Monday, February 17, 2003 2003 Champ Car World Series Opens at St. Petersburg This Weekend by Kelby C. Krauss INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 17, 2003) - The 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford opens a new chapter in the long history of Champ Car racing as the 19-race schedule will see many new teams and drivers looking to stake their claims in the world of open-wheel racing as they do battle for the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup. The chase gets underway February 21-23 with the inaugural Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (FLA) as 19 Ford-Cosworth XFE engines roar to life on the streets for the season-opening event. The new event is one of three venues on the slate that were not on the 2002 schedule as the series will head to Brands Hatch in England and return to the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany in 2003. The new venues are not the only changes featured in Champ Car racing this year however, as many new teams and drivers look to stake their claim as champion of North America's most diverse racing challenge. Five new teams have committed to join some of the sport's most venerable squads in the chase for the 2003 championship, as Rocketsports Racing, PK Racing, Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing and American Spirit Team Johansson have all joined the fray and will be on the grid for the opener. The new squads will be chasing one of the most successful teams in all of Champ Car racing as Newman/Haas Racing looks to defend its fourth series championship, won last year by Cristiano da Matta. The team will have a new look this year but has plenty of experience as both of its drivers have won championships in the highly-competitive FIA International F3000 championship. Bruno Junqueira returns for his third Champ Car season and first with Newman/Haas, coming off a successful campaign that saw him win two races and four poles en route to a second-place finish in the standings. He will be joined by reigning F3000 titlist Sebastien Bourdais, who makes his debut in 2003 after being among the fastest cars in much of preseason testing. The series' active victory leader Paul Tracy will take up the chase for his first championship from a different vantage point this season, moving to Player's/Forsythe Racing to tandem with Patrick Carpentier. Tracy earned his 19th win last season with a dominating performance at Milwaukee, a victory that tied him for 17th on the all-time Champ Car list. His new teammate comes off the most successful season of his career, one where he finished third in the championship and won races at Cleveland and Mid-Ohio. One of the most experienced teams in the 2003 championship from a management perspective will be Patrick Racing. The team is owned by CART co-founder, U.E. "Pat" Patrick, and its general manager is the winningest Crew Chief/Team Manager/General Manager in Champ Car history, Jim McGee. The team will return with Spaniard Oriol Servia in the cockpit, Servia staying with the team after taking over the seat midway through the 2003 season. Fernandez Racing will concentrate its efforts on a single car in 2003 with popular Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez looking to take his first win as an owner/driver, while fellow countryman Michel Jourdain Jr. also looks to break into the win column after his most successful Champ Car season. Jourdain returns to Team Rahal in 2003 after setting a team record by scoring points in the first 17 events of the 2002 campaign. The seven-year veteran finished 10th in the Champ Car standings for the first time in his career last season and led the standings for the first time ever after starting the year with four consecutive top-five runs. Fellow Mexican Mario Dominguez returns after winning the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award in 2002 for Herdez Competition, clinching the title at Surfers Paradise where he gave the Herdez team its first-ever Champ Car victory. Dominguez will be joined by veteran Roberto Moreno for 2003 as the team expands to a run a pair of cars, Moreno returning to the cockpit after sitting out the 2002 season. Walker Racing expands to a two-car effort with England's Darren Manning, who impressed in his Champ Car debut on home soil in Rockingham last season, and rookie Rodolfo Lavin who graduates from the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series. Long-time competitor Dale Coyne returns to contest the full season and will do so with Joel Camathias from the FIA International and Euro F3000 Championship ranks as well as Roberto Gonzalez. The rookie teams are expecting to hit the ground running as many of them have vast experience throughout their organizations. Three-time Trans-Am champion Paul Gentilozzi joins the fray with his Rocketsports Racing team, with driver Alex Tagliani returning for his fourth Champ Car season. Tagliani, who will be aided by former Penske race engineer Andy Borme, comes off a season that saw him earn a pair of second-place finishes and an eighth-place standing in the championship. 1996 series champion Jimmy Vasser will partner with rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay at the new American Spirit Team Johansson that was founded by former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Stefan Johansson. Vasser earned his 10th Champ Car win last season by pacing the fastest-ever open-wheel race, besting Michael Andretti to win at California Speedway, covering 500 miles at an average speed of 197.995mph. Former Indy Lights champion Eric Bachelart will also move into Champ Cars as an owner, moving his Mi-Jack Conquest Racing team to Champ Car racing after a year in the Indy Racing League. Bachelart will field a car for FIA F3000 competitor Mario Haberfeld of Brazil. Haberfeld will have some help in his stable as the Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing squad will partner with Bachelart's group, with former CART and Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi fielding a car for Tiago Monteiro. Completing the current list of new Champ Car teams will be PK Racing, owned by former Formula 1 team principal Craig Pollock and high-tech industry giant Kevin Kalkhoven. Patrick Lemarié will handle the driving duties after serving as the official test driver for F1's British American Racing team for the last four years. WHO'S HOT · If preseason testing is any indication of early favorites for the inaugural Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, defending series champion Newman/Haas Racing has a slight edge on the field as Champ Car begins its 25th season of competition February 23rd on St. Petersburg, Florida's 1.806-mile downtown street circuit. The 2003 Newman/Haas Racing duo comprised of Brazilian Bruno Junqueira (#1 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and rookie Sebastien Bourdais (#2 Newman/Haas Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of France paced Champ Car Spring Training testing in nearby Sebring, Florida earlier this month. Bourdais turned in the week's fastest time of 50.584 seconds (118.781 mph) followed by Junqueira at 50.804 seconds (118.266 mph) around the 1.669-mile configuration. Owners Paul Newman and Carl Haas look to add another Champ Car title to their resume after winning their fourth last season with 2002 Driver of the Year recipient Cristiano da Matta. · Team Rahal's Michel Jourdain Jr. (#9 Gigante Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of Mexico City, Mexico showed speed in Sebring as well, posting the third best time overall at 50.841 seconds (118.180 mph). Jourdain is coming of a career-best season highlighted by consistency that earned him championship points in more races than any other driver in 2002. He led the series in laps (2,295 out of a possible 2,338) and miles completed (4,035.320 out of 4,118.327) and scored more points in the 2002 campaign than he had in any of his previous six seasons. · Spaniard Oriol Servia (#20 Visteon Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of Patrick Racing was one of the dominant drivers during the three days of testing in Spring Training. Servia was the quickest in two of the three individual sessions he ran and topped the combined speed charts when the team completed its testing following the morning practice session on Thursday, February 6th. ON THE RIGHT TRACK · Although the Champ Car World Series has never raced its turbocharged, 750-horsepower Champ Cars on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, be aware of the drivers competing in their home state this weekend. Floridians Bruno Junqueira (Miami), Sebastien Bourdais (Miami), Roberto Moreno (#4 Herdez Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of Herdez Competition (Weston), Oriol Servia (Miami), Ryan Hunter-Reay (#31 Ford-Cosworth/Reynard Bridgestone) of American Spirit Team Johansson (Boca Raton), Mario Haberfeld (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Reynard Bridgestone) of Mi-Jack Conquest Racing (Key Biscayne) and Tiago Monteiro (#7 Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone) of Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing (Miami) will all be determined to leave their mark in this inaugural event. MANUFACTURING SUCCESS · After winning 16 of 19 races in 2002, Lola Cars returns to Champ Car action in 2003 as the defending constructor's champion. The Reynard chassis scored wins in the remaining three races as Lola scored its first Champ Car title since the award's inception in 1995. NOTEWORTHY · Twenty-year-old Al Unser will make his professional racing debut with the Barber Dodge Pro Series at St. Petersburg. The son of Al Unser Jr. and the grandson of Al Unser - both two-time Champ Car title winners - the youngest Unser continues his climb up the Champ Car Ladder System after competing in the Formula Dodge National Championship (Official National Amateur Championship of Champ Car) during the 2002 season...The Barber Dodge Pro Series, the "Official Entry Level Professional Race Series of Champ Car" and a key step on the Champ Car Driver Development Ladder, will open its 2003 racing season on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg. The Pro Series race will be featured as the Saturday race at 3:45 p.m., directly following final Champ Car qualifying. A full field of 27 competitors will take the green flag for the 40-minute timed race. · Super Bowl Champions to Serve as Grand Marshal...several of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will serve as collective Grand Marshal of the race day events, including announcing the most famous words in racing, "Gentlemen, start your engines." Buccaneers participating in the race day festivities include Fullback Mike Alstott, Lineman Jeff Christy, and Quarterback Shaun King...."These gentlemen add an air of fun and enthusiasm to our race day events. Not every race can have the Super Bowl champs at the start line," said Grand Prix of St. Petersburg General Manager Tom Begley. "These players not only share an interest in racing, but they have bonded our community in a way that has given all of us something to smile about. We are delighted to have them on board." · The Official Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Media Luncheon...will take place Thursday, February 20th from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort (727) 894-1000) just to the south of the racing circuit at 501 5th Avenue NE in St. Petersburg. Participants include members of the media, Champ Car and support series drivers. Contact John Dunlap at Dover Motorsports at (302) 222-0649 for more details of the invitation-only event. · A Champ Car Fan Appreciation Activity...(all driver autograph session) is scheduled for Friday, February 21st from 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. at the team transporters located in the Champ Car Paddock. All Champ Car Drivers will be in attendance, along with Barber Dodge Pro Series Drivers and others. The event is open to public. Contact Champ Car Promoter Operations Manager Amanda Trotter at (317) 715-4180 for more details. · Better Than Ezra In Concert... a group that has soared in popularity over the past few years thanks to the hit single "Good," will turn the late afternoon race session of Saturday, February 22nd at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg into a rocking good time. The New Orleans-based trio will put on a concert approximately 15 minutes after the final race session of the day (4:30 p.m.) at a special stage setup inside the street course. The stage will back up to scenic Bayshore Drive and be located on 1st Avenue next to Pioneer Park. The concert is just one of many festive events going on inside the 1.806-mile street course from February 21-23. But it is certain to be one of the high points of the weekend, as Better Than Ezra has established itself as a darling of the college crowd. The trio consists of Kevin Griffin on guitar and lead vocals, Tom Drummond on bass and Travis McNabb on drums. Better Than Ezra first gained notoriety in 1993 when it released its first album on its own label, SWELL. But the groundswell of excitement about the record that followed caused the major label Elektra Records to pick up the record and turned the single "Good" into a huge hit. The album, "Surprise," went on to sell over 500,000 copies and went platinum. The group's next record, "Friction, Baby," released in 1996, went gold. It's most recent album, "How Does Your Garden Grow," is currently drawing very positive reviews from critics. Only those people with tickets to the race action on Saturday will be able to catch Better Than Ezra. There will be plenty of race action to catch that day, with Champ Cars practice and qualifying sessions, as well as Trans-Am and Fran-Am Series qualifying efforts and the Barber Dodge race (scheduled to start at 3:45 p.m.). Better Than Ezra's concert will start approximately 15 minutes after the Barber Dodge race concludes. For tickets or more information, please call 1-888-34-SPEED. FAST FACTS GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG WHAT: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg WHERE: St. Petersburg, Florida WHEN: Friday-Sunday, February 21-23 SUPPORT EVENTS: Barber Dodge Pro Series, Trans-Am, Fran-Am CHAMP CAR SCHEDULE (All times local): FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 - Trans-Am practice, 8:00 - 8:45 a.m.; Champ Car practice, 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.; Champ Car practice, 11:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Barber Dodge qualifying, 1:30 - 2:05 p.m.; Champ Car qualifying, 3:10 - 4:10 p.m.; Trans-Am practice, 4:40 - 5:00 p.m. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 - Barber Dodge qualifying, 9:00 - 9:40 a.m.; Champ Car practice, 10:00 - 11:15 a.m.; Trans-Am qualifying, 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.; Champ Car qualifying, 1:45 - 2:45 p.m.; Barber Dodge race, 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 - Trans-Am warmup, 8:30 - 8:45 a.m.; Champ Car warmup, 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.; Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, 1:00 p.m.; Trans-Am race, 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. U.S. TELEVISION SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 - SPEED Channel, Champ Car Qualifying, 1:30 p.m. (Live); SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 - SPEED Channel, Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, 1:00 p.m. ET (Live). LIVE INTERNET AUDIO SCHEDULE: Live audio of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford is available for qualifying on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 - 1:30 p.m.; as well as the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 - 1:00 p.m. ET. on the official web site of the Champ Car World Series www.champcarworldseries.com TRACK LAYOUT: 1.806-mile street course RACE LENGTH: 105 laps (189.63 miles) RACE ROUND: 1 of 19 in the 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. NEXT EVENT: March 23, Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix, Fundidora Park, Monterrey, Mexico GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG "QUOTEBOARD" SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (#2 TBA Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I think it will be a tough weekend. To start the season and a new experience on a street course is always difficult because the type of track is asking for more concentration to not make any mistakes and stay off of the walls. It will also be more difficult because it will be my first race in a single seat race car that will last for two hours. It will be a busy weekend but the car is good and the team is good so that will make the weekend run smoother." JOEL CAMATHIAS (#19 Dale Coyne Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "It is a pleasure to race in such a lovely place as St Petersburg. I had the pleasure of meeting the Mayor and everyone involved has done a great job in the design of the track and planning the event. My goal for my first Champ Car race is to finish. I feel testing at Spring Training went well and my first goal is to finish the race." PATRICK CARPENTIER (#32 Player's/Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "So much has happened in the Champ Car series since we last raced a few months ago - with new teams, new drivers and new rules, like the elimination of traction control. I'm sure that the drivers are as eager for the season to start as the fans are, so that we can see what impact all the changes are going to make. I'm convinced it will be a very positive thing for the Champ Car series. We saw in Spring Training that the caliber of competition is extremely high, and I expect that every race will come down to a battle. I was really impressed by the street course in St. Petersburg when I first saw it a few weeks ago. It's a track that should be very fast, and I expect in some of the wider areas, especially on the main straight by the airport, there will be some good passing opportunities. And I've been told the track probably won't be as slick as some of the other street courses, so we should be able to hit speeds in the 300-kilometres-per-hour range on the faster portions of the track." MARIO DOMINGUEZ (#55 Herdez Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I'm really looking forward to kicking off the 2003 season in St Petersburg. It's almost like a completely new Herdez Competition this year - we have a lot of new staff, two cars and drivers. Everyone is very motivated toward the goals we have set as a team and we know we'll be able to do a lot more development of the car with two sets of input. We're going to have a lot more tools this year! St. Pete is a beautiful place! I've been there twice now [for Spring Training and again on 2/12/03 for a promotional visit] and I think it's a great venue for a race. It's a very unique track. We've raced on streets before and on the airport at Cleveland but never on a combination of the two. The engineers are going to have quite a challenge getting the cars dialed in for this one-of-a-kind circuit! And for the drivers and fans, I think it's going to be super-fast!" ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (#51 Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I am very excited about the start of the season. This will be my first race in awhile [Fernández missed the last three events of the 2002 season due to an accident at the start of the Australia race on October 27], and the main thing for me is to get back into a rhythm. I have been working very hard physically to be as close to 100 percent as I can be for St. Petersburg. From what I have seen of the track and from speaking with Bruno [Junqueira] who did a few exhibition laps, it is a very nice circuit. With the beautiful scenery, it is the perfect site for a Champ Car event and a great place to start the new season. Obviously there will be a lot of new teams and new faces at the first race, but there is a lot of talent there. During the ten years that I have been racing in Champ Cars, we have had a lot of surprises from rookies. [Juan Pablo] Montoya is a good example. You can never underestimate the rookies and new competition." MARIO HABERFELD (Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "I am very excited to be in my first race with Champ Car. I have always wanted to be in this championship series, so it is a dream come true. Result-wise, it's difficult to predict our outcome with a new team and a new driver. We'll do the best we can to come away from the weekend with points." RYAN HUNTER-REAY (#31 TBA Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "I've been looking forward to this event, since I started racing 11 years ago. I grew up just three hours from St. Pete, so not only is this my first Champ Car race, but along with Miami, I consider it my home race; it will be incredible. The fact that I grew up racing karts and developed my racing career here makes it even more special. I was obviously hoping to have much more time in the car prior to this event. My first test was earlier this month at Spring Training. We ran well, I spent several hours testing the car, getting acquainted with it and practicing pit stops, but that was basically it, so I will have to adapt quickly. The Skip Barber system and the CART Toyota Atlantic series have trained me well for Champ Cars; the top step in American open wheel racing, so that gives me a lot of confidence. I couldn't ask for a better, stronger group of guys and girl (Mechanic, Tess Brelia) preparing my car. My speed and development as a driver in the Champ Car World Series will come with time spent in the car, so I have to take full advantage of every lap at St. Petersburg. I am really excited and proud to carry the American flag this season alongside my experienced teammate, Jimmy Vasser." MICHEL JOURDAIN (#9 Gigante Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I am elated that the start of the Champ Car season is finally here. Even though it has only been a little over two and a half months since we finished the last season, it has seemed like forever. We had a strong spring training [third quick overall] and I think we as a team are anxious to take that momentum and start the season. We had some success last year, but we didn't win and that is the first challenge for us this year. We showed we could run very consistently in the races, but our problems stemmed from qualifying. We have focused a lot of attention on being successful in qualifying. If we improve in that area then we will be racing for top-five's and podiums not top-ten results. I think the race in St. Petersburg has the potential to quickly become a great tradition in the region. If you look at other seaside races like Long Beach and Australia, those events take on a bigger than life atmosphere on race weekend. There is something about the cars running by the marina and the party atmosphere that comes from the hotels and restaurants by the track. I think all the ingredients are here for this to quickly become one of the premier events in the Champ Car World Series." BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (#1 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I think my approach to the 2003 season is really different than my approach to 2002. Before the season started last year I was in a situation that was very uncomfortable and not many people believed in me. I had to prove that I could win races and I finished second in the Championship. Newman/Haas Racing picked me to drive for them and I am very comfortable with the team. I am quite happy with my performance last year and I will work hard to improve on that. This year my goal is to win races but also win the Championship. Newman/Haas Racing is a good team and we have the potential to do it. I think the track is a little bit like Long Beach not only because it is near the water and downtown, but because of the 90 degree turns and fast chicanes. It's a good track. It's fast. It's pretty wide, especially on the main straightaway by the airport. There's going to be some passing, for sure. It's going to be very exciting." RODOLFO LAVIN (#5 Corona Competition Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "Since I have driven in Indy Lights and Formula Atlantics, this will be my first race doing pit-stops. I feel good about the car and the team, so I am excited to get to St. Petersburg. The Champ Car series has some great drivers this year, and the competition is going to be tough, but I am working toward finishing every race and collecting as many points as possible. As the season progresses and I learn more about the Champ Cars, I hope to be fighting for a podium finish." PATRICK LEMARIE (#27 TBA Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I am very excited about St. Petersburg as I have missed racing for a few years. The town and the track look very good. We have had only a short time to prepare, but the team and I will do our best and will maybe have a nice surprise!" DARREN MANNING (#15 TBA Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "I was very pleased with our first test with the whole team. After getting the correct seating position and pedal settings, we started working on the car set-up and we went quicker every time we went out. We learned a lot of things, especially that my driving style is different than the driver last year, so we had to change the settings a bit. Obviously, coming off of a good test with competitive times, my expectations are high for a good result in St. Petersburg. I love street-circuits anyway, and this is a new track for all of us, so we should all be on a level playing field, I'm looking forward to it. My goal is to score as many points as possible at every race - that is how you win championships. The trick will be to not give any points away to the opposition." TIAGO MONTEIRO (#7 Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "It is all a whole brand new experience for me and I am really, really excited. The car itself is a real racing car, with no electronic help and so on. You really get to the root of driving. There's only one official testing day for us, so this whole week is our test. This is very important track time for us to gain experience and learn. The team has done a great job building a reliable car. I appreciate all the help and professionalism of all of the Champ Car people. Without their motivation this would not have been possible in such a short time." ORIOL SERVIA (#20 Visteon/Patrick Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I am very pleased to have been able to do the testing we did during the preseason. It gave me an opportunity to work with the new car and engineer Steve Challis. I have been very impressed with the level of communication Steve and I have developed. In fact, the whole Visteon/Patrick Racing Engineering department has been fantastic and I want to thank the crew for doing such a great job preparing the car. I am very confident heading into the start of the season and I am confident that the Visteon/Patrick Racing Team will have good results and make Mr. Patrick happy. The first race is always exciting because it give you a good idea of where you are versus the competition, but after the first race there is still plenty of racing left so there is lots of work still to be done. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a good first race for the Champ Car World Series. We have a lot of new drivers in the series, but this is the first time we will race on the streets of St. Petersburg, so it is like everybody is a rookie. From what I could tell when we visited the track the St. Petersburg circuit has a lot of quick, wide corners so it should be a good race and very exciting for the fans." ALEX TAGLIANI (#33 Johnson Controls Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "My goal for the Champ Car World Series season opener in St. Petersburg is to place in the top five. That would be a great achievement for this new, but strong Rocketsports team. Of course we would like to win, but if we could place in the top five consistently it would be awesome! We tested the #33 Johnson Controls/Lola at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Sebring [International Raceway], and were able to establish a baseline set-up. We worked the Lola and can get a lot of speed. It's going to be a fast race on the new St. Petersburg track, with all those straight-aways. I'm ready and excited!" PAUL TRACY (#3 Player's/Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I always look forward to the start of any season, but this one is even more special because it's my first race for Team Player's. I guess it's appropriate that my first race with my new team should come at a new venue. From what I've seen and heard, St. Petersburg is going to be a great setting for the season-opening race, and I can't wait to start running laps on the street course that's been laid out. It's going to be a new experience for all of us, and it's going to come down to how quickly we can adapt and adjust to the circuit and the conditions. You can't really use off-season testing as a measuring stick for how prepared you are entering the season, because there was a limited amount of testing this off-season. Team Player's had the opportunity to try some things with the new Lola chassis and the mechanics and engineers collected a lot of helpful information. But we all know we'll be facing an entirely different set of circumstances when we get to St. Petersburg, so we'll just try to learn as much as we can on every lap that we run and make as much progress as we can heading into the race." JIMMY VASSER (#12 TBA Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone): "St. Pete is the perfect place to kick of the 2003 season, it is a great setting and has a strong foundation for a successful future in racing. As for our team, we need to focus on reliability. I have no doubt that if we run to the end, problem-free; we will fight for a trophy. We are a new team, but I have never seen such a high level of energy and excitement, this is a very experienced and determined group." Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! <news@karnac.org>or send a letter to the editor!