All Talk Is Focused on Road Ahead

Rumors swirled around Long Beach faster than the cars Friday as the Champ Cars began qualifying for Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix, No. 31 of the America’s oldest and most successful street race.

In garages, along pit row and even in the grandstands, there was talk that Champ Cars would be replaced by the Indy Racing League next year.

The IRL, an all-oval racing organization until last week, when it produced its first street race in St. Petersburg, Fla., impressed industry observers with the effort.

Other chatter had Long Beach maintaining its ties to Champ Cars, the successor to CART, which has been part of every race in the city since 1984.

Champ Cars replaced CART after it was sold in February 2004 to Open Wheel Racing Series, a group that included Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Gerald Forsythe. The series later became known as Champ Car World Series.

Kalkhoven threw a bone to the rumor mongers when he told reporters that if his series is dropped by the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach before next year’s race, Champ Cars is prepared to produce a street race in Los Angeles. He did not say, however, where it might take place.

NASCAR put on several street races near the Coliseum a few years ago but dropped the idea for lack of parking and lack of interest.

Chris Pook, founder of the Long Beach Grand Prix and more recently president of CART but no longer affiliated with the race, would only say, “What a bloody shame.” It wasn’t clear if he meant the state of the race or the state of Champ Cars. Probably both.

Pook also dismissed Kalkhoven’s comments about a possible Los Angeles race, saying that “Otis Chandler and I spent years looking for a place to hold a street race in the city and there just isn’t any place suitable.”

Chandler is the former Times publisher who was instrumental in sponsoring races at Riverside International Raceway in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Jim Michaelian, who succeeded Pook as head of the Long Beach race, refused to get drawn into the futures game.

“All I have to say is that we’re going to have a great race Sunday with some great race drivers and we hope a great group of fans,” he said. “After the race we’ll start thinking about next year. Until then, let’s just enjoy ourselves.”

Meanwhile, on the track, it seemed that little has changed from last year.

Bruno Junqueira, who was on the pole last year, is back there again after turning a lap of 103.667 mph on the 11-turn, 1.97-mile circuit around the Convention Center and Sports Arena.

Paul Tracy, who has won the Long Beach race four times, including the last two, was second at 103.494 mph in a Forsythe-owned car.

Sebastien Bourdais, defending Champ Car series champion, was third at 103.073. It was the 15th consecutive race that the French driver has qualified third or better. He and Junqueira drive for Newman-Haas.

“Long Beach has always been a good track for me,” said Junqueira, who finished second last year. “This time I will try a little harder. I think there is more in the car. Maybe I can get the record tomorrow.”

The record of 104.969 mph was set by Gil de Ferran in 2000. Another qualifying session will be held at 2 p.m. today. Junqueira is assured a front-row berth no matter how he does today.

“I thought I had the pole on my last run, but coming off the straight I caught Cristiano [da Matta] and lost a fraction or two in the corners,” Tracy said. “But that’s what can happen when you try and catch a hot lap in the last five minutes.”

Junqueira took a one-point lead in the 2005 standings, the result of his pole performance. The Brazilian favorite has finished second the last three years.

All were driving Lolas powered by Ford Cosworth engines, riding on Bridgestone tires, as was everyone in the field.

Also like last year, there is a huge disparity in speed from top to bottom.

Fabrizio del Monte, a last-minute entry by the new Jensen Motorsports team, posted a speed of 96.391 mph, not bad considering it was his first time in a Champ Car. Del Monte, a resident of Rome, won three races last year in the Superfund Euro F3000 series.

Today’s Toyota Pro-Celebrity race will have Ingo Rademacher on the pole with a speed of 66.164 in a Toyota Celica. Fastest among the professional drivers was drifter and rally veteran Rhys Millen at 66.001 mph. Off-road racer Ryan Arciero was next at 65.552.

Basketball great Karl Malone found his 270 pounds a distinct weight disadvantage as he qualified 14th of the 16 entries with a 62.650 lap.