Belgian GP Saturday Tyrrell notes

BELGIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING SESSION [29.08.98] HOME AND DRY

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, BELGIUM, August 29, 1998 -- Tyrrell drivers Toranosuke Takagi and Ricardo Rosset qualified comfortably for tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix.

On his first visit to the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit as a Formula One driver, Takagi recorded the 19th fastest lap during official qualifying. Impressively, he climbed as high as 11th on the timing screens at one stage during the morning sessions on Saturday. Potentially, he might have put in an even quicker lap in qualifying had he not encountered an engine problem during his second timed run that forced him to switch to the team's spare chassis.

Rosset also performed well and after he and race engineer, Alex Varnava, made adjustments to the handling of his car, the Brazilian set the 20th fastest time of the afternoon. Both drivers used Goodyear's "Prime" tyre.

TORANOSUKE TAKAGI (No 21) Qualifying position: 19th Best lap: 1:53.237

"I would like to be a little further up the grid, but I am not unhappy with my performance. It is my first time here in a Formula One car and, although I like this circuit very much, it is a place you need to know well if you are to get the most out of your car. If I could have found just over two-tenths of a second this afternoon, I could be starting from 16th place on the grid instead of 19th. Stll, the car feels good in race trim and I am optimistic about our chances for tomorrow."

RICARDO ROSSET (No 20) Qualifying position: 20th Best lap: 1:54.850

"Like Tora, I would have preferred to be a little higher up the field, but this is a circuit where horsepower really counts. I think the prospects for the race are promising, though, since less than a second covers the next seven cars in front of me. If the car continues to run reliably and we have good pit stops, I think there is the possibility for a good finish."

DR HARVEY POSTLETHWAITE, Managing Director, Tyrrell

"Tora had a good session this morning but he needed to find over a second in qualifying to maintain his position. A throttle problem on his race car meant he had to take the spare car for his last two runs and, although he improved his time, it was not enough and he slipped down the order. Ricardo, on the other hand, found a substantial chunk of time to line up alongside Tora. Although Tora liked the spare car, he has chosen to use his regular race car tomorrow."