CART: Gidley to race in Vancouver following Elkhart Lake crash
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
August 29, 2001Vancouver, British Columbia - The winning tradition returned to Team Target last week in Elkhart Lake, Wis. as rookie Bruno Junqueira overcame a spin early in the race to capture the team's first victory of the season. Junqueira had fallen to 21st after his spin before storming through the field to collect his first CART Fedex Series victory. The win also marked the 38th career victory for Team Target. This week, Junqueira and the rest of Team Target are taking to the streets of Vancouver in search of back-to-back victories. Junqueira believes the win can propel the team to several more victories this season.
"This was a great victory for us," Junqueira said. "It was a true team effort from everyone. Our pit stops were very fast and my engineers made some great calls in that race. I was able to run as fast as I could without worrying about conserving fuel. I turned the fastest lap of the race on lap 40, with used tires. I was hoping to have a win earlier in the season and we came close several times. This win gives the team and me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. I don't see any reason why we can't win this week and have several more victories before the end of the season."
It was a roller-coaster ride of emotions for the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team on August 19th. Before Junqueira made his charge to the lead, teammate Memo Gidley was involved in a major crash on lap 20. Gidley's car struck the side of a concrete bridge and then somersaulted down the track before coming to rest upside-down in the grass. After safety crews had to cut him out of the car, Gidley was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Incredibly, the 30-year old American sustained only a bone contusion in the accident.
After a visit by Dr. Trammell on Monday, Gidley was cleared to race this weekend in Vancouver. Gidley still stands fifth in laps led for the season and is looking forward to adding to that total this week in the Molson Indy.
"I am feeling great and I can't wait to get back in the car," Gidley said. "The Lola car did its job and really diffused a lot of the impact. I've been to the gym and done some go-karting this week to get back in shape. Vancouver is another one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. It is a beautiful city and the fans are great supporters of CART. Street circuits really allow you to throw the car around and be aggressive, which is my style. If we can get a strong qualifying run, we will be able to challenge for a victory. It really helps if you can start near the front on that track. I'm very happy that Bruno got the win in Elkhart Lake. Now I'm hoping to follow in his footsteps."
Team Target heads to Vancouver aiming for back-to-back victories. The team has accomplished that feat 16 times in their illustrious career. Team Target managing director Mike Hull feels that his team is riding a wave of confidence as they travel to Vancouver this week.
"This team has experienced a lot of success in Vancouver in the past," Hull said. "And Bruno's win last week was very important to our team. It has really energized everyone involved with the race team from the office staff to the management team. Memo has fully recovered from his crash last week, which is pretty amazing. He suffered only a bone contusion and he was back in the gym working out this week. We're looking forward to having him back in the car as we try for back-to-back victories." The Molson Indy Vancouver airs live on ESPN2 this Sunday at 6 p.m. EST.
Text provided by Brian Zepp
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