source: dcanews.com
Lausitz, Germany (Thursday, May 08, 2003) - Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing prepares for the season's first oval at the 2.023-mile EuroSpeedway course
this weekend's German 500. Round 5 of the CART Champ Car series will take place Sunday, May 11th at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Rookie pilot Tiago Monteiro will compete for the first time on an oval circuit and is looking forward to it with great expectations. "I am very
excited to be in Germany for the German 500," said the Portuguese native. "As a European driver it's nice to be racing again in Europe. This will be
my first oval and I can't wait to get out onto the track. We had some difficulties
at Brands Hatch, but my team is doing a great job and I think we will do well here."
Crew chief for the #7 entry, Rich Howard, concurs with his driver's expectations for the weekend. "I think the Reynards will be good here.
They should be fast, with hopefully less drag than the Lolas. The team learned a lot at Brands Hatch, especially about fuel mileage, so that should help us here. We had good pit stops last weekend, which will also give us an
advantage. Tiago has been consistent all season. Other than Monterrey, where his car broke, he's been strong and I expect his progress to continue."
Chris Mower, the team manager for both Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing and Mi-Jack Conquest Racing is optimistic about the changes of both of his rookie
drivers. "Mario (Haberfeld) and Tiago both found it easier to adapt thanexpected at their oval test in Las Vegas," he said. "Having said that, this
tri-oval will be slightly different. But, with the speed they adapted at their first oval test, we're going into the weekend confident of another
points finish."
The rookie team his the track on Saturday, May 10th for Rookie Practice at 9:15 a.m. After a disappointing weekend in Brands Hatch, the team is
working diligently toward a more successful conclusion to this weekend's event with a top 10 finish.