Star rookies aim for top ten

Zwolsman qualified 10th in his Conquest Racing entry yesterday, while Heylen took 11th on the grid for Dale Coyne Racing, both outqualifying their more experienced teammates Andrew Ranger and Cristiano da Matta, respectively.

In Zwolsman's case, this was a particularly impressive performance given his restricted track time yesterday, when his Cosworth developed an oil leak in the bell-housing, necessitating an engine change in the morning.

"I'm glad it happened in practice rather than in qualifying so I won't complain," said the happy Dutchman. "We made some small changes to the set-up and they worked.

"I'm not sure getting some extra time on the red [softer option] tyres yesterday actually helped me. I think I would rather have had two fresh sets for today's session, but the team felt we needed the data.

"Looking at the data, on the composite lap of our best sectors from yesterday, we felt we could have been far quicker. I know everyone's composite lap is better than their real time. But when we went out there this afternoon, we managed to put the good sectors together and found 0.4 seconds."

For the race, Zwolsman is vowing to play it cautious in the early laps. "The important thing is keep out of trouble, and I think we can get top six like Andrew has in the last two races. I was in the top six in Houston until Will Power took me out.

"This track couldn't be more different from Houston - not many bumps, much less physical, but in fact it is just as tricky in a different way. The concentration is to keep it on the track, and be prepared for other drivers to make mistakes and put more dust on the circuit and make the grip level even worse."

Heylen, who impressed everyone on his Champ Car race debut in Long Beach by finishing seventh overall and top rookie, was similarly satisfied. "I'm happy for the team, sure, but most of all I'm happy for myself: I'm the one putting pressure on," he said. "My third race and I'm ahead of Cristiano - that's good.

"It's good timing too, especially after our disastrous time in Houston last week," added the Belgian. "I think what I've learned is to try to keep things simple. I'm a rookie and I don't have enough experience to know exactly what I want from the car all the time.

"Before, we were getting to a set-up that was pretty close to optimal and then making little tweaks, trying to fine-tune it - and the good set-up would just go out the window! Suddenly we'd be way off the pace.

"So now when we get to a good basic set-up, we're sticking with that and stop fiddling."

Heylen expressed his surprise at the slipperiness of the track. "I never thought a track could feel so damn slippery in one of these Champ Cars. Honestly, it felt like I was driving a big powerful Formula Ford out there - no rear wing, no downforce.

"I think that lack of grip is going to cause a lot of incidents here tomorrow, and I just want to stay clear of any of them. If I finish, think it'll be in the top 10. That will be a good result for the team and good for me in the rookie points. If we go as well as we did in Long Beach, that will be fantastic."