race just ended

Well the race just ended and I am sitting in the television compound with a few minutes to reflect on what we just witnessed. It certainly was an interesting race. A race of attrition, definitely. But probably not for the reason that many people thought it was going to be. Going into the race, the worries came from the DP01 and its lack of race experience. Throughout the weekend some teams grumbled about this or that and, just like the new car last year in the Atlantics, you naturally worry during the first race. And yes, while there were a lot of cars that didn’t make it until the end, those were mostly the results of contact. That was certainly the case for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, as they just want to forget this weekend even ever happened. On the other hand, Dale Coyne ran very well and had it not been for a fuel mishap, Junquiera could have very well found himself on the podium, while Katherine Legge had some very positive results.

Right after the race, I ran into Robin Miller and I ask him his thoughts on the race, to which he says “Disaster. Complete disaster”. I didn’t stay for the explanation.

I’m very happy for Will Power. If you read this blog, you know I have been a fan of his last year when somewhere in the middle of the season he caught my attention and I knew he had the speed and just needed everything to fall into place. This weekend it did. And on Derek Walker’s birthday no less. His pass on Paul Tracy had me on the edge of my seat and my heart probably stopped beating until after the corner when he made the pass. Tracy did everything he could to hold him off, but he realized that Will had him and gave it to him. I don’t know what would have happened if it was Bourdais on his tail. Regardless, Power had a faster car and it was his right. After the race during Robin Miller’s interview with Will Power, Paul went over and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. That was a great moment of respect between two great drivers.

Robert Doornbos also drove one heck of a race, considering it was his first Champ Car race. He was very excited about it afterwards and talked about how much fun he had at work today. His smile is a mile wide and his enthusiasm is phenomenal. That kind of attitude is great for the series!

I felt bad for Graham Rahal and frankly at this point of the blog I still haven’t really seen what happened. I know he made contact and it looks like it was of his own doing which is unfortunate. It would have been fun to see what he could do. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out. Bourdais was fun to watch too, as he was climbing the grid on his way back. It looked real nice, but alas, another Bourdais mistake? How many times did he hit the wall this weekend? Very Un-Bourdais like.