| | Associated Press
LEXINGTON, Ohio -- CART voted Sunday to eliminate in-season testing and Friday qualifying for its championship-car division in the 2001 season.
Practice time on Fridays was expanded to four hours, increasing the amount of time cars will be on the track during a race weekend.
Cars practiced for 90 minutes and had 60 minutes of qualifying Friday for the Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The amount of Friday practice and qualifying time available varies from race to race.
The new rules will allow a maximum of 20 test days for a two-car team. Current rules provide 36 test days per season, of which 20 could be run in-season. A one-car team will be allowed 14 test days, a reduction from 24. Exceptions will be provided for special circumstances such as driver injuries or special tire or engine
tests, which will be managed under the direction of CART.
The testing window has been redefined to start Nov. 13 and end March 1, with blackouts for holiday seasons and specified events.
"These initiatives are designed to provide more track time that is meaningful for our fans, sponsors, managers and teams," said Bobby Rahal, CART interim president and chief executive officer. "By doing this, it not only delivers more value to fans, but it also reduces the wear and tear on all the people who make this happen every week. With the increase to 22 races, reducing our
testing schedule was an important step.
"The emphasis on development is reflected in the increase to four hours of Friday practice time and the elimination of Friday qualifying," said Hal Whiteford, CART president of racing operations. "The new rules move much of the important development work in front of the fans for the first time."
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