Rocketsports Racing Australia Preview
Rocketsports Racing Australia Notes and Quotes: ROCKETSPORTS RACING HEADS DOWN UNDER WITH NEW DRIVER MCDOWELL AND LOOKS TO CLINCH ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR TITLE WITH GLOCK East Lansing, Mich. (October 17, 2005) – Running most of the season with the top rookie of the 2005 freshman class, Rocketsports Racing heads Down Under with two rookie drivers, Timo Glock and Michael McDowell, looking to clinch the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year title for Glock and introducing American rising star McDowell to the Champ Car World Series in streets of Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia. Glock has the chance to wrap up the rookie honors this weekend with a solid performance. Leading in the rookie standings by 40 points, the German is the only rookie that currently sits in the top ten of the championship standings. His consistency of eight top-ten finishes out of eleven races, one podium finish, and logging 1,158 of 1,183 possible laps this season, makes this young gun a Champ Car standout in 2005. Qualifying this season for Glock has not shown his true potential due to various obstacles. However, when it comes to the race, he tends to have a quick car, thus his ability to regularly finish in the top ten. The last two events, Montreal and Las Vegas, Glock earned a championship point during each race for being the “Most Improved” car in the competitive 18-car Champ Car field. He started in the #8 DHL Global Mail Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone 11th in Montreal to finish on the podium in second, and finished eighth in Vegas after starting 15th on the grid. A fresh new face will enter the Champ Car paddock for the first time this year in Australia, stepping into the #31 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone to make his Champ Car debut. McDowell, 20, joins Rocketsports Racing for the final two events of the season as a chance to show his talents behind the wheel of a 750-hp Champ Car, with the intentions of landing a full-time ride in 2006. This young American currently races in the American Grand-Am Cup Series and may just be America’s next bright star in open-wheel racing. Following in the footsteps of other young American drivers working their way to the premier open-wheel series in the United States, McDowell came up through the ranks of racing after starting his career racing go-karts and moving on to competing in competitive series such as Fran-Am, Star Mazda, and continues to compete in the Grand-Am Cup. Rocketsports’ rookie duo will take on the challenging 2.795-mile temporary street course of Surfer’s Paradise this weekend, with on-track activities commencing on Friday, October 21. Final qualifying will be held on Saturday, October 22 to determine the starting grid for the Lexmark Indy 300 on Sunday afternoon, October 23. Highlights from qualifying can be seen on Sunday, October 23 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on SPEED Channel, with complete race coverage following at 4:30 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. Michael McDowell will drive the #31 Rocketsports car and Timo Glock will pilot the #8 DHL Global Mail machine. Rocketsports has recorded one victory (Road America, 2004) and two poles (Milwaukee, Montreal, 2003). 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). continued This is Glock’s first season in the Champ Car World Series. Glock Earns First Podium, One Lap Shy of Win – Timo Glock found himself in front of the pack in Montreal pacing his first laps in a Champ Car. He maintained the lead for 19 laps as the Molson Indy Montreal headed toward the checkered flag. Penalized for short cutting the course on two separate occasions, the German was forced to give up the lead on the final lap. Earning his first podium in only ten starts by finishing second, Glock was the only rookie to finish in the top ten in Montreal and was awarded a point for obtaining the most positions during the race after starting 11th. Glock Continues to Fight for Rookie Honors – Glock extends his lead in the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year battle by 40 points over Ronnie Bremer. Trailing behind him by 47 points in third place is Andrew Ranger with two races left in the season before the honor is awarded to the top rookie in the 2005 freshman class. Michael McDowell becomes the third American driver that currently races in the Champ Car World Series. McDowell’s background in racing began at the age of three racing BMX bikes, soon after he started racing go-karts at the age of eight. Winning multiple races and championships, he moved to the next level, eventually making his way and a name for himself in the Star Mazda Series. He now, in addition to racing with Rocketsports Racing, races with Finlay Motorsports driving the Daytona Prototype and a Grand-Am Cup car paired with former Rocketsports driver Memo Gidley. In 2004, McDowell claimed the Pro Formula Mazda North American Championship in dominating fashion by qualifying on the pole 60 percent of the time and won 70 percent of the races in the 40 plus car fields. His championship title was preceded by another standout season in which he claimed the 2003 Rookie-of-the-Year title and finished second in the series standings. McDowell will be making his Champ Car debut in Australia and will finish the season with Rocketsports Racing in the season finale at Mexico City The Lexmark Indy 500 will mark the 44th start for Rocketsports in the Champ Car World Series. Quotes Timo Glock #8 DHL Global Mail/Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone “It is great to be back on a street track because I really enjoy driving between the tight walls and we usually have a pretty good race car on those style tracks. From what I have seen, the track looks pretty challenging for a driver and for the car as well. I hope that we can continue our good performance from Denver and Montreal to get back on the podium. The main goal will be to have a good performance as I continue my quest for the Rookie-of-the-Year honor and a top-ten finish in the championship points standings. I also look forward to working with my new teammate, Michael; it will be interesting to see how we can help one another in Australia.” Michael McDowell #31Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone “I am unbelievably excited about racing in Champ Car for the first time and in Australia. This as been a life long dream for me, I know it will be difficult, but I am ready and confident with the Rocketsports team and I am sure we will have great success. I am also looking forward to working with Timo Glock; he has been a driver that I have followed through F1 and during his current Champ Car career.”