©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
By Dan Proudfoot
It's apparent Bobby Rahal's Last Ride sharesnothing with the farewell tours of Richard Petty andMario Andretti, beyond retirement awaiting after thefinal race of the season.
The winner of the first Molson Indy will be, oncurrent form, a favorite to win his last Molson Indy — not a sentimental favorite, a logical choice. Petty and Andretti departed quietly, years afterthey should have quit. A.J. Foyt, the same. WithRahal's most recent win having come in 1992, his lastchampionship season, the 45-year-old might have been expected to exit on a similar downbeat.
Instead he has become The Raging Bald. He almost wonthe pole at Long Beach, then went ballistic whentrack workers failed to push-start his Miller LiteReynard after contact with Michael Andretti left himstalled in a race he might have won. His wild crash in Japan two weeks ago left him "ticked" because he had a potentially winning car.
Remember, Toronto has brought out the best in Rahal even in off-years. Finishing second at ExhibitionPlace gave him his best results of 1994 and 1995. In12 Toronto races he has been on the podium seventimes and finished in the top five nine times. So pumped was he after qualifying third for lastyear's Molson Indy, Rahal was guilty of what somedescribed as a rookie mistake, going for the lead inthe first corner of the first lap and making contactwith pole-sitter Dario Franchitti.
Now he appears pumped every time out. His switch toFirestone tires, the fact the Ford-Cosworth V-8 hasbeen the engine to beat and his team personnel'simproved performance combine to make each last visitwinnable for Rahal. When the season started badlywith an uncompetitive car at Homestead, Rahal readthe riot act: "I said this simply wasn't acceptable.We had to do better."
The boxscores show him 19th at Homestead, 17th withthe crash at Japan and 17th after stalling on theweekend. Look further, though, and you'll discoverRahal turned the fastest race lap in the Toyota GrandPrix of Long Beach, on the 96th of 105 tours, stillflying despite being four laps down.
"Hey, at least they knew I was here," he said.
Source: Canada Online, used by permission
