Qualifying 2: Vasser edges to pole

"I got a clear lap, the car was working good and we had good power," said Vasser. "It's good that we finally got our first point. It was tough getting knocked out on the first lap in Monterrey, but the good thing is there are 20 races. You can afford a couple of DNFs."

Paul Tracy was again one of the first drivers out and the Canadian took over the pole on his seventh timed lap. His 68.484s lap stood up until only 19 minutes remained in the session when Bruno Junqueira managed a 68.186s effort. His Target/Ganassi teammate Kenny Brack then lowered the mark to 68.126s before the session was red-flagged for Christian Fittipaldi's spin.

When the action resumed, Brack's time stood until 8 minutes remained when da Matta broke into the 67s with a 67.745. Junqueira improved slightly to move up to second, but they were both leapfrogged by Vasser who clocked a 67.742-second effort with 5m30s to go.

Traffic was heavy for the final minutes, but the session ground to a halt with two minutes to go when Michael Andretti crashed at Turn 10.

"I got traffic at the end or I might have been able to beat Jimmy," remarked da Matta. "Second is a good place to start here."

Target/Ganassi teammates Junqueira and Brack filled the second row, followed by rookie standout Townsend Bell and '99 Long Beach pole winner Tony Kanaan. The top ten was rounded out by Adrian Fernandez, Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi and Michel Jourdain Jr.

Drivers expressed their content with CART's new qualifying format. "It's working well," noted Brack. "Guys are being courteous and getting out of the way. I didn't have any problems finding clear laps."

Andretti's difficulties were shared by his Team Green colleague Dario Franchitti. The duo were mired at 15th and 16th on the grid.

For the list of qualifying 2 times, click here.