FRANCK MONTAGNY finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while
Super Aguri team-mate
Takuma Sato would like to race at Le Mans someday. Montagny said the Pescarolo was easier to drive than the
F1 car which is more difficult - 'you're on the edge all the time'. Montagny was the
Renault test driver. Over the winter he tested with PKV in Champ Car, and turned the fastest time, but he said his feedback and approach was different. He said and "it was blah, blah blah, wiped their hands, and back to Europe" for him. His Super Aguri team-mate, SATO, of Japan, has a British accent picked up when he lived in England with a family.
Michelin promised, after last year's tyre debacle at IMS, that it would donate $5 to the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis for every Michelin tyre sold in the Indy area. Friday, Michelin presented a cheque for $40,000 to some of the Club members at the track.
Michelin is bringing only one tyre construction to Indy - and very conservative compounds.
One of the many 'celebrities' on hand for the race was JEFF GORDON, who was glad the dates changed so he could run the Pepsi 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race and come to the F1 race. Gordon has run the track both ways also, in Cup on the oval, and on the road course with JPM when they did their celebrated 'Trading Paint' exhibition a couple of years ago.
BERNIE ECCLESTONE was on site and looking pleased with the big crowd and having a good time. So far, he said, 'I haven't had a fight with anyone'. Ecclestone said he hoped F1 would be back next year at IMS.
