Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR's Bruno Junqueira

The #99 Jaguar XKR driven by Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden leads a group of GTC and GT Class cars just past pitout at Mosport International Raceway. Image Credit: JaguarRSR


Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR's Bruno Junqueira

Weekend before last, The IndyCar Series was in Edmonton and the ALMS was near Toronto at Mosport International Raceway. Two standout performances were registered by drivers from the former ChampCar World Series (CCWS) and both performances were to set the fastest competitive lap in the their respective races. The two drivers, Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, it could be argued, were the most competitive drivers of the CCWS era. Sebastien, the perennial champion for four years straight from 2003 - 2006, and Bruno with near consecutive runner-up season performances from 2002, 2004, and 2005 (the last two as a team-mate to Sebastien).

While the Frenchman (Bourdais) posted the fastest IndyCar race lap on lap 80 of an eighty lap race, the Brazilian recorded the fastest GT race lap posting a 1:18.102. Almost two hours into the race, Junqueira came into the pits to pass on the "fast cat" to Toronto area native and team-mate Ken Wilden, who drove the remainder of the two hour and forty-five minute race to take the checkered flag and salvage a 15th place GT finish.

JaguarRSR race control keeping tabs on the progress of the #99 Jaguar XKR of Bruno Junqueira as he sets fastest race lap in the ALMS GT Calss at Mosport International Raceway. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com Bio -

Bruno Junqueira entered the IZOD IndyCar Series full time in 2008 with a wealth of experience in open-wheel racing, including four starts in the Indianapolis 500. He earned the pole position at Indianapolis in 2002, driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. [Further, he was able to qualify a car into the 33 car field of the INDY 500, only to be replaced by a primary or more strongly sponsored driver who did not qualify their car into the field (Alex Tagliani - 2009 and Ryan Hunter-Reay - 2011)]

Junqueira enjoyed success competing in Champ Car for seven seasons. With his 2005 win at Monterrey, Junqueira became the first driver in 19 years to win races in each of his first five years in Champ Car. He also finished runner-up in the series standings three times. Junqueira is part of a proud tradition of Brazilian open-wheel drivers, coming up through the Brazilian karting ranks and competing in South American Formula 3 and FIA International Formula 3000 before landing a ride in Champ Car.
[Reference Here]

Bruno Junqueira (left) and Ken Wilden (middle) prepare to take the #99 Jaguar XKR out for qualifications at Mosport International Raceway near Toronto, Canada. Image Credit: JaguarRSR

We last saw Bruno Junqueira on Pine Avenue during a fan appreciation activity the day before the cars took to the track at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach catching the sights and sounds as just a fan in the crowd. We catch up with Bruno, now, just before Round 5 in the ALMS GT season of 9 races to be held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.

(1) Many teams call on your skills when they have a problem with their "regular" drivers, crashes, etc. But you haven't been able to secure a ride in IndyCar. It's almost a rhetorical question, but is it funding?

A - There are many reason because I didn't find a full time ride for the last 3 years in IRL. At Champ car, I was one of the winningest drivers and finished the championship 3 times 2nd. I was able to always find rides and win races and get paid. With the unification of IRL and Champ Car, it changed for me. I still did well, but I never got a good ride for the year. Probably, because in Indycar, more then half of the drivers have to bring money, or sponsors for the teams. Many good Champ Car driver struggle to find rides as well and the Champ Car team to find sponsors.

(2) Just how difficult is it to secure funding in the present IndyCar series?

A - In the last 12 years, I have been a professional driver. The correct is that the teams find the sponsor and hire the best drivers. It has changed, and I tried to find sponsor for 2010 season, but the TV rating in USA and Brazil made it hard to find money.

(3) Do you think that the new IndyCar will make a difference in the competition tightening up?

A - I think the new car will make the best teams have a bigger advantage. They will be able to develop the new car faster.

(4) Does the ALMS GT series seem to have a chance at becoming a viable series?

A - It already is viable. There are many manufacturers involved and a very good competition

(5) Do you enjoy this series as a continuation and evolution of your career?

A - When I was 25, I thought that when I about 35 I would be going into sportscar racing. I will be 35 in November. I am enjoying it lot driving for Jaguar at ALMS.

(6) How competitive is the GT series in ALMS?

A - Very competitive. Good drivers and teams and a big support from the car and tires manufacturers.

(7) Do you still want to compete in the IndyCar series?

A - If I have a good opportunity, it will be nice.

(8) How did it feel to set the fastest race lap in GT at Mosport, and did you know that fellow ChampCar ex-pat Sebastien Bourdais also set the fastest race lap at the Edmonton Indy on the same weekend?

A - It was good to run fast at Mosport. The Jaguar RSR team did a good job. It was my first time there and loved the track. I always like to race in Canada . I didn't know that Seb set the fastest lap, but I wish that the races were in a different weekend, and I could race both.

END

It's August and this weekend it is all about the dedicated road track outside of Cleveland known as Mid-Ohio. The two top technology major automobile racing series converge, showcasing the best drivers American auto racing has to offer driving everything from open wheel, prototype closed body, and modified sports cars. IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series repeat in a double header event as thay did earlier in the year at Long Beach California.

The JaguarRSR team looks to carry the momentum of posting the fastest GT race lap in the last event at Mosport to Mid-Ohio this weekend. With track veterans behind the wheel of the pair of JaguarRSR XKR GTs, the team will be looking to make additional strides to move up the 16-car GT field set to take the green flag in the fifth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron.

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 6 with ESPN2 airing the race starting at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 7. Live video coverage on race day will be available at 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com. or more information on the broadcasts, go to americanlemans.com/tv.

... notes from The EDJE


[Article first published as Eight Questions With ALMS GT JaguarRSR's Bruno Junqueira on Technorati]

Bruno Junqueira Given Entry To 2010 Indy 500 - CCWS Spirit

Alex Tagliani in his FAZZT ride on the track at St. Petersburg where he showed well with a P6 finish. Image Credit: FAZZT Race Teams

Bruno Junqueira Given Entry To 2010 Indy 500 - CCWS Spirit

In a display of ChampCar World Series spirit, Bruno Junqueira is given a second seat to occupy by FAZZT Race Teams.

In a what goes around, comes around moment and CCWS spirit, Alex Tagliani is able to repay a debt to a former teammate and friend when he was able to have a second car available for Junqueira after Bruno gave the qualified Conquest Racing entry on Bump Day in 2009, which he placed in 30th position, to lead driver Alex Tagliani. Conquest had made the call last year, so now Alex is able to repay the debt to a friend.

Bruno Junqueira is no stranger to American open-wheel racing (a stand out at Ganassi Racing and Newman Haas in ChampCar) or the Indy 500. He has competed in five previous Indianapolis 500 events capturing the pole in his second effort at the Indy 500 in 2002. Junqueira has led 52 laps at the famed 2.5 mile oval and has finished 5th on two occasions, 2001 and 2004.

The FAZZT Race Team is a newly formed full-time entry for the 2010 IndyCar season owned by driver Alex Tagliani, motorsports veteran Jim Freudenberg, actor Jason Priestley and entrepreneur Andre Azzi. Owner Jim Freudenberg elaborated on the signing of Junqueira for the Indianapolis 500 saying, "When we formed the FAZZT Race Team we had a few goals in mind. One of those goals was that if we had the opportunity to field a second entry at Indianapolis that we wanted to put Bruno in that car.

As for the balance of the season? ... who knows cuz' that's just racin'!

... notes from The EDJE

Aussie’s Power & Briscoe In Spotlight At Surfers Paradise

Will Power (KV Racing Technology): Saturday qualifyingImage Credit: Chris Von Wieldt

Aussie’s Power & Briscoe In Spotlight At Surfers Paradise

In the final race of the 2008 IndyCar season, with the championship already determined, Surfers Paradise Australia saw a tale of two native sons play out in a way that summed up a most unique season.

The 2008 IndyCar Series brought with it the drama of a host of new drivers and teams when back in late February it was announced that the two open wheel racing series that have the majority of their races and management in North America would merge into one competitive series.

One racing series (IndyCar) raced primarily on closed circuit, oval shaped, banked venues in the United States, the other (ChampCar) held the vast majority of their races on temporary and closed course street, airport, and road locations - internationally. With the merge, it was hoped that one series that featured a blend of both types of challenges for the drivers and teams would make for a better product … and for the most part, it is.

Take the last race of the season as an example of both the competitive aspects and the frustration of a merge when two native sons, Will Power of KV Racing Technology and Ryan Briscoe of Penske Racing squared off for the win at Surfers Paradise along the Gold Coast region in eastern Australia.

In the days leading up to the race held last night, North America time (mid-day Sunday in Australia) Will Power dominated the time trials during the warm-up sessions and captured the lead starting position in qualifying – a position he has captured twice before during the previous ChampCar races held at this venue.

But while Power has been unbeatable in qualifying at Surfers, his luck on race day has been abysmal, with collisions spoiling his races in every home appearance so far. A lapped 12th place in 2006 was his best Surfers finish to date.

"I've been in this position three years in a row, so we have to get it done," said Power

"I can't believe I have another pole start here. But, it's only the pole and the goal is to win the race on Sunday.

To win, Power would have to run a mistake-free race with New Zealander and 2008 ICS Champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Australian Ryan Briscoe of Marlborough Penske Racing.

Podium: race winner Ryan Briscoe, second place Scott Dixon, third place Ryan Hunter-Reay - Surfers Paradise, 2008-10-26 (Streets of Surfers Paradise): Image Credit: Chris Von Wieldt

This excerpted and edited from autosport.com -

Briscoe takes home victory at Surfers
By Matt Beer Sunday, October 26th 2008, 04:26 GMT

Ryan Briscoe fended off Scott Dixon to take a home win at Surfers Paradise, after Will Power crashed out of the lead having dominated most of the weekend.

For the third year in a row, Power's race ended in an accident after he had taken a commanding pole. But unlike his previous Surfers disappointments, this time Power's incident was a solo mistake rather than a collision.

The KV driver's crash on lap 16 left Briscoe (Penske) leading from Dixon (Ganassi), where he would remain until the flag.

Power immediately opened a four-second advantage at the start, as Dixon had to back off and hand second to Briscoe having cut the first chicane to hold the position on the opening lap.

An early yellow for a crash by Dale Coyne Racing's Mario Moraes, who had already tangled with Vitor Meira (Foyt) at the start, brought Briscoe and Dixon back onto Power's tail, but the Australian had little trouble pulling away again at the restart.

Although Briscoe began chipping away at his lead, Power was still two seconds in front when he misjudged the Turn 5/6 chicane on lap 16 and smashed his left-front suspension on the wall.

"I just clipped the inside wall," said Power. "Just a very bad mistake, very unfortunate. We were saving heaps of fuel, I wasn't pushing hard and it just caught me out."
----
Briscoe and Dixon dominated the second half of the race, with the Penske driver able to hold a steady two-second advantage over the current champion.

That gap was reduced to almost nothing with five laps to go, when Briscoe was badly held up lapping Patrick, but the Australian was able to resist huge pressure from Dixon and claim his third win of the year.

"What a way to finish the year and kick off 2009," said Briscoe. "It's a dream to win in my home country."
----
Newman/Haas/Lanigan's Justin Wilson, who had been a match for Power in practice, was forced to start at the back following pre-race gearbox problems. He carved through the field early on - making up 11 places in six laps - but would drop right out of contention after a tangle with Bruno Junqueira at a restart.
Reference Here>>

So, how did the Transition Teams and Drivers fare in this final race of the inaugural merged IndyCar open wheel racing series?

Pos Driver Team Time
4. Alex Tagliani Conquest + 19.9844
5. Oriol Servia KV + 20.4376
6. EJ Viso HVM + 33.7249
9. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 1:20.0592
11. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 1:31.9353
15. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne + 1 lap
19. Jaime Camara Conquest + 2 laps

Retirements:

Driver Team Laps
Will Power KV 16
Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 7

... notes from The EDJE

T-Time At The Detroit Grand Prix In Belle Isle

Justin Wilson claimed his first win in the IRL IndyCar Series in Detroit after Helio Castroneves was awarded to relinquish the lead by race control having allegedly blocked the Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver. /// Until the controversial late call by the officials, Castroneves looked set to take his third win at the Detroit street course and carve into title rival Scott Dixon's championship lead. With Dixon only finishing fifth, Castroneves has still reduced his deficit, but the title is now Dixon's to lose at Chicagoland next week. Image Credit: autosport.com

T-Time At The Detroit Grand Prix In Belle Isle

On a very tight street course and a former staple on the Champ Car Series, the race featured three of the "Transition Team" drivers in the final “Firestone Fast Six” shootout in the knockout qualifying format used for street/road courses.

At the end of the 12 minute session where the drivers are ranked by the fastest time they are able to post, Justin Wilson (NHL Racing) and Oriol Servia (KVRT) filled the second row in positions 2 and 3 on the grid. Graham Rahal, Wilson’s teammate was not able to improve beyond position #6.

Originally, the Detroit GP was held around the Renaissance Center downtown and the track was hard on both car and driver. The racing surface was very rough and included a railroad crossing! The circuit was also very narrow with concrete barriers surrounding the track with little run-off room. This resulted in a high level of attrition. By 1989, F1 had had enough and terminated the Detroit GP, but CART stepped in and raced at the current location, but not the current configuration, on Belle Isle. Michael Andretti won the pole of that innaugural race at Belle Isle, but at the end of the day it was Emerson Fittipaldi, winner of that year's Indianapolis 500, who emerged victorious. Belle Isle was also the location of Helio Castroneves first major open-wheel victory, finishing first in both the 2000 and 2001 GPs. 2001 was the last year for the CART races at Belle Isle, and racing didn't return until Roger Penske organized a complete revamping of the circuit in 2007. The area was made much more accessable and many of the fan areas and paddock areas were paved to avoid the mudpits that the paddock had become in previous years. Image Credit: IndyCar Garage

This excerpted from autosport.com -

Dixon beats Castroneves to pole
By Matt Beer Saturday, August 30th 2008, 17:07 GMT

Pos Driver Team Time:
1. Scott Dixon Ganassi 1:12.2861
2. Helio Castroneves Penske 1:12.7649
3. Oriol Servia KV 1:12.9618
4. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 1:13.0530
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske 1:13.1004
6. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 1:13.6464
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman 1:12.9511
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 1:13.2339
9. EJ Viso HVM 1:13.5354
10. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 1:13.9158
11. Dan Wheldon Ganassi 1:13.9267
12. Will Power KV no time
13. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 1:14.1623
14. Vitor Meira Panther 1:13.6678
15. Darren Manning Foyt 1:14.2619
16. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 1:13.9010
17. AJ Foyt IV Vision 1:14.3486
18. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold 1:15.0969
19. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 1:14.4841
20. Ed Carpenter Vision 1:15.3061
21. Alex Tagliani Conquest 1:16.6407
22. Jaime Camara Conquest 1:16.7047
23. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 1:19.0865
24. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne 1:22.3955
25. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon no time
Reference Here>>

Lap Notation of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone:

Green Flag – The race starts on Belle Isle.

LAP 1
A clean start until Milka Duno tries to chop down on Bruno Junquiera, touches tires and is spun out of turn #3.

LAP 2
Officials rule the Bruno was guilty of avoidable contact and sent to the back of the grid. Thomas Schechter pulls in and un-straps to get out of the car – reports of a broken driveshaft.

LAP 3
Four cars at the back of the field peel off and top off on fuel.

LAP 4
Green Flag re-start – Dixon leads Castroneves, Servia, Wilson, Briscoe, Rahal, and Kanaan.

LAP 6
Dixon and Castroneves pull away from the field and have a two second cushion.

LAP 10
The lead has grown to seven seconds. If the race were to end this way, Dixon would capture the season points' championship over Castroneves.

LAP 12
The lead is now over 10 seconds from P2 to P3.

LAP 13
Dan Weldon pits early in order to put in place a different fueling strategy.

LAP 15
Bruno Junqueira has made the biggest move up the field so far moving six spots from 24th to 18th.

LAP 16
Everyone is holding station in the top seven positions mentioned before. The rest of the T-Team drivers are running Viso in 9th, Power in 10th, Moraes in 17th, Junqueira in 18th,

LAP 17
#34 Jamie Camara takes out #10 Dan Wheldon going into turn 9. Weldon is penalized for unavoidable contact for tapping Jamie Camara in the corner.

LAP 20
The field pits with Dixon in but Castroneves stays out to counter the strategy of Dixon. Most of the leading positions stay out.

LAP 21
Green Flag restart – Dixon back in position #18 behind Buddy Rice.

LAP 22
Dixon moves past Rice and now sets up behind Alex Tagliani in position #16.

LAP 23
All of the cars are bunched up after the restart, very tight single file racing.

LAP 24
Castroneves is turning two laps a second faster than Dixon who is stuck back in the field; Helio has a sixteen second advantage and growing.

LAP 25
Dixon gets passed by Ed Carpenter for P15. The lead pack of #3 Castroneves, #5 Servia, #02 Wilson, #11 Kanaan, and #17 Hunter-Reay have checked out from P6 #33 EJ Viso.

LAP 27
Castroneves and the leaders are expected to pit in four laps.

LAP 28
Race in the race has EJ Viso is just ahead of Will Power as the highest T-Team points leaders for rookie-of-the-year, if Power passes Viso, he will take the points lead.

LAP 29
Dixon down 27 seconds to leader Castroneves.

LAP 32
Servia, Kanaan and others pit … Castroneves solders on.

LAP 33
Wilson and Castroneves pit.

LAP 34
Danica Patrick and Darren Manning get together and further down the track EJ Viso taps the wall … all three cars are out.

LAP 35
These incidents move Dixon up to P5. Helio, Justin Wilson were able to maintain P1 and P2 respectively … followed by Servia and Kanaan in P3 and P4.

LAP 36
Danica Patrick was able to come in and get restarted and rejoins the field.

LAP 38
Green Flag restart – If the race were to end right now, Dixons championship points' lead would be cut to just 20 from 43.

LAP 39
Hideki Mutoh’s car is off the pace and is getting passed and drops four positions to P15.

LAP 41
Castroneves and Wilson pull out a 2 second lead over Oriol Servia in P3. Junqueira is now up 12 positions to P12 from P24 where he started the race.

LAP 42
Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing is now up to P10.

LAP 43
#3 Castroneves and #02 Wilson have checked out and opened a 5 second lead over P3 #5 Servia.

Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing prepares to run at the Detoit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

LAP 45
The Race is half way over and #3 Helio Castroneves has been in control for most of the race.

LAP 49
Castroneves has pulled away from Justin Wilson by a margin of three seconds.

LAP 52
Castroneves now leads Wilson in P1 by 5.4 seconds and Dixon in P5 by 16.3 seconds.

LAP 53
Rahal pits, giving Junqueira P8 up 16 positions from his start.

LAP 54
Power has contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay while battling for position and damages both cars. Dixon dives into the pits. Will Power stays out a couple of more laps while his wing flaps around

LAP 55
With Dixon pitting, Junqueira to P6. Wilson pits from P2.

LAP 56
Briscoe pits to leave room in the pit box for the expected pit in for Castroneves.
Dixon is 43 seconds behind Helio.

LAP 58
Helio Castroneves takes what he hopes to be his last pit stop. Servia was able to get past and this leaves Dixon 33 seconds behind P2 Castroneves.
This should be good to go till the end.

LAP 59
Servia comes in while P1 and comes out in P4 behind Kanaan.

LAP 63
Dixon short fueled at his last pit stop and has to throttle back in order to make it to the end. Dixon is behind Servia in position 5 and if the race ends now there will be a 20 point margin and the championship goes to Chicagoland Speedway.

LAP 65
Fourth Full Course Yellow of the race for #10 Dan Wheldon and #19 Mario Moraes in turn 8.

LAP 67
Pits open but none of the leaders come in.

LAP 68
Castroneves captures the three bonus points for leading the most laps in the race.

LAP 69
Green Flag restart and it is a sprint to the end of the race. Dixon is quagmired in P5 and still has to conserve fuel.

LAP 71
Wilson makes a move for the lead and gets blocked – Officials rule that Helio has to give up the position and drop to P2.

LAP 72
Castroneves begins to move out, gets space and does not let Wilson by.

LAP 73
Castroneves complies with the IRL ruling and gives up the lead to Justin Wilson. The Penske team states that the delay was tactical.

LAP 76
#02 Wilson is in control and it's his race to lose. With 14 laps to go P1 thru P3 have checked out from P4.

LAP 78
Race Control: This is now a 2 hour timed race. This means that the race will be shortened from its scheduled 90 laps.

LAP 84
Rahal pits for fuel. With under 4 minutes left in the race is #02 Justin Wilson's race to lose.

LAP 87
#02 Justin Wilson wins the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone. He is the ninth different driver to win this year and the 41st to win an IRL race. Hats off to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

After Wilson was P2 Castroneves, P3 Tony Kanaan, P4 Oriol Servia, P5 Dixon, P6 Ryan Hunter-Reay, P7 Bruno Junqueira … from P24, P8 Will Power, P9 Ryan Briscoe, and P10 AJ Foyte IV.

Justin Wilson sends additional congratulations to team owner Paul Newman. His dedication of this race to Paul is poignant in that team owner Paul Newman is suffering from cancer and the situation looks terminal.

The Championship moves on to the penultimate race of the season in Chicago (the final race is set for the streets of Queensland, Australia – Nikon Indy 300 - Sunday, October 26 aired at 10:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 25 ESPN).

Castroneves finishes the race 30 points behind Scott Dixon which means that all Dixon has to do is finish eighth at the PEAK Chicagoland Indy 300 next weekend (Qualifying: Sat, September 6 - Race: Sun, September 7).

This excerpted from autosport.com -

Wilson takes first IRL win in Detroit
By Matt Beer - Sunday, August 31st 2008, 21:44 GMT

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 87 laps
2. Helio Castroneves Penske + 4.4058
3. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green + 17.6815
4. Oriol Servia KV + 26.5468
5. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 27.7185
6. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman + 28.2688
7. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne + 28.6815
8. Will Power KV + 28.8776
9. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 35.5244
10. AJ Foyt IV Vision + 38.1040
11. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green + 38.3811
12. Darren Manning Foyt + 44.4662
13. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 47.8028
14. Ed Carpenter Vision +1:01.2770
15. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne + 1 lap
16. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 1 lap
17. Vitor Meira Panther + 4 laps
18. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 6 laps
19. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold + 11 laps
20. Dan Wheldon Ganassi + 23 laps
21. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon + 31 laps
22. Alex Tagliani Conquest + 33 laps
23. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold + 41 laps
24. EJ Viso HVM + 55 laps
25. Jaime Camara Conquest + 71 laps
Reference Here>>

... notes from The EDJE

Former ChampCar Driver Wins First IRL Race At Watkins Glen

“AN AMERICAN KID WINS, IN AN ETHANOL CAR RUNNING ON ETHANOL, DRIVING FOR AN AMERICAN RACING LEGEND: BOBBY RAHAL, WITH AN AMERICAN CLOTHING BRAND: IZOD, ON FORTH OF JULY WEEKEND IN NEW YORK ... DOESN'T GET ANY MORE "AMERICAN!" … than that. Caption Credit: Modified from quote given by Ryan Hunter-Reay after his well driven win. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Former ChampCar Driver Wins First IRL Race At Watkins Glen

No, it is not what one would think given a headline posted here at The EDJE. We have had a focus in our posts on the teams and drivers that have merged and transitioned into the Indy Racing League and the IndyCar Series from the ChampCar World Series season for 2008.

What with Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing qualifying so high on the grid at position #2 (just being bumped from the pole in the last minute by Penske’s Ryan Briscoe) for the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen, and good a showing from KV Racing Technology’s Oriol Servia at position #5, one would think the headline would relate to them but, no … after competing for IRL established team Rahal Letterman Racing for the last part of 2007, and all of 2008, Ryan Hunter-Reay notches his first win.

As for the T-Team Ten (the transition teams and drivers from the CCWS) they managed to capture four of the top ten finishing positions. The big surprise came from teammates for the Dale Coyne Racing organization, with Bruno Junqueira and Mario Moraes notching in at positions #6 and #7 respectively (Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing #8 and EJ Viso of HVM Racing #10 round out the places).

Bruno Junqueira - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com –

Newly-minted Coyne
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com

Junqueira, driving the No. 18 Z-Line Designs entry advanced five positions to finish an IndyCar Series career-high sixth in the 60-lap race on the 3.37-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International circuit.

The veteran open-wheel racing team owner and former driver [Dale Coyne] also put a headlock on series rookie Mario Moraes, who jumped six positions to finish a career-high seventh in the No. 19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q car.

Both cars in the top 10 - two weeks after Junqueira's car couldn't answer the bell to start the race at Iowa Speedway because of a practice crash and eight days after both cars were eliminated from the race at Richmond International Raceway because of contact?

"Being in the top six is better than being in the wall," Coyne laughed. "It's a compliment to all the guys on the team because we had four crashes in six days (at Iowa and Richmond) and to get all the cars ready and be here and be competitive."
----
Junqueira ran as high as third on Lap 38.
----
"The No. 18 Z-Line Designs car was great all weekend long. The team did a fantastic job. I love this track as it is a great course to drive on. I can't wait to go to Mid-Ohio in two weeks." [said Junqueira]

Mario Moraes - Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Moraes started a season-high 13th and overtook the No. 27 car of Hideki Mutoh on Lap 55 to score the seventh place.

"On the first lap of the race I was able to overtake six cars and jump to seventh," he said. "We ran up in the top five at times, but we lost a couple spots during a pit stop, which I think kept us from a higher finish. The car was fast all weekend and the team deserves credit for that. Hopefully we can get more top-10 finishes." [said Moraes].
Reference Here>>

Winners Podium: 1-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2-Darren Manning, 3-Tony Kanaan. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This excerpted and edited from Speed Channel -

Hunter-Reay Triumphs at The Glen
Written by: Jeff Olson - Senior writer, RACER Magazine 07/06/2008 - 06:03 PM

Ryan Hunter-Reay took advantage of a rare mistake by Scott Dixon to score his first IndyCar Series victory.

Dixon was in second place and poised to win at Watkins Glen International for a fourth consecutive time when he spun under caution, collecting third-place Ryan Briscoe and putting Hunter-Reay and the No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Honda/Dallara in position to win.

Hunter-Reay, who narrowly missed the wreckage from Dixon’s spin, passed leader Darren Manning on the restart with nine laps remaining and went on to score Rahal Letterman Racing’s first win since Buddy Rice won at Michigan in 2004.

“For something to finally go our way is great,” Hunter-Reay said. “It didn’t land in our lap; we had to go out there and earn it. Then we just checked out at the end, which was the best. We put an exclamation on the end of that one. It was a beautiful deal.”
----
Hunter-Reay said he couldn’t see anything, just chose a spot and made it work.

“It was like a scene out of Days of Thunder,” Hunter-Reay said. “I couldn’t see where they were or where the opening was. I couldn’t see any cars, just a dirt cloud. I picked left, and luckily it was open. I got through there, and then I immediately thought, ‘This is the point where I get paid back for all the bad luck.’”
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“This is vindication,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “Some guys who have driven for us in the past said this team doesn’t have the will to win. It’s all about having the right driver.”

Manning held off Tony Kanaan for second place, scoring the best finish since he joined A.J. Foyt’s team two years ago.

“We’re a small team,” Manning said. “My only teammate is A.J., and he’s a tough taskmaster. He sets a high standard. It’s extremely difficult by ourselves, but with the resources we have, we’re doing pretty well. We validated ourselves with this drive.”
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The results benefited Kanaan most, moving him to within 66 points of Dixon in the standings after 10 of 17 races. The other two drivers in the championship battle, Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon, also encountered trouble, with Castroneves falling behind early because of an electrical problem and finishing 16th, and Wheldon getting clipped by Manning on the first lap and breaking his rear suspension for a 24th-place finish.

The race began cleanly but ended otherwise. Aside from Wheldon’s opening-lap problem and Castroneves’ issues with his paddle shift on the sixth lap, the first 40 laps were uneventful, with Briscoe and Vitor Meira exchanging the lead. On the 40th lap, though, Meira was run off course by E.J. Viso, sending the No. 4 Panther Racing Honda/Dallara into the tires and leaving Meira fuming.

“The IRL should do something about it,” Meira said. “He just took us out. He’s a guy who’s had a problem with every driver out there. It’s a shame.”
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During [a] round of stops, Manning chose to stay on track and assume the lead, having pitted just four laps before. The decision, coupled with a rash of caution flags over the final 18 laps, proved to be a wise one.

“I was quick enough to hold my own,” Manning said. “It’s just a testament to the team.”
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On the next restart on the 51st lap, Hunter-Reay passed Manning heading into Turn 1. Moments later, Jaime Camara crashed, bringing out the sixth caution flag of the race.

On the restart, Hunter-Reay pulled away to a large lead and held it to the checkered flag for his first IndyCar Series and a triumphant reprieve to a promising career that, at this time last year, appeared to have stalled in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
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Rice also scored a solid finish, bringing the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Honda/Dallara home fourth for his best finish of the year.

“The last two races we've had stuff falling off the car and I've screwed up,” Rice said. “We‘re just trying to wipe that stuff out, get back in the points and have a solid finish to the season.”

Marco Andretti finished fifth, Bruno Junqueira sixth and Mario Moraes seventh. Graham Rahal, Hideki Mutoh and E.J. Viso rounded out the top 10.

The IndyCar Series season resumes Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
Reference Here>>

Mario Dominguez moves from an IRL best ninteenth starting position to finish at an IRL best position #13 in his third IRL start. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The final T-Team Ten Tally:

POS DRIVER NO DIFF BEST TIME BEST SPEED LAPS C/E/T STATUS

6 Bruno Junqueira 18 5.8084 01:32.1 131.661 60 D/H/F Finished

7 Mario Moraes 19 8.6248 01:32.9 130.586 60 D/H/F Finished

8 Graham Rahal 6 9.4563 01:32.6 130.962 60 D/H/F Finished

10 EJ Viso 33 10.8602 01:32.4 131.235 60 D/H/F Finished

13 Mario Dominguez 96 12.7773 01:33.1 130.258 60 D/H/F Finished

15 Will Power 8 1 lap 01:31.8 132.145 59 D/H/F Finished

18 Jaime Camara 34 9 laps 01:34.7 128.151 51 D/H/F Contact

21 Enrique Bernoldi 36 16 laps 01:34.0 129.044 44 D/H/F Contact

23 Oriol Servia 5 24.7973 01:32.0 131.824 38 D/H/F Mechanical

25 Justin Wilson 2 44 laps 01:32.1 131.758 16 D/H/F Mechanical

... notes from The EDJE

The Fine Nine Gets A Taste Of Richmond Short Track

RIR Logo on trackside wall. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The Fine Nine Gets A Taste Of Richmond Short Track

The rookie run of the Fine Nine continued its ninth start at qualifications in fairly good style. The short track yielded a few surprises along the way and a blend of drivers started to make a showing that even surprised some of the established teams.

Bruno Junqueira in an unhappy moment befor qualifications. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

First off, Bruno Junqueira, read the riot act to his Dale Coyne team after not being able to compete last week in Iowa. His car crashed in Iowa and the team worried whither they would have it ready for Richmond or not. When they hit the track in Virginia, the rebuilt Z-Line sponsored car ran well and was able to qualify in the top ten at position 9.

In a special Rookie practice held on Thursday, the current leader in the Rookie Of The Year point chase, Heideki Mutoh from the established team, Andretti Green Racing, elected NOT to participate. This didn’t bother his qualification though as he was able to clock in at position seven.

The biggest surprise was delivered by the driver from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing who won the second race of the season by qualifying in position 3, right behind Andretti Green Teammates Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti.

Tony and Marco discuss events of the day at Richmond. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

This Excerpted from Indycar.com -

Family Matters
By Dave Lewandowski - indycar.com

RICHMOND, Va. - Tony Kanaan, the senior member of the Andretti Green Racing quartet, called a family meeting before the race earlier this week at Iowa Speedway. He wanted to clear the air, get everyone on the same page and communicate like the "old days."

Aside from his mistake late in the 250-lap race after leading 71 laps, which resulted in a Turn 1 single-car crash, the team scored its best cumulative result in quite a while (rookie Hideki Mutoh was second, Marco Andretti third and Danica Patrick sixth).

Tony Kanaan on the button at Richmond International Raceway. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Five days later, the vibe continued at another short track - the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway. Kanaan posted a four-lap cumulative time of 1 minute, 04.333 seconds (167.876 mph average) in garnering the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award presented by Advance Auto Parts - his first on an oval since last August (1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway). Andretti will start next to the No. 11 7-Eleven car in the 300-lap SunTrust Indy Challenge.

Peak Pole award winner Tony Kanaan and Andretti Green 7-11 Team. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

They are separated by three 10-thousanths of a second -- less time than it takes to snap your fingers or blink. Don't blink on race day, whether you're watching from the grandstands or on ESPN, or you might miss just about anything. Andretti posted a four-lap average of 167.795 mph (1:04.3642) in the No. 26 Blockbuster car.

It's the seventh time AGR cars have started 1-2 and the 36th overall in IndyCar Series history.

Graham Rahal will start third (1:04.5740; 167.250) and IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon fourth (1:04.6242; 167.120). Buddy Rice recorded his first top five and top 10 starting position of the season (1:04.7467; 166.804) in the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car and will share Row 3 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon (1:04.7606; 166.768), the winner at Iowa Speedway.
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Vision Racing's A.J. Foyt IV, who posted his first top five of the season at Iowa, will start eighth in the No. 2 Lilly Diabetes car (166.126) and Bruno Junqueira grabbed his best starting spot (ninth; 166.032) in the No. 18 Z-Line Designs car for Dale Coyne Racing. He'll share Row 5 with Oriol Servia (165.815) in the No. 5 KV Racing Technology car.

John Andretti continued to post positive results for Roth Racing and will start 12th (165.275) - next to Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe (165.643) on Row 6. Helio Castroneves' streak of 11 top-10 starts came to an end. Castroneves, a two-time pole sitter at Richmond and second in the standings, will start 18th in the No. 3 Team Penske car.

"Qualifying certainly is an experience," said Andretti, who has made more than 20 stock car starts at Richmond but none in the IndyCar Series. "I like the four-lap average thing. You've got to make it happen four times; you can't hold your breath for one lap and make it in. Richmond International Raceway doesn't even look the same when you're going around in an IndyCar instead of a stock car. We'll see how we race."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who topped the combined practice chart (166.664; 16.2003) in the No. 17 Ethanol car for Rahal Letterman Racing, will start 25th after not making a qualifying attempt because of an issue related to the electrical loom to the gearbox. Enrique Bernoldi, whose No. 36 Sangari Conquest Racing car sustained damage in a morning practice crash, went through a systems check and will start 26th
Reference Here>>

Oriol Servia of KV Racing Technology and Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing confer with IRL official before qualifications begin. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

How The Fine Nine Fared:

SP Car Driver Hometown Car Name Entrant Time Speed

3 06 R Graham Rahal Columbus, Ohio Hole in the Wall Camps Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:04.5740 167.250

9 18 Bruno Junqueira Belo Horizonte, Brazil Z-Line Designs Dale Coyne Racing 1:05.0477 166.032

10 5 Oriol Servia Pals, Spain KV Racing Technology KV Racing Technology 1:05.1330 165.815

16 8 R Will Power Toowoomba, Australia Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia KV Racing Technology 1:05.7251 164.321

19 33 R E.J. Viso Caracas, Venezuela PDVSA HVM Racing HVM Racing 1:06.1887 163.170

20 19 R Mario Moraes Sao Paulo, Brazil Sonny's Bar-B-Q Dale Coyne Racing 1:06.4344 162.566

23 02 R Justin Wilson Sheffield, England McDonald's Racing Team Newman Haas Lanigan Racing 1:07.6470 159.652

24 34 R Jaime Camara Goiania, Brazil Sangari Conquest Racing 1:07.9741 158.884

26 36 R Enrique Bernoldi Curitiva, Brazil Sangari Conquest Racing Conquest Racing no time no speed
Reference Full Grid Here

... notes from The EDJE