CART Officials pledge new look for 2003

Bruno Junqueira claimed the pole for today's season final Mexico Grand Prix.
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Despite losing more teams and drivers, CART series officials promised exciting new drivers, closer races and at least one new team in 2003 as they prepared to close out the year in Mexico City.
"You're going to see a whole different level of competition on the racetrack," CART president Chris Pook said Saturday during the final day of qualifying for today's Mexico GP.
Bruno Junqueira claimed the pole position with the fastest time on both days of qualifying in his Lola-Toyota. Christian Fittipaldi will start beside him.
Dario Franchitti, the No. 3 qualifier, complained that erratic red flag decisions by track officials robbed him of his fastest lap and contributed to his spin and crash later on an oily track.
It is a bittersweet time for the series that long dominated American open-wheel racing. It was inaugurating a major new race, expected to draw more than 100,000 spectators, in North America's largest city. But it was also the final CART event for top drivers, teams and engine makers.
The losses include the year's driving champion Christiano da Matta (to Formula One), engine builders Toyota and Honda and longtime CART team leaders such as Barry Green. Missing from the track will be names like Andretti and Fittipaldi.
Only handful committed
Only a handful of the current 19 drivers are firmly committed to return to CART next year, but Pook promised talented new drivers "with fire in their blood."
"Just like in other major league sports, drivers come and go, teams come and go," Pook said.
While he expressed disappointment at the losses, he insisted, "there's no shortage of teams and people who want to come to the series. If some of these drivers who are in the paddock this weekend come to the series next year, the standard of driving will be raised yet again."
The series announced at least one new team for next year, Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports Racing of Lansing, Mich. Gentilozzi, a veteran of the Trans-Am Series, said he expected to announce a driver and sponsors for his one-car team next week in Miami.
John Lopes, CART's vice president of racing operations, said there will probably be 10 countries represented among the drivers when the new season starts Feb. 23 in St. Petersburg, Fla.