Bourdais grabs another pole!

[Jay]

This is how they'll line up for the race:

1 2 S. Bourdais 58.014
2 3 P. Tracy 58.405
3 32 P. Carpentier 58.449
4 20 O. Servia 58.502
5 1 B. Junqueira 58.506
6 9 M. Jourdain Jr. 58.700
7 33 A. Tagliani 58.718
8 55 M. Dominguez 58.724
9 4 R. Moreno 58.845
10 12 J. Vasser 58.861
11 31 R. Hunter-Reay 59.073
12 34 M. Haberfeld 59.141
13 15 D. Manning 59.167
14 51 A. Fernandez 59.306
15 5 R. Lavin 59.531
16 7 T. Monteiro 59.822
17 19 G. Salles 59.968
18 27 M. Papis 1:00.020
19 11 G. Boss 1:01.103

Excellent laps by Bourdais! And, good to see Servia starting 4th. Dominguez has been extremely strong throughout the weekend too, but only managed 8th. Papis is making Lemarie look pretty good, and Geoff Boss should just spare himself the embarressment.

So, bets on who will cause the first corner accident? How many cars will be involved? Who will be taken out? If there's one track that's bad for first corner incidents it's this one where they have to go from about 5 wide to 1 or 2 wide very quickly. Townsend Bell isn't here this year, but some others are... so...guesses?

[Jay]

Also, there is a very good possibility of rain during the race tomorrow!

A night race in the rain, imagine that! I don't think visibility should be any more of a problem than during the day, perhaps less so as the lighting is more uniform with fewer shadows. Also the rear lights should be more visible.

Could be interesting... I think we're do for a wet race in Cart...

[enemy-ace]

That really was a great lap by Bourdais. He came so close to that wall at the end of his flier that I instinctively pulled my legs up for him. Good job by Carpentier too, he really was nowhere and then "BAM" takes almost a half second off and is sitting third.
Looks like Jourdain has lost a little of that magic touch.
I personally hope its a dry race, too many unknown variables for the teams to cope with if it rains, could get messy. Cleveland doesn't need rain to make it a good race.
Nice little guitar Bourdais got for snagging pole too. Rock 'n Roll!!!

[Liz]

I heard Vasser say that he'd had Lasek surgery and his night vision was not what it used to be! Heck, that's the reason I didn't have it, because they told me it would probably damage my night vision -- didn't his doctor tell him that? He's going to have major problems racing at night, at least he seemed to think so.

A very good session altogether and it'll be interesting to see if Bourdais can convert his pole into any real points in the race. He seems to be kind of poor at that so far. But since he is on my Fantasy Team, I hope he can manage to pull it out this time.

P.S. Can't we get them to fire Kendall? He's turning into a Frat Boy version of Don Cherry.

[BootsOntheSide]

Greast effort by Bourdais, but the star is probably Hunter-Reay in the Reynard, clsoe to his team-mate, well aherad of any other Reynard, faster than the usually-quicker Manning who said he couldn't've got nay more out of the car.

Papis is really stinking up the joint right now. Salo would've been a better choice I think.

As for Geoff Boss, no comment. this guy doesn't belong in CART, 3 races in and he's stills etting comically inept laptimes.

What's gone wrong for Fernandez? How come hes down among the rookies? Too much tequilla after the last race? Joudain adn DFominguezx haven't excelled either.

[Jay]

Looking at the weather, it looks like rain is a very good possibility tonight... There's a system moving towards Cleveland, and the forcast is for scattered T-Storms.

If was to rain, light rain would be best so that we wouldn't have a situation like Australia last year. Or if it is heavy, have it be hard, heavy and overwith quickly so that we can get back racing as soon as possible. The later seems more likely looking at the forcast. That said, it might not rain at all tonight.

[macdaddy]

There's an unwritten rule that it's impossible to predict the weather near the Great Lakes. But I really hope it's dry. I'm looking forward to the night-time effects, and don't want the spectacle fogged by rain and mist. And now that I think of it, I can't remember a wet race in Cleveland.

As far as Bourdais and his pole are concerned, congrats to him. Kid's quick, no doubt. And starting up front is the best place to be going into that first turn, so let's see if he can turn in a good finish. But my money's on PT with Carpentier right behind him when the checkers wave.

[Dov]

Congratulations Sebastien! The 2 quickest laps in Quals!! I wanted PT to get the Gibson guitar, but at least he will start on new rubber. Great last lap by Patreek to move up to P3 and good job by Servia starting P4. Junky and Jourdain are starting a little farther back then I expected, but they both still have a good shot at winning the race.

I agree with Jay, Dominguez was running up near the front all weekend and he deserved a higher starting position. Disagree with Boots, while starting P11 is okay for a rookie, RHR has experience racing in Cleveland and calling him the star of Qualifying 2 is giving him to much credit. Can't understand why Fernandez was so slow....Lavin was only 2/10ths slower then him.

Papis is way of the pace, but Im not sure that Salo could do any better. Let's remember that "Mad Max" Papis hasn't driven a real race car (ChampCar) for quite some time.
Since he has driven in CART before, I don't think he deserves Liz's mandatory 10 race tryout, but let's give him 2 or 3 more races to improve before we start talking about his replacement. As for Geoff Boss

P.S. Enemy-ace, when SeBass almost slapped the wall on his flyer, I also instinctively moved the left side of my body inward (jumped to the right) as if I were about to hit the wall myself. Great Stuff!

[BootsOntheSide]

Gualter Salles hasn't driven an open-wheel car for nearly 3 years, never mind 1 1/2, and he's having to constantly adjust from stock cars to ChampCars, and he's still managing to outqualify the more experienced, supposedly more gifted, ex F1 driver Papis. PK clearly have a major lack of competitiveness whoever's driving that car.

Maybe not the absoulte star of qualifying, but Ryan was certainly one of the msot impressive. Atlantics are a long way off ChampCar power, the reynard is ill-suited to ths kind fo track, and Vasser has a good record here against much more impressive past fields, so I think getting within 3/10ths is hugely impressive, especially with Manning and Haberfeld further back, and considering Manning's words.

[Dov]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
PK clearly have a major lack of competitiveness whoever's driving that car.

I couldn't agree more!

[Dov]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
the reynard is ill-suited to ths kind fo track,

I disagree with this statement. This is one of the few tracks that Reynard thought that they could compete with the Lola chassis. Remember, Patrick Carpentier won this race last year driving the Reynard.

[Jay]

Originally posted by macdaddy
And now that I think of it, I can't remember a wet race in Cleveland.

Think harder! Not too long ago...

[Liz]

Max has been at Le Mans, at Atlanta and in a Grand Am car in the last 2 months. It's amazing he even remembers where he is, much less which car he's in. Obviously he's no Mario Andretti, and crowning himself King is OTT, but I'd give him a few races in the Champ Car with no other cars to confuse him before I gave him up.

Fernandez commented that his car went better in the daylight than in the dark. Perhaps the cooler track conditions are affecting it.

And did you see the comment by the Herdez Competition engineer that if his drivers took each other off in Turn 1, "You'll see me hanging up there" pointing to a light standard "With a couple of drivers beside me!" I'm glad they are keeping their sense of humour over there. And mayb Dominguez is doing a rain dance. He could use another win!

[Jordi]

Yes macdaddy, I'll think for you. 1999. Montoya.

[Lee Janotta]

Rain at Cleveland would just make for a wet race. This is one of the tracks where they definitely don't have to worry about a repeat of Surfer's.

[Snrub]

I'm surprised at Papis' lack of pace. His comments obviously made him less than popular around here, but he's still a good driver. With a good car he can win some races, but he'll never be a real threat for the championship.

[gttouring]

Maybe he will win a few more races (papis)
But Bourdais is a stunner, he does well on the track and hopefully his equiment won't let him down.
A good frenchman could win the Crown and maybe he can drive for renault...
I'd hate to lose a star though, I think Everyone can easily warm up to him.

[Dov]

Don't worry, gttouring, SeaBass will probably be in CART for another 1 or 2 years before he is snatched up by F1. When he does leave CART there will be other talented drivers to take his place.....young rookies or drivers that have been established in CART for a number of years. For example, when Jacques Villeneuve left for F1, Jimmy Vasser stepped up in 96. Then came Alex Zanardi (97 & 98), Montoya (99), Gil de Ferran (2000 & 2001) and Da Matta in 2002. We had other drivers who never won the Driver(s) Championship, but were very successful....Greg Moore, Franchitti, Castro-Neves etc. etc.