Question: What do Dan Clarke, Katherine Legge, Nicky Pastorelli, Will Power and Charles Zwolsman have in common? source: champcarworldseries.com - David Phillips Apart from the fact that they're rookies in the 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, that is. Answer: They've never raced on an oval. Barring an unexpected foray into NASCAR or the IndyCar Series in the coming weeks, Messrs. Clarke, Pastorelli, Power and Zwolsman and Ms. Legge still won't have any oval track racing experience when the green flag waves at the Milwaukee Mile on June 4th for the Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225. But, thanks to Champ Car's open test for rookies at the Milwaukee Mile on Tuesday, they'll have a full day of oval track running under their belts. Weather permitting of course. That's a good thing. Not only for the rookies but for the veterans who will be sharing the Milwaukee Mile with them come the first weekend in June. "The rookie test benefits any rookie who's racing on an oval for the first time," says Tony Cotman, Champ Car vice president of operations. "If you're running on an oval for the first time and Paul Tracy comes past going 100 mph quicker than you, it could be uncomfortable. Not just for you put for Paul. "The test enables the drivers to get accustomed to turning left and learning the track and learning what to look for in the car; where mechanical grip takes over from aerodynamic grip and vice-versa." While it's not unusual for Formula 3 and/or Formula 3000 graduates like Clarke, Pastorelli and Power to come to Champ Cars bereft of experience in the subtle art of turning left exclusively, it's rare when an entire Champ Car rookie class has no oval experience. Last year, for example, Timo Glock, Marcus Marshall, Ricardo Sperafico and Bjorn Wirdheim had no oval track experience, but Ronnie Bremer and Andrew Ranger had raced at Milwaukee in the Atlantic series. Similarly, while A.J. Allmendinger brought his experience on the Milwaukee Mile to Brew Town in 2004, Justin Wilson, Nelson Philippe and the other rookies had no oval track racing experience.
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