2006 Edmonton Thoughts
TRACK: Edmonton really allows these cars to stretch their muscles. It's a thrill to watch them at this track.
RACE: It was going to be tough to top last year's thriller, but this year the race was nothing to sneeze at.
THE BIG PICTURE: The attendance may have dipped a bit, but it is still the most successful event for Champ Car. This event is a definite keeper, and you'll be hard pressed to find a town that gets behind their race like Edmonton.
TV: The camera angles were nothing sort of exhilarating. That along with our track thought above made this the most spectacular race to watch on the telly.
WILSON: Justin rid himself of last year's Edmonton demons and took some attention away from his former teammate.
RUSSO: Breathing a bit easier now.
BOURDAIS: The good news is Sebastien beat the Forsythe team. The bad news is Sebastien did not win again. The so-so news is Sebastien continues to lead the championship by 23 points. However, that lead is to another driver as this has become a three way dogfight.
ALLMENDINGER: A.J. may be a cartoon character now, but he's still not a race winner at Edmonton.
SERVIA: Oriol and the PKV Racing team are really starting to click now. The next step is to be a serious race contender instead of just a consistent top five runner.
TRACY: This week, we are going to call out Paul. We've criticized drivers in the past who constantly find themselves off the track and in the wall. Well, Tracy sure does crash a lot, usually multiple times, during a race weekend. And, before you cry about how fast he is, well you don't see Bourdais throwing the car off the track to get his speed.
POWER: That was one powerful hit Will took on Friday. To come back and grab the rookie points lead says something about race car drivers. We don't know what that says, but it says something...
RANGER: Another steady run for a steady finish for the man without money.
CLARKE: It was schizophrenia day in Edmonton. Crashing Dan and Speedy Dan were both in attendance.
ZWOLSMAN: We don't wish having to endure a sick stomach on any race car driver.
KASEMETS: Well, at least Tonis finished.
LEGGE: Once again, continues to go off too often.
PHILIPPE: Now, Nelson is just another 20-something race car driver. Hey, that's not such a bad deal, either! Though, a lousy birthday for him.
JUNQUEIRA: The speed gap between him and Bourdais seems to be growing. With the Graham Rahal rumors, is Bruno's job now in jeopardy?
HEYLEN: Crashed out by another driver for the second race in a row.
PASTORELLI: If Nicky enters a race, does it make any difference than when he doesn't?
DA MATTA: Can you think of a worse way to make your 100th start?
KOREA: Let's see a show of hands. How many people didn't see this cancellation coming as far back as last year? Then, why couldn't anyone who matters see this one coming? Note to Champ Car -- give it up already! Permanently.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Thank you. We're humbled.
WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Revenge.
STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 2 -- First Sebastien Bourdais wins four in a row. Then, A.J. Allmendinger wins three in a row. So, does this mean Justin Wilson is guaranteed to win next week for two in a row?
HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: It was mentioned when Bobby Rahal was in Edmonton to watch his son, Graham, compete in the Atlantic series, that Bobby's first professional race was in Edmonton, at the old Edmonton International Speedway, also in the Formula Atlantic series. Bobby didn't win that race, and though he did win some Atlantic events, he never won an Atlantic championship.
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Oriol Servia after being in the vicinity when Nelson Philippe crashed, "I hope he doesn't blame me for THIS crash!"
QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Neil Micklewright, clearly displaying the differences in the two teams' philosophies on his reaction after Allmendinger crashed in Friday's qualifying session, "A.J. came back with that RuSPORT look. I said 'What the hell's wrong with you? You break it, we'll fix it, and you'll put it on the pole tomorrow.'"
SCHEDULE: Last year, San Jose was a huge success despite being an artistic disaster. This year, many of those glitches hopefully have been corrected, and the local buzz is as loud as ever.
Copyright © 2006 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.
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