Champ Car makes news headlines
06-15-2006, 08:29 PM
#1
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Champ Car makes news headlines
Okay, maybe not the headlines of every news outlet, but I was surprised to see the headline "Bourdais racing toward Champ Car history" on the "In the News" section on Yahoo's main page. I ALWAYS see Yahoo list news about Nascrap, Indy 500, Golf, Tennis, Poker, the local Tiddly Winks tournanent, but NEVER any stories about Champ Car or F1, so it's nice to finally see Champ Car finally getting some attention. Story here
Sebastien Bourdais looks for fifth straight
By ANNE M. PETERSON, AP Sports Writer
June 15, 2006
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- This weekend Sebastien Bourdais is chasing a piece of history that dates back to before he was born.
Bourdais has won the first four races of the Champ Car season as the series rolls into Portland. Only two drivers have won five straight in the series: A.J. Foyt won seven straight in 1964 and Al Unser Sr., twice won five in a row, the last time in 1970.
Bourdais was born nine years later. So he has a sense of how elusive his fifth could be.
``If and when and how you can rewrite history -- you can't control it. That's just racing,'' he said.
The suggestion that he could win out this season is fun to consider but way too premature, he said.
``So many things can happen, it's absolutely ridiculous to think you can run the table,'' he said. ``But luckily you don't need that to win the championship
Bourdais has already had success on the road course at Portland International Raceway. He won the Portland Grand Prix from the pole in 2004.
Additionally, Bourdais has won nine of his last 11 races and has 20 career wins in 49 starts. He is the two-time defending series champion.
But despite Bourdais' four victories this season, the points race for the championship is still tight. Justin Wilson has finished second to him in three events, and trails by 31 points.
Last year at PIR, Wilson led 43 of 45 laps from the pole until an oil pump failure took him out of the race
Wilson has a new teammate for Portland, 2005 winner Cristiano da Matta. Da Matta, the 2002 series champions, joined RuSport last week after the team let go of A.J. Allmendinger in a midseason shake-up.
Allmendinger, in turn, went to Forsythe Championship Racing, to team up with Paul Tracy.
Mario Dominguez left Forsythe and will drive in Portland for Dale Coyne Racing, da Matta's former team. In the last race at Milwaukee, Dominguez was docked seven championship points for initiating avoidable contact.
He has said he insisted on leaving Forsythe.
``I was in a position where playing No. 2 in the team was not what I wanted to do this early in the championships, so I believe what's best for my career is to go somewhere where I can be a leader,'' said Dominguez, who is from Mexico City.
Earning his first ride in a Champ Car for Portland is Tonis Kasemets, who has joined Rocketsports. The Estonian won both races of a doubleheader in the Atlantic series on the 1.964-mile course at PIR.
Alex Tagliani will return to the driver's seat after a practice accident took him out of the Milwaukee Mile.
Also running this weekend is PKV racing's Katherine Legge, who finished sixth in Milwaukee and became the first woman to lead Champ Car event.
''I still want a top 10 finish, I still want to be on the lead lap and I still want to be the best rookie,'' she said. ``So it really hasn't changed my expectations.
---------------------------------------------------
Finally, some attention for open wheel racing that doesn't have Danica Partick in it.
Warren
Sebastien Bourdais looks for fifth straight
By ANNE M. PETERSON, AP Sports Writer
June 15, 2006
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- This weekend Sebastien Bourdais is chasing a piece of history that dates back to before he was born.
Bourdais has won the first four races of the Champ Car season as the series rolls into Portland. Only two drivers have won five straight in the series: A.J. Foyt won seven straight in 1964 and Al Unser Sr., twice won five in a row, the last time in 1970.
Bourdais was born nine years later. So he has a sense of how elusive his fifth could be.
``If and when and how you can rewrite history -- you can't control it. That's just racing,'' he said.
The suggestion that he could win out this season is fun to consider but way too premature, he said.
``So many things can happen, it's absolutely ridiculous to think you can run the table,'' he said. ``But luckily you don't need that to win the championship
Bourdais has already had success on the road course at Portland International Raceway. He won the Portland Grand Prix from the pole in 2004.
Additionally, Bourdais has won nine of his last 11 races and has 20 career wins in 49 starts. He is the two-time defending series champion.
But despite Bourdais' four victories this season, the points race for the championship is still tight. Justin Wilson has finished second to him in three events, and trails by 31 points.
Last year at PIR, Wilson led 43 of 45 laps from the pole until an oil pump failure took him out of the race
Wilson has a new teammate for Portland, 2005 winner Cristiano da Matta. Da Matta, the 2002 series champions, joined RuSport last week after the team let go of A.J. Allmendinger in a midseason shake-up.
Allmendinger, in turn, went to Forsythe Championship Racing, to team up with Paul Tracy.
Mario Dominguez left Forsythe and will drive in Portland for Dale Coyne Racing, da Matta's former team. In the last race at Milwaukee, Dominguez was docked seven championship points for initiating avoidable contact.
He has said he insisted on leaving Forsythe.
``I was in a position where playing No. 2 in the team was not what I wanted to do this early in the championships, so I believe what's best for my career is to go somewhere where I can be a leader,'' said Dominguez, who is from Mexico City.
Earning his first ride in a Champ Car for Portland is Tonis Kasemets, who has joined Rocketsports. The Estonian won both races of a doubleheader in the Atlantic series on the 1.964-mile course at PIR.
Alex Tagliani will return to the driver's seat after a practice accident took him out of the Milwaukee Mile.
Also running this weekend is PKV racing's Katherine Legge, who finished sixth in Milwaukee and became the first woman to lead Champ Car event.
''I still want a top 10 finish, I still want to be on the lead lap and I still want to be the best rookie,'' she said. ``So it really hasn't changed my expectations.
---------------------------------------------------
Finally, some attention for open wheel racing that doesn't have Danica Partick in it.
Warren
06-15-2006, 08:35 PM
#2
Registered User
Thread Starter
Also found this related story:
Champ Car ready for CBS run
By Associated Press
June 15, 2006
Beginning with Sunday's Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland (Ore.), the Champ Car World Series will have four races in six weeks, all of them live on CBS Sports.
The busy stretch also will include races on airport circuits in Cleveland and Edmonton and a city street event in Toronto.
CBS also broadcast four consecutive Champ Car events live in 2005 and showed steady improvement in the Nielsen ratings throughout, with more than 1 million households tuning in for races in Cleveland and Toronto.
"Champ Car has taken great steps to enhance its television package this season and this four-race stretch on CBS Sports provides a great platform to carry not only our great racing to our loyal fans, but also to showcase our sponsors and corporate partners," said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. "Last season's Champ Car viewership built momentum through the four races and we hope to build on that this year."
Sunday's race on the road course in Portland will begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT
Warren
Champ Car ready for CBS run
By Associated Press
June 15, 2006
Beginning with Sunday's Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland (Ore.), the Champ Car World Series will have four races in six weeks, all of them live on CBS Sports.
The busy stretch also will include races on airport circuits in Cleveland and Edmonton and a city street event in Toronto.
CBS also broadcast four consecutive Champ Car events live in 2005 and showed steady improvement in the Nielsen ratings throughout, with more than 1 million households tuning in for races in Cleveland and Toronto.
"Champ Car has taken great steps to enhance its television package this season and this four-race stretch on CBS Sports provides a great platform to carry not only our great racing to our loyal fans, but also to showcase our sponsors and corporate partners," said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. "Last season's Champ Car viewership built momentum through the four races and we hope to build on that this year."
Sunday's race on the road course in Portland will begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT
Warren
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