts this season.

Cristiano da Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard) of PPIMotorsports has finished fifth or better in four of his past five FedExChampionship Series starts, highlighted by his first career victory July 30at Chicago Motor Speedway. Also included are finishes of fifth at Portland,third at Cleveland and fourth at Toronto. Da Matta, the 1998 Dayton IndyLights champion, has parlayed six top-five finishes into fourth place in thechampionship, with 82 points.

Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard)of Patrick Racing has scored championship points in nine of his last 10FedEx Championship Series starts, beginning with a victory at Rio deJaneiro. He also owns a podium finish of second at Toronto and has moved tosixth in the championship with 79 points.

Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske hasscored championship points in nine of his 12 FedEx Championship Seriesstarts this season and joins Michael Andretti and Juan Montoya (TargetToyota Lola) as two-time race winners, with victories at Nazareth andPortland. He is coming off a third-place result at Chicago. De Ferran alsoowns poles at Homestead and Long Beach and has qualified among the top 10 in10 of 12 starts.

Rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal has scoredchampionship points in eight of his past 10 FedEx Championship Seriesstarts, and has finished sixth or better in six of those. The run consistsof two podium finishes - second at Cleveland and third at Nazareth - as wellas finishes of fourth at Milwaukee and Chicago, fifth at Japan and sixth atPortland. He stands seventh in the championship with 78 points and owns a78-40 lead over Alex Tagliani (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard)of Player's Forsythe Racing in the battle for the $50,000 Jim Trueman Rookieof the Year Award.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Michael Andretti owns a pair of victories at Mid-Ohio (1990, '91),both of which came from the pole. He also finished on the podium withthird-place efforts in 1989 and '96 and is the only driver to win threeconsecutive pole positions at the venue (1990-92). He has scoredchampionship points in seven of his past 10 appearances at Mid-Ohio.

Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green owns fourrunner-up finishes in seven career starts at Mid-Ohio (1992, '94, '95 and'99). He also started on the outside pole from 1992-94. He has scoredchampionship points in five of seven career appearances at the venue.

Adrian Fernandez owns four top-six finishes in five careerappearances at Mid-Ohio, including a victory in 1998. He also finishedfourth in 1995 and sixth in 1994 and '96. Fernandez sat out last year'sevent at Mid-Ohio while recovering from a fractured radius bone in his rightwrist sustained in a race practice accident at Detroit.

Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green has wonback-to-back pole positions at Mid-Ohio and owns the track qualifying recordof 124.394 miles per hour (1 minute, 5.347 seconds), established last year.His top finish in three appearances at the venue is third, also last year.

Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing hasrecorded five top-10 finishes in seven career appearances at Mid-Ohio,topped by a runner-up effort in 1996. He also finished 10th in 1993, ninthin '95, fifth in '97 and fourth last year. He has started on the outsidepole twice, in 1996 and '98.

MANUFACTURING SUCCESS

Toyota has won the past two FedEx Championship Series events, withvictories from Juan Montoya at Michigan and Cristiano da Matta at Chicago.Montoya also recorded the manufacturer's first victory in five years ofFedEx Championship Series competition, on June 5 at Milwaukee.

Honda has won three of the past four FedEx Championship Seriesvictories at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with victories from AlexZanardi (1996-97) and Juan Montoya last year. Honda-powered drivers havealso claimed three of the past four Mid-Ohio poles with Zanardi in '96 beingfollowed by Dario Franchitti in 1998 and '99.

Ford-powered drivers have an impressive run of runner-up finishesheading into the Miller Lite 200. A Ford-powered driver has finished secondin seven consecutive FedEx Championship Series events, dating to MichaelAndretti's runner-up performance at Milwaukee. Andretti also finished secondat Michigan Speedway and Chicago. Other Ford drivers contributing to the runare Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) at Detroit, Roberto Moreno (VisteonFord Reynard) at Portland, rookie Kenny Brack at Cleveland and AdrianFernandez at Toronto. Those performances have helped Ford to a 211-187 leadover Toyota in the CART Manufacturer's Championship.

NOTEWORTHY

Della Penna Motorsports announced last week that it had signedAmerican driver Memo Gidley to pilot the team's DIRECTV Toyota Reynard forthe remaining eight events of the FedEx Championship Series season. Gidleyhas recorded back-to-back 10th-place finishes for the team at Michigan andChicago as a replacement driver for Argentine rookie Norberto Fontana.Gidley is in his second season of FedEx Championship Series competition andowns six points-paying finishes in 15 career starts while driving for WalkerRacing and Payton Coyne Racing in 1999 and Player's Forsythe Racing andDella Penna Motorsports this season. He owns a career-best finish of eighth,established this season at Rio de Janeiro while filling in for the injuredPatrick Carpentier at Player's Forsythe Racing. "Initially, Memo was goingto drive for us on the oval tracks and Norberto would continue to drive atthe road and street courses," team owner John Della Penna said. "The seriesenvironment is so competitive, though, that we can't afford to give upanything. I can't have two drivers switching back and forth. The team needscontinuity. We have half the season left and we need to post some goodresults. Memo has done that for us in the last two races. He comes to uswith a strong idea of what he needs out of the car. We're able to be muchmore effective and, as Memo has shown, finish consistently at the top of thefield." Said Gidley, "I've really enjoyed driving for the Della PennaMotorsports team at Michigan and Chicago. I was impressed with thededication and effort the team put into both of those races. John, the team,and I really see eye-to-eye on many things, and I think this is a very goodmatch. I feel the strength of Della Penna Motorsports is underestimated andlook forward to surprising a few people with our results."

The fourth annual "Taste of CART" progressive dinner, featuring theculinary expertise of the various hospitality staffs of the FedExChampionship Series, will be held 6 p.m. Friday in the Mid-Ohio paddock.Team chefs will prepare appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts incompetition for a trophy and cash prize. Cost is $50 per person withproceeds going to the Championship Auto Racing Auxiliary (CARA). A portionof the proceeds will also go to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Forfurther information, call CARA, at (317) 299-2277.

Friday's activities at Mid-Ohio will include a Fan Forum, aquestion-and-answer session open to all fans, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. onChampionship Row in the Mid-Ohio infield. The Fan Forum is being introducedto give fans the opportunity to interact with the personalities who drivethe sport of Champ Car racing. Friday's impressive lineup of guests willinclude interim CART President and CEO Bobby Rahal; motorsports legend and1984 FedEx Championship Series champion Mario Andretti; three-time FedExChampionship Series champion (1979, '81, '82) Rick Mears; ABC/ESPNbroadcasters Paul Page and Parker Johnstone and CART President of RacingOperations Hal Whiteford.

ON THE AIR

Qualifying for the Miller Lite 200 will air midnight ET Sunday (lateSaturday) on ESPN2. "CART 2Day" airs 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday on ESPN2 whileABC-TV's tape-delayed race broadcast begins 4 p.m. ET Sunday. The race willalso air live on the CART Radio Network and on CART's official website atwww.cart.com .

MILLER LITE 200 "QUOTEBOARD"

    JUAN MONTOYA (Target Toyota Lola), on defending his championship in theMiller Lite 200: "I'm looking forward to my second race at Mid-Ohio. It'sone of my favorite tracks on the circuit. It has alittle bit of everything, and you can get some pretty good speeds on thestraights. I think we'll have a good race this weekend and put Team Targetback into the points race. The whole team is very calm and confident. Weknow anything can happen out there, so we just have to put the car in aposition to win and see what happens. Unfortunately, we can't control whathappens to our competition, so it's my goal to just stay ahead of them. Awin at Mid-Ohio would be very good for this team at this time of the season.I think we can do it."

    PAUL TRACY (KOOL Honda Reynard), on his enjoyment of Mid-Ohio: "Racing atMid-Ohio is a pretty cool experience. The race track setting and theatmosphere surrounding it, with fans coming from miles around to camp andtake in the action all weekend, is a throwback to another era. I've almostalways performed well there, although I really need to get that first win atMid-Ohio, after four second-place finishes. Hopefully, this is the year.We're looking to come back strong after the misfortune in Chicago. With thenext four races on road and street circuits, a real crucial part of theseason is coming up for Team KOOL Green and I think we're ready for thatchallenge. From race to race, it's been a really unpredictable season sofar. It looks like no one is going to run away with the championship. Thekey is to hang tough and keep battling because despite the recent adversity,we're still only a race win or a podium from being right there in thestandings."

    KENNY BRACK (Shell Ford Reynard), looking forward to his Mid-Ohio debut:"I'm anxious to race at Mid-Ohio and give our Team Rahal fans a goodshowing. We have run well on several of the road courses so far, includingsecond at Cleveland. I know Max [Papis, teammate] is fast there and I'lltry to get a little knowledge from him. But I also want to beat him and winthe race. My engineer, Don Halliday, is very familiar with Mid-Ohio, as isTeam Rahal. I feel good about coming into the race with their help. Ourlast Ohio race was good and I'd like to continue that this weekend."

    DARIO FRANCHITTI (KOOL Honda Reynard), on the challenges of racing atMid-Ohio: "I don't think there are too many road courses around that are asphysically demanding as Mid-Ohio. With 14 turns, very few straights andquite a few bumpy areas to contend with, you have to be at the top of yourgame. The Team KOOL Green crew has excelled in the past in finding goodset-ups and preparing the car for this extremely tough race. We hadeverything going for us last year winning the pole and then leading themost race laps, but we fell a little short of getting the checkered flag.So, we're aiming to take care of some unfinished business at Mid-Ohio. Thegoal right now is to continue to give everything we've got, put a string ofconsistently strong races together and try to work our way back up thestandings. The way things have been going in the series this year, a lot canchange over the course of the next three or four races."

    ROBERTO MORENO (Visteon Ford Reynard), on reversing his previous luck atMid-Ohio: "Mid-Ohio is a circuit where I haven't finished well in the past.I just don't feel very familiar or comfortable with the track yet, but it isa circuit I like. It is a tough track, but you can pass and I have drivenwell there even though my results don't necessarily show it. At this pointin the championship race it is important to do well at Mid-Ohio. TheVisteon/Patrick Racing team must finish high in the points if we are goingto contend for the FedEx Championship Series title."

    ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard), on hispast success at Mid-Ohio: "I have had a lot of success racing at Mid-Ohio.From a driver's standpoint, it is one of the most beautiful, challenging andfun, tracks to race on. Hopefully, the success I have enjoyed there in thepast will continue.

    "It is very important for the Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing team tohave a good result at Mid-Ohio. After the weird start we had to the season,the team has come on strong over the last two months and put ourselves backin a position to challenge for the championship. The Tecate/QuakerState/Patrick Racing crew has done a great job preparing the cars and afantastic job in the pits. Mr. Patrick and John Ward have also done atremendous job with the race strategy. The crew's work and our race strategyhave been the keys to our success. We just have to stay focused on thedetails for the rest of the season and we will be right there at the end."

    MAX PAPIS (Miller Lite Ford Reynard), on the demands of racing at Mid-Ohio:"Mid-Ohio takes all of the mental and physical senses possible. Mid-Ohiobrings all of my off-track training into the race. It's hard on your bodyand your mind. But I feel I have an advantage over other drivers with myfitness. There is no track on the CART series like Mid-Ohio. It's verytough on the cars and tires, too. I'm confident with our car."

    GIL de FERRAN (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on his optimism heading intoMid-Ohio: "I'm looking forward to this weekend's race for two main reasons -Marlboro Team Penske won the last race on a permanent road course [atPortland] and we were fastest at the Mid-Ohio open test in early June.Hopefully, these factors bode well for a good, points-paying weekend."

    HELIO CASTRONEVES (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on continuing Marlboro TeamPenske's road-course success: "After a very good test in early June and ourperformance on road courses this season, no doubt there are highexpectations for Marlboro Team Penske at Mid-Ohio. But it's a verycompetitive series and everyone has been working to improve so there are noguarantees as to what will happen. After the ovals in Michigan and Chicago,we're now focused on road and street courses for the next four races, wherehopefully we can do well and add to our point total."

    CRISTIANO da MATTA (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard: "We tested atMid-Ohio in June, and to be honest, it wasn't the greatest test we've had.However, we have found a lot of success on road courses since then, and wehave made several developments, so I think our performance this weekend willnot reflect that of our test. Also, we have a very positive momentum withour team right now, especially ofcourse after Chicago. That was great for everyone, so we are lookingforward to getting on the track again."

    JIMMY VASSER (Target Toyota Lola), on the value of experience in pursuingthe FedEx Championship Series title: "Our team has been in so manychampionship battles the past few years, I think our experience is going tobe very helpful in this final stretch, starting with Mid-Ohio. We know whatit takes to finish on top and no one is panicking that we're not sitting infront with a 50-point lead. There are still too many races left to beworrying about the championship, but we know we have to score some goodpoints in each race. At Mid-Ohio last year, I just missed the podium[fourth place] - this year, I plan to get there."

    TONY KANAAN (Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes Reynard), "I'm ready to gofor a road course run. Everything went well, physically, on the ovals atMichigan and Chicago. Now, our bad luck during those races is a whole otherstory I'd rather forget about and move on. I spent part of two days testingon the road course at Sebring last week (Thursday and Friday) to see how myarm works. I felt great.I'm still not 100 percent, but I'm getting closerand closer all the time. This Mid-Ohio and Elkhart Lake swing will be thetrue test. They're a couple of demanding road courses, but they're the kindof tracks I like the best. We tested really well at Mid-Ohio back in thespringtime, so I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I qualified well[fourth in 1999] and finished pretty well [eighth in 1998] here my first twoseasons, when it was the home track for the team I was driving for [ForsytheChampionship Group, formerly Tasman Motorsports], so I've always liked thisplace. As a team this year, we seem to be creeping up on our first greatfinish. I hope it's finally going to come this weekend."

    ORIOL SERVIA (Telefonica Toyota Reynard), "I am looking forward to Mid-Ohio.The last month has been up and down. We have been running strong, but I havemade some mistakes. I am really looking forward to getting back on the roadcourses, and finishing in the points consistently. We thought we would havea much better run last weekend, but I am really happy for Cristiano, he hasbeen working so hard for this."

    PATRICK CARPENTIER (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on bouncingback from a DNF in Chicago: "We were pretty consistent at being in thepoints and running at the front of the pack until we had some misfortune andwere unable to finish the last race in Chicago. But it was only the secondtime in nine races that we weren't around at the finish. It's something thatis going to happen over the course of a long season. The important thing isto put it out of your mind and start working on another successful streak.That's what Team Player's intends to do, starting with the race at Mid-Ohio.The next four races are going to be a big test because all of them are onroad or street circuits. We've done quite well in the races on this type ofcourse this season but quite often we've struggled in qualifying. TeamPlayer's has been working hard to come up with the right set-ups on roadcourses, and, hopefully, we'll start to make some progress in this regard atMid-Ohio, where being near the front of the grid is a key factor."

    ALEX TAGLIANI (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on hisfamiliarity with Mid-Ohio: "This will be my first appearance at Mid-Ohio as a driver in the CARTseries, but I'm very familiar with the track and its terrain from my days inthe Atlantic series. I raced there four times and managed to win the poletwo years ago and then finished second in last year's race. I have to say,from a driver's standpoint, competing at Mid-Ohio is a lot of fun becausethe fans are really into it and the whole atmosphere throughout the weekendis what motor-racing is all about. Although we haven't always qualified nearthe front of the grid on street and road courses so far this season, we'vealways battled hard and been very competitive in the races. We've been inthe top 6 three times, and a lot of that can be attributed to some good workby the Team Player's crew during the race. If we can make some progress withour qualifying, we have a good chance to produce a top result in the race."

    LUIZ GARCIA JR. (Hollywood/Embratel/Tang/Banco Sofisa Mercedes Reynard), onthe return to road-course competition: "It's good to be back on the roadcourses as they are a lot of fun. Mid-Ohio is a track I like to run on.Last year, I ran really well until a clutch problem forced me out. Thistrack has a lot of space, yet it's unforgiving in spots."

FAST FACTS FOR THE MILLER LITE 200

WHAT: Miller Lite 200.
WHERE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Aug. 11-13.
SUPPORT EVENTS: Dayton Indy Lights Championship, Barber Dodge Pro Series,American Cities Racing League.BROADCAST: TV - (ABC-TV, tape delay, 4 p.m. ET. RADIO - CART Radio Network.
PRE-RACE PROGRAMMING: Miller Lite 200 pole qualifying, midnight ET Sunday ,
ESPN2; CART 2Day, 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday, ESPN2.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Juan Montoya.
DEFENDING POLESITTER: Dario Franchitti.
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.258-mile permanent road course.
RACE LENGTH: 83 laps, 187.414 miles.
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying (one lap/2.258 miles) - 1999, Dario Franchitti,124.394 mph (1 minute, 5.347 seconds). Race - 1994, Al Unser Jr., 110.770miles per hour.
RACE NUMBER: 13 of 20 in the FedEx Championship Series.
FedEx CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES POINTS LEADERS FOR THE VANDERBILT CUP: 1. MichaelAndretti, 120 points; 2. Roberto Moreno, 98; 3. Gil de Ferran, 89; 4.Cristiano da Matta, 82; 5, Paul Tracy, 80.


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