April 12, 2002

Johnny's Practice Notes - Session 1

Johnny was 6th fastest in his AutomationDirect / Eaton Cutler-Hammer Jaguar in the first practice session of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. After a foggy morning, the sky cleared around 3PM and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny southern California afternoon. The session was an hour long which is a rare treat for Trans-Am drivers, especially on CART weekends.

Johnny noted “We need to work a bit on a thing or two. The car was harsh and loose, it was hard to handle. We got the front of the car working pretty well. Also, I had no radio communications with the crew. We will get the car straightened out for the 8AM session tomorrow morning. More than anything, it was great to be back in the car and get back in the rhythm and go racing.

Last Year, Johnny qualified fifth and finished second. In 1999 and 1998 finished second and third respectively. In 2000, Johnny qualified forth but finished 15th due to contact on the last lap restart melee; upon review, it was determined that the final 35th lap started after the 60-minute time limit had expired., thus didn’t count, and Johnny was declared the winner based on previous lap position; upon appeal, the 35th lap was reinstated, and Johnny was moved back to 15th.

Johnny is entering his second year as part of the Rocketsports stable. Team Owner, Paul Gentilozzi, and Tomy Drissi are Johnny’s teammates.