With only one race remaining on the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule, Minardi Team USA drivers Robert Doornbos and ‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke intend to end the year with a bang – the good kind, hopefully - and bring home another trophy.
Rookie Robert Doornbos finished a strong fourth in Surfers Paradise. Despite starting fourteenth, he made up ten positions and nearly scored another podium finish. He currently sits third in the Championship standings, just eight points behind second-placed Justin Wilson.
He clinched the Champ Car World Series Rookie of the Year title as a result of his performance in Australia, and has also been nominated for the 2007 Autosport Awards Rookie of the Year. This prestigious award was started in 2000, and is voted upon solely by the readers of www.autosport.com.
Intended to recognize a driver’s achievement in his Rookie season of an auto-racing championship, the award is presented to the nominee who receives the most votes at a gala banquet in London, in early December. All ‘Bobby D’ fans should go to www.autosport.com to vote.
Robert Doornbos:
"‘It’s a shame that the Champ Car season is coming to an end but time flies when you’re having fun! I think it’s great that Mexico is hosting the final race, and even though the Championship has already been decided in favor of Sebastian Bourdais, I would like to announce a very hard battle in who will become the vice-champion of CCWS in 2007.
I know that I’m one of only a few drivers who has never seen the circuit but that has been the case almost every weekend this season. I trust on my team and engineers’ experience, and with my motivation being as high as at the start of the season I’m sure we can do a good job and hopefully finish were we started the season….on the podium!!!"
‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke is anxious to get back in his DP01 after a short, but promising race in Australia. The young Englishman has posted some strong performances of late, but can’t quite shake the hex that seems to have been following him throughout the season.
He scored his career best finish (second place) at Road America earlier this year, and that elusive maiden win cannot be too far away. Focusing now on the season finale in Mexico City, and looking beyond to 2008, Speedy is looking forward to the challenging circuit, especially with the additional 50 hp added to the Power-to-Pass.
‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke:
"I love racing in Mexico, and with the additional P2P it should make for some great racing! I feel we’ve really improved as a team over the course of the season. Even though the end results aren’t necessarily what we wanted, we have all made great strides.
There has been a lot of bad luck following me around, but I can’t let that get to me - I just take the races one weekend at a time. This is our last chance in 2007 to prove we’re front runners, and I’m confident in the guys, and in myself, that this is a realistic goal."
Keith Wiggins, Team Co-owner:
"As we go into another great race event, we have a clear goal to go for a win to end the season and our Championship in the best way possible. We want to have both drivers on the podium."
Paul Stoddart, Team Co-owner:
"As we come to the final race of the season, having secured Rookie-of-the-Year and still with a chance to finish runner-up in the Championship, it is fair to say that Minardi Team USA has achieved all its goals for 2007."
Pacific Coast Motorsports, a two-car team in the Champ Car World Series will be featured on the January 14, 2008 episode of The History Channel’s "Modern Marvels."
The episode which was filmed Monday at the team’s Oxnard, California headquarters will be titled "Carbon" and will prominently feature PCM’s DP01 Champ Cars, team and corporate partners. The film crew for the h ... mehr
For the Team Australia, the Surfers Paradise rendezvous in Australia turned out to be special. Even if the team comes from Indianapolis (USA), its main sponsor Aussie Vineyards and one of the drivers are Australians. It increased the stakes and the pressure of the last but one r ... mehr
Pacific Coast Motorsports will test Atlantic standout Carl Skerlong in the #29 PCM/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Champ Car at Buttownwillow Raceway on November 28th.
Skerlong’s rookie season featured two podium finishes en-route to his to ... mehr
Armed with a competitive car, Nelson Philippe (#34 Juniper Soul / Cosworth / DP01 / Bridgestone) was not ready to sit back and accept his 13th starting position on the grid. He knew this was going to be a difficult first race back in the Champ Car World Series, but he was able to take advantage of his previous race experience and success at the difficult Surfers Paradise circuit ... mehr
David Martinez proved today that he is ready to compete at the front in Champ Car regardless of the lack of experience that he has compared to the rest of the field and the fact that he hadn’t been in a race car for a year.
In what is considered the toughest track of the season, Martinez completed a successful race in which he managed to pick up many positions and finish ... mehr
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Justin and the #9/CDW/RuSPORT team took home a well-earned second place in the Lexmark Indy 300 at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast of Brisbane, Australia today. Sebastien Bourdais (Newman/Haas/Lanigan) claimed the victory and his fourth Champ Car Drivers Championship, while Bruno Junqueira, more than 40 seconds be ... mehr
SERVIA 14TH
SURFERS PARADISE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA -- SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2007 -- Round #13 – 2007 Champ Car World Series season – PKV Racing finishes in eighth place with Neel Jani, while his team mate Oriol Servia finished 14th today in the Lexmark Indy 300 Champ Car Grand Prix on the 2.795-mile, 12-turn street course in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, A ... mehr
It was another exciting race in Surfers today for the 2007 Lexmark Indy 300, and despite starting the race at the back of the grid (in 14th), Minardi Team USA driver Robert Doornbos rebounded to score a top-four finish. He nearly came home with another podium but in the end finished fourth. For team-mate ‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke, his race began very well, moving up from tenth to eight ... mehr
Figge Hangs on for 13th without Brakes
The Lexmark Indy 300 - Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Alex Figge #29 Conrad Jupiters/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone
Started: 15th Finished: 13th Highest Race Position: 8th
Alex on the race: "I am a bit disappointed in ... mehr
It was a long weekend for the Rocketsports Racing team, and a long race today in Surfers Paradise, Australia that almost saw Alex Tagliani salvage a top-five finish, but team will take a top-ten result knowing they worked very hard to deserve it.
During the Warm Up session, Tagliani demonstrated that the team was ready to fight in today’s Lexmark Indy, by finish ... mehr
Surfers Paradise, Qld Australia (October 20, 2007) - After two days of re-familiarization with the Champ Car World Series and coming to grips with the new DP01, Nelson Philippe (#34 Juniper Soul / Cosworth / DP01 / Bridgestone) will start 13th on the grid for tomorrow’s Lexmark Indy 300. He and Conquest will be working to improve the package overnight and be looking forward to a ... mehr
NEEL JANI EIGHTH
Round #13 – 2007 Champ Car World Series season – PKV Racing qualified on the front row with Oriol Servia starting in second place while teammate Neel Jani places eighth for tomorrow’s Lexmark Indy 300 Champ Car Grand Prix in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.
Servia, #22 Pay By Touch PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone car, q ... mehr
David Martinez completed the second day of activities for the Lexmark Indy 300 at Surfers Paradise by qualifying on the ninth row for Sunday’s race. After being off the race tracks for almost a year, Martinez has used this race weekend to adapt to the 750 horsepower Champ ... mehr
After little, to almost no, time on track during Friday’s kick-off Champ Car activities for the Lexmark Indy 300, Rocketsports Racing was able to rebound by getting in quality track time and a suitable car for the final round of qualifying today in Surfers Paradise, Australia. ... mehr
The Lexmark Indy 300 - Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Alex Figge #29 Conrad Jupiters/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone
Saturday AM Practice 15th 1:33.519 107.593
Pre-Qual Warm-Up 9th 1:34.770 106.173
Saturday Qual ... mehr
It was not the best result for Minardi Team USA drivers Robert Doornbos and ‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke in today’s second round of qualifications at the Lexmark Indy 300 but both are looking to the race tomorrow, in which anything can happen. Dan will start the race in tenth position, ... mehr
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
After their strong showing at Surfers Paradise on Friday, Justin and the #9/CDW/RuSPORT team continued to run competitively on Saturday, but didn’t have the results they hoped for. Justin was third quickest in morning p ... mehr
Justin and the #9/CDW/RuSPORT team made a fantastic start towards Sunday’s Lexmark Indy 300 in Surfers Paradise, Australia by topping the timesheets during both of Friday’s sessions. With Justin’s win at the last round in Assen, Holland, the #9/CDW team secured the first pitlane spot, just several yards from pit exit. Being the first car out on the very busy and often treacherous ... mehr
Alter almost a year Mexican driver David Martinez finally returned to Champ Car and completed his first laps around the tricky and complicated 2.795 mile temporary street circuit at Surfers Paradise, Australia.
The priority today for the Monterrey native was to complete as many laps as possible in order to familiarize himself with the track and even though he only manage ... mehr
An Unforgiving Track and New Rule Cause a Rough Start for Rocketsports Racing’s Tagliani Down Under
The Surfers Paradise, Australia street circuit is one of the most challenging and unforgiving tracks on the Champ Car World Series schedule, add that with a new Champ Car Friday-qualifying rule, and that equals a bad day for Rocketsports Racing and driver Al ... mehr
...Champ Car Grand Prix at Surfers Paradise (Australia)
JANI QUALIFIES 5TH
SURFERS PARADISE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA -- FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2007 -- Round #13 – 2007 Champ Car World Series season – PKV Racing’s Oriol Servia has provisionally qualified in pole position today securing him a front row grid spot. His teammate Neel ... mehr
.. Effort for the Provisional Qualifying in Surfers Paradise
In his first qualifying session of the 2007 season, Nelson Philippe (#34 Juniper Soul / Cosworth / DP01 / Bridgestone) turned in a respectable top-ten qualifying time at today’s provisional session. His progression was slowed by the two red flags during the qualifying session but he was able to ta ... mehr
It was the first day on track at the beautiful Surfers Paradise circuit and Minardi Team USA drivers Robert Doornbos and ‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke were glad to be behind the wheel of their DP01s again for the first time in several weeks. With a messy qualifying session for some of their competitors, Robert and Dan ended up sixth and eleventh, respectively.
Doornbos sits third ... mehr
The Lexmark Indy 300 - Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Alex Figge #29 PCM/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone
Friday Practice 16th 1:36.580 104.183
Pre-Qual Warm-Up 16th 1:35.539 105.318
Friday qualifying 15th 1:44.381 96.397
Alex on qualifying: "Wow, the circuit here is awesome and the event is non-stop ... mehr
Graham Rahal has been nominated for the prestigious Autosport magazine ‘Rookie of the Year’ award, as voted for by Autosport.com readers.
Rahal is currently in his debut year of the Champ Car World Series with the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team, driving the Medi | Zone entry. The candidates for the award have been revealed today, with ten drivers from seven different ch ... mehr
SERVIA AND JANI BOTH ATTEMPTING TO MOVE INTO TOP-FIVE IN STANDINGS
With just two races remaining in the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, PKV Racing drivers Oriol Servia and Neel Jani will both be looking to maximize points at this weekend’s Lexmark I ... mehr
Event: The Lexmark Indy 300, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Round: 13 of 14 in the 2007 Champ Car World Series
Where: Streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia – 2.795 mile temporary street circuit
TV: ESPN Classic 11:30 pm October 20th
Racing to Repeat: Mario Dominguez scored his first Champ Car win on the streets of S ... mehr
Podium Potential for Rocketsports Down Under As Team Prepares to Finish 2007 Champ Car Season on a High Note
Lexmark Indy 300 Streets of Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Round 13 of 14 – Champ Car World Series
October 19 – 21, 2007
Provisional Qualifying: Friday, October 19, 1:55 p.m. Australian EST (1 ... mehr
Graham Rahal arrived in the Australian playground of Surfers Paradise today ahead of this weekend’s Lexmark 300, the street race on the Gold Coast that has established itself as one of the top sporting occasions in the country. Eighteen-year-old Rahal will be debuting at the event this season in his first year of running with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in the Champ Car World Seri ... mehr
Nelson’s Adopted Hometown
While he may credit Valence, France as his hometown, Nelson Philippe (#34 Juniper Group/Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) has recently adopted Surfers Paradise as his new residence. He has been living in the seaside town with ... mehr
... for the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship Season
At a news conference in his hometown, Mexican rising star David Garza today announced that he will join the Forsythe Championship Racing Team for the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season.
Garza, who will turn 20 years of age midway through the 20 ... mehr
Walker Racing continues to ramp up its efforts for the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda season as they successfully commenced their second round of testing in Sebring, Florida today.
It has been all work and no play for the Indianapolis based squad, who has been making preparations for the upcoming season. Entering their thir ... mehr
Minardi Team USA and the Champ Car World Series will hit the streets of Surfers Paradise on October 19-21, 2007, and the team’s Australian co-owner, Paul Stoddart, hopes for nothing less than another podium visit for drivers Robert Doornbos and ‘Speedy’ Dan Clarke.
Aust ... mehr
Popular French driver returns to the Champ Car World Series to defend his Australia title this month with the support of Juniper Property Development Group
Nelson Philippe, the popular French driver who was the youngest driver t ... mehr
Conquest racing is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with leading financial services firm, Opes Prime Group Ltd, for the #34 car of the Champ Car World Series.
Opes Prime is a stock broking and asset management firm based in Australia and Singapore, which specializes in securities lending, equity financing, structured products, trade execution and corporate adv ... mehr
Alex Figge and Mario Dominguez wrapped the final test session of the team’s rookie season yesterday at Sebring International Raceway. It was a very productive test for the California based team, rookie Alex Figge ran in the top-six both days and his ne ... mehr
David Martinez completed a successful two day test with Forsythe Championship Racing at Sebring International Raceway in preparation for the last two rounds of the Champ Car World Series.
The Mexican driver surprised everybody with his pace as he was able to lap t ... mehr
Conquest racing announced the appointment of Julie Murphy to the position of Sales and Marketing Director. Julie joins Conquest with over ten years of successful sales and marketing experience in both the US and European markets.
During her career, she consistently received top awards for her excellence in performance, leadership, execution, tactical planning, a ... mehr
Even though it had been almost a year since David Martinez was behind the wheel of a Champ Car, today he proved that he is ready to compete against the top drivers in the Series alter completing a successful first day of testing at Sebring International Raceway which he lapped only ... mehr
