1998 Mid-Ohio Thoughts
TRACK: When you think about it, Mid-Ohio is like a street circuit in some
respects. Only one real long straightaway with the only bonafide opportunity
to pass and many turns followed by many turns. However, it offers something
a street circuit doesn't. Numerous elevation changes with blind crests
making this one of the top driver's tracks in the world.
RACE: Well, it was a wild race. I don't know if it was a good race, but
it certainly was a wild race. What happened to all the fine driving from
Michigan?
FERNANDEZ: Adrian was hooked up in the one place he really needed to be --
coming out of the keyhole. Pruett would close in entering that turn under
braking while Fernandez would pull away coming out. And that was all he
needed to hold off his teammate.
PRUETT: Is the Patrick Racing Team on the verge of being the number one
challengers to Team Ganassi?
RAHAL: What a way to bid farewell to his home track fans. And it was a
classic Rahal drive. He didn't ask everybody in front of him to crash out,
but he certainly took advantage of it. And for somebody who has given so
much to this sport, and will continue to do so in the future, he more than
deserved a story book podium finish at home.
FRANCHITTI: Dario, let me offer you some advice. Next time you win the
pole and someone from Team Rahal is gridded third, start the race from the
pits. Trust me.
HERTA: It seems he is really starting to feel the pressure to come up
with his first win. And he is becoming desperate in the process.
MOORE: What an obscene move! He had plenty of room to get out of his
pits. Not to mention that Ribeiro was legally placed in his box. There
was no reason whatsoever to spin his tires to get out. But he did, and
he's darn lucky he didn't slide all the way and kill the pit crew worker.
Obscene.
ZANARDI: He is human after all. More like a madman in this race. And
where does this guy find his luck? He goes off course and bounces way up no
less than three times and keeps on going. Everybody else puts a wheel off,
and they break their suspension. He clips the wing of Lehto, doesn't get a
flat tire, and in a bizarre chain of events, causes Andretti to go for one
of the wildest rides in Champ car history. Then, he rams Castro-Neves hard
enough to cause Helio to whack the wall, and Alex just merrily goes on his
way to finish the race. I take back what I said. He's not human.
ANDRETTI: Get in. Buckle up. Grab tight!
TRACY: A very quiet ride, but it worked.
GURNEY: Is it time, once and for all, for Dan Gurney to bite the bullet
and end his longstanding relationship with Toyota and dump their engine next
year? He has to provide the Eagle with a proper opportunity to fly.
ARUTE: I'm the first to jump all over Jack Arute whenever the opportunity
arises, but I have to say, he did a decent job filling in as the play-by
play announcer when they temporarily lost power in the booth.
GORDON: As in Jeff, not Robby. Yes, the NASCAR guy. What an amazing
comeback he had at Watkins Glen after pitting out of sequence. He pulled
Zanardi like moves weaving through the field. Never appeared to lock the
brakes up while everybody else was doing so under pressure. Sure, he had
the best car. But who do you think provides the feedback to his crew to
set the car up so well? I'm convinced this guy would do just fine in CART.
And boy would I love to see it. Hey Jeff, if you move to CART, I promise
to buy one of your t-shirts to help keep your souvenir revenue up...
SCHEDULE: From Mid-Ohio to Road America. Two of the finest road circuits
in America, back to back.
Deep Throttle
Copyright © 1998 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.
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