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De Ferran Test Valvoline/Cummins Reynard at Sebring

1 February 1998

Gil de Ferran
Gil de Ferran
SEBRING, Fla. -- Gil de Ferran, runner-up in the 1997 CART PPG Cup point standings, recently finished three days of testing the 1998 Valvoline/Cummins Reynard-Honda at Sebring. It was his first road-course outing in the new car.

De Ferran completed approximately 400 miles on the airport course with a best lap time of 54.0 seconds, set Wednesday, Jan. 28. Much of Tuesday was lost due to heavy rain.

Wednesday was a good day, said de Ferran, the 1995 CART Rookie of the Year. The new car produces more downforce and we were taking time to get the car balanced. We learned more about what it will take on setup.

I also did a lot of work for Goodyear and that showed promise.

Team owner Derrick Walker said, The car was looser than Gil would have liked. Weve seen in the past that Sebring is that kind of circuit. If we had just been concentrating on sorting that out, I think he could have gone quicker. We were working on a number of things, including tire testing for Goodyear, and I think we did some good work there.

De Ferran will continue testing next week at the Homestead-Miami Speedway during the third annual CART Spring Training, Feb. 4-5. The 19-race FedEx Championship Series opens March 15 at Homestead, a race where de Ferran finished second in 1996, and has led each of the last two years.

Courtesy of Walker Racing Public Relations