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JIMMY VASSER TESTS
AT HOMESTEAD, EYES 4TH STRAIGHT TITLE FOR GANASSI
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Dec. 15, 1998) - Jimmy Vasser
has set his sights on a lofty goal for 1999 - his second CART FedEx Championship Series
title and a unprecedented fourth consecutive title for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing.
To help accomplish that goal, Vasser and new
teammate Juan Pablo Montoya are testing at Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex, which
will host the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota on March 21.
"This time of year we always spend a lot
of time at Homestead," Vasser explained. "Not only is it our first race of the
year and we have to prepare for it, but it's the only place in the country that really has
the weather that we can do some testing."
The Target duo were joined at the South Florida
test by Patrick Racing teammates P.J. Jones and Adrian Fernandez; Arciero-Wells teammates
Scott Pruett and Cristiano de Matta; the Payton-Coyne duo of Michel Jourdain and Dennis
Vitolo; Tasman's Tony Kanaan; Team Kool Green's Paul Tracy; and Team Rahal's Bryan Herta.
Unofficially, Vasser had the fastest lap of the
day, 25.2 seconds - 214.286 mph.
Vasser won the 1996 CART championship,
beginning a string of three straight titles for Target/Ganassi. Alex Zanardi, who will be
competing in Formula One next year, won the 1997 and 1998 crowns to tie Penske Racing's
Rick Mears (1981-82) and Al Unser (1983) as the only team to score three consecutive CART
titles. Vasser finished second in the 1998 championship
and was third in 1997.
"The championship," Vasser
said quickly when asked of his goals for the 1999 campaign. "Four in a row for
Ganassi, simply whatever it takes to do that. I hope it's me, but whether it's me or my
teammate, that's our goal for the team."
While Vasser's main objective at Homestead was
to test tires for Firestone, and Montoya's goal was to get quality track time on an oval,
preparing for the season opener is also on the agenda.
"We're testing tires for Firestone and
doing general systems testing for the season, but at the same time, we're specifically
testing the setup for this circuit," explained the 33-year-old native of Canoga Park,
Calif.
Vasser is no stranger to Victory Lane at
Homestead, winning the inaugural Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota in 1996, followed
by a third place finish in 1997. He qualified third but finished 16th in 1998, with
Zanardi putting Target/Ganassi back on the podium with a third place finish.
Tickets are now on sale for the Grand Prix of
Miami Presented by Toyota, the opening event of the 1999 season at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. The weekend also includes Saturday's Florida Dodge Dealers 400, the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series opener. For additional information, call (305) 230-7223, or visit
the Speedway's official website at www.racemiami.com.
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