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Thursday, March 8
Preseason test sessions went well
By Christian Fittipaldi
Special to ESPN.com
This is the first installment of my diary for RPM.ESPN.com for the 2001 CART FedEx Series season and it can only mean one thing -- the season is finally going to start.
Because CART cut testing during the season for this year, we have had an intensive offseason test schedule. Testing is good, but I am ready to get to the first race and see how we stack up to the other guys. It's been good for the guys to carry the distinction of being CART's reigning race winner the past four months -- usually you only get to do that for one week before you race again -- but we are ready to move on and get the season started.
|  | | Christian Fittipaldi ended last season with a win at California. Now he hopes to start this year the same way in Mexico. |
It would be nice to win back-to-back CART races with a victory in Monterrey, Mexico and get the season started in style, but our goal is to run consistently this season and collect the maximum points we can toward the championship.
We will race at four new events this season -- Mexico, Fort Worth, England and Germany -- and we were going to compete in 22 races. But about a month ago, it was announced that the race in Rio de Janeiro was cancelled by the new mayor, which is disappointing to all the Brazilian drivers, since it was our only chance to race in our home country. It's unfortunate for the 10 Brazilians in the series not to race in their country, especially since the CART champion -- Gil de Ferran -- is also Brazilian.
This will be my sixth season at Newman/Haas. Not a lot has changed for my program from last year, except we switched from Ford to Toyota. My race engineer, Todd Bowland, and data engineer, Tom Smith, are back and so is my chief mechanic, Kevin Chambers, and most of the mechanics. So, we have continuity, which is good in this sport. We work well together, so why change anything?
In the other car, however, Carl (Haas) and Paul (Newman) have made a switch that I think will be good. When the team and Mike (Michael Andretti) decided to go separate ways, they chose Cristiano da Matta to drive the Texaco/Havoline/Kmart car. The 2001 season will mark the first time ever in Newman/Haas history that an Andretti will not drive for the team.
But change is good. And Cristiano and I have more similar driving styles than Mike and I did, so with limited in-season track time, he can try a bunch of things and I can try different things to see what works best and maximize the time.
We learned more about the Lola chassis since we started racing with it again last season, but we spent a lot of time in the preseason getting to know the Toyota engine. I've driven a Ford since I came to CART from Formula One, so this is a big change for me. Cristiano has raced with Toyota the past two seasons in Champ cars and helped the team get acclimated quicker.
Last season, Toyota won five races and led more laps than any other engine and they have developed the engine further in the off season. Also new for 2001 is the fact that CART mandated engine boost be reduced to 37 inches in an effort to slow the cars down for safety and to make the racing more exciting for the fans.
Preseason testing went well. Both Cristiano and I were among the fastest at most places we went, although I think the Penske team has a slight edge so far. We'll have to work harder to catch up to them.
Off the track, I've been been busy as well. The biggest "life change" I have made since the last race was to get married to Andrea. Planning a wedding was a lot more work than I thought, but it turned out well. Since then, we have been working on updating my website -- fittipaldiONLINE.com. I constantly update the site with photos and audio from each race and other events I am involved in. I have also been cycling regularly and running to stay in shape for the season.
Mike and I shot a segment of "The Jersey" for The Disney Channel, and it airs this week with re-airs in the next few weeks. We shot it right before the 2000 season finale I won and it airs the week of the season-opener, so hopefully that will bring us the same luck. I definitely have no acting aspirations like my boss, Paul, but being a part of a different world for the shoot was interesting. It's important for our series to reach kids and turn them into race fans early. This is the No. 1 show on The Disney Channel, so I can't think of a better way to reach them.
I think this season will be a good one for Newman Haas Racing. Make sure to tune-in to ABC on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. The track has sold over 100,000 tickets, so it should be a great event and hopefully a great start for CART in 2001 and especially Newman/Haas Racing.
Newman Haas Racing competitors Christian Fittipaldi, who drives the No. 11 Big Kmart Toyota/Lola car, and Cristiano da Matta, who pilots the No. 6 Texaco/Havoline Toyota/Lola ride, will provide regular diaries to ESPN.com throughout the 2001 season. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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