2004 Cleveland Thoughts
RACE: What might have turned out to be an exciting race was turned into a runaway when the only two cars that could equal Bourdais' pace were eliminated before they even took a turn.
TRACK: The ability for racecar drivers to learn is ... well ... nonexistent as evidenced by yet another Cleveland Turn 1 smashup.
BOURDAIS: Sebastien has won three times in just five races and is not the points leader? The bonehead who thought up this new points scheme should be strung up on the nearest tow hook.
JUNQUEIRA: For a track that has hardly anything to hit, Bruno sure found a way to run into the few hard objects.
NEWMAN-HAAS: Starting to turn into this year's version of the Ferrari of Champ Cars.
TAGLIANI: Nice comeback even if you were the guy everyone blamed for the Turn 1 incident.
WILSON: However, Justin deserves the blame for grossly overreacting and driving right back into Tracy.
TRACY: This new points system is going to destroy a driver like Paul. Which is exactly what the publicity starved Champ Cars do not want to do -- handcuff one of their most exciting on track performers.
SERVIA: Removed his invisible cloak.
COYNE: The team must be really excited knowing they now have a chance every time they enter a race.
VASSER: Jimmy now seems to be the one who is invisible this year.
PHILIPPE: "I've earned my spot in the Champ Car World Series." Even an airport runway couldn't make you fly like a jet.
MAZZACANE: Gaston did drive Formula One, didn't he?
SPERAFICO: How can you finish four laps down at a track like Cleveland?
POINTS: First, third, and fourth in the point standings have not won a race. Sure it's still early, but we're fearing the worse. There was nothing that needed fixing with the old points system.
DANGEROUS CURVES: We have continuously praised this show, but now we are going to criticize it. The way they present the Trans Am races is nothing short of horrid. One can never get into the flow and rhythm of the race as the presentation does such harm to one of the best road racing series they would be better off if there was no TV coverage.
F1: Say what you want about Michael Schumacher, but his performance in the French Grand Prix was one of the greatest drives in F1 history.
WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Temptation.
STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 5 -- the record that Sebastien Bourdais did not get for consecutive starts on the front row after his first day pole was taken away for blocking.
HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: We repeat last year's historical stat because now Bourdais is the second driver to win Cleveland back-to-back equaling Alex Zanardi's wins in 1997-98.
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Jimmy Vasser talking about the only Thursday they have run this year, "This is by far the fastest car we've had all year on Thursday."
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Sebastien Bourdais in a prophetic statement about not qualifying on the front row, "We are still starting from the inside of Turn One."
SCHEDULE: Canada, beer, women, fast race cars. Toronto, here we come!
Copyright © 2004 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.
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