CART driver Minassian shrugging off pressure

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001 | 10:17 a.m.

If recent history is any indication, open-wheel racing fans are going to be hearing a lot about Nicolas Minassian in the coming years.

While not yet a household name, Minassian is attempting to follow in some pretty big footsteps as one of two rookie drivers for the Target/Chip Ganassi CART team this season.

Minassian and teammate Bruno Junqueira have the daunting task of replacing CART champions Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser in the highly successful team. Ganassi's drivers won four straight CART championships from 1996 to 1999 and the 2000 Indianapolis 500.

In addition, Ganassi's team has produced three CART Rookies of the Year: Eddie Cheever in 1990, Alex Zanardi in 1996 and Montoya in 1999.

While expectations for Minassian and Junqueira may be high leading up to CART's March 11 season opener in Monterrey, Mexico, Minassian said he isn't feeling any undue pressure.

"Everybody says it's big shoes to fill but I don't feel that way because every year is important," the 27-year-old Frenchman said. "The year I did last year was important for what I do this year and the year before last year was important for what I did last year.

"I think in racing, it is important to perform every year; you cannot have a siesta in between because somebody else will wake up and get your place."

Minassian and Junqueira were in town Monday for the first day of a two-day test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Although LVMS will not host a CART race this year, Minassian said he hoped the test would lead to the series coming here in 2002.

"This is a great track," Minassian said after consistently turning laps at 211 mph in his first visit to a 1.5-mile oval. "It's really a shame we don't race here."

Minassian was the only Target/Chip Ganassi Racing driver to test on Monday; Junqueira took to the track today in his Toyota/Lola.

Although he wasn't preparing for a race at LVMS, Minassian said the test is giving him valuable seat time at the high speeds at which he will race this season.

Minassian, who finished second to Junqueira in the European FIA Formula 3000 Series last season, has spent the majority of his racing career on road and street courses and still is getting acclimated to high-speed ovals.

"This is a good testing track because it's a good place to get used to the speed," Minassian said. "It's good for me because I'm not used to the faster speed on the ovals. This is much faster than I have done before ... and I enjoy that.

"It looks easy from the outside but when you're in the car it's much more difficult; you have to find the adjustments to try and to be really smooth and to adapt your driving to be nice and precise and carry your speed all the way around."

Minassian said he has been so busy the past six weeks getting used to his new team and equipment that he hasn't had much time to think about his CART debut in March.

"This month and a half before the first race is good because we're going to do (more) testing at Laguna Seca and Firebird and probably one more run on an oval," he said.

"It's going to give us good preparation for the first race ... and then I will be very excited."