VASSER WINS LONG BEACH POLE POSITION CANOGA PARK NATIVE'S VICTORY ENDS RECENT FOREIGN SUPREMACY.Byline: A.J. Perez Staff Writer LONG BEACH - Team Rahal driver Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser (born November 20 1965 in Canoga Park, California ) is an American racing driver. Vasser was the 1996 Champ Car champion, driving for Chip Ganassi, and has scored ten victories in the category. wasn't making history, just shifting the recent direction of it. Vasser became the first American First American may refer to:
n. pl. Grand Prix Any of several competitive international road races for sports cars of specific engine size over an exacting, usually risky course. of Long Beach on Saturday. Da Matta, who already had been assured one of the two spots in the front row on Friday under the new qualifying rules, finished .003 seconds behind Vasser's fastest lap In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some series, like A1 Grand Prix and the GP2 series, award bonus points to the driver/team with the fastest lap. on the 1.968-mile temporary street course. Vasser, who will start from the pole for the eighth time of his career, is seeking his first CART victory in two years while da Matta is seeking his fourth series victory in a row when the 90-lap race gets under way today at 12:30 p.m. ``We are in a good position, but a lot can happen,'' said Vasser, a Canoga Park native who finished with a time of 1 minute, 7.742 seconds. ``I don't want to predict what will happen in the race, although I definitely think we can do it.'' Both da Matta and Vasser each earned a championship point for winning their respective qualifying sessions. Starting position is very important on street courses like Long Beach, where speeds are slower and passing is minimal. The pole-sitter has won six times since CART started running in Long Beach in 1984, including Helio Castroneves' wire-to-wire victory last year. Pole-sitters have also led 51.6 percent of the laps. ``You can't feel bad about starting on the front row,'' said da Matta, a driver for Newman/Haas Racing who started in the same position last year. ``The important thing is that the car is competitive.'' And that it was. His Toyota-Lola responded well to the faster track Saturday, which was brought on by higher temperatures and a broken-in course. Da Matta's top qualifying time Friday of 1:09.092 seconds would have earned him 16th place Saturday. Da Matta would become the third CART driver in history to win four in a row, joining Alex Zanardi Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi, (born October 23, 1966 in Bologna, Italy), is an Italian racing driver. He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. (1998) and Al Unser This article is about the automobile racer. For the baseball player, see Al Unser (baseball). Alfred Unser (born May 29, 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of Bobby Unser and father of Al Unser, Jr. (1990). Starting on the second row are Target Chip Ganassi Floyd "Chip" Ganassi (born May 24, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and educated at local Duquesne University) is a former American racecar driver and current racecar owner. drivers Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira (born November 4, 1976) is a Brazilian racecar driver and veteran of the Champ Car World Series. Junqueira started racing go-karts in Brazil and dominated Formula Three Sudamericana before moving to Formula 3000. and Kenny Brack n. 1. An opening caused by the parting of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw. Stain or brack in her sweet reputation. - J. Fletcher. 1. Salt or brackish water. . Vasser, the 1996 Grand Prix champ, will attempt to win his first race since the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston The Grand Prix of Houston is an annual auto race on the Champ Car World Series circuit. It is held in Houston, Texas, on a temporary course laid out in the parking lot of the Reliant Park Complex. The 2007 event is scheduled for April 22. in 2000 with his backup Champ Car after a broken oil pipe in his primary car 20 minutes into the morning practice session. ``It had some characteristics that felt quick,'' said Vasser, who drives a Ford-Lola. ``We talked back at the truck and decided to pull the primary out.'' While his primary could have raced Saturday, the switch seemed to pay off. Da Matta battled with Vasser the final 10 minutes of qualifying and briefly found himself with the fastest lap with six minutes to go in the hourlong qualifying session. Two minutes later, Vasser grabbed the lead for good when he posted the best lap on his 10th trip around the track. Any chances for da Matta to mount a comeback were dashed when Team Motorola's Michael Andretti spun out and hit a tire barrier on turn 9 with two minutes left. ``The car was capable of doing pretty good out there and I think I could have definitely put it in the top 10,'' said Andretti, who won the Long Beach Grand Prix
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the premier circuit in the Champ Car World Series. It is an open-wheel race held on a temporary road course in Long Beach, California. in 1986. The red flag and the checkered flag were waved seconds later, putting an end to the qualifying session. ``I think I had a couple good laps left in the car, but that's the way it goes,'' said da Matta, who had two of his allotted al·lot tr.v. al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting, al·lots 1. To parcel out; distribute or apportion: allotting land to homesteaders; allot blame. 2. 15 laps available when qualifying ended. Once again, qualifying took awhile to get under way. Drivers stood around talking to each other in the pits as the time ticked off in the session. For the thousands seated in the grandstands, the only entertainment came from track announcer Bruce Flanders, who used the lull to test out some ill-fated jokes. The session began at 1:45 p.m., but it wasn't until Team Kool Green driver Paul Tracy, a two-time Long Beach champ, made his way onto the track at 2:05 p.m. that qualifying truly got under way. TOYOTA GRAND PRIX Site: Long Beach Track: Long Beach Street Circuit (temporary road course, 1.968 miles, 11 turns). Race Distance: 90 laps, 177.12 miles. Last year: Helio Castroneves fought off Cristiano da Matta to win the Toyota Grand Prix. The two Brazilians put on a sensational show in the last half of the race, with Castroneves holding off da Matta by 0.534 seconds. Next race: Bridgestone Potenza 500, April 27, Motegi, Japan. On the net: www.cart.com Today's schedule 7 a.m.: Gates open to public 10 a.m.: Chevron Challenge Toyota Atlantic race (32 laps) 12:30 p.m.: CART Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach 3:45 p.m.: Johnson Controls 100 Trans-Am race CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Team Rahal driver Jimmy Vasser crosses the finish line Saturday en route to winning the pole position for today's Grand Prix of Long Beach. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press Box: TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH (see text) |
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