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CART: Gordon Looks Forward to Chance to Let it All Hang Out at Cleveland

23 June 1999

        CLEVELAND, Ohio - With the dog days of summer
looming on the horizon, there's something refreshing about coming to
Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport for Robby Gordon this weekend.
        "It isn't your classic road course, by any means, but it's sure
a lot of fun to race there," said the 30-year-old owner-driver from
first-year Team Gordon as he and his fellow CART FedEx Championship
Series regulars plot their return to the Medic Drug Grand Prix of
Cleveland.
	Gordon again will be at the controls of the No. 22 Johns
Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota-powered Swift.
        "When I think about Cleveland, I can't help but think about the
race in 1995.  I had a good chance to win, but we cut a few tires in the
heat of battle and ended up sixth.  Everyone was scratching and clawing.
It was like a dog fight with no rules.  Guys were going three and four
abreast into corners that only fit one and they weren't letting up until
it was too late. I had an exchange with Villenueve where we both ended
up racing each other in the grass because neither of us would give in."
        Unlike typical temporary circuits, which are surrounded from
start to finish by concrete barriers, the Cleveland circuit is wide open
spaces by comparison.
        "That's the great part about this track, it's wide and there is
plenty of room to run if you do end up in the grass.  Guys are going to
take more chances here because they're not worried about a cement wall
taking them out of the running.  The start is always exciting, too.
We've gone into Turn One, which is practically a hairpin, five and six
wide in the past. It's a mess. Everyone's trying to make up 15 spots and
someone always loses out.  It's just a great place to race. The fans
have a good view of the whole track and the city of Cleveland is a
blast.  I'm excited to be back. Hopefully, we can dice in the lead again
and come away with some points."
        Through the first eight events on this year's 20-event CART
schedule, the Team Gordon camp has certainly been an eventful place to
be, according to its youthful owner-driver - the only person to hold
that distinction on the circuit.  It has endured the expected first-year
growing pains of juggling chassis packages and personnel in search of
just the right combination to be a major force.  And all the while, the
CART circuit is proving to be more competitive than perhaps ever before.
        "Yeah, there was one school of thought that had us thinking we'd
already have our bags packed for the post-season Hawaiian Super Prix -
that's the kind of confidence we have around here," said co-owner Mike
Held, who with Gordon and John Menard formed Team Gordon during this
past offseason.  "But we always knew the task at hand when we set out to
put Team Gordon on the racetrack back in January.  I think we have shown
flashes of brilliance in practice, qualifying and during races this
season, which has been very encouraging.  From here, the job will be to
put together a complete weekend, and then to keep doing that over and
over.  That's what it takes to win in this series."
        The Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland will run Sunday afternoon
(June 27), with practice and qualifying set for Friday and Saturday
(June 25-26).  Race time Sunday is 2:30 p.m. EDT, and it will be carried
live by ESPN.

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