There are still some 40,000 tickets available, partly because the luster of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has worn off with the Formula One crowd, partly because of the recent terrorism in America and partly because of fans being held hostage by local hotels for $500 a night.

	Most everything has been thumbs up lately for F1 rookie Juan Pablo Montoya.

The second SAP United States Grand Prix is pretty much devoid of storylines and interest save for one refreshing breath of air named Juan Pablo Montoya.

He's the best reason to watch Sunday's race on ABC or make the trip to 16th & Georgetown Road.

Only 15 races into his F1 career, Montoya has captured the motorsports world's undivided attention, as well as his competitors, with his attacking attitude, unflappable demeanor, honesty and monstrous talent.

The 26-year-old Colombian has even won over the caustic F1 media because he's no more intimidated by bumping wheels with Schuey than he is taking Spa's Eau Rouge corner flat out on a damp track.

"He's got great car control, superb skill and enormous courage," says Frank Williams, owner of Montoya's car and the man who plucked this kid out of F3000 and made him a test driver at the age of 22.

"And he's always charging and going for it.

"For no more experience than he's got in these cars, he's been quite impressive."

For those of us fortunate enough to witness Montoya's two years in Championship Auto Racing Teams, the fact he's already secured three poles, two second-place finishes and his initial victory is not surprising.

After all, he won the CART championship and Indianapolis 500 as a rookie. Like Jimmy Clark, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna and Mario Andretti, he makes it look so easy.

"I knew it would be a hard learning curve and I didn't really expect to win in my first season or get three poles so that's been a pleasant surprise," said Montoya, whose previous F3000 experience and F1 testing didn't include every track currently on the schedule.

"The biggest adjustment I've had to make was maximizing what I needed on my car's setup. When we get to tracks I've never been to before the starting setup is too far away from where it should be so it seems quite hard.

"But when the setup has been right, we've been competitive."

Regardless of where he's lined up on the grid, (other than the pole of course) Montoya has usually passed several cars by the first turn and admits his overtaking skills were honed in CART's versatile series in 1999 and 2000.

"Running CART for two years and winning races over here really helped my confidence," said Montoya, who amassed 10 wins and 14 poles in his 40 champ car starts. "I learned a lot of knew things on the ovals and it's a lot of stuff like that really makes a big difference.

"It's a bit more complex to get the car right in F-1 than CART but in both series you have to push hard every lap. It took me a while to get in the groove but lately we've been doing good."

Dwarfed by his teammate, Ralf Schumacher, physically and in terms of experience, Montoya has the perfect mindset for the head games played in F1. He doesn't care that his German engine company (BMW) obviously favors a native son (Schumacher) or that his car has broken down more in 2001. Or that he's the new kid.

	“	I've been able to beat Michael (Schumacher) a few occasions in my first season and the guy is a tough racer. But I consider myself one, as well. ”
		— Montoya

After having a great relationship with Jimmy Vasser in CART, Montoya seldom speaks to Schumacher unless it's during an engineering meeting.

"I didn't come to Formula One to be in a social club, but it's much different than CART because the drivers here keep to themselves," Montoya said. "In CART, it was very competitive on the track but the drivers were friendly with each other.

"Jimmy and I were friends and we had a lot of fun together. With Ralf it's different. He does his job, I do mine and we work together to make the car go fast. Because we don't talk to each other doesn't mean we're going to slow down the car's development."

But the tension between the two is pretty obvious. In Germany, Montoya won the pole and was leading the race when his engine blew and Schumacher, who went on to the victory, suggested that his teammate pushed too hard.

"What a load of (crap)," spit Montoya afterwards.

However, he has out-classed Michael's younger brother during the past four races and the strain on Ralf's mug was evident on the victory podium in Italy following Montoya's initial win. If Schuey thinks he can get into Montoya's head, he's clearly misreading the situation.

"I believe it's quite the contrary," says Nigel Roebuck, the respected F1 journalist from Autosport magazine. "I think Juan has gotten into both Schumacher's heads."

The defining moment for Montoya's F1 career probably came in that third race at Brazil. His brazen, inside pass of the great Schumacher for the lead was just the kind of bravado everyone had been hoping for. But Montoya's reaction was even better than his move.

"It was OK, the guy is good, but he ain't no Senna," he declared to the incredulous media swarm.

Of course the really great thing about Montoya is that he can back up a statement like that. He's not disrespectful as much as he is supremely confident in his own abilities. He may not admit to being the next big star in F1, but he expects to be.

"To be honest, I never really thought about Michael Schumacher when I went into Formula One," he replied to an obvious question during Wednesday's press gathering. "I went into F1 because I wanted to do it and you've got to think about yourself, not somebody else.

"I've been able to beat Michael a few occasions in my first season and the guy is a tough racer. But I consider myself one, as well."