Hinchcliffe to Pilot Pace Car in Champ Car Finale
By Stuart Morrison
Photos courtesy Jakob Ebray
LONG BEACH, California (April 18, 2008) – Canada’s James Hinchcliffe has been given the honour of driving the Pace Car for the Champ Car World Series finale taking place this weekend at the ‘34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’, in California, Friday 18th – Sunday 20th April.

The 21-year-old Toronto-resident, who will also compete in Long Beach in the opening round of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, has been selected to drive Champ Car’s Mazda RX8 Pace Car as the series makes its final outing following the unification with the Indy Racing League earlier this year.

With a field of 20 cars expected for Sunday’s sprint around the illustrious 1.968-mile temporary street circuit, Hinchcliffe is relishing his surprise duty in addition to his Atlantic commitments racing the #3 INDECK Swift Mazda-Cosworth for Forsythe Pettit Racing on Sunday morning.

“I’m incredibly honoured that Champ Car have asked me to drive,” said Hinchcliffe. “It’s especially significant given this is the last ever Champ Car World Series event. Deep down I’m a little gutted that it’s the end of the road because I always wanted to race in Champ Car. At least now though I can say that I participated in the final race – I’m just driving the wrong machine! I’m excited to drive the Mazda RX8 though, I’m sure I’ll have a good time managing my new responsibilities. I guess secretly I’m hoping that there are a few yellows during the race so I get a little bit of action on Sunday afternoon!”

‘Hinch’ is no stranger to the streets of Long Beach with Sunday morning’s Atlantic race marking his third career start at the Pacific track. Making his Atlantic debut there in 2006, also with Forsythe Pettit Racing, the Canadian racer kicked off his rookie season with a third place podium finish.

The ‘34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’ is set to start at 1pm PST on Sunday 20th April with a field comprising a host of well known Champ Car stars and race winners including Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, Alex Tagliani, Bruno Junqueira, Oriol Servia and former series champions Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser.
 

Walker Racing on the record re: Team Australia and Craig Gore
News from Walker Racing
INDIANAPOLIS (March 20, 2008) — More fallout from the Indy Racing Leagues acquisition of some of the Champ Car World Series was received from the Walker Racing Team. It is presented as an addition to the historical record of the Champ Car World Series that was.

The following is a statement from Walker Racing owner Derrick Walker.

Derrick Walker, Walker Racing Owner: “I was extremely disappointed by Craig Gore’s announcement to take Team Australia, our driver, and sponsors to KV Racing. Contrary to Gore’s recent statements, I developed the concept of Team Australia in 2005. Over a three-year period, Team Australia had great success in using motor sports as a marketing tool for Australian companies, including Gore’s winery, Aussie Vineyards. Despite the success of the team, Gore defaulted on his financial obligations to Team Australia throughout the 2007 season. Walker Racing was forced to loan the team substantial funds in order to continue competing in the Champ Car World Series. Walker Racing is still owed in excess of $1,500,000 by Gore and his related entities. I relied upon Gore’s repeated assurances that he would fulfill his commitments to the Team Australia program and to me. Until Gore’s recent announcement to take Team Australia to KV Racing, I was led to believe that we would be moving forward together as a team in 2008. I believe that Gore’s actions are a serious default of his contractual commitments and fiduciary obligations as a business partner. I have given Gore ample opportunities to resolve these disputes informally. Unfortunately, it appears I will have no choice but to take legal action.”
 

Walker Racing Withdraws Indycar Program
News from Walker Racing
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 9, 2008) - Reluctantly, Walker Racing has been forced to withdraw its attempt to join the IndyCar Series for 2008. The racing partnership of "Team Australia" and the association with Australian businessman Craig Gore, drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud, has also come to an end.

Notwithstanding a commitment for 2008, it came down to the lack of funding. A lengthy search for new sponsorship partners drew a blank, so Walker Racing had to close the program officially on Friday.

“It's a great pity that the team has had to abandon our IndyCar program. So much work by so many has gone into the Team Australia program over the last three and a half years, but now it will remain unfinished business for us. I wish my co-partner well with his new venture and so to Will and Simon and all the employees, associates and fans who have given me the opportunity. Many thanks,” said Walker Racing Owner, Derrick Walker.
 

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 24, 2007) – Despite not qualifying higher up on the grid, RSPORTS drivers Justin Wilson and Alex Tagliani drove their Champ Cars to a fourth and sixth place finish, respectively, in today’s action-packed Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank.

18 laps in today’s 89-lap race were under yellow. There were four different caution periods, which ultimately helped some drivers more then others.

After starting eighth on the grid, Wilson had moved the #9 CDW car up into the top five by Lap 4. On Lap 28, the Brit came in for his first-of-three pitstops. By Lap 37, Wilson was back in the fifth spot where he ran consistently until moving up to third, which marks his highest position in today’s race, one lap before his second stop of the day on Lap 57. He came in for his final pit stop on Lap 70 and drove the #9 CDW machine home to a fourth-place finish. “Well a top five finish is not a bad result,” said Wilson. “This was just one of those races where the cars that pitted off-sequence were able to be on top at the end. So, we did the best that we could but it just wasn’t our luck. The #9 CDW car was good this afternoon and the crew did an excellent job for me in the pits. We just have to make sure that we can have more chances like this and try to be stronger in the next race. We are not quite quick enough yet, but we are close and I hope that in Mont-Tremblant we can put the #9 CDW car back on the podium.”

Tagliani started today’s event in the ninth spot. By Lap 11 he moved into the top five and was looking good. However, troubles came in the pits for the French-Canadian. During his second pitstop of the day, a fueling issue was the cause for a loss of time and a possible podium finish. This problem also resulted in Tagliani having to make an extra stop. However, Tagliani was able to hold it together for RSPORTS on track and bring home a sixth-place result. “We worked really hard here in Cleveland; it was a tough weekend for the team,” said Tagliani. “We were not very happy with our starting position, but the guys worked very hard last night and they gave us a car that was very decent in the race today. So I would like to thank them for their hard working effort this weekend. I think we really lost the chance to finish with a better result at the end of the race in the pits. We had a problem refueling and we did not get all the fuel in the car, so we had to do an extra stop. On top of that, we had to save fuel at the end of the race. So, it was unfortunate; everyone was disappointed about that because we probably would have had a podium finish. We were dicing with Paul (Tracy) at a certain point and I think that the #8 RSPORTS car was as quick as the Forsythe car. Basically, we just missed out on a fantastic opportunity. We just need to get back and work on our pitstops and refueling for Tremblant. Also, we will have to work on improving the car for qualifying and then we should be good. The points are getting very tight in the championship, so with this race we are happy that we are still fourth in the standings and we just have to keep moving forward.”

In his fourth run in Cleveland, Wilson earned his best finish on the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit. Wilson’s fourth-place result marks the third time in five events this season that he has finished in the top five. He earns 23 points, giving him a total of 92 markers in the championship where he remains fifth in the standings. Wilson trails his teammate by only five points.

Tagliani earned his fifth consecutive top-ten finish this season when he crossed the line sixth. He maintains his fourth position in the championship standings after earning 19 points this afternoon, which gives him a tally of 97. Tagliani sits only eight points behind third place, and 20 points behind the leader, Sebastien Bourdais.

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner, had this take on the race. “I think that it was a good race, it is just that it wasn’t a leader’s race today. There was just too many yellows and those that went out of sequence (with pitstops), ended up in front. It was just one of those days, but that happens. I think that the team worked very hard this weekend and Justin drove a great race in the #9 CDW car, but being fast just wasn’t good enough today. Justin’s fifth place gave him some good points in the championship standings, which helps him stay fifth in the standings, so we will just continue to work hard and I believe that our time will come to be on top.”

“Alex drove a great race today, but we let him down as a team,” said Paul Gentilozzi, who is the other team co-owner. “We had some problems in the pit stops, but we have identified them. We know that we can fix them and we know that we can do better in the next race. We will go to Mont-Tremblant with a new attitude and a new chance.”

The fun has just begun for RSPORTS, as they continue their summer tour and head to Mont-Tremblant in just one week. The team heads to Montreal on Tuesday evening, to participate in a go-karting event hosted by driver Tagliani on Wednesday. The crew will then drive up to Mont-Tremblant that evening and get back to work at the race track on Thursday. The Grand Prix of Mont Tremblant will take place at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada next weekend, June 29 – July 1.
 

Revamped Road America Welcomes the Champ Car DP01
Photos © DeFord Photo 2007
ELKHART LAKE (June 18, 2007) – A new look Road America welcomed Champ Car teams and their new DP01 chassis to the classic 4.048-mile layout in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin as Team Australia’s Will Power (#5 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Simon Pagenaud (#15 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) topped the time sheets.

Power turned a quick lap of 103.75 seconds during the afternoon session edging the rookie Pagenaud’s time of 103.87 seconds. Third on the speed charts was Conquest Racing’s Jan Heylen (#34 Champ Car Grand Prix of Belgium Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) who was fastest in the morning session.

“It was good out there today,” said the Belgian driver Heylen. “The team and the driver did a good job and we only used four sets of tires. Our morning session went really well and when you’re quick like that it gives everyone a boost. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made. It was difficult coming in to this drive after an eight month layoff and I was a couple of laps short of getting to know the car after my one day test and the Portland race weekend. We are making progress now and I really like it.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Forsythe Championship Racing struggled in the first day of testing in Elkhart Lake. Oriol Servia (#7 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) were 10th and 11th respectively.

“We are out here just trying to learn some things,” said the 2003 series champion Tracy. “We are trying to save miles and do one lap runs because the track is so long and it is tough to get a time in that way. We are focusing on learning more about the DP01 and not as much about how to get the car ready for just one race here. This place takes a couple of laps to get a quick time and I think tomorrow we’ll be able to do that.”

PKV Racing’s Tristan Gommendy (#22 Pay by Touch-Megaspiera Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) was the only car damaged during the first day of testing as he made contact in Turn 7 near the end of the session.

As they drove into Road America, the teams and drivers were welcomed be a new tunnel, which replaced the bridge entrance into the paddock. The tunnel was just one of many improvements made to the track during the winter and though Tracy said it took him a couple of laps to get a new reference point for the final turn, Jan Heylen echoed many of the drivers’ feelings.

“From a safety perspective it is an improvement to add the tunnel,” said Heylen. “The track was a little more challenging with the bridge, but safety is the number one priority. All of the changes are quite nice especially the bigger curbs in Turn 5.”

Testing will continue at Road America tomorrow and then the teams will pack up and head to Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank. Round 5 gets underway on Friday, June 22 with the race on Sunday, June 24 live on CBS Sports at 1:00 pm ET.
 

Photos © DeFord Photo 2007 and Champ Car World Series
PORTLAND, OREGON (June 10, 2007) -- PKV Racing driver Tristan Gommendy finished seventh today at the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe’s Sports and Outdoor at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. Teammate Neel Jani placed 12th.

Gommendy, who pilots the #22 Pay By Touch MegaSpirea PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone machine, started a season high fifth, which also established a new team record at Portland. He ran in fifth place for most of the race, which was run in dry conditions following yesterday’s downpour, but got stuck behind slower traffic for several laps prior to his third stop. The ensuing loss of track position enabled both Alex Tagliani and Dan Clarke to get out ahead of him following the conclusion of the third round of stops dropping Gommendy to seventh where he finished.

“The biggest thing in the race was I got behind Daiziel, Junqueira and Servia, who were slower and I lost a lot of time before my third pit stop,” Gommendy said. “If it were not for that The Pay By Touch MegaSpirea PKV Racing team would have finished fifth,” he noted. “The main thing was that in qualifying we improved the car. On Friday, when the track was dry, we were fifth and on Saturday, when it was wet, we had the fastest car. So, we continue to work hard and improve the car. Also, I think I have improved my driving and that is a good thing. We will just have to see what happens at the next race in Cleveland,” Gommendy concluded.

Gommendy, a Champ Car rookie with limited experience in the new DP01 and on Champ Car tracks, continues to show improvement every time he takes to the track. The talented and personable Frenchman has now finished in the top-10 in two of his first four Champ Car events placing a season high fifth in his debut in Las Vegas to go with the seventh here in Portland. In the other two events, he placed 11th at Long Beach and 13th at Houston, but in both races he engaged in spirited battles while leading the race with three-time Series Champion Sebastien Bourdais before having to make late race stops for a splash of fuel. Gommendy has qualified in the top-10 three times in his first four races; ninth in Long Beach, eighth in Houston and a season high fifth here in Portland (started 11th in his Champ Car debut in Las Vegas). The 27-year-old resident of Paris, France is eighth in the championship race with 56 points and third in the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year race.

Jani, behind the wheel of the #21 Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone car, started 10th, but took advantage of the Champ Car World Series new standing start procedure and jumped two places on the first lap. However, he could not achieve the fuel mileage that the other drivers were getting which forced him to pit anywhere from two to five laps earlier than most of the other competitors. The early stops dropped him to the back of the field and on the challenging 1.964-mile, 12-turn PIR permanent road course, where it is difficult at best to pass, he could not make up the lost places.

Commenting on his day Jani said, “The Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing team I had to pit early on every stint and because of that we fell all the way back in the field and that killed us. We got stuck behind the other guys and you couldn’t really overtake on this track. At the end we were down on the pace, but mainly the problem was that I had to pit earlier than everyone else.”

Jani, who like his teammate is a Champ Car rookie, has finished in the top-10 in two of the four events this year placing 10th at the season opener in Las Vegas and seventh in Long Beach (he was 16th in Houston where he was running in fourth place when he was knock out of the race). The 23-year-old native of Jens, Switzerland has qualified in the top-10 in three of the first four races this year, including at team season high fourth at Houston, ninth in his debut Las Vegas and 10th here in Portland (he started 11th in Long Beach). Jani, whose father hails from India has been a member of the Red Bull driver development program since 2005 and was a test driver for the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One Team in 2006. He is 11th in the championship standings with 43 points and sixth in the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year standings.

PKV Racing made its eighth and ninth starts while contesting its fifth race in Portland today. The team has now have qualified in the top-10 five times in nine attempts with Gommendy’ s fifth place starting position this year establishing a new team record. PKV Racing has now finished in the top-10 six times at PIR with one win by Cristiano da Matta also in 2005.

Next up for PKV Racing is a test at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 18 and 19. The next race will be the Grand Prix of Cleveland, June 22-24, on the temporary airport circuit at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio. The Grand Prix of Cleveland, Round #5 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, will be televised live on CBS at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
 

Photos © DeFord Photo 2007
PORTLAND, OR (June 9, 2007 – Both Dale Coyne Racing teams will have some ground to make up when they start the Mazda Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe's Sports and Outdoor on Sunday afternoon.

After gear box problems plagued both cars yesterday in practice and qualifying, Mother Nature didn’t help improve the team’s fortunes much on Saturday as the rain fell throughout most of the day, which hampered both drivers from improving on their qualifying speeds from Friday.

Bruno Junqueira negotiated his (#19 Sonny’s Bar-B-Q Cosworth/DPO1/Bridgestone) around on the slippery 1.964-mile road course Saturday afternoon and will start in the 14th starting position in tomorrow’s race.

“It’s hard to make the car go fast when the track is wet,” Junqueira said. “We had some gear box problems that hurt our qualifying time yesterday and the rain hurt our chances to improve on it today. For about 15 minutes of qualifying the rain was coming down pretty heavy. When the track wasn’t as wet we had a very competitive car. We will just have to wait and see if the weather is going to cooperate with us tomorrow.”

Saturday’s rain also gave Junqueira’s teammate Legge some headaches as she was only able to qualify her (#11 Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) car in the 16th starting position.

“It definitely doesn’t make any driver’s job any easier when it is raining out,” said Legge. “I think that we did a good job running the car in the rain today. It’s been about a year since we had to run on the Bridgestone Potenza rain tires. With tomorrow’s weather looking like it might be a carbon copy of today’s weather, it’s anybody’s race to win tomorrow regardless of what position you start the race from.”

Team owner Coyne was optimistic about his team’s chances tomorrow.

“Both our drivers have done a great job through the first three races this year in being able to move up through the field,” said team owner Dale Coyne. “Every driver will be on equal ground if it’s raining during the race tomorrow.”

There is a 50% chance of showers on Sunday afternoon in the greater Portland area.

The race is scheduled for Sunday, June 10 at 1:00 p.m. local (4:00 p.m. EDT) and can be seen live on ABC Sports. Fans can also follow all of the action via the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws
 

Photos courtesy Jamie Longmuir
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (1 June 07) — Jan Heylen, who was recently announced as a driver in the inaugural Champ Car World Series event at Zolder, has now also been confirmed to a race seat with Conquest Racing in all remaining Champ Car races in 2007, beginning with next weekend’s event in Portland. Conquest Racing is owned and managed by fellow Belgian Eric Bachelart.

Heylen will get to work straight away, testing on Friday at Putnam Park near the team’s headquarters in Indianapolis to get acquainted with the all-new Panoz DP01 machine. Heylen has already been fitted for his race seat, and has spent time with the Conquest Racing engineers to study data in advance of his first hot laps in the Conquest machine.

The signing marks a reunion of sorts, as Heylen got his first taste of Champ Car with Conquest Racing, testing with the team after winning the Renault Megane Eurocup Championship.

“It’s nice to be racing with Eric’s team after getting to test with them back in 2005,” said Heylen. “I know what the team is capable of and I think we can accomplish some good results.”

But the young Heylen, who scored a best result of fifth during his rookie Champ Car season in 2006, knows that with a late start to the season, and a new car to adapt to, that the results are unlikely to be instant.

“I’m well aware that it will be difficult in Portland to just have one day of experience in the car before the weekend starts, but we will make the best of it,” said Heylen. “We will be testing after the Portland race weekend and I am confident we will catch up as quickly as we can.”

The Champ Car World Series has a schedule befitting its name once again this year, as the championship will once again contest two rounds in Europe, including making a debut at Zolder on the weekend of August 24-26.

“I have been the ambassador for Zolder for the last three years, and now to have the chance to come back and race at home is going to be something quite special for me,” said Heylen. “I want to thank Meindert van Buuren and everyone at Zolder, Eric Bachelart, and all the people at Champ Car who have believed in me to get to this point.”

Bachelart, who won the Indy Lights Championship as a driver before moving into team ownership, is pleased to sign his countryman as he continues the Conquest Racing tradition of developing talent in the Champ Car ranks.

“We are excited about having Jan join us for the rest of the season,” said Bachelart. “We’ve known him for some time now, and he showed promise in his rookie year so we are looking forward to racing with him this season.”

With a Belgian-owned team campaigning a Belgian driver, the partnership figures to make Heylen and Conquest Racing instant fan favorites when the Champ Cars debut at Zolder in Belgium this August.

“Racing in Belgium with Jan as our driver is something I am really looking forward to,” said Bachelart. “I have raced there many, many times, but this year will be a memorable one no question.”

Heylen won the 2002 Formula Ford Festival before moving up the European single-seater ranks with campaigns in F3 and F3000. Racing for DCR, Heylen had a solid Champ Car rookie season in 2006, scoring seventh in his Champ Car debut, taking top-tens at Montreal and Road America and recording a season-best finish of fifth in Cleveland.
 

EAST LANSING, Michigan (May 29, 2007) – Upon completion of another successful testing run this month, the RSPORTS team and drivers Alex Tagliani and Justin Wilson leave Mont-Tremblant satisfied and feel that they are prepared for the upcoming challenges as the 2007 Champ Car season truly gets underway in June.

During a private two-day test, RSPORTS joined six other Champ Car teams and ten drivers for some time on the challenging 15-turn course in the hills of the picturesque Laurentian Mountains. The testing began on Thursday afternoon, which saw the RSPORTS teammates sitting close together on the timing and scoring chart. Wilson posted a 1:18.61, while his stablemate Tagliani trailed closely behind him with a time of 1:18.98.

Both drivers were excited about the new venue. For Tagliani, it was a return to a home track as he had competed on this track in his early racing-career years. “It is a fun track to drive and it is really fast. I am just so excited to be racing here in a Champ Car, where the power and speed of these cars can truly be demonstrated. I think that this is going to be a very good race for the spectators and a challenging one for the drivers.”

Wilson commented, “It is a spectacular track. It is fast, it is fun, it is flowing and this place is not for the faint hearted! I am really looking forward to coming back here to race in July. It should be a great event for Champ Car and I think we will be able to put on a great show.”

Friday’s testing opportunity gave the teams a full day to run, which the RSPORTS team took full advantage of. Times continued to improve on the second day, seeing Wilson finish the day closely behind the 2006 Champ Car champion and current points leader Sebastien Bourdais with a time of 1:16.54. Tagliani, who spent a majority of the day trying out different car setups, posted his quickest time of 1:17.13.

“I am quite pleased with the test,” commented Wilson. “We made a lot of progress with the #9 CDW RSPORTS car. We did a lot of work, which paid off because we were able to find some gains in performance. At the end, I was fairly competitive, so that is a positive as we get ready to start racing again.”

“I am a little disappointed that on our second day of testing, we kind of rushed into things and I did not have a chance to do a good run on new tires,” said Tagliani. “But that is not necessarily a bad thing, as now we have a fresh new set of tires for the next test we run. Overall I am pleased that the two cars ran pretty good. We found some good things on Justin’s car at the end, so that was encouraging because those findings will be applied for our next race in Portland and for when we return to Mont-Tremblant. It is very exciting, this goes to show why it is so important to have a two-car team, because that allows us to test and try different things separately in order to find the best for both cars together.

Tagliani continued, “We made lots of changes on the #8 RSPORTS car throughout the test. We worked through the plan that we had developed for this test, focusing on all those little changes that we wanted to make on the car to see how it felt. We weren’t out there to run fast, qualifying laps, but to learn. So we were able to test a lot of the items that the team wanted to test and learn some more about the DP01, so it made for a pretty good learning experience.”

The RSPORTS team spent a lot of time during last week’s test learning the 2.65-mile track at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, future site of Round 6 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series. They focused on how to set up the race car in order to best handle the unique demands of the famed Canadian circuit. The team continued testing and validating the things they learned in the first three races of the season, while focusing on gaining an even better understanding of the DP01 demands.

The team began to develop their road course set up knowing that 8 of the 13 races left this season will be held on a road courses (that count includes the airport courses at Cleveland and Edmonton, which have similarities to that of a true road course). The crew practiced live pit stops, while both drivers participated in the standing start practices in anticipation of the Portland race.

“I think that we are in pretty good shape for the upcoming races; it is time to get serious now,” said Tagliani. “We have a lot of racing coming up in the next couple of months, but I think that this time off has allowed us to learn more about the car which will help us greatly for the remainder of the season. I think it should be an interesting and exciting time for the team in the months ahead.”

Wilson added, “I am really looking forward to the rest of the season, I think that we are in a good position to achieve better results in the upcoming races.”

The green flag for the Champ Car World Series will drop again on June 10 for Round 4 of the 2007 season in Portland Oregon, kicking off an exciting summer of open-wheel racing throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, China, and Mexico.
 

By Martha Meacham

Photos © Champ Car World Series
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (March 21, 2007) — Forsythe Championship Racing announced that 2003 Champ Car champion, Paul Tracy will return to action behind the wheel of his #3 INDECK Champ Car for the race on the 1.964 permanent road course at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon next month. The 38-year old veteran missed two races last month after suffering a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebrae during practice for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. The 2003 Champion, who also missed the third race of this season in Houston, began his recovery process only a couple of days after his accident. Tracy underwent a grueling rehabilitation which included cycling for over 50 miles a day under the hot Nevada sun. Last week Tracy visited Dr. Trammell in Indianapolis who reviewed the latest X-rays and gave him the approval to drive at Portland, which will take place the weekend of June 8-10.Tracy's return to the track will take place this week at the historic Mont-Tremblant Circuit in St. Jovite, Quebec where he will conduct a two day test with his #3 Forsythe Crew May 24th & 25th.

Accompanying Tracy at Portland will be veteran Oriol Servia who replaced Tracy for the Long Beach and Houston events recording impressive 2nd and 4th place results. Servia, in turn, will replace Mario Dominguez who ran the #7 INDECK Champ Car in the first three Champ Car events. "Well it's another good opportunity for me," said the 32-year old Spaniard, who's no stranger to "stepping in at the last moment" and performing miracles--he replaced Bruno Junqueira two years ago at Newman-Haas, after Junqueira's horrific season-ending crash at the Indianapolis 500 and went on to capture second place in the championship, behind Sebastien Bourdais. "I want to thank Jerry Forsythe and the Forsythe Team for putting their trust in me and letting me get back behind the wheel of one of their cars. I'm also very glad that Paul (Tracy) is fully recovered; I hope that together we can give Sebastien (Bourdais) a good fight for the Victory at Portland. These last few weeks for me have been no different for me than any other year, I'm preparing mentally and physically as I always do, always ready to go out there and fight for the Championship."
The Mazda Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe's Sports and Outdoors will take place June 8 - 10 at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race will be shown LIVE on ABC June 10th at 4pm Eastern Time. Race Family Motorsports will bring you coverage of that weekend's events, including on-site photos by DeFord Photo, starting with our pre-race preview here at www.rfmsports.com
 

Three Top-Tens in the First Three Races, PCM is off to a Solid Start
News from Pacific Coast Motorsport

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
OXNARD, California (May 14, 2007) – Pacific Coast Motorsports jumped into the Champ Car arena as a rookie team, with rookie drivers and a brand new car. It’s a tall task and it hasn’t been easy, but the free-spirited California-based team is off to a solid-start with three top-ten finishes and zero mechanical failures. Their stars, rookies Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel discuss their first impressions as Champ Car drivers.

Q. Three races into your rookie Champ Car season how do you rate your debut; are you satisfied with your performances so far?

AF: I'm not extremely satisfied with the first three races. I feel like speed wise, Ryan and I are on the same pace, which is good because you can only really measure yourself against your teammate. I've made some really stupid mistakes in the races, which I’ve learned from and I'm looking forward to getting another shot at Portland.

RD: I am really quite happy with how things have gone. To be honest I was aiming for top-tens and I thought I was aiming high but so far that’s where we have run. I am really proud of PCM. I think the team has done a mega job getting where they are in such a short time. I think we will only get stronger as an organization.

Q. As a rookie with a new team, what do you think has been the biggest challenge?

AF: The biggest challenge for us has been coming to grips with the car. The new car doesn't mean that everybody is starting in the same situation. Each weekend we've made gains and testing has made a big difference, so I'll be happy to get back racing.

RD: I think initially we focused on reliability and the day to day running of the team. To be honest performance is something we knew would come to us so it wasn’t something we stressed about going into the first few races. Safety for us was for sure number one, a safe crew, with safe pit stops was a major goal and so far we have done really well.

Q. Has the transition back to open wheel been challenging or do you think your time in sports cars prepared you for Champ Car?

AF: I think my sports car experience absolutely helped me as a driver, and the races definitely helped me prepare for Champ Car, but that doesn't make it any less challenging.

RD: It hasn’t been too tricky. In fact, if anything going back and driving the Grand Am car has been harder for me. I think the longer races help you with conserving tires and fuel, something you will never really learn in Atlantics. I really enjoyed my time in sports cars but I am thrilled to be back in Champ Car.

Q. What has been the biggest accomplishment for you and/or your team so far?

AF: Obviously a couple of top-tens in the sessions and in the races have been great. We have reasonable expectations and it feels great to have some good showings.

RD: I think two things jump out at me, both from Houston. Friday qualifying we were solidly in the top-ten and then also in the race. The team nailed my stops and we finished a genuine eighth. We deserved it for sure and we held off both RSPORT cars the last 15 laps. That was really a huge confidence boost for me.

Q. How demanding are Champ Car races?

AF: They're extremely demanding. It's very difficult to perform at that level for two hours and not make mistakes. Intense physical training is essential. If I hadn’t focused so much on my physical preparation leading into the season, my back injury at Long Beach could have been worse, so it obviously pays off.

RD: Alex and I trained really hard during the off season with our trainer in Colorado and it has really paid off so far. The races are really tough. A good friend of mine, Dave Empringham once told me “you must always take control of the things you have control over before getting to a race weekend, such as fitness.” I’ve taken that advice, I always stay on top of my fitness and I never go to a track unprepared. If I go to a track and I struggle, I guarantee I won’t struggle the next time there.

Q. What is your favorite feature on the new DP01?

AF: Paddle shifting is just downright cool!

RD: I think the obvious answer is the paddle shifting. It’s crazy that computer games have had it for years and we only now do. I think it’s a cool looking car and the racing has been really good.

Q. You’re best friends off the track; what is it like once you take the green flag?

AF: You've gotta go run your race, best friends or not. But it's definitely cool to be out there with your best bro.

RD: I think everyone knows that Alex and I are best buddies. We go together like peanut butter and ladies.

Q. Have the Champ Car fans embraced the PCM rookies?

AF: Absolutely! The fans are awesome. They're by far the most knowledgeable and positive fans around and they know our team likes to have a lot of fun!

RD: Of course! I think PCM on a whole are fan favorites. I think people can relate to the team members and drivers as everyday people. I think they can see us as friends who they could go have a beer with. We are a very approachable team and I think the fans really appreciate that.

Q. What has been your favorite moment as a Champ Car driver?

AF: I had a good qualifying run on Friday at Long Beach and I had a bunch of friends and my sponsor, Imperial Capital Bank there. That was a great feeling.

RD: Going back to Long Beach and having fans tell me how they watched me win there in Atlantics in 2004 and say how happy they were to see me get a ride eventually. That and just being back where I think I belong in the Champ Car family,

Q. What has best prepared you for this endeavor?

RD: I have been racing for 18 years and every single year has had a huge influence in where I am today. Certain challenges I have faced have helped more than others. In 2001 I raced European Formula 3 and had a disaster season and almost quit racing. My sponsors weren’t happy and I wondered why put myself through this at a young age. Then six months later driving a mid-pack Atlantic car at the first round of the 2002 season in Monterrey, Mexico I drove from 12th on the grid to 2nd place. That feeling I will never forget. That’s when I knew I was back. Every year has had ups and down but mostly ups and it has all been worth it. I am a happy chappy just now.
 

Another Top-Ten for Dalziel, Moreno 12th in Houston
News from Pacific Coast Motorsport

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
HOUSTON, Texas (April 23, 2007) — Pacific Coast Motorsports wrapped their third Champ Car race in as many weeks yesterday at the Grand Prix of Houston. It was a difficult weekend for the rookie squad as Alex Figge, the full-time driver of the #29 Imperial Capital Bank car was deemed unable to participate after the Friday morning practice due to a thoracic compression as a result of his accident the previous weekend in Long Beach. “Super Sub” and PCM driver coach Roberto Moreno was tabbed to fill-in for the American rookie and began his driving duties Saturday morning.

Unhappy with their starting positions, Ryan Dalziel and Moreno took the checkered flag and immediately began their pursuit through the Champ Car field. Moreno’s day took a turn for the worse after an early race incident required a pitstop for a new front nose. The change required a second stop as the #29 crew were unable to remove an allen-wrench from the front right-side of the nose. The process cost Moreno one lap. In the meantime, Scotsman Ryan Dalziel drove a mistake-free race and found himself in second place when a late race yellow flag fell into the hands of the PCM crew. The caution meant Dalziel could make his final pitstop under caution, while the leaders had just pitted under green flag conditions. Dalziel only needed around six seconds of fuel, he would be sent back on track at the completion of the tire change, meaning his pitstop would be around half the time of a normal stop. With two perfect stops in the books, his third was unlucky: the fuel probe jammed on injection, and the fuel would not flow. His six second stop took twice as long as anticipated and Dalziel was back in ninth position as the green flag fell.

Several drivers were involved in incidents in the final 20 laps of the Houston race Dalziel stayed clear and brought his #28 Ironclad machine home in eighth place, his best Champ Car finish. Despite intermittent gearbox problems, Moreno persisted, he finished 12th in his 118th Champ Car start.

“Very, very good,” said Dalziel. “I am really pleased. The car was good, and we are showing good pace. We had a problem getting the fuel in during the last stop which was unfortunate, but the crew did a great job, a very good job. All the bumps made it a mentally draining race. I don’t feel as drained physically but very soar for sure, I’ll be sore for a few days. We are making progress for sure. This is our second top-ten in a week and my best finish, for us to run eighth at this point for us is very encouraging.”

“The toughest part of the race was the things I didn’t anticipate, such as shifting issues,” Moreno admitted. “The engineers and crew gave me a great car but I had a downshift delay intermittently that made me lost confidence and my rhythm. It would come and go so that was a little frustrating. At the same time, it was so much fun, I haven’t trained in 2.5 months and to jump in at the last minute on a circuit so challenging, I don’t think its to shabby. I am wishing a speed recovery for Alex and I appreciate them giving me this opportunity. I think we made another step in development and I think you will see the Pacific Coast Motorsports team enjoying a lot of success very soon.”

Tyler Tadevic, team director, added, “Ryan drove a great race today and we are really proud of him. His second top-ten finish in a week and had we not had a problem with fuel flow, he would have finished a couple of spots further up the field. Roberto did a great job with the Imperial Capital Bank car under tough circumstances. To jump in the car without any recent running and also without any notice at all, he did a great job. He brings a lot of value to PCM and he did a great job this weekend. Our goal was to get through these first three races, almost to tread the water till we could get back to testing and really work on our development with both the cars and drivers. I think we exceeded everyone’s expectations the last three weeks, we certainly exceeded our own and I am really proud of the entire team. Now though, we are going to finally lay down some testing miles and the next few weeks will be a very important time for our engineers and drivers.”

PKV Racing’s Tristan Gommendy Provisionally Qualifies Seventh For Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix Long Beach
Jani 16th on Provisional Grid
News from PKV Racing

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
LONG BEACH, California (April 13, 2007) -- Round #2 – 2007 Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season – PKV Racing’s Tristan Gommendy qualified seventh while teammate Neel Jani is 16th on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, California. .

Gommendy, who pilots the #22 Pay By Touch MegaSpirea PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone machine qualified with a fast lap of 68.823 seconds (102.942 mph) on the challenging 1.968-mile, 11-turn downtown Long Beach temporary street circuit. Jani, behind the wheel of the #21 Red Bull Gulfsteam PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone machine, qualified with a quick lap of 69.991 seconds (101.224 mph)

Gommendy, who finished fifth in his Champ Car debut five days ago in Las Vegas, was 10th on the speed charts following this morning’s practice posting a fast time of 70.139 seconds (101.011mph). In the 15-minute afternoon practice/warm-up prior to qualifying, he made a significant jump turning a lap of 69.051 seconds (102.602), which placed him fourth on both the individual and combined practice reports. However, in qualifying Gommendy ran into problems from the start. The Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing crew had to change an electrical unit before Gommendy ever went on track and when he did he only ran one lap before returning to the pits for further repairs. Going out for his first full stint with 15:50 remaining in the 30-minute session, Gommendy ran six laps notching a fast time of 69.238 seconds on his fifth circuit which temporarily placed him ninth on the speed charts. Taking to the track for his second stint with 7:40 left, Gommendy was just getting his tires up to temperature when a red flag brought a halt to on-track action. With just 2:50 on the clock the talented Frenchman charged out of the pits, ran one warm-up lap then two timed laps recording his fast time on his 11th and final lap.

“We had an electrical problem with the gearbox on the Pay By Touch MegaSpirea PKV Racing car at the begging of the session, so we lost a lot of time during qualifying,” Gommendy explained. “I am pretty sure that we would have been three or four tenths quicker if we had one more lap. But, the car was good. We did a good job in morning practice and during the afternoon warm-up we were fourth. I think the level of the car is about 68.5 or 68.4, but that level is not mine for the moment. The main problem right now is the driver. I learned that I was not quick enough on new tires. Once the driver knows the track and knows the car we will do better because the car is good,” he said.

Gommendy, who was driving a Champ Car for just the sixth day after signing with PKV Racing in March, continues to show improvement every time he gets into the car. The 27-year-old from Paris France, who is a veteran of European open wheel racing, spent the 2006 season driving nine events for iSport International in GP2 and four for Pons Racing in the World Series by Renault, earning one pole and one podium. He competed in the Formula 3 France series capturing the championship in 2002 with five wins, 10 poles and 10 podiums in 14 races, and various F3 events around the world (won the Formula 3 Macau GP in 2002). In addition, Gommendy has competed in Formula Renault V6 Eurocup and the Formula Nissan World Series.

Jani recorded the ninth fastest lap of the morning practice posting a quick time of 69.985 seconds (101.233 mph). However during the 15-minute warm-up, he began experiencing problems with the car and dropped to 15th on the speed charts with a time of 70.411 seconds (100.621 mph). In qualifying, the Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing Team ran the standard two stints. Jani began his first segment with 27:30 left in the session. He notched a time of 70.500 seconds on the fourth of his seven laps, which placed him seventh when as he reentered the pits. Jani’s second stint began with just 12 minutes remaining. He ran six more laps when the red flag came out. Jani turned his fast lap of the day on the 12th of his total of 13 laps.

“This was a very disappointing qualifying session for the Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing Team,” Jani said. “We had some issues with the car, which made things very difficult. However, there is still another practice and qualifying session tomorrow and I am confident that we can have a good day and move up the grid.”

Jani, who also campaigning in just his second Champ Car event is another veteran of European racing having competed in go-karts, the Swiss Formula A Lista Junior Championship, where he earned his first formula car title, plus the Formula Renault 2000, Formula Renault V6, GP2 and A1 GP Championships. The 23 year-old native of Rorschach, Switzerland, who tested for the Swiss Formula One Sauber Petronas Team in 2003 and 2004, became a member of the Red Bull driver development program in 2005. With Red Bull backing, he spent the 2006 season as a test driver for the Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team and competed in four GP2 races plus four A1 GP events taking the win and finishing fourth in Malaysia. Jani, who signed with PKV Racing in January, has been very competitive during preseason testing with the new DP01 chassis, finishing in the top-three at each of the three open tests.

PKV Racing will be contesting their fifth Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The team will be making its ninth and tenth starts. PKV Racing drivers have qualified in the top-10 three times in eight attempts and finished in the top-10 three times in four races with a best showing of eighth by Katherine Legge last year.

There will be a practice session tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. followed by final qualifying at 2:00

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Round #2 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, will be held on Sunday, April 15, on the streets of Long Beach, California. The race will be broadcast live on NBC at 4:00 p.m. ET.
 

RSPORTS Has a Bittersweet First Race in 2007 on the Streets of Las
Vegas
By Heather Haupt
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (April 8, 2007) – It was definitely a bittersweet day for RSPORTS as driver Justin Wilson did not finish the first Champ Car race in 2007 due to a mechanical failure, while teammate Alex Tagliani rounded out a solid top-five performance in today’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. I am very happy with our overall results this first race,” Tagliani asserted. “The LXN2 guys did a fantastic job for me all weekend and I want to thank them for all their hard work. We had little issues throughout the race, but we were able to finish in one piece. We came in early for our first pit stop, but that strategy ended up blocking us for a better finish as we had to stop three times, while others only made two stops. We definitely had a P2 car, we could have beaten (Paul) Tracy on strategy and Robert Doornbos on speed. But we will take a fourth place finish; it is a great way to start the season. Our goal is to win the Championship, and what is important is that we obtain as many points as we can. We have started out the season on a positive note and I think that this will be a great season for the entire RSPORTS team.”

Concerns began to return on the #9 CDW Cosworth / DP01 /Bridgestone after this morning’s warm up session. Wilson finished the session in the tenth spot, and was not very happy with how the car had been behaving on track. The CDW crew worked hard to solve those issues, and they were content with the car before starting the race and had hopes of a solid performance throughout the afternoon.

After starting eighth on today’s grid, the 2006 Champ Car runner-up drove the #9 CDW/RSPORTS Champ Car hard for as long as he could before a broken gearbox would end his day on Lap 20. It has been a tough weekend for the #9 crew, as they had been dealing with multiple issues that just were not resolved in time for Wilson to make a stronger 2007 debut. “It was a tough day,” said Wilson. “It’s really disappointing that we weren’t able to go the distance in the #9 CDW/RSPORTS car. We’ll have to go away and study what happened. But even before the problem we just weren’t where we wanted to be today. We’ve got some work to do to get back on the pace.”

Tagliani and the #8 LXN2 crew made some changes overnight which they thought would help them in today’s race. However, during the morning warm up session, Tagliani decided that he did not prefer the changes, despite finishing second quickest in the 30-minute session. The team went back on the changes and made some other small adjustments to have a race ready car for this afternoon’s event.

Tagliani, who started in the fourth spot, fought hard throughout the one hour and forty-five minute timed race. Completing 68 laps during that time period, the Las Vegas resident made a strong showing on the familiar streets and gave the local residents something to cheer about when he took the lead on Lap 28. The RSPORTS #8 LXN2 team decided to take a gamble with their race strategy, but it did not pay off for the team in their first event in 2007. However, there was some payback, as Tagliani took the checkered flag in the fourth spot and was able to earn 23 championship points during the first of 16 races on the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule.

The next stop on the three-races-in-a-row Champ Car season kick off tour is Long Beach, California. Champ Car and RSPORTS will return to the familiar 1.968-mile temporary street course on April 13-15.
 

Pacific Coast Motorsports and Imperial Capital Bank Announce Partnership
News from Pacific Coast Motorsports

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
OXNARD, CA (April 3, 2007) – Pacific Coast Motorsports is pleased to announce their partnership with Imperial Capital Bank as the primary sponsor of Alex Figge’s #29 Imperial Capital Bank/DP01 Champ Car at the first three races of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season.

Imperial Capital Bank provides customers with high performance personal and business banking products and services through its retail branch locations. In addition, Imperial Capital Bank offers real estate loans for multi-family and commercial properties as well as entertainment loans through their specialized lending divisions.

“We are proud to welcome Imperial Capital Bank and honored to represent them in the Champ Car World Series. Their high performance banking and our high performance racing team go hand in hand and we hope this is the beginning of a long relationship,” commented PCM team director, Tyler Tadevic. “Imperial Capital Bank recognizes Champ Car racing as a formidable advertising venue and we are thrilled to be the vehicle to maximize the exposure of the Imperial Capital Bank brand.”

In addition to their primary partnership with Pacific Coast Motorsports, Imperial Capital Bank continues their long-time partnership with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. They are the title sponsor of the 2007 Imperial Capital Bank Champ Car Atlantic race.

Chairman, President and CEO George W. Haligowski added, “Imperial Capital Bank is proud to be a sponsor of PCM and Alex Figge’s #29. Their desire to win mirrors our desire to deliver the best in banking on a nationwide basis. We think it’s a great fit.”

Pacific Coast Motorsports is set to make their Champ Car debut this weekend, as the 2007 Champ Car World Series kicks off with the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix on the city streets of downtown Las Vegas, April 6-8th. For more information, visit www.PCMracing.com
 

Rocketsports and RuSPORT Confirm Joint Efforts and New Team Name For 2007
News from RSPORTS Racing

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
EAST LANSING, Michigan (March 29, 2007) — Champ Car teams Rocketsports Racing and RuSPORT announce that they will collaborate on efforts in the 2007 Champ Car World Series season with a technical and operational merge under the umbrella name of RSPORTS.

As the 2007 season approached, the two winning teams had decided separately that they would be scaling back their respective operations to one car each. After confirming that Alex Tagliani would return to the Rocketsports team to drive the #8 LXN2 Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone the team was excited to enter their fifth year in the Champ Car World Series. On the other side of the paddock, fourth-year Champ Car team RuSPORT was pleased to announce the return of Justin Wilson to drive the #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone. However, in the highly competitive arena of Champ Car competition, single car teams are rarely successful because of the lack of information and data at their disposal. Two drivers can develop and exchange much more information, which can be the difference between dominating a race and merely participating.

Rocketsports owner Paul Gentilozzi and RuSPORT owner Dan Pettit began talks of sharing hospitality units which ultimately led to further discussions on how the two sides might be able to benefit by working together for the upcoming season. In the final pre-season test at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca the two teams worked together as technical partners to see how things proceeded. Pleased with the results from both sides, the two forces have come together under the name RSPORTS for the 2007 season and beyond.

“The joining of Rocketsports and RuSPORT is both a strategic and economic alliance,” said Gentilozzi. “Two single car entries leave themselves without a technical sounding board that is certainly required today. Two drivers working together can expand the performance envelope when one is perhaps still looking for the right combination.

“Team operations in many areas are made more efficient when we have less multitasking caused by financial restraints. A larger group of people working on the same task allows us to focus those efforts with single expertise.

The key ingredient is that both controlling partners are on the same page, it is clear that Dan Pettit and I are on that page. This arrangement will help both of us and our teams.”

Pettit mirrored Gentilozzi’s comments by adding “I am really looking forward to working together. This dual-effort gives us the strength we need to succeed this season in Champ Car by having two cars to work with. We have two veteran drivers that work well together and we can take advantage of a great engineering staff. It is going to be a great effort and strengthen both programs overall.”

Both Champ Car drivers Tagliani and Wilson, who enjoy a friendship off-track, look forward to the opportunity of working together as teammates.

“I have to say that it is good to run two cars within a team for both the technical and driving aspects, especially with the new Champ Car this year,” stated Tagliani, who will be starting his eighth season in Champ Car. “We cannot rely on the information that we had from the past and we had limited time testing these new cars, so it is key to have a two-car effort in 2007. Together we can log more laps, gather more data, and be able to share information with one another, thus enhancing both operations. For the driver side, we can work together and really learn from each other. I am not perfect, so I try to improve each time I step into the cockpit. But part of being able to do that is having the opportunity to compare driving style, strategy, and data with another driver. Justin (Wilson) is a world-class driver and it will be great to work with him as a teammate.

“Paul and Dan are great to work with, because they are both very passionate about racing. They want to succeed, and they are trying to find a way to take both teams to another level. It is fun to work with them and be a part of this new deal. It is a unique atmosphere. The drivers, engineers, and crew members were able to work well together during the test in Laguna and you could feel the chemistry was there right from the start.”

2006 Champ Car World Series runner-up Wilson added “For sure there is an advantage to having two cars, especially two-quick cars. We were able to demonstrate that through our combined efforts during the Laguna Seca test, as both Alex (Tagliani) and I were able to run quick times and close together. It is great to have two cars running within a team because you learn twice as much. It is definitely a big advantage to have a teammate, especially an experienced one like Alex. I feel that we, as drivers and the team, were able to benefit from working together in Laguna and I look forward to continuing this relationship for the 2007 season. I think together we can have very positive results for the team, our sponsors, and our fans.”

Under one team name, the two sides will remain at their current locations for the foreseeable future. The Rocketsports-side will maintain their longtime home in East Lansing, Michigan, while the RuSPORT-side will remain based in Loveland, Colorado. Combined efforts will be on-going between the two race shops, while the trucks will always be next to each other in the Champ Car paddock and both teams working together side-by-side in pit lane.

The 2007 Champ Car World Series season kicks off April 8 in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, the first of a full 16-race schedule running from April to December.
 

Pacific Coast Motorsports Announces the Evolution of www.PCMracing.com
News from Pacific Coast Motorsports
OXNARD, CA (March 27, 2007) – Pacific Coast Motorsports is pleased to announce the evolution of www.PCMracing.com . An interactive resource for fans, partners and the media, the innovative website provides extensive news and information about the #28 and #29 Pacific Coast Motorsports entries in the Champ Car World Series.

“It is an exciting time for Pacific Coast Motorsports and we wanted our website to resemble the high-speed evolution of PCM as we make our debut in the Champ Car World Series with Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel. The website is enjoyable and resourceful for the fans and journalists that follow us, in addition to being functional from a business point of view. It is a great marketing tool for our team and partners,” commented team director, Tyler Tadevic.

Created by long time PCM partners, Jack Kohler and James Hutchens of MacTech Systems, LLC, PCMracing.com is an easy to navigate source for track and event information, results, driver appearances, schedules, contests, and driver interviews. The site includes an online media guide detailing the latest team news, partner information, history and accomplishments of the team and athletes, crew bios and a photo gallery. Visitor interaction is encouraged with periodic contests, insider’s interviews, pod casts and giveaways through the “Club PCM.”

Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge comes full circle as PCM makes their debut with a two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Menards to Playboy, Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our Champ Car debut at www.PCMracing.com
 

Rocketsports and Tagliani Reunite for 2007 Champ Car Season
News from Rocketsports Racing

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
EAST LANSING, Michigan (March 8, 2007) – After successful runs together back in 2003 and 2004, Rocketsports Racing is proud to announce the return of Alex Tagliani to the team for the 2007 Champ Car World Series season with the hopes of picking up with where they left off – in victory lane.

Rocketsports driver Tagliani returns for his eighth season in the Champ Car World Series, behind the wheel of Rocketsports’ #8 Panoz DP01. A true Champ Car veteran, the 34-year-old driver began racing in the series back in 2000, when it was known as CART. He has made 117 starts, earning five poles and 14 podium finishes. His return to the team reflects the positive relationship that was established during his two-year run.

“It is really good to be returning to Rocketsports,” said Tagliani when he returned to the team’s East Lansing-based shop for a seat fitting. “That is because it is nice to come back and see familiar faces, people that I worked with in the past and enjoyed.

“Everyone is very excited about the new car, for the obvious reasons, but also because it gives us a chance to start from scratch. There is a lot that needs to be done, so the chemistry between a team and the driver is very important, and we already have that. I am just so happy to be back, because this place honestly feels like home. In 2003 and 2004, when Rocketsports was just starting out in Champ Car, there was a lot that needed to be accomplished. We were in an environment in which we had to play a lot of catch up to teams like Forsythe and Newman Haas. We did a good job then, we worked very well together, and the results showed our solid efforts. That takes us to now, where the situation is very similar. Instead of being a new team, we now have a new car. We are starting from scratch once again.”

“It is a good feeling, generally, in all cases,” continued Tagliani. “We want to win, and we know we are capable of doing that together. But before you can produce results like earning the victory, you have to be happy with where you are at. I think that we are already there because we are all back together, so we will continue to strengthen our relationship while we strive for the wins every day this year.”

In 2003, Rocketsports Racing, a successful multi-car effort in the Trans-Am Series, branched out to open-wheel racing for the first time joining the Champ Car World Series. While the name was new to the Champ Car World Series, it brought together a force of reputable experts and they achieved impressive results in their first year with Tagliani. The new crew and driver were among the first in Champ Car history to prove their strength with a third-place podium finish in the second race of their rookie year. Tagliani led the rookie Rocketsports Champ Car team to three podium finishes and two pole starts. In addition to eleven top-ten finishes in 2003, he earned 13 top-ten starts, and finished tenth in the 2003 championship standings with 97 points.

The successful relationship between team and driver continued into the next season. The famed-French Canadian earned his first career win and first for the then sophomore Rocketsports Champ Car team after starting 13th on the grid in 2004 at Road America. With the win, another podium finish in Cleveland, and consistency in both qualifying and finishing races, Tagliani was able to earn his best-career finish in Champ Car sitting seventh in the 2004 championship standings with 218 points

Tagliani returns to the team after earning his fifth consecutive top-ten finish in the Champ Car season standings. A Toyota Atlantic Championship graduate, Tagliani competed in the Champ Car feeder series for four seasons before making his way to the top ranks. He earned six wins and eight poles during his time in Atlantics, finishing in the top five of the season standings during his last three seasons. In 1994, Tagliani placed fifth in his first professional open-wheel race, the F1600 in Mont Tremblant, Quebec (future site of a new Champ Car venue this season). Prior to his professional racing debut, the Montreal-native dominated numerous Formula 125, Formula A Karting, FF2000, Ice Racing and 100cc competitions, earning 10 championship titles between 1987-1993.

“It is a real thrill to have Alex back on board with us,” said team owner Paul Gentilozzi. “We had two great years together, and I look forward to reuniting with him as our driver for the 2007 season. We have a lot of history together, he was our first “open-wheel” driver and he helped us find ground when we were treading water during our first two years of Champ Car racing.”

“He is an asset to have on any team, as he has proven in his past with our team and the previous teams he has driven for,” stated Gentilozzi on Tagliani’s ability to be a team player. “He is a technical guy, who is not only a driver, but also a crew member. He puts in 100% on and off the track, working with his engineers and the crew to find a faster car. He goes above and beyond just being a “driver”, that is what I admired about him while he worked with us before, and what I look forward to having back this year. It will be an exciting year for us all. It is so nice to be able to sign a driver so early in the New Year, which will aid greatly in the development of learning the new car and really learning how to work together.”

Tagliani climbed into the cockpit of the #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/Panoz/Bridgestone for the team’s first two tests with the new Panoz DP01 Champ Car and in 2007. Together they will hit the racetrack for more testing time as they will be participating in Champ Car’s Spring Training at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, March 9-10. The 2007 Champ Car World Series season kicks off April 8 in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, the first of a full 17-race schedule running from April to December.

Zsolt Baumgartner Named as Test and Reserve Driver
News from Minardi USA
LAGUNA SECA, CALIFORNIA (March 8, 2007) — Minardi Team USA is pleased to announce that Zsolt Baumgartner has been appointed official test and reserve driver for the 2007 season. The 26-year old Hungarian racer, who previously competed for Minardi in the 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship, will join Dutch driver, Robert Doornbos, for the two-day Champ Car World Series Spring Training session, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, commencing today. He will also be present at the majority of Champ Car weekends this season.

Baumgartner is best known to American audiences for having scored the hard-trying Minardi F1 Team’s sole World Championship point of the 2004 season, at that year’s United States Grand Prix. He has continued to be a regular driver for the team’s exciting two-seater program since that time.

“I’m very happy to continue my relationship with Paul Stoddart and Minardi, by taking on this new role as test and reserve driver for Minardi Team USA,” says Zsolt. “I’m looking forward both to experiencing the new Panoz DP01 Champ Car for the first time, here at Laguna Seca, and to learning more about the North American racing scene during the course of the 2007 season. I’m sure it will be an interesting and exciting year, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Minardi Team USA Co-owner, Paul Stoddart, comments, “Aside from being an excellent race and test driver, Zsolt has been one of the real stalwarts of the Minardi two-seater program, and it therefore makes perfect sense to involve him in our North American plans as official test and reserve driver for the Champ Car team. He’s a great ambassador for us, and we’re very pleased to have him along at the start of Minardi Team USA’s Champ Car adventure. I’m sure he will make a strong contribution to all our programs this season.”
 

Test two in the books for PCM Rookies
News from Pacific Coast Motorsports
OXNARD, CA (February 14, 2007) – Pacific Coast Motorsports wrapped the second of three series tests on Tuesday with the team completing over 300 miles over two days at MSR Houston in Angleton, Texas.

As a new team, with rookie drivers and a new car, track time is precious for the California crew and that precious track time was reduced on Monday as torrential rains and high winds swept through the Motorsports Ranch. The PCM team led by director Tyler Tadevic, team manager Michael Harvey and crew chief Roy Wilkerson made the best of a wet situation; they sent their rookie drivers Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel out on the soggy and demanding track, in effort to garner experience in less than ideal conditions. Team manager Michael Harvey commented, “the first day we did some productive running in very tricky conditions and comparably speaking, we were very competitive. While we have two rookies, their experience prevailed and they did a fantastic job despite the conditions.”

The skies cleared on Tuesday and the PCM team completed their first full day of running the new Panoz chassis. The team completed very few miles over the three days at Sebring due to teething problems with the new car. The various manufacturers worked hard to fix the issues, which allowed the PCM team to get a full day in on Tuesday. Harvey continued, “both Alex and Ryan had a productive morning Tuesday. As a new team, we are developing together; I believe we made large strides in learning the behaviours of the new car. Unfortunately we had a few issues with Alex’s car in the afternoon, which, combined with the timing of the multiple red flags on the track limited his opportunity to get any fruitful running. As a team, we still made headway nonetheless. Both drivers practiced standing starts without any hiccups. In addition to both Alex and Ryan being very physically prepared, their feedback was excellent and we look forward to the next test.”

Alex Figge: “The car is good in the rain, it has tons of grip. I’m sure there will be occasions this season where the rain testing will be beneficial. Unfortunately, though we didn’t get the track time with my car that we needed, we hardly ran Tuesday afternoon once the track was dry and that is pretty frustrating. We still learned some things, we ran in the rain and we practiced the standing starts, so we do have some valuable information and experience to take with us. The standing starts are going to be interesting when you line-up 20 cars. It will be great for the fans and I am looking forward to it. We still have another test coming up next month at Laguna, my goal will be to log as many miles as possible.”

Ryan Dalziel: “I am pretty happy with the test, we made a lot of progress and I am thankful to have logged some miles in the new car. We got through a fair amount of our test plan despite the inclement weather and the car ran flawless both days, which was a big difference from Sebring. Both Alex and I tested the old car at Houston and the new car has a lot more grip, it is definitely going to be a much quicker car. MSR is a very physically demanding track, it is actually tougher in the new car, but both the Lola and the Panoz are the similar as far as knowing what you need to get the most of out of the track. I can’t share that information, but I can say the paddle shifting system is good, a driver can play with the gears in the middle of the corner more as they don’t have to take their hands off of the wheel to use a lever. It was great to do a standing start again. Coming from Europe, most of my experience is with the standing start and I am happy to be back to that. The new car is so bloody fast off the line, it is going to be a blast! I can’t wait for our first standing start at the Vegas Grand Prix!”
 

Champ Car World Series Postpones Denver Event
INDIANAPOLIS (February 1, 2007) – The Champ Car World Series today announced the postponement of this season’s Denver Grand Prix, which was to be run on August 15.

The event, which has run for the last five seasons around the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver, will be removed from the 2007 calendar due to concerns over time conflicts with the facilities surrounding the temporary street course. Efforts to find a replacement date that accommodated the Pepsi Center and Champ Car, as well as the University of Colorado Auraria Campus that borders the track layout, were unable to find a suitable date that fit unto the series’ race schedule. In addition, Denver’s status as the host city for the Democratic National Convention in 2008 will force Champ Car to keep the event off of the ’08 calendar as well.

“The strong attendance numbers, the backing the event received from the corporate sector as well as the city and county government, and the support of the people of Denver have shown that a Champ Car event can flourish there,” said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “Champ Car has made a major investment in building this event over the last five years. We are committed to making every effort to returning to the Mile High City as soon as a viable replacement date can be found.”

The postponement reduces to 16 the number of events on the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule, the largest number of races on the Champ Car calendar since the 2003 season.

Rocketsports successfully completes three day run in Sebring
Photos Courtesy of Champ Car World Series
EAST LANSING, Michigan (January 26, 2007) - Rocketsports Racing and driver Alex Tagliani successfully completed three full days of testing in Sebring, Florida this week. Together they were able to run the Rocketsports Panoz DP01 Champ Car for the first time without experiencing any major issues and gaining the knowledge they need to move forward in preparation for the 2007 Champ Car season.

Tuesday marked the first day the team and Tagliani turned laps in the new Panoz DP01 Champ Car. Tagliani completed 27 laps and posted a time of 52.854 (113.679 mph) during the first day of testing. Wednesday saw the #8 Rocketsports car complete 32 laps around the 1.669-mile road course at Sebring International Raceway, recording a faster time of 51.973 (115.606 mph). Thursday resulted in the team's best effort after running 72 laps and posting a 51.837 (115.909 mph), their best time recorded during the three-day test. The team completed 131 laps and logged over 218 miles during their first run in 2007.

"We lost time on Thursday in the morning because of the weather conditions, but I feel that we were able to make up for that in the afternoon and the overall result from the last three days was positive," said Tagliani. "We made a good amount of progress on Thursday afternoon because we were able to spend a lot of time working on the car and running laps. We got to a point where we felt that we had a car that we could make faster, but we just ran out of time. It is too bad that we could not have gotten to that point two days ago, but at least we got there and we know what we want to achieve in the next test.

"Overall we made good progress and this first test was a positive experience for the team," continued Tagliani as he reflected on the overall three-day test. "Considering the Rocketsports crew worked very hard up to the last minute to have the car ready to run, they did an excellent job because we had no major issues. With that being said, we can feel confident in the #8 Cosworth/DP01/Bridgewstone car because it is important to have all the bits & pieces working well. This test gave us the information that we needed to help us prepare for the next test by giving us a better idea of what to expect with the new Champ Car and how to make it even quicker. I think we are in good shape, and I look forward to getting back out there in the Panoz DP01 in Houston."

Before the test, mixed feelings were evident in the East Lansing-based shop. There was a genuine excitement for the first running of the new Panoz DP01 Champ Car, but there were also some concerns that arose on how it would perform since it was a brand new racecar. Those concerns were quickly put at ease as the #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/Panoz DP01/Bridgestone was reliable during all three days of on-track activity.

"It was a good start," said Rocketsports Team Manager Phil Howard. "The team worked very hard preparing for this test and we were able to run all three days with out any major mechanical issues. We went through some teething problems, but we were able to work those out. It was a positive first run with the new chassis, and we now look forward to testing again in February to progress on the things we learned from our first run."

Rocketsports Racing will be back on track next month for the second-of-three Champ Car Open Tests in preparation for the 2007 Champ Car season opener in Las Vegas on April 8. The team will head south to the Lone Star State to participate in the two-day test, February 12-13, which will be held at the Mercedes Benz of Sugar Land Road Course, located just outside of Houston, Texas.
 

Lexington Energy Services on board with Rocketsports for final two 2006 Champ Car events
News from Rocketsports Racing
EAST LANSING, Michigan (October 12, 2006) — An unfamiliar-looking #18 Rocketsports Champ Car will roll off the plane in Australia, but a familiar name will be on display of the shiny new black and red Lola representing the continued partnership between Rocketsports and Lexington Energy Services.

Canada's Lexington Energy Services Inc. co-Founders Brent Nimeck and Larry Kristof today announced the company's participation in the Champ Car World Series with Rocketsports Racing for the final two events of the 2006 schedule, in Australia and Mexico.

Lexington Energy Services, Inc. joined Rocketsports during Round Eight of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford in Edmonton as an associate sponsor on the #18 car which was driven by Tonis Kasemets. For the Australia event, former-Formula One driver Antonio Pizzonia will return to the cockpit of the #18 car after making two Champ Car starts previously with the team.

Lexington Energy Services will be the primary sponsor on the #18 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone for the final two races on the 2006 Champ Car World Series schedule, which includes live viewer ship from two international audiences, Australia and Mexico, along with national and international television coverage all over the world. Lexington is motivated by the connection to Australia and Mexico, and Brazil with Pizzonia, because they are all oil generating countries and see this opportunity as something to build on for the future as their Canadian-based company continues to grow.

"We (Lexington) participated with Rocketsports at the Edmonton event, and saw that Champ Car provided us with an excellent marketing platform to help bring awareness to our company." commented C.E.O. Kristof. "We will take this next step of being a high profile participant in Australia and Mexico as a means of introducing ourselves to Energy Sector majors in those two countries. Our direction is definitely towards extending our involvement with Paul Gentilozzi and his team of dedicated racing professionals."

Lexcore Services Inc. is poised to be Canada's fastest-growing energy service provider. With 2 drilling rigs on contract for the winter of 2006, a Q1 in 2007, and 10 more drilling packages being bid on, Lexcore Services CBM /Oils Sands coring rigs are sure to set the standards in shallow drilling performance. Lexcore Services Inc., with the newest fleet of drilling rigs, will continue to set the bench mark in Safe and Efficient drilling operations in Canada and abroad while delivering incredible results for shareholders, customers, and employees.

Lexcore is currently exploring drilling markets in Central and South America. "With our focus on safety and performance we feel the partnership between Rocketsports, Lexington and Champ car is a perfect fit," stated co-Founder Nimeck.

Round 13 of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford takes place next weekend, October 20-22, in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. The Lexmark Indy 300 takes the green flag on Sunday, October 22, at 1:10 p.m. local time in Australia. The race can be seen via tape delay on SPEED Channel in the United States on Sunday, October 22 at 2:00 p.m. EST. To follow #18 Lexington Energy Services Inc. /Rocketsports Champ Car team all weekend, check out the team's website at www.rocketsportsracing.com or log onto www.champcar.ws and sign up for Race Director.
 

Ryan Briscoe to fill in for da Matta for final 2 Champ Car season races at RuSport

By Martha Meacham
INDIANAPOLIS (October 10, 2006) —The RuSport team of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Cars announced on Monday that Australian driver, Ryan Briscoe, will fill in for the injured Cristiano da Matta during the last two events of the 2006 season, Surfer's Paradise in Briscoe's home country (October 22) and in Mexico City (November 12). The 25-year old native of Sydney will join Justin Wilson as his teammate.

It'll be the first time that Briscoe has driven in the Champ Car World Series. He was a test driver for Toyota Team in Formula One between 2002 and 2004, and competed for Target Chip Ganassi in the Indy Racing League last year. Briscoe had several months of recuperation last year after a horrific crash in an IRL car at the Chicagoland Motor Speedway in September. He suffered concussion, two broken collarbones, a bruised lung and contusions to his arms and legs. Just 45 days later he was back behind the wheel of a go-kart and had completed F1 and Champ Car tests within a week of each other in early December. Having lost his Ganassi IRL drive at the end of 2005, the Australian tried to break into Champ Car for this season, but potential opportunities with Team Australia and PKV Racing both fell through despite impressive testing performances.

Da Matta is now recuperating in his hometown of Belo Horizonte, Brazil after spending more than one month in the hospital after a horrifying wreck in August, while testing his #10 Ford Cosworth Lola for RuSport. The 33- year old veteran of both Champ Cars and Formula 1 sustained life-threading injuries after hitting a deer in turn 6 at Road America on August 3 .The team chose to not to run his car for the races at Denver, Montreal, and Road America, competing only with Justin Wilson in the #9 CDW who currently sits third in the points standings with 269 markers.

It's already been a busy 2006 for Briscoe. In addition to competing in the 24 Hours of Dayton in both 2005 and this year, he has competed in four IRL events as a member of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, scoring two top-ten finishes, including one third place finish at Watkins Glen. Briscoe has also been racing as a member of Team Australia in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, finishing in third place in the first A1GP event of the 2006 season in Zandvoort, Holland. Briscoe also most recently raced in this past weekend's Bathurst 1000, one of the premier events in the V8 Supercars Australia Series. He tested earlier this season with PKV Racing and recently made a test with RuSport at Sebring as well as in Mexico 10 days ago.” The car to drive is absolutely fantastic", Briscoe said about the RuSport tests." I think it suits my driving style. It's the kind of car you can really push hard around a track. Very responsive to setup changes and so on. I don't know, something about it, I just have a great time driving them fast."
Both Briscoe and RuSport president, Jeremy Dale just completed a teleconference late this afternoon with Champ Car, which introduced the young Aussie driver to the media. Dale acknowledged the contribution da Matta made to the team in the two months he drove for them, after starting the year with Dale Coyne Racing. “I must say, first and foremost, Cristiano had done a tremendous job in that regard. I think obvious to everyone out of respect for him we didn't jump in at Denver. Really it took us a few extra weeks just to keep it all moving forward and do what we thought was right for the team." he said. "We recognized that the best way to do that was to go out and do some testing, and that's what we did. We put Ryan on our list, along with a couple of other guys, and he came down to Sebring. He only had one day in the car, but he did a very solid job. We decided pretty quickly at the end of the test that he was the right guy for us."
Despite the fact this will be a "home race" for Briscoe, it'll also be on a track he is not familiar with. “I went there back in '97.” he said. “I was just a little go-kart racer. I went there to meet Alex Zanardi, my mechanic in go-karts knew him well. Apart from that, no, I haven't been since then."

Speaking about his preparation, Briscoe commented, "Well, I mean, it's the usual kind of deal with a new circuit. I'm heading up there quite early in the week. I'll be able to have a real good look around the track; you know, walk around the track, just look at all the bumps and stuff around there. Also having Justin (Wilson) as a teammate, you know, he's a top guy. I don't think you could ask for a better teammate really. At least from the test at Sebring, that's the impression I got. At Sebring, he was really helpful, explaining his thoughts at least on driver style, what's best to bring on board to make driving these cars better. So I'm sure he'll be a big help at Surfers Paradise, along with working with the engineering staff, using the data as well as possible. Really just being focused. I’m going to be fit for the race and, yeah, just be focused and concentrating. Hopefully doing my best will be enough."

The 2006 Champ Car World Series continues with the Lexmark Indy 300 in Surfer's Paradise, Australia, October 20-22. The race will be broadcast via tape delay in the U.S. on SPEED Channel, starting at 2:00 pm ET on Oct. 22. RaceFamily will bring you coverage of the weekend's events here at www.rfmsports.com
 

RuSPORT announces new driver for final two races of 2006 Champ Car Season
Ryan Briscoe to pilot the No. 10 RuSPORT car at Surfer’s Paradise and Mexico City
News from RuSPORT
LOVELAND, Colo., Oct. 9, 2006 – RuSPORT announced today that Australian driver Ryan Briscoe will pilot the No. 10 RuSPORT Champ Car in the final two races of the 2006 Champ Car season, in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia on Oct. 22 and Mexico City on Nov. 12. Briscoe replaces RuSPORT driver Cristiano da Matta, who was injured during a testing session at Road America on Aug. 3.

Briscoe brings a solid base of racing experience to The Champ Car World Series. He served as a test driver for Toyota’s Formula 1 program from 2002-2004, competed in the Indy Racing League as a member of Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, and raced in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona in 2005 and 2006, winning the pole in 2005.

2006 has already been a busy year behind the wheel for Briscoe. In addition to Rolex Grand American event in Daytona, he has competed in four IRL events as a member of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, scoring two top-ten finishes, including one third place finish at Watkins Glen. Briscoe has also been racing as a member of Team Australia in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and has already posted a successful result, finishing in third place in the first A1GP event of the 2006 season in Zandvoort, The Netherlands. A very well-rounded young driver, Briscoe most recently raced in this past weekend’s Bathurst 1000, one of the premier events in the V8 Supercars Australia Series.

“I’m very excited about joining RuSPORT and competing in Champ Car,” said Briscoe. “Because my official start will be in Surfer’s Paradise, it will be a very special race for me. It’s been my goal since the beginning of the year to race in Champ Car, and I’m with a top team, so it’s a really exciting opportunity for me. I’m hoping we can get off to a quick start and get some good results right away.”

“Since Cristiano’s accident in August, we have been spent a considerable amount of time and effort on finding the right driver for the No. 10 car,” said RuSPORT president Jeremy Dale. “Although we interviewed and tested several talented and capable drivers, we believe Ryan is the ideal type of driver for RuSPORT. The experience he has gained in his relatively young racing career has enabled him to become a competitive driver with a solid base of technical knowledge that we look for. RuSPORT is a team made up of very competitive people, and racing without the No. 10 car at the past three Champ Car events has been challenging for everyone here. However, the entire team is very excited to have the No. 10 car back on track in Australia and Mexico City, particularly with a driver of Ryan’s caliber.”

The 2006 Champ Car World Series continues with the Lexmark Indy 300 in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia, October 20-22. The race will be broadcast via tape delay in the U.S. on SPEED Channel, starting at 2:00 pm ET on Oct. 22.
 

Champ Car rookie Katherine Legge slated to speak at IUPUI’s Motorsports Day
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (October 4, 2006) — Every career in motorsports starts with a dream and Katherine Legge (#20 Bell-Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) was no different. Since starting to drive go-karts as a hobby in 1990, Katherine has risen through the ranks to become the first woman to win a major open-wheel race, the first female to ever lead a Champ Car race, and she also holds the status of having the best finish for a female in the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. This Friday Katherine will be taking time out of her busy schedule to share her story with students during IUPUI’s (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) Motorsports Day on Friday October 6th.

Champ Car will have a large presence during the event as there will be a display with show cars and several people from the Champ Car community taking time out of their work days to share their experiences in motorsports with students. Scot Elkins, Champ Car Technology Director will be speaking during The Technology of Motorsports Session from 10:30-11:00. During the Women of Motorsports session from 12:30 to 1:00 Vicki O’Connor director of the Champ Car Atlantic Series will be talking about her experiences along with Cathie Lyon, Director of the Fast Lap Pace Car Program. All will be on hand after their sessions for student questions.

This will be the second year that Motorsports Day has been held on the Campus of IUPUI. Anticipated growth in Indiana’s motorsports industry prompted the establishment of IUPUI’s Motorsports Engineering Technology Certificate program, which has opened the doors for students to gain experience in the field of motorsports. Last year’s exhibition was held primarily for current IUPUI students to build awareness for the program. This year’s event is open to prospective students who have an interest in pursuing a career in motorsports.

Currently IUPUI is the only program in the state of Indiana with an emphasis on Motorsports Engineering. The 26 hour certificate program allows students to obtain the certificate as a stand alone or as part of a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Champ Car has supported the program since its introduction by offering internships to three students who have spent the 2006 Champ Car season working under the tutelage of Champ Car Technology Director, Scot Elkins. During Motorsports Day students can learn about the intern’s experiences by attending The Internship Experience session from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.

IUPUI is an urban research campus, with 22 schools and academic units which grant degrees in more than 200 programs from both Indiana University and Purdue University. The school was created in 1969 as a partnership between Indiana and Purdue universities, with IU as the managing partner. With more than 29,000 students, IUPUI is the second-largest campus in the Indiana University statewide system.

For more information on attending Motorsports Day, visit http://www.engr.iupui.edu/racing/motorsports_day.pdf  For additional information about the IUPUI Motorsports Certificate, visit http://www.engr.iupui.edu/met/fmotorsports.shtml
 

Cristiano da Matta Goes Home to Miami
RuSPORT driver leaves hospital in Wisconsin; will continue rehabilitation at home
News from RuSPORT

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. (Sept. 23, 2006) — Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) has left Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisc., yesterday, and was flown to his home in Miami to continue his rehabilitation process. Da Matta was injured after colliding with a deer that ran onto the track near Turn Six at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. during a Champ Car Open Test on August 3.

Champ Car Medical Director Dr. Chris Pinderski traveled with da Matta and his family from Neenah to Miami, and was able to observe da Matta’s condition throughout the trip.

“We are pleased to announce that Cristiano da Matta went back to his home in Miami yesterday,” said Pinderski. “His recovery so far has been nothing short of excellent and he's done so well that the remainder of his rehabilitation will take place on an outpatient basis. We are fortunate to have had excellent care provided at all levels for Cristiano including the Champ Car Safety Team, Theda Star Helicopter Service, Dr. Randall Johnson and all those involved with his care at Theda Clark Medical Center.”

Further updates on da Matta’s condition will be issued by RuSPORT as they become available.

After today’s on-track activities are concluded at Road America, CARA and RuSPORT will host the CARA Cruise for Cristiano, a recreational bicycle riding event that will allow fans to take a lap around the track at Road America with some of their favorite Champ Car and Champ Car Atlantic Series drivers, such as Justin Wilson, Sebastien Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira, Nelson Philippe, Dan Clarke, Jan Heylen and Andreas Wirth, among others. Drivers participating in the CARA Cruise will also be available for autographs. The proceeds from both of these events will go to CARA Charities, to help support da Matta’s recovery efforts. Registration for the event will be held all day on Saturday at the CARA Charities table in the infield of Road America, near the Champ Car Paddock. For more information on these events, please contact CARA Charities by phone at 317-299-2277, or by email at carachar@aol.com.

Since da Matta’s accident on August 3, RuSPORT and Champ Car have received many messages of support for da Matta. In response, RuSPORT also announced that, in lieu of sending flowers and gifts, anyone wishing to express their support for da Matta during his recovery is asked to please make a donation in his name to Hole in the Wall Camps, an official charity of the Champ Car World Series. Donation information can be found by visiting http://www.holeinthewallcamps.org  or by calling 203-562-1203.

Two fan events to be held at Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America to aid Cristiano Da Matta recovery
Photos courtesy Jamie Longmuir and Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (September 14, 2006) — Champ Car fans from around the world have sent their get-well wishes and support to the injured Cristiano da Matta, but at the upcoming Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America, fans will have two opportunities to show their support in a different way.

CARA Charities is holding a Champ Car Tailgate Party along with a silent auction of Champ Car memorabilia on Friday evening September 22, with all proceeds from the silent auction going to support Cristiano’s recovery from head injuries suffered during a mid-season test session. Tickets for the Friday event, which runs from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m., are available for $50 and can be purchased via phone at 317-299-2277 or by visiting www.caracharities.org. Silent auction items available include a Newman/Haas Racing team shirt signed by Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira as well as the gloves and shoes worn by Justin Wilson in his Edmonton victory earlier this season.

The next evening, RuSPORT and CARA Charities will conduct the CARA Cruise for Cristiano, where the public can ride their bicycles alongside the stars of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, touring the 4.048-mile Road America layout. Fans attending the race are encouraged to bring their personal bicycles to join Champ Car and Atlantic series stars for the ride.

Long-time CARA Charities and Champ Car supporter Bridgestone is donating unique signed racing memorabilia to Friday’s auction as well as a brand-new Bridgestone Transit bicycle. The Model 270A Transit features a black composite frame, mono sprung rear wheel and is driveshaft driven with front disc brake. The bicycle, which folds to 37”X 26”X 13” is not normally available in the USA. In addition, Bridgestone is donating a colossal weekend Champ Car race package for auction on Ebay. The weekend includes four three-day admission and paddock passes to the Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America, four tickets to the CARA Champ Car Tailgate Party, four Fast Lap Pace Car rides, four passes to the Bridgestone hospitality compound on Sunday as well as Bridgestone race wear.

“As CARA Charities celebrates its 25th anniversary we are proud to continue our mission to serve the auto racing community through charitable work and to promote the friendship of all in the motor sports family,” said Mary Lou Bogner, Executive Director, CARA Charities. “These two events will raise money to help Cristiano with his recovery efforts and will be lots of fun for the fans. The entire Champ Car community has come together to make this possible.”

Passes to Saturday’s bicycle event are available for a $20 donation. The track will open to the riders at 6:15 p.m. and will remain open until 7:15. The local chapter of the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation will have a limited number of bicycles on-hand to rent as well. Fans can sign up for the CARA Cruise for Cristiano and buy tickets for Friday’s Tailgate Party at the CARA Charities tent in the paddock of Road America.

“RuSPORT would like to thank CARA Charities for their support of Cristiano da Matta and his family,” said Jeremy Dale, president of RuSPORT. “We believe these events during the race weekend at Road America will provide significant assistance to Cristiano and his family as they help Cristiano through his recovery process, and we’re very pleased that we can be a part of it, and we are also very pleased that race fans and the racing community can be a part of it.”

Pacific Coast Motorsports announces two-car team for Champ Car World Series in 2007
By Kate Shaw

INDIANAPOLIS (September 9, 2006) — Confirming the team announcement one week ago, Pacific Coast Motorsports, represented by team director Tyler Tadevic and drivers Ryan Dalzell and Alex Figge met the press on Friday to announce their two-car team entry to the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford for the 2007 season. After two seasons of racing in sports cars, said Tadevic, the team has realized its dream of returning to open wheel racing where it had success in what was then known as the Toyota Atlantics Series, the feeder series for Champ Cars.

“I'll be honest,” said Tadevic, “you know we've always had our heart in open‑wheel racing. We were fortunate enough to win the Atlantic Championship in 2004. We left open‑wheel thinking that the grass might be greener on the other side of the fence, and we found out simply that's not the case. We are just really pleased to be coming back to open‑wheel racing and realize a dream for both the team and the drivers. So we're really fired up to be back.”

Under the Atlantics banner the team had a significant degree of success, and Tadevic is sure that their experience will help the team get up to speed quickly because they already know the venues and both Dalzell and Figge have not only experience, but enthusiasm and desire to make their team a winner as it fulfills in both a dream deferred but never relinquished.

It was a combination of events that brought Pacific Coast Motorsports into Champ Cars, not the least of which was the advent next season of the DP01, which enables a new team to start on a more even playing field than perhaps has been possible in the past. And Tadevic emphasized to the press that the principals of the Champ Car World Series have done everything they can to make the new team feel both welcome and competitive even before they have turned a wheel.

“I tell you,” he said, “Kevin Kalkhoven, who I can't say enough good things about; his heart has always been in open‑wheel racing. Basically he saved what we saw as the last vestiges of what we saw as true open‑wheel racing in the United States. With the new rules that are in place with the new car, the new motor package and all of the new things that they have put into place, they have made it possible for a team like ourselves, a new team coming in, to feel like if we really work hard and are professional and come in with the necessary resources, that we would have the ability to compete against the likes of Forsythe and Newman/Haas and that those long setup books that they have from the past with the Lola chassis and all of that really don't pertain any longer. The venues are second to none. And we really believe that Mr. Kalkhoven both has the resources and the commitment to make open‑wheel racing, you know, take it back to its peak of what it was before the bankruptcy days. We're just really excited to be a part of that, to be supporting that and we believe that he's got the right formula and that's the direction we're looking to go.”

Although the new car will not be immediately available for testing, the team director revealed that another series principal, Paul Gentilozzi, has made available two of the current Lola chassis for Dalzell and Figge to take out and get up to speed. “We'll be doing a lot of testing with both the boys,” he said. “We hope to accrue between 1,500 to 2,000 miles apiece for each one of the boys in the Lola just to get them up to speed. It's my understanding that that type of testing is just allowed for the rookie teams.”

Both Dalzell and Figge have been driving in a sports car series and although both agreed this has been good for their development, especially in the longer races and in the experience they have gained in the matter of pit stops and technical expertise, they were clearly overjoyed to be back in Champ Cars, which they didn’t hesitate to state was the top open wheel racing series in the USA.

“Although I had a lot of fun over there [GARRA],” said Dalzell, “and the racing was real fun, it's not where I wanted to be. And pretty much every race went by we sat and spoke about, what if, what if we were running with whatever single seater series we would run with. We were always jealous of watching other cars. It's realistic now and it's going to happen, and you know, you can have your one‑off and do a little bit here and there, but to actually have a car in front of you for the next year, it's huge.”

Alex Figge, who had three full years of Atlantic championship experience from 2003, 2004, and finished in the Top‑10 in both '03 and '04, admitted that the experience in sports cars was a necessary learning experience for him, but he too is overjoyed to be coming back to his first love. So far his experience in Champ Cars is limited to one test day for Forsythe Championship Racing and two for Dale Coyne Racing, but he is confident that with the generous testing time arranged for the rookie team, he will soon be up to speed.

Tadevic revealed that the team will continue to be based out of Oxnard, California, and that they will be spending the off-season, so to speak, ‘getting our heads down and getting up to speed.’ Pacific Coast Motorsport will be hiring more personnel to add to their already-capable crew, and making arrangements with their sponsors, as well as their full testing program both in the Lola and in the new DP01 when it becomes available. As yet there is no firm arrangement made concerning their participation in the sports car field, although when the schedules are released Tadevic indicated that perhaps the drivers might be made available for the longer races if they didn’t conflict with Champ Cars, their main focus for 2007.

The team director and the two drivers all agreed that with the level playing field available and the assistance offered by the Champ Car World Series, they will field a competitive entry in 2007 and they very much look forward to being part of the revived and rising premiere open wheel series in the USA. More announcements will be forthcoming as their plans firm up and once the current season passes into the record books.
 

Cristiano da Matta continues rehabilitation progress
RuSPORT driver making excellent progress in his recovery
News from RuSport Racing

Photo by Jim DeFord
LOVELAND, Colo. (Sept. 14, 2006) — Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) continues his rehabilitation process as he recovers from a severe head injury. Da Matta was injured after colliding with a deer that ran onto the track near Turn Six at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI during a Champ Car Open Test on August 3, and has spent the past six weeks recovering at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisc.

Champ Car Medical Director Dr. Chris Pinderski returned to Theda Clark this week for an update on da Matta’s condition and to visit with the da Matta family.

“Cristiano has continued to show excellent progress while recovering from his injury,” said Pinderski. “Early last week, he was transferred to the rehab unit at Theda Clark Medical Center where he is participating in a very intensive rehabilitation regimen designed specifically for patients with significant head injuries. Cristiano is looking forward to returning to Miami in the near future and will continue his rehab program there.”

Further updates on da Matta’s condition will be issued by RuSPORT as they become available.

RuSPORT also announced today that Justin Wilson’s No. 9 CDW / RuSPORT Champ Car will carry the logos of Theda Clark Medical Center, as well as the Champ Car Safety Team, during the Grand Prix of Road America weekend in appreciation of the efforts of those organizations for their help and support during da Matta’s accident and his recovery.

Also during the weekend of Sept. 22-24, Champ Car, RuSPORT and CARA Charities will offer Champ Car fans two additional opportunities to show their support for da Matta and his family. On the evening of Sept. 22, CARA will host a Champ Car Tailgate party along with a silent auction of Champ Car memorabilia. On Saturday evening, Sept. 23, CARA and RuSPORT will host the CARA Cruise for Cristiano, a recreational bicycle riding event that will allow fans to take a lap around the track at Road America with some of their favorite Champ Car and Champ Car Atlantic Series drivers, such as Justin Wilson, Sebastien Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira, Nelson Philippe, Dan Clarke, Nicky Pastorelli and Andreas Wirth, among others. Drivers participating in the CARA Cruise will also be available for autographs. The proceeds from both of these events will go to CARA Charities, to help support da Matta’s recovery efforts. For more information on these events, please contact CARA Charities by phone at 317-299-2277, or by email at carachar@aol.com

Get well cards for da Matta can be sent to:

Cristiano da Matta, patient
Theda Clark Medical Center
130 2nd St.
Neenah, WI 54956
 

Pizzonia joins Rocketsports in Montreal to run second car with Pastorelli
News from Rocketsports Racing

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
EAST LANSING, Michigan (August 23, 2006) — Rocketsports Racing is happy to announce the return of Antonio Pizzonia to the Champ Car paddock this weekend as he will pilot the #18 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone teaming up with Nicky Pastorelli for the Grand Prix de Montreal.

Pizzonia turned heads on the Rocketsports Racing team back in March when he tested a Champ Car for the first time. With only a few hours of seat time, he was running laps close to the best times that were posted by other Champ Car teams at that venue, which resulted in a very positive test and left a strong impression with the Rocketsports team owner, Paul Gentilozzi. He signed a one-race deal with the team to make his Champ Car debut in Long Beach, California piloting the #8 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. He qualified 11th (which is the best starting position the team has earned thus far in 2006, matching Pastorelli's Portland start) and by 11 laps into the race, he was running in the sixth spot. He held his own in his first Champ Car event and finished the day in the top-ten, 10th overall.

"I am so excited to be returning to the Champ Car paddock," said Pizzonia. "I am really looking forward to having another opportunity to run with the Rocketsports team and think that we can have a good weekend together in the #18 Rocketsports car. I am familiar with Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from my past days in Formula One (raced in Montreal in 2003 as a driver for the Jaguar Racing Team in F1), so that is a definite plus for not only me as a rookie Champ Car driver, but it will also be a nice advantage for the team. I hope to have a good weekend, enjoy myself, and leave Montreal with a good finish for Rocketsports."

Pastorelli has made eight Champ Car starts with the team. He came on board after the one-off race with Pizzonia at the beginning of the season and made his debut in Houston driving the #8 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. The Italo-Dutch driver will remain behind the wheel of the #8 car this weekend as he looks to compete on his second road course in a Champ Car and for the second time in Canada.

"I am looking forward to running on familiar racing terrain this weekend," said Pastorelli. "Back in Europe I raced on a lot of different style road courses, so I am excited to try out the Montreal circuit. I am also looking forward to working with Antonio this weekend because it is always great to have a teammate to work with, especially one that knows the track already. The team and I tested at Road America in Wisconsin at the beginning of the month, so I had a little taste of what it would be running on a permanent road course once again. That test went pretty well, so I am looking forward to what I can do in the #8 Rocketsports car this weekend with the help from my team. They had a good result here last year with a rookie, so I hope that I too can have a good weekend in Montreal and have a solid finish."

A 'rookie' tag is not too bad for this team at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. During the team's rookie year in 2003, then-driver Alex Tagliani earned the team's second pole position and went on to finish fourth in Montreal. Last year, Rocketsports driver and 2005 Rookie-of-the-Year Timo Glock found himself in front of the pack in Montreal pacing his first laps in a Champ Car. He maintained the lead for 19 laps as the Molson Indy Montreal headed toward the checkered flag. After a penalty forced Glock to give up the lead on the final lap of the race, he still finished on the podium as the runner up. The Rocketsports driver was the only rookie to finish in the top ten last year and was awarded a point for obtaining the most positions during the race after starting 11th.

Tonis Kasemets, who has piloted the #18 Rocketsports Champ Car in four races this season with the team, will return to the Champ Car cockpit at Road America, which is his next scheduled race with the team after signing a six-race deal. However, he will be in a different-kind of cockpit - a closed one - this weekend as he will be co-piloting the team's Rolex Series Daytona Prototype in Sonoma, California with Tomy Drissi for the Sonoma 250 at Infineon event on Saturday, August 26.

Pizzonia and Pastorelli will join the team in Montreal as they begin to prepare on Friday for the Grand Prix de Montreal. Final qualifying will be hosted on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EST, which will determine the starting lineup for Sunday's race. The green flag will drop for the start of the Grand Prix de Montreal at 1:30 p.m. EST and can be seen live on NBC Sports or by logging onto www.champcar.ws and signing up for Race Director.

RuSPORT Enters One Car in Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal
Justin Wilson to pilot No. 9 CDW / RuSPORT car; No. 10 car will not compete

News from RuSport Racing
Photo courtesy David Birkbeck
LOVELAND, Colo. (Aug. 18, 2006) — Justin Wilson (#9 CDW / RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) will be the lone RuSPORT driver in the upcoming Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The team announced today that it will not enter a replacement driver for the injured Cristiano da Matta for the event on Aug. 27.

Da Matta continues to recover from a severe head injury he sustained during a Champ Car Open Test at Road America in Wisconsin on Aug. 3.

“After careful consideration by the RuSPORT management team, we have decided not to enter the No. 10 Champ Car in the Grand Prix of Montreal,” said RuSPORT president Jeremy Dale. “This is a difficult decision for this very competitive group of people, but at this time, it is the correct decision for the team. Our attention at this time is focused on two areas: Cristiano’s recovery and Justin’s ability to contend for the Champ Car driver’s title. However, with the time available to us between the Grand Prix of Montreal and the event at Road America in September, we will have an adequate amount of time to make the best decision for the team, moving forward.”

Dale will appear by telephone on SPEED Channel’s weekly television show, “Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain,” this Sunday, Aug. 20, at 9:00 pm EDT.

The 2006 Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal will take place Aug. 25-27. The race will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, Aug. 27, beginning at 1:30 pm EDT.
 

Champ Car World Series draws more than one million fans to its events through first nine races of 2006 season
News from Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (August 2, 2006) — Continuing the pattern of growth shown by the Champ Car World Series since the acquisition of the series by Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi, last weekend’s Canary Foundation Grand Prix of San JoséPresented by Taylor Woodrow saw the year’s one millionth fan come through the gates after just nine races.

The San José event followed the success of last year’s inaugural race, making a number of enhancements to the overall event including track upgrades, grandstand changes and improved access for those attending the race. The fans responded in even larger numbers than last year with the race drawing 155,934 for the three-day festival of speed, a figure that was up more than 2,000 from last season.

Sunday’s event allowed the series to break the 1,000,000 mark after nine races, raising the total for the 2006 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford to 1,076,530. In addition, five of the eight events returning from 2005 have shown increases in attendance from last year while the inaugural Grand Prix of Houston drew more than 125,000 fans to Reliant Park.

“The attendance numbers are another indication that Champ Car is following the correct plan for long-term growth and stability,” said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “Fans have experienced many improvements this year and we believe that the introduction of the new DP01 Champ Car for 2007 will spark even further growth in the coming years.”

The Champ Car World Series will get back in action next week with the fifth running of the Grand Prix of Denver, August 11-13. The event will be shown live on SPEED at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time with a 30-minute qualifying show airing Saturday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern. Fans can also follow the action from every on-track session via the Race Director feature on the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws
 

Korea event removed from 2006 Champ Car World Series Schedule
News from Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (July 22, 2006) - The Champ Car World Series announced today that the inaugural Ansan Champ Car Grand Prix scheduled for October 15-17 in Ansan, South Korea has been removed from the series calendar.

The event will not take place as scheduled as part of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford calendar, as a number of factors have combined to prevent the series from holding the race on the yet-to-be-completed track in Ansan.

"It is regrettable that this event in Korea has failed despite our repeated efforts to bring it to fruition. We will not allow this setback to detract from what has been a very successful season" said Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. "Despite the unfortunate situation regarding the Korea event, we intend to further develop our presence in Asia and the Pacific Rim, and are continuing to build toward our goal of conducting world-class events in these regions."
 

Kasemets wants more time behind the wheel as Rocketsports goes testing in between race weekends
News from Rocketsports Racing

Philippe leads career high 34 laps at Toronto

Clarke's rookie run ends early

News from  CTE-HVM Racing

Nelson Philippe (#4 CTE Racing HVM/Ford-Cosworth/Lola) paced the field by leading 34 laps of the 86 during this afternoon’s race at the Exhibition Grounds. The Frenchman qualified seventh and had an excellent start, passing Oriol Servia and Andrew Ranger for fifth position on the first lap. He took the lead when the rest of the field pitted on lap 11 and had a small advantage until his first pitstop on lap 34.   With ten laps to go and running sixth, Philippe attempted to overtake Oriol Servia, but the No. six car brake-checked Philippe, sending him into the wall in turn three. The incident resulted in early retirement for both drivers and left Philippe in 13^th position.

 “It’s been technical problems that have shaped this weekend for us, reducing our track time, which led to us starting at the back of the grid. Yesterday’s failure in qualifying was a bit of a hairy moment, but the resulting loss of qualifying time was the biggest problem for me. In the race today, both incidents that I was caught up in were due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just got unlucky, but that’s the nature of racing. After going one lap down we would have had a tough fight to get into the points, but I need as much experience as possible, so I’m disappointed not to have gone the distance. It just hasn’t been our weekend, but I’ll stay positive and be looking to turn it around in Edmonton and bring back the momentum from Portland and Cleveland.”

PKV Racing has solid provisional qualifying effort at Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland
News from PKV Racing

Legge, who is in her first Champ Car season, will be making her sixth Champ Car start and first in Cleveland (although she raced there twice last year in the Atlantic Championship Series starting fifth and finishing 16th in the first race and starting fourth and finishing fifth in the second).
 

The 25-year-old Brit has qualified in the top-10 once this season, a career high eighth in Milwaukee and finished in the top-10 twice placing a season, and career, high sixth at Milwaukee and eighth in her Champ Car debut at Long Beach. Legge is currently 13th in the championship standings with 57 points. The resident of Indianapolis, Indiana remains second in the Champ Car rookie points, but now trails Dan Clarke by one point, 58-57 (she came in trailing Will Power by one point, 50-49).
 

Legge, who became the first female to start a Champ Car/CART race since Lyn St. James at

Michigan in 1995, when she made her Champ Car debut at Long Beach, has established a number of Series records already this season. In Milwaukee, she became the first female to lead a race when she held the top spot for 12 laps in her oval debut. In addition, her sixth place finish at Milwaukee set a new Series high for a female (her eighth place showing in Long Beach gives her the two best finishes) surpassing a ninth place finish by Janet Guthrie at the 1978 Indianapolis 500. Legge won three races and finished third last year in her rookie season in the Atlantic Championship Series. Her win in her debut Atlantic event at Long Beach made her the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America.
 

Major shake-up in Champ Cars:
Allmendinger Out, Da Matta In at RuSPORT
By Martha Meacham

News from Rocketsports Racing
Photos © Champ Car World Series and DeFord Photo/Jim DeFord
EAST LANSING, Michigan (April 28, 2006) — After three most-recent Champ Car tests, Nicky Pastorelli of Holland has demonstrated that his driving skills are enough to match the demands of running with the top drivers in the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford and Rocketsports Racing is proud to announce the signing of Pastorelli to run in its #8 entry for the 2006 season.

Born in The Hague, Netherlands, the Italo-Dutch driver comes from mixed parentage. His father is Italian and his mother is Dutch. He was first introduced to the sport of karting at the age of ten. He drove his first laps at an empty parking lot. Pastorelli fell in love with the sport and less than a year later he was making practice laps at the professional Strijen Circuit.

In 1993, he started in the Mini League followed by Junior League, in which he had his first successes. At the age of 14, Pastorelli became a member of Peter de Bruin’s karting team. He stayed there for several seasons and drove the ICA and Formula A Leagues. In 2000, he moved to the Formula Arcobaleno League. Competing in six out of eight races, he won the pole position five times, earned three wins, and finished third in the Dutch Championship. In 2001 he entered the Formula Renault 2000 European Championship before moving into the Euro 3000 Series in 2003, where he earned two second place finishes and finished fifth in the championship. He was crowned the Superfund Euro 3000 Champion and earned his first chance to drive a Champ Car with Walker Racing at Sebring. Pastorelli was a F1 test driver in 2005 with Jordan, and was the first driver to be officially introduced in the “Young Driver Programme” initiated by Midland F1 to help promising junior drivers develop their talent in preparation for entry to Formula One.

The 23-year-old was a guest of Rocketsports in Long Beach. Although he was sidelined in Long Beach, he did know what it was going to feel like being behind the wheel after just completing a test with Dale Coyne Racing in Fontana with a majority of the Champ Car field. “What a weekend it was!” said Pastorelli on being a special guest of the Rocketsports team. “The race weekend at Long Beach was a really fantastic experience. The whole event was excellent and very busy with large crowds of spectators during the whole weekend. They perfectly know how to entertain the racing fans there at Long Beach. It was also a great opportunity for me to get to see the Rocketsports crew in action to get a feel for what it would be like driving for them if the opportunity presented itself.”

Pastorelli’s enthusiasm in the pits was strong, as he explained how much fun it is to drive a Champ Car and how bad he wanted to be driving out there in Long Beach. Rocketsports then invited him to test with them in Portland a few days after the Long Beach event, followed by a most-recent test in Milwaukee where Pastorelli turned laps on an oval for the first time in his career.

“I am very excited to join the Rocketsports Racing team,” said Pastorelli on his announcement to drive the #8 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car. “I have enjoyed working with the team and getting to know them, along with the car. They have helped me out a lot and I know that I can learn a lot this season by working with them. Houston will be a good opportunity for me to make my Champ Car debut because since it is a new venue to all the teams and drivers, it will be a level playing field and technically I won’t be “a rookie” on that course. Every driver will be in the same situation as me, learning the track and finding a good race set-up. It will be a great challenge, one that I really looking forward to in addition to the other events that I will be racing in this year with Rocketsports.”

Pastorelli will attempt to make his first Champ Car start in Houston, Texas on May 13. Champ Car is making its return to the Houston market after last competing on the downtown streets in 2001. The new edition of the Champ Car Houston Grand Prix will take place at Reliant Park, site of the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium as well as the historic Houston Astrodome. The event will be held under the lights, marking the second time that Champ Car has run a night race on a temporary circuit.
 

Photos © Champ Car World Series
MILWAUKEE (April 26, 2006) — The diverse worldwide racing series that spawned the members of the 2006 Champ Car rookie class took them to some of the world’s great tracks, but rarely included racing on any ovals.

But in the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, drivers must master a number of different circuit types if they are to challenge for titles. This year’s lineup includes one of the country’s oldest and trickiest oval tracks in the Milwaukee Mile, where the Champ Cars will do battle on June 4, and today most of the rookie class got a chance to experience life in a circle for the first time.

“It was pretty impressive,” said reigning Champ Car Atlantic titleholder Charles Zwolsman. “After today, I have a lot more respect for the guys that race on ovals, it’s definitely not as easy at it looks. I took it easy at first to get used to the track and the more laps I put in, the more confident and comfortable I felt. We accomplished everything we wanted to do today and now I am ready for the real test in June. With more traffic on the track, it will be a whole new experience, but I am looking forward to it.”

Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing’s Zwolsman joined Team Australia rookie Will Power, CTE Racing – HVM’s newbie Dan Clarke and new Rocketsports signee Nicky Pastorelli in their first oval testing sessions, running on the mile oval on the grounds of Wisconsin State Fair Park.

“This was my first time on an oval so it definitely was a different feel.” said Power. “We came here to learn how to do well on an oval. This morning was more of a test to get a feel for the track; I got a better grip on the speed and of how to drive smoothly on an oval course. After lunch I was able to push harder, and make changes to the car to make drive it more consistently. We ran on 2 sets of tires, so it wasn’t a massive test, but enough to get a good start for the race in June. It was a very good worthwhile test, and now I know.”

No official times were available from the test, but the day’s mission was more about getting accustomed to life in circles than it was about topping time charts. Pastorelli, who tested two weeks ago with Rocketsports at Portland International Raceway, made his first oval runs as well, running more than 100 laps in his first outing.

“It was good that we had an opportunity to test here,” Pastorelli said. “I think it went well. I was able to get an idea of what it feels like to run on an oval. The Rocketsports team did a nice job of helping me get comfortable and I think it will help me when we come back here in June.”

The entire 18-car field will have a chance to test the venerable Mile on Friday, June 1, running the day prior to the opening of the Champ Car race weekend, which culminates with a 225-mile event on Sunday, June 4. The event can be seen live on CBS Sports beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
 

Photos © DeFord Photo/Jim DeFord
EAST LANSING, Michigan (April 24, 2006)  —  Fresh off testing in Portland with Rocketsports Racing, former Formula 1 test driver Nicky Pastorelli will head to the Milwaukee Mile rejoining the team in the #8 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car for a one-day run on the famed one-mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Pastorelli was a test driver with Jordan in 2005, and also the first driver to be officially introduced in the “Young Driver Programme” initiated by Midland F1 to help promising junior drivers develop their talent in preparation for entry to Formula One. A true road racer, the 23-year-old will experience his first oval track during the “all rookie” test in Milwaukee. Other Champ Car teams that are running rookies in the 2006 Champ Car field will be joining Rocketsports at this test to taking advantage of the extra time before the actual race event, which will take place June 3-4.

“I am curious to see what it is like driving on an oval,” said Pastorelli about his upcoming test with the team at the Milwaukee Mile. “I have never raced on an oval in my career, so this will be a first for me. I have heard many different stories about running on ovals; some people say they have had a fantastic experience, while others have said it was horrible. I am really looking forward to finding out myself. I am happy that the rookies in Champ Car get this chance to have a day of testing in preparation for the event coming up in June because it will be interesting to see how they do as well.”

The team will have one more opportunity to test at the Milwaukee Mile in June. In the past, Champ Car has assigned a specific date prior to the Milwaukee event for all Champ Car teams to go testing. This year, Champ Car has designated the test day to be on Friday, June 2, before the actual race weekend activities commence. The Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 will be a two-day event with the race returning to a Sunday date.
 

Sebastien Bourdais bashes track record in final day of Champ Car World Series testing at Portland International Raceway
Photos © DeFord Photo/Jim DeFord
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 13, 2006) — Two-time defending Champ Car champion and current series points leader Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) spent most of Wednesday sitting around watching his Newman/Haas squad work on his car, while the rest of the field turned test laps around Portland International Raceway.

Bourdais made up for that down time in a big way on a cloudy Thursday, getting around the 1.964-mile road course in 57.335 seconds (123.317 mph) to lead the final day of open testing for the teams and drivers of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. His best lap was more than a quarter of a second quicker than the existing track record, although it will not stand as an official track mark as records can be set only in qualifying or in a race.

“We didn’t really chase lap times but the car was consistent and I’m very confident that we will have a good starting point when we come back in June,” Bourdais said. “We got a lot done and I think we accomplished most of what we wanted to do.”

Yesterday’s testing leader Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Ford-Cosworth / Lola /Bridgestone) had the fastest lap of the afternoon session and was second overall with a best time of 57.532 seconds (122.895 mph), while PKV Racing’s Oriol Servia (#6 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) checked in with the third-best time, stopping the clocks at 57.631 seconds (122.684 mph).

“I did my job and now the engineers have their work cut out for them as we have a lot of data to go through,” Servia grinned. “It went pretty well today, we did a lot of work and worked through most of what we needed to get through. It was nice to turn some fast laps and I think we’ll be in good shape when we come back here.”

Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and A.J. Allmendinger (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) rounded out the top five on the day, turning laps that were less than a tenth of a second off Servia’s best pass.

“We weren’t on the top of the charts but we were consistent throughout the whole test and I am happy about that,” Tracy said. “A lot of guys were up and down and all over the charts, but we were always in the top three or four. We just need to work on finding a little more speed.”

The afternoon was a tough one for most of the 18 drivers as a cold and cloudy day ended up with more red flags than a bullfight. The Portland track, usually quicker during cold days, turned diabolical in the afternoon as conditions got slicker, catching a number of the Champ Car rookies off guard. Four of the first-year pilots ended up getting unscheduled seat time with the Champ Car Safety Team as their cars came back on the business end of a tow truck. None of the incidents were serious and no drivers were injured.

“I’m not sure what happened to the track, whether someone was dropping oil or what, but the track was very slick in the afternoon,” said Servia. “I was losing three-tenths per lap on a couple of the turns. It was very tough to drive.”
 

Justin Wilson paces first day of Champ Car testing in Portland
Photos © DeFord Photo/Jim DeFord
PORTLAND, Ore. (April 12, 2006) – Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) was the man to beat last year when the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford visited Portland, as the RuSPORT driver had everyone covered until an oil pump failure ended his race day.

Wilson literally picked up where he left off Wednesday at Portland International Raceway, leading a 17-driver field on a full day of testing on the 1.964-mile PIR road course. Wilson started the day with the same setup he had on the car last June and built on it from there, eventually posting a best time of 57.680 seconds (122.580 mph).

“Yeah last year things went really well for us here but obviously we had a couple of problems on race day,” lamented Wilson. “But today things have been really good. The track was a little greasy when we first went out but we were able to go pretty quick later. I think there’s still a good bit left in the car if we trim it out for qualifying. It’s nice to be quick here, but they don’t give any prizes away for it, we just want to keep working and get the car right for the race.”

Wilson, series points leader Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) and Wilson’s RuSPORT teammate A.J. Allmendinger (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) were the only drivers to get under 58 seconds on the first day of testing, with Wilson holding more than a quarter-second on his two closest pursuers.

Bourdais carded the second-best time of the day despite a very tough day that saw the Newman/Haas Racing team go through a pair of powerplants. Officially, the Long Beach winner stopped the clocks at 57.962 seconds (121.983 mph), although a problem with an antenna saw a number of his morning laps go uncounted. Bourdais ran only 19 laps in the afternoon session as two engine failures meant the team spent more time in the garage than it did on the track.

Allmendinger ran only 47 laps on a day when most teams were in the 65-lap range, but his 57.987 second (121.931 mph) effort was good enough for third ahead of Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Bruno Junqueira (#2 Hole In The Wall Camps Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). The trio all rebounded from a tough start to the 2006 season as all three had their season debuts ended in a first-lap crash at Long Beach.

“It’s been a really good day for us here,” Allmendinger said. “The team has been able to regroup after Long Beach and we have gotten a lot of work done today.”

Dan Clarke (#14 CTE Racing – HVM Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone ) was the quickest rookie on the day, posting a top lap of 58.771 seconds (120.304 mph), good enough for eighth on the grid. In all, seven rookies made testing runs today including former Indy Racing League driver Ryan Briscoe (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), who sat in for much of the afternoon for Charles Zwolsman (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) as he nursed an injured hand. Briscoe was 16th on the time charts but his time was a bit of a misrepresentation as his Mi-Jack/Conquest team made a lot of two- and three-lap runs working on setups, then saw two late red flags derail their plans to make some longer runs in the latter part of the session.

“We learned a lot about the car today and hopefully the changes we made put us in good position for tomorrow,” Briscoe said. “I think the Champ Cars are awesome, they’re a lot of fun. They’re the kind of cars that you really have to muscle to get them around and there’s a ton of horsepower. I am really enjoying driving these cars.”

Briscoe and the rest of the field will get another day of testing tomorrow at Portland International Raceway, with a session that is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to come out and watch the testing free of charge, while others not in the Pacific Northwest can follow along via live timing and coring available on the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws 
 

Champ Car World Series announces Champ Car ‘Live Fast’ Sweepstakes Presented By Bridgestone for 2006 television broadcasts
Photos © Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (April 7, 2006) – Fans can follow all of the action of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford through a television package that includes broadcasts on CBS Sports, NBC and SPEED in 2006, as the top teams and drivers in the world span the globe in pursuit of the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup.

And this season, not only will fans be able to watch their favorite Champ Car drivers, they will have a chance to win trips to join them trackside as part of the new Champ Car "Live Fast" Sweepstakes presented by Bridgestone. The Champ Car World Series, along with series presenting sponsor Bridgestone and media sponsor Auto Week, are providing viewers with an exciting new opportunity to win great prizes for tuning in to Champ Car broadcasts – with the season’s Grand Prize winner receiving a 2006 Ford Mustang GT.

“We are very excited about the opportunity that the Live Fast Sweepstakes presents to Champ Car viewers,” said Champ Car President and CEO Steve Johnson. “This is one of the most aggressive programs we’ve ever put together for our television viewers and we expect that it will be a huge success. Of course, none of this would be possible without the full support of our sponsor and media partners and we appreciate their participation in this sweepstakes.

The Champ Car "Live Fast" Sweepstakes presented by Bridgestone will incorporate a code word that is revealed during each race broadcast starting with the April 9 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and ending at the September 24 Grand Prix of Road America. Viewers can then enter the sweepstakes by logging onto the official website of the Champ Car World Series www.champcar.ws and entering the code word in the Live Fast Sweepstakes.

A first-place prize will be awarded at each of the 12 events through a random draw of all the correct entries, with the winner receiving a set of new Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position tires and an all-expenses-paid trip to the next event on the 2006 Champ Car World Series calendar. Ten second-prize winners will receive a year’s subscription to Auto Week as well as a selection of Champ Car merchandise.

At the end of the season, a Grand Prix winner of all of the correct entries throughout the season will win a trip to the season finale in Mexico City as well as the keys to a new Ford Mustang GT.
 

Photos © Champ Car World Series

Rocketsports Racing and Pizzonia successfully complete test in Houston
Off to Long Beach for season opener
News from Rocketsports Racing
Photos © Sydney Davis, Houston Sport Car News
EAST LANSING, Michigan (April 3, 2006) — It is that time again, the time to start yet another exciting race season and Rocketsports Racing has been in full swing preparing for the 2006 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season opener in Long Beach, California this coming weekend.

Thursday night, the brand-new High Tech Rocketsports trailer was loaded with the #8 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone and all its necessities, and headed for Long Beach. However, it would be making a quick pit-stop in Houston, Texas to give newly signed driver for Long Beach, Antonio Pizzonia, and a little more seat time before taking part of the festivities in Long Beach starting on Friday, April 7.

Rocketsports did not partake in the Champ Car open testing in Fontana this past week because of its own plans to run again at the Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land Road Course in Houston. The team ran Pizzonia a few weeks ago for the first time on MSR Houston’s 2.4-mile permanent circuit. During that time, Pizzonia demonstrated his driving skills and feedback were exactly what the team was looking for. He was signed officially last week to compete with the team for the first race of the 15-event Champ Car season.

The team was eager to work with Pizzonia in the car one last time before heading to their first event of the season, just as eager as Pizzonia was to work with them. The 25-year-old comes to the states to compete in the Champ Car World Series for the first time, making his debut in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, after being a test driver for Williams BMW in Formula One and racing in some events throughout the past three years.

Pizzonia, who made 19 F1 starts, made an impression in the German Grand Prix in 2004 driving for Williams BMW, where he started 14th and demonstrated he had what it took to be a competitive driver in the field by finishing seventh and earning his first points in F1. The Brazilian demonstrated that same ability to Rocketsports during his first test with the team when he ran times that were comparable to past Champ Car championship drivers.

During the Saturday-only test, Pizzonia improved his previous best time of 71.7 seconds by posting a 71.2 (121.212 mph). Completing 116 laps, Pizzonia put 286 more miles under his belt in a Champ Car. The focus of the test was to continue to familiarize Pizzonia with the car. The engineers and team made large changes to the car so that Pizzonia could feel them and give feedback, changes that would be similar to the changes they will be making during the race weekend. Also, they practiced a lot of pit stops so that Pizzonia will be prepared to work with the team when it comes to race day and to ensure safe, quick stops when it really counts.

“I am very happy with logging another day of testing with Rocketsports,” said Pizzonia after climbing out of the car on Saturday. “I am feeling more confident about the car, and I really enjoy working with the team. They have been a big help to me as I get more and more familiar with the car. I am really looking forward to next weekend and I think working together we have the potential for a good result.”

2005 Rookie-of-the-Year Timo Glock made his Champ Car debut last year in Long Beach with Rocketsports starting and finishing in the sixth spot and was the top rookie in the event. Rocketsports brings another rookie to the Champ Car field this weekend and looks to match, if not improve, the results with Glock last season.

The 32nd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach kicks off this Friday on the streets of Long Beach, California. Final qualifying for the event will take place Saturday, April 8, afternoon, which will determine the starting grid for the race on Sunday, April 9. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The race can be seen live on NBC with coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Be sure to check out the Champ Car season preview which will be aired on SPEED Channel Saturday before the race at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
 

Justin Wilson leads final test session of Champ Car preseason
Photos © Champ Car World Series
FONTANA, Calif. (March 30, 2006) – The teams and drivers of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford have done all the testing they are going to do before the 2006 season opener, wrapping up a busy preseason with a second day of testing at California Speedway on Thursday.

Teams took to the 1.459-mile infield road course under sunny skies to make their final preparations leading into next weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and ended up chasing the same guy that led the pack the last time the checkered flag flew over a Champ Car event.

2005 season finale winner Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) hung up the best time of the two days of testing today, stopping the clocks at 52.090 seconds, besting the field by nearly a quarter of a second. Two-time defending champion Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of Newman/Haas Racing, who led Wednesday’s testing, ended up second on the time sheets while his 2005 teammate Oriol Servia (#6 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) carded the day’s third-best time in his new PKV Racing machine.

“We are very happy with our progress over the two days and we put some good laps up, but we know that we still have some ground to cover,” Servia admitted. “Today showed that we are catching up, but we know that we need to build some consistency before we start talking about wins. When we become a consistent threat for podiums, then we can start thinking about wins.”

Bruno Junqueira (#2 Newman/Haas Racing Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) is already thinking about wins, having completed a rigorous testing schedule in preparation for next weekend’s event – his first since the incident in last year’s Indianapolis 500 that knocked him out of the balance of the Champ Car season. He was sixth-fastest today but was encouraged by the fact that he was less than a half-second off the pace set by RuSPORT’s Wilson.

“I am where I expected to be physically and I think I am ready to give 100 percent next week without worry,” Junqueira said. “I’m up to speed at every test. It’s really very close at the top between six or seven guys so I’m excited. My goal is to give my best and to enjoy it. If I do that, I know I can win races.”

As they were yesterday, A.J. Allmendinger (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) and Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) were fourth and fifth when the clocks stopped, although Tracy felt better about things today than he did after a frustrating Wednesday.

“This morning we ran some decent times but weren’t able to improve in the afternoon,” Tracy reported. “But I think we’re where we need to be for Long Beach. We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be here, but we weren’t trying to win anything here either.”

Dale Coyne Racing ran its final evaluation day as the long-time squad looks to finalize its driver lineup for the 2006 opener. Today, Jan Heylen (#11 Sonny’s BBQ Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) took over the 11 car that Nicky Pastorelli ran yesterday, while 2002 series champion Cristiano da Matta (#19 Dale Coyne Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) ran his second day with the team after officially signing his deal on Wednesday.

“I’ve been able to run quite well, especially on the first day and I don’t think we’re too far off for Long Beach,” da Matta said. “We know what we have performance-wise and I think if we continue working on the organization, we have a chance to do well. I think we have a very good starting point and we are looking forward to the start of the season.”

The teams and drivers will take the rest of the week to catch their collective breath before firing the engines for real next week, with the first practice and qualifying sessions of the 2006season taking place on the streets of Long Beach on Friday. The year’s first race will take the green flag Sunday, April 9 at 4 p.m. Eastern, and can be seen live on NBC.
 

Photos © Champ Car World Series
LONG BEACH, California (March 28, 2006) — Having announced last week that Nelson Philippe would be joining Team CTE/HVM for 2006, team principal Keith Wiggins confirmed Dan Clarke of Yorkshire, England will complete their team.  The 22 year old Briton completed an impressive two-day evaluation run at Sebring International Raceway last week and convinced the team that he deserved the drive. 

Rains shorten final day of Champ Car testing at Sebring
Photos © Champ Car World Series
SEBRING, Fla., (March 23, 2006) — The rains came to Central Florida today, but not in time to stop the teams and drivers of the Champ Car World Series from getting in another day of work as they prepare for the start of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season.

Newman/Haas Racing with Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) and Bruno Junqueira (#2 Newman/Haas Racing Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) led the way over the two days of testing at Sebring International Raceway, with Bourdais clocking a best lap of 49.93 seconds on Wednesday. Both drivers ran again on Thursday before afternoon rains closed things down three hours early.

“Things went very well for us,” Bourdais said. “We had a very good first day, the conditions were just about perfect and we worked on quite a few things. The track was very grippy and fast, and we did a lot of laps so it was a good physical workout as well. We ran a lot of laps and a lot of them in the 50s (seconds), so we were working hard. I think we’re ready for the season to start.”

PKV Racing ran two days with Katherine Legge (#20 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Oriol Servia (#6 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), although Servia ran a 50-mile day today as did Nelson Philippe (#4 CTE Racing – HVM Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone).

Legge ran a full second day and is making the most of her final test sessions prior to her April 9 Champ Car debut at Long Beach.

“Things are really going well for us as we keep working toward getting ready for Long Beach,” Legge said. “The team has been 100 percent behind me and I think that we have gotten to the point where we have good chemistry. Of course I am very excited about working with Oriol and he has been very helpful so far. Jimmy (Vasser) has been great too and I think we’ll be in good shape at Long Beach.”

CTE Racing – HVM ran just 50 miles with new signee Philippe today, but put in 51 laps with former British F3 driver Dan Clarke. The 2004 Formula Ford Festival champion ran a few stints to get familiar with the Champ Car as the team looks to finalize its driver lineup for 2006.

“The car feels really good. It did everything I expected it to,” said Clarke, who had tested earlier with Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing. “It was hard work out there. The team told me to do some six-lap runs but I pushed out to 10 because Long Beach is only two weeks away and you can’t afford to get into things slowly now.”

Clarke was on hand as a possible driver for the team’s second car, which will carry the #14 instead of the #55 this season. The 22-year-old Brit is looking to run his first season in the United States, and wants to do it in Champ Car.

“The main thing that interests me about Champ Car is that it’s a level playing field here,” he said. “The teams are much more equal than they are in Formula 1 and I want to race in a series that allows you to go out and show how good you are and I think Champ Car is the best for that.

CTE Racing – HVM will test at Sebring again for the next two days while the majority of the teams are traveling cross-country to participate in Champ Car open testing at California Speedway next Wednesday and Thursday. All the testing is in preparation for the season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which takes place April 7-9. The race can be seen live on NBC beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday April 9.
 

Champ Car World Series teams take to testing trail in Sebring
Photos © Champ Car World Series
SEBRING, Fla. (March 22, 2006) — With less than three weeks remaining until the Champ Car World Series season opener in Long Beach, the teams and drivers of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford are gearing up by turning laps 3,000 miles away from the streets of Long Beach.

Five of the drivers that will chase the Vanderbilt Cup this year tuned up during the first of two days of Champ Car testing at Sebring, including two-time defending series champion Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). Times were unavailable at the conclusion of today’s test, but unofficial clockings showed the majority of the drivers taking full advantage of a very grippy track to log times in the 50-second range.

“We’re not out here to be the champions of Sebring,” said new HVM-CTE Racing signee Nelson Philippe (#4 HVM-CTE Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). “We just need to get out here, build some team chemistry and make sure we are ready for Long Beach. That’s what we did today.”

Philippe and 2005 series runner-up Oriol Servia (#6 Gulfstream/Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) made their first tests of the year with their new teams today, Philippe with HVM-CTE Racing and Servia with PKV Racing.

For Servia though, it was a bit more like Old Home Week than it was moving to a new team at PKV. He goes back to work for the same Jim McGee-led crew that oversaw his 2002 and 2003 seasons at Patrick Racing.

“It’s probably 70 percent of the guys that I worked with at Patrick that are here now and we have some unfinished business from those years that we’re looking to take care of now,” Servia grinned. “Overall, today was a good first day for us. We tried a lot of things but the track has so much grip because of the 12-hour race this weekend that it is harder to judge the effect of the changes.”

Newman/Haas ran both Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira (#2 Newman/Haas Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) on full days, with Bourdais unofficially credited with the fastest lap of the day.

“I think our guys are ready for Long Beach and we need to be ready because the other teams are improving,” said Newman/Haas Racing Team Manager John Tzouanakis. “We put in a lot of miles today and are pretty pleased with the results”

The teams will be back on the test track tomorrow for a full day of testing leading into next week’s open test at California Speedway. The Champ Cars will be on the Fontana infield course next Wednesday and Thursday for two days of testing prior to the April 7-9 season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
 

Mi-Jack Conquest Racing signs reigning Atlantic Champion for 2006
Photos © Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (March 21, 2006) — Mi-Jack Conquest Racing announced today it has signed last year's Atlantic champion, Charles Zwolsman, to a full-time ride for the 2006 Champ Car World Series season.

The Lelystad, Netherlands native produced an impressive rookie season in the Atlantic series in 2005, winning the championship on the strength of three wins, five poles and eight podium finishes. After competing in the Champ Car finale in Mexico City last year, a reward for winning the support series title, Zwolsman is looking forward to his first full season in the Champ Car World Series with considerable enthusiasm.

"This is a great career opportunity for me, and I'm grateful to Eric Bachelart and the Mi-Jack Conquest team for giving me this chance. Each level that you climb in racing is a new challenge and there is always a learning process. Mi-Jack Conquest puts a lot of emphasis on developing young drivers, so I feel I'm in the right place to learn everything I can and contribute to the success of the team," said Zwolsman.

Eric Bachelart, the co-owner of Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, said he is delighted to have the promising Dutchman on board for the 2006 campaign.

"Charles did a fine job winning the Atlantic Series title last year," stated Bachelart. "When he tested with us in December, he performed well. There was a nice chemistry between Charles and the team right from the start, and he provided us with some great feedback. He is endowed with a lot of talent and he is a pleasure to work with. I believe we can expect some very positive things from him."

Signing the 2005 Atlantic champion reinforces Mi-Jack Conquest Racing's commitment to working with young, talented drivers and helping them make the leap into Champ cars. In line with this commitment, MJCR is also fielding a team in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in the 2006 season.

"We are striving, as much as we possibly can, to assist young drivers in advancing to the next level," added Bachelart. "They are the future of Champ Car racing, and Charles certainly falls into that category."

Zwolsman started his racing career in Europe, where he won several karting championships. He moved on to race cars in the German and French Formula Ford series in 1999 and in 2000, he finished second in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup. The following year, he was third in the German Formula Renault Championship. Before joining the Atlantic Series in 2005, Zwolsman raced in the German F3 series in 2002 and the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2003-04.

Zwolsman and Mi-Jack Conquest Racing continue to prepare for the 2006 Champ Car World Series season, which gets underway in Long Beach on April 9. Until then, Zwolsman will be keeping busy by participating in the two-day Champ Car Open Test in Fontana next week, fine-tuning the sets-ups on his #34 Lola-Ford-Bridgestone.
 

Champ Car TurboTour© heads for Toronto
By Kate Shaw
Photos © Champ Car World Series
TORONTO (March 12, 2006) — For the past 20 years, open wheel race fans have flocked by the thousands to downtown Toronto for a week-long celebration in July called the “Molson Indy Toronto.” Starting the next 20 years with new ownership and a new name, the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto will be introduced to the fans and those of you who have wondered what it’s all about, on March 15, 2006. “Is this the year we should take the kids?” you may be asking yourselves. Well, starting tomorrow night in Portland, Oregon, a selection of international drivers and Champ Car people will be touching down in the biggest cities on the Champ Car schedule to rev up the engines of those who never miss a race – and energize those who have yet to enjoy open wheel racing in which no drivers named Michael are involved. (Suitably talented and quick Michaels are welcome, of course!) If you haven’t been to a Champ Car race yet, the Champ Car TurboTour© is a great gateway to learning about one of the most exciting events of the summer season in Ontario.

For those with kiddies who like sporting events, your chance to meet up with the TurboTour© will come at the Air Canada Centre, when the first 5,000 attendees at the Raptors Basketball game will receive a brand new, limited-edition Molson Grand Prix of Toronto poster. In addition, drivers Mario Dominguez and Alan Sciuto (who is one of the new Champ Car Atlantics drivers and is only 16 years old) can be seen there – and for the fathers and older boys, Brandi Latimer who is called “the face of Champ Cars” will be there too.

If you’re part of the clubbing set, come by Brant House (King Street West at Spadina Avenue) after 9:30 p.m. and mingle with RuSport drivers Justin Wilson and A.J. Allmendinger, PKV driver Katherine Legge – the first woman to win an open wheel race (she actually won three races last year), and other representatives of the Champ Car World Series. There will be give-aways of merchandise and you may win a pair of tickets to the three-day race weekend. (You’re advised to contact Brant House in advance if you’re thinking of coming to this event. Check the website for details.  www.branthouse.com )

If you’re out of town and can’t get here in person, rest assured that RFM Sports will be covering this event and you can check back here to read all about it – along with exclusive interviews and information about the brand new Champ Car season and what the brand new event will be like. Personally, we’ve already marked our calendars, and we hope that once you’ve experienced the Champ Car TurboTour© for yourself, you’ll join the thousands of people who return year after year to the biggest downtown party of the summer – with race cars running through it!
 

Team Forsythe rounds up serious horsepower at Texas test
News from Forsythe Championship Racing
HOUSTON, Texas (March 10, 2006) — The Lone Star State is all about horses and oil, and the two came together this week at Houston Motorsport Ranch on the outskirts of the city as Forsythe Racing rode into town for a two-day test session with drivers Paul Tracy and Mario Dominguez. With 750 turbocharged Ford-Cosworth horses on tap, hundreds of gallons of high-octane fuel being consumed and with local TV, radio and newspapers out in force to give the local market a taste of what to expect at the upcoming Houston Grand Prix in May, it was a Texas-sized event at one of the newest racing facilities in North America as the team gets ready for the 2006 edition of Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.

Paul Tracy (#3 INDECK Lola/Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone): “Overall I’m very happy with how things went. This is our first time at this track and let me tell you, it’s one of the most fun tracks I’ve ever driven. It’s got a nice combination of slow, medium and high speed corners, with one of the quickest road course corners anywhere. I was coming in there in seventh gear and not even lifting at the turn in; just a great place to test everything from shocks to aero. All the people here have been very welcoming and I’m excited to be back in Houston. I’ve won here in the past when we raced downtown and it’s a great market for Champ Car.”

Mario Dominguez (#7 INDECK Lola/Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone): “We had a very good test even though the second day got cut short a little by some high winds. What an amazing facility this is! It’s great to have so much interest from the Latin fans here in Houston; it’s very close to home for me (Dominguez hails from Mexico City). I’m glad the media got to come out and see first hand what a Champ Car can do. This is a really big market for us and I’m looking forward to racing in front of all the Hispanic fans. The last race here was fantastic and I expect this one to be even better. And it’s really great to be working with Michael Cannon again.”

Engineer Michael Cannon recently rejoined the Forsythe Team after a stint at HVM Racing. “It’s really good to be back with the Forsythe organization. A big part of this test was for me to get reacquainted with the team and Mario. It was very windy at the end but we still managed to run a lot of test items, so I’m pretty satisfied. We’re all looking forward to the open test at Fontana (March 29-30) to see how we stack up against everybody else. It’s going to be a great season in Champ Car and we expect to be right up front.”

Team Manager Phil LePan: “This was another productive test, one of the best we’ve ever had. This place is a great test facility with a lot of variety. We’re very happy to have found a track that we can work with so well. The test ran smoothly and we got through a lot of test items that will help us during the season. Now it’s on to Fontana for our final test session and then we get down to business at Long Beach!”

American Le Mans/Champ Car World Series

Junqueira, Bourdais to Drive for Panoz at Sebring
Photos © Champ Car World Series
TORONTO, Canada (February 28, 2006) — Champ Car stars Bourdais and Junqueira will lend their talents to Panoz's GT effort at Sebring.

Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz has confirmed that the Newman/Haas duo of Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira will complete its driving lineup for the opening round of the 2006 American Le Mans Series, the 54th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15-18.

The two Champ Car regulars will drive the Panoz Esperante GTLM in the GT2 class – Bourdais teaming up with David Brabham and Scott Maxwell and Junqueira partnering Gunnar Jeannette and Tom Milner.

"I am really looking forward to doing Sebring in the Panoz because it is always important to get as much seat time you can," said Bourdais, no stranger to endurance racing: the Le Mans native has contested his home town's fabled 24 Hours on five occasions and will be competing in his third Twelve Hours of Sebring.

"Our testing is very restricted in Champ Cars so it is handy to get additional miles at this time of year. The race is going to be very interesting as well because the competition in GT2 is looking very strong – I am really looking forward to the battle."

Junqueira, on the other hand, will contest his first-ever endurance race at Sebring. The ALMS event will also mark his first competitive outing since suffering back injuries in a crash at last year's Indianapolis 500.

"The Sebring event will have a lot of 'firsts' for me – my first race with a roof over my head, my first ever sports car race and my first race since the Indy 500 last year," he said.

"It will be great for me to shake off the cobwebs and do some race miles before the first Champ Car race at Long Beach."
 

Forsythe Championship Racing confirms Paul Tracy and Mario Dominguez for 2006
News From Forsythe Championship Racing
Photos © Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (February 20, 2006) — With one driver from Canada, one from Mexico and with a crew based in Indianapolis USA, the 2006 edition of Forsythe Championship Racing could easily be called “Team NAFTA” after the historic trade agreement that marks the close relationship among the three countries. Forsythe Championship Racing is pleased to announce that Toronto’s Paul Tracy and Mexico City’s Mario Dominguez will once again team up for an all-out assault to reclaim the Vanderbilt Cup as Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.

“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to once again sign two of the most talented drivers in motorsport,” said team owner Gerald Forsythe. “Paul Tracy is already a legendary figure in the history of Champ Car and is capable of dominating any event. Mario Dominguez joined our team last year at the last minute and immediately produced outstanding results without any preseason testing at all. I’m excited at the prospects of these two drivers as we seek to repeat our 2003 Championship season.”

Vice President of Operations Neil Micklewright is equally enthused. “Obviously we’re very pleased to continue our relationship with both Paul and Mario. You can’t overstate the value of continuity in a racing team, and with both drivers back for 2006 and the rest of our staff mostly unchanged we’re optimistic that we’re going to have continued success and build on the momentum we developed last year. We’re currently working on our test schedule for both drivers and I know Mario will be very happy to get some preseason testing after having sat in the car for the first time on Thursday at Long Beach last year!”

Paul Tracy will pilot the #3 INDECK Lola/Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone entry. “I’m really looking forward to the 2006 Champ Car season,” commented Tracy. “We had some unfinished business last year when we led more laps than anybody but had a lot of bad luck. The team really stepped up the program in 2005 and we should come off the trailer in Long Beach with quick cars. I’m looking forward to my first test day this week in Sebring. I’ve been in a few other types of race cars recently and can say that there’s nothing more enjoyable and challenging to drive than a Champ Car. It’s good that Mario will be back with us. He’s a great guy, a great teammate and an excellent driver. We work well together and it’s nice to have that familiarity with your teammate. We should be up front again this year.”

Mario Dominguez will drive the #7 INDECK Lola/Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone car. “I’m very excited to be back with Forsythe for 2006,” said Dominguez. “The team was so strong last year and we had fast cars at every event. This year I’m going to be able to do more testing before the first race so that should be a big plus. Champ Car is once again going to be a very competitive series but I anticipate a very successful year for our team. Paul’s experience is a great asset for any driver. We’ve had a chance to get to know one another very well and it will be a great feeling to line up on the grid at Long Beach with this team.”

 

Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series 
LOS ANGELES, Ca. (February 14, 2006) -- Katherine Legge said she was ``shocked and overwhelmed'' after being given a full-time ride in the Champ Car Series for 2006.

Legge, a three-time winner last year as a rookie in the Toyota Atlantic Series, will drive a Lola-Cosworth for the PKV Racing team owned by 1996 series champion Jimmy Vasser, Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven and Dan Pettit.

“I'm very excited,'' the 25-year-old Englishwoman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press before the official announcement was made Tuesday night in Los Angeles. “It's going to be hard and it's going to be interesting, but it's about long-term not just about 2006.

“Really, though, I'm quite surprised to be in this situation this soon.

“I just want to get to Long Beach and get through that race,'' she added, referring to the season-opening race April 9.

She will join Lyn St. James as the only female regular in what was the CART series prior to 2003. St. James ran 15 races in the 1990s, but never won.

A year ago, Legge showed up for the Atlantics race in Long Beach a virtual unknown who had talked Kalkhoven into giving her a chance. She won her debut and quickly had people comparing her to Danica Patrick, the 22-year-old rookie who made headlines in the rival Indy Racing League last year.

“I've said all along that I don't really want to be compared to Danica,'' Legge said. “Hopefully, she'll be competitive in the IRL and we'll both move the whole women's racing thing forward.

“As far as I'm concerned, you just have to work hard and be competitive. I'm not going to play the gender game. I just want to take advantage of the opportunity I'm being given and do the best job I can.''

Kalkhoven, who has not yet decided if the team will run two or three cars in 2006, said Champ Car isn't interesting in getting into a competition with the IRL over whose female driver is better.

“The important thing is that she be a professional driver and, in her case, she'll be a very professional lady driver,'' he said. ``We're not looking for a single phenomenon, female or otherwise, to do anything for Champ Car.''

Kalkhoven said the team is prepared to be patient with its new driver.

“It's been our experience that it's taken Atlantics drivers three years to get competitive,'' he said.

Asked why he decided to move Legge up to the big series instead of giving her a second year in Atlantics, Kalkhoven said, “She earned it.''

“Each of the trials and test we gave her, she passed,'' he said. “She was successful in Atlantics. In a two-day test in Sebring (Fla.), she was as fast as or faster than the male drivers we were testing. Then, we ran her in a simulated race in Sebring to see if she could handle these brutes in the second hour, when drivers get tired and it's harder to drive the car.

“She did very well in all of that.''
 

Photos courtesy of Champ Car World Series
EAST LANSING, Mich. (December 9, 2005) – The year 2005 may not yet be over, but Rocketsports Racing is already planning like it is the New Year by scheduling their first test putting race car driver Richard Lyons in the cockpit on December 12-13 to evaluate his talents for a permanent seat to run for Champ Car’s Rookie-of-the-Year title starting at Long Beach in April.

Lyons made his motorsports debut racing karts in 1988, at only nine years old. In 1996, at the age of 17, he was promoted to Formula Ford. That same year, he also competed in the Formula Vauxhall Winter Series and was crowned the champion. The next two years the talented Irishman spent racing in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Series, where he finished as the runner-up in the 1998 season. Lyons moved on to the Formula Parmer-Audi Series the following year and finished second in the points standings. In 2000, he continued running in the Formula Parmer-Audi Series in addition to running in the Formula Renault 2000 Series.

His career was limited to single-seaters through 2000, and then he set his sights on Japan and the Formula Nippon Championship for 2001. That same year, he participated in his first endurance race, the Suzuka 1000km in a McLaren F1GTR. From 2002 through 2005, Lyons continued competing in the Formula Nippon Championship, while adding racing in the Japanese GT Series to his resume. 2004 was a big year, one that changed Lyons name to Champion, not just in one of the series, but both.

“I am very excited to come to America,” said Lyons about his upcoming test. “I have been following the Champ Car World Series for a long time now, and it has been a goal of mine since the start of my racing career to race in the series. I would like to thank Rocketsports Racing for giving me this opportunity, it is an honor to be able to get behind the wheel of one of their cars and finally get a chance to drive a Champ Car. Hopefully, this test will go well and I will be able to impress some people. My goal is to do the best that I can during this test, with the hopes of landing an opportunity for the upcoming season.”

This will be the first time Lyons gets behind the wheel of a Champ Car, but the Rocketsports team is thrilled to give the 26-year-old driver from Northern Ireland an opportunity to test one of its 750-horsepowered machines on the 1.72-mile permanent road course at Florida’s Sebring International Raceway. Despite his rookie status, the team anticipates a good test knowing Lyons’ solid racing pedigree and its ability to produce reliable racecars.

The third-year Champ Car team demonstrated its reliability during the 2005 season with Timo Glock by finishing second to two-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais in laps completed, finishing 1,285 out of 1,310 laps possible. Glock competed in all 13 rounds of the championship scoring ten top-ten finishes, two top-fives, and one podium with a second place result in Montreal. He earned 202 points in the Champ Car championship, finishing as the top rookie earning the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year title and eighth overall in the championship ranks. The Rocketsports driver was one of only two rookie drivers to finish in the top ten of the drivers championship.

Best Career Finish for David Martinez at Long Beach
News from Forsythe Petit Racing
Photos courtesy Celesta Montoya
LONG BEACH, California (April 21st, 2008) — David Martinez improved more positions than any other driver on his way to a career best eight place finish at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the final Champ Car World Series race. The Mexican driver made daring on track passes throughout the race, which combined with the Forsythe – Pettit engineer’s brilliant pit strategy allowed them to capture ten positions throughout the 83 lap event. The alternate strategy consisted on topping up with fuel on lap seven during an early yellow and then being able to stay on track as the leaders pitted. Martinez played a big role in the strategy as he managed to lap the 1.968 mile street circuit quickly and consistently, at some points being the quickest car in the field. After the pit stop shuffle was over Martinez found himself in eight position and quickly catching up to the leaders. Although the Monterrey native managed to catch the seventh place car with only one lap to go, slower lapped traffic kept him from completing the pass and he had to settle for the eighth position.

“I’m very happy because we really put on a very strong performance,” said Martinez. “It’s a shame that we had mechanical problems during qualifying because we had a great race car today and I think if we would’ve started farther up the grid we could’ve fought easily for a top five spot. Regardless I am very proud, picking up so many positions in such a competitive field was a great achievement. There is no way I could’ve done it without the help of my #37 Forsythe – Pettit crew which was great all day in the pits.

“The first stint of the race was very tough, I was on the Bridgestone “Reds” and had very little grip, I knew we couldn’t push too much so I just held back and saved fuel. After we changed tires things changed completely, I was able to pass a bunch of cars and the team came up with a great strategy that kept pushing us to the front. It was a long race but I just kept pushing every lap and it definitely paid off.

“I have to thank Jerry Forsythe and Dan Pettit for giving me this opportunity, and the whole Forsythe – Pettit engineering group for showing me so much support, there is no question that they are the best in the business. It was an honor to be part of this historic event, I think we put on a great show and gave Champ Car the respect that it deserves in its farewell.”

In only four champ Car starts Martinez has finished inside the top ten three times, reinforcing the speed and consistency that have characterized his open wheel career.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Drivers Enjoy Lakers Game, Meet Beckham Ahead of Race
LONG BEACH, California (April 16, 2008) — Enrique Bernoldi, Nelson Philippe and EJ Viso flew into Long Beach from Miami on Tuesday afternoon and drove immediately--and very quickly--to the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings NBA game for an eventful evening at the Staples Center.

At the game, the three drivers preparing for this weekend's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach watched Kobe Bryant lead his team to victory, clinching the top seed in the Western Conference for the upcoming NBA playoffs. Bernoldi, Philippe and Viso also got the chance to meet several celebrities including famed international soccer star David Beckham at halftime in the Wachovia Chairman's Room. The three drivers were guests at the game of Jeanie Buss, Vice President of Business Operations for the Lakers.

"Beckham and I actually share a mutual friend, and we spoke briefly in Spanish, which by the way he speaks very well given his previous years playing for Real Madrid," said Viso, who is competing in this season's 2008 Indy Car Series and will pilot the PDVSA HVM Racing #33 DPO1 at this weekend's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. "It was the first NBA game that I've ever seen live, and I really enjoyed myself." Viso hails from Caracas, Venezuela.

Conquest Racing's Bernoldi, who has frequented many pro sporting events during his career, including the recent Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Miami where he watched fellow Brazilian Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten play, also enjoyed the experience. "I love to watch top athletes perform, and I've been to several Miami Heat games--but they're not as good this year as the Lakers, of course," said Bernoldi, who will drive the #36 DPO1 this weekend. Bernoldi also is competing in the Indy Car Series this year.

Philippe, a Champ Car driver who will pilot the #4 DPO1 for Minardi / HVM Racing team, has a special surprise for the fans this weekend. He will sport a new race suit specially designed for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. "It's my way of showing appreciation to all of the Champ Car staff and fans who have supported me over the years," said Philippe, the popular Frenchman now living in Florida.

The drivers sat near a host of celebrities at the star-studded event, including actors Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, David Arquette, Andy Garcia, Rob Lowe and Guy Pearce. Tennis legend Jimmy Connors also attended last night's game and joined the drivers in the Chairman's Room at halftime.
 

Statement from Neil Micklewright, VP of Operations for Forsythe Championship Racing Ltd., LLC
INDIANAPOLIS (February 28, 2008) --“Forsythe Championship Racing is announcing today the cessation of its racing operations. After 13 years of competition in CART and the Champ Car World Series, the team has been unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to be able to compete in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 2008. Forsythe Racing Inc., the parent company of FCR, will participate in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Champ Car finale, with drivers to be announced.”

Off-Track Action, PCM Racing Meets Bridgestone Golf and Eurosport Buzz
News from Pacific Coast Motorsports
February 13, 2008
Bridgestone Golf: Pacific Coast Motorsports jumped at the opportunity to team with Bridgestone Motorsport to shoot an exciting commercial for Bridgestone Golf. The commercial was filmed at the Agua Dulce Airpark in California, and features professional athletes from the racing and golf world. David Martinez drove the PCM Champ Car while Pro golfers Fred Couples (pictured), Stuart Appleby, Charles Howell III and Brandt Snedeker represented their sport. The two-day shoot features the focused competition represented in two of Bridgestone’s sports programs, the Champ Car World Series and Bridgestone Golf.

Frankie Returns to His Roots: Tonight’s episode of the CBS hit “Criminal Minds” features PCM Atlantic driver, Frankie Muniz. Muniz took advantage of the Atlantic off-season to return to his acting roots and star in the hit show. The popular episode--titled "True Night" originally aired during sweeps week in November, and features the 22-year-old Muniz portraying a famous comic book actor that becomes involved in the search for a serial killer in Los Angeles. The CBS crime drama has been rated in or near the top 10 throughout the 2007 fall season and recently scored its highest rating of the season. Tune into “Criminal Minds: tonight, February 13th at 9:00 pm ET.

The Buzz: Frankie Muniz will be featured in an upcoming episode of Eurosport Buzz. The interview was filmed at the Pacific Coast Motorsports headquarters last Sunday (pictured left) and focuses on Frankie’s auto racing career. Eurosport Buzz is a magazine broadcast which airs on Eurosport every Saturday, and features the sports interests of celebrities.

About Pacific Coast Motorsports: Formed in 2002 and based in Oxnard, California, Pacific Coast Motorsports are champions on the track and in the marketplace. The 2004 Toyota Atlantic Champions have competed in a diverse array of motorsports challenges, from open wheel to sports car racing and succeeded in every discipline. In 2007 the challenge came full circle as PCM made their debut with a successful two-car effort in the highest level of open wheel motorsports in the United States, The Champ Car World Series. Off the track, PCM has represented some of the countries most recognizable names, from Imperial Capital Bank to Menards, TECATE and Vonage to Uniden establishing successful, high-profile marketing platforms that deliver meaningful exposure and a quantifiable return on investment. PCM is dedicated to success in the Champ Car World Series and committed to go beyond the traditional means to deliver value and exceed the expectations of our partners. Follow our Champ Car season at www.PCMracing.com
 

Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing confirms Justin Wilson to join Graham Rahal for 2008 Champ Car World Series Season

By Martha Meacham
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (January 29, 2008) — Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) announced today that British veteran, Justin Wilson will team with American Graham Rahal for the 2008 Champ Car World Series season. NHLR will attempt to earn their ninth series title in their 26th season of Champ Car competition. Having finished runner-up in the Champ Car World Series driver standings in 2006 and 2007 with the now defunct RuSPORT team, Wilson has high hopes for the 2008 championship. He replaces four-time champion, Sebastien Bourdais, who left the Champ Car ranks for a seat with Scuderia Toro Rosso in Formula 1. Both Rahal and Wilson competed this past weekend in the Rolex 24 Hour sportscar race held at the Daytona International Raceway in Florida. The versatile duo was part of the 4-driver team competing for Michael Shank Racing, along with Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson. The team started from the pole in the DP class and finished sixth overall.

Wilson has competed in Champ Car since 2004 when he drove for Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing and finished 11th overall in his rookie season before moving to RuSPORT in 2005. He finished third in the season-ending standings in 2005 .He has won four races, six poles and finished on the podium 14 times in 54 starts to date. Wilson actually did a test-run for then Newman-Haas Racing in the fall of 2002. The test went well and he was scheduled to attend a driver shootout for the team at Sebring International Raceway in December, but withdrew to pursue an opportunity in Formula One with the Minardi and Jaguar teams in 2003. The position was ultimately offered to Bourdais who went on to win consecutive titles from 2004-2007.

“I am extremely pleased and proud to be joining Newman /Haas /Lanigan Racing,” said Justin. “For the entire time I have been competing in Champ Car, they have been the strongest team. Sebastien (Bourdais) has left pretty big shoes to fill, but I have big feet! Joking aside, I am excited to have the opportunity to add to the results that Sebastien and other drivers before me have achieved for the team. I am hoping to learn my environment quickly and let the results take care of themselves. I am confident that, with a team like this behind me, we can be championship contenders for 2008.”

Rahal, 19, will return to the team for his second year in the series. In 2007, he piloted the #2 MediZone livery for NHL, becoming the youngest driver in series history to finish on the podium .The son of legendary driver, Bobby Rahal, ended the season ranked fifth after a total of four top-three finishes. "I am really looking forward to entering my second season with such a great team, and most of all building on a solid foundation that was started last year," said Rahal. "I think that we should have a strong chance at winning races, capturing podiums and hopefully earning another championship for this historic team. I think we can all look forward to new beginnings, with great new events, and keep growing the races we have had for many years. This season will hopefully be another championship year for me, and the whole team."

"Paul, Mike and I are excited about our line-up of Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal,” said Carl Haas, co-owner with legendary actor (and racer) Paul Newman and Michael Lanigan, of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. “Graham ran well for us in his rookie season last year and showed the potential to win races. Over the past three seasons, Justin has consistently been one of the strongest challengers for the championship and we are now looking forward to having him represent us and again being a contender for the title.”

Wilson, Rahal and NHLR begin testing this weekend (February 2-4) at Sebring, Florida, in the first of three open tests before the season opener at Long Beach on April 20th. Among other drivers scheduled to participate in the test include veteran Alex Tagliani, who will compete along aide Oriol Servia at PKV and former F1 driver, Enrique Bernoldi who recently signed with Rocketsports. The other tests will be held at Houston, Texas and on the fabled Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterrey, California. RaceFamily Motorsports will bring you extensive coverage of the entire 2008 Champ Car Series here at www.rfmsports.com
 

PCM Prepares for Sebring with Alex Figge and David Martinez
News from Pacific Coast Motorsports

Photos © Champ Car World Series
OXNARD, California (January 26, 2008) — 2008 Pre-Season Testing Begins: Preparations for the 2008 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series officially begin next week at Sebring International Raceway. Alex Figge, driver of the #29 PCM Champ Car will complete all three days as he prepares for his sophomore season of Champ Car competition. Figge will be joined by David Martinez, of Monterrey, Mexico in the #28 PCM/DP01. Martinez made an impressive showing in the final two rounds of Champ Car competition in 2007, with his 10th place finish at Surfers Paradise and his strong performance at Mexico City where he looked set to finish in the top-six before a mechanical failure in his Forsythe Racing machine. A graduate of the Champ Car Atlantic Series, Martinez has three Champ Car starts under his belt and is looking forward to his first full season in 2008.

 “I’m very happy, it’s been a long off season for me and we worked extremely hard on getting everything ready for this year,” said Martinez. He continued, “I’m very excited to be able to go to Sebring with Pacific Coast Motorsports. I have always been very fond of the team, and I actually started my Champ Car career with their junior team, so it’s a great feeling to be able to drive their car again. This will be great opportunity to get to know and evaluate each other and build some foundation and relationships so we can start on the right foot if we end up being together for the full season this year. Everybody knows Champ Car is huge in Mexico and also among the Hispanic community in the United States so I’m really looking forward to giving everybody a great result at this test and hopefully for the whole year.”

JR. Team News: US RaceTronics, PCM’s JR team continued their pre-season testing for the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic championship. Carl Skerlong and his potential teammate, Frankie Muniz completed two days of testing at Firebird International Raceway’s West test track and another day at Buttonwillow Raceway last week. Both drivers performed consistently as they continued to develop the 2008 Atlantic package. An official announcement regarding US RaceTronics will be coming soon.
 

Champ Car Stars Wilson and Rahal on Daytona Pole
Champ Car World Series drivers are part of lineup for pole-winning car for 24 Hours of Daytona.
Photos © Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 24, 2008)—When the green flag drops Saturday afternoon for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the car to be co-driven in the race by Champ Car World Series standouts Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal will pace the field for the start of the annual twice-around-the-clock classic.

When qualifying ended Thursday afternoon at the Daytona International Speedway, the No. 61 Ford/Riley entered by Michael Shank Racing was on the pole with a lap time around the 3.56-mile circuit of 1:40.793, good for an average speed of 127.151 miles per hour. Wilson and Rahal will be sharing the car with Brazil’s Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson of the United States.

Wilson, who finished second in this race two years ago, will be making his second start at Daytona while 19-year-old Champ Car counterpart will be making his third start in the race that his father, Bobby Rahal, won in 1981.

"It seems like we have a real good car,” said Rahal. “I ran in traffic during the day and it was solid. I'm not worried a bit about the car in the race. We just need to stay out of trouble and avoid the bad luck that can happen and, if we do that, I think we'll have a good chance to do well."

Ryan Dalziel, a Champ Car rookie in 2007, will start eighth in the SAMAX Racing Pontiac/Riley while Jimmy Vasser, co-owner PKV Racing and 1996 Champ Car titlist, will start 11th in the Gainsco Racing Pontiac/Riley.

Jan Heylen, another veteran of Champ Car, will co-drive a Synergy Racing Porsche GTE that will start sixth in the GT class. Robert Doornbos, 2007 Champ Car "Rookie of the Year", will qualify on Friday.
 

Oriol Servia Returns to PKV Racing for 2008 Champ Car World Series Season
Team to Campaign Two Cars In 2008
News from PKV Racing
INDIANAPOLIS, IN —(January 3, 2008) PKV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson announced today that Oriol Servia will pilot one of two PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone entries during the 2008 Champ Car World Series season.

Servia, who competed for PKV Racing in the last two events of 2007 and during the 2006 season, finished sixth in the championship standings last year. The 33-year-old native of Pals, Catalonia, Spain contested 13 of the 14 events in 2007, the two with PKV Racing and 11 for Forsythe Championship Racing, earning 11 top-10 finishes including five top-five showings with five podium performances. His best finish was a second in Long Beach.

“We are very pleased to be able to come to an agreement with Oriol so quickly,” Johnson said. “He did an outstanding job for us the last two events of the 2007 season and is one of the top drivers in the Champ Car series. Given Oriol’s proven talent, experience, familiarity with the team and having him on board this earlier in the pre-season will allow us to proceed with our off-season program to the fullest as we pursue our goal of winning the championship.”

Johnson went on to say, “Current plans call for the team to run two cars in 2008. The second driver will be named following a series of driver tests.”

PKV Racing co-owner and 1996 Series Champion Jimmy Vasser said, “I have been involved with some very good teams, including championship winning teams in my career. PKV Racing made a lot of progress last season toward becoming a team that can compete for a championship now and for many years to come. We believe that having Oriol, who is not only one of the most experienced and best drivers in the series, but also a good friend, compete for the team in 2008, provides us with the best opportunity to continue developing a championship caliber program as well as giving us the best chance to content for the championship.”

Servia, who will be campaigning his ninth Champ Cars season, has placed in the top-10 in the championship standings in four of the past five seasons including a career high second place showing in 2005. He has one career victory (Montreal 2005) and one pole (Surfers Paradise 2005).

Commenting on the agreement, Servia said, “I am very excited to have the opportunity to continue with PKV Racing. I want to thank Mr. Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Mark Johnson for giving me this opportunity. I know the team and they know me. This will be only the second time in my whole career that I am able to race for a team that I have been with before. The only other time was with Dorricott Racing in 1999 and we won the championship. That is why I am so excited to start working and preparing for our goals this season. I feel that the relationship the team and I have established in the past will be very important as we compete for the championship in 2008.”

In his two races with PKV Racing in 2007, Servia qualified second and was running with the leaders in Surfers Paradise when a late race incident damaged his car. In Mexico City, he qualified fourth then drove one of the most exciting races of the season coming from seventh place late in the contest to finish third.

Driving for PKV Racing in 2006, Servia finished in the top-10 eight times in 14 races including four top-five showings with one podium performance. He placed 11th in the standings just three points out of 10th and 22 out of fifth. In the six races Servia did not place in the top-10, he DNF’ed (did not finish) each time, only once due to pilot error. All six times he was running in the top-five when he went out of the race. Servia qualified in the top-10 in 12 of the 14 races in 2006 with five top-five starting spots. His qualifying record earned him the team record for consecutive top-five starting positions (4) and tied him with Jimmy Vasser and Cristiano da Matta (2005) and Neel Jani (2007) for the most top-10 starting spots in a season.
 

Viso and Battistini Complete 2-Day Test with Minardi Team USA
News from Team Minardi USA
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (December 4, 2007) – Minardi Team USA wrapped up two days of testing with Venezuelan Ernesto Viso and Englishman Dillon Battistini today at Sebring International Raceway in sunny Florida. The pair completed nearly 300 miles each around the 1.669 mile road course, which is the sight of the first Series test in early February 2008.

The temperatures were very mild, and made for good testing conditions; not too hot, not too cold, and both drivers came to grips with the DP01 very quickly. Monday started out with systems checks and the drivers acclimatizing themselves to the cars. For Ernesto, there was no adjustment to the paddle-shift gearbox, as GP2 cars utilize the same technology, but for Dillon, it was a whole new procedure. Both drivers spent the necessary time getting comfortable, and the remainder of the time on Monday was used getting the drivers up to speed.

Dillon Battistini said “The test went very well for me. Jumping into this car straight away after F3 is a substantial jump, but considering, I am quite happy with what we achieved in such a short amount of time. Things went as well as I could have ever hoped for. The team is wonderful, all the guys were great, and I learned a lot from everyone. We made a lot of progress developing the car, we worked through our program, and I’m pleased to have helped in that way. The car was great! The amount of power it has is fantastic, but very manageable. Hopefully this test has given my backers the confidence to allow me to be in Champ Car full-time in 2008 and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Tuesday was spent working with engineers and trying to find a fitting setup for each driver. More seat time allowed both drivers to find additional speed on the second day, and both ended up with very competitive times.

Both drivers will head back to their homes for the holidays, and they both hope to be back in Sebring for the first Champ Car test February 2-4 next year. Minardi Team USA will head back to the workshop in Indianapolis to continue preparing for the fast-approaching New Year and the 2008 season.

Ernesto Viso said, “I am very happy with the two days of testing with Minardi Team USA, and I feel we had a very productive test. I got to know the car, and I gained a better understanding of the behavior of this chassis. It is different from what I am used to, but I figured it out pretty quickly. I think we turned some competitive lap times and I believe even faster than in the previous tests. We worked on a lot of set-up changes, and I hope my feedback has helped the engineers.”

Concluded Keith Wiggins, team co-owner, “It was a productive test for Minardi Team USA. Ernesto turned some very competitive times over the course of the two days. He worked very well with all the crew, and we were all very impressed with his on and off-track conduct. I was also impressed with Dillon with his professional approach and feedback. It was more of a jump for him from F3 but he definitely proved that with enough time in the car he’ll be a good addition to the Champ Car World Series.”
 

Forsythe Championship Racing And RuSport To Combine Operations For 2008 Champ Car World Series Season
Team To Be Named Forsythe/Pettit Racing
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (Nov. 26, 2007) -- Two of the most competitive teams in the Champ Car World Series will combine operations for the 2008 season.

Forsythe Championship Racing owner Jerry Forsythe and RuSport owner Dan Pettit announced today that they will combine operations and run under the banner of Forsythe/Pettit Racing beginning with the 2008 season.

Forsythe, a co-owner of the Champ Car World Series, said: “I am pleased to announce the combination of Forsythe Championship Racing and RuSport Racing. I know that Dan (Pettit) and I share the same goal and that is to compete for a championship. This partnership will enable us to do that and I look forward to a successful season for Forsythe/Pettit Racing in 2008 and for many years to come.”

Pettit, who purchased RuSport last season from Carl Russo and also serves as a co-owner of the Champ Car World Series, said: “I am thrilled to be partnering with Jerry Forsythe. The entire Forsythe team has experience competing at the highest levels and winning championships. I think combining our efforts will give us a team that can contend for a title immediately.”

Forsythe Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of Champ Car having amassed 32 wins, 34 poles and one championship in 16 years of competition. The team, which began operations in 1983, but took a hiatus from 1985 until 1993, has campaigned such well-known drivers as: Teo Fabi, who in 1983 won four races and captured six poles, including the Indianapolis 500, and went on to place second in the Champ Car standings; Jacques Villeneuve, one win, finished second at the 1994 Indy 500 and was “Rookie of the Year” at both Indy and for the Series; the late Greg Moore, five wins; Patrick Carpentier, five wins; Alex Tagliani; Paul Tracy, 12 wins and the Series championship in 2003; and A. J. Allmendinger, who scored five wins in just nine starts in 2006. Last year, Forsythe Championship Racing campaigned four different drivers. Oriol Servia made 11 starts placing sixth in the points, while Paul Tracy had one victory (Cleveland). Mario Dominquez and David Martinez also contested races.

RuSport joined the Champ Car World Series in 2004 and has quickly risen to become one of the top teams in the Series. It has scored four wins in four seasons and finished second in the championship standings the last two years with driver Justin Wilson. In their inaugural season, Allmendinger finished sixth in the standings and captured the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year award. In 2005, former Formula 1 driver Wilson joined the team and he and Allmendinger formed a dynamic duo contending for the championship and race wins all season. Wilson scored the teams first two victories that year and eventually placed third in the championship with Allmendinger finishing fifth. The following year, Wilson notched another win and captured the first of his two runner-up showings in the final standings (2006 and 2007). This past year he earned the team’s fourth win (Assen, Holland).
 

PKV Racing, Conquest Racing Earn Sherwin-Williams ‘It’s All In The Finish’ Color And Design Awards In Mexico
Photos © Champ Car World Series
MEXICO CITY (November 11, 2007) – A couple of Champ Car Teams head into today’s race as winners. Conquest Racing was chosen as the recipient for the Sherwin-Williams ‘It’s All in the Finish’ Color and Design Award for the Mexican round of the competition while PKV Racing received the year-end prize for winning the award the most times in 2007.

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes’ ‘It’s All in the Finish’ Color and Design Award is awarded to teams at selected events throughout the season. The judges are customers of Sherwin-Williams branches located in different cities that the Champ Car World Series visits. They choose the team with the best paint scheme by evaluating which car has the best color, design, gloss and overall appearance.

Teams normally receive a $10,000 cash prize, but Sherwin-Williams upped the ante for the season finale Gran Premio TECATE Presented by Banamex by offering a $20,000 cash prize to the winner. Needless to say, the teams worked hard in an effort to claim the prize.

PKV Racing positioned their cars under a lighted tent and handed out specially designed carbon fiber clip boards and caps to the judges during the evaluation round on Saturday. However, it was the pearl blue, white and metallic silver paint scheme of the Juniper Soul / Opes Prime Conquest Racing car driven by Nelson Philippe that earned the accolades in Mexico City.
 

“We are delighted to have won the Sherwin Williams ‘It’s All in the Finish’ Color and Design Award this weekend,” said Eric Bachelart, Conquest Racing Team Owner. “We made a very strong effort to come up with a good presentation and we are grateful for the support and incentives that Sherwin Williams has provided all of the teams to enhance the Champ Car experience. This competition allows the teams to show off the DP01 and Sherwin Williams Planet Color paints to all of the fans.”

While Conquest Racing won the single prize for Mexico City, it was PKV Racing that finished on top in the year-end tally with four wins thanks to the beautifully detailed paint scheme on the #22 Pay By Touch / MegaSpirea car as well as Neel Jani’s #21 Red Bull / Gulfstream DP01. PKV Racing also takes home a $20,000 cash prize for this honor.

"We are very pleased and proud to have won the 2007 Sherwin-Williams ‘It's All In The Finish’ award, said PKV Racing General Manager, Mark Johnson “On behalf of everyone at PKV Racing I would like to thank Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes for their support for the Champ Car World Series."

Minardi Team USA is the only other team to have won the ‘It’s All in the Fin