Champ Car Fantasy Racing Reports

Champ Car Edmonton Race

2008-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Race:

The 9th round of the Champ Car World Series was at Edmonton today for the Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton, and it was another unpredictable, action packed, Champ Car race. But what made is unpredictable was the fact that the race was completely caution free. Zero safety car sessions were waved during the 1 hour and 45 minute race.

It was Paul Tracy’s streak on the line and he failed as the race was Tagliani’s to loose. Starting from the pole, he proceeded to run over the rest of the field pulling out a 3 and a half second lead over second place Neel Jani. Then came the pit stops. Tagliani’s Team Australia crew put Tag out in only 5.5 seconds, pushing him back to 13th overall. He proceeded to work his way back to the front, regaining the lead from Dan Clarke as he stayed out longer than the rest, before making his first pit stop. From then on, Tagliani stayed out front, pulling out a 5 second lead over Justin Wilson, before the pit stops started all over again. This time Tag came out in only 9th and took the lead 4 laps later when the other leaders pitted. Then on Tagliani kept the lead to score his second career Champ Car World Series victory, and his first since Road America, 2004.

“The race was amazing. The car was fast, the pit crew was fast, we all worked together to get the win. Only time we didn’t lead was during the pit stop sequences and if it wasn’t for Justin (Wilson), we’d have won the race by a long margin. This is for Aussie Vineyards, Derek Walker, Craig Gore, and the guys at Walker Racing.”

Taking second place was, as mentioned, Justin Wilson. Starting 3rd, he took second from Paul Tracy and fought with Tagliani for the lead and did lead during the first pit sequence. Wilson fell back to 16th during the first sequence after stalling his car, but he fought his way back to the 2nd spot in only 17 laps, also setting the fastest lap of the race.

“Ah, the race was tough. The McDonalds car was very quick, but we just didn’t have the pace, as did rest of the field to fight Alex (Tagliani) for the win. But I am happy with the podium.”

Taking third place was the Swiss driver Neel Jani, taking his second career podium, and his first of the year. It also was only Neel’s second race of the season for the Rocketsport squad, which makes this very impressive. Jani was fast during the race, but he also had trouble keeping consistency, running the race inside the top 10, but running between the 2nd and 9th spots.

“Paul said if we worked together he’d give me a podium car, and he was right. The guys at Red Bull who helped me get this ride were amazing. The car had great grip, and while we did fall back to 9th, we still felt we had a fast car. I am very happy and very thankful for Paul and the team.”

Finishing out the top 5 was Paul Tracy and Robert Doornbos. Tracy was also victim of the races only spin, losing it in the hairpin, but he restarted and lost only 7 spots on the field. Doornbos ran a clean race as well, starting from the third row, the Dutchman held strong and admittedly relaxed and did not push the car.

“We knew we didn’t have a car that could win the race after morning warmup, but we tried to finish in the top 5, and on the podium, which we did. This was a great result for the team, and almost a victory, as we have been fast all season, but only two podiums all year have been disappointing.”

The race saw only 4 retirements, all coming in the first 40 mintutes of the race. There was controversy in the first two retirements, both coming from the PKV Racing entries, as they both retired on lap 5. Tony Cotman has a meeting with the officials at PKV, and penalties might come from the retirements.

The race saw some other great performances. Ryan Dalziel started in 19th, but blasted through the field, running a different pit sequence than the field, and moved his way to 9th. Adam Carroll stalled in pit lane and fell to 17th, but worked his way to 11th in the finish. Dan Clarke took the lead during the second pit sequence and went on to finish 10th.

The other two retirements were from EJ Viso, who was parked by Champ Car Director of Race Operations for not keeping up the pace with the rest of the field. The final retirement came from the series points leader, Franck Montagny, who lost first and second gear on the start of the race, and dropped out only two laps later. Franck sounded quite angry at himself for the retirement.

“It was 100% my fault. I didn’t start off the grid like I should have and I knew first broke, but when I shifted to second at the red line, I felt second break. I drove around in third and the upper gears, but knew I could not keep pace, so I pulled in and retired. It is a disappointment for me and especially the team. Sorry to the guys, as we felt we had a fast car.”

Official Race Results:
1.Alex Tagliani -- 97 laps (91 led)
2.Justin Wilson -- (- 3.21s)
3.Neel Jani -- (- 7.69s) (3 led)
4.Paul Tracy -- (- 9.87s)
5.Robert Doornbos -- (13.12s)
6.Nelson Philippe -- (- 16.93s)
7.Will Power -- (- 22.23s)
8.Bruno Junquiera -- (- 24.87s)
9.Ryan Dalziel -- (- 26.72s)
10.Dan Clarke -- (-29.01s) (3 led)
11.Adam Carroll -- (-34.23s)
12.Graham Rahal -- (-38.32s)
13.Simon Pagenaud -- (- 40.66s)
14.Franck Perera -- (- 1 lap)
15.Mario Dominguez -- (- 1 lap)
16.Tomas Scheckter -- (-1 lap)
17.David Martinez -- (- 2 laps)
18.Franck Montagny -- (Ret. Lap 11 Gearbox)
19.EJ Viso -- (Ret. Lap 9 Unable to Keep Up Pace)
DSQ. Oriol Servia -- (Ret. Lap 5 Handling)
DSQ. Raphael Matos -- (Ret. Lap 5 Handling)

Fast Lap: Justin Wilson - 59.012
Hard Charger: Ryan Dalziel - 10 spots

Champ Car World Series Point Standings

1. Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing -- 209 pts.
2. Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 202 pts.
3. Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA -- 195 pts.
4. Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USA -- 189 pts.
5. Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 187 pts.
6. Franck Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 184 pts.
7. Will Power -- Team Australia USA -- 177 pts.
8. Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 129 pts.
9. Bruno Junquiera -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 118 pts.
10. Oriol Servia -- PKV Racing -- 112 pts.
11. Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 88 pts.
12. Simon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing -- 86 pts.
13. Raphael Matos ® -- PKV Racing -- 72 pts.
14. David Martinez ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 66 pts.
15. Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 48 pts.
16. Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 47 pts.
17. Neel Jani -- Rocketsport -- 44 pts.
18. Enrique Bernoldi ® -- 43 pts.
19. EJ Viso ® -- Rocketsport -- 39 pts.
20. Tomas Scheckter ® -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 37 pts.
21. Antonio Pizzonia ® -- 33 pts.
22. Ryan Dalziel -- Carlin Motorsports -- 20 pts.
23. Alex Figge -- 18 pts
24. Adam Carroll -- Conquest Racing -- 10 pts.
25. Jos Verstappen ® -- 9 pts.
26. Giorgio Pantano -- 5 pts.
27. Mario Moraes ® -- 2 pts.

Notes following the race:

PKV Racing was disqualified and will loose it’s point scored this weekend following there retirements from the race. They were deemed detrimental for the sport and placed on probation for the rest of the season. But rumors suggest this was the last race, and Kevin Kalkhoven would not comment. Jimmy Vasser has left the team and could not be reached either. Sources from inside the team saw that the team will not return to the series and has ended the contract of Oriol Servia, but will take their other driver, Raphael Matos to the IRL, where they hope to run August 31st in Detroit.

Also, following the race, we learned the contract of Rocketsport driver EJ Viso will be terminated, making way for Formula One test driver Anthony Davidson to take the spot.

Morning Warmup

2008-07-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Warm-up:

Morning warm-ups were slowed by three safety car periods caused by spins. With spins from Will Power, Nelson Philippe, and EJ Viso, only 13 cars and 7 minutes were run.

Times:
Alex Tagliani -- 58.803s
Nelson Philippe -- 58.812s
Justin Wilson -- 58.842s
Robert Doornbos -- 58.849s
Franck Montagny -- 58.911s
Paul Tracy -- 59.921s
Neel Jani -- 59.926s
Dan Clarke -- 59.931s
Ryan Dalziel -- 59.935s
Adam Carroll -- 59.941s
Simon Pagenaud -- 59.949s
Tomas Scheckter -- 59.956s
Will Power -- 58.963s
David Martinez -- 58.979s
Franck Perera -- 59.011s
Bruno Junquiera -- 59.021s
Graham Rahal -- 59.392s
Mario Dominguez -- 59.412s
EJ Viso -- 1:01.18
* PKV Racing did not run in the warm-up session.

Free Practice 3 and Qualifying 2

2008-07-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Free Practice 3:

Free Practice 3 was very slow and was used by most teams to build up a racing setup. Only 15 cars ran the session, as Forsythe Petitt Racing ran only Perera and Martinez to give more track experience. Both of the Team Australia cars did not run the session either, feeling ready to make their runs in Q2.

Also not running were the PKV Racing team’s, in what is most likely their final Champ Car race, following Kevin Kalkhoven’s buyout to Trump Racing Investments.

Free Practice 3 Times:

Neel Jani -- 58.813
Nelson Philippe -- 58.821
Robert Doornbos -- 58.826
Dan Clarke -- 58.832
Bruno Junquiera -- 58.841
Justin Wilson -- 58.913
Graham Rahal -- 58.917
Franck Perera -- 58.937
Adam Carroll -- 58.943
Tomas Scheckter -- 58.978
Simon Pagenaud -- 58.992
David Martinez -- 59.011
Ryan Dalziel -- 59.021
Mario Dominguez -- 59.212
EJ Viso -- 59.489

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Qualifying 2:

Qualifying 2 was a fast and wild session, seeing 6 different drivers taking the number one spot, and all drivers spending at least 1 minute within the top 10.
Again, Paul Tracy failed to take the top spot, marking his 4 race pole streak to an end. PT though will take the race off in on the front row. But unlike in Q1. Justin Wilson did not take the top spot. Alex Tagliani was the fastest in which 3 guys were on top in the last minute of the session. The is his 6th career pole and his 2nd of the season.

“I am so glad for my team, for my sponsors, for the fans. Starting on pole in the standing start era is what is needed to win, and I feel we do have a real shot now with a pole to win.”
Finishing the top 5 were Justin Wilson is 3rd, Neel Jani in 4th, and Robert Doornbos in 5th.
The session was also wild in that it saw a spin, with EJ Viso the victim of getting his car off course and spinning on the final corner. His session didn’t go much better than that as he remained at the bottom of the charts.

Alex Tagliani -- 58.801
Paul Tracy -- 58.811
Justin Wilson -- 58.848
Neel Jani -- 58.862
Robert Doornbos -- 58.903
Nelson Philippe -- 58.917
Franck Montagny -- 58.924
Will Power -- 58.945
Bruno Junquiera -- 58.975
Dan Clarke -- 58.987
Graham Rahal -- 59.001
Adam Carroll -- 59.012
Simon Pagenaud -- 59.026
Mario Dominguez -- 59. 154
Franck Perera -- 59.176
David Martinez -- 59.189
Oriol Servia -- 59.232
Tomas Scheckter -- 59.246
Ryan Dalziel -- 59.302
Raphael Matos -- 59.397
EJ Viso -- 59.565

Champ Car Free Practice 2

2008-07-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Free Practice 2:

Free Practice Two went much the same way as FP1 went. The session though, separated the field into two groups. Those who were under 59.3 seconds a lap and those who were not. There were a 2 tenths of a second drop from the 12th time to the 13th.

Fastest was qualifying champ Paul Tracy, putting a fast lap in the closing seconds of the session to top a Free Practice session for the 5th consecutive race. Behind Tracy was the normal class of the drivers. Wilson in second, Philippe in third, and Power and Tagliani filling out the top 5.

The session saw a few on track incidents. Dan Clarke spun entering the front straight and had minor contact with the pit lane wall. His car was repaired and he finished the session. Also having trouble was David Martinez, who spun in the hairpin ending his session with a broken half shaft.

The session also saw the fall of some of FP1’s fast drivers, including the fastest driver Neel Jani, who fell out of the top 5 to 7th. Also falling was EJ Viso, who was unable to hold pace with the top cars and fell to 16th.

Free Practice Two Times:
1.Paul Tracy -- 58.901
2.Justin Wilson -- 58.917
3.Nelson Philippe -- 58.934
4.Will Power -- 58.989
5.Alex Tagliani -- 59.021
6.Robert Doornbos -- 59.032
7.Neel Jani -- 59.067
8.Franck Montagny -- 59.123
9.Dan Clarke -- 59.167
10.Bruno Junquiera -- 59.232
11.Oriol Servia -- 59.278
12.Graham Rahal -- 59.301
13.Mario Dominguez -- 59.398
14.Raphael Matos -- 59.408
15.Simon Pagenaud -- 59.412
16.EJ Viso -- 59.435
17.Adam Carroll -- 59.487
18.Tomas Scheckter -- 59.596
19.Franck Perera -- 59.601
20.Ryan Dalziel -- 59.611
21.David Martinez -- 59.613

Champ Car Edmonton Free Practice 1

2008-07-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton Free Practice 1:

Free Practice One was the start of what should be a great Champ Car weekend in Edmonton. And if the signs from the session tell us anything, this will not be another Paul Tracy walk though.
The session was quite clean, with only Adam Carroll taking the rookie spin in the hairpin. But he started right back up and ran what was a good session.

“Climbing into a car that has had some trouble was something that was a challenge, as the team was still coming to grips with the handling of the car, but we worked around it and we like our 14th fastest run.”

Fastest in FP1 was Rocketsport driver, Neel Jani, who with a 59.012 was only 2 hundredths of a second faster than Newman Haas Lanigan star Justin Wilson.

Justin had this to saw about what is starting out as a good weekend, “It’s great to be back up on top of the charts. Many said jumping in this car would mean a championship and wins, and I starting to think that in testing, but was I really wrong. It’s been a difficult season, but starting off Free Practice with a top 5 run is a great way to start off the weekend.”

Rounding out the top 5 were Paul Tracy in third with a lap of 59.078 seconds, Alex Tagliani with a 59.121 second fast lap, and Will Power with a 59.195.

The session also saw some fast laps by some unlikely drivers. EJ Viso, who has had some good fast laps, was 7th fastest and Mario Dominguez was 9th fastest.

Free Practice One Times:
1. Neel Jani -- 59.012
2. Justin Wilson -- 59.022
3. Paul Tracy -- 59.078
4. Alex Tagliani -- 59.121
5. Will Power -- 59.195
6. Nelson Philippe -- 59.213
7. EJ Viso -- 59.243
8. Robert Doornbos -- 59.289
9. Mario Dominguez -- 59.301
10.Franck Montagny -- 59.352
11. Dan Clarke -- 59.358
12. Bruno Junquiera -- 59.411
13. Simon Pagenaud -- 59.421
14. Adam Carroll -- 59.452
15. Graham Rahal -- 59.487
16. Franck Perera -- 59.512
17. Oriol Servia -- 59.533
18. Tomas Scheckter -- 59.611
19. Ryan Dalziel -- 59.675
20. Raphael Matos -- 59.721
21. David Martinez -- 59.724

Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton 2008 The Real Race

2008-07-18T13:17:00.001-07:00

2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton

Welcome to Rexhall Speedway at the City Centre Airport for the 2008 Rexhall Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton. The 1.96 mile temporary airport circuit is now in it’s fourth season on the Champ Car World Series schedule and has seen two different winners. But lucky for the drivers, two time Edmonton champ, Sebastien Bourdais is not in the series this season and 2006 winner, Justin Wilson has struggled this season. Will this be the place the Brit turns around his season and becomes a title contender again? This is Champ Car and this is Real Racing.

The Champ Car World Series have visited the City Centre Airport here in Edmonton since 2005. That 2005 edition of the race saw the most people attend a Canadian Champ Car race with over 200 thousand for the 3 day weekend that saw Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais win his first of two Edmonton titles. 2006 saw Justin Wilson score his first win and only of the 2006 season, and 2007 saw Sebastien Bourdais but on a clinic by dominating the race after Will Power’s Walker Racing car suffered mechanical troubles that ended his race.

“This race is very important after a great Toronto race,” said the Australian Power at the Thursday press conference, “Last year we came out Toronto with a win and should have won here, but only a mechanical problem stopped us. Maybe this year will be our year?”

This weekend also find Irish driver Adam Carroll make his Champ Car debut. Having tested with RuSport back in 2006, the young European Junior Formula superstar, was to fill in for Justin Wilson at Mexico City in 2006, before a last minute change. Since then he has run with lackluster results in DTM, and GP2. The former BAR Honda development driver has been keen on running in Champ Car for some time and the move to Conquest Racing should prove fruitful.

This race is a new event to the series rookies including points leader Franck Montagny, who sounds to be very happy with the airport circuits.

“Cleveland went okay and I love racing on airports. The tracks are fast, and flowing and visibility is very high. Great places for fast racing.”

In the news since Toronto has been the long rumor of the possible retirement of three of the series top starts. Even though Paul Tracy has been dominating the past 3 races, he has mentioned the this year could be his last, and it has come even more truthful, as the Forsythe Petitt team announced they will cut down the amount of cars they will enter in the 2009 season. Also announced by the FPR team is that Atlantics star James Hinchcliffe will test for the team at Road America in the series test in a few weeks. Also rumored to be on the retirement watch is Bruno Junquiera, who is rumored to be moving to sports car racing for 2009, with rumored teams being Peugeot and Pescarolo Sport in Europe. Alex Tagliani mentioned retirement in an article in the July issue of Racer Magazine, but news from inside the team is that Tagliani is negotiating with Team Australia Walker Racing for an extension for the 2009 season. If all those drivers do retire, that would open up three coveted seats for the 2009 season.

News surrounding Carlin Motorsports and Red Bull, is that the team will officially become Red Bull Carlin Motorsports on the series return to Europe in Assen. Also surrounding the team is that the suspected driver list have shrunk as Formula One superstar, David Coulthard, will not move to Champ Car. Also announced is that Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principle Franz Tost will take over the same spot at Red Bull Carlin Motorsports.

Also in the news was the release of the 2009 schedule. New events include street circuits in Orlando, Florida and Dubai. Also included are events at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic, and the Imola Grand Prix circuit that held the San Marino GP previously, as well as the Champ Car return to the U.K. at Silverstone, replacing F1 on the circuits schedule. Also is a return of Vancouver to the series.

Announcements coming into the weekend also were the surprice annoucement of the sale of Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven’s buyout to the Donald Trump run, Trump Racing Investments, which will take control of the Champ Car World Series and the Champ Car Atlantics Championship. Also with this annoucment is the withdrawl of Kalkhoven run PKV Racing and driver Oriol Servia and Raphael Matos to the Indy Racing League Indy Car Series, possibly following this race. Team co-owner Jimmy Vasser is rumored to be talking with a few teams in management role.

Race Entries:
Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Langian Racing
Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Franck Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
David Martinez -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Will Power -- Team Australia Walker Racing
Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing
Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA
Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USASimon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing
Adam Carroll ® -- Conquest Racing
Oriol Servia -- KV Technologies
Raphael Matos ® -- KV Technologies
Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports
Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports
EJ Viso ® -- Rocketsport

Champ Car World Series 2009 Schedule

2008-07-11T08:19:00.001-07:00

Date	Venue
April 12	Orlando, FL Track Map
April 19	Long Beach , CA Track Map
April 26	Houston, TX Track Map
May 3	Monterey, CA Track Map
May 17	Zolder, Belgium Track Map
May 24	Jerez de la Frontera, Spain Track Map
June 7	Mont-Tremblant, Canada Track Map
June 21	Toronto, Canada Track Map
June 28	Edmonton, Canada Track Map
July 5	Portland, OR Track Map
July 12	Cleveland, OH Track Map
July 19	San Jose, CA Track Map
July 26	Vancouver, Canada Track Map
August 9	Elkhart Lake, WI Track Map
August 23	Assen, The Netherlands Track Map
August 30	Brno, Czech Republic Track Map
September 13	Dubai, United Arab Emirats Track Map
Spetember 27	Imola, Italy Track Map
October 4	Silverstone, England Track Map
October 18	Surfers Paradise, Australia Track Map
November 1	Mexico City, Mexico Track Map
November 15	Las Vegas, NV Track Map

2008 Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto Race

2008-07-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto was another Paul Tracy schooling. Taking off from the pole, he dominated, leading every lap to win by 17 seconds over Will Power, who ran second all race after starting 3rd.

Other stories from within the race where Franck Montagny, who after starting second, struggled with front end grip falling to 9th be the first pit stop, but they adjusted the wing and he scored his 7th podium of the season. The race saw a great performance by Alex Tagliani, who starting 5th, set the races fastest lap and finished 4th.

Rounding out the top 5 was Frenchman Nelson Philippe, who had a spin in the first corner. He fought from the back and had a few taps of the wall on the final corner.

The race saw it’s only caution only 37 minutes into the race, after an engine failure of Tomas Scheckter on the front straight, EJ Viso ran right into the back of Scheckter sending Viso into the car.

The race also saw only 20 cars take the grid, after the Conquest Racing car of Enrique Bernoldi was withdrawn following the teams decision to shut down the car until they can find sponsorships for the team. This is the second time this season a car has been withdrawn from the weekend competition, with Antonio Pizzonia’s Rocketsport car being withdrawn at Mont-Tremblant.

Official Results:

Tracy -- (94 laps) (94 led)
Power -- (-16.79s)
Montagny -- (-18.01s)
Tagliani -- (-20.12s)
Philippe -- (-21.24s)
Jani -- (-21.42s)
Doornbos -- (-22.12s)
Wilson -- (-23.92s)
Rahal -- (-31.23s)
Clarke -- (-39.02s)
Perera -- (-39.19s)
Servia -- (-51.03s)
Pagenaud -- (-1 lap)
Junquiera -- (-1lap)
Dalziel -- (-1 lap)
Martinez -- (-1 lap)
Matos -- (-4 laps)
Scheckter -- (Ret. Engine Failure Lap 38)
Viso -- (Ret. Accident Lap 38)
Dominguez -- (Ret. Accident Lap 3)

Fast Lap: Alex Tagliani (Lap 56 - 59.23s)
Hard Charger: Simon Pagenaud (7 positions)

CCWS Points Standing
1. Franck Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 181 pts.
2. Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 179 pts.
3. Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing -- 177 pts.
4. Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA -- 174 pts.
5. Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USA -- 170 pts.
6. Will Power -- Team Australia USA -- 160 pts.
7. Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 159 pts.
8. Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 120 pts.
9. Oriol Servia -- PKV Racing -- 112 pts.
10. Bruno Junquiera -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 103 pts.
11. Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 81 pts.
12. Simon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing -- 78 pts.
13. Raphael Matos ® -- PKV Racing -- 72 pts.
14. David Martinez ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 62 pts.
15. Enrique Bernoldi ® -- Conquest Racing -- 43 pts.
16. Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 42 pts.
17. EJ Viso ® -- Rocketsport -- 37 pts.
18. Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 36 pts.
19. Antonio Pizzonia ® -- 33 pts.
20. Tomas Scheckter ® -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 32 pts.
21. Neel Jani -- Rocketsport -- 19 pts.
22. Alex Figge -- 18 pts
23. Jos Verstappen ® -- 9 pts.
24. Ryan Dalziel -- Carlin Motorsports -- 6 pts.
25. Giorgio Pantano -- Carlin Motorsports -- 5 pts.
26. Mario Moraes ® -- 2 pts.

Notes from Toronto. Carlin Motorsports will be the Red Bull backed team in Champ Car next year. Rumors this weekend that were heard is that David Coulthard might be done with F1, but could move to America for that ride. Also rumored in the two car team is Neel Jani, Sebastian Buemi, Bruno Junquiera, and American Jonathon Bomarito.

Also heard were that Atlantics star and winner in Mont-Tremblant, Junior Strous could be moving to Champ Car next year as well, with an unspecified team.

Champ Car will take a week off and will be in Edmonton the 20th of July. FTG

2008 Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto Qualifying

2008-07-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Qualifying went again the way of Canadian Paul Tracy. Taking the provisional pole and race pole, he scored his 4th pole of the season, and another point in a close championship.

Qualifying also brought the other Forysythe Petitt Racing car of Franck Montagny up to the front row as well with a very quick time with only seconds remaining in the session.

The sessions gave Neel Jani a time to shine, as he placed his Rocketsport car in the second row with a 4th place time. Last years runner up will sit beside last years winner, Will Power, who hopes to turn is season around here.

Qualifying did prove trouble for Conquest Racing though. Still suffering from an injured wrist from his crash in Cleveland, Simon Pagenaud only ran 3 laps before withdrawing from the session. It is unknown whether he will race or not, but Atlantics driver James Hinchcliffe was seen in the Conquest tent. The other Conquest driver, Enrique Bernoldi was also told, his sponsor checks had bounced and will be out of a ride after the weekend. The car did not run during either session.

Qualifying also was a rebound for Ryan Dalziel. Struggling in practice, Dalziel turned in top 10 laps, but will find himself a 5 spot grid penalty for causing a red flag during the second session.

Combines qualifying sessions:

Tracy - 58.96
Montagny - 59.12
Power - 59.22
Jani - 59.28
Tagliani - 59.34
Philippe - 59.51
Doornbos - 59.56
Rahal - 59.65
Dalziel - 59.73
Wilson - 59.77
Clarke - 59.81
Perera - 59.84
Servia - 59.92
Junquiera - 59.93
Scheckter - 59..98
Viso - 1:00.02
Matos - 1:00.14
Martinez - 1:00.21
Dominguez - 1:00.98
Pagenaud - 1:03.56
Bernoldi - DNQ

2008 Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto Practice

2008-07-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Practice went the way of Paul Tracy yet again. Taking no prisoners in P1 and P2, Tracy leads Practice by over 4 tenths of a second over the second fastest machine Nelson Philippe.

Practice did see many drivers have issue with the walls. Veteran Mario Dominguez’s season has been tough, highlighted this weekend by a crash in the final corner. Also seeing contact were the cars of Raphael Matos and EJ Viso. Both also saw contact with the final corner wall.

Returning to Toronto and Champ Car proved tough for Ryan Dalziel. Having multiple spins and contact with the wall left Dalziel running only 14 laps in both sessions combines.

Combined Practice Results:
1.Tracy -- 59.01s
2.Philippe -- 59.42s
3.Wilson -- 59.45s
4.Servia -- 59.51s
5.Power -- 59.63s
6.Tagliani -- 59.71s
7.Jani -- 59.77s
8.Rahal -- 59.82s
9.Doornbos -- 59.83s
10.Junquiera -- 59.89s
11.Pagenaud -- 59.97s
12.Matos -- 1:00.12
13.Montagny -- 1:00.31
14.Clarke -- 1:00.37
15.Bernoldi -- 1:00.48
16.Perera -- 1:00.49
17.Martinez -- 1:00.68
18.Scheckter -- 1:00.79
19.Dalziel -- 1:00.98
20.Dominguez -- 1:01.67
21.Viso -- 1:02.12

EJ Viso was again warned by Champ Car Officials to pick up his pace in Qualifying, as Champ Car will use the 107% rule if he cannot pick up his speed.

2008 Champ Car Grand Prix of Toronto

2008-07-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Champ Car returns to Exhibition Place Toronto for the 8th round of the 2008 Champ Car World Series. Coming off 2 straight wins and 3 poles, Paul Tracy is looking to score again at home, but he has 20 other drivers who hope to top him.

Coming off a season best finish of 2nd last week in Mont-Tremblant, points leader Robert Doornbos looks to get his first win of the season, but if 2007 is an indication, he will have to work hard to even get a podium at this historic course.

Looking to rebound here this weekend is the Long Beach winner and defending race winner Will Power, who’s season has been anything but stellar as an early title contender, he is 7th in the championship hunt at midseason.

“Last year was quite different. The heavy rain brought the race to a different level. There is no rain in the forecast this weekend, which is different than the showers we had last season.”
This race also marks the second race for Carlin Motorsports, but without Mont-Tremblant driver Giorgio Pantano, who rocked the paddock in Quebec with a great qualifying run if 13th, but to find some trouble during the race leaving them in 18th. Pantano will be replaced this weekend because of GP2 commitments, by last years surprise racer here in Toronto, Ryan Dalziel.

Also making his return to Champ Car is A1GP champ for Switzerland, Neel Jani, who will be the third driver in 10 races to drive the number 88 Rocketsport entry.

Rumors from the Rocketsport tent heard were that Canadian driver Michael Valiente, who is running in Grand Am, could be in the car if Viso’s pace does not improve.

Announced Monday was the Champ Car Grand Prix of England, which will replace F1 at Silverstone. Also announced was that Bruno Junquiera will retire from Champ Car competition at the end of the season, moving to Europe to drive for Peugeot in the LMS.

The weather calls clouds, but no rain on race day.

Frank Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing

Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing

Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing

David Martinez ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing

Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing

Will Power -- Team Australia Walker Racing

Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA

Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USA

Simon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing

Enrique Bernoldi ® -- Conquest Racing

Raphael Matos ® -- PKV Racing

Oriol Servia -- PKV Racing

Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports

Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports

EJ Viso (R) -- Rocketsport

Neel Jani -- Rocketsport

Bruno Junquiera -- Dale Coyne Racing

Tomas Scheckter ® -- Dale Coyne Racing
Ryan Dalziel -- Carlin Motorsport

2008 Champ Car Mont-Tremblant Race

2008-06-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Champ Car put on a HOT race at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant. It was cold and wet, but the race was clean, very aggressive and fast, seeing zero yellows, and only 2 cars failed to finish.
Sadly one of those cars that retired was the car piloted by the points leader Franck Montagny, whose Forsythe entry had a turbo charge failure only 9 laps into the race.

That failure by Montagny gave way to the other Forsythe Petitt Racing car of Paul Tracy, to play with the rest of the field. Leading from the start, Tracy was challenged by Montagny, until he retired. From then on, Tracy was unchallenged, even managing a green flag pit stop without losing his lead.

During the first stop on lap 19, Tracy did lose the lead to Robert Doornbos (the second place finisher), who lead for only 3 laps before pitting himself.

Behind Tracy though, where many on track stories. Franck Perera, who emerged here last season in Atlantics as a title contender, scored his first career podium. Taking the second step on the podium was Alex Tagliani, who also set the races fastest lap .

The race proved to be a challenge for Newman Haas Lanigan drivers Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal. Rahal was the only other driver to retire after getting his car off course and hitting a tire barrier. Justin Wilson also struggled. After stalling on the pits, he spun 3 laps later on lap 24. But Wilson did fight his way into the top 5 to finish 5th.

Official Results:
1.Paul Tracy -- (69 laps) (67 led)
2.Alex Tagliani -- (-13.56s)
3.Franck Perera -- (-17.32s)
4.Robert Doornbos -- (-21.89s) (2 led)
5.Nelson Philippe -- (-23.02s)
6.Will Power -- (-31.67s)
7.Dan Clarke -- (-37.12s)
8.Bruno Junquiera -- (-39.04s)
9.Oriol Servia -- (-42.12s)
10.Justin Wilson -- (-46.04s)
11.Simon Pagenaud -- (-49.23s)
12.David Martinez -- (-58.32s)
13.Tomas Scheckter -- (-1 lap)
14.Raphael Matos -- (-1 Lap)
15.Enrique Bernoldi -- (-1 Lap)
16.Giorgio Pantano -- (-1 Lap)
17.Mario Dominguez -- (-2 laps)
18,EJ Viso -- (-7 laps)
19.Graham Rahal -- (Ret. Accident Lap 39)
20.Franck Montagny -- (Ret. Mechanical Lap 9)

Fast Lap: Alex Tagliani -- (1:15.89)
Hard Charger: Dan Clarke -- (4 positions, tied with Matos, but higher finishing position)

CCWS Points Standing
1. Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA -- 157 pts.
2. Franck Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 156 pts.
3. Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing -- 153 pts.
4. Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USA -- 149 pts.
5. Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 146 pts.
6. Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 144 pts.
7. Will Power -- Team Australia USA -- 133 pts.
8. Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing -- 107 pts.
9. Oriol Servia -- PKV Racing -- 103 pts.
10. Bruno Junquiera -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 96 pts.
11. Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 71 pts.
12. Simon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing -- 69 pts.
13. Raphael Matos ® -- PKV Racing -- 68 pts.
14. David Martinez ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing -- 57 pts.
15. Enrique Bernoldi ® -- Conquest Racing -- 43 pts.
16. Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 41 pts.
17. EJ Viso ® -- Rocketsport -- 35 pts.
18. Antonio Pizzonia ® -- 33 pts.
19. Tomas Scheckter ® -- Dale Coyne Racing -- 29 pts.
20. Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports -- 25 pts..
21. Alex Figge -- 18 pts
22. Jos Verstappen ® -- 9 pts.
23. Giorgio Pantano -- Carlin Motorsports -- 5 pts.
24. Mario Moraes ® -- 2 pts.

Rocketsport announced this morning they will be looking for a driver for the number 88 and hope to have a driver ready by Friday. No names were mentioned, but the name of Atlantics front runner, Jonathon Bomarito was mentioned by Paul Gentoliozzi, Saturday night while at the bar.

Renault F1 also announced Wednesday that they no longer require the services of Will Power. The Australian driver didn’t seem to worry though.

“I love Champ Car and am fine racing here. F1 is always seemed like a cold place for me. Here in Champ Car, we can walk right into another team’s tent and talk. In F1 that would be unheard of. I have a great team in Walker Racing, and a great crew.”

2008 Champ Car Mont-Tremblant Qualifying

2008-06-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

The first qualifying session was filled with action. Rain fell late in the session, but by that time, most of the cars has set their times and were back in the paddock. Four drivers held the top spot in the first 5 minutes, but after the rooster tails settled, Robert Doornbos scored the point for the provisional pole. Closely behind was the Forsythe car of Paul Tracy. Running third in the session was the Team Australia car and hometown favorite Alex Tagliani.
The session was a down session for rookie points leader Franck Montagny, finishing out of the top 5 in qualifying for only the second time all season.
The session also saw Paul Gentilozzi withdraw his number 88 entry for Antonio Pizzonia after being sent to the pits by Champ Car officials for not keeping a safe line and speed. No word of penalties to the team or driver yet.
EJ Viso showed well in Q1 after his disqualification last week in Cleveland, posting a time that placed him 14th on the charts.

Q1 Session Times:
Robert Doornbos -- 1:15.57
Paul Tracy -- 1:15.64
Alex Tagliani -- 1:15.73
Will Power -- 1:15.88
Nelson Philippe -- 1:15.89
Franck Perera -- 1:15.94
Franck Montagny -- 1:15.97
Bruno Junquiera -- 1:16.12
Justin Wilson -- 1:16.22
Graham Rahal -- 1:16.29
Tomas Scheckter -- 1:16.47
Oriol Servia -- 1:16.56
Dan Clarke -- 1:16.78
Giorgio Pantano -- 1:17.02
EJ Viso -- 1:17.23
David Martinez -- 1:17.32
Mario Dominguez -- 1:17.39
Raphael Matos -- 1:17.56
Simon Pagenaud -- 1:17.65
Enrique Bernoldi -- 1:17.8

Qualifying Session Two was Paul Tracy’s to lose. Right out of the box, Tracy but his number 3 Forsythe entry on the pole, with little challenge from the competition. Even Provisional Pole winner Robert Doornbos was unable to contend for the pole, as he only managed to put his Minardi car in third. That is Tracy’s third straight pole of the season, and his last week from the pole, he scored a win.
Q2 was also the first session that was not run during wet conditions. But the track was still wet enough that teams went out on the intermediate tires.
The session saw a yellow in the final corner after the car of EJ Viso spun. He will not be penalized for the incident according to the Tony Codman, Race Director.
Q2 Session Time:
Paul Tracy -- 1:15.54
Franck Montagny -- 1:15.67
Robert Doornbos -- 1:15.73
Alex Tagliani -- 1:15.76
Nelson Philippe -- 1:15.79
Will Power -- 1:15.87
Franck Perera -- 1:15.91
Justin Wilson -- 1:15.97
Bruno Junquiera -- 1:16.02
Tomas Scheckter -- 1:16.15
Dan Clarke -- 1:16.21
Oriol Servia -- !:16.29
Giorgio Pantano -- 1:16.44
Graham Rahal -- 1:16.59
David Martinez -- 1:16.78
Simon Pagenaud -- 1:16.92
Mario Dominguez - 1:17.16
Raphael Matos -- 1:17.43
Enrique Bernoldi --1:17.54
EJ Viso -- 1:17.98

Champ Car Mont-Tremblant 2008 Friday Practice

2008-06-26T19:10:00.001-07:00

Practice went very well among all the teams Friday for round 7 of the Champ Car World Series. While rain hit the track lightly for the first session, Practice 2 was dry and fast. The track bonded well for the Forsythe Petitt Racing team, with 3 of their 4 drivers in the top 10. Of those 3 cars, none were the leader though, with Dutchman Robert Doornbos putting his Minardi car on top of the time charts with a 1:15.63 lap. The second fastest car during the sessions was the first Forsythe car with rookie Franck Montagny posting a lap of 1:15.89. In third is the Dale Coyne Racing machine of Bruno Junquiera.

Friday was a struggle for Rocketsport driver Antonio Pizzonia. Given an opportunity to rejoin the team after being replaced by Jos Verstappen, Pizzonia managed only 9 laps in P1,and on his out lap in P2, he put the car off course and broke the gearbox, ending the session. Paul Gentilozzi commented on the situation with the Brazilian drivers.

“Antonio has impressed me, but he has just been unable to drive this car we give him. He is not adapting to his situation and is not working well with the engineers. We will have to go back home Monday and talk with him about his future with the team.”

Pizzonia will continue with the weekend and is still schedule to compete in Toronto.
The surprise of Friday was the speed of the Carlin Motorsport car. Receiving their car only three weeks ago and having a practice at Silverstone, Giorgio Pantano was only 17th in P1, but in P2 he managed to move his car up to 12th.

Also very fast during Practice were the Team Australia Walker Racing cars of Will Power and provincial favorite Alex Tagliani who put both of their cars in the top 5.

Friday was not the session for which young sophomore star, Graham Rahal’s had hoped for. Never getting a grip on the car, he could only manage a 18th place time.

P1 and P2 Combined Times:
Robert Doornbos -- 1:15.63
Franck Montagny -- 1:15.89
Bruno Junquiera -- 1:15.91
Will Power -- 1:15.96
Alex Tagliani -- 1:15.99
Paul Tracy -- 1:16.09
Franck Perera -- 1:16.23
Justin Wilson -- 1:16.26
Nelson Philippe -- 1:16.32
Oriol Servia -- 1:16.39
Dan Clarke -- 1:16.54
Giorgio Pantano -- 1:16.59
Tomas Scheckter -- 1:16.67
Simon Pagenaud -- 1:16.78
Mario Dominguez -- 1:16.79
David Martinez -- 1:16.86
Raphael Matos -- 1:16.99
Graham Rahal -- 1:17.21
EJ Viso -- 1:17.23
Enrique Bernoldi -- 1:17.42
Antonio Pizzonia -- 1:17.98

Champ Car Grand Prix Mont-Tremblant 2008

2008-06-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the picturesque Circuit Mont-Tremblant for round 7 of the 2008 Champ Car World Series. Defending winner Robert Doornbos is back to take another win.

“This was the race that we really knew we had a fast car at Minardi. Hopefully a year later, we can continue and on the podium and get the win for the first time this season.”

Paul Tracy will also be trying to score his third straight pole and second straight win at a course that saw him struggle last season.

“I like this course, but it doesn’t fit my style. We worked on learning the setups and I think we got a grip on the car."

The race will be the first for the Carlin Motorsport team. Piloted by Italian Giorgio Pantano, the team is not expected much from their Champ Car debut.

“If we even finish the race, I think we will be happy,” said Carlin Motorsport Principle Trevor Carlin. “We decided to bump up our entry to the series to avoid running a rookie driver on a street circuit.”

Returning to the Rocketsport car after missing Cleveland is Antonio Pizzonia, who lost his seat after Q1 last week to Jos Verstappen, who crashed and ended up costing the team it’s winnings after missing the post race press conference.

Champ Car Mont-Tremblant Entry List:
Frank Montagny ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Paul Tracy -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Franck Perera ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
David Martinez ® -- Forsythe Petitt Racing
Justin Wilson -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal -- Newman Haas Lanigan Racing
Alex Tagliani -- Team Australia Walker Racing
Will Power -- Team Australia Walker Racing
Robert Doornbos -- Team Minardi USA
Nelson Philippe -- Team Minardi USA
Simon Pagenaud -- Conquest Racing
Enrique Bernoldi ® -- Conquest Racing
Raphael Matos ® -- PKV Racing
Oriol Servia -- PKV Racing
Mario Dominguez -- Pacific Coast Motorsports
Dan Clarke -- Pacific Coast Motorsports
EJ Viso ® -- Rocketsport
Antonio Pizzonia -- Rocketsport
Bruno Junquiera -- Dale Coyne Racing
Tomas Scheckter ® -- Dale Coyne Racing
Giorgio Pantano ® -- Carlin Motorsport

Rain will be an issue all weekend with scattered showers. The temps should remain in the high teens (Celsius).