Motorsports

Champ Car team waits for clear day

By wire services
Published May 15, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS - No one in racing likes a rainout, but Saturday's drenching of Indianapolis Motor Speedway could have been unnerving to the Newman-Haas team of Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira.

They are regulars on the Champ Car circuit and if more rain falls today, delaying Indy 500 pole day again, they are out of luck because they have to leave for Mexico on Wednesday for the Champ Car Monterrey Grand Prix.

Heavy showers all morning Saturday caused Indy Racing League officials to postpone the first day of qualifying for the May 29 Indianapolis 500 to today.

Weatherchanel.com predicts a 10 percent chance of rain this afternoon in Indianapolis.

The rain also forced a change in the new qualifying procedure. Initially, only the fastest 11 cars were to qualify Saturday with 11 more today. Instead, the top 22 will earn provisional spots today. After that, 11 more will earn spots next Saturday and May 22 is "bump day" in which all cars not qualified can try to bump out slower cars.

Bourdais, the Champ Car World Series champion and the winner of last month's Grand Prix of Long Beach - but a rookie for the 500 - didn't seem perturbed.

"I woke up this morning and saw the rain and knew I was going to sit around all day," said Bourdais, a native Frenchman and Tampa resident. "Actually, though, this situation is probably better for us since we can concentrate on getting in the top 22 (today) instead of trying to get into the top 11 and possibly keep coming up short."

Bourdais had not sat in an IRL car until April 18, and his first time behind the wheel was last week for rookie orientation. Because he and Junqueira are unfamiliar with the Honda-powered Panoz IRL cars after driving Ford-powered Champ Car Lolas, they have logged more laps than anyone this month. Bourdais has 286 and Junqueira 329.

NHRA: Warren Johnson, 61, topped Pro Stock qualifying in his final event on his home track at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga. Johnson, from nearby Buford, earned his record 133rd No. 1 qualifying position with a quarter-mile run of 6.749 seconds at 204.54 mph. At the other end of the age spectrum, Morgan Lucas, the youngest driver in Top Fuel at 21, led qualifying for the first time at 4.541 seconds, 326.40 mph. Also, Gary Scelzi topped the Funny Car field and Andrew Hines led Pro Stock Motorcycle. Eliminations are today.

TRUCKS: Ron Hornaday earned the pole position for today's UAW/GM Ohio 250 in Mansfield. He turned a lap at 110.585 mph on the half-mile Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, edging Ricky Craven by 0.014 seconds.

[Last modified May 15, 2005, 01:21:24]