Frenchman Olivier Panis showed that the Ligier, with Bridgestone tyres, has made a leap forward. Panis shattered the time set by Heinz-Harald Frentzen in the Williams-Renault, 1m 19.30s, by setting a time under the 1m 19'.

Jacques Villeneuve completed a few laps in the Williams-Renault FW19 just before dark. He will start serious testing tomorrow.

Mark Blundell was released from the Miami hospital today, where he was brought after his crash yesterday. He is reported to be fine and walking around the track again.

Toronto may lose the Molson Indy because Health Minister David Dingwall won't put tobacco sponsorship on the meeting table, Indy organizers say.

Houston is poised to take Toronto's July 18-20 position on the PPG World Series schedule because Indy organizers are confident that public puffing and promotion is likely to remain A-okay in Texas, if not here. Andrew Craig, president of Championship Auto Racing Teams, threatened the pullout yesterday in anticipation that Ottawa is about to light up its anti-tobacco legislation once again.

Craig is concerned teams won't be allowed to show their tobacco sponsors' colours and names on the cars -- a move unacceptable to giants such as Marlboro and Player's that pay racing's bills.
"We believe any regulations such as the type that is proposed are totally unnecessary," Craig said from the Indy spring training site in Homestead, Fla. "If such legislation were to be enacted, the Toronto and Vancouver races would be in serious jeopardy."

In Montreal, Richard Prieur, spokesman for the Player's Grand Prix of Canada, said the Formula One world championship set for June 13-15 is also in doubt.
"We told them (Dingwall's committee) in December that we cannot control what appears on the cars or the competitors. We haven't heard since then from Dingwall or, as far as I know, anyone in the government."

Craig needs a 17-race schedule in place, with or without Toronto and Vancouver. CART is eyeing not only Houston but sites in Mexico for future races. He said attempts to arrange a meeting with Dingwall have met no response. In Ottawa, a spokesman in the health minister's office confirmed a request for a meeting, but said no date has been set.

Dingwall had hoped his anti-smoking bill would be passed by Christmas, limiting tobacco signs to event sites and restricting brand names to the very bottom of promotional material. But after warnings that events such as the du Maurier Open tennis championship and the Molson Indy could be lost, the bill stalled.

"We'd like very much to see some sort of dialogue begun," Indy general manager Mike Smith said. Meanwhile, a Tennessee congressman has introduced a bill to exempt racing and other sports from a Food and Drug Authority ban on tobacco sponsorship of sporting events.

- provided by Brendan Kerin: Courtesy of LiZER Motorsports International -