SurfaceUnits
06-20-06, 01:20 PM
Noise issues in Portland: Champ Car drivers seemed puzzled that the customary Sunday morning warmup was replaced by an unusual 5:30 p.m. Saturday warmup because of neighborhood noise concerns.
Champ Car is not happy with the power the North Portland neighborhoods seem to hold over what goes on at Portland International Raceway, but as Champ Car vice president of operations Tony Cotman said, "it's a sticky subject. Obviously, it doesn't make it easy for us."
"I don't understand it," said Newman/Haas driver Sebastien Bourdais after Saturday's qualifying. "They were running cars at 8 a.m. today. What's the difference?"
While forcing the Champ Cars to warm up Saturday instead of Sunday is not a huge issue for the drivers, it did put all of the teams in scramble mode after qualifying as they hurried to put together race set-ups.
Almost total domination: Bourdais -- who missed being on the pole by 15-thousandths of a second Saturday -- has won an amazing nine of the past 11 Champ Car races. The Frenchman has 20 career Champ Car victories in 49 starts. That obliterates the former record held by A.J. Foyt of 20 wins in 79 starts. . . . Mario Andretti needed 80 starts to win 20 races, Tony Bettenhausen 96, and Rick Mears 97.
What Bourdais is doing in 2006 is reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's domination in Formula One a few years ago. In four races, Bourdais has four wins, three poles and has led 267 of a possible 443 laps, a 60.2 percentage that is second to the 66.8 percent by Al Unser Sr. in 1970.
Did you know?: There hasn't been a repeat pole winner in Portland since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1991 and 1992. . . . Paul Tracy -- who has never won in Portland - makes his 128th consecutive Champ Car start today, a streak that is 10th in the all-time list, just behind Gil de Ferran (129) and Mauricio Gugelmin (130).
Atlantic race: Young Graham Rahal, a 17-year with lofty racing ambitions, won the pole for today's 10 a.m. Trinity Carpet-sponsored Atlantic race with a fast lap of 1:04.628 (109.401 miles-per-hour).
First-day qualifying leader Simon Pagenaud was second (1:04.848) with Raphael Matos third (1:04.939).
With his famous father, Bobby Rahal, manning the pits, Graham Rahal topped a 27-car field and gave the family something to brag about on Father's Day weekend. Bobby Rahal, once one of Champ Car's greatest drivers, was never able to win a pole in Portland. "Portland has always been good to me," said the younger Rahal. . . . "I don't know what it is about Portland, but it treats me perfectly and I hope it continues."
© 2006 The Oregonian. All rights reserved.
Champ Car is not happy with the power the North Portland neighborhoods seem to hold over what goes on at Portland International Raceway, but as Champ Car vice president of operations Tony Cotman said, "it's a sticky subject. Obviously, it doesn't make it easy for us."
"I don't understand it," said Newman/Haas driver Sebastien Bourdais after Saturday's qualifying. "They were running cars at 8 a.m. today. What's the difference?"
While forcing the Champ Cars to warm up Saturday instead of Sunday is not a huge issue for the drivers, it did put all of the teams in scramble mode after qualifying as they hurried to put together race set-ups.
Almost total domination: Bourdais -- who missed being on the pole by 15-thousandths of a second Saturday -- has won an amazing nine of the past 11 Champ Car races. The Frenchman has 20 career Champ Car victories in 49 starts. That obliterates the former record held by A.J. Foyt of 20 wins in 79 starts. . . . Mario Andretti needed 80 starts to win 20 races, Tony Bettenhausen 96, and Rick Mears 97.
What Bourdais is doing in 2006 is reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's domination in Formula One a few years ago. In four races, Bourdais has four wins, three poles and has led 267 of a possible 443 laps, a 60.2 percentage that is second to the 66.8 percent by Al Unser Sr. in 1970.
Did you know?: There hasn't been a repeat pole winner in Portland since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1991 and 1992. . . . Paul Tracy -- who has never won in Portland - makes his 128th consecutive Champ Car start today, a streak that is 10th in the all-time list, just behind Gil de Ferran (129) and Mauricio Gugelmin (130).
Atlantic race: Young Graham Rahal, a 17-year with lofty racing ambitions, won the pole for today's 10 a.m. Trinity Carpet-sponsored Atlantic race with a fast lap of 1:04.628 (109.401 miles-per-hour).
First-day qualifying leader Simon Pagenaud was second (1:04.848) with Raphael Matos third (1:04.939).
With his famous father, Bobby Rahal, manning the pits, Graham Rahal topped a 27-car field and gave the family something to brag about on Father's Day weekend. Bobby Rahal, once one of Champ Car's greatest drivers, was never able to win a pole in Portland. "Portland has always been good to me," said the younger Rahal. . . . "I don't know what it is about Portland, but it treats me perfectly and I hope it continues."
© 2006 The Oregonian. All rights reserved.