Warm-up: Da Matta fastest
Cristiano da Matta established himself as the man to beat in Sunday's Monterrey Champ Car round by pacing the final warmup session.
The Brazilian hustled his Lola-Toyota around the 2.104-mile temporary road course in 1 minute 16.382 seconds - the fastest lap of the weekend. Alex Tagliani and Mario Dominguez were next in line.
"I think the rain definitely helped the track," da Matta said. "We were as fast with full tanks as we were in practice Saturday morning. There seems to be more grip off line, but it's still very slippery out there. The first turn will be an adventure."
This will be the first race run using CART's new fuel rules. Each competitor must make at least three pit stops during the 85-lap event, with a maximum window of 27 laps between stops.
"Strategy will be very important," remarked Dario Franchitti, who will start the race from the front row alongside pole man Adrian Fernandez. "It's a whole new ball game for everyone."
Franchitti was 16th fastest in the warmup on 1:18.074.
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