CALGARY, May 29, 2010 – Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) charged to an early lead at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Rally, and continued to build their lead to the finish despite harrowing conditions that forced organisers to change the schedule for Saturday's stages. The Calgary based Rocky Mountain Rally is the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.
"We had the perfect Yokohama tires for the event," said L'Estage, driver of the Rockstar EVO X. "We took mud tires for the first stages and built a big lead that we kept through the rally. It is our first win since last year, so it feels fantastic."
Rival team and defending Canadian Rally Champions Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada suffered from a poor tire choice at the start of the rally and struggled to find their pace, eventually finishing second, more than two minutes back from L'Estage.
"The stages were super haywire," said a dejected Richard, who holds four national overall driver titles and a North American driver's title. "It's been disappointing, I don't know the last time I came second."
Bruno Carré and Yvan Joyal (Laval, QC) benefited by using tall and narrow snow tires that cut through the sloppy conditions, driving to a third place finish. Their result was good enough to retain the top spot in the point standings for the Canadian Rally Championship.
"We found the secret weapon in terms of tires for these conditions," said Carré, who worked his way to second place before dropping behind Richard and Ockwell on the final stages. "We're still leading the Championship, which is great, especially against guys like Antoine and Pat."
Tire choice proved vital for every team as massive snow dumped onto the stage roads leading up to and during the event. Some roads at altitude in the Porcupine Hills region of Alberta had up to 30 cm of snow, mixing with mud and water to create a slippery, difficult and unpredictable surface.
Leo Urlichich (Thornhill, ON) and Christine Beavis (San Diego) drove a disciplined rally to finish fourth overall. Craig Henderson (St-Constant, QC) finished third at the season opener, Rallye Perce Neige, but struggled to find his pace on Friday. A blown head gasket slowed his progress on Saturday, but he and co-diver Lyne Murphy continued to finish a hard earned fifth.
Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) opened a minute lead on the first day, and drove conservatively to manage the lead. The strategy nearly failed when hard charging Kris and Jaclyn Schofield (Calgary) made up all but 11 seconds by the end of the final stage. The Zedrils finished 13th overall, also the top ranked two wheel drive car. The Schofields came in 14th overall, second in their class.
"We had a few big moments, but it was a lot of fun to be back in the car after a year and a half out of competition," said Kris Schofield.
Conditions created challenges for rally organisers. Saturday's schedule had to be completely redesigned when the road surface proved impassible on the southern stage roads. Organisers created a new schedule with the remaining roads, and teams tested themselves on five stages, finishing the rally late Saturday afternoon.
"It was a collaborative effort," said Shabir Haji, organiser of the Rocky Mountain Rally, of the decision to rewrite the schedule. "We knew when the forecast was bad we may have to change the route. This morning when marshals were getting stuck, the decision was quick. We had to develop a format to get the stage distances for the teams."
The championship battle continues at the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec. Thrilling roads and huge jumps combine with some of the biggest spectator crowds on the calendar, making Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs an event not to be missed.
Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings. The Rocky Mountain Rally is scheduled to premier Sunday June 27 at 11:00am EDT on TSN and Sunday July 11, at 11:00am EDT on RDS.
For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rockymountainrally.com
Rocky Mountain Rally Final Results
1. Antoine L'Estage – Nathalie Richard – one hour, 11 minutes 48.8 seconds
2. Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell – 1:14:05.6
3. Bruno Carré – Yvan Joyal – 1:14:25.5
4. Leo Urlichich – Christine Beavis – 1:15:33.20
5. Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy – 1:18:25.4
6. Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes – 1:18:25.0
7. Simon Losier – Philippe Poirier – 1:19:13.1
8. Graham Bruce – Leanne Junnila – 1:23:48.3
9. Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly – 1:24:04.2
10. Ian Crerar – Ray Felice – 1:25:11.5
FOR MORE INFORMATION - Canadian Association of Rally Sport offices : (905) 640-6444
Monday, May 31, 2010
CRC: Antoine L'Estage dominates snowy Rocky Mountain Rally
INDY 500: Franchitti wins Indy 500 for the second time
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Dario Franchitti won his second Indianapolis 500 Mile Race under caution. No matter, the milk still tasted just as good. Franchitti, who led 155 of the 200 laps, became the 19th multi-time winner of "The Greatest Spectacle In Racing" and his boss, Chip Ganassi, the first owner to win Indy and NASCAR's Daytona 500 in the same year.
Dan Wheldon, the 2005 winner who closed furiously as Franchitti slowed to save fuel in the final laps, was second for the second straight year, with Marco Andretti, third. Alex Lloyd was fourth, followed by Scott Dixon in fifth.
Franchitti, low on fuel, was heading to the Yard of Bricks when the Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway made contact between Turns 3 and 4. Conway's car went airborne and made contact with the catch fence. Conway, who waved to the crowd as he was being taken off the track, was airlifted to Methodist Hospital with leg injuries.
Polesitter Helio Castroneves saw his quest for a record-tying fourth Indy victory come to an end with an uncharacteristic mistake — stalling while leaving the pits on the 146th lap. It left him in need of a yellow-flag miracle at the end that never came, and he finished ninth after one last pit stop on the 193rd lap.
***
POST-RACE VICTORY LANE QUICK QUOTES:
CHIP GANASSI (Owner, Target Chip Ganassi Racing): (About significance of being first owner to win Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in the same year): "I'll think about that later. I want to congratulate Dario. I want to thank everybody who put together this team. It was a little dicey there at the end, on fuel at the end. He saved fuel when he had to."
DARIO FRANCHITTI (Winner, 2010 Indianapolis 500): "I was just thinking. This tastes just as good second time. Up until 10 laps to go, I was pretty relaxed. Then all hell broke loose with fuel savings and all. I just needed to know what the other guys were doing. If they were saving more than me, they were doing something special here. This means so much. To come back after going away for a year, win a championship and win the Indy 500. Thank you. Thank you to everyone on Team Target."
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Two male spectators were treated for minor injuries at Clarian Emergency Medical Center and released after being struck by debris during the crash between Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay on the final lap of the race. The spectators were seated in the North Vista, East Section 47, Rows A and G.
One spectator received stitches for a cut in the forehead. Another spectator suffered a head laceration that required no stitches.
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INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE NOTES:
•Dario Franchitti became the 17th driver with at least two Indianapolis 500 victories.
•Dario Franchitti became the first driver from Scotland to win the Indianapolis 500 more than once. Jim Clark won in 1965.
•Chip Ganassi became the first team owner to win the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 in the same year. Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 today; Ganassi driver Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500 in February. Roger Penske is the only other owner to win the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, winning 15 times at Indianapolis and in 2008 at Daytona with Ryan Newman driving.
•Panther Racing has finished runner-up in the Indianapolis 500 for three consecutive years, with Vitor Meira in 2008 and Dan Wheldon in 2009 and 2010.
•Dario Franchitti earned his first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2007 with Andretti Green Racing, now Andretti Autosport. He won today for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. The last driver to earn his second Indy 500 victory with a different team than his first was Arie Luyendyk. He won in 1990 for Shierson Racing and earned his second victory in 1997 for Treadway Racing.
•Dario Franchitti was the top lap leader of the race with 155 laps led. This is the third consecutive year that a Target Chip Ganassi Racing car has led the most race laps. Scott Dixon led 115 laps when he won from the pole position in 2008, and Dixon also was the top lap leader in 2009 when he finished sixth after leading 73 laps.
•The 155 laps led by race winner Dario Franchitti is the ninth-highest total for an Indianapolis 500 winner. It is the most laps led by an Indianapolis 500 driver since Juan Pablo Montoya led 167 laps en route to victory in 2000.
•Dario Franchitti climbed to 21st place on the all-time Indianapolis 500 lap leader list, with 255 laps, after leading 155 laps today. He entered the race 59th on the all-time lap leader list.
•The 2010 Indianapolis 500 race marked the fourth victory for a car owned or co-owned by Chip Ganassi. He was the sole owner of the winning entries in 2000 (Juan Pablo Montoya), 2008 (Scott Dixon) and Dario Franchitti (2010). Ganassi was co-owner with U.E. "Pat" Patrick in 1989 (Emerson Fittipaldi). The only car owners with more Indianapolis 500 victories are Roger Penske (15) and Lou Moore (five).
•This was the first time car number 10 won the Indianapolis 500.
•Dario Franchitti started from the third position. This is the 11th time that the winning car has started from that position. Dario Franchitti's other win, in 2007, also came from the third starting position.
•Alex Lloyd and Tony Kanaan each advanced 22 positions, the most of any finisher. Lloyd finished fourth after starting 26th. Kanaan finished 11th after starting 33rd.
•The highest finisher for car owner Roger Penske's three entries was eighth place (Will Power). His other two drivers finished ninth (Helio Castroneves) and 24th (Ryan Briscoe). The last time Team Penske's best finisher at Indianapolis was lower was in 2005, when Castroneves finished ninth.
•There were three first time Indianapolis 500 lap leaders in today's race: Will Power, Mike Conway, and Justin Wilson.
•Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher overtook Lyn St. James for most laps completed in an Indianapolis 500 career by a female driver. Patrick completed 200 laps in the 2010 event, which raised her Indianapolis 500 career total to 1,137 laps completed. Fisher completed 125 laps in the 2010 race to raise her Indianapolis 500 career total to 1,057 laps completed. St. James completed 947 laps in her seven-year career in the Indianapolis 500.
•Danica Patrick finished sixth in the 2010 Indianapolis 500. This is Patrick's fifth top-10 finish in six career Indianapolis 500 starts.
***
Rahal Letterman Racing co-owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman talked about the performance of the team's driver, Graham Rahal, who finished 12th.
BOBBY RAHAL: "I thought Graham did a hell of a job today. A bogus penalty really hurt us. I don't think Graham did anything that others drivers weren't doing, but we got a penalty. To lead Dario like he did for so long really showed how strong the car could be. I think he really got everything he could out of the car."
DAVID LETTERMAN: "What a day for the kid. You can't ask for anything else. I've never seen our team have a better drive here. Even the year we won the race (2004, with Buddy Rice), I thought the kid drove a better race today. Graham made a heroic effort, and I am really, really proud to be a part of this team."
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The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues June 5 with the Firestone 550K at Texas Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Iowa 100 on June 19 at the Iowa Speedway.
Media Contact: Amy Konrath, Indy Racing League, (317) 492-6453, akonrath@indycar.com // World Wide Web: http://www.indycar.com
Squawker Media Alert: I'm about to be on the radio
I'll be squawking about the state of the Yankees, of course. Check it out!
Early Republican Numbers
In Iowa Mike Huckabee won the caucus by about 10 points in 2008 and he's the top choice of Republicans in the state now by an almost identical margin. He finishes first at 27%. The second place finisher then was Mitt Romney but he places fourth in this poll, albeit only a point or two behind Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. Palin comes in at 17%, followed by Gingrich at 16%, and Romney at 15%.
The Iowa numbers make it clear that Jim DeMint's rise as a national figure is more of an insider thing than anything else- he registers at just 2% in Iowa. South Dakota Senator John Thune gets a similar 2%. Not surprisingly Ron Paul does the best of the second tier candidates at 7%. (We didn''t include Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, or Rick Santorum on this particular poll because they all got 3% or less on a similar New Hampshire poll two months ago.)
In South Carolina Gingrich leads with 25% but Romney (24%) and Palin (22%) are not far behind. While Huckabee's continuing support in Iowa is impressive his standing in South Carolina (19%) is perhaps surprisingly weak. He finished 14 points ahead of Romney in the state in 2008 but now trails him by 5. The two biggest takeaways from the South Carolina numbers are probably that 1) Gingrich is a very legitimate candidate if he decides to get in and 2) Romney may not win the South if he runs but he won't be irrelevant there either.
We also just for fun threw in a permutation of the question with Jim DeMint included as a possible Republican candidate and he does lead the way with 21% to 16% for Gingrich and Romney and 15% for Huckabee and Palin. PPP found last week that only 15% of South Carolinians overall and 24% of Republicans want DeMint to run for President but he does at least have support from the small group of constituents who want him to gun for the White House.
In Michigan Romney won the primary with 39% in 2008 and he's still pretty much there, leading the way with 37% for 2012. Palin comes in second at with 24%, followed by Gingrich at 16%, and Huckabee at 12%.
The numbers continue to show strong support for Romney with moderates but weak support from conservatives, a formula that could cost him the nomination given the direction of the Republican Party. For instance in South Carolina he leads Gingrich by 22 points with moderates but trails him by 8 points with conservatives, dropping him into second place. In Michigan where Romney perhaps ought to have a large advantage thanks to his family ties in the state he leads Palin by 48 points with moderates but only 3 points with conservatives.
These numbers can't be seen as a particularly great sign for Palin either. Although she has a solid base of support in every state where we've looked at the 2012 contest the truth remains that she's led in few of them. And in both Iowa and South Carolina she runs behind Gingrich with conservatives, an indication he could end up as the darling of the right if he makes the race rather than Palin.
They're really not great news for Huckabee either. In 2008 he won in Iowa but failed to get the nomination because he couldn't build on that victory in other states. His polling in South Carolina and Michigan on these polls and previously in New Hampshire leaves something to be desired.
The biggest takeaway from these numbers? The GOP race is wide open and there is a lot of room for someone who isn't all that well known right now to step in and make a very serious bid at the nomination.
Full results here
To Kill a Squawkingbird? Famous author Harper Lee is a Mets fan
The article said that:
During the summer, when she would migrate to New York City, she would go to museums and the theater and root for the Mets, the natural choice for someone with an underdog thing as big as the Ritz.
Anyhow, this got me thinking. Maybe the Mets should do some sort of tribute to Miss Lee, to mark the 50th anniversary of the book. Instead just booing, fans should be encouraged to yell "Boo...Radley!"...if you’ve got a bottle of water, inspirational or otherwise, it makes for a uniquely American evening, right down to the realization that, as you’re standing and applauding for the sometimes contradictory notions of small-town values and racial tolerance, Harper Lee would prefer to be a thousand miles to the north, cheering, “Let’s Go, Mets!”
What say you, Squawker Jon? And please, stop banging your head against the wall!
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Gourlay Brings Expertise to River City Brass Band
“Because the school janitor found a tuba in the attic of the school. I was forced to play it basically because I was really bad at soccer, and nobody would have me on their team.”
Now he’s a world-famous musician and the newly-appointed Music Director of the River City Brass band.
Gourlay says after giving 12 concerts with the band this March, it was an easy choice when he was offered the position.
The Scotland native says the brass band is one of the most flexible ensembles in music.
“The River City Brass Band is capable of playing anything from jazz and pop to much more serious and contemporary music,” says Gourlay. “So I’ll be trying, in my role as Director of Music, to balance the programs so that if you come to one of our concerts, you’ll hear something you really love.”
Gourlay says he’s already made a great relationship with both the band and the city of Pittsburgh.
Members of US Military Can See Art For Free This Summer
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 31 through to Labor Day, September 6, 2010. Members of the military must show their ID to get themselves and up to five family members into the museums.
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area and the Andy Warhol Museum are all taking part in the program. A list of all the participating museums can be found online.