Round Five: Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland
source: Nadia Petrossi for
Rocketsports Racing
Rocketsports Racing Champ Car Qualifying Report-First Session
No.8 Alex Tagliani No. 17 Nelson Philippe
Alex Tagliani and Nelson Philippe today secured provisional positions on the
starting grid for the US Bank Presents the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland.
Tagliani was ninth quickest, while teammate, Philippe was 15th in the first
qualifying session for the Saturday evening race at Burke Lakefront Airport in
downtown Cleveland.
Tagliani was pleased with the performance of No.8 Johnson Controls Lola, but is
hoping to improve on his top-ten start position. "The Johnson Controls crew gave
me a good car and it feels great out there. I could've had a great lap on a
fresh set of Bridgestone tires, but was blocked when Patrick (Carpentier) ran
out of fuel ahead of me, while he was on a flyer. I'm a little disappointed at
losing the opportunity and will have to aim to get my best results in tomorrow's
qualifying session," said Tagliani, who ranks eighth in the championship battle
with 61 points. Tagliani was ninth quickest and posted a time of 0:58.948
(128.615 mph or 206.985 km/h).
Philippe was particularly pleased about the consistent improvements to the
Ford-Cosworth powered machine on the Cleveland track. "The No. 17 LeasePlan Lola
is different from anything I've run all year," explained Philippe. "We're trying
a lot of new equipment and the car feels a lot smoother. I feel more confident
about the car's handling and was consistently faster each lap. I'll learn more
about the changes we made to the car and hope for better results tomorrow."
Philippe is currently 16th with 32 points in the championship standings.
Philippe qualified 15th and posted a time of 1:00.282 (125.769 mph or 202.405
km/h)