Ganassi taps unknown Montoya to replace Zanardi

   Copyright c 1998 Nando Media
   Copyright c 1998 Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct 8, 1998 - 16:20 EDT) -- The last time Chip Ganassi picked
a virtual unknown as a driver for his CART team it resulted in Alex Zanardi
winning 14 races and two FedEx Series championships in three years.

Now, with Zanardi leaving at the end of the season to join Team Williams in
Formula One, Ganassi is hoping lightning strikes again.

He announced Thursday that Juan Pablo Montoya has signed on as the new
teammate for Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 series champion.

The 23-year-old Montoya of Colombia recently clinched the 1998 FIA Formula
3000 Championship, winning seven poles and four races in the 12-race
season. The young driver also has served as the official test driver for
Williams.

Montoya, who signed a 3-year deal with Ganassi, will take part in a Formula
One test in France on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before flying to the
United States for his first test with Target/Chip Ganassi Racing.

He is scheduled to drive one of the team's Reynard-Hondas on both the road
course and the oval at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex in
Homestead, Fla., Oct. 22-26 and will be at the season-finale at Fontana,
Calif., on Nov. 1 to see his first CART event.

"I watched Juan Pablo test alongside Alex two weeks ago in Barcelona
and was very impressed," Ganassi said. "He comes highly
recommended from the people at Williams who've been working with him for
the last year.

"He has a lot of confidence and possesses the tools and skills to be a
successful driver for us."

Actually, Montoya competed in the U.S. before, finishing third in the
Barber Saab Pro Series in 1994 before returning to Europe.

Frank Williams, owner of the Formula One team, said, "Juan Pablo has a
lot of talent and we are confident Chip Ganassi and his team will offer the
right environment to develop his skills further."

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