Luxembourg GP Tyrrell Saturday notes

LUXEMBOURG GP QUALIFYING [26.09.98] A QUESTION OF BALANCE

NURBURGRING, GERMANY, September 26, 1998 -- Tyrrell drivers Toranosuke Takagi and Ricardo Rosset qualified comfortably for tomorrow's Luxembourg Grand Prix, although their 19th and 22nd places respectively on the grid could have been improved on if circumstances had been more favourable. Rosset's car suffered an engine failure in the morning session that effectively cost the Brazilian driver 40 minutes of set-up time, while Takagi struggled to find an effective chassis balance to cope with the twists and turns of the Nurburgring. Both men remain hopeful, however, of improving matters for tomorrow's race.

TORANOSUKE TAKAGI (No 21) Qualifying position: 19th Best lap: 1:21.525 "I just had problems finding a good chassis balance today and that obviously made it difficult to string the necessary quick sector times together when it came to qualifying this afternoon. The track was quite slippery first thing this morning and I had a couple of spins just pushing a bit too hard. I think we can improve the car some more, though, so I feel optimistic about our chances tomorrow."

RICARDO ROSSET (No 20) Qualifying position: 22nd Best lap: 1:22.822 "I'm disappointed because I think we could have done better. We were making some useful progress with chassis set-up this morning, but then something broke in the engine just after I had gone out for a run in the second session. The wheels locked up and the car spun off the track. That obviously ruled out any further work and meant we weren't where we needed to be in terms of set-up when it came to qualifying. Still, there will be an opportunity to try some changes in the morning warm-up tomorrow so I think there is the possibility for a good race."

DR HARVEY POSTLETHWAITE, Managing Director, Tyrrell "We have to remember that this is Tora's first race here at the 'Ring and he is still learning the intricacies of the track. Nevertheless, we have struggled to find the right balance on both cars today but, weather allowing, there is still the chance for improvement in time for tomorrow's race."