Maybe it was the amazing crowd which you hear about but until you see in front of you, you just don’t expect. Maybe it was the thrill of a brand new adventure/mission for these teams to conquer. Maybe it was the fact that Champ Car is in the middle of its busiest stretch and everybody is losing their minds! Whatever it was, it was difficult to take the smile off the drivers and teams today in Edmonton. An absolutely phenomenal crowd was here for practice! The track proved even faster then expected and as difficult as predicted. Todd Malloy was right; teams are on their way to a very expensive weekend as there were a few hard collisions with the wall in both sessions. Nevertheless, there was the sense of proudness in the paddock, a sense of amazement as teams had difficult getting through the anxious crowd. Every person I spoke with today, whether affiliated with a team or with Champ Car was just amazed at the sight. Like I said, you expect these numbers on paper, but you don’t get a grasp of it until you see it in front of you. And the knowledge of these Edmontonians! These weren’t people going to a ‘festival’ with fast cars! (ha ha, as I’m writing this, I can hear some crew members in the hotel room next to me talking about today’s amazing crowd compared to the evidently dozen who showed up for IRL’s qualifying). During the autograph session (which was incredible), Vivian Tracy suggested we take a photo and send it to Tony George. We are family!

The track itself is going to be tough on these drivers. Luckily, the weather for Sunday calls for Partly cloudy and about 20 degrees (for you Americans, I deal with Celsius, since we are in Canada. :) ) so that I’ll be easier for the drivers to handle. Rusport, so far, are miles ahead of everybody. They have definitely found the right setup for the cars and everybody else is playing catch-up. Handling and finding the right balance seemed to be the biggest issues within the teams. On a track that combines a road course, a street track and an airport track all into one, its little wonder that balance is an issue. Tracy had a good run, qualifying 3rd, but had trouble in turn 10 all day. These qualifying times could be critical, as the forecast calls for rain tomorrow. The session will not necessarily get washout, but on a track like this one, even a bit of rain will dramatically slow the times down. We saw it in the Atlantics, who suffered rain during the 2nd half of the first practice session. The cars were still out there on their slicks, but the light rain caused the times to slow down. Most teams (champ Car teams) ran on their Bridgestone Reds today and likely won’t want to use them again tomorrow.

The good news is that since there is still a point and a spot on the provisional pole, the drivers will be battling out, no matter if they aren’t setting new track records. Speaking of that, congratulations to A.J. Allemdinger for setting a brand new track record at the Finning International Raceway. And he did on just his first time visiting the track. Truly amazing!
I’ll try and write again tomorrow night and drop a prediction or two for Sunday, but I am a ‘speaker’ at the fan club dinner so I may not have the time. Nevertheless, I really like having the internet in my hotel room and being able to share my daily experiencing with all you readers. Go internet!

Champ Car baby! Champ Car for life!

The weather is supposed to be nice on Sunday and I certainly hope it is, but the temperature can’t be near what it was in Cleveland otherwise these guys won’t be able to get out of the car once the race is done. It looks to be the most physically challenging track of the year, and may very well be the fastest. This race could be over in 20 minutes!
Its absolutely beautiful. The grandstands look phenomenal, there’s signage on every corner, the pit suites look gorgeous, there’s a beautiful city skyline, the entire area is picture-perfect.

Todd Malloy (RuSport Engineer) predicts a may be a race of attrition, or at least a very expensive weekend for the teams, as this track will take a lot out of the cars and unlike Cleveland, if you go off-track here, there’s a very good chance you are running smack into a concrete wall. Sure, there are grassy areas in the infield, but outside is pretty much all wall. Turn one, for example, has a wall on the outside, so you can risk going wide during the first lap, but if you get bumped, your day is done. And with the speeds expected to be what they are, then a car in the wall is a very damaged automobile.

Some predict phenomenal passing, since the track is so wide just about everywhere. But, because there’s hardly a slow corner out there, it could make passing quite difficult, since all the cars will be going consistently fast the entire time. Its going to be interesting how it plays out. But there’s definitely a buzz in the paddock. People everywhere are excited about this track and its possibilities.

Also, the excitement in the city is amazing. Billboards everywhere! Radio programs talking about it all day long. Newspaper articles a plenty. I knew this was a sports town, but the promotion and the buzz going on in the city exceeds all expectations I had. Now its up to the Trans-Am, Atlantics and Champ Car to put on a great show.

Champ Car baby! Champ Car for life!

THIS OR THAT!!!!!

I just checked the archival section (click on the overheard at the track logo) on champcar.ws and to my surprise, 3 This or that are featured. The first one was done in Milwaukee, so it only took them a month and a half to put it up. now if only I could get paid with similar effeciency!
I kid, but check it out. they are/were real fun to do and now I have motivation to complete these questions with every driver.

Edmonton:

Just got into Edmonton and now am working on developing an airline that doesn’t allow passengers under the age of 16. it would a business oriented airline for today’s independent traveler. Prices would rival major airline companies, but all tickets would come with access to the club lounge. No need to have an ‘elite’ or ‘super’ membership. Check in, go through security and enjoy complimentary coffee, newspaper, munchables and comfortable seating while you wait to board. We guarantee no screaming babies or bratty kids. We know that on flights people like to work, read, enjoy the movie or sleep. Kind of hard to do any of those when a baby is screaming the entire flight right behind you, not to mention kicking your seat. Of course, mom is oblivious to anything but her baby, meaning she’ll do absolutely everything to accommodate her child and absolutely nothing to accommodate anyone else on the planet. One day, there will be this beautiful airline and as a result, the world will be a slightly better place.

What I am looking forward about this race, besides seeing both Atlantic and Champ Car in person, is how everybody is going to handle themselves. For the first time in a long time, nobody knows what to expect. This goes beyond just the champcars on the track. Logistically, everything is brand new to everyone involved. Sure, plans have been laid out for months and seemingly every detail covered. But everything changes during the race weekend. I am very confident everything will come out rosy and the product on television and to the spectators will look flawless. But I bet it’s anything but, behind the scenes. Then again, maybe the product on track won’t be flawless either. You just never know until you’ve experienced it. maybe the track will be way too slippery. Maybe the track will be too fast. Like Marcus Marshal said it’s a great opportunity for him because nobody has an advantage going in. whether your Jimmy Vasser or Andrew Ranger, you are both on the same playing field.

Will anything major be overlooked? Will something very important but taken for granted be forgotten? When you go to Toronto and have been going there for 20 years, essentially working with the same company, you start to assume things and start to depend on the presenting city/company to do things. Here in Edmonton, you can’t assume anything. No matter how professional they are (and from what I have read and been told, the city is doing a grade A job), they haven’t encountered a race situation yet. Only a couple of more days before all questions are answered!

Champ Car baby! Champ car for life!

Toronto

Wow.
What a f*&king race.
what a f$%king Atlantic race.
PT is phenomenal.
Bourdais is a brat (in a good rivalry way)
Wilson deserved it
Tag is better than he’s ever been
Toronto fans rock
Toronto track now known as the most challenging of the season
Rocketsports must be happy.
Junquiera and Bremer are awesome in the booth
Bremer will be back
Mario and AJ had one of the hardest collisions I’ve seen live. Both walked away. Amazing.
Power to pass: awesome.
With a race like this, who needs unification?
I’m tired. Going to bed.
Edmonton, likely to kick more ass.