Race No. 11
Molson Indy
Exhibition Place
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 16-18, 1999
Sunday Quotes from Toronto: | Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda Finished: 8th |
| JIMMY VASSER | |
| I picked up a flat tire and had to come in again and that put us at the back. But after the stop the car was great. We made one small change in the wing and the car was the best. We were making up some ground, but then got stuck in traffic. I finally got around P.J. (Jones), who was giving me some trouble, and then made up a bunch of places on the last couple laps. For us, the way things have been going lately, some points is better than no points. | |
 | Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Finished: 20th |
| GREG MOORE | |
| We had an awesome start, probably the best start of the whole year. The hole opened up, and I took it. That was definitely the high point. To get knocked (by Andretti) while running sixth was frustrating, but we were only one lap down until I got hit in turn 3 by Al. Our goal was to finish in the points, and so this (water leak) is unfortunate. I thought we'd be in the top five today. | |
 | Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Finished: 26th |
| MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| GOING BACK TO THE START OF THE RACE, DID YOU HAVE A PROBLEM? YOU LOST QUITE A FEW POSITIONS. . . On the start of the race (Paul) Tracy got up on the inside of me and knocked me off line and everyone went right by me. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE INCIDENT WITH GREG MOORE THAT PUT YOU OUT OF THE RACE? I locked the rear tires and I couldn't stop. I was just hanging in there and Greg was going slow so I was starting to set up a pass. Greg went to block to the left and I stood on the brakes and locked them up because I got into the draft (from Moore's car) and it took the air off my front wing and I hit him in the back. It was very similar to what Fernandez did to me at Elkhart Lake. YOU WERE BATTLING A BIG UNDERSTEER DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THE RACE. DID THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCIDENT? Yes. Very early there was but then the car went loose. So the car really wasn't perfect today. WHAT PUT YOU OUT OF THE RACE? My front wing was sitting on the ground. HOW BIG OF A BLOW IS THIS TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP? It hurts but it is definitely not crippling. | |
 | Marlboro Lola Mercedes Finished: 9th |
| AL UNSER, Jr. | |
| Marlboro Team Penske had a really good run today. The driveability of the car in the race was the best it's been all weekend. The Mercedes engine didn't miss a beat, and the Goodyear tires were consistent. It was great to move up during the race and get another top-10 finish. I'm looking forward to next week's race in Michigan. We had a good test there a couple of weeks ago, and based on that, we've decided to run the Penske chassis. Hopefully we can keep some momentum behind us, and get in the points again. | |
 | MCI Worldcom Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Finished: 24th |
| CRISTIANO DA MATTA | |
| The MCI WorldCom car was running strong. I got hit from behind, and then I spun and hit the wall with the back of the car. The rear wing was pretty much gone after that, and we couldn’t fix it. Racing is very competitive. Everyone’s trying to gain advantage out there. Unfortunately for me, Hearn tried at the wrong time. | |
 | Pioneer Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Finished: 7th |
| SCOTT PRUETT | |
| We needed this weekend and this finish like you wouldn’t believe. It’s a big shot in the arm for the Pioneer Electronics team. Everyone’s been working so hard all season, and we’ve been plagued with problems recently – some of them were brought on by ourselves, some of them were out of our control. We rolled a great car right out of the box, and it only got better over the weekend. We ran a strong, patient race. We’ve had this in us from day one, and today we finally landed on the right set of circumstances to prove it. We’re even more pumped up now going to Michigan and the second half of the season. | |
 | PacWest Motorola Reynard Mercedes Finished: 4th |
| ROBERTO MORENO | |
| Our game was fuel strategy, and it was perfect today. The team put a great car out there for me, and they gave me great pit stops. It's fantastic to come from 17th to fourth, especially on a street circuit like this. It took a lot of strategy, and it paid off. I'm very happy. | |
 | Kmart/Texaco Havoline Newman/Haas Racing Swift Ford Finished: 3rd |
| CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI | |
| I am very happy to get the points today. This really tightens up the championship. We have just been putting together some very consistent efforts this year. With Juan (Montoya) not finishing it really tightens up the championship but I am sure he will be back strong at the next race. As far as the race is concerned we are happy with the outcome and the points. I got held up a by P.J. Jones and another time by Dennis Vitolo. Both Gil and I had a lead on Tracy, I believe, and Vitolo was running a little slow at a place where he shouldn't be which eliminated the lead I had on Tracy. That changed my race a little bit. I think we could have finished second and given Dario a run. WHAT IS THE BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOU TEAM THIS YEAR? YOU ARE RUNNING UP FRONT AND MORE CONSISTENTLY EACH RACE. . . I really don't know. That's a good question. Nothing has changed with the team but for some reason things seem to go our way. Am I driving any different? No. Do I have more confidence? Yes. With the results we are getting there is no reason for me not to be more confident. So that helps a little bit. But there isn't really any difference between this year and last year it's just that we managed to put a few more races together and finish strong. We basically finished every race this year. No one is running into me and I am not running into cars. | |
 | Herdez Competition Payton/Coyne Lola Ford Finished: 21st |
| MICHEL JOURDAIN | |
| ON THE INCIDENT WITH JUAN MONTOYA . . . I think we had a car capable of scoring points today. When Juan Pablo (Montoya) passed me he made a mistake after that which allowed me to pass him back. When he went to pass me I gave him room, I respected him but he didn't respect me. He didn't give me the inside. I don't think it was my fault but I am sure he thinks it was my fault. | |
 | Miller Lite Team Rahal Reynard Ford Finished: 5th |
| MAX PAPIS | |
| We just need to keep this momentum and move forward. We made up a lot of positions again today and that is a testament to the hard work of the Miller Lite team. We are doing a good job right now and I think the team is really showing the potential we have. I enjoyed tremendously the battle I had with Montoya on the track. WHAT HAPPENED WITH MONTOYA? It was a tough battle and he tried to get by me as hard as he could. It was a tough battle but it was clean. | |
 | Shell Team Rahal Reynard Ford Finshed: 15th |
| BRYAN HERTA | |
| We had a car that was capable of much greater. The spin early in the race killed us though. It really put us in a hole. We were one of the two or three fastest cars on the track but I was having difficulty passing out there. Every time I would put a quick lap together I would hit traffic and not be able to get by. I could race with anyone out there it's just too bad we didn't have the chance to show it. | |
 | Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Finished: 1st |
| DARIO FRANCHITTI | |
| The start was a little bit of a worry for me because someone hit me. I don’t know who it was. I was going to say thanks very much for that. It was a bit tight in the first corner. I managed to get past Gil (de Ferran) in Turn 3 on the first lap and after that the car was really awesome all day. It was the best car out there all day. We did as competitive lap-times as quickly as we needed to go really. On the pit stops, the Team KOOL Green guys did a fantastic job -- a one-two finish, what more could you ask for? It means a lot to win here. It’s such a fantastic crowd because they give me so much support. To finally win the race in front of them is pretty awesome. It’s nice to win and when your teammate is second the entire team – both crews – can enjoy the moment. That’s why we’re here racing. That’s why Team KOOL Green is a two-car team. | |
 | Team Kool Green Reynard Honda Finished: 2nd |
| PAUL TRACY | |
| What a great day for Team KOOL Green! It’s a great victory for Dario; it was his day. He led the whole race and when I moved into second, Barry said it’s Dario’s day. Unless he has a problem, the day is his. It’s a great feeling for me too because it’s my wife Liisa’s birthday, it’s Barry Green’s birthday and besides, Dario and I finished one-two. You couldn’t ask for a better finish here at home in Canada. The KOOL car was really good. I was stuck back there in the pack in the early-going. We got good pit stops and we were aggressive on the track like we wanted to be, picking guys off at the end of the straightaway. That’s what it’s all about. We got good points (16) and some other guys had problems, so I’m sure we gained some ground in the championship. It was a great team effort. This kind of finish is what we have been working towards for the last year and a half. Team KOOL Green – the team we have here – we may be showing the Ganassi boys around the track pretty soon. | |
 | Target Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda Finished: 22nd |
| JUAN MONTOYA | |
| It was a tough race. First I came out of the pit and ran over a hose in (Tony) Kanaan's pit. I was coming back, but got stuck behind Max (Papis). Then I was trying to pass (Michel) Jourdain on the inside coming into the corner. Once we came out of the corner I didn't see him on the left and we touched. | |
 | McDonald'sForsythe Championship Racing Team Reynard Honda Finished: 17th |
| TONY KANAAN | |
| Well, it was a good race until I was behind Max (Papis). I had to jam on my brakes to not hit him and I locked my wheels and flat-spotted my tires. After that, I couldn't brake very well, and both Adrian (Fernandez) and Scott (Pruett) got by me. Then the right front tire finally wore through, lost air, and I hit the (last turn) wall. | |
 | Tecate Beer/Quaker State Patrick Racing Reynard Ford Finished: 6th |
| ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| YOU MANAGED TO MAKE UP 17 POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE RACE GOING FROM STARTING 23RD TO FINISHING 6TH. . . Well we started with our back up car and it only had a few laps in it which could have been a disaster. It was setup okay but I didn't know how good it was. We made some changes for the race. I tell you, when you start passing people during the race it really gave me a lot of confidence. I was making a lot of passes and gaining confidence all day. At the end we didn't have a good set of tires. They were a very old set of tires. I tried to pass Kanaan but I didn't have the tires. I think we could have finished fourth but we lost a few spots in the pits. But my guys did a great job all day and I am happy for the team. To drive the car from 23rd and finish sixth was a great accomplishment. It was a tough day but a rewarding one. | |
 | Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special Walker Racing Reynard Honda Finished: 19th |
| GIL de FERRAN | |
| It was a really unfortunate day for us. I didn't even feel it (the tire struck in pit lane), but we had the penalty. Then I got on the stuff f rom (Greg) Moore and hit the wall. | |
 | Alpine Walker Racing Reynard Honda Finished: 12th |
| MEMO GIDLEY | |
| We were going well at the beginning and moved up to sixth, I think. Then we picked up some debris a third of the way through and I had to come in to replace a cut tire. That put us in the back, and we had our work cut out for us. It was hard to make up ground after that as the track got slicker, but we fought hard and ended up back in the points. You work hard for these points! | |
 | Hogan Racing Lola Mercedes Finished: 27th |
| HELIO CASTRO-NEVES | |
| I have no idea what happened. I had a coin in my pocket for good luck, but I guess we'll have to keep trying. | |
 | Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Finished: 11th |
| PATRICK CARPENTIER | |
| A piece of a wing from Greg and Michael came up in the air and hit my rear tire. I was happy that it wasn't my head! The car was good today, and we had no problems. Mercedes has a powerful engine, and we are looking forward to Michigan next week. | |
 | Hollywood Reynard Mercedes Finished: 14th |
| MAURICIO GUGELMIN | |
| I was able to conserve fuel, and the guys were great in the pits today. Actually, the team did an excellent job all weekend. It's unfortunate that I made a little mistake in turn eight right before the end of the race. I was driving as hard as I could to keep ahead of Al Unser Jr. | |
 | Patrick Racing Visteon Swift Ford Finished: 10th |
| P.J. JONES | |
| Today was good because we got some points. It was nice to at least get a run in. Adrian had a good run too so it was a good day for Patrick Racing. I stayed out of trouble and tried to make up some positions in the pits. The guys in the pits did a great job. Jim McGee too, he called a great race. YOU AND JIMMY VASSER HAD QUITE A BATTLE GOING FOR ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE LAPS TOWARD THE END OF THE RACE. . . I was not very good under braking and I had a left tire lock up which flat spotted the tire. So that didn't help any either. I just was not very good under braking. | |
 | Smith-Kline Payton/Coyne Reynard Ford Finished: 18th |
| DENNIS VITOLO | |
| Our gearbox broke. We lost fourth gear and I tried to drive it without fourth gear but it was difficult. I had to jump from third to fifth. Something else went in the gearbox shortly after. I think it may have been as a result of the bits from fourth gear. So at that point we were done for today. | |
 | Team Gordon Swift Toyota Finished: 13th |
| ROBBY GORDON | |
| It's not the guys, I know that. They've been prepping good cars for me lately. This is the fourth race in a row we've run problem-free to the finish. But we're missing something big, not something small right now. We'll keep at it, but I have to be honest: I'm frustrated to finish where we're finishing. I have a hard time being proud that I finished a race 13th. Today, we had a fuel pick-up problem and we don't know why. This car ran the last two races, and in both of those, we ran the tank dry. Go figure. | |