Meira fastest Chevy, but still only 12th.

Tuesday was a bad day for the Indy Racing League's 'Bowtie Brigade' as the previously dominant Chevy V8 IndyCar motor found itself comprehensively outshone by new arrivals Toyota and Honda at the two-mile California Speedway in Fontana.

Leading the way for Chevrolet during the first day of on-track activity at the IRL's annual 'Test in the West' was Chevy stalwart Team Menard with Brazilian driver Vitor Meira.

However even with the aid of the draft, Meira could only post a best time of 32.7189secs, more than 5 MPH slower than Mo Nunn Racing's Toyota powered Felipe Giaffone, who set fastest times in both morning and afternoon practice.

"We are still learning, especially for me because this is the first time I have been here and my first time on a two-mile oval," said Meira, who only participated in the afternoon session. "This is only our second test with this car. Our Chevrolet engine is going to be there for sure. It is just a matter of work. Again, it is a long way to go with a new motor and new chassis. Even the driver is new. Fortunately we have some time before the first race."

Further hindering the 'on-paper' performance of Chevrolet on Tuesday was the fact that none of the Chevrolet powered teams had a G Force chassis at their disposal and, on first impressions, that chassis has the upper hand over the numerically superior Dallara teams.

Team Menard's probable 2003 driver Jaques Lazier spent time in the #2 John Mansville backed Dallara-Chevy in both sessions and despite being only 15th fastest on the overall speed charts, the highly rated American driver had a positive outlook for the rest of the pre-season test schedule and beyond.

"I'm actually very happy with our test today," said Lazier, who missed the majority of 2002 with a serious neck injury. "The main goal today was for Team Menard to learn as much as we could about the Dallara chassis. I think we have a real stable platform and a good building block for the rest of the season.

"We worked a lot with the dampers and different springs today. What we learned today will translate over to just about all the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks that we go to. Today was a real learning experience.

"Obviously this being my home track, it is pretty special to be out here running. I was able to sleep in my own bed last night. California Speedway is such an incredible facility. I love coming out here. We'll be ready for them when we come back to race."