Sportscar champion Guy Smith made an impressive debut in the Champ Car
World Series with a top-ten finish at the Grand Prix of Road America Presented
by the Chicago Tribune. The young Englishman worked his way up from 16th
position on the starting grid to finish tenth in his first-ever Champ Car race
source:
Rocketsports Racing - Nadia Petrossi
A true racer, Smith confidently jumped into the Champ Car with relatively
little exposure to the 750hp Ford Cosworth Lola with Bridgetone Potenza tires.
Smith has an extensive and successful history in sportscars, highlighted by his
famous victory for Bentley in the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours. While he had two
seasons experience in the Indy Lights series and some Champ Car testing, it was
Smith's first competitive outing in a Champ Car. He found the power and physical
demands of the open-wheel machines significantly different from sportscars but
rose successfully to the challenge with a competitive effort yielding a solid
finish.
Smith entered the Champ Car fray mid-season with Rocketsports and joined the
crew in Lansing, Michigan last week to fit the seat of the No.17 Lola. On
Wednesday prior to the race race, Smith saw the demanding, four-mile Road
America course for the first time. The team tested for hours, acclimating Smith
to the set up and handling of the Champ Car. He made consistent progress through
the weekend, bettering his lap times with each session. Smith drove an
incident-free race and steadily climbed into the top-ten - an indication of his
potential and direction for the remainder of the 2004 Champ Car World Series
season.