Tracy Pushes to Win

Push-button power or not, Paul Tracy proved Sunday that he is the force in the Champ Car World Series, just as he was last year in CART, especially on the streets of Long Beach.

He has become as much a part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach scene in the last decade as the Queen Mary, which made a fitting backdrop for America’s greatest street race on a cool and sunny day.

It was Tracy’s fourth win in 13 starts, a win in which he treated an estimated 78,000 fans to a display of championship driving. He first won in 1993, then in 2000 and 2003.

Tracy, a 35-year-old Canadian, did not officially lead wire-to-wire, but from the moment he used his boost button to jump into the lead, he was in complete command. He led 78 of the 81 laps in the pale blue Forsythe Lola-Ford that won the championship last year.

The race around the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary circuit laid out on the seaside lowlands lasted 1 hour 44 minutes 12.3 seconds, but for all intents it ended seconds after the 18 cars took the green flag on the second lap.

As the front row of Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais, Newman-Haas teammates, reached the start-finish line, Tracy jerked his car sideways, hit the boost button that gave an extra 50 horsepower for about six seconds, and shot past the pair from his position in the second row.

Junqueira, the pole-sitter, hit his button too, but not quickly enough to stave off the flying Tracy. By the time the pair reached the first turn about a half-mile into the race, Tracy was gone.

The only time he was out of the lead was on the first lap when officials waved the yellow flag because of a too-ragged lineup and Junqueira was credited with leading, and on the two occasions when Tracy pitted and his Forsythe teammate, Patrick Carpentier, led a lap both times.

“I’ve always been aggressive from the second they wave the green flag,” Tracy said. “It is always important to get a good start and I managed to get one today.

“I used the push-to-pass button right on the line to pick up more speed. It was really a jolt and then I took advantage of Bruno’s draft and charged to the inside. I saw that Sebastien was squeezed against the wall, so I had a wide-open lane.

“Bruno braked earlier than I anticipated and because I had so much momentum my car started to slide and got sideways. By the time we got to the first turn, though, I had the lead and just pushed as hard as I could to pull away.”

Junqueira, who finished second to Tracy in the championship race last year, was philosophical about seeing Tracy go by.

“I knew that Paul was going to be pushing at the start,” Brazil’s Junqueira said. “He has always done that, only he used to crash. Now he doesn’t crash and he wins races.”

Junqueira finished second, 5.68 seconds back, with teammate Bourdais a close third. No one else was within 15 seconds of the winner, although eight cars finished on the lead lap. Tracy’s average speed of 91.785 mph was a record, bettering his year-old speed of 91.590.

The new rules involving the push-to-pass button and the mandatory use of soft tires after one pit stop proved interesting to fans who could watch the drama of decision-making on monitors. Each driver was given 60 seconds worth of added boost, which he could use at any time or in any amount.

Seven drivers used their limit and most used nearly all of theirs, except Tracy, who did not need any more help after the six or seven seconds he used at first.

“Once I got in front, I tried to build up a good lead and hold it before we pitted, then when I got back out I did the same thing,” Tracy said. “We didn’t use the soft tires until our last stop when we had only 21 laps left. We were concerned about how they would last.”

Apparently the concern was unjustified. His 79th lap, only two from the end, was his fastest. Six other drivers had faster single laps than Tracy, but the consistency of the champion paid off.

The only accident of the race, remarkable for the first time out for teams that had not raced in seven months, came on the first turn when four or five cars tried to cram through a lane big enough for no more than two. Knocked out of the race almost before it started were former winner Jimmy Vasser, Tarso Marques and rookie Alex Sperafico. Two others, rookies A.J. Allmendinger and 17-year-old Nelson Philippe, were involved but regrouped and continued.

“First corner, first race of the new season,” an exasperated Vasser said. “I don’t really know what to say. I got hit in the left rear tire. Then there was chaos with guys weaving all over the place. We just got spun around and collected.”

Philippe, who went on to finish 13th, became the youngest starter in CART-Champ Car history. Michel Jourdain Jr., who was 19 in his first race in 1996, had been the youngest.

“I feel amazing,” said Philippe, a long-haired Frenchman who drove in the Barber Dodge series last year. “I did everything right, focused on the track and my drive.

“I got out of the tangle early in the race and paid attention to let the leaders pass.”

The champ cars’ next race is May 23 in Monterrey, Mexico.

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TOP FINISHERS

*--* Driver Car 1. PAUL TRACY Ford-Cosworth/Lola 2. BRUNO JUNQUEIRA Ford-Cosworth/Lola 3. SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS Ford-Cosworth/Lola

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