Speeds, Crowd Take Record-Setting Turn

Record speeds and a record crowd highlighted the opening day of Indy car qualifying for Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, but all the leaders predicted even quicker times in today’s session over the 1.59-mile street circuit.

Gil de Ferran, last year’s rookie of the year, ran a record 109.482 mph in Jim Hall’s Reynard-Honda to take the provisional pole as 48,000 looked on. It was a record Friday attendance, surpassing the 46,500 in 1994.

Jimmy Vasser, winner of two of three races this year in another Reynard-Honda, also bettered Michael Andretti’s year-old record of 109.066 with a 109.310 lap.

“It’s only Friday,” De Ferran said, then added, laughing, “I’m hopeful it might rain tomorrow.”

This was after Vasser and No. 3 qualifier Scott Pruett had predicted faster speeds today.

“I expect we’ll be running a full second faster,” Vasser said. “Traditionally, street courses are quicker on Saturday [on the second day of qualifying].

Two weeks ago on a street course in Australia, Vasser won the pole and the race, pocketing a $75,000 bonus.

Pruett, who ran 108.910 mph on Friday, wasn’t quite so optimistic. “I think the pole will be a minimum of half a second faster,” he said.

De Ferran, a Brazilian who came from Formula One racing a year ago, said familiarity with the course helped him.

“Last year, all the tracks were new and it was more of a problem at certain tracks,” he said. “Coming back to all the same tracks is helpful to me, and the car has adapted well to the track too. As have the tires.”

The higher speeds were attributed to a slight change in the track and the Goodyear-vs.-Firestone tire war.

“They moved the inside wall farther back in Turn 4 [where a sharp right-hander leads onto the back stretch],” Vasser said. “It gives the driver a better sight line and a safer line through the corner.”

Pruett added: “It used to be if you clipped the wall there it would throw you into the fence. There was no room for error. The way it is now, you can make a small mistake and still make it through.”

If De Ferran winds up as the pole winner, it will be the first time this year a Goodyear driver has been fastest. Firestone, after an absence of 21 years, returned to Indy cars last year and so far this season has taken all three poles and all three wins.

“When one tire company had a monopoly, they could bring a spec tire to the track and everyone had to use the same tire,” said Pruett, who did all the testing a year before Firestone brought its tires to a race last year. “Now, both companies have to work harder to come up with a winning combination, and it’s the drivers who benefit.”

Al Unser Jr., who has won the Long Beach race six times, is fifth fastest with a 108.417 mph lap.

“The car’s working great,” Unser said. “We called upon Goodyear after the Australia race and they’ve responded well. The only thing my Marlboro car needs a little more of is balance. We’re really, really close right now. At this point, it just comes down to a little fine tuning.”