What a great weekend of racing in Portland. There really isn’t no other way to put it. All three series put on great shows. The first Atlantic race continued the string of exciting finishes that they have put on this year. There was non-stop action all over the track, so you could never have a minute to breath, because the cars grouped each other and fought hard all over the track, whether it was the battle for 1st, 4th, 6th, or 10th. Tonis Kasamets drove a brilliant race, fought off a charging Wirth and Swolsman and earned his first victory of the year after having captured the pole for Sunday’s event. On the podium, during the celebration, I always ask these guys a quick question over the PA and when I got to Kasamets, I simply said “you came, you saw, you conquered”, to which he paused, smiled and said “say it again, I want to hear that again”. To say he was excited is an understatement and if you know Kasamets backstory, then you know he’s worked hard for everything he’s ever gotten in his life and now finally things are looking real well for the Estonian born driver. When he repeated the feat on Sunday, he was even more excited, a feat I didn’t think was possible (the excitement that is, not the back to back victory). This time though, he completely dominated that race. It was done in a fashion not often seen in the Atlantics, given the parity of the equipment. A lot of credit goes to his engineers, his mechanics and naturally, to him. He’s on a tear and nobody deserves it more. That doesn’t mean that he’s running away with the championship though, as Swolzman, Wirth and Legge are right there with him. This really has the making of one of the best year in Atlantic’s 32 year history. The races are being broadcasted back to back on June 25th, check it out, you won’t regret it.
I sat in the grandstands of Festival Curves for the TransAm race, which put on another good show. It was actually one of the rare times I got to sit in the grandstands to watch any kind of race. I am always amazed at the crowds, the way they cheer, the way they “oohhh and aahhh” and the way they are attentive. It was a very enjoyable race won by the young German rookie Warth of Rocketsports. He’s throwing his name in the mix and should make for a good season of TransAm. Its really fun having them main-event Saturday, while Champ Car headlines Sunday, with the Atlantic’s being the undercard. It’s a perfect blend of racing. And let’s not forget the drifting guys who are great fun to watch. During the luncheon press-conference on Wednesday, Jimmy Vasser himself had a few questions for the drifter guys. (my favorite part of that event was when one of the PA announcer said something like “another developing story is the clouds coming out of the South-West, possibly causing a thunderstorm” to which a fan behind me yelled “shut up and stick to racing”. It never came close to raining on Saturday)
There is absolutely no question that what happened to Justin Wilson was a heartbreaker. The man was driving the hell out of that car, was dominating the grid and was definitely the class of the field. But, these are incidents that happen in racing and you have to shake them off as a competitor and take out the positives of the weekends. Rusport made it clear this weekend that they are competing with the big boys. After the race, I was chatting with a crew member of the Forsythe squad, who had no qualms in saying that Rusport is breathing down their necks.
But given the circumstances, given everything that is happening in Champ Car, given where the series is heading, I gotta believe that DaMatta winning was great for the series. Now, with their first win under their belt, PKV has jumped to the bigs. They are now on the same level as Newman/Haas and Forsythe. They are winners, they have the driver-talent and the crew talent. That race was won based on great driving on DaMatta’s parts, great pit stops on his crew and, most importantly, by ingenuity on the team’s part. DaMatta made a mistake at the beginning which made the team roll the dice and employ a different strategy which worked to perfection. That was a winning performance all around. It was a gamble that paid off. That is why PKV is now up there with the big boys. They may not have Newman/Haas’ budget, but they are as clever and capable of winning with the hand they are dealt. I have never had so much fun in the booth with the guys when DaMatta was winding down and we wondered if he had enough fuel, we were counting the laps since his pit-stops, trying to play out all these different possible scenarios that could happen, with potential yellows, pit stops and what not. This was a classic race in my books. During the podium celebration Paul Tracy when up to Kalkoven, shook his hands and said “how does it feel”. I don’t think you could have wiped the smile of Kalkoven’s face.
This is very exciting for the series. Not to mention that Rusport is also part of this squad. They still have some work to do, no question. I am not going to harp on anything, but AJ did lose a few positions in the pits. The good news is that the team will get better and better in those areas and will contend this year and for many years beyond. I also love how some teams are able to maximize their fuel consumptions better than others. This genuinely erases all doubts that this is a spec series.
Big thanks to the crew I worked with this weekend. It was a pure pleasure to walk in to such a professional group. I don’t know that I will see this again this year. We had three in the booth (including myself), two on remote locations throughout the track and one guy in the pits. And we just talked racing all weekend. Portlanders know their racing. I had to be on my game all weekend. Hope I didn’t disappoint. I learned a lot from those guys this weekend.
My weekend consisted almost entirely of being either at the track or at my hotel. I met some real nice people during the press conference on Wednesday and even got interviewed for a Portland show called PDXposed. I was able to do another “this or that” with Dominguez, Bourdais and Katherine Legge. If you don’t know what “this or that” is, well hopefully they will post it on the website soon. Its fun, the drivers have enjoyed it and I have gotten positive feedback from the powers that be. Also looking to do another Overheard, though that may be challenging with Cleveland so close.
Prior to the race on Sunday, we naturally all were talking about the fiasco going on in Formula One. I really don’t know what to make of it. You can’t blame Michelin for deeming the track unsafe. The last thing they want is a serious accident on their hands. They would be held responsible and would be battling the courts for years to come (not to mention the injury or possible death of a driver). Did they have time to place a chicane near turn 13? I don’t know. That’s a hefty challenge, but if it would have meant that the field would have been complete, then maybe it would have been worth working all night to place it. Poor Tony. Obviously I don’t feel one bit sorry for Tony George, but to witness first hand such a disaster can’t be good for the old ulcer (I have no idea whether he has ulcer problems or not, but it can’t be good for them anyway). I don’t think we’ll see F1 at Indianapolis any time soon, let alone in the United States. They’d better hurry and get Scott Speed a seat if they want to save what little face they have left in the United States.
Champ Car is honoring all F1 ticket holders in Cleveland. Show up with your ticket and you get in to our event free. We feel sorry for you and want you to see some quality racing with a complete field.
How is Biffle, who has won 1/3rd of the NASCAR races this year not ahead in the points standing? I know it means little with the new Chase for the Cup-thing, but still. You’d think he’d be at the top. Its not like Johnson (the leader) has won 2/3rd of the races.
I didn’t get a chance to take pictures this weekend, as it was simply too busy. Hopefully I’ll take one or two in Cleveland, but with another Atlantic double-header, its going to be a crazy weekend once again and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sorry if this is lengthy, I’m currently sitting on a plane heading back to Toronto and it was either write this blog, or watch the Pacifier. Yeah, I know.
