“It has been an okay weekend. Today, we struggled with the same issues that we’ve had all weekend - no front-end grip and poor car balance. The #10 just never came around. We still delivered both RuSPORT cars in the top ten, and my team-mate Justin Wilson did an excellent job, especially with the last pass on [Mario] Dominguez. We’ve definitely got a lot of work to do, but we’ve got the determination to do it.”
JIMMY VASSER (#12 Gulfstream/PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
“I think the biggest thing that the PKV Racing team takes away from this weekend is that we have to come off the truck quicker and qualify better. We had high expectations for our team after pre-season testing, but things didn’t work out, so I am obviously disappointed. In the race, we tried a different strategy by going off-sequence, but we didn’t get the yellows when we needed them, so we finished just about were we expected. We brought in a lot of new programmes and faces at PKV Racing so that things would get better…and they
will get better. It is a team effort and we just have to keep working at it as a team. Fortunately, we have a long break before the next race, so we can sit down and analyse what we need to do, and make the changes that are necessary.”
CRISTIANO DA MATTA (#21 PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
“It was a difficult weekend for the PKV Racing team and that caught us by surprise. Our pre-season testing went very well and, at the last test, with most of the teams there, we were always in the top five, so we expected better this weekend. I think, based on how the PKV Racing car was coming off the truck, we did a very good job in qualifying. I think we qualified better than the car was. In the race, we struggled with the same problems we had all weekend, so we tried to do some things with strategy, hoping for a yellow, but things just didn’t work out for us. But it is the first race of season and our first race together, so we can’t let this one race get us down. We just have to keep working at it. All the ingredients are here, it is just a matter of us having some more time to work together.”
BJORN WIRDHEIM (#4 HVM, Inc. Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
“I definitely learned a lot today during the race. It was an unfortunate that we didn’t finish higher. We lost two positions due to the fact that I used all of my push-to-pass halfway through the race and didn’t have any left for the re-start. I think, when it came to our race pace, we were very competitive. My
Bridgestone tyres were good, especially my hard set in the second stint, and I think I had the fifth quickest lap during that stint. I am disappointed not to have finished at least in the top ten, but our starting position did not help. I really enjoyed the work, I am very happy to be in Champ Car, the HVM team did a brilliant job all weekend and I cannot wait for the next race, I now know what to expect.”
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (#31 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
"We started off the race today excellent. I passed Vasser on the start, and then got by Allmendinger a couple of laps later, and everything was going well. Then I started having some braking issues and locked up the rear tyres and lost four positions. Then locked up the fronts and lost three more positions, so that is seven positions total. It was a very rough weekend overall and we're looking forward to getting out of Long Beach. The Rocketsports team will be working hard before Monterrey and we should be in better shape there."
MARCUS MARSHALL (#5 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
“I thought today would actually be a little tougher physically than it actually was. I really learnt a lot today – pit-stops, cold tyres, full fuel loads – all the stuff that I hadn’t done before. It will be great to take all that stuff which I now know into the next race. I know where I can improve a lot and will go back now and look at the all the data and look forward to Mexico. The race went pretty well to plan but, when I got strapped into the car, part of my drink hose was behind my back and it really started to hurt after a while. I couldn’t push on the brake as hard as I would have liked at times, and it probably hurt my consistency a little. I could still churn out the laps but, when we were under safety car, I really noticed the pain. Overall, I am pretty happy with the day and it was just a pity that I ended up with the leaders right at the end of the race and went down a lap. After 80 laps or so, to still be on the lead lap on my debut I am quite happy with. All in all, it was a great to get our first race under our belt for Team Australia and all the guys at Aussie Vineyards.”
ALEX TAGLIANI (#15 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone):
“It would have been fantastic to end up with a top ten result, but things didn’t work out for us at the finish when the gearbox broke while I was running ninth with a couple of laps to go. I got a good start and was running sixth early, but our fuel mileage wasn’t as good as we would have liked, and we lost a couple of spots on the last round of pit-stops. But, overall, I am very enthusiastic about our start to the season. The team has worked very hard and our pit-stops were great in the race. It was a tough result for the whole team, but I knew I had some problems with the 'box during the race and was having trouble with the downshifts. Unfortunately, it didn’t get me to the finish.”
