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2000 Rio Thoughts

TRACK: What ... huh ... {rubs eyes} ... can't be ... {squints} ... my gosh ... it is. There are actually fans in the seats!

RACE: You didn't mind that the race was consumed by the leader running away because 1) you had the feeling you were witnessing the coming out of a great talent, and 2) the action behind Alex Tagliani was intense and exciting. Then, you felt sorry for Tags. Finally, you felt like booing him along with the rest of the crowd.

FERNANDEZ: Is there some kind of new rule this year that you must qualify in the second half of the field in order to win a race?

VASSER: Definitely the Vasser of old. It might be Jimmy who ends up keeping Team Ganassi's streak alive.

TRACY: Three consecutive podium finishes to start the season. Looks like the Tracy bashers, yours truly included, are going to have to find another hobby.

FORD: Well, it's about time for what was supposed to be the killer engine of 2000.

FIRESTONE: Isn't the end of the tire war doing wonderful things to the races especially in the waning laps?

BRACK: An extremely aggressive, and thrilling, drive.

TAGLIANI: From hero to zero.

ANDRETTI: Sheesh! Not again!

MONTOYA: Only one point (and that from a race that hasn't even been run yet) after three contests. The funny thing is, if this happened last year, nobody would have thought twice about it.

FRANCHITTI: Is he going soft on us?

HERTA: Like the Long Beach performance showed he deserves a ride, Rio showed that he is still in a rut on ovals.

SERVIA: Oriol, Oriol, Oriol. Don't be handing IRL fanatics such easy fodder.

BRAZILIAN DRIVERS: So much for home track advantage...

HONDA: Groupies?!

HARD CHARGER AWARD: Am I the only one who thinks this award is bogus? Sure, on a race to race basis, it can be interesting as Fernandez showed (and Tracy last time). However, on a seasonal basis, this award rewards those who consistently qualifies dirt slow, stays out of trouble (by driving slow), doesn't break (by driving slow), and picks up positions by attrition. After all, has Garcia actually passed anyone on the track? This is an award that Dennis Vitolo would have won. And he's the last guy you would call a hard charger.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Mark Blundell on trying to find his way through the smoke of Alex Tagliani's spin, "I was a bit nervous."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Memo Gidley on the hot Rio weather, "The water in the drinking bottle became so warm that you couldn't take a whole mouthful, I mean you could make coffee with that water."

SCHEDULE: Should we give the Motegi trophy to Fernandez right now?

Copyright © 2000 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.


Read what others said.


RACE RESULTS
  Driver Laps
1. Fernandez 108
2. Vasser 108
3. Tracy 108
4. da Matta 108
5. Fittipaldi 108
6. Moreno 108
7. Blundell 108
8. Gidley 108
9. Andretti 107
10. Brack 107
11. Franchitti 107
12. Garcia 104
13. Tagliani 103
14. Salles 98
15. Jourdain 90
16. Papis 90
17. de Ferran 79
18. Kanaan 69
19. Kurosawa 64
20. Herta 54
21. Gugelmin 53
22. Montoya 30
23. Fontana 29
24. Castro-Neves 22
25. Servia 0

Time of Race
1:37:12.490

Winner's Speed
124.256 mph

Margin of Victory
0.931 sec.

Caution Flags
5 for 27 laps

Lead Changes
8 among 6 drivers

Most Laps Led
Alex Tagliani

Pole Position
Alex Tagliani

CURRENT STANDINGS
  Driver Pts.
1. Tracy 48
2. Vasser 42
3. Moreno 28
4. Papis 20
  Fernandez 20
6. Tagliani 18
  de Ferran 18
8. Castro-Neves 16
  Fittipaldi 16
10. da Matta 13
11. Blundell 11
12. Herta 10
  Carpentier 10
14. Servia 8
15 Gidley 5
  Nakano 5
17 Andretti 4
  Franchitti 4
19 Kanaan 3
  Gugelmin 3
  Brack 3
22 Jourdain 2
  Garcia 2
24 Montoya 1
 
 
2008 Thoughts
Long Beach

2007 Thoughts
Preseason Las Vegas Long Beach Houston
Portland Cleveland Mont Tremblant Toronto
Edmonton San Jose Road America Belgium
Holland Surfers Paradise Mexico City Postseason

2006 Thoughts
Preseason Long Beach Houston Monterrey
Milwaukee Portland Cleveland Toronto
Edmonton San Jose Denver Montreal
Road America Surfer's Paradise Mexico City Postseason

2005 Thoughts
Preseason Long Beach Monterrey Milwaukee
Portland Cleveland Toronto Edmonton
San Jose Denver Montreal Las Vegas
Surfer's Paradise Mexico City Postseason

2004 Thoughts
Preseason Long Beach Monterrey Milwaukee
Portland Cleveland Toronto Vancouver
Road America Denver Montreal Laguna Seca
Las Vegas Surfer's Paradise Mexico City Postseason

2003 Thoughts
Preseason St. Petersburg Monterrey Long Beach
Brands Hatch Germany Milwaukee Laguna Seca
Portland Cleveland Toronto Vancouver
Road America Mid-Ohio Montreal Denver
Miami Mexico City Surfer's Paradise Postseason

2002 Thoughts
Preseason Monterrey Long Beach Japan
Milwaukee Laguna Seca Portland Chicago
Toronto Cleveland Vancouver Mid-Ohio
Road America Montreal Denver
England Miami Surfer's Paradise
Fontana Mexico City Postseason

2001 Thoughts
Preseason Mexico Long Beach Nazareth
Japan Milwaukee Detroit Portland
Cleveland Toronto Michigan Chicago
Mid-Ohio Road America Vancouver German
England Houston Laguna Seca
Surfer's Paradise Fontana Postseason

2000 Thoughts
Preseason Miami Long Beach Brazil
Japan Nazareth Milwaukee Detroit
Portland Cleveland Toronto Michigan
Chicago Mid-Ohio Road America Vancouver
Laguna Seca Gateway USGP Houston
Surfer's Paradise Fontana Postseason

1999 Thoughts
Preseason Miami Japan Long Beach
Nazareth Brazil Gateway Milwaukee
Portland Cleveland Road America Toronto
U.S. 500 Detroit Mid-Ohio Chicago
Vancouver Laguna Seca Houston
Surfer's Paradise Fontana Postseason

1998 Thoughts
Preseason Miami Japan Long Beach
Nazareth Brazil Gateway Milwaukee
Detroit Portland Cleveland Toronto
U.S. 500 Mid-Ohio Road America Vancouver
Laguna Seca Houston Surfer's Paradise Fontana

1997 Thoughts
Miami Surfer's Paradise Long Beach Nazareth
Brazil Gateway Milwaukee Detroit
Portland Cleveland Toronto
U.S. 500 Mid-Ohio Road America
Vancouver Laguna Seca Fontana
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