HOMESTEAD, Fla. (March 5, 1999) - Adrian Fernandez ran the fastest lap of the day, 215.139 mph, but Mauricio Gugelmin posted the biggest improvement.   Private testing continued Friday at Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex for the March 21 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota, the opening event on the 1999 CART FedEx Championship Series.

Mauricio Gugelmin

Gugelmin ran a lap of 214.883 mph in the Hollywood Mercedes Reynard, a two mile-per-hour gain from Thursday's session. Fernandez ran the quickest lap of pre-season testing on Thursday -- 216.080 in a year-old Reynard.
       
"We made a lot of gains today," said Gugelmin, a 35-year-old Brazilian entering his seventh year of CART competition. We've been trying alternative setups, trying to approximate the conditions of the race."
       
Thirteen drivers participated in Friday's session. Pre-season testing for the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota will conclude Saturday.
       
The Grand Prix of Miami weekend also includes the season opener for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Saturday's Florida Dodge Dealers 400.

For ticket orders, call (305) 230-7223. For additional information, visit the Speedway's official web site, www.racemiami.com.

Friday's top speeds (Unofficial, randomly taken from various sources)

Adrian Fernandez                         215.139 mph
Mauricio Gugelmin                       214.883
Gil de Ferran                               214.797
Paul Tracy                                  213.270
P.J. Jones                                  212.934
Dario Franchitti                           211.930
Christian Fittipaldi                       211.433
Martin Blundell                            210.117
Alex Baron                                 209.709
Robby Gordon                            208.494
Michele Jourdain                         206.897
Cristiano da Matta                      206.107
Dennis Vitolo                             205.323