2006 CCWS Rd. 4--Time Warner Cable 225

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Question: Which racetrack in the United States has been open the longest....the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Speedway, Ind., or The Milwaukee Mile @ the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, in West Allis, Wisc.?

Answer: IMS opened in 1909(first Indy 500 was in 1911); however, it was the Mile that opened just a few years before the Brickyard.


Although there is only one oval of the 2006 Champ Car World Series schedule, it is one of the toughest "bullring"-style tracks in the U.S. The Milwaukee Mile is a flat, one-mile concrete(w/asphalt patching in the turns) track that has been a staple for NA open-wheel racing seemingly forever. It, like the city it's near(Milwaukee), is a track that demands cast-iron attention from the drivers, and woe be to any of 'em that thinks the Mile is a walk in the park....it's not. Although it is the sole remaining track from CART's 1979 season, it still holds fans in awe, and some of the legends of the sport, such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Rick Mears(the "Ovalmeister"), Al Unser, Jr., and Paul Tracy, have etched their names into the Mile's history. Who will etch their names into the Mile's history, and can anyone throw the proverbial "monkey wrench" into the season that current, 2-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais, has had so far?

Here is the event schedule for the race weekend.......(note: all times US EDT, -4 Hrs GMT)
Saturday Practice: 10 am, 3 June 2006
Qualifying Session: 2 pm, 3 June 2006
Final Practice Session: 10 am, 4 June 2006
Time Warner Cable 225} 2 pm, 4 June 2006 US EDT(18:00 GMT/UTC) on Speed Channel(US cable)

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Even though A)there is only one oval-track on the 2006 ChampCar schedule, and B)current series champion Sebastien Bourdais has won the first three races(Long Beach, Houston and Monterrey) on the calendar, he's not the favorite going into the weekend. Instead, it would be his principle nemesis, Paul Tracy, who's the man to beat at the Milwaukee Mile. Just look at the opening laps of last year's Time Warner Cable 225; although PT started fifth, he passed cars on the outside entering turns 1 & 3, and by lap 3 was leading. So, does this mean the others should pack it in and concede the race?

Not a chance.......while PT's had the best effort of the drivers in the series the past few years, there's a couple of others who have a shot. Here's how they stack up as they head to the legendary Mile.....

Favorite to win......Tracy
Next choices....Allmendinger, Servia, Junquiera
Dark horses.....Bourdais, Wilson, da Matta, Dominguez
Everyone else........is out for a two-hr. Sunday drive

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Q: When is a 6-hour(2 session) practice NOT a practice?
A: When ChampCar designates it as a "test" session.


In orer to give the drivers of the Champ Car World Series time to acclimate themselves to the 1-mile, billiard-smooth concrete racetrack known as the Milwaukee Mile, series officials decided to schedule a 6-hr. test session(divided into 2 3-hour periods) and, for once, a certain Frenchman wasn't leading the charts. Instead, RuSport's Justin Wilson led the final timing charts, posting a speed of 21.215 sec(175.121 mph). [By comparison, Patrick Carpentier, back in 2000, set the course record in a 2000-spec Ford-Cosworth/Reynard in the 20.2-sec. range]. Following the Brit was the Aussie Vineyards FC/L of Team Australia's Alex Tagliani, then the two Forsythe cars of Mario Dominguez and Paul Tracy..

Here are the final test results from today's sessions...................
1}#9 Justin Wilson, RuSport..................................21.215 sec/175.121 mph
2}#15 Alex Tagliani, Team Australia......................21.457 sec/173.146 mph
3}#7 Mario Dominguez, Forsythe Ch. Racing..........21.580 sec/172.159 mph
4}#3 Paul Tracy, Forsythe Ch. Racing....................21.677 sec/171.389 mph
5}#6 Oriol Servia, PKV Racing...............................21.710 sec/171.129 mph
6}#4 Nelson Phillipe, CTE-HVM Racing....................21.812 sec/170.328 mph
7}#1 Sebastien Bourdais, Newman-Haas Racing......21.866 sec/169.908 mph
8}#10 A.J. Allmendinger, RuSport...........................21.933 sec/169.389 mph
9}(R)#5 Will Power, Team Australia........................22.244 sec/167.020 mph
10}#2 Bruno Junquiera, Newman-Haas Racing.........22.339 sec/166.310 mph
11}(R)#14 Dan Clarke, CTE-HVM Racing.................22.454 sec/165.548 mph
12}#27 Andrew Ranger, MiJack-Conquest...............22.632 sec/164.157 mph
13}#19 Cristiano da Matta, Dale Coyne...................22.736 sec/163.406 mph
14}(R)#34 Charles Zwolsman, MiJack-Conquest.......23.126 sec/160.650 mph
15}(R)#20 Katherine Legge, PKV Racing..................23.155 sec/160.449 mph
16}(R)#11 Jan Heylen, Dale Coyne.........................23.732 sec/156.548 mph
17}(R)#8 Nicky Pastorelli, Rocketsports...................23.909 sec/155.389 mph

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In a drawn-out qualification session which saw several cars spin on the billiard-smooth concrete of the Milwuakee Mile(and included 2 hard crashes), Newman-Haas Racing's Sebastien Bourdais(#1 McDonald's FC/L) was able to do something he hasn't done in three previous visits to the Mile.......set P1 in qual. It only took one lap, a 21.182 sec. flyer, to claim the Bridgestone Pole Award, his third, of the season. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Team Australia's Alex Tagliani(#15 Aussie Vineyards FC/L) and Cristiano da Matta(#19 N. Illinois Steel FC/L) smacked the outside walls in their respective qual. attempts; neither were unhurt, but will have to start at the rear of the grid. Here is the qualifying order for tomorrow's Time Warner Cable 225:

1}Sebastien Bourdais(#1 McDonald's FC/L)..........................21.285 sec
2}Bruno Junquiera(#2 Hole in the Wall Camps FC/L).............21.275 sec

3}A.J. Allmendinger(#10 Western Union FC/L)......................21.398 sec
4}Justin Wilson(#9 CDW FC/L)............................................21.420 sec

5}(R)Will Power(#5 Aussie Vineyards FC/L)..........................21.438 sec
6}Mario Dominguez(#7 Pride of Mexico/Indeck FC/L)............21.463 sec

7}Oriol Servia(#6 Gulfstream FC/L).....................................21.479 sec
8}(R)Katherine Legge(#20 Bell Micro FC/L)...........................21.578 sec

9}Nelson Phillipe(#4 A Bird & A Bear Ent. FC/L).....................21.594 sec
10}Paul Tracy(#3 Indeck/Forsythe FC/L)...............................21.647 sec

11}(R)Dan Clarke(#14 A Bird & A Bear Ent. FC/L).................21.980 sec
12}Andrew Ranger(#27 MiJack/Tide FC/L)............................22.194 sec

13}(R)Charles Zwolsman(#34 GoldenPalace.com FC/L)..........22.237 sec
14}(R)Jan Heylen(#11 Sonny's Real Pit BBQ FC/L)..................22.417 sec

15}(R)Nicky Pastorelli(#8 Muermans FC/L).............................23.522 sec
16}Alex Tagliani(#15 Aussie Vineyards FC/L)........................no time

17}Cristiano da Matta(#19 Northern Illinois Steel FC/L)..........no time


NOTES OF INTEREST....................
1}In winning the pole today at the Milwaukee Mile, Sebastien Bourdais captured his 21st Bridgestone pole in his 4 four ChampCar seasons(totaling 49 starts as of Milwaukee)

2}With his fifth-place starting spot, rookie Will Power will start from the highest position for a rookie in Milwaukee since Target/Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya did so back in 1999

3}In 1994, in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, Lyn St. James qualified 6th, the highest finish for a female driver in ChampCar competition; Katherine Legge came close, though, qualifying eighth, which is the second-highest start for a female driver in series history.

Observations and top-3 qual. quotes later this evening......

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Sebastien Bourdais(#1 McDonald's FC/L):

We were right whre we wnated to be, and you know, I looked at the last time, I knew I could do a little bit better but in the meantime, there's no need to be 3/10ths, 4/10ths ahead of everybody. If you're taking chances to achieve that, and I knew the second lap was going to be a little bit riskier, I just decided that, you know, it really might be a little painful.

Bruno Junquiera(#2 Hole in the Wall Camps FC/L):

Yesterday my car was really good and I could run right behind Tracy's car. But unfortunately I crashed my car, so this other car is not going to have all the parts maybe. It will be different. It's a different car, so (it's) going to be a little bit of a guess. You cannot put the straight test up on a fast car to this car. But I think Newman-Haas is such a great team that they are going to give me a good race car. We've been struggling at this track before, and last year we were a little bit better and this year, I mean, we seem to be even better. I hope we can have good speed for the race as well.

A.J. Allmendinger(#10 Western Union FC/L):

I've learned how to race here and what it takes to do the whole race and figure out how to maintain your tires and everything like that. So, with that said, if we can just have a good car and really warm up tomorrow and work on the balance, I think we probably have a better race car than in qualifying. (We'll) keep working on it and get a good start, and it's a long race.

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1}Oh, no.......he didn't, did he? Yes, he did. Going into qualifying Saturday at the Milwaukee Mile, it was safe to assume that Sebastien Bourdais hadn't found much success there.......that ended today, when in one flyer, he grabbed the pole and never relinquished it. That bodes ill for most everyone on the grid....except for SeaBass's principle nemesis, Paul Tracy, who has four wins at the 1-mile oval(most among active drivers). And PT is well know for his legendary starts on cold tires at the mile, which should strike fear in the hearts of competitors. Speaking of which....

2}Have they turned the corner? Going into 2006, it was a safe assumption that PKV Racing would essentially use this year to prepare for the 2007 campaign(merger or not), and to date, the results aren't the greatest. But Milwaukee has a tendency to turn things around, and both Oriol Servia and Katherine Legge posted top-10 qualifying times, giving the team their first pair of top-10 qualifiers this year.

3}Tag withdraws from race........On the other hand, it was a "best of and worst of" weekend so far for Team Australia. On the one hand, rookie Will Power will start 5th, the highest start for the 2006 rookie class at the Mile; on the other hand, teammate Alex Tagliani, if news reports are correct, has withdrawn from the race. The reason.....during qualifying, the car snapped out from him and went hard into the turn 4 outside wall, heavily damaging the car and forcing the team to go to a backup. However, late reports from the track are that the team will not have the backup ready, thus forcing Tag to withdraw; he will be credited with a 17th place finish.

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In the season opener back in Long Beach, Sebastien Bourdias saw four of his challengers eliminate themselves on the first turn...of the first lap. Move ahead to today's running of the Time Warner Cable 225 and....deja vue, as a very early crash took three of them out. In a race that saw more passing and lead changes than in recent memory, Bourdais notched his fourth win of the season. It wasn't that easy, though.......

As the race began, it was only 2 laps before the first caution of the day, when SeaBass's teammate, Bruno Junquiera(#2 Hole in the Wall Camps FC/L) and the Forsythe entry of Mario Dominguez(#7 Pride of Mexico/Indeck FC/L) touched wheels and spun into the turn 4 wall, collecting Dominguez's teammate, Paul Tracy(#3 Indeck/Forsythe FC/L) in the process. For Junky and PT, their race was over; Dominguez would limp on until lap 17. Several drivers would make early pitstops to top off fueltanks in what became a survival of the fittest type race.

Until lap 20, it looked like Bourdais was going to run away with the race when he has to make a stop for a cut tire, putting him almost two laps down. This set up a little bit of history in the making, as most of the frontrunners began to make their first round of stops.....except one. As she crossed the start/finish line on lap 26, Katherine Legge(#20 Bell Micro FC/L) became the first woman to lead a lap in ChampCar competition; she would lead until lap 40, when RuSport's Justin Wilson(#9 CDW FC/L) got to the inside of Legge entering turn 1 and took over the lead from her; the two fought tooth-and-nail for about 20 more laps, when Legge would make her first stop of the day, on lap 59. Wilson then continued to lead until about halfway, when Bourdais managed to retake the lead after crawling his way back from deep in the field. Several cautions helped as well, allowing SeaBass to gain position after position. Once Bourdais retook the lead, though.......it was lights out on the field; Bourdais would not lose the lead the remainder of the race.

Because of the cautions in the race, though; series officials for the second consecutive year, called the race a "timed event", shortening it from the scheduled 225 laps down to 197 laps at the end. As Bourdais continued to check out on the field, there were some interesting battles elsewhere on the track. Case in point.........for several laps, Oriol Servia(#6 Gulfstream FC/L) and Nelson Phillipe(#4 A Bird & A Bear Ent. FC/L) would trade 5th/6th until Servia wrested the spot away from the Frenchman. Meanwhile, Wilson and Legge continued to fight for third for a few laps until Wilson again took the spot from here. Unfortunately, no one had anything for Bourdais, who notched his fourth win of the 2006 season.
Finishing in the top-5 behind Bourdais were Wilson, Phillipe, Allmendinger and Servia. Katherine Legge finished 6th, which became the highest finish in series history and, ironically, the third highest finish by a woman in NA motorsports history(the top-2 are held by IndyCar Series competitors; Sarah Fisher has the highest finish, a 2nd-Homestead[2001], while Danica Patrick has 2 4ths, from last year at Motegi and Indy).

Observations from a very interesting day at the Mile this evening.........

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Well, we are at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, aren't we?

Here are some of the observations from the Mile............

1}Great attendance.........while Milwaukee's crowds have been somewhat lacking in recent memory, this year's running saw nearly 29,500 people in the stands, one of the better draws the Mile has had(by comparison, 31,000 saw the IndyCar Series race last July). Going into the season, one of the questions was whether the Mile would remain on teh ChampCar schedule.......it's still up in the air, but I'd say today's race was a needed shot in the arm for the century-old track.

2}There's a bounty on his head! On Speed News Sunday tonight, Speed's Robin Miller said something interesting. It seems, now that Bourdais has won the first four races of the year, that several members of the media(Miller included! ) have put a bounty on Sebastien's head. Each have offered $100 USD(one Ben Franklin) to any Champ Car driver who can "beat" Bourdais at Portland in two weeks....now by "beat", they didn't mean using pit strategy, or by fuel mileage; no, they meant on the track, outracing Bourdais to the stripe. The way things are going......there's better odds playing the Powerball lottery!

All in all, it was an attrition-filled race that saw lots of passing, lots of racing.....and another win for the Frenchman. The series now moves to the City of Roses for round 5, the G.I. Joe's Grand Prix of Portland, the weekend of 16-18 June, 2006.