Race No. 10
Medic Drug Cleveland Grand Prix
Cleveland — Ohio
July 11 — July 13, 1997
Friday Quotes from drivers and managers at Cleveland: |
Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes-Benz Provisional Qualification: 8th |
| GREG MOORE | |
| "We were going very well. In fact, we were in second position for a long time. Then we put on new tires towards the end of the session. A problem developed in the electronics and we came in to repair. We put the old tires back on for a lap or two to see if the problem had been corrected. We couldn't even get out of the pit and lost the end of the session and many positions. We are not worried at this point in time because we know what the problem is and have time to correct it." | |
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Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Cosworth XD Provisional Qualification: 3rd |
| MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| "The car is okay. It's still pretty far off on where we want the balance to be. Hopefully we'll be able to improve it. The car was pretty good all day but it's still not as good as it could be. We took a gamble with some of the changes but it looks like they worked. They (changes) helped the problem but they didn't cure it. The good news is that the car isn't perfect. That means there is room for improvement tomorrow. … There are about five guys close together in the points. This is the point of the season where you win or lose the championship. This is where we lost it last year. These next three races are very important." | |
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Marlboro Penske Mercedes Provisional Qualification: 16th |
| AL UNSER, Jr. | |
| "My car in qualifying was as good as it's been so far this weekend, but we still have a
lot of work to do. Our biggest problem is that we're lacking grip in the Marlboro car and we just don't have the proper balance. We
can't seem to carry the speed through the corner. We're making more changes tonight so Paul (Tracy) and I can both feel more
comfortable in the car." (on the Mercedes-Benz engine) "Mercedes-Benz is definitely putting out the power. The Mercedes-Benz teams are getting better fuel mileage than anyone else and that's the key factor that has enabled them to pull into victory lane. With the engine war going on out there, Mercedes is staying on top of every minute detail." | |
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Brahma Sports Team Reynard Ford Provisional Qualification: 9th |
| SCOTT PRUETT | |
| "I made it a little exciting out there. I tried going through a dip without lifting, and it just got a little light in the rear and it drove around. Even though this place is big, going that fast with the car spinning like that was enough to scare me a little. I didn't know what the hell happened. But we're pleased with the car. The lap we didn't get was quite a bit quicker, so we're not in bad shape. Considering we only ran one set of tires, we're in pretty good shape. This track seems to be one of those tracks that gets continuously better as we run on it." | |
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MCI Arciero Wells Reynard Toyota Provisional Qualification: 21st |
| MAX PAPIS | |
| (On First Practice)"Now I am driving fast but not clean. When I drive clean and fast we will be good. We had very little time on the track this morning because of an electrical problem. It is pretty rough, but it's good. You need to find your own line, your own groove around this track. I just need some more time. " | |
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Pennzoil Special Reynard Ford Davis/Craig Racing Provisional Qualification: 18th |
| GUALTER SALLES | |
| (On first practice)"I really like this circuit, it suits my style. There's a lot of room out there, so you
can take some risks or experiment on your lap that you can't do on another temporary circuit. For us, this was a good start to the
weekend. After our test at Mid-Ohio earlier this week we found some things about the car that suit us well for Cleveland and the other
road courses. We came in today with a good baseline, and that we are close to the leaders is very good. We're in the ballpark and
we are going to make a few changes to the setup for this evening's qualifying session that will hopefully get us closer. (On Friday qualifying)"There was so much traffic out there and so many spins leading to red flags that it was hard to get any rhythm going during qualifying. I was on a hot lap that didn't count because of a flag, and then you spend another two or three minutes to get back up to speed. Still, we found more time and the setup on the INDUSVAL-Marlboro Reynard-Ford Cosworth is improving every time we go out We're still a ways from where I want to be, which is in the top 12, but I think we can get there. It's definitely a lot closer this weekend." | |
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Shell Reynard Ford Team Rahal Provisional Qualification: 2nd |
| BRYAN HERTA | |
| "This (qualifying run) is a welcomed relief. It was at this point (Cleveland) last year that we got our season going. Now we want to do it again. I didn't have a good first half of the qualifying session today. I was very unhappy with the car. But the car got better at the end and, if the track improves, I think we can go quicker. We're not going to throw up the white flag yet for the pole. I believe we can go faster on Saturday. We didn't have an excuse for the first half of the season. Our team regrouped and tested very well since Portland. Now we have to race like we have tested. … It's a welcome relief for my season, to be up here. I don't think I've been up here all year in qualifying. Hopefully we hoping that this is like the point in the season last year where I definitely got more competitive. We're hoping that it is going to be the same case here. In the wintertime we're going to have to go figure out why we're not competitive in the first half of the season. But that is a different problem right now. I'm happy with the car, and I think we can make some improvements based on how the weather holds up." | |
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Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Provisional Qualification: 13th |
| PARKER JOHNSTONE | |
| "The car basically stepped out at the exit of the corner in Turn 7. The car had perfect balance and it was a very good lap, so it surprised the heck out of me. … The back-up car was good, but after having that [the contact] happen, you instinctively drive more conservatively. I wasn't sure why the car stepped out, so I didn't want to push it until I could figure it out." | |
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LCI International Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group Provisional Qualification: 5th |
| ANDRE RIBEIRO | |
| (On first practice)"The car feels light and easy to drive, and has a good balance. We made some
small changes and the car was very responsive. It was good to have this feeling again where small changes made a difference. With
so little time in the car so far, I don't know what a good car is right now. I don't know its true potential. We are still learning." (On Friday qualifying)"We made a big step in the setup with the improvements after the first session. The car is stable and well balanced. I am just exploring the limit, and we have not reached the limit yet. It feels very, very good to be up towards the front. It's like fresh air again. In the back of my mind, I am still thinking of the reaction of the other car when I am driving. I have to start over and learn to have confidence in the car again." | |
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Tecate Beer/Quaker State Lola Honda Tasman Motorsports Group Provisional Qualification: 23rd |
| ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| (On first practice)"We have some new changes to the Lola but unfortunately we were
not able to test them prior to Cleveland. We need more time in the car to give them a fair shot." (On Friday qualifying)"We improved the car a lot from this morning and it is getting better. We are still trying to learn about the new changes to the car and need more time. We are gaining more grip. However, it's time to go to the next step to be able to put the power down earlier and improve our times." | |
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Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special Reynard Ford Provisional Qualification: 4th |
| GIL de FERRAN | |
| (On first practice)"It was a reasonably good session for us. We ran the back-up car to see if everything was OK and from there on it was a trouble free, easy going type of session. I was just getting acclimated to the track and everything else. We made a couple of changes to the car and we were quite happy with the changes we did, we made good progress and so far everything is running according to plan." (On the bumpiness of the track): "The car is getting better. The bumps are a feature of the track that you really can't get away from. We're doing all right with them. There are a few new bumps that you pick-up under braking, but I don't anticipate that they will be a serious problem." | |
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Bettenhaused Racing Alumax Aluminium Reynard Mercedes-Benz Provisional Qualification: 24th |
| PATRICK CARPENTIER | |
| "This morning in practice, we had basically the same problem we've had all season -- the rear of the car felt unstable. For qualifying this afternoon, they cured that problem, but it also gave me a little bit of push as a result. The car was definitely improved a little bit. Not much, but a little and that's a good sign. As for the spin, the same thing happened that happened when I had the accident at Elkhart Lake during the Goodyear tire test -- the rear of the car let go. Once it got on the grass, that was it. Fortunately, we didn't hit anything this time." | |
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Miller Lite Reynard Ford Team Rahal Provisional Qualification: 12th |
| BOBBY RAHAL | |
| "As an owner, I'm pleased with Bryan's (Herta) time. As a driver, I'm not pleased with my time. At the beginning of the (qualifying) session, the car felt good. But as the session went on, the car didn't take the bumps well. The car wanted to slide quite a bit. It's so competitive now that if you miss just a bit on your setup, you've lost 8, 9 or 10 spots in qualifying. We'll study the settings overnight and be ready for Saturday's qualifying." | |
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Castrol/Jockey
AAR Racing Reynard Toyota Provisional Qualification: 19th |
| P.J. JONES | |
| "The car handles pretty good. I was surprised that I out qualified Max and Juan because I had a different spec engine. We have a handle on the car this weekend and the guys are doing a great job. The key here is to get the car working through the bumps. This track just seems to suit my style of driving." | |
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Castrol/Jockey
AAR Racing Reynard Toyota Provisional Qualification: 22nd |
| JUAN MANUEL FANGIO II | |
| "We're still working on the set-up. It's very important to put three laps together here and I wasn't able to do that because of the traffic situation. We need to make a few changes to the car tonight and I expect to be able to put a good lap together tomorrow. Were not that far off, so I'm not worried about it." | |
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Hogan Racing Reynard Mercedes Provisional Qualification: 14th |
| DARIO FRANCHITTI | |
| (On first practice)"I am very much adjusting to the track. It is not the same as the
tracks where you can see the grass as a turn indicator. Depth perception going into the cones when making turns takes some time and
manouvering to get used to." (On Friday qualifying)"In the far short turn out there, the brakes were locking up a little bit but we got the most out of the car that we could today. The racetrack is very bumpy, and in certain spots it seems to affect the car more. I am not very happy with my placing today for the team's sake, but we'll be back tomorrow." | |
| Hogan Racing Team Owner | |
| CARL HOGAN (no photo) | |
| (On first practice)"The team, after making the appropriate adjustments and the primary tire
changes, ran very well near the end of the session. There is reasonable balance in the machine. Dario is still learning the track while
many of the other drivers had some familiarity with it. He still needs some time in the car. (On Friday qualifying)"There is an overall good feel to the car. Dario is still getting used to the track and with a few changes with the tires and the brake work, we'll be getting there. We may have a little too much downforce at this time so we need to do some adjusting there as well. We are right up there with the leaders." | |