From: Michael Powell 
 
Panther Racing
 
Taylor, Scheckter Top Two Chevrolet Qualifiers
 
MOTEGI, JAPAN - The Panther Racing tandem of Mark Taylor and Tomas Scheckter
will start Saturday's Indy Japan 300 as the top two Chevrolet qualifiers. Indy
Racing League rookie Mark Taylor posted his best lap of the weekend during
qualifications Friday at Twin Ring Motegi, and will start in the fourteenth
position. The 2003 Menards Pro Series Champion ran a fast lap of 203.787 mph,
nearly three miles per hour faster than his quickest practice lap of the
weekend. Taylor was the top Chevrolet qualifier and will start the Indy Japan
300 in the seventh row. 
 
"I'm extremely impressed with the progress we've made this weekend," Taylor
said. "The Panther guys really had to work hard last night and this morning to
get the Menards/Johns Manville car ready to qualify. We had some problems
yesterday and were way down on speed, but then this morning we made some real
progress. The car was even better during the qualifying run. The most important
thing is I'm comfortable with the track now and we'll be even faster when it's
time to go racing tomorrow." 
 
Pennzoil Panther driver Tomas Scheckter will start two positions behind his
rookie teammate in sixteenth. Scheckter turned a lap of 202.952 mph, 26.962
seconds. 
 
"I'm disappointed with our qualifying run because we have a much better car
than we showed," Tomas said. "I didn't have my best run and the
wind caught me
out on the backstretch, so it wasn't our best effort. The Pennzoil car is very
good in traffic and stays consistent on long runs, which is what is important.
So I don't think the starting position will be a problem for the race. We're
very happy with all the hard work the Chevrolet guys have done for us as well,
because the motor is strong and reliable. So we're looking for a great finish
at Motegi tomorrow." 
 
The Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 starts Saturday at 12:30 p.m. local time and
will be broadcast in the United States at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN. 
 
___ Internet Rex 2.29
 


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