Pedal Down, Papis Passes Test at 221 Miles Per Hour

It was scheduled as a routine tire test, a first opportunity to see how Firestone and Goodyear rubber on CART cars would react to the new California Speedway and its two-mile banked oval, but for Italian driver Max Papis, it was also a test of himself.

“It seems quite easy when you watch it on TV, but I promise you it is completely different,” Papis said after driving for the first time on a superspeedway oval. He tested for more than 500 miles in the Toyota-powered Reynard owned by Frank Arciero and Cal Wells.

“The speeds are faster than I’ve ever done, and it is very easy to get lost,” he said. “It is like driving with eggs on the wings. Every little, tiny movement you do with the steering wheel affects the behavior of the car. For someone who has driven aggressively in my [road racing] career, it is a learning situation.

“When I went out on the superspeedway for the first time, they told me that it was flat out all the way around. I said, ‘Are you sure?’ and they said ‘Yes,’ and sure enough, after some practice I went flat out all the way.”

Papis, 27, whose real first name is Massimiliano, joined Arciero-Wells’ MCI Racing team last year as a replacement driver for Jeff Krosnoff after the CART rookie from La Canada was killed in an accident at Toronto. Papis drove in three CART races and also competed in IMSA’s World SportsCar series, in which he finished second.

“After we lost Jeff, we had to make changes quickly, and Max was strongly recommended to us by Reynard, our engine manufacturer, and Yokohama, the racing tire company,” Wells said. “We have been extremely pleased with him, enough that we have already exercised our option for his services next year.”

Commuting between his home in Varese, Italy, and the United States, Papis made 28 trips across the Atlantic last year.

“The entire year was an adventure for me because everything was new,” Papis said. “All of America is like Hollywood to me. A place where all my dreams are coming true.”

It was a place where he also gained the nickname “Mad Max” for his daring charge through the field in a Ferrari during the 24 Hours of Daytona a year ago. In the last hour, he made up four laps and finished second in one of the closest finishes in history.

Last January he moved to Newport Beach to be close to Wells’ Precision Preparation Inc. headquarters in Rancho Santa Margarita--and cut down on his frequent-flier collection.

“Monza was my home track in Italy. It was only about 20 minutes from my home, but now California Speedway is my home track,” he said. “Every night I go home to Newport Beach, and in the morning it only takes 30 minutes [to get to Fontana] in my Toyota Supra. It’s funny, they told me the speed limit here is 65, but everyone goes close to 80.

“California Speedway is exactly what I expected from the United States--big and enormous. Everything is as big as possible. Like the parking lot here. It is big enough to have a race on it.”

Papis’ job, in addition to driving in CART races, is to test the latest model Toyota engine, the RV8B.

“At the moment, we are just starting what other teams started in January,” he said of a schedule that will have him testing in the next six weeks at Mid-Ohio, Michigan, Sebring and Elkhart Lake and back at Fontana. “Our program started very late, so we are just now doing what we wanted to do in January and February. We are looking toward 1998.”

Papis averaged 221 mph at California last week, not too impressive compared to the 230 mph by Paul Tracy and the 228 of Greg Moore, but impressive enough for Wells.

“Remember, we’re still down on horsepower,” Wells explained. “But frankly, we’re not as far behind as it might look. This is only our second year racing against proven engine manufacturers, and our first year with the new engine. Toyota probably underestimated the competition initially, jumping into the fray before it had a proven product, but we are making progress.”

The engine is being used by four drivers in the CART season, by Papis’ teammate, Hiro Matsushita, and by Dan Gurney’s two drivers, Juan Fangio II and P.J. Jones, but Papis does most of the testing.

Two 500-mile superspeedway races loom on the CART schedule: the U.S. 500 on July 27 at Michigan Speedway and Sept. 28 at California Speedway, both two-mile ovals.

Papis said his goal whenever he gets in a race car is to beat everyone. “But realistically I think it will be like the 24 Hours of LeMans, to take the car to the checkered flag would be an accomplishment,” he said. “For a rookie, especially to see the checkered flag is No. 1.”

At LeMans last month, Papis co-drove a Ferrari with Gianpiero Moretti and Didier Theys to sixth overall and third in class.

“It was very, very special for me to be back in a Ferrari, where I started my career in the United States with the MOMO team,” he said. “I am very proud of what I did. I drove more than 13 hours of the 24, and it felt good to be back in the front again.”

PIKES PEAK

Rod Millen, in a Toyota Celica, set a Pikes Peak Hillclimb qualifying record of 4 minutes 26.14 seconds for the 5.5-mile half course Wednesday, making the former New Zealander from Huntington Beach the favorite when the 75th Race to the Clouds unfolds today on the full 12.42-mile, 156-turn course. Millen’s turbo-charged 2.1-liter machine will be challenged in the unlimited class by Nobuhiro Tajima, who clocked 4:42.75 in a Suzuki Sidekick. Millen’s son, Rhys, also had fast time in his class--high performance showroom stock--with a 5:40.98. . . . In the featured super stock truck class, Leonard Vasholtz broke Robby Unser’s record with a 5:06.45 in a Ford Explorer. . . . The winding course runs to the summit of the 14,110-foot mountain.

CYCLES TO CARS

With the Tour de France starting this weekend, it’s strange to find Greg LeMond, three-time winner of the event, racing on four wheels. After retiring from bicycles three years ago, LeMond decided to keep his competitive juices flowing with horsepower instead of foot power.

“It’s racing, but it’s certainly been different,” he told Scott Stocker of the Rocky Mountain News. “With bikes, you tune your body; with cars, you tune the engine. Racing cars is very similar to racing bikes on one level, and then it’s completely different on another.

“In bike racing you have moments to mentally rest, especially a road race. But in auto racing your brain is absolutely charged the whole time you’re in the car. I do miss bike racing, but I love racing cars.”

LeMond, who turned 36 last month, is racing in the Sports Car Club of America’s Formula Ford 2000 series. Last week at Pikes Peak Raceway, he finished 17th, his highest finish in six races this season.

MOTORCYCLES

Greg Hancock of Costa Mesa continues to lead the World Speedway Grand Prix series with 45 points to 43 for Poland’s Tomasz Gollob and 32 for defending champion Billy Hamill of Monrovia. The third round of the six-race series is Saturday at Landshut, Germany.

LAST LAPS

Former motocross champion Goat Breker has bought Victorville Speedway from Gene Woods and will open a weekly speedway motorcycle program tonight on the one-eighth-mile oval inside the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds. National champion Steve Lucero has signed up for opening night. Racing is scheduled to run through mid-September.

Cajon Speedway will kick off the second half of its stock car season Saturday night with Winston Twin 25s, two main events for sportsman cars in the Winston Racing Series. Gary Tamborelli is the halfway leader, but by only two points over Mike Mendenhall and 36 over defending champion Jerry Gay.

The inaugural West Coast Dwarf Cars championship is scheduled for Ventura Raceway tonight and Saturday night. Dwarf cars are downsized versions of sedans and coupes from the 1930s and ‘40s, powered by 1100cc motorcycle engines. More than 70 cars are expected. . . . Scott Sharp, who suffered a subdural brain hemorrhage in an accident last Sunday at Pikes Peak, has returned to his home in Danville, Calif., for further recuperation after being hospitalized for observation. Sharp will be replaced by Billy Boat in A.J. Foyt’s car until he receives medical clearance to resume racing.