Race No. 16

Molson Indy Vancouver
Concord Pacific Place— Vancouver, Canada
September 3-5 1999

	Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Qualified: 9th
GREG MOORE
The Player's team did an excellent job. They were changingengines and having to run around like crazy, but they had the primary carready to use in the afternoon session It's a bit disappointing that we raninto some misfortune but this is a track that affords some good passingopportunities and I think it should be a good run tomorrow.

	Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Qualified: 8th
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
The red flag that P.J. Jones brought out with about three minutes left inthe session really hurt us. We caught up a lot since yesterday. We tooksome of Moreno's setup and it really helped us but we were always a littlestep behind. The car is a lot better and if that last yellow would not havecome out we might have been able to do a lap that would have put us in thetop two or three but I don't think we had it to bump Montoya. WHAT DO YOUTHINK THE RACE WILL BE LIKE TOMORROW? It's going to be interesting,especially if it rains.

	Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Qualified: 6th
ROBERTO MORENO
We continued todial in the car a bit after the first set of tires but we just didn't get agood run to break into the top three. Every time you go faster you learnsome things but you are also using up your tires at the same time. HOWDIFFICULT IS PASSING GOING TO BE TOMORROW? Passing opportunities are goingto be very limited. If someone wants to bloc it is very difficult to pass.Everyone needs to cooperate here.

	Hollywood Reynard Mercedes Qualified: 10th
MAURICIO GUGELMIN
It was a bit of an unfortunate session. We lost the primary car and were forced to use the T-car for the first time this weekend. The installation lap was pretty good; we were P8. The T-car wasn't quite as good as my primary one, though. It was a bit loose on the entry to the corners. After we adjusted that and put on the second set of tires, the red flag came out and ended the session. It's a shame because we only had a chance to use one set of tires. It's disappointing, but I'm optimistic about the race.

	MCI Worldcom Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Qualified: 17th
CRISTIANO DA MATTA
Our time here has been difficult so far. The car has no grip. The track hasgotten better, but the car's handling hasn't really changed from this morningto this afternoon. I had a hard time this morning getting the tires to stick,and we did what we could to improve the traction going into and out of the turns. We need to make some bigger changes tonight so the car will feel better tomorrow.It's not fun to drive right now.

	Pioneer Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Qualified: 14th
SCOTT PRUETT
The Pioneer car felt great. We made a huge jump forward today, and itfeels really good. I think we could've moved up even further if we'd hada few more laps there at the end, but I'm pretty happy. The Pioneer teamhas performed well on street circuits lately, so I'm not too worried aboutwhere we qualified. My bigger concern was getting the car right, and we'redefinitely closer to that today.

	Herdez Competition Payton/Coyne Lola Ford Qualified: 18th
MICHEL JOURDAIN
The car is really, really loose. I was sideways all over the track. Wedefinitely need more downforce. I NOTICED THAT YOU A RUNNING A SERRATEDWICKERBILL. WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THAT? Well it's something that theengineers came up with. I don't know. I can't really tell a differenceyet. If we were qualifying up front I might be a little more convinced butthey say it helps, so we will keep using it.

	Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special Walker Racing Reynard Honda Qualified: 7th
GIL de FERRAN
We made a lot of improvements from this morning. The cooler temperatures didn't help us at all, the Goodyear tires like it hot, but the changes we made really helped the car and we did the best we could with what we had today.

	Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda Qualified: 16th
JIMMY VASSER
Not a good session for us today, I'm afraid. The car was pretty good yesterday, but I brushed the wall and damaged the suspension a little. Today, the track was much faster, but we lost the balance on the car, it was a little too 'knife-edge'. We just didn't keep up with the changing track conditions.

	Miller Lite Team Rahal Reynard Ford Qualified: 12th
MAX PAPIS
It's a bitunfortunate because on my fast lap I ran up on two cars and that cost ussome time. We improved our car a lot from yesterday, especially in thefront end. Tomorrow is going to be a long race and we will just need tostay patient. A lot of people are going to make a lot of mistakes tomorrowand we just need to be the guys who don't. GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE PITSQUICK IS GOING TO BE A PRIORITY TOMORROW, ISN'T IT? We have been workingall weekend on improving our times. It's important to get in and outtomorrow quick because it's going to be really difficult to make uppositions on the track and I think our guys are ready. I think tomorrow isalso going to be a fuel race.

	Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Qualified: 4th
DARIO FRANCHITTI
I touched the wall very early in the session and damaged the car. It wasvery nervous, which was something we haven't experienced all weekend.So maybe I knocked the tracking out or something. I managed to make itback to the pits and the guys from Team KOOL Green did a great jobgetting the car back together. We went from having a great car thismorning and yesterday, to having an undriveable one for qualifying. Afterrepairs, I was just hanging onto the car for the whole session trying to puta time together. We think that because of the impact, the car may havebeen cross-weighted and one tire was light under braking. So, it waspretty interesting out there. I was just trying to get a clear lap in traffic.One of our worst sessions, I'd say. I think we have a great race carthough. We went almost as fast with our race setup in this morning'spractice, as we did in qualifying.

	Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Qualified: 3rd
PAUL TRACY
I'm pretty happy with the way qualifying turned out. It saved our skins alittle bit because the track was getting quicker. I'm pretty satisfiedbecause with everything that has happened to us this weekend, it's finallyturned around a little for Team KOOL Green. When the guys in thesecond session went quick on their first set of tires, I thought that they'dsurely be faster than me on their second set. P.J. [Jones] did a good jobtoday, but in the end he made a mistake which helped me out. I'll buyhim dinner.

	Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Hond Qualified: 1st
JUAN MONTOYA
I think the day was good. The car felt much better. We had some problems this weekend which cost a lot of time. [During qualifying] Just like Paul [Tracy] said, there was too much traffic. I did a good time on the first set of tires, then we went with a different set and I couldn't get a good lap in. I felt like we could do a low one [minute lap time] or something, but I'm a bit surprised at how quick we went.

	McDonald'sForsythe Championship Racing Team Reynard Honda Qualified: 15th
TONY KANAAN
We've been fighting with understeer all weekend. We are always pickingup morerear grip with new tires and that's not what we want. We are giving uptoo much infront. The track is so tight you have to have more front grip. Thebalance isn't there.It's not going to be easy starting 15th, but it's a long race andhopefully we can end upat the front.

	Tecate Beer/Quaker State Patrick Racing
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ
HOW ABOUT THAT, ITLOOKS LIKE P.J. IS TAKING A LIKING TO DRIVING YOUR CAR... This isfantastic! He needed that big time. He has been going through a lot ofthings during the year and I am really happy for him. He is really startingto communicate well with John (Ward, chief engineer) now and that takes sometime to do. It takes a few races. I am very proud of him. I am proudbecause he is driving my car and he has my sponsors up on the front row. Westill have to get the sponsors up on the front row even when I am notthere. SINCE THIS WILL BE HIS FIRST TIME STARTING UP ON THE FRONT ROW, DOYOU PLAN ON GIVING HIM ANY ADVICE? I am just going to tell him that youreally need to concentrate and keep looking in your mirrors. You also haveto be careful that you don't get too excited and make a mistake. I am justgoing to tell him to stay focused.

	Tecate Beer/Quaker State Patrick Racing Reynard Ford Qualified: 2nd
PJ JONES
WERE YOUSURPRISED BY THE LAP YOU PUT TOGETHER? I knew we were good, but sometimesyou just don't know what you are going to get. Sometimes you are ahalf-second off when you thought you were all right, and sometimes it theother way. It is a good run for me and the guys on the team. A LAP AFTERYOU POSTED YOUR QUICK TIME YOU ENDED UP TAGGING THE WALL. WHAT HAPPENED? I used the tires up pretty well trying to get that fast lap and I justturned in a little too early and clipped my left front and it just sent meoff just enough to put me into the wall. I didn't bend up the car thatbad. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO APPROACH THE START OF THE RACE TOMORROW HAVINGNEVER STARTED ON THE FRONT ROW BEFORE? The start is going to be crucial.Starts are tough here on the street circuits. We need long braking areaswith tight corners and that seems to be where we do our best passing. It'srough down there. I tell you though, in turn five if your car is notworking well you may be able to get a run on someone there. But we need tomake it through the first time tomorrow. It's tight. Everyone needs to becareful tomorrow or you could wipe out a lot of cars. YOU AND ADRIAN AREFRIENDS, HOW MUCH DID THAT PLAY INTO THE DECISION TO GIVE YOU THE RIDE AFTERADRIAN BROKE HIS ARM? It's his car, he controls it and it's his decisionwho he puts in it. Obviously he needs to talk it over with Pat (Patrick)and the guys but it was his decision. We are really good friends and heknew the problems we were having with the Swift and that was part of thedecision. THERE WERE A LOT OF FINGERS POINTED YOUR WAY AFTER A BLOCKINGINCIDENT AT CHICAGO. WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THAT SITUATION? When you arerunning seventh on the lead lap, I don't know, I was running as fast aseverybody but I got caught up in lapped traffic too. If I was guilty thatwould be one thing, but I wasn't. When you go and complain and whine likethat, it really surprised me. IS THERE A BIT OF FRUSTRATION WITH THESUCCESS YOU HAD TODAY IN? YOU KNEW YOU WERE CAPABLE ALL ALONG, BUT IT WASNOT UNTIL YOU GOT IN THE REYNARD WERE YOU ABLE TO SHOW IT . . . It isreally satisfying. It's been a real confidence tester all year. I neverreally had the support behind me all year. I have been asking to get in theReynard all year. We were not that good in Mid-Ohio in the Reynard, buteveryone else tested there and we didn't so we were a little behind theretoo. HOW DESPERATELY FOR YOUR FUTURE DO YOU NEED TO HAVE A GOOD RACETOMORROW? I hope to be there in the top-five all day. If we can be in thetop-five then we have a chance to win the race. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOURFUTURE? I don't know. I have talked to a lot of people in NASCAR, CART --there are a lot of places to go for me out there.

	Herdez Payton-Coyne Racing Lola Ford Qualified: 20th
MEMO GIDLEY
Ididn't get a good run on my second set of tires to really put together agood lap. The car feels pretty good. It's too bad this was not the firstqualifying day because we would be a lot better off if we were to do itagain tomorrow. The qualifying car was good but we just were not able tostretch our legs today. Traffic also hurt us.

	Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Qualified: 11th
PATRICK CARPENTIER
If we would have the same track conditions the second group had, we wouldhave been faster. But what's most importantfrom today's session is that we have a reliable and competitive car for therace.

	Patrick Racing Visteon Reynard Ford Qualified: 21st
JAN MAGNUSSEN
Believe it ornot we did improve the car from yesterday. On the straightaways we are notthat fast as some of the other cars but overall the car is pretty good. Wejust could not get a clean lap together. IT LOOKS LIKE P.J. JONES FOUNDSOMETHING IN THE CARS SETUP. DO YOU THINK IT CAN HELP YOU? Well he isusing some of the things we are working on. So it'd good to see that we aregoing in the right direction.

	Team Gordon Eagle Toyota Qualified: 19th
ROBBY GORDON
The car's not bad, I think I said that same thingyesterday. We just need to get off the corners faster. The gear ratioswe ran today made the car faster, along with a couple of other changes,but we're still off when you look up the grid. A couple of the driversgot into the 60's today (60 second lap times), and we're still lookingto dip into the 61's. The bar just keeps rising. To gain a fullsecond from provisional day to pole day is great, but there's stillanother second in there we have to find. For the race we'll be in good shape. It's going to be hard coming fromthe 10th row, but I've had to do that a few times this year. Like anystreet race, attrition is going to play a big factor. We need to keepour eyes open to what's going on all day and try to make the race workfor us.