![]() source: rocketsportsracing.com It was a long weekend for the Rocketsports Racing team, and a long race today in Surfers Paradise, Australia that almost saw Alex Tagliani salvage a top-five finish, but team will take a top-ten result knowing they worked very hard to deserve it. During the Warm Up session, Tagliani demonstrated that the team was ready to fight in today's Lexmark Indy, by finishing the session fourth quickest with a time of 1:32.798 (108.429 mph/174.499 km/h). After starting from the 11th spot on the Bridgestone Red Potenza tires, Tagliani gained two positions on the first lap. On Lap 8 he moved up to the eighth position before making his first pit stop of the day under yellow on Lap 10. An excellent stop by the #8 Rocketsports pit crew put Tagliani back out in the ninth spot, with three cars that did not pit. On Lap 23, those cars pitted, moving the French-Canadian into the sixth position. Making a nice move around Graham Rahal on Lap 23 put Tagliani in the top five. He made his second stop of the day on Lap 31 for fuel and a set of the Bridgestone Black Potenza tires. Another good stop kept Tagliani on the hunt and by Lap 42 he was back in the fifth spot. The highest position that Tagliani sat in the field was fourth, when he entered the pits for his final stop of the day on Lap 45. A complete fuel fill up and a fresh set of the softer compound Bridgestone Reds would carry Tagliani to the end of the 1 hour, 45 minute timed race. Pushing as hard as he could, he would complete all 61 race laps in the 17th running of the Lexmark Indy 300 and finish 7th overall. In eight starts, this marks the sixth top-ten finish for Tagliani in Australia. Rocketsports Racing has rounded out the top ten six times out of eight starts in five years of competition at Surfers Paradise. Tagliani remains in the top ten of the Champ Car championship standings, tenth overall with 197 points. The Rocketsports team will pack up and head back to the United States tomorrow. They will then begin preparations for their final race of the season in hopes of ending on a good note. The 2007 Champ Car World Series season will wrap up in Mexico City, Mexico, November 9-11. Alex Tagliani #8 PBS Equities/Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone "It was a very good team effort. All weekend long we were working towards making a better car, and it was good in the race. We still lacked a little bit of overall grip in the slow corners, that is why were behind a little bit in terms of our competitors. But in general we had a good race. "A couple of guys in front of us did an alternate strategy and got very lucky finishing on fumes, but if that hadn't have happened then we could have definitely finished in the top five. Considering all the events that happened this weekend, I think it was a very good effort from everyone in the Rocketsports Racing team." Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing Team Owner "The team did a good job this weekend, as it was not an easy one for them. We had a top five car, it was just unfortunate that we missed those two spots to cars that were on a different strategy; but that is how racing goes. We are just happy to have a good, clean race. Alex (Tagliani) drove a very good race. "He made some nice passes and rebounded well from a rough start. It may not have been the results that we were hoping for, but it is a solid top ten finish that we will take. We have one more race this season; hopefully we can finish the season off on a good note in Mexico City and finish in the top ten of the Champ Car championship with Alex." ![]() source: minarditeamusa.com DOORNBOS SCORES FOURTH PLACE FINISH IN OZ It was another exciting race in Surfers today for the 2007 Lexmark Indy 300, and despite starting the race at the back of the grid (in 14th), Minardi Team USA driver Robert Doornbos rebounded to score a top-four finish. He nearly came home with another podium but in the end finished fourth. For team-mate 'Speedy' Dan Clarke, his race began very well, moving up from tenth to eighth, but his ended after only twelve laps due to suspension damage and was ultimately classified 17th. Robert has been struggling a bit all weekend, but the young Dutchman redeemed himself today in the race, and showed once again that his place in the Championship is well deserved. He and his engineers took advantage of the early yellow, and put Robert on a pit sequence that found him up front. He led lap 11 through 18, and was doing a brilliant job saving fuel and still turning competitive lap times. After Robert made his final pit stop, he was chasing Bruno Junqueira, and then realized he was struggling to keep up with the Brazilian. It was later determined that the engine had a broken valve spring, which cost valuable horsepower, but Robert managed to protect his position and bring home the fourth place finish. He has clinched the Rookie of the Year title and sits third in Championship points, with 261 (9 behind Wilson and 27 ahead of Power). Robert Doornbos "First off, I have to thank all the boys, the whole team, and especially my engineers for their terrific strategy getting me up to the front for a strong finish. I was giving it 110% every lap, and we had good pit stops and it's a great way to finish the weekend. "We had an engine problem at the end, so we were definitely down on power, otherwise we could have had another podium. I'm happy to be Rookie of the Year and in the top three in points right now. Our target is second place, and we'll give it a run in Mexico." 'Speedy' Dan knew he had a strong race car today. He and his engineers have been working diligently all weekend, and knew they had the car today to run at the front. Dan had a good start, and had moved up two spots as the field was still running in a very tight pack. Dan made a move on Neel Jani heading into the chicane, but decided to give way to Jani and avoid contact. In doing so, he overshot the corner and clipped the tire barrier. Due to irreparable damage, he was forced to retire. Dan has been steadily improving all year, with some impressive performances, but his season has been plagued with gremlins most of the year. It's not too late to finish on a good note, and unquestionably the Englishman has his sights set on Mexico and beyond to 2008. He's got a lot of enthusiasm for Champ Car, and is a personality both on and off the track that will surely be putting on a show for quite some time. 'Speedy' Dan Clarke "It's really frustrating that we don't get to race more, with the long breaks between events. We're really gelling well together as a team and I'm anxious to be on track more often than we are. It's difficult to carry the positive momentum that we've been developing when you have these seven week gaps. "We had a good car today, and we're developing as a team. I am confident that we'll do well in Mexico, and hopefully lift this hex that has been following us all year." Keith Wiggins Team Co-Owner "Throughout the weekend, we weren't as competitive as we could have been. There was good potential with Dan, but unfortunately we just couldn't capitalize on it. With Robert, a good strategy made for a good result and some valuable points, which hopefully we'll achieve again at the season finale. We want to end the season the way we began." Paul Stoddart, Team Co-Owner "It was a good team effort today. Robert came in fourth, which consolidates his third position in the Championship, and solidifies his Rookie of the Year title. It was disappointing for Dan today, as his race ended with an incident resulting in suspension and steering damage which proved terminal. "It's onwards to Mexico now, and hopefully add another podium to finish the season off with." ![]() source: conquestracing.com Nelson Philippe Posts a Top-Six Result at Surfers Paradise Armed with a competitive car, Nelson Philippe (#34 Juniper Soul / Cosworth / DP01 / Bridgestone) was not ready to sit back and accept his 13th starting position on the grid. He knew this was going to be a difficult first race back in the Champ Car World Series, but he was able to take advantage of his previous race experience and success at the difficult Surfers Paradise circuit to place in the top-six at today's Lexmark Indy 300. It was his first standing start in a Champ Car, but Nelson was able to negotiate it like a veteran and picked up three spots in the first laps. On the historically tricky street course of Surfers Paradise, Nelson's goal of running a clean race was achieved despite the early yellow caution flags and a close call with rookie Graham Rahal on lap 25. The team had an alternative strategy planned prior to the start of the race but opted to follow the race leaders after moving up three places to tenth position after the start. The Conquest crew gave Nelson clean and fast pit stops which helped him to race hard and take the #34 Juniper Soul car past many of his competitors. After his final stop, Philippe passed Simon Pagenaud for fifth position but necessary fuel saving forced him slow down in the later stages of the race and settled for a sixth position finish. After his initial race of the 2007 year, Nelson is now prepared for an even better finish at Mexico City which will also be the final race of the season. Nelson Phillipe Quote "Even though the results may not show it, it was probably one of the best races of my career," said Nelson. "We were very consistent throughout the entire race and able to post fast lap times. Unfortunately, our strategy didn't completely pay off for us in the end. "I'm very pleased with the Conquest team, sixth may not be the best result, but we have to be realistic and remember it was my first weekend back. We finished ahead of a lot of guys who have been racing all season. I was able to make some good passes and the team gave me a very good race car. "I am happy overall and I can't wait to go to Mexico City . The Conquest Racing team has had great results on road courses so I think we will do very well there." "Additionally, I want to thank the Juniper family for giving us this opportunity to race this weekend" Eric Bachelart Quote "We are very encouraged with the results from today's race," said Eric Bachelart, Conquest Racing Team Owner. "It is great to have the Conquest Racing team in the top six again. "It was a challenge for Nelson to join the field that has been racing together all season, especially here in Surfers, but he did a phenomenal job behind the wheel all weekend long. We also appreciate having the Juniper Group and Opes Prime joining our organization. This has been a very good start of great partnerships." The Gran Premio Tecate presented by Banamex is the 14th round of the Champ Car World Series and will be held at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City , Mexico on November 9th - November 11th. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2 on Sunday, November 11th starting at 2:00 pm EST. ![]() source: pkvracing.com NEEL JANI FINISHES IN THE TOP-10 FOR PKV RACING AT THE LEXMARK INDY 300, SERVIA 14TH PKV Racing finishes in eighth place with Neel Jani, while his team mate Oriol Servia finished 14th today in the Lexmark Indy 300 Champ Car Grand Prix on the 2.795-mile, 12-turn street course in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. Jani, #21 Red Bull Gulfstream PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone machine, had a very long day. After gaining 3 places at the start, he was struggling with straight away speed causing him to drop places. A very good pit call by the crew enabled Jani to finish in the top-10, finishing eighth. The 23-year-old native of Jens, Switzerland has now finished in the top-10 11 times in the 13 races, with four top-five showings and three podium performances. Jani's finish today moved him up in the championship standings to sixth, with 218 points, closing the gap to fifth by just two points. He remains third in the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year race with 218 points, two points behind second. Jani, was in eighth place at the start of the race, pushing his way to fifth by the end of the first lap. However with a lack of straight away speed he soon began to struggle against his competitors and dropped back places. With the way the race was going, the team decided to use the yellow flags to bring him into the pits, keeping the car topped up with fuel in the hope that he would go longer towards the end, needing a shorter last fuel stop. This proved to be a good call by the team, allowing Jani to gain some places and finishing the race in eighth place. "I think it was the most difficult race this year for me so far," Jani said. "We had a very good call from the team at the end, with not changing tires just taking fuel, it definitely got me the top-10 spot. But otherwise I was struggling with the car quite a lot, I was unable to maintain straight away speed, so other drivers were able to over take me very easily. "I had a fantastic start, fifth at the first corner, so I was happy but then throughout the race I had some problems, so eighth is where I started and where I finished, so it's not bad." Servia, who signed on Wednesday to compete for PKV Racing in Australia, piloted the #22 Pay By Touch PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone car. He drove a very strong race, pushing the car to the limit, but unfortunately a small mistake made it impossible for him to get back into the race. The 33-year-old resident of Miami, Florida currently sits ninth in the championship standings with 212 points, eight points out of fifth, 50 out of third. So far this year he has finished in the top-10 in 10 of his 12 starts with four top-five showings including two podium performances (second at Long Beach and third at San Jose). Servia, was starting the day on the front row of the grid, his best position this season. He was able to maintain this spot at the start of the race, even posting the fastest time on lap seven. During the race there were a number of small incidents bringing out three yellow flags early on, enabling Servia to come in and pit, change to red tires and get some more fuel. By lap 32, he was still setting the fastest lap and leading the race. He was really liking the car, pushing it to its limit, until a small error caused him to bruise the wall at Turn 2, bending the toe link and sending him back to pit lane and unfortunately despite the quick change, he was three laps down. "I am just very pleased with the whole weekend performance, I did one little mistake which unfortunately happened in the race and in Surfers Paradise you pay for a little mistake like that." Servia went on to explain that he "didn't think it was that bad but a couple of corners later I realized it was, the toe link had broken so I had to basically stop and lost 3 laps. It was just unfortunate for the whole team because after an excellent performance considering I had just jumped into the car this weekend." Commenting on the team Servia said "the team were really outstanding and I think we all deserved the win that the we were capable of. I am obviously disappointed but when you make a mistake pushing as hard as I was, and the whole team were, you know things can happen, they can happen to the best, you have to play with the limits. "It was just encouraging the speed we had all weekend and I found the team after a year much better, in many areas, the way they operated, the way everything worked, definitely PKV is a winning team and have the potential to win a championship and I am just happy I gave them a good weekend." Jani, who has been one of the top competitors in the series since Cleveland, is on a streak that has given him a legitimate shot at becoming the first PKV Racing driver to finish in the top-five in the season ending standings (Vasser finished 6th in 2005). During the eight race stretch, Jani earned all three of his podium finishes, seconds at Toronto and San Jose, where he led his first Champ Car laps and a third in Cleveland. The three podium performances established a single season team record for most by an individual driver and tied the record for the most by the team in a season. In addition to the podiums, the streak includes a fifth in Assen, a sixth in Mont-Tremblant, a ninth at Edmonton, a 10th at Road America and an eighth here in Australia and in Belgium. Jani's other top-10 showings this year are a seventh at Long Beach and a 10th in his Champ Car debut in Las Vegas. At Long Beach, fueling problems, Las Vegas, mechanical failure, Houston, knocked out of the race while running fourth and Road America, sixth when forced to pit for a splash of fuel, Jani was in contention for top-five finishes. Only in Portland, where he finished 12th has he been out of contention. Next up for PKV Racing is the last race of the season in Mexico City, Round #14 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, it will be televised same day tape delayed on ESPN2 at 5:00 p.m. (ET). For more information please visit: www.pkvracing.com ![]() source: teamaustraliamotorsport.com PAGENAUD FIFTH ON TOUGH DAY FOR POWER IN AUSTRALIA Team Australia has endured mixed fortunes in the Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia today. Frenchman Simon Pagenaud scored his sixth top five finish for the season with fifth in the home event for the green and gold Aussie Vineyards team, while local hero Will Power had his chances dashed early in the race. Pagenaud drove a sensible race, conserving fuel the entire journey. Strategy proved difficult for Pagenaud as he had no radio communication with his Team Australia team right from the start. The crew on the #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 made all the correct calculations, with Pagenaud running out of fuel on the cool down lap after taking the chequered flag in fifth place. Power started from pole position and made the best of the standing start, the first time such a procedure has started a Champ Car race on the Gold Coast. Power pulled a lead in the opening laps, only for a caution period on lap 10 to compress the field and lead most cars to make their first pit stop. Power was released slightly early from his pit box after the completion of his stop for tyres and fuel, resulting in contact with the car of David Martinez. The contact caused slight damage to the front right suspension on the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01, forcing the team to bring in Power for a second time under caution to make repairs to the car's steering. On lap 19 Power's race was done, when he made contact with Katherine Legge entering Falken Corner as he tried to forge his way back up the order. The two cars touched, breaking the rear suspension on Power's car and sending him backwards into the tyre wall. The impact injured the wrist of the 26-year-old and Power will visit hospital this evening for precautionary x-rays. Sebastien Bourdais confirmed his fourth-consecutive Champ Car World Series title with victory in the Lexmark Indy 300 ahead of Justin Wilson and Bruno Junqueira. Bourdais' win makes him the first driver to win the Gold Coast event twice. The 2007 Champ Car World Series hosts its final round in Mexico City, Mexico in two weeks time. Will Power - #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 "Once again in the first stint we had to pit under yellow," said Power. "All the cars are compressed. There's a lot of mayhem in the pit lane. Unfortunately I got sent early. Just a simple mistake. The guy lifted the lollypop and sent us into another car, which bent the steering arm and then we were on the back foot. "From that point on, the steering wasn't straight. The suspension was slightly bent. So the car wasn't behaving exactly how it should. "Then trying to charge back through the field, I got a run on Katherine Legge. I guess the car stepped out a little bit and grabbed her back wheel and threw me into the wall. "It was a disappointing day. You know, once again, the same as last year, we have the car, had everything in place to win the race, but, you know, just bad luck. These things happen. "I feel disappointed for all the fans that came out to watch us today. I feel disappointed for Craig Gore, as well. Unfortunately he couldn't be here. You know, we'll lift above it, move on. We've got to race in Mexico and we'll try and win that one. "I think my wrist will be fine for Mexico. I've got to get an x-ray. My physio is pretty sure it's not broken. It's pretty sore. Hopefully it's good. "We just got let go early in the pits. Just a mistake. Nothing we can do about it. The guy that made the mistake is usually flawless with his work. It happens. We're all human. We're not computers. It's just one of those things. You can't go around blaming people. It's just what happened." Simon Pagenaud - #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 "We had a very good Aussie Vineyards car today," said Pagenaud. "The car was just fantastic all race. Just the race is not as good as it could be, because we were in fuel save mode, so all race I just saved fuel and did not push a hundred percent. "But I was really pleased because we worked really well on that car during the practice and in qualifying. In the race I had a really good car. It was very fun to drive. "I was also very pleased to see so many Team Australia flags on the side of the track. I could even see it when driving. It was really nice. It's great to feel so much support coming here. "I'm disappointed for Will. He had the pace to win today. But we're going to try to come back again to win next year. "I think we have been stronger and stronger every race. Today was a very good day. I mean, I have not been doing any mistake. The race car was better than it has ever been this year. "I really understand the racing now, really understand the strategy and everything. So I think next year, you know, by stepping back during the winter, when I'm going to jump in the car again, I think I should be ready for be a contend for the championship next year. "That was really the goal this year and to be able to win next year, so I think we have a chance. "As a rookie this place is frightening. That was my first word to be really honest. That was my first word when I jumped out of the car after the first session. "Frightening because it's really fast. I have driven on Monaco before, but it's nothing compared to Surfers Paradise. I had a blast. "It's just at the beginning you need to be confident, trust your car. When you handle it really well, it's so much fun to drive. I would be very glad to come back next year." Derrick Walker - Team Australia Co-Owner "We certainly came here with a well thought-out plan," said Walker. "A lot of work went into engineering the cars, getting the car we thought we needed to win with. I think we actually achieved that part of our mission. "But as it played out, we did make a mistake. The rest is history. I think we take away from this that we've come a long way on this program, which is really only into its third year pretty well. So we're getting stronger as each year goes by. But still today's result, we had a car to win and there's no excuse. "We'll go back and regroup and learn something from this day, come back and hopefully win next year. There's obviously the potential there to do very well. We've just got to get a few bugs sorted out." Craig Gore - Team Australia Co-Owner "We made a huge mistake in the pit lane and that cost us," said Gore. "Will (Power) was pushing on as hard as he could and it all came apart. "It is a real shame. "We did everything we could to deliver Queensland and Australia today, but things did not fall our way. "While we are shattered with today's result, we have to congratulate Simon on a terrific drive in his rookie year here. "But we will be back and we will keep giving this everything we possibly can." ![]() source: pcmracing.com Bolt Failure Costs Dominguez and the TECATE car a Top-Five Finish, Figge Hangs on for 13th without Brakes Alex Figge #29 Conrad Jupiters/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Started: 15th Finished: 13th Highest Race Position: 8th Alex on the race: "I am a bit disappointed in our result but we had a good pace and it is unfortunate we had problems with my brakes at the end. We ran strong in the race and I was feeling confident and enjoying the race. I think I was running a bit aggressive when the brakes went, I probably should have backed off a bit at that point. "I feel like we took a step forward this weekend. It's a tough place here and coming in as a rookie with a rookie race engineer is tough, but we made a lot of developments throughout the weekend. My stops were great and my guys have done a great job all year there. I am really excited to get to Mexico City." Mario Dominguez #28 TECATE/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Started: 12th Finished: 12th Highest Race Position: 10th Mario on the race: "It was a great experience to be back with PCM. The TECATE car was really fast and the Bridgestone tires were very consistent. It was very unfortunate we had the wing break because we had a strong car and we could have easily secured a top-five finish. "On the other hand, the positive side is that the car was very strong all weekend and I think we are going to arrive in Mexico City with a very fast car. I learned a lot and I expect us to run up front in the TECATE car in Mexico City." Tyler Tadevic, Team Director: "Even though we didn't get the finish that we were looking for overall, it was a strong weekend for the team, particularly in the development area and we are looking forward to getting to Mexico City." ![]() source: davidmtz.com. Top Ten Finish for David Martinez in Australia, Second Top Ten in Two Starts David Martinez proved today that he is ready to compete at the front in Champ Car regardless of the lack of experience that he has compared to the rest of the field and the fact that he hadn't been in a race car for a year. In what is considered the toughest track of the season, Martinez completed a successful race in which he managed to pick up many positions and finish tenth. Martinez now has two top tens in his only two starts in the Champ Car World Series, last year he finished ninth at his debut in Mexico City. The Mexican driver started 17th and immediately was lapping faster than the cars in front of him. His first pit stop came on lap 10 when he was already up to the 13th position. The stop was a slow one due to a mistake by Will Power and Team Australia that sent the Australian out of his pitbox early right in front of Martinez, the two cars touched but fortunately without causing any damage to the #7INDECK car. For the rest of the race Martinez and the Forsythe Team concentrated on an alternate pit strategy which unfortunately was affected when Sebastien Bourdais and Oriol Servia came out of the pits with cold tires in front of the rookie slowing his pace. Despite the interruption the 25 year old kept fighting and pushing hard and managed to bring the car home in tenth place. David Martínez #7 INDECK Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone Ninth Place "I'm really happy, it was a difficult race but all the hard work I did over the weekend really paid off. It was a complicated weekend but I never stopped pushing and during the race I found myself racing for position against drivers that have a huge amount of experience and at a pace very close to Paul Tracy so I'm very satisfied with my performance. "It's only my second race in Champ Car and my first this year and I achieved another top ten, we have two top tens in two start in this series and I think that speaks very highly of the consistency and speed that we have. The problem in the pits with Will Power was just a racing incident, his team told him to go just as I was coming in and we touched. I feel bad because this was a very important race for him but his team made a mistake and I'm just glad that my car wasn't damaged. "I leave from this weekend with a lot of enthusiasm, I would've liked to qualify farther ahead but it was a very good race and I have a lot of confidence for Mexico. I think I will be able to give my fellow countrymen a great result."
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