Montoya sets provisional pole

[KC]

During the midday qualifying on pole day for Indy, Montoya took the field by storm during worsening conditions and showed the pure skill that has steaded him well in CART. Eliseo Salazar set pole earlier this morning and the weather has become more and more overcast in Indiana holding back all others from catching his time. Track temperatures had peaked at a mere 75F before dropping from the overcast skies. Arie Luyendyck commented that a driver with Montoya's skill on cold tires could possibly take pole and that's how he did it. His opening lap was already faster than Salazar's average over four laps. Montoya went on to post about 1/2mph faser than the next closest. Vasser went out just after Montoya and finished 5th. Other driver of notice include Al Unser Jr. in 13th and Sarah Fisher in 14th. If the weather continues its coolness and overcast as it appears to be doing, these times will most likely hold. After 5:00pm today, all cars already accepting their qualifying times will be locked in and only one more day, Bubble Day, will remain to enter the field.

[This message has been edited by KC (edited 20 May 2000).]

[Liz]

Montoya was awesome! I almost felt sorry for Jimmy having to go out and try to follow that - his time was respectable but next to what his teammate did, it was yesterday's news.

Incidentally, kudos to Sarah Fisher and too bad about Lynn St. James but I think she's in for another disappointment ...

[Hyacinth]

DAMN!!!!!!

Greg Ray just took Pole away from ObiJuan!!!

[Liz]

What's a Greg Ray?

[Crash Test]

So Liz, would you watch the race to see how Juan goes?

Greg Ray...well he did stack it in the pit lane last year...so he must be good!!

[Jay]

Nice job by Juan, Jimmy did about as well as expected of him with the additional downforce on the car.

Were there any other drivers?

[Liz]

I'll probably turn it on and keep half an ear to the TV while I am working, until JPM's wheels fall off.

[Liz]

A bunch of people went out and ran around in circles. I guess those were drivers.

(P.S. I am kidding. Some of them were pretty fast - I just don't remember who they were.)

Who is that Salazar, and what nationality is he?

[Hyacinth]

Liz-

Salazar is from Chile. This post from 7thGear may explain why he doesn't have a lot of fans outside of his home country...

Posted by-

"Infinity"
Member posted 05-21-2000 10:58 AM
"Well, this wasn't CART, but it was CART equipment;-) In the 1996 Indy 500 Eliseo Salazar ran into and took out Arie Luyendyk exiting the pits under caution. There is debate over whether it was intentional or not. What WAS intentional is when Salazar, trying to defend the lead for his teammate late in the race, deliberately ran second place Davy Jones into the pitwall down the front straight on a restart. Allegedly he was ordered by team owner Andy Evans to do that. Fortunately for Jones he barely brushed the wall and finished second. In a bit of irony, Evans cars - Salazar and Zampedri (who had been leading when the incident took place) were taken out on a frightening last lap accident where Zampedri's car got airborn and would have gone into the stands had the catch fencing not done it's job. In car camera from Eliseo's car shows him ducking as Zampedri's car went over him. Sadly Zampedri suffered career ending injuries to his feet.
I know a lot of you on this board think I'm anti CART, but if it comes down to Salad Bar and one of the Ganassi cars at the end of the race, I'll be rooting all the way for TCG"

[Slo Racer]

I don't think Salazar is that bad. He at least survived an onslaught by a thoroughly white knuckled Turn Four Fisher. And now we see him on the front row of another IRL event that includes a couple of CART's better drivers. Hopefully she will figure out "what happened" before she does herself in.

Way to go Juan and Jimmy in your new cars

Slo Racer

[Crash Test]

I do beleive it was Salazar who was hit by Piquet in the head (with fist) way back in his F1 days...

[Hyacinth]

Crash-

The very same. Salazar and his "briefcase full of money" has unfortunately been a fixture in more than one racing series. He's been involved in more wrecks than anyone can count, and then has the crust to criticise everyone else. Not exactly Mr. Popularity.