Honda Racing Report Thursday, February 10, 2000 CART Spring Training Practice Report

Circuit: Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.5 mile oval), Homestead, FL Weather: Clear, mild, 72-degrees F

Combined Practice Times: Pos Driver Manufacturer Time Speed 

 1. Max Papis           Ford Cosworth   25.760 sec.     209.907 mph
 2. Kenny Brack         Ford Cosworth   25,915 sec.     208.651 mph
 3. Michael Andretti    Ford Cosworth   25.992 sec.     208.033 mph
 4. Jimmy Vassar        Toyota          26.092 sec.     207.236 mph
 5. Christian Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth  26.113 sec.     206.768 mph
 6. Juan Montoya        Toyota          26.151 sec.     206.437 mph
 7. Alexandre Tagliani  Ford Cosworth   26.193 sec.     206-130 mph
 8. Patrick Carpentier  Ford Cosworth   26,232 sec.     204.369 mph
 9. Roberto Moreno      Ford Cosworth   26.468 sec.     203.485 mph
10. Gil de Ferran       Honda           26.573 sec.     203.362 mph
11. Adrian Fernandez    Ford Cosworth   26.689 sec.     202.608 mph
12. Paul Tracy          Honda           26.688 sec.     202.411 mph
15. Helio Castro-Neves  Honda           26.758 sec.     201.874 mph
19. Dario Franchitti    Honda           27.016 sec.     200.148 mph
20, Shinji Nakano       Honda           27.063 sec.     199.874 mph
25. Bryan Herta         Honda           27.826 sec.     194.322 mph

De Ferran and Tracy Pace Honda Teams at CART Spring Training

Veterans Gil de Ferran and Paul Tracy led the way for the Honda-powered CART FedEx Championship Series teams In the fifth annual "Spring Training" open practice here at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Now driving for Marlboro Team Penske after three seasons with Walker Racing, de Ferran ran 10th overall for the two days of testing, and was eighth quickest today. Meanwhile, Tracy ran eighth on Tuesday, but dropped back to 12th overall today when adjustments failed to improve the Team KOOL Green car.

Dario Franchitti was injured in a crash near the end of the day on Wednesday, his Team KOOL Green car spinning and making heavy contact with the Turn 3 wall after an apparent suspension failure. Franchitti was awake and alert following the accident, but was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for treatment of three non-displaced fractures of the pelvis and several small contusions of the brain.

The 20-race Champ Car season opens next month as drivers and teams return here for the Grand Prix of Miami on March 26.

GIL de FERRAN (#2 Marlboro Team Penske Honda) 10th fastest: "It's been a productive two days for us. Every time we hit the track we learn something now. We are on a steep learning curve. Everything is new for the team this year, and we missed one session yesterday with mechanical problems. I'm satisfied on balance, we're not totally out of the ballpark."

PAUL TRACY (#26 Team KOOL Green Honda) 12th fastest overall: "We made some pretty big changes overnight that didn't quite pan out for us. So we kind of wasted the morning session trying to whittle away at them. This afternoon, we were going back to our basic setup from yesterday but lost our way. I think that was because the track went away from us, it got kind of hot today. I'd say it was just an average day, not great. I think we have a pretty good race car if we can just button down the handling a little bit."

HELIO CASTRO-NEVES (#3 Marlboro Team Penske Honda) 15th fastest: "We missed a lot of track time yesterday, so today we were starting from zero. But we found a lot of things and made some real improvements to the car, We still have a little bit of work to do, but we have some time before the season starts. I hope to surprise everyone when we come back here next month."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (#27 Team KOOL Green Honda) 19th fastest overall, medical update: Franchitti, who crashed yesterday during CART Spring Training, continues to recover from his injuries at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. According to Dr. Steve Olvey, CART director of medical affairs, Franchitti is being treated for three non-displaced fractures of the pelvis and several small contusions of the brain. This morning he had a normal neurological examination and he is in good spirits. He may be moved out of the TICU later today and may be released from the hospital by Saturday. Franchitti was injured when his car made contact with the Turn 3 wall in the final session on Wednesday. The initial data from the incident points to a mechanical failure in the right rear spindle,

SHINJI NAKANO (#5 Avex/Alpine/Walker Racing Honda) 20th fastest.- "Today was much better for us. I am becoming more adjusted to running on an oval. But our speeds were better and we tried some things that improved the car as well."

BRYAN HERTA (#77 Forsythe Championship Racing Honda) 26th fastest: "We're still trying to understand the car, We have a long list of things to go through and try - finding out what works and what doesn't work. We're making progress, but clearly we have to work hard to reach a competitive performance level with the car."