CHAMP CAR DRIVER QUALIFYING ROUND ONE QUOTES
TECATE GRAND PRIX OF MONTERREY PRESENTED BY ROSHFRANS

Justin Wilson #9 CDW Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone – “I owe a lot of it to the Bridgestone tires. The option story was working really well. It served us well today. It was a gamble we went for. We knew we were very close. There was still time left in the car and myself. Like Sebastien, I never really got a good run. So we decided to gamble and go with the reds. You know, even on my first lap, I wasn't pushing hard. I was up a 10th. Then the red flag came out. At that point we thought we'd lost it. We thought we lost the pole and our one set of red tires for qualifying tomorrow. You know, like I said, got one more lap. The CDW car has been working great all weekend. Managed to get one lap in and make it count.”

Sebastien Bourdais #1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “If not for the result, I'd call it a miserable session. It was really bad. The first run we went out, I was just about ready to stop and go fast. I caught Mario. He was definitely not willing to let me by. It seems to be the story of the season so far. Then I got pissed, made mistakes, one small, couldn't clean the tire, got into somebody else, backed off, made another mistake. I just couldn't seem to put it together. Like the last two laps were going to be good. I did one good and made again another mistake. It was like, it's going to be really difficult. Came in the pits, was a little surprised. We had pole. I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I was pretty confident the car was good. Went back out, did one lap. The McDonald's car felt really good. The red flag came out. You know, from there on, it was kind of the end anyways because Justin was on option tires, and seemed to be a big (indiscernible) this weekend. Went back up to speed extremely quickly. I kind of did the sweeper for him in turn 10 and 11. I just couldn't do it on the last lap. Congratulations to him.”

A.J. Allmendinger #10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone – “So far it's been a good weekend. We were quickest this morning in practice. You know, RuSPORT has just prepared me a great car. I think this track is so slippery, so hard to get a hold of, it's a fine line between being a great car and a good car and a really bad car. In qualifying, we were just a bit off. I think that's what hurt us. I was fairly pleased with the day. We at least have some notes to work off of tomorrow.”

Paul Tracy #7 INDECK Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “I’m very disappointed because I know we could’ve had a much better qualifying position today. I was held up during qualifying for almost a complete lap by a slower car. Then we had that Red Flag at the end that made it pretty difficult to get out, find space and throw down a lap before the end of the session. But this track is always very slow on the first day so I’m sure the grid will be set tomorrow. We’ll work on the 3 car tonight and see if we can’t put it up front tomorrow.”

Bruno Junqueira #2 Newman/Haas Racing Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone/Lola – “Qualifying was just okay. We had some problems this morning and were a little behind where we wanted to be. I made a small mistake on my best lap on the first set of tires in qualifying so I knew there was more in the car. Then on my second set I couldn’t’ get a good lap time in because of the red flags. We’re going to work hard to get a better starting position in final qualifying. Overall it’s close we just need to work a little to improve the car.”

Andrew Ranger #27 Tide/Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone – “This morning in practice I knew the car was very good, I just could not put in a quick time because of the traffic, I was unable to get a clean lap. Heading into qualifying I was confident. I am very, very happy with the result, unfortunately I was blocked a few times and the red flag didn’t come out at the right time. I was lucky to be able to get pass the timing line and put in my quickest time on my last lap. Today’s result is very encouraging for us and it gives us momentum for tomorrow.”

Alex Tagliani #5 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “We improved greatly from this morning in practice. I think we are still fighting in general the same characteristics of the car, but we were faster, and are headed in a good direction, we just need to keep working. I think we know approximately what the issue is, we just have to try to find what we can do to fix it, and by tomorrow morning we will be in good shape. In general we are in good we just need to find a little more speed.”

Oriol Servia #6 Gulfstream - PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “I am not very happy with the Gulfstream – PKV Racing team qualifying session today. Things were looking a lot better after this morning’s practice session. It just seemed like the afternoon heat really affected the performance of the car negatively. There really isn’t much else to say. We just couldn’t get any grip with the new tire. I just never felt the new tire come in. The PKV Racing team just has to go back to the transporter and look at the data and see what we can come up with.”

Charles Zwolsman #34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone –“I am a little disappointed because I got blocked a few times trying to put in a quick lap, it was very difficult to get one clean lap in, then the red flag came out near the end and that didn’t help either. Overall, the car was good and I am pleased with my position but there is still work to do on the car to make it even better. Tomorrow is another day and I am convinced that we can improve our position.”

Mario Dominguez #7 Pride of Mexico INDECK Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “It wasn’t a good day for us. We’ve been struggling with the balance of the car and have not been able to find a good setup for this track. We are going to have to make some drastic changes tomorrow. The track is really green as it always is here. It’s slowly getting better and tomorrow it should be much faster. Even though the day didn’t go as we hoped I’m very happy to be racing in my country and in front of all these Mexican fans, I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll give them a great qualifying result like we did last weekend in Houston.”

Nelson Philippe #4 CTE Racing-HVM Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone – “It’s a bit disappointing as we thought we had a good car but with the heat and the slippery track, we weren’t able to use our Bridgestone tires to their best potential. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us this evening but we are going to be in good shape for a higher position tomorrow. ”

Nicky Pastorelli #8 Bavaria City Racing/Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “We are not doing too bad. We improved again a bit this afternoon during provisional qualifying, so we are definitely moving in the right direction. We spared some tires because we think that the track is going to be faster tomorrow. So to ensure a good run tomorrow, we have three sets of tires including the Potenza Reds to use in final qualifying. I am enjoying the track, this morning’s practice we ran a lot of laps, which was good because I was able to get familiar and comfortable with its layout. This afternoon we were working hard on getting the car quicker. I have confidence in the Rocketsports team for tomorrow and think we should be able to qualify in the top ten for Sunday’s race.”

Will Power #5 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone –”Qualifying was frustrating because I didn’t get a real clear lap in. The handling was alright, we need to work on a couple of things to make it better. The track is different, there aren’t any bumps, it’s very smooth so there isn’t any grip and if your car isn’t right you’ll really struggle. Tomorrow the track will be quicker and I think my car as well as myself will be quicker too.”

Katherine Legge #20 Bell Micro - PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone - “It was an interesting first qualifying session for the Bell Micro – PKV Racing team. We had some issues, some issues with the engine, so we will change it overnight, come back tomorrow and move up the grid, I hope.”

Dan Clarke #14 CTE Racing-HVM Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone -“We are taking our time for our first day at Monterrey. It’s a new track for me. The track is very slippery so I am trying not to rush things. We would be happier to have qualified higher up, but the track will improve a lot as the weekend goes on. We are still learning and hopefully tomorrow we can have a clearer run and post a quicker time.”

So the first practice session just ended in Monterrey with AJ sitting at the top. Watching live timing and scoring is pretty cool. Not quite the same as being there, but as an only option, it’s not too bad. Looking forward to doing the same thing this afternoon with qualifying. I also look forward to watching the broadcast on Sunday. One thing’s for sure, if we don’t want this championship clinched by June, someone besides the #1 needs to win this weekend. I’m looking at Bruno in the number 2, last year’s winner! He should step up after a poor Houston showing.

Last year’s Monterrey race was great! I loved the high intensity and the bumping around. Aggression is a big part of this race and sometimes it just comes out, like Mario trying to hip-check Sebastian during the yellow in Houston. Luckily, our guys at Race Control have a firm hand on the drivers and can keep things in check. Relatively anyway. That’s the fun part.

I suppose I could talk about the Indy 500, but frankly haven’t paid much attention to it. I’m sure I’ll tune into the race on the 28th, but until then, my attention will be hard to get on their part.

by the way

someone tell Miss Grand Prix of Cleveland Sarah that I have a little crush on her following Houston. :)
The reason is not because she's Miss anything, but because she did a heck of a job this weekend as pit reporter. Its not easy, that's for sure and often its not even fun (trying to chase down drivers, team managers, etc), but she was there and she asked poignant questions. That is the turn on.

:)

The Kids (Atlantics) continue to put on a great show, congratulations to Andreas Wirth for capturing the checkered flag in Houston. Boy, I tell you, looking back on that race, there was interesting moves taking place on the track and some of it resembled the ChampCar race. I can’t imagine that Matos was very happy with Rahal after the race and thought it was interesting how Rahal was holding out, despite being given that black flag. But, I shouldn’t write too much more, considering the race hasn’t aired yet and it’s not fair to the people, who haven’t seen it yet. But watch it on Speed, cause it was a dandy!

I am trying to figure out a way to solve the television issue without being unrealistic. This past race in Houston became a timed event. We all know what happened. An extended yellow near the end forced the race to go green/white on the ensuing re-start. That’s the reality of our game right now. But I do wish they could have restarted the race, given them a couple of green flag laps, then bring out the white. Now, I understand how it works. They have a pre-race segment, the race, then post-race interviews. It’s a full story, with a beginning, middle and ending. You have to have post-race interviews. You should have a pre-race segment to set up the storylines. But why is it that it’s the race that always gets shorten? Could the pre and post race segment get shorten instead? These would have to be in-the-moment decision, with Cotman or whoever in race control coordinating with the television crew, telling them to go to plan B or whatever they would have worked out before. Some sort of contingency plan so that the race doesn’t have to get shorten too much (at least have two or three laps of green flag racing at the end) and still be able to get an interview, at least with the winner or something.
Again, I don’t mind shortening a race, that’s the reality of it. But, in a case like Houston where Tracy was pushing for Bourdais’ spot, at least two laps at the end could have given Tracy the opportunity to make a run at Bourdais. One lap simply wasn’t enough time.
The good news is that this Houston race had a lot of action throughout the race and that extended yellow at the end was a bizarre circumstance that hardly ever happens. Nobody felt cheated out of this one, that’s for sure. But I can’t help but wish that we could have had at least one more green flag lap. Its something, in my opinion, that could be worked out between Race Control, the television crews and most importantly, the teams and winning drivers. I’m not suggesting Tracy necessarily had anything for Bourdais, but a couple of green laps would have proved whether he did or not.

p.s. I saw the face of Champcar on the television the Grill Room last night, she was wearing the tiniest of bikinis known to humankind. classy.

back from Texas

Well, I’m finally home and can relax for a few days and reflect on the weekend that was Houston. From a personal perspective, it was a good weekend. I wouldn’t say that professionally it was my best, but I’ll take it. We had a nice set up at the track, our booth was inside and cool with AC. Tom Michaels, my partner was fantastic and Miss Cleveland Grand Prix Sarah was there doing some pit reporting and she was good. I like it when they have a pit reporter, it makes our operation seem more legit. Everything was close too, so the walking wasn’t outrageous either. Still probably end up walking several miles over a weekend, but that’s the nature of the sport! The pre and post race ceremonies were hectic, as they always are and whenever I have to introduce/interview a high-ranking American military officer, I always get especially nervous for some reason. I keep thinking they will find out I am Canadian, call me a coward and scold me about my hair or something. But, as always, it worked out fine.

The track itself, I thought was cool. Obviously the big discussion was the addition of the chicane and while some didn’t like it, I thought it was necessary and added a pretty cool dimension to the track. I have a feeling that, should this race go on for many years with the current layout, then that particular chicane will become known simply as “the chicane”. The track was very bumpy, no doubt about that, but again, that’s another element to the game. We continually talk about these guys being in top physical shape and talk about the crews having the best mechanics and engineers in the world and a track like that makes all those statements appear true. A bumpy track makes everybody work harder. Makes everybody bring their A game and separates the men from the boys. And I thought the teams did an admiral job handling the tough streets of Houston.

I didn’t get to see much of the surroundings, but I understand there were things to do all weekend either then watching the ontrack action and for a first time event, it really was a first class operation. At least, that’s what it looked like and that’s usually the most important factor.

We knew there would be some yellows, we knew it would be a tough race. The way I evaluate the quality of a race is through my own announcing. Naturally, my job is to keep the folks in the grandstands updated on what is going on as well as “sell” the product, i.e. be enthusiastic and all that good stuff. I judge the race on whether my enthusiasm is genuine or somewhat forced. By that I mean that if it’s a parade, then I am searching for a storyline and sometimes dig deep “watch that battle for 15th spot, they are less then a two seconds apart!!!”. If I have to “create” a storyline, then the race isn’t providing too much. But if I don’t, such was the case in Houston, then I know we have a good race going on. All night, the action at the front was fantastic. Whoever was leading never got away from the pack. It was always close, there was passing for the lead, there were high emotions between the drivers. The teams were fuming, it was great! The drama on the track spoke for itself, instead of me trying to create some. That’s how I judge a good race and Houston was a good race, plain and simple.

I know a lot of people didn’t want Sebastien Bourdais to win again. But this time, I don’t know that people were particularly upset because he earned that win, it wasn’t easy at all. He fought for it. Tracy was very good too in getting second place. And Mario, the only driver who could have ‘ran’ away with it, miss turned 5, but did the nicest recover I have seen in a while to salvage a podium finish. Seriously, that was unbelievable on his part, to stay focused, to not get too upset and recover quickly. Good for him. He gets my “player of the game” award. Forsythe stepped up their game this weekend and showed Newman/Haas that they are going to compete all year with them. Though I must admit, I have no idea what happened with the number 2. Where was it during the race? Junky started fast on Thursday, but was a non-factor during the race. Also, most were surprised by the lackluster performance by Rusport. Yes, they were there at the end, but Justin Wilson will likely want to forget his weekend, or try to forget it once the dizziness goes away. Poor guy was spinning all over the place all weekend. Still, he drove a good race, all things considered. I’m always going to cheer for Nelson Phillipe cause he has really stepped up his game over the last year and is becoming a legitimate driver who is still getting a lot of slack from some people. That may dodge him for a while, considering how he entered the series after a short sting in Barber Dodge. But he’s proving people wrong, he’s so mature for a kid and will do some good things this season.

Alex Tagliani’s incident caught a lot of people by surprise. The gear got stuck and he ran right into that tire barrier on turn 3. luckily it was under a yellow, so his speed wasn’t that high. He did go to the hospital and although I don’t know the diagnosis, Bronte Tagliani knew her husband would be alright because he was complaining a lot at the hospital, a sure sign that Alex is…well Alex.
All kidding aside, I don’t know if he’ll be able to run in Monterrey, but he’s a tough guy who is in top shape, so he’ll recover quicker than most, if there is a back issue there.

I am not going to be attending Monterrey, as my Spanish isn’t up to par, so I will be watching the race on television. This will be a good opportunity to critique the broadcast, as I was looking at the forums and evidently people are not happy with the tv product from Houston.
Also, I shot a “we miss Jimmy” feature and got some Overheard at the Track footage in Houston. Having said that, we share everything at ChampCar, therefore my laptop (i.e. editing system) and my video camera are on their way to Mexico, so I won’t have access to the footage until after next week. Its frustrating, but there is nothing I can do. Its coming, that’s the good news.