Rocketsports Racing Montreal Pre-Race Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Heather Haupt ▪ cell: (517) 927-8472 ▪ e-mail: heatherh@rocketsportsracing.com Rocketsports Racing Montreal Notes and Quotes: EXPERIENCE TO PLAY A KEY ROLE THIS WEEKEND FOR ROCKETSPORTS IN MONTREAL EAST LANSING, Mich. (August 22, 2005) – Rocketsports Racing made an impressive debut back in 2003 at the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal taking the pole and dominating most of the race, but came short of taking the win. This year, the third year team returns to the Canadian venue with another shot at the win with veteran Champ Car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay and Champ Car rookie Timo Glock, who made his Formula One debut there last year finishing as one of the few drivers to score points in a debut race in F1. Hunter-Reay will attempt to make his third start on the 2.709-mile permanent road course this weekend driving the #31 Red Paw Systems Inc./Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. His first run in Montreal saw him retire with 15 laps to go due to a mechanical problem, while his 2004 race handed him another DNF (Did Not Finish). Looking to improve on his best starting position of ninth on the Montreal grid, the American will work with his Rocketsports team to obtain his first finish at this venue and his best finish of the season. Rookie-of-the-Year point’s leader Glock is really looking forward to this event. Although this is Glock’s first year in Champ Car, he is no stranger to open-wheel racing in Canada, or in front of the Montreal contingents either. As the test and reserve driver for the Jordan F1 team, Glock made his F1 debut in June of 2004 at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. He had to stand in for one of the regular Jordan drivers at short notice, therefore driving in his first F1 race. Glock earned a seventh place finish and went on to participate in three additional events that season. Making the switch to Champ Car this year, the German native will return to Montreal to participate in the Molson Indy Montreal and behind the wheel of a 750-hp Champ Car. He is coming off his best run of the season in Denver. Glock took the green flag tenth driving the #8 DHL Global Mail Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, but dropped to the 14th spot after a Turn One incident on the first lap held him up. Running as high as third, the rookie was looking to earn his first Champ Car podium before a mechanical failure ended his day prematurely. With only five races left on the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, Glock and Hunter-Reay sit ninth and thirteenth, respectively, in the overall Champ Car World Series championship standings. The festivities for the Molson Indy Montreal will kick off on Thursday night, with a street party in Downtown Montreal, where both Rocketsports drivers will be on hand to help jump start the weekend fun. They will strap into their racecars on Friday morning for the first practice session of the weekend, followed by provisional qualifying. Final qualifying for the Molson Indy Montreal will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the green flag to wave on Sunday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. ET. TV coverage of Round Ten of the Champ Car World Series can be seen live on NBC, Sunday August 27 starting at 1:30 p.m. Notes Formed in 1985 by racecar driver and businessman Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing is based in East Lansing, Michigan. In addition to a two-car Champ Car entry, the team runs a multi-car effort in the Trans-Am Series. Rocketsports Champ Car entry started in 2003. The team expanded to a two-car endeavor in 2004. Hunter-Reay will drive the #31 Cytomax Sport Drink car and Glock will pilot the #8 DHL Global Mail machine. Rocketsports has recorded one victory (Road America, 2004) and two poles (Milwaukee, Montreal, 2003). Hunter-Reay is a product of the Champ Car ladder system. Coming up through the ranks, Hunter-Reay last participated in the Toyota Atlantic Championship before making his way into Champ Car. Hunter-Reay has recorded two Champ Car victories (Australia, 2003, Milwaukee, 2004) in two years of competition. He also holds the record for leading the most laps in a single event in the history of Champ Car, making him the youngest driver to win a Champ Car oval race and is the first American in over two decades to win a Champ Car race as a rookie. Representing Germany in the Champ Car World Series, Glock is a graduate of the Deutsche Post Speed Academy and has shown his driving talents by winning multiple championships and honors throughout the European ranks. Glock, a former Formula driver, started as a test driver during 2004 in a season that saw him make his F1 debut, followed by three other appearances (China, Japan, and Brazil). This is Glock’s first season in the Champ Car World Series. Consistency Keeps Glock On Top – Besides the three unfortunate DNF’s (Did Not Finish) this season, Timo Glock has managed to finish in the top ten for six out of nine races. Matching his Champ Car career best finish of sixth in San Jose, the young German extended his lead in the Rookie-of-the-Year battle by eleven points over Ronnie Bremer. Glock came to earning his first Champ Car podium finish in Denver, but the rookie had to pull into the pits with nine laps to go due to a mechanical failure, denying him of a third place and the valuable points for the ROY battle and championship. Finishing the race 13th, allowed Glock to maintain his lead in the ROY battle, but only leads by three points. The former F1 driver sits in the top ten of the Champ Car championship standings in ninth with a total of 117 points and is second to 2004 Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais in laps completed this season, finishing 914 out of 938 laps possible. The Molson Indy Montreal will mark the 42nd start for Rocketsports in the Champ Car World Series. Rocketsports Racing earned its second pole position in Montreal during its rookie season in 2003 with Alex Tagliani. Tagliani went on to pace 52 of the first 55 laps of the day from pole. After building a three-second lead on his first stint, the Rocketsports driver ended up having to fill his car one lap earlier than the rest of the field, coming up at the end short of the leaders and finishing his day fourth. Quotes Timo Glock #8 DHL Global Mail/Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone “I am really excited about returning to Montreal, and running at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve again. This is the only track that I have an advantage, despite my rookie status, because I competed here last year running for Jordan in Formula One. It will be really interesting to see the difference between a Champ Car and a Formula One car on the same track because I have this reference. That is a good opportunity for us because we can plan our weekend completely different in terms of tires and track time. After our weekend in Denver, I think we are on the way back in the top five, so I hope for the team that we can take home a good result after this weekend. My wish is for the Rocketsports team to finish on the podium, mostly for my mechanics because they have been doing such an outstanding job this year. I will give everything for these guys and maybe we will find our luck back. I am feeling pretty confident about this race because last year I had a great weekend in my first F1 race, so I hope that luck continues and I have a great finish in my first Champ Car race here.” Ryan Hunter-Reay #31 Red Paw Systems, Inc./ Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone “I am really looking forward to Montreal because we will finally be back racing on a natural road course. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a circuit that I really love, it provides a unique and fun challenge to the driver and the Canadian fans are always great to race in front of. They are so enthusiastic about open-wheel racing, which makes it fun for us drivers because we want to put on a good show for them. I did not have very good results here in the past, but I am looking to change that this year with my Rocketsports team. We have been working real hard all year; I think this could be our break. This will be my third time racing at this venue, as well as Rocketsports. They came close to obtaining a win here from pole in 2003 with Alex Tagliani, so I know that the team is capable of running fast on this circuit. We will see what we can do together to get a fast car and be a top competitor this weekend.” - RSR - Subscriptions: [Champ Car Press Releases] Change subscriptions: http://rocket.cmagic.com/index.php?option=com_mamml&Itemid=&action=unregistered&type=unregistered&userid=1029&test=6a5e400455253ffe31d6baa62f1590c7