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PECORARI SCORES VICTORY Nashville, TN (July 14, 2007) - Robbie Pecorari driving the # 13 Cabo Wabo Tequila / Team KMA Racing Dallara claimed his first win in the Indy Pro eries today. Starting in 3rd position, Pecorari and Series points leader Alex Lloyd would have a back and forth battle till the end. 32 laps into the race, Robbie took over the lead and held it through the half way point. Lloyd got a good jump on the re-start after a caution period and took over the lead. With just 4 laps remaining Pecorari was back in first place and held off a last lap charge by Logan Gomez to claim the victory. "First off, I have to thank the team and crew," said Pecorari. "We rode off the trailer quick, not coming here testing as a bunch of other teams have.So it's definitely been a great weekend from the beginning." When asked about the weekend, Jon Lewis and Ingo Strackerjan, co-owners of Team KMA Racing and racecar co-owner rocker Sammy Hagar stating, "It was a perfect weekend, absolutely perfect. As Robbie said, we came here not testing at this track prior to the race weekend as so many other teams had done, so we weren't sure what to expect, but right off the bat we had a strong car. With all the road racing background we have as a team, we felt that we would be strong on the road courses which we proved at St. Pete and Watkins Glen, but we've really stepped up our game on the ovals as well with the 5th place in Iowa and now the win here in Nashville." "Robbie's a tremendous driver," Lewis continued. "I can't say enough about this young man. We're very proud to have him on our team. But, I have to also say that this is a team sport and I give great thanks to all our crew; Martin Bates, Justin Herring, Kristy Castrogiovanni and Mark Weida. We've made some changes to our program a few races back and brought in Martin(Bates) and Mark (Weida), which has been a very positive move. I think this is just a sign of things to come." When asked about the Series, Lewis said, "We're a small team, but I think this just goes to prove that you can be small and still beat the big boys.The Indy Pro Series is just phenomenal. If you're going to be in open wheel racing in America and if you have your sights on competing in the Indy 500 someday, whether it be as a driver or a team, this is the only place to be."
For more information about the team and drivers please go to http://www.tkmar.com. Catch all the action on ESPN2 on Wednesday July 18th at 5:00 PM EST. The next event on the Indy Pro Series schedule will take place next weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. PECORARI CLAIMS 3RD PLACE STARTING POSITION Nashville, TN (July 13, 2007) - Robbie Pecorari, driving the #13 Cabo Wabo Tequila / Team KMA Racing entry in the Indy Pro Series captured a commanding 3rd place starting position for tomorrow's Sunbelt 100 race at the Nashville Superspeedway. "Who said a number 13 black car, driven on Friday the 13th is a bad thing?"exclaimed Pecorari. "The #13 Cabo Wabo Tequila car was perfect today. It's rare that a driver gets a car this good to drive. We've made some changes in our program at Iowa and we've seen some huge benefits since then. I really want to thank my crew, they've worked hard to help me get here. Its great knowing that I'll finally be able to start up front and not have to battle my way through the field." When asked about his prediction for tomorrow's race, Pecorari laughed, "No race is ever easy to win, but its Julie's (Team co-owner, Jon Lewis' wife) birthday tomorrow and winning would be a great present." Pecorari has been the 3rd and 4th fastest driver in each practice session of the weekend and is coming off a race at Watkins Glen last week, which saw him advance 11 positions (more than any other driver). "Robbie's a very strong driver and he's been quick all weekend," commented Jon Lewis. "He is a very focused young man and knows what he has to do to win. We've had some pretty strong finishes this year (2 top-5's and 2 top-10's) and all starting from back in the field, so starting in 3rd is a huge plus". The Sunbelt 100 will start Saturday at 3:30 PM. Press Release July 8th, 2007 For Immediate Release Team KMA Racing - Formula BMW and Indy Pro Series Snapshots A
rather dissatisfied team manager gave these comments and explanations
for race 7 and 8 in the FBMW series. "It would be a pleasure to give
to our fans, friends, supporters and sponsors only the best news - having
won the last races - but as it mostly is in today's racing world - life
is full of unexpected surprises. From Miller, flat tire for Jeffrey; Montreal
GP, Jeffrey's brake failure; mysterious overnight shock settings to another
tire failure, engine and clutch problems; to master switch breakage during
the race; Robbie's engine failures in Indy and his sensor problems at
the Indy Pro Series race last weekend - all this we hoped would come to
an end!" Ingo Strackerjan goes on. The ever changing weather conditions at Lime Rock, from nasty down pours to light drizzle and fog to brilliant sun shine and the most spectacular surroundings did remind everyone that it will not be easy to carry out their mission - solid driving, sound placing and securing their points. Sadly enough this all did not work out - Mike Hill went off course just before Turn One and out of 2nd position, narrowly missing Jeffrey Petriello. Jeffrey rolled the car at the starting grid and was penalized with a drive through penalty. "We objected to this penalty as he clearly stopped before the white bar and only then, after the lights went out, completed his start," Strackerjan continued. "But as it has shown many times in the past, after an in-race penalty had been assessed, the IMSA officials have rarely showed an open ear for such objection. Jeffrey came in and took his penalty which basically finished his podium chances and might also interfere with his Rookie Championship placing. It surely is sad that, as a team spoken here, there are no remedies to reverse an IMSA decision after a race. I certainly can understand Jeffrey's emotions and his rather frustrating drive afterwards, working hard for a championship, realizing that the car creeps forward, correcting it and then still getting the full penalty - that's not easy to take!" "Tim
tried his best and decided to see this race as an opportunity to hone
his race craft and learn more for the next races - simply a good choice! Asking Strackerjan about Tim Hollowell he starts smiling, "Tim is a good kid, and will be fast sooner than later. He takes his time and goes bit by bit - he knows, really knows what he wants to be and that it takes time. I think he has the analytical skills, will power, physical and mental strength to be an accomplished race car driver! We were not planning to run a fourth driver but ... and we liked Tim right from the beginning. it makes life in a team so much easier!"
Team Members can be reached through the www.TKMAR.com website. Hi-Res pictures are available upon written request. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Milwaukee, WI (June 2, 2007) - It was a long day for Team KMA Racing that ended shorter than planned. The Indy Pro Series race at the Milwaukee Mile was a one-day event with practice, qualifying and the race all wrapped up into one, which makes for a very long day. As teams rolled out onto the track for the morning's first practice and with only a few laps completed Robbie Pecorari driving the Team KMA Racing Cabo Wabo Tequila sponsored #13 spun coming out of turn 2 and backed it into the wall. "The car felt fine," stated Pecorari. "It felt very neutral, but all of a sudden the back snapped loose and all I could do was try to keep it off the wall. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to. Milwaukee is a very tricky track with very low banking. I just got up to speed a little too soon." The
Milwaukee race only had a one 1-hour practice session followed by a 40
minute session later that was split up between the teams with 20 minutes
each on track. Missing the first practice session would make for a long
day. During the second practice session Pecorari felt that the car was very tail happy and came into the pits for a front spring change. With only a 20 minute session, this reduced the number of quality laps for the young driver, but he felt the changes made the car much better. On the ovals, qualifying is accomplished by each car running separately and two hot laps are counted for the qualifying position. Pecorari qualified the Cabo Wabo Tequila car in 19th place. "The car felt pretty good," said Pecorari. "But with very little track time, I wanted to play it a little safe and just get it into the show. Milwaukee is known for on-track incidents, so we felt that we needed to get her in and then I'd work my way up the field during the race." As
the race started, Robbie settled into a good race pace. "The car
felt good and I could already see that I could start moving up the field
right away." But, on lap 10 a crash involving Hideki Mutoh, Andrew
Prendeville and Pecorari brought the car into the pits and after examination of the damage the Team KMA crew sent him back onto the track. The nosebox was pretty torn up but the front wing was still intact, yet slightly damaged from the incident. As
Pecorari continued on, a slight vibration in the steering began to get
stronger. "The car felt alright for a few laps and I could challenge
some of the other cars," Pecorari continued. "But, then the
car just got progressively worse and all I could do was work to keep it
on the track." "It was definitely not the result we were looking for," said Lewis. "Not one of our better weekends. But, this happens in racing. If it were easy, everybody would do it. Robbie and the crew did a good job. It just wasn't our day. We dropped back a few places in the Championship, but we gained a few points in the Rookie Championship and that's what we have our eye on. The United States Grand Prix is coming up in a couple weeks and Robbie has a lot of experience on the road courses. We have to concentrate on that right now." PECORARI TAKES OVER 4TH PLACE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Once again the old saying that the race is not over until the checkered flag waves, has proven its truth! Team KMA's Indy Pro Series driver Robbie Pecorari, starting on the 22nd position, made his way through the field right from the beginning. A caution on the first lap, and then two further ones later on, did not help him in his quest catching the leader. However, Robbie fought early on and captured more positions each time, ending the race in 11th position under a yellow caution due to rain. This result moves Robbie up into 4th in the Indy Pro Series Championship points and keeps him firmly in 2nd place in the Rookie standings. "We
are certainly happy with the results especially after yesterday's qualifying
fiasco" stated Jon Lewis, Team Manager and co-owner of Team KMA Racing.
"Naturally a podium finish was what we were shooting for but here
in Indy it would have taken a miracle to come from 22nd to the first row
as the track is long, fast and most drivers in this field are of high
caliber. So, "If I could have had this car in qualifying yesterday, I am certain that I would have been in the first couple of rows, if not on the front row" says Robbie Pecorari, a native of Aston, PA. "However, I am happy to move up in the points standing and would like to thank the crew and engineers for recognizing the car's problems in time to make the changes. I also appreciate the support from the race fans, especially the ones from my hometown, who took the time coming to my paddock and encouraging me - thank you!" The next Indy Pro Series race is in 8 days at the Milwaukee Mile. For more information about the drivers, teams, series and hi resolution pictures please go to the team website at http://www.tkmar.com Team KMA struggles with set up For immediate release Indianapolis, IN (May 24, 2007) - Today's practices for the /Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series went somewhat under difficult conditions for Robbie Pecorari's Team KMA Racing. The Team chose to use the set up from the Indy Open Test a few weeks back, which didn’t work well in today’s first practice session. So, a change was made for the second session, which worked well, but the team went too far for qualifying and Robbie experienced a significant understeer situation. Even though Robbie did his best in qualifying, he ended up on the 22nd position for tomorrow's race. "The practice went well but we still had some difficulties in the turns and my engineer worked hard to solve the problem. We selected to go a little bit stiffer than in the practice before the qualifying, but unfortunately this just did not do the trick," explained a rather disapointed Robbie Pecorari. "To start at the tail end of this important race is something I really did not like at all. But the race is not finished until the checkered flag is dropped and at the last practice after qualifying we were once again up to speed and the car felt really good. I am confident that Team KMA will give me a fast Cabo Wabo Tequila sponsored car as they did it before". Jon Lewis, co-owner of Team KMA fully agreed with Robbie's statement and added, "I would rather forget today's qualifying - somewhat a waste of time and effort on all of Team KMA's personnel and driver. But these things happen and we just have to learn from these mistakes. We are all very concerned when it comes to these issues as with the qualification format at Indy (single qualifying, 2 hot laps only) it is imperative to have the car in the best trim as possible. We however have Robbie Pecorari as one of the best drivers in the series and are very confident that he will bring the CABO WABO car to the front once again". The Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series races will start on Friday at 12:45 and can be seen on ESPN2 at 4:00 PM EST.
Auto
Racing: Pecorari off to fast start in Indy Pro Series Robbie Pecorari, 19, of Aston, is off to a great start as a rookie in the Indy Pro Series, a driver development program sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. He has three top-10 finishes. Pecorari, a 2005 graduate of Garnet Valley High School, finished seventh March 31 and fifth April 1 in the Indy Pro Series Grand Prix, a doubleheader on the tight but fast 1.8-mile temporary street course in St. Petersburg, Fla. He started both races in seventh place. The Indy Pro Series Grand Prix was a warmup for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Indy Car race. Helio Castroneves won the Honda Grand Prix. "It was a good weekend," Pecorari. "There were a couple of incidents and a little bit of blocking, but overall it was good. I ended up getting hit on the start Sunday in turn one but was able to rebound for a top five." Pecorari and his fellow Indy Pro Series drivers hit about 155 mph on the street course’s main straightaway. By comparison, the Indy cars reached 175 to 180 mph. One week earlier Pecorari finished eighth in the Indy Pro Series season opener, the Miami 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The March 24 Miami 100 was a warm-up for the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300, the Indy Car Series season opener won by Dan Wheldon. At Homestead, Pecorari started 18th and gained five positions on the first lap. He was in 10th place when a serious accident on lap 47 damaged the fence and caused the race to be shortened by 10 laps as crews repaired the fence. "I learned a lot from this first race in an Indy Pro Series car," Pecorari said. "One of our goals was to finish in the top 10. S, it’s a great start with a new team. We struggled a bit even though we had a good car. We definitely had a fifth-place car." In 2006, Pecorari competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Series, a development series sanctioned by the Champ Car World Series. He won one race in the Atlantics. In 2005, he ran in the Star Mazda Series and was in second place for Rookie of the Year honors. In 2004, he competed in the Skip Barber Racing Series. Before that, he raced in go-karts for several years. Pecorari drives the No. 13 Cabo Wabo Tequila car. Indy Pro Series racers resemble the slightly larger and more powerful IRL cars. Engines generate about 430 hp, about half the output of IRL motors, but good enough to produce 190-mph laps at Homestead. That is a very impressive lap speed, considering that the Indy cars turned laps in the 215-220-mph range. Pecorari voiced optimism about his rookie season. "It feels great," Pecorari said. "So far, the publicity’s been good. It’s great to be challenging the other teams. The team has good resources, so we should do pretty well." He has already made friends with some of the regulars on the IRL circuit, including Marco Andretti, 20, son of Michael and grandson of Mario. The Andrettis live in Nazareth, just north of Allentown and the former site of a one-mile IRL track. Pecorari’s next Indy Pro Series race is the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, set for May 25. He is scheduled to test his Indy Pro Series car at Indy April 27. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ROBBIE PECORARI CLAIMS 5TH PLACE St. Petersburg, FL (April 1, 2007) – Robbie Pecorari driving the #13 Cabo Wabo Tequila Team KMA Racing Dallara claimed a 5th place finish in today's third race of the Indy Pro Series at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. With three top-10 finishes (8th at Homestead, 7th in Saturday's race at St. Pete and 5th in today's race at St. Pete) Robbie is now currently in 5th place in Championship points and 2nd in Rookie points. Team KMA Racing also currently sits in 5th place in Team points. "It was a very exciting weekend," stated Team KMA co-owner Jon Lewis. "When we finished on top of the charts for the second practice session, we knew we had something here. The Team KMA crew did a great job putting a solid car underneath Robbie and Robbie did a masterful job on track. We had a lot of people at the race this weekend and it was great to have such a strong finish." After
taking a big hit from behind in the first turn of the opening lap, Pecorari
soldiered on and never looked back. "It was a pretty big hit and
tore off a significant section of my left front wing end fence,"
commented Pecorari. "But, other than a little understeer in the right
hand turns, the car felt very stable." Both rounds of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix for the Indy Pro Series will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 4:30 PM on Friday, April 6th. Team
KMA Racing is sponsored in part by Cabo Wabo Tequila, Cabo Wabo Cantina,
SRI Hydraulics and Auto Aficionado Magazine. Team KMA Racing is a motorsports
company formed by a partnership between Jon Lewis (American Spirit Racing)
and Ingo Strackerjan (Atlantic Racing Team). The #13 Cabo Wabo Tequila
racecar is co-owned by Hall of Fame Rocker Sammy Hagar and Jon Lewis.
Team KMA Racing also campaigns three cars in the Formula BMW USA Championship
with drivers; Mike Hill, Julia Landauer and Jeffrey Petriello. FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Homestead, FL (March 24, 2007) - Robbie Pecorari driving the Cabo Wabo Tequila sponsored Team KMA Racing Dallara in the Indy Pro Series season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway claimed an 8th place finish today. Starting in 18th position, Pecorari immediately got down to business and masterfully worked his way through the field. 25 cars started today's race that was scheduled for 67 laps, but was cut short to 57 laps due to a huge hole torn in the catch fence from an incident on lap 46. What makes Robbie's climb through the field even more impressive is that there were only 27 laps of green flag racing. "The Cabo Wabo Tequila car was phenomenal during the entire race and only got better as the race went on," claimed Pecorari. "It's a shame that the race was shortened by the caution periods as I feel we could have easily got into the top 5. All in all, it was a good weekend. I learned a lot about the car and race strategy and feel very confident going into St. Pete. My best wishes go out to my competitors that were involved in today's incidents." "Robbie
did a tremendous job today," stated Team KMA co-owner Jon Lewis.
"Being his first race in this series and his first oval race in these
cars at these speeds, I have to say that I was very impressed. But my
partner Ingo (Strackerjan) and I knew what we had in this young driver
going into the series. We had some issues yesterday trying to find the
right set up for qualifying and unfortunately weren't able to find the
right one. But, the crew did a great job over night and today the Cabo
Wabo car was perfect. I have to hand it to the entire team, from Robbie
to Chuck (Buckman) , Justin (Herring) and Joe (Barlam), they pulled it
all together and now we have some good momentum heading to St. Pete." TEAM
KMA – ROBBIE PECORARI - 2007 INDY PRO SERIES DRIVER, INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 24, 2007) – Team KMA principals Ingo Strackerjan and Jon Lewis announced today that they have signed for the 2007 Indy Pro Series season, the well-known Pennsylvania native, Robbie Pecorari, as their Driver. Pecorari passed his Indy Pro Series Rookie test today at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Robbie Pecorari will be driving the Cabo Wabo sponsored 430 hp Dallara racecar for the full 2007 season in a field of more than 26 equally powered Indy Pro Series racecars on Street, Oval and Road courses. The infamous Cabo Wabo Tequila, owned by legendary rocker Sammy Hagar is a sponsor of Team KMA Racing and in an announcement made earlier last week, it was confirmed that Sammy Hagar had also become a co-owner of the Indy Pro Series race car. Jon Lewis goes on to explain “It’s really exciting to announce that we were able to offer Robbie a sponsored drive, thanks to the people of Cabo Wabo Tequila.” “Besides being a music icon and car fanatic, this truly demonstrates Sammy Hagar’s belief in supporting young talented athletes. As a sponsor of our Team and a co-owner of our Indy Pro Series racecar, this dramatically increases and enhances the ladder system we have established for our drivers to successfully progress in their careers.” “First off I would like to thank Jon and Ingo for trusting me to put the Cabo Wabo Tequila car on the top step of the podium,” exclaimed Robbie Pecorari. “Without them and Sammy Hagar none of this would be happening. I am also looking forward to coaching our Team’s Formula BMW drivers. This will be a first for me, but I am looking forward to the extra time at the track and becoming an integral part of this Team.” Robbie’s most recent accomplishments include finishing 2nd in the 2005 Formula Mazda Championship, just 11 points shy of capturing the title after claiming 2 wins and 7 podium finishes, and dominating the Toronto Grand Prix in the ChampCar Atlantic Championship in 2006 while leading every lap and taking the victory. Team KMA also announced today that their Formula BMW operation will welcome Robbie as a mentor to their three young FBMW guns; Mike Hill, Julia Landauer and Jeffrey Petriello who will also be sponsored by the Cabo Wabo Cantina. Strackerjan went on to say “We are indeed excited to have Robbie within the KMA team. We all know that with his knowledge, Robbie will add to our talent pool, providing our young FBMW drivers with driving pointers, race strategies, and in general, the opportunities to learn from an accomplished driver. Over the past three years I watched Robbie’s success, followed his progress from karting to Atlantics and have seen Robbie’s talents. He will be very successful in the 2007 Indy Pro Series Championship. With the addition of more road courses, many of them he has raced on in previous years, his chances are very good to gain podium positions. Our plans for Robbie are very simple – he will be our entry to the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the dream to participate in the biggest racing spectacle in the world – the infamous Indianapolis 500! Nothing less will do. We thank Cabo Wabo and Sammy Hagar for being such a great supporter and believer in Team KMA.” #
# # Pecorari,
a deserving fourth in Road America
Fleming
and Pecorari, 10th and 11th in wet Montreal Pecorari
and Fleming, 6th and 9th in Atlantic Denver, Colorado, August 15th, 2006. – With both ladder series racing this weekend at the Grand Prix of Denver, Gelles Racing sent eight drivers to the track and collected seven Top 10 finishes. Champ Car Atlantic racers Robbie Pecorari and Colin Fleming finished a race shortened by four laps in sixth and ninth place. Meanwhile, Californian John Zartarian led the Formula BMW USA forces with another podium finish on Saturday and a strong seventh place on Sunday. Colombian Sebastian Saavedra was also successful with a seventh and fifth in the double header, staying within five points of the lead in Best Rookie standings. “These series are so competitive, alleged team owner Bob Gelles, that any finish in the Top-10 is satisfying especially with several Gelles drivers accomplishing the task. Robbie and Colin continued their admirable work with the team: Robbie earned eighth fastest time in qualifying while Colin was a bit too aggressive in corner 4 in the early stages of Saturday qualifying session and had to start from a distant 16th place. Robbie jumped into 6th position and held his place to the stripe while Colin charged the field and reeled in seven places. He admits he could have reached seventh behind Robbie if the race had gone the distance.” Both series heading North to Canada Crews will regroup in Indianapolis and Front Royal before they hit the road again to Canada for the next round of the Champ Car Atlantic series as part of the Grand Prix de Montréal on Gilles-Villeneuve racetrack. The BMW boys will sit another week before they set out on Labor Day weekend to Toronto area Mosport facility in Ontario for the last season double header, part of the ALMS program. In 2006, Gelles Racing enters the Champ Car Atlantic Championship with a two-car effort and the Formula BMW USA Championship with six cars. Western Union, BMW of Sterling, USA TODAY and Hebert & LeBleu sponsor the team. For more information, Bob Gelles may be contacted at (703) 926-2474 or by email bob@gellesracing.com. For information: Michel Poirier-Defoy, press manager, info@gellesracing.com
San Jose: Gelles Racing drivers show strong performances San José, July 31st, 2006. – Gelles Racing caught a lot of attention this weekend on and off the track. Friday night, team owner Bob Gelles announced his team would join the Champ Car World Series championship in 2007 with a two-car effort. He also made it clear Gelles Racing would promote a full ladder team with cars in Formula BMW USA and Champ Car Atlantic. Meanwhile, on the track, Colin Fleming earned fourth fastest time and started the race on second row, had a great start moving to 3rd in the first lap. His race was ended on lap 6 when another car pushed him into the turn-six wall to end his day while he was third and looking for his first podium in only his second Atlantic race. Robbie Pecorari made a muscular comeback from 18th up to 8th before he brushed the turn-6 wall on lap 31 to end his day with a broken suspension. “Our drivers were very quick but they come away unrewarded with championship points, said Bob Gelles. Colin was running third in the #14 eSoles/King Taco car and could have won the race but was sidelined by an avoidable contact from car #30. Robbie was just 0.5 second behind Colin in qualifying but that set him back 10 places. His #28 Western Union/USA Today machine was one of the fastest today but he admits he gambled a little bit on the exit of turn 6 and paid the price pushing hard to gain a top-5 finish. Finally, Phil Giebler in his maiden race in the #42 Jos. J. Albanese car survived a pit stop early for a front wing change and drove very well to finish 11th overall.” “We’re very excited about our commitment to run two cars in the Champ Car World Series next year, he added. I have been trying to put together my own ladder system for four years and 2007 will see us with six drivers in BMW USA, four in Champ Car Atlantic and two in World Series, a perfect tier system. With the new Panoz DP-01 chassis together with the new competition regulations, even a rookie team can be competitive in CCWS. Kevin Kalkhoven convinced me the CCWS was heading in the right direction.” Next round: Grand Prix of Denver Racing crews are heading toward Colorado State University for regular maintenance before they drive back to Denver for the second running of the Mile High event. Both series will again be part of the racing card. In 2006, Gelles Racing enters the Champ Car Atlantic Championship with a two-car effort and the Formula BMW USA Championship with six cars. Western Union, BMW of Sterling, USA TODAY and Hebert & LeBleu sponsor the team. For more information, Bob Gelles may be contacted at (703) 926-2474 or by email bob@gellesracing.com. For information: Michel Poirier-Defoy, press manager, info@gellesracing.com Robbie
Finishes 10th in Edmonton
Robbie Pecorari to Participate in Atlantic Chat on Thursday at 2 PM ET The latest winner in the Yokohama Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will chat with fans this week at champcaratlantic.com. Robbie Pecorari will stop by at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 13 to discuss his first Atlantic victory, which came on Sunday at the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto. Pecorari, a 19-year-old rising American star from Aston, Pennsylvania, will discuss his 2006 rookie season with Gelles Racing and how Sunday's 38-lap race at Exhibition Place panned out for him. Pecorari grabbed the lead from his starting position of fifth place at Toronto after polesitter Graham Rahal and fellow rookie Raphael Matos got together in Turn 3 on the opening lap. Now sitting 11th in the overall series standings and eighth on the Atlantic rookie leaderboard, Pecorari will also talk about growing up in a racing family on the East Coast and his competition with his brother, former Atlantic racer Adam Pecorari. Make sure to stop by the Atlantic chat room on Thursday at 2 p.m. to chat live with Toronto winner Robbie Pecorari on champcaratlantic.com.
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada - It was the kind of opening lap that Robbie Pecorari (#28 Western Union/USA Today/Gelles Racing) was dreaming of and, to his credit, the young American took advantage of the opportunity that was presented to him securing his first victory in the Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. As the Atlantic cars staged their third standing start of the season and the first at the Toronto street circuit since the 1998 campaign, a pair of opening-lap incidents shuffled the field and made for a very interesting Atlantic race Sunday at the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto (tape-delayed broadcast on SPEED at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 15). The 21-car series field roared into the always-challenging Turn 1 on the 1.755-mile Exhibition Place street circuit with polesitter Graham Rahal (#18 Gehl Company) leading the way. After pacing both rounds of qualifying in his first series visit to Toronto, Rahal was looking for his third straight win on Sunday. As several cars got together in the first turn of the race, it appeared that Rahal and the frontrunners would make it through unscathed. But entering Turn 3 on the 10-turn circuit, Sierra Sierra Enterprises rookie Raphael Matos (#6 ProWorks) made contact with Rahal's car, spinning the 17-year-old son of former Champ Car champion Bobby Rahal. Matos would be penalized for avoidable contact in the incident as both he and Rahal dropped back in the field. While second-place starter Jonathan Bomarito (#23 Miracle Sealants/Dynacor) also found himself collected in the incident with Rahal and Matos, Pecorari was suddenly looking at daylight. After starting fifth in his Toronto racing debut, Pecorari thought his car may have been damaged as Steve Ott (#35 Newman Wachs Racing) made contact with him in the first-turn fracas, but Pecorari soldiered on. The 19-year-old native of Aston, Pennsylvania seized the lead and hoped for the best as he radioed his Gelles Racing crew to make sure there was no damage to his Atlantic machine. Assured by his team that his car was OK, Pecorari drove on in pursuit of his first victory. While Pecorari took advantage of the opening lap incidents to move to the front, British rookie Ryan Lewis (#30 Insport) used the melees to his advantage as well. After struggling to keep his car on course throughout the weekend in his first-ever street race, Lewis began his day with a big accident in the morning practice that left his car with serious suspension damage. His Mi-Jack Conquest Racing team came through with some last-minute repairs as Lewis barely made the start of the race. He paid his crew back, however, at the start by getting a good jump and working his way forward from a 14th-place starting position. Lewis also made the most of the incident involving Rahal and Matos, shooting up to second place by the end of the opening lap. Although Bomarito found his car without power after trying to avoid the Turn 3 dustup, he quickly got his Atlantic started and moving again. The PR1 Motorsports racer found himself in fourth place and he quickly set about getting his spot back among the top three. Bomarito quickly reclaimed third and then fought his way past Lewis for second place on the 15th orbit of the 38-lap event. After producing his best qualifying performance of his two-year Atlantic career on Saturday with a second-place result, Bomarito was hoping to follow that up with his first series victory. He didn't quite have enough to catch Pecorari, however. Keeping the gap to second place between two and three seconds for most of the race, Pecorari took the checkered flag for his first Atlantic win, 2.566 seconds ahead of Bomarito, who came home second for his top career series result. The finish also marked the first time in more than two seasons that American drivers held the top two finishing positions in an Atlantic race. Jon Fogarty won while Danica Patrick claimed second during a series race at Portland in 2004. Despite his eventful weekend, Lewis produced a third-place finish third for his second podium result in just four series races this season. French rookie Simon Pagenaud (#15 Team Australia/Location U/Cons. Gen. Vienne) also came out smelling like roses after what looked to be a lost weekend entering Sunday's race. The Team Australia rookie struggled to find the right setup on his car from the moment he arrived in Toronto and he suffered his worst qualifying result of 15th place on Saturday. Pagenaud kept plugging away, however, and he worked his way into the top five late in the race. He even fought Lewis for third place in the closing laps before settling for fourth - his sixth top-five result in the first seven races. The finish allowed Pagenaud to claim the Atlantic championship lead as the other two top drivers in the point standings - Rahal and series leader Andreas Wirth (#37 INDECK/Layer 7/Wirth Solar) - were both forced to retire early after the opening-lap accidents put them behind. Pagenaud now leads Wirth by nine points and Rahal by 17 in the Atlantic standings. Alex Barron (#21 The RoomStore of Phoenix), the 1997 Atlantic champion, scored his best result of the season with a fifth-place finish for Polestar Racing Group. The only Canadian driver in the field, Toronto's own James Hinchcliffe (#3 Emexis/INDECK) of Forsythe Racing, improved from a ninth-place starting spot to come home in sixth place. Newman Wachs Racing rookie Joe D'Agostino (#34 Newman Wachs Racing) secured his fourth top-10 finish of the year as he crossed the line seventh. Mexico's David Martinez (#4 Mexico/US Racetronics) scored his sixth top-10 of '06 in eighth-place result while Matos recovered from his first-lap struggles to claim ninth. Leonardo Maia (#7 Layer 7/INDECK) of Forsythe Racing remained the only driver this season to earn a top-10 finish in every event as he finished 10th. The Atlantic cars continue their Canadian tour with the next round of action to take place at the Champ Car Grand Prix of Edmonton in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 21-23. To learn more and to watch all of this season's races on demand, visit www.champcaratlantic.com. ATLANTIC RACE NOTES · Graham Rahal earned a bonus championship point for turning the fastest lap in Sunday's race. He clocked a time 1:05.487 (96.477 mph) and established a new track record, surpassing AJ Allmendinger's old record of 1:05.829 from 2003. · Sunday's race was completed in 45:08.363 and established a new record for a 38-lap Atlantic event at Toronto. · For the second time this season, Pagenaud's #15 Team Australia entry won the Sherwin-Williams Atlantic Design Award. Representatives of Sherwin-Williams, the Official Automotive Finish of Atlantics, along with select Toronto race fans, judged Pagenaud's car to have the best finish design this weekend. The team was awarded $4,000 for the honor. At the conclusion of the season, Sherwin-Williams will present the 2006 Atlantic Design Award to the car deemed to have the top season-long livery design. The winning entry will also be awarded a $10,000 bonus. · Sunday's event marked the first time in 16 Atlantic events at Toronto that a Canadian driver has not been among the top three finishers in the race. · Pecorari's win kept alive the streak of American and Canadian success at Toronto. Either an American or Canadian driver has won all 16 Atlantic races at Exhibition Place. Americans have now won eight times, equaling the Canadian output at Toronto. Quotes from the top three finishers in Sunday's race, plus top Canadian James Hinchcliffe, follow: Robbie Pecorari (#28 Western Union/USA Today/Gelles Racing) of Gelles Racing: "First off, the Western Union Gelles Racing car was perfect, in the top five all weekend, so we definitely had a shot at the podium. I had a decent start. I got by whoever was in third (Andreas Wirth). I felt a car hit me in the rear (Steve Ott). Going in to Turn 3, I took advantage of the leaders getting together. (On what damage might have occurred during the his contact) I could see the flaps on the rear wing were bent. When the yellow came out, I told the team to take a look at it and they said it was fine. So, I didn't worry about it. (On keeping the lead) With ten laps to go, I had a three-second lead but I could see Bomarito's car getting closer. I just told myself, no more mistakes." Jonathan Bomarito (#23 Miracle Sealants/Dynacor) of PR1 Motorsports: "First of all, I want to thank the team and everybody for giving me the opportunity to do this. The start was a lot better for me than Cleveland. That was my first time doing the standing starts and I really struggled with them. Today I got all the way up almost past Graham Rahal in to Turn 1. He had the line from there. He and Raphael Matos went in really deep into Turn 3 and they got together. I thought it was going to work out great. Once they hit, I was stuck on that side and was going for the gap and they collected me. I was stalled there and had to restart the engine and I still ended up in fourth after that incident. The start was exciting. It was unfortunate that those guys had to go out like that, but we'll take the points and it was a good race for us." Ryan Lewis (#30 Insport) of Mi-Jack Conquest Racing: (On the start) Right from the standing start, that helped me, with the experience I've had in Europe. I think I jumped about four or five people on the start straightaway. A lot of people got together at the first corner. I managed to see a gap on the inside and sneak through. The same thing happened at Turn 3. It gave me an opportunity. It's a bit of a nightmare, in one respect, after I stuffed the car into the wall this morning, the guys at Mi-Jack Conquest did a great job putting it back together, but it definitely wasn't right. It had no rear roll bar on the car, so it had a lot of push. Jonathan Bomarito was really quick and it was hard to keep pace with him. I dropped back into the hands of Simon Pagenaud. There must have been someone looking out for me this weekend, because I was seriously unhappy with myself when I got in the car this morning. It's been frustrating with Graham, my teammate, on the pole a lot and we have the same equipment. This was my first time on a street course and it wasn't as intimidating as I though it would be. It's taught me that I make lots of little mistakes and there's a very small margin for error here. I've learned a lot." James Hinchcliffe (#3 Emexis/INDECK) of Forsythe Championship Racing started in ninth and finished in sixth : "It's been a bittersweet weekend for me. I walked away with a pretty decent finish. Any time you finish better than you started, it's a plus. But, we really have to work on qualifying, because that hurt us more than anything."
Pecorari clinches a season high fourth in Cleveland Montreal, June 26th, 2006. – Gelles Racing Champ Car Atlantic driver Robbie Pecorari had his best race in 2006 as he took the #28 Western Union car to a fourth place in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship of Cleveland on Sunday and our second Top-5 of the Season. Starting from 5th row, the 19-year old Pennsylvanian dropped a few places at the start but went straight to work and kept reeled in the positions until he overtook fourth place three laps from the checkered flag. Saturday, Pecorari started the first race inside second row and was running in third when he contacted the infamous Turn 8 wall on lap 10. “We
always believed Robbie would finally come out on top, declared team owner
Bob Gelles. He had a very well set up and prepared car all weekend posting
among the fastest laps in all sessions. This fourth place is a just reward
for all the hard work Robbie and his crew devoted in the last weeks. His
third place in the first qualifying session and his fourth in the second
race together with earning 4th fastest lap in the race demonstrate clearly
Gelles can hold our ground in that very competitive league. I believe
we will have even more success in the rounds to come.’’ For
information: Michel Poirier-Defoy, press manager, info@gellesracing.com Gelles
Racing in Monterrey Fundidora Parque, May 22nd, 2006. – Gelles Racing Champ Car Atlantic driver Stephen Simpson completed his first race in Monterrey with a deserving Top 5 overall in the #14 Western Union car in a race where overtaking was very difficult. The South African started the 3rd round of the season in fourth place and saw a competitor overtake him in the first corner. From there, he never looked back and cruised to the finish and fifth overall in a trouble-free race. Meanwhile, teammate Robbie Pecorari started on the last row due to a bent suspension from pounding the curbing in qualifying and moved up to 18th place before the finish line. Both drivers claimed there were few passing areas on the Mexican track and although they had quick machines could not improve upon their positions as much as they wanted. “I let (Bomarito) get past me in the first corner, said Stephen. I had Houston in mind and did not want to waste my race if we made contact. I knew I had a better machine and could get him back in the next laps. However I never got the opportunity; the Parque is a track I like but with an Atlantic car, you have to be perfect to setup an overtaking because the straights are so short. We just paraded to the finish and nobody in front of me made a mistake affording me the overtaking opportunity. I’m still happy with my performance because it takes the monkey off my back.’’ ‘‘I knew I could make up some ground on the pack, continued Pecorari. I had a faster car than the cars ahead but could not find a way around them without taking a big chance, 18th does not reflect what I could have done with the #28 Western Union machine as I was 7th in Morning Warm Up.’’ Portland
Next In 2006, Gelles Racing enters the Formula BMW USA Championship with six cars and the Champ Car Atlantic Championship with a two-car effort. Western Union, BMW of Sterling, MINI of Sterling, USA TODAY, Hebert & LeBleu, Roadblock Protective Services Inc and Diamon-Fusion sponsor the team. For more information, Bob Gelles may be contacted at (703) 926-2474 or by email bob@gellesracing.com. For information: Michel Poirier-Defoy, press manager, info@gellesracing.com Champ
Car Atlantic in Houston
Champ
Car Atlantic season opener
Saturday
update First day at Long Beach for Gelles Racing Long
Beach, April 7th - First day ever on the track for Gelles Racing in the
new Champ Car Atlantic Championship was a complete success with Stephen
Simpson getting 6th fastest time with a lap of 1:17:34, just 0,3 second
away from the pole position. Robbie Pecorari earned 9th best time after
his first two sessions with his best time of 1:18:039.
Champ
Car Atlantic Championship Indianapolis, March 24, 2006. – Gelles Racing maiden test sessions in the new Champ Car Atlantic Championship at California Speedway proved to be a complete success as rookie drivers Robbie Pecorari and Stephen Simpson drove more than 100 trouble-free laps each over two days. South African Simpson topped the charts with second best time out of 29 drivers and came out smiling in the cockpit of his Western Union # 14 machine. Pennsylvania’s own Robbie Pecorari also ran flawless in the #28 car for two days and earned 10th place in the chart. Engineers and crew did an outstanding job with their two drivers. “The
bonding was excellent”, declared team principal Bob Gelles. “Everybody
had to work very hard to get those machines together and our crew even
took some time to get the Western Union livery ready. We were impressed
with the way Stephen (Simpson) and Robbie (Pecorari) worked with our engineering
staff Dave (Conti) and Johnny (Walko) under the supervision of operations
vice-president Tim Jennings. Regardless of the times, the work sessions
gave us a lot of data and something to chew on for the coming weeks as
we will get ready for Long Beach. To have both our cars in the Top Ten
shows how much the drivers were up to the challenge and the cars had been
well prepared. I think the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship will be
the most competitive in decades and I thank the organization for their
professionalism. Western Union and our recently added Diamon-Fusion Roadblock
sponsor will be generously rewarded for being part of this series.’’ Robbie
Pecorari Getting
ready for Long Beach In 2006, Gelles Racing will enter the Formula BMW USA Championship and the Champ Car Atlantic Championship. Western Union, BMW of Sterling, Diamon-Fusion Roadblock, USA Today and Hebert & LeBleu sponsor the team. For more information, Bob Gelles may be contacted at (703) 926-2474 or by email bob@gellesracing.com. For information: Michel Poirier-Defoy, press officer, info@gellesracing.com Champ
Car Atlantic Championship
ChampCar Atlantic: Brooks Associates Racing Testing Report Nov. 14. 2005 - In preparation for the new season, Brooks Associates Racing has been testing a variety of fast, young drivers. In ten days of testing, seven drivers, including Robbie Pecorari, have showcased their talents in the hopes of joining the competitive Atlantic field. "I have really been impressed by how quick these young drivers are jumping in," said team owner John Brooks. "Robbie, for example, wasted no time in setting top speeds and was notably faster than the track record. " The team will continue testing until the holidays, finalizing its roster for its two car effort in early January. John Brooks of Brooks Associates Racing was named Team Owner of the Year in 2005 by the Toyota Atlantic Championship Series and has fielded such notables as Ronnie Bremer (now in ChampCar), Andreas Wirth (who was second in the championship going into Road America before being sidelined by an accident), Al Unser III, Fernando Rees and Daniel Pappas. In
2006, competitors in the ChampCar Atlantic Championship will feature
Pecorari
Impresses Everyone ASTON, Pa., Nov. 14 - Robbie Pecorari may be quiet and unassuming, but he's also one of the brightest young talents in American open-wheel racing today. Who says? Well, how about the people who run the Cart Stars of Tomorrow, the panels that award the Skip Barber Formula Dodge scholarships and the Team Rahal Toyota Atlantic tests, the folks who run the Red Bull Driver Search and now the organizers of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear? The 18-year-old from Aston, Pa. finished second in the 12-race Star Mazda championship this year, and earned its prestigious Rookie of the Year award. Driving for Andersen Walko Racing, he took first-place points three times: in the series' only oval race at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) in Fountain, Colo.; at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.; and at Mosport International Raceway in Mosport, Ontario. The race at PPIR was Pecorari's first oval-track race ever. His victory in September at Road Atlanta was also very impressive, as he won the pole and led every lap of the race. Pecorari had one pole and a total of seven podium finishes and 10 top-five finishes in all. And, in a series that is known for 40-car fields and some spectacular accidents, Pecorari never finished out of the top 10 in the series' 12 events. As a series rookie, Pecorari was making his first start ever at almost half of the tracks that held Star Mazda races this year. The only driver who finished ahead of him in the point standings, Raphael Matos, who ended up with 453 points to Pecorari's 441, did not have that challenge. The Brazilian finished seventh in the series last year, and therefore already had experience at most of the tracks the series visited this year. In 2004 Pecorari was a semi-finalist in the Red Bull Driver Search. In 2003 he was a Team Rahal Toyota Atlantic test award recipient and a Skip Barber Formula Dodge national championship scholarship winner. In 2003 he was the Cart Stars of Tomorrow ICA national champion. Dan Andersen, a co-owner of the team that fielded Pecorari in Star Mazda competition this year, says that Pecorari is one of the best young drivers he's ever seen. He's seen a lot of them, since he was a co-administrator of the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 series in the nineties. "I believe Robbie to be one of the most naturally talented drivers I have seen in the 15 years I have been involved in open-wheel racing," Andersen said. "He has a quiet confidence that enables him to get in anything and drive it well almost immediately, and he's an absolute delight to work with, as his feedback is excellent and his temperament is totally professional." Pecorari has made believers out of a lot of people like Andersen, but now he faces a battle that in his case is even harder to surmount than coming up with a good set-up, saving one's tires, staying out of trouble, passing other drivers, not letting other drivers pass him, and recording podium finishes and victories. He needs to find sponsorship or backing of some type to continue to advance up racing's ladder. He's looking at various series for 2006, including Formula Atlantic, but so far he doesn't have a ride. Pecorari tested an Atlantic car Nov. 7-8 at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. with Brooks Associates Racing. "Robbie...wasted no time in setting top speeds and was notably faster than the track record," said team owner John Brooks, the Toyota Atlantic series' team owner of the year for 2005. "I really want to be a professional race car driver and I think I've proven that I have talent, but I need help to make it to the big leagues," Pecorari said. "Without my parents' help there would have been no money behind me this year, and they've done all they can do," added Pecorari, a freshman at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pa. His primary sponsor this year was SAI Hydraulics of Trainer, Pa., a family business. For more information and/or to help, Pecorari's Web site is located at robbiepecorari.com.
AWR
Finishes Second, Third and Fourth MONTEREY, Calif., Oct. 15 - Andersen Walko Racing concluded its first full season of Star Mazda action by once again dominating the podium positions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca here Saturday. Drivers
of cars fielded by the team, which is located in North Versailles, Pa.
and Fairfield, N.J., finished second, third and fourth in the race. The
AWR's Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. recorded his best finish of the year by coming in second on Saturday, while Graham Rahal of New Albany, Ohio recorded yet another solid podium finish to place third. Earlier in the day Rahal qualified second and Klein qualified third. The team's fourth driver, Pablo Donoso of Santiago, Chile, was involved in an accident early in the event and didn't finish this one, although he, Pecorari and Donoso were all race winners during the 12-race season. With his fourth-place finish on Saturday to Raphael Matos's eighth-place finish, Pecorari gained seven points on the Brazilian to cut Matos's advantage to just 11 points for the season in the fight for the championship. Unofficially Matos ended up with 452 points to Pecorari's 441 for the year. The polesitter and winner of Saturday's race, Canada's James Hinchcliffe, was third unofficially with 433 points. Rahal ended up in fourth place for the season with 370 points. Donoso was ninth and Klein finished 13th. Pecorari won two races (Pikes Peak and the September Road Atlanta race) and had one pole and seven podium finishes. Rahal was victorious at Portland, Ore., and had six podium finishes. Donoso won one of the races at Infineon and had three podium finishes. The top three drivers in the final point standings completed every single lap possible, and Pecorari and Hinchcliffe finished in the top 10 in all 12 events. Saturday's race was peculiar. It ended up being a timed event of 45 minutes, as five yellows caused only 21 laps to be recorded in that time period instead of the scheduled 28. Changes to some of the 11 turns on the 2.238-mile road course and the addition of more gravel in the gravel traps to accommodate the motorcycle events held here played havoc to the Star Mazda set, as a lot of time was lost retrieving cars mired in the gravel after they went off course. Momentum was non-existent. There were 13 yellow-flag laps and only eight green-flag laps, and the longest run of green was the four circuits from lap seven through lap 10. The only other green-flag laps were laps four, 13 and 14 and lap 19. Hinchcliffe earned the pole in a wet qualifying session on Saturday morning, although the weather was fine for the race Saturday afternoon. He led every lap. Rahal, who qualified second in the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group No. 12, which is also sponsored by Bosch, Renier Construction and Norwalk Furniture, ran in second place until lap 20. He dropped to third at that point after an altercation with the driver who had been third, Michael Potekhen, in turn two. That vaulted Klein up to second for the finish with his car, which is sponsored by Nexus Distribution Corp., Midwest Steel & Services, Ironclad Performance Wear and ProStar. Rahal just lost that one spot and still placed third. Pecorari started ninth. He passed about a car a lap when the green was waving until he got up to sixth on lap 11, right behind Matos. Matos got shuffled back a bit on lap 14 to move Pecorari up to fifth, and the Rahal/Potekhen tangle advanced him to fourth for the checkered. Donoso ran in 12th until he and Sean Guthrie tangled on lap eight. The damage to Donoso's Cristal Beer entry was too much for it to continue. Since the accident occurred so early, Donoso was shown in 38th spot overall in the final rundown for the 41-car field. Saturday's race was part of the Monterey Sports Car Championships, supporting the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) headliner. The Star Mazda series is presented by Goodyear. SPEED covers all the events on a tape-delayed basis. The Sept. 3 race from Mosport is scheduled to be shown at 1 p.m. on Oct. 23. The Sept. 30 race from Road Atlanta, which is one not to miss, will air at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30. Saturday's race from Laguna Seca, another one not to miss, is supposed to air at 1 p.m. on Nov. 6. All times are Eastern and all dates should be confirmed by one's local listings or speedtv.com. Andersen
Walko Racing is one of the premier formula car teams in North Quotes follow: Robbie Pecorari: "It was good, but there were just too many yellows. I went wheel-to-wheel with Matos for awhile. We both knew that if we took each other out the championship would have gone to Hinchcliffe, and we didn't want that, so there wasn't too much contact. "You just couldn't get a good green-flag run going. But my car was good. Basically every green-flag lap I passed a car. If there had been a bunch of green-flag laps we could have gone for the lead. "It was a good year. We had a cracked tub at the first Atlanta race, and that really cost us. I wish I'd been more aggressive at the start of the season. But it's great to take second for the year. "I have no clue what I'm doing next year yet. We're talking to some Atlantic teams, but right now it's just talk." Jonathan
Klein: "It's nice to cap off the season with a podium finish. It
"It's
sort of hard to tell how my car was with all the yellows. I qualified
"For the year, I guess the biggest thing I learned was that you have to be smart. Sometimes its better to give up a position so you can take home as many points as you can. Sometimes if you're sixth you better not try to make an all-out move to get fifth if it means that the move might not work out and you might DNF. "I don't know what I'm doing next year. It's completely up in the air." Graham Rahal: "The car felt pretty quick and pretty consistent. The problems just hit us at the wrong times. James [Hinchcliffe] put a blatant block on me, and another driver tried to take me out on the last restart. If that hadn't happened, we could have gotten the lead and then no one could have gotten close to us, just like it was for James. "I
got a lot of seat time this year. The highlight was either Portland or
"This morning was only the third time I've ever run a Star Mazda car in the rain, and the whole year has been a learning experience. Earlier in the year I was five seconds off in the rain; now I'm just a couple of tenths of a second. "It's all a matter of seat time and gaining confidence." Pablo Donoso: "Sean Guthrie put me off. I passed him, and he just hit me in the turn before the carousel. The car was damaged too much to continue. "It was not the way I wanted to end the year, but it was still a good year. We won a race and had three poles. "The team is great. These are the best people that I have ever known. "I am going to run USAC Silver Crown next year." The results from the preliminary sessions were as follows: Thursday
Promoter Test Session No. 1 Thursday
Promoter Test Session No. 2 Thursday
Promoter Test Session No. 3 Friday
Official Practice Session No. 1 (8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.) Friday
Official Practice Session No. 2 (1:25 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.) |
