Rocketsports Racing drivers Timo Glock and Ryan Hunter-Reay successfully completed Round One of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford 2005 season in Long Beach, California after running 81 times around the 1.968-mile temporary street course source: Rocketsports Racing Glock, who started sixth on the grid, made his first rolling start of his young racing career when he took the Green Flag in this afternoon's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Making his first successful Champ Car start, he began to experience some understeer in his #8 Deutsch POST Speed Academy Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone machine. This trouble caused him to pit earlier then the frontrunners, putting him in the back of the field. Maintaining a good run, and a second pit stop that was successful, the German was able to find himself back in the top-ten, to finish right where he started in sixth as the highest finishing rookie in the season opener, collecting 19 championship points. Glock, enthusiastic about his first Champ Car race had this to say after the event. "It was really tricky for me at the beginning. The start was not too bad but Alex (Tagliani) took me out on the third lap. Then ten laps into the stint the rear tires starting going off and I was losing time to Wilson because I had too much understeer. Our first pitstop was really good but my timing was bad on the out laps because I pushed too hard on the second lap and the front tires weren't up to temperature and I lost two-or-three seconds and then I was behind Tagliani again. At the end the car was really good and I was able to overtake some guys and I was having a really good time at the end. The Rocketsports team did a really good job this weekend." Hunter-Reay had a trying weekend, and made his 33rd Champ Car start in today's race driving the #31 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. Starting 12th on the grid, he made his way into the top-ten by lap six. Running as high as tenth, he kept the pace going despite dealing with heavy understeer and braking issues. He was able to bring his Rocketsports rocket home in one piece to finish his first race in 2005 in the 13th spot, bringing home eight championship points. "We started off the race today excellent," stated Hunter-Reay. "I passed Vasser on the start and then got by Allmendinger a couple of laps later and everything was going well. Then I started having some braking issues and I locked up the rear tires and lost four positions and then locked up the fronts and lost three more positions so that is seven positions total. I was a very rough weekend overall and we're looking forward to getting out of Long Beach. The Rocketsports team will be working hard before Monterrey and we should be in better shape there." Round Two of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford is May 22nd in Monterrey, Mexico.
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