Vasser heads Sebring test times

The 1996 CART champion lapped his as-yet-unsponsored Patrick Racing Reynard-Toyota in 51.2s, but will hand over the car to new team-mate Roberto Moreno for the next two days. Bryan Herta put more miles on the new Zakspeed/Forsythe team's Reynard-Ford, while Tony Kanaan was also present in his Mo Nunn Racing Reynard-Honda - both set times about 0.5s slower than Vasser.

Michael Andretti drove his Team Green Reynard-Honda for a handful of laps, while his replacement at Newman/Haas, Cristiano da Matta, suffered an engine failure with his Toyota-powered Lola. Adrian Fernandez turned his first laps in his new Fernandez Racing team, but suffered some early teething troubles.

"It was an exciting day for me not only to be back in the car, but also to be here as a team after so many hours of work," said Fernandez. "To turn our first laps on the track really made this a reality for me. We are in the learning stages and getting to know each other as a team as well as our new equipment. It's exciting. We had a few problems today, but nothing different from other places I have been."

Formula Nippon champion and former Tyrrell and Arrows pilot Tora Takagi made his Champ Car debut in the Walker Racing Reynard-Toyota he will campaign this year, while Indy Lights champ Scott Dixon put further miles on his new PacWest Reynard-Toyota.

Macau Grand Prix winner Andre Couto also got his first run in a Champ Car, completing over 50 laps in Dale Coyne Racing's year-old Lola-Ford. Also present, in a spectating capacity, was the team's 2000 driver Alex Barron, who Coyne hopes to run in his two-car outfit this season.