ooohhh baby!

Oooohhh baby!!

Loved it. Loved every second of that race. On the edge of my seat the entire time. Trying to catch my breath. I just wish I could have been there to call it, cause what a race to call. Maybe its just me, but I like the semi-rough stuff. Yes, granted, the race was plagued with yellows. But I am a fan of the occasional bumping. I like the intensity. It makes for a more enjoyable race to watch. It certainly differs from the ‘parades’ of the past.

And what a line up. Nelson. Props. You showed patience and confidence and weren’t intimidated by the guys behind you. In fact, the one yellow I wish wouldn’t have happened was the one that caused you to lose your 10 second leads. I would have liked to see the battle between your final pitstop and Bruno coming around. Oh well. Good job anyway.

I would be lying if I predicted my boy Ranger on the podium! He drove the hell out his car, kept his nose clean and earned every bit of that 2nd place. His fellow Quebecker Alex Tagliani also had himself a very nice run and again, with a little help from lady luck, was at the right place at the right time. I never wish anybody misfortunes and whatnot, but two Quebeckers on the podium while that defector qualifies, what 23rd or something for the Indy? Guess who people will be talking about this week in Quebec?

I said it before in Long Beach and, sure the yellow’s helped yesterday, but what have the HVM team found in their engines that allow them to burn so little fuel?? Great job on their part and though Bjorn may have lost it at the end, his drive was nonetheless impressive and a sure sign of things to come.

This time its self-proclaimed, but I’ll say it anyway : Stupid Mario. He admitted it was his worse drive of his career and although these things happen, I am pretty upset with what happened to Jimmy as a result. He must have been ticked off. And then he signs an autograph??? And then the guy’s shirt???? Is there anyone BETTER than Jimmy to represent our series????? Didn’t think so.

The debate rages on as to what happened with Tracy and Bourdais. Regardless of whether he deserved a penalty or a fine or whatever, What he deserved (and could only get from lady luck) is to be OUT of the race like Tracy. When the contact happened, I told myself “well, at least both are out”. There is no way he should have been able to continue, much less finish with a top ten. But, you have to be lucky and good and he was definitely both in Monterrey. Felt real bad for Tracy, but a little added fuel, an increased rivalry between Forsythe and Newman/Haas is good for all involved.

I was looking forward to hearing DD and Calvin, but alas. I loved Jon in the booth. He definitely knows what he’s talking about. That goes without saying and he’s articulate when he’s saying it. But dang it, he was smiling and laughing and that is so contagious! That was my favorite part. When he got excited and was laughing, I felt excited! DD is good, no question about it. But Jon just brought this unbridled enthusiasm that is needed in Champ Car. Granted, he got himself a heck of a race to call, but nonetheless he made a very exciting product even more excited. And Chris Maclure did a fine job. Again, laughing, making light of his situation as a pit reporter trying to get a scoop but unable too. It was great! Rick was his solid self. Maybe needs to up his adrenaline a little. But he’s a good, solid host. All in all, I give this race broadcast an A. I genuinely enjoyed it. Good job Champ Car, and tv Azteca too for providing the pictures. Oh yeah, the ‘Behind the Wheel’ section is very solid, but what made it even more solid was the split screen. I was getting a little antsy for a moment when they had the Mario feature on full-screen. Luckily they split the screen soon after. Split screen is the way to go. If they want to do any kind of feature (I’m thinking of stuff Bronte did last year), that’s fine, just split the screen.

Now we head off to Milwaukee with a multitude of storylines. This are only going to get more interesting as the boys of Champ Car tackle the Milwaukee Mile where anything can (and usually does) happen on that historic one mile oval!!

Say it with me:

Champ Car baby! Champ car for life!!!