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Saturday, April 7
Castroneves saves best for last lap
By Associated Press
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The temporary street circuit at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach dried out just enough -- and just soon enough -- to turn pole qualifying into a shootout.
Helio Castroneves was the driver left standing.
|  | | Kenny Brack will have to start the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach second after getting knocked off the pole. |
The Brazilian nipped Kenny Brack and Tony Kanaan for the fifth pole of his career, driving his Honda-powered Reynard across the finish line moments after the checkered flag waved to end the 30-minute session.
The on and off rain began early Saturday morning and kept all the CART teams guessing right to the end of qualifying.
The first of two groups of qualifiers went out on a drying track and ended their half hour on the 12-turn circuit in downtown Long Beach with unheralded Michel Jourdain Jr. of Mexico on top at 101.809 mph.
That speed appeared in serious jeopardy with the faster group ready to hit the track, but the rain began again moments before they took the green flag.
"We had to start from zero again," Castroneves said. "All day it was rain and dry, rain and dry. I knew I'd just have to be patient."
Time was fast running out with the faster drivers unable to come close to Jourdain's lap on the wet track. Suddenly, the sun popped out from behind the clouds and the racing surface began to dry quickly.
As Jourdain, his face etched with concern, watched from the pits, his pursuers pitted to change their grooved rain tires for slicks and began to move up the speed chart.
"That was the longest 30 minutes of my life," Jourdain said.
With just 1:10 remaining, Brack knocked Jourdain off the top spot with a lap of 102.534. Castroneves then bettered that with his 103.343 as the scoring screen blinked like a pinball machine with a series of fast laps on the fast-drying track.
Four other drivers jumped past Jourdain, with Kanaan at 102.347, followed by Cristiano da Matta, the winner of last month's season-opener in Monterrey, Mexico, at 102.216, defending CART champion and Castronves' Penske Racing teammate Gil de Ferran at 102.169 and Dario Franchitti at 102.136.
Christian Fittipaldi, who had been second before the final rush, wound up 10th.
"It was tough out there," Kanaan said. "When I came in, I told my guys it was time to put on the slicks. But we had made changes to the car for wet tires and my car had a lot of push. You're always going to say, 'If I had another lap,' but it's a matter of who gets the right lap at the right time."
Defending race winner Paul Tracy, who won last year from 17th, will start 12th in Sunday's 28-car field.
"There are a lot of good cars in front of us," Tracy said. "We got pretty lucky last year with our pit strategy and the way the yellows fell. But we can't count on that every year."
Kanaan said there won't be too much passing on the tight, twisting track.
"It's tough to pass, so strategy and trying to stay on the racetrack will be very important," he explained. "People go off here like crazy. Guys who stay on track, take care of their fuel mileage, have good pit stops and are around at the end will have a good chance to win." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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