"The No.8 car was great from the start and still fast, after contact early in the race knocked the front wing loose," source: champcarworldseries.com It was a particularly eventful day for Rocketsports drivers, Alex Tagliani and Guy Smith at the Molson Indy Montreal. Tagliani scooped another top-ten finish in the No. 8 Johnson Controls Lola, after starting seventh and running with a loose front wing flap from suffered from making contact in lap one. Meanwhile, engine trouble forced Smith to retire after 27 laps, denying him the strong finish anticipated in the No.17 Rocketsports car. "The No.8 car was great from the start and still fast, after contact early in the race knocked the front wing loose," said Tagliani, who maintains fourth place in the Champ Car World Series standings with 181 points. "I was out of fuel when I came in for my second pit stop, which cost me about 30 seconds coming down pit lane. A fuel pickup problem set me back a little more, but I worked hard to recover the laps and tried to put the Johnson Controls car among the top finishers. We've collected a lot of data and have an excellent set up for the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, so we'll return next year, even stronger, to try again." Making his third Champ Car start, Guy Smith suffered engine trouble, which dashed his hopes of a strong finish in the Montreal Indy. The sportscar veteran had a strong finish in his debut Champ Car race at Road America, rounding out the top-ten, but has had some rough luck with electrical and engine issues in the two races since. Smith was confident in the No.17 car, anticipating a good finish, based on the solid setup and strength Rocketsports showed on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last season. "We came to the Montreal race very optimistic, but are quite disappointed with our final results," said Smith, who started and finished 16th. "The No.17 car felt great and was running strong until unfortunate engine problems put me out fairly early on. It's a shame really. The team worked hard and made a great effort to get us ready for a good race." Watch for Tagliani and Smith next in Round 11 of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered By Ford at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on September 12, 2004.
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