• Good Morning from Surfers Paradise on the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia for the opening day of testing for Sunday's Honda Indy 300! Surfers represents the Mardi Gras portion of the FedEx Championship Series and all you need to see is the deep blue, booming southern Pacific surf 200 yards off the backstretch to know this isn't Kansas anymore, this is Oz. Of course, the multitudes of Champ Car fans packing the track-side skyscraper balconies in various forms of dress (or undress for that matter!) also tells you that this is the fun place to be this weekend. Ticket sales are up over 25 percent from last years' 269,890 fans, meaning over 300,000 folks will pile through the turnstiles before the dust settles on this year's Honda Indy. Today's weather has presented the early arrivals to the track with an atypical Surfers morning; a slight drizzle mixed in with the ever-present humidity presenting a race track with a few damp spots on the backstraight for the morning's first run but over 48,000 fans are already present in the stands. Weather is predicted to be perfect the rest of the weekend after this small low-pressure front moves off shore. The CART on-track schedule kicks off with the weekend's first test session taking the Green Flag at 9:30 a.m. This full-field session will be on track until 11:15 a.m. At 1:45 p.m., the FedEx Championship Series teams will again take to the track for the afternoon test session, lasting 90 minutes. Saturday's schedule has the Champ Cars again on track for practice from 10 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. with the split-group round of CART qualifying scheduled from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Champ Car drivers will be chasing the Surfers Paradise track-qualifying record of 109.724 mph; (176.689 kph; 1:31.703) set by DARIO FRNACHITTI in 1999. This qualifying session will be in the split-group format with the top Championship Points-holding drivers making up Group Two. Each group will be on-track for 30 minutes with a 15-minute break between the two Groups. Sunday's schedule has the traditional 30-minute warm-up beginning at 10 a.m. followed by the Green Flag for the 65-lap, 181.625-mile Honda Indy 300 at 2 p.m. (All times are local.) On hand for your media needs from Championship Auto Racing Teams this weekend are Mike Zizzo, Vice President of Competition Public Relations; Steve Shunck, Director of Broadcast Relations; T.E. McHale, Senior News Manager; Nate Siebens, New Media Public Relations Manager, and Mark Tate, Pit Note Specialist. Feel free to seek out any of these individuals with any questions that you may have concerning this weekend's Honda Indy 300.

• The Surfers Paradise race course is one tough street combination that usually leaves a pile of carbon fiber in the trashcans at the end of the weekend. The 2.795-mile, 4.498-kilometer course features 12 turns of varying radius and camber. The main straight leads into a left-entry chicane creating Turn 1, opening onto another short straight before another left-entry chicane Turn 2. A longer sweeping right straight leads to a 90-degree left hand second-gear Turn 3. This corner opens to an slight uphill run to an identical left hand Turn 4, but the turn is more treacherous as the surface slopes reverse-camber to the outside wall, creating a threat to the right side tires. Turn 4 opens onto the backstraight, running north along the ocean and creating one of the fastest portions of the race track. At the end of this straight is the speed measurement device known as Trap 1 and speeds can be expected in the 175-180 mph range, before a three-gear shift into a left-entry chicane Turn 5. Then it's back up through the gears until another left-entry double chicane Turn 7 known as the Fosters corner which again features reverse-camber apexs. Large rounded curbing on the outside of each corner of this area can put cars in the air if not properly executed. After Turn 7, another straight leads back up to sixth gear before a hard left-hand Turn 8, which leads back off the sand dunes and downhill to Turn 9, a slow second to third gear left turn. The Trap 2 measurement is taken just out of Turn 8 which should be one of the slowest portions of the track. A quick flick of the wheel to the right creates Turn 10 and then another downhill run to Turn 11 creates a sharp 140-degree corner turning to the left in front of the start of the main grandstands, the exit making up Turn 12. The it's hard on the throttle and up through the gears past Pit In and then the Start/Finish line where another Trap speed is taken, one that should rival the speeds at the backstraight Trap 1.

• A couple of Champ Car drivers will be driving on eggshells this weekend for radically different reasons. Canadian PAUL TRACY will be performing under a probation assessed by CART Chief Steward Chris Kneifel for interesting but rather unorthodox driving at Laguna Seca and Spaniard ORIOL SERVIA will be under pressure due to only having one car here at Surfers. SERVIA executed a perfect double flip with a half twist at Turn 2 at Laguna, resulting in his primary car being sent back to Lola in England for repairs. The Sigma Autosport team has a large amount of parts ready in case of trouble but the confidence-insurance of a secondary car is not present for the driver.

• GREEN FLAG waves at 9:30 a.m. to start the first test session of the weekend. Firestone engineers report a track temperature of 87 degrees F. (31 C.) and an ambient temperature of 79 degrees F. (26 C.) at the start of the session. No drizzle has been present for the last 45 minutes or so and most drivers are electing to try the track on dry tires (slicks) though a few teams have mounted rain tires and several other teams are waiting in the pits for the track to completely dry out. With the improving weather forecast throughout the weekend, there's not much use in practicing on rain tires.

• At 9:40 a.m., 10 minutes into the session, the fastest driver is #11X FITTIPALDI with a lap of 97.165 mph (156.338 kph; 1:43.556; fourth lap), followed by #40X VASSER (97.163 mph; 156.335 kph; 1:43.558; second lap) and #33 TAGLIANI (96.080 mph; 154.593 kph; 1:44.725; third lap). TAGLIANI is the only driver of the three to log his first laps of the session on rain tires.

• At 9:50 a.m., 20 minutes into the session, the fastest driver is now #40X VASSER with a lap of 102.425 mph (164.802 kph; 1:38.238; fourth lap), followed by #3 CASTRONEVES (99.665 mph; 160.361 kph; 1:40.958; fourth lap) and #32 CARPENTIER (97.351 mph; 156.638 kph; 1:43.358; third lap).

• Also at 9:50 a.m., #32 CARPENTIER slides into the run-off at Turn 3 but keeps the motor running and backs out to continue without apparent damage to the car. CARPENTIER has just logged the third-fastest lap of the session.

• At 9:52 a.m., CART course observers report light moisture is again beginning to fall on the frontstretch.

• At 9:55 a.m., light moisture is now reported all around the track but no surface-warning- condition flags have been presented as of yet.

• At 10 a.m., 30 minutes into the session, the fastest driver is still #40X VASSER with a lap of 103.827 mph 167.058 kph; 1:36.911; 10th lap), followed by #3 CASTRONEVES (103.735 mph; 166.910 kph; 1:36.997; tenth lap) and #20 MORENO (103.082 mph; 165.859 kph; 1:37.612; fifth lap).

• RED FLAG waves at 10:07 a.m. after #18 DIXON has the rear of the car break traction just past Pit Out and the car broadslides to a stop just short of the Turn 1 chicane, making very light contact with the nose of the car against the inside wall. CART safety workers get the car restarted and DIXON continues to his Pit area where the driver will receive the standard eight-minute delay-of-session penalty to be served at the reappearance of the Green Flag.

• GREEN FLAG waves at 10:09 a.m. to resume the session.

• At 10:10 a.m., 40 minutes into the session, the fastest driver is still #40X VASSER with his earlier lap of 103.827 mph (167.058 kph; 1:36.911; 10th lap), still followed by #3 CASTRONEVES (103.735 mph; 166.910 kph; 1:36.997; tenth lap) and #51 FERNANDEZ (103.261 mph; 97.442; seventh lap).

• Also at 10:10 a.m., #3 CASTRONEVES pits and the crew reports that the car has sustained a broken gear in the transmission. The Penske crew readies the secondary car for use in the remainder of the session.

• At 10:11 a.m., the slight moisture calls increase to a drizzle and the track begins to darken with moisture.

• At 10:13 a.m., #32 CARPENTIER slides off course at Turn 7 and briefly becomes airborne, flying over the chicane curbing before settling back to the track. CARPENTIER subsequently pits and the car has sustained a bent wishbone in the front suspension.

• At 10:20 a.m., 50 minutes into the session, the fastest drivers and speeds are unchanged from the 10:10 a.m. report as the track has now become too damp for slick-tire use.

• At 10:27 a.m., surface condition flags are flying all around the course and water is starting to pool on the backstraight. Only #6 da MATTA is currently on course.

• At 10:30 a.m., one hour into the session, the fastest drivers and speeds are unchanged from the 10:20 a.m. report and only #66 MEARS is on course.

• RED FLAG waves at 10:39 a.m. after #6 da MATTA spins at Turn 11. CART safety workers get the car righted and da MATTA continues to his Pit to begin service of the standard eight-minute delay-of-session penalty to be served at the reappearance of the Green Flag.

• At 10:40 a.m. and under the Red Flag, the three fastest drivers and speeds are unchanged from the 10:30 a.m. report.

• GREEN FLAG waves at 10:43 a.m. to resume the session. The rain has increased and now running water is reported crossing the track on the front straight. No cars are currently on course.

• At 10:45 a.m., the rain has increased and all drivers have exited their cars as the race course is now being swamped.

• CHECKERED FLAG waves at 11:15 a.m. to end the session. #40X VASSER remains the fastest driver of the session with his earlier lap of 103.827 mph (167.089 kph; 1:36.911; 10th lap), followed by #3 CASTRONEVES (103.735 mph; 166.941 kph; 1:36.997; 10th lap) and #20 MORENO (103.082 mph; 166.179 kph; 1:37.612; fifth lap). FedEx Championship Series drivers introduced 23 cars to the track in this morning's session with secondary cars utilized by #40X VASSER, #11X FITTIPALDI, #4X JUNQUEIRA, and #5X TAKAGI.

• Trap speeds from this morning's session are obviously affected by the deteriorating racing conditions but they still point out the competitiveness of the series. Session seventh-fastest #32 CARPENTIER leads at the Start/Finish line trap with a speed of 177.786 mph (286.111 kph), followed by 10th-fastest #16 JOURDAIN Jr. (177.072 mph; 284.962 kph). The Trap 1 measurement has session third-fastest #51 FERNANDEZ tops at 175.395 mph (282.263 kph), followed by fastest overall #40X VASSER, CARPENTIER, JOURDAIN Jr. at 175.015 (281.652 kph). The slowest trap, Trap 2, is led by session fourth-fastest #20 MORENO (95.721 mph; 154.044 kph), followed by fifth-fastest #11 FITTIPALDI (95.291 mph; 153.352 kph).