CART DRIVERS TO PERUSE COURSE.

Byline: Steve Irvine

Finding the proper race-day setup won't take place today when the CART FedEx Championship drivers hit the streets for the first time in practice and first-day qualifying sessions to prepare for the 25th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Instead, it will be a work in progress.

``You kind of mash (preseason testing) together with what you learned from this race last year and those things comprise your starting point,'' said Bryan Herta, who drove his Shell Ford-Cosworth/Reynard to third place a year ago. ``Then you have to continually improve the car until hopefully you arrive on Sunday with a really good race car.''

Getting to Sunday in good shape is important, but getting through Sunday's two-hour race in good shape is the real key.

``You have to be there at the end,'' said Player's Forsythe Racing driver Greg Moore. ``Last year, there was a big pileup at the hairpin, which cost a lot of guys. You have to be fortunate to steer clear of that kind of trouble.''

For the first time, steering clear at the conclusion of the front straightaway will require taking a sharp left turn and looping around the dolphin statue in front of the Aquarium of the Pacific. Seven new turns were created to complete the link to the Seaside Way back straightaway and help create an 11-turn, 1.85-mile circuit.

``I've already had a sneak preview of the changes in the Long Beach circuit and I like what the organizers have done,'' said Team Kool Green driver Dario Franchitti, who trailed only winner Alex Zanardi in last year's Long Beach Grand Prix. ``There's more character to the course and possibly a new passing zone.''

The serious work toward learning the new track for the CART teams will begin today at 10:30 a.m. in a 90-minute practice session. Provisional qualifying takes place in a pair of 30-minute sessions beginning at 2:30 p.m.

``With the changes to the track and the fact we can't test there, it will be a challenge for the drivers to find the fast line and the teams to find the proper setup,'' said Paul Tracy, who is Franchitti's teammate. ``Those that do will start up front, which is extremely important on a tight street circuit. For those that don't, it will be a long day trying to catch up.''

Chances are that the usual quick qualifiers in Long Beach will be running up front again this year. So look for guys like Moore, Franchitti, Herta, Gil de Ferran (who was on the pole position twice at Long Beach), Max Papis or former winners Michael Andretti and Jimmy Vasser to be among the quickest competitors.

``There always could be a surprise in there,'' Moore said.