Solid Finish for Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani in Long Beach

Long Beach, CA (April 20, 2008)- Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani (No.15 CEC Wheels) proved this weekend 'they were the team that could'. As the Champ Car World Series drew to an end today, the team showed they were up for the fight and could be competitive.

Tagliani had a slow start from the front row, as Will Power passed him at the beginning, putting him in third place. However that did not set the Canadian back. Tagliani passed Justin Wilson putting him in second place to fight with Power.

After two solid pit stops, Walker Racing took a gamble on the second stop and opted to go on the Bridgestone alternate tires and then was forced to use 'power to pass' to get past back markers, which was costly. Alex went from second to seventh in the last 15 minutes of the race, making it the first time all weekend that the Canadian was out of the top three.

Walker Racing and Alex Tagliani say farewell to Champ Car and they thank all of their loyal supporters for the good times. For more updates on the team please visit www.walker <http://www.walker/> racing.com .

What they had to say...

Derrick Walker, Walker Racing Owner: "Looking back on the weekend, I think the team accomplished a lot. It's a pity that in the final analysis in the race we didn't maximize our potential in the race, but it certainly wasn't for the lack of trying. That's why we were here, we came to give it our all and whatever we got , we got. It's a credit to the team and I'm happy with what we did. I don't have anything other than positive feelings about the weekend, it was fun."

Alex Tagliani (No. 15 CEC Wheels): "We had a great weekend with the Walker Racing organization. It was fantastic for me to drive such a quick car. I had fun, everyone was really supportive and hard workers and everything was great. We had a good race, we were competitive and unfortunately at the end, when we realized on the middle stint when we were catching Will (Power) a little bit, we said maybe what we need is the reds and unfortunately we decided to go with the reds and it was the wrong way to go, because of the degradation on the reds were really bad. We just lost the tires and all the grip in the car and we couldn't compete. Unfortunately that is what happened on the last segment and it was our last chance to finish on the podium or even contend for the win. Overall, a one off like this, we were not there to score points or be happy with second. We threw the dice and went with the reds and it didn't work, sometimes that happens. We showed that with the last minute decision to come here that we could be up front and we were."

-credit: wr

WALKER RACING AND ALEX TAGLIANI BID FAREWELL TO CHAMP CAR FANS

Indianapolis, IN (April 11, 2008)- Walker Racing is proud to announce its entry in the upcoming Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 18-20. The Indianapolis based squad will re-join forces with Canadian Alex Tagliani as they pay tribute to the loyal Champ Car fans and say farewell to the Champ Car World Series.

The 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the end of Champ Car's 29 years of racing. The Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League signed an agreement on February 22, to unify open-wheel racing and now runs under the IndyCar Series banner. This will be the final event for Champ Car and for the 750 horsepower, turbocharged, DP01's.

Walker Racing is excited to have Tagliani back on board for one last race. "We have many fond memories of our time in Champ Car. The team is really geared up to have a good weekend. Long Beach is our last chance to pay tribute to all of the loyal CART/ Champ Car race fans, officials and employees, who served and supported the series over these years. It's the end of an era and we are left with some great memories and are left to wonder what it could have been. We thank our fans and sponsors who gave us the opportunity to be a part of it. I also want to thank Alex for volunteering to race with us this weekend as well," commented Derrick Walker, Walker Racing owner.

Tagliani competed with Walker Racing, under the Team Australia partnership with Craig Gore, in 2005 and 2006. He will pilot the #15 Walker Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone entry. During his tenure with the team, the 35 year old Montreal, Quebec, Canada native recorded four podium finishes, (Monterrey, Toronto, Long Beach, Australia), five top-five finishes, and 12 top-10 finishes.

In his eight years of Champ Car competition, Tagliani has finished in the top ten in the championship race six times (the last six consecutive seasons) in his career, placing a career-best seventh in 2004 and 2005. He has also earned 76 top-10 finishes, including 32 top-five showings, 14 podiums, one win (Road America 2004) and five poles in 131 career starts. Last year, Tagliani finished 10th in the championship with 205 points and qualified in the top 10 in 10 of the 14 races with a best starting position of fourth (Las Vegas, Long Beach, and Portland). He finished in the top 10 in 10 of the 14 events with four top-five showings.

"I had a great relationship with all of the Walker Racing team and to be able to participate in the last Long Beach event under the umbrella of Champ Car and to compete with my friends is fantastic. There are definitely mixed feelings competing for the last time, it's nice to be racing, but with regret. Overall, it will be good to get back in the Champ Car for the last time, have a good race and most importantly have fun. It will also be a good tribute to all of the loyal fans, sponsors and teams that have supported me over the years. This is a thank you to them and to be doing it with the Walker Racing organization is a plus because they are near and dear to my heart and it's my opportunity to prove what a strong organization Derrick Walker has," stated Tagliani.

The 34th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will get underway on April 18th. The final Champ Car race will take place, Sunday, April 20, at 1:00 p.m. local time and will be broadcasted on ESPN 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

-credit: www.walkerracing.com.

Walker Racing Thanks Fans for the Good Times

Indianapolis, IN (April 15, 2008)- The 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach marks an end of an era for Champ Car's 29 years of rich racing. Walker Racing wants to take this opportunity and pay tribute to their loyal supporters through the years, the fans.

As a thank you to them, Walker Racing will be dedicating an area on both sides of Alex Tagliani's No.15 Walker Racing Cosworth/Bridgestone/DP01 entry on Sunday, April 20. Fans will have the chance to be an actual part of the race and sign their name on the car by making a charitable donation to CARA Charities and in return they get to be a part of history being made.

"Throughout our time in Champ Car we have had an extremely loyal group that has followed us all around the world and we owe them a great deal of thanks and gratitude for supporting us. This weekend is dedicated to them. Any fan who wants to make their mark and put it on the car can. There is a great charity in CARA, who has been a big part of Champ Car through the years. By making a donation to CARA Charities, Walker Racing will run your mark during the final Champ Car race on Sunday. For those fans that will be at Long Beach come and make a donation to CARA, we would love to see you and for those that can't be there, you will be missed," stated Walker Racing owner, Derrick Walker.

CARA Charities will be set up outside the Walker Racing transporters in the Champ Car paddock, on Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19 from 11:00 a.m. -- 2:00 p.m. PST. Fans will also have the opportunity to have autographs signed and their picture taken with Alex Tagliani from 12:40 -- 1:00 p.m. on both days.

Walker Racing thanks everyone for the good times. The 34th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will get underway on April 18th. The final Champ Car race will take place, Sunday, April 20, at 1:00 p.m. local time and will be broadcasted on ESPN 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET. For more information on the team please visit www.walkerracing.com.

***

About CARA Charities:

Championship Auto Racing Auxiliary (CARA) was founded in 1981 to serve the professional auto racing community through charitable work and to promote the friendships of those involved in the motorsports family. CARA Charities occupies a special place in the motorsports community. Since its founding, CARA has donated more than $4 million dollars to dozens of philanthropic causes helping children, hospitals, scholarship funds, ministries and numerous charitable foundations.

About Walker Racing:

Walker Racing was formed in 1992 by racing veteran, Derrick Walker and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Walker Racing embarks on their 18th season of competition with a three car Atlantic program with drivers Kevin Lacroix, Greg and Leo Mansell, sons of former F1 and IndyCar champion, Nigel Mansell. Walker Racing has earned 6 victories and 16 pole positions, with drivers Scott Goodyear, Robby Gordon, Gil de Ferran, and Will Power. The team took home the Atlantic Championship in 2006 with Simon Pagenaud and has run the likes of Willy T. Ribbs, Robby Gordon, Gil de Ferran, Sarah Fisher, Christian Fittipaldi, Scott Goodyear, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. For more information on the team please visit www.walkerracing.com.

PKV RACING'S SEBRING TEST PRODUCTIVE AND FAST

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - FEBRUARY 5, 2008 - - PKV Racing was both productive and fast during the three day test, February 2-4, at Sebring International Raceway.

After five sessions, two on both Saturday, February 2 and Sunday, February 3 and one Monday, February 4, Alex Tagliani, who was testing with the team for the first time, was third on the combined practice report, while Oriol Seriva, who is signed to campaign one of two PKV Racing entries during the 2008 Champ Car World Series season, was fourth.

Tagliani ran a total of 281 laps (466.46 miles), the second most of the 14 drivers participating in the test. He posted a fast time of 50.173 seconds (119.754 mph) on the 1.66-mile Sebring "short course". The 35-year-old native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who is entering his ninth Champ Car season, was consistently quick placing in the top-four in three of the five sessions and was never lower than seventh on the combined report. His fast lap, as with all but one driver, came in the fifth and final session.

"I am very happy with the way the test went," Tagliani said. "I very much appreciate and want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Mark Johnson for this opportunity. This is a dream situation for me. I just hope everything works out and I can be a part of this team in 2008 because I know they will contend for the championship."

Tagliani went on to say, "The whole team did a great job at the test and we got a lot done. This is an outstanding team with a great program and the right attitude. They were very prepared and everybody worked hard. I think Oriol and I worked well together. It was almost like we had been on the same team for five years."

Servia, who ran the most laps of any driver with 288 (478.08 miles), recorded a fast lap of 50.178 seconds (119.742 mph). The 33-year-old native of Pals, Catalonia, Spain, was in the top-five on the speed charts in four of the five sessions, getting as high as second, and placing in the top-five at the end of practice all three days. Servia, who is also entering his ninth Champ Car season, recorded his fast lap during the final practice.

"I am very happy and pleased with the results of the test," Servia said. "Not just because of where we ended up on the speed charts, but also because of all the work we got done. We came here not so concerned about lap times, but to work on some of the projects the engineers have developed since the end of the season. But, we were still fast."

Servia went on to say, "We based this test on things we think are going to work at tracks we will race on this season, not just on the conditions at Sebring this weekend where the track had an unusual amount of grip. I think the engineers and team did a great job. We were very prepared and went about our work very efficiently. We learned a lot and I think the data we collected will help us on race weekends."

PKV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson said, "This was a great test. We came here with a solid test plan, executed it well and didn't vary from it. We had to be careful not to be deceived by the amount of grip and get lost. In the end we ran the most laps of any team and had a very productive test."

-credit: pkv

ALEX TAGLIANI TO TEST WITH PKV RACING

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - - JANUARY 21, 2008 - - PKV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson announced today that veteran Champ Car driver Alex Tagliani will test with the team February 2-4 at Sebring International Raceway.

Tagliani has finished in the top-10 in the championship race six times (the last six consecutive seasons) during his eight-year Champ Car career placing a career best seventh in 2004 and 2005. The 35-year-old native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada has recorded 76 top-10 finishes including 32 top-five showings, 14 podiums performances, one win (Road America 2004) and five poles in 131 career starts.

"Alex is a very competitive and capable driver that has consistently placed among the leaders in races and the championship standings over the years," said Johnson. "Testing Alex in Sebring will give PKV Racing an opportunity to receive the benefit of his experience as we work through the various projects we have for this test. In addition, it will give us a chance to see how Alex meshes with our team as we proceed with our search for a second driver."

Tagliani finished 10th in the championship last year with 205 points. He qualified in the top-10 in 10 of the 14 races with a best starting position of fourth (Las Vegas, Long Beach and Portland). The resident of Las Vegas, Nevada finished in the top-10 in 10 of the 14 events with four top five showings including a season high fourth in Vegas.

"I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to test with PKV Racing. It's a first class organization," said Tagliani. "This is a team that is capable of winning the championship this year and it would be a dream come true for me to be with PKV in 2008. I think I can help them get to the top of the standings, but first things first and that is to do get our work done and have a good test in Sebring. After that we will see where things go from there."

Earlier this month PKV Racing announced that Oriol Servia, who competed for PKV Racing in the last two events of 2007 and during the 2006 season, would pilot one of two entries the team will field for the 2008 Champ Car World Series season. The 33-year-old native of Pals, Catalonia, Spain, will be contesting his ninth Champ Cars season. He has placed in the top-10 in the championship standings in four of the past five seasons including a career high second place showing in 2005.

-credit: pkv

ROCKETSPORTS AND TAGLIANI MAKE IT THROUGH A TOUGH RACE WEEKEND IN MEXICO CITY

Notes
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (November 11, 2007) – It is unfortunate that there are only three days in a race weekend, as Rocketsports Racing and Alex Tagliani learned this weekend because they just did have enough time to find a race car that could do the job in Mexico City, Mexico for the 2007 Champ Car season finale.

Despite trying to make as many changes as possible on the car last night and this morning, it was still giving Tagliani problems on track. So the strategy for the race this afternoon was to do the best he could possibly do out there, knowing that the car was not going to be competitive enough for him to be able to put up a fight from starting 14th on the grid.

And if things could not get any worse for Tagliani, he stalled during the 14th Champ Car standing start of the season. This was the first time that Tagliani would not successfully get off the line when the green light displayed, but Champ Car was able to get him on his way. He was not the only car that stalled, as two others did as well causing Champ Car to throw the yellow flag on the first lap. Tagliani was able to catch up to the field, and took advantage of the open pits under yellow to fill up on fuel. That was a good move by the team, as good pit work by the #8 Rocketsports crew got him out ahead of Nelson Philippe, allowing him to obtain one track position and move back into the 14th spot. On the restart to officially kick off Champ Car racing in Mexico City, Tagliani was able to get around Alex Figge to move into the 13th spot.

Tagliani worked his way up to 11th by Lap 6, marking the highest position he would hold during the Gran Premio Tecate Presented by Banamex. The rest of the race, he was just trying to hold on. Tires were wearing fast and his car had a lot of understeer, but Tagliani did a good job keeping the car out of trouble to take the checkered flag on Lap 64.

Finishing 13th, the French-Canadian completed 62 of 64 laps this afternoon, finishing the race in a time of 1:45:21.303. His best time was posted on Lap 33 when he recorded a 1:27.881 (113.635 mph). His average speed of the race was 97.948 mph. There were only two caution periods in the race, and a total of 14 out of 17 cars finished in running status.

On a more positive note, this weekend’s result locked Tagliani and the Rocketsports team in the top-ten of the 2007 Champ Car World Series championship. Finishing 10th overall, Tagliani earned a total of 205 points. This is the third time that Tagliani has finished in the top ten with Rocketsports during the three seasons that he has competed with the team in the series. This marks the sixth top-ten finish in the Champ Car World Series for Tagliani in his eight years of competition in the series, making this his sixth consecutive top ten finish in the standings. Rocketsports can add its fourth top-ten finish in the standings to the team’s Champ Car racing resume with a driver since they formed a Champ Car team in 2003.

Also, giving credit where it is due, the team and driver did a great job this season in terms of laps completed. Only earning two DNF’s (Did Not Finish), in Edmonton and San Jose, Edmonton and San Jose, Tagliani completed 1,031 out of 1,087 laps possible this season. Compared to the rest of the 17-car Champ Car field, he ranks 3rd in laps completed.

This weekend officially wraps up the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The team will pack up and head back to their East Lansing, Michigan-based shop to begin their focus on the 2008 racing year.

Quotes
Alex Tagliani #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It is definitely not the way that we wanted to end the season. For our last race together, it is definitively something that makes me sad, but we have been struggling with the #8 Rocketsports car all weekend. We have destroyed every set of tires that we put on the car during the race, because we never got the set up. The boys worked very hard in the pits, as everyone has been trying real hard. This is the type of track where everything needs to be perfect, like you need to have a car that allows you to go quick in medium-to-high speed corners, and we had such a bad, bad, bad push in the car that is was devastating out there on track when we were trying to make a long run. When we came out of the pits, it was like the first lap and second lap we were running an 1:27.800 lap time, so the performance out of a one-lap run was not bad, but five laps into the stint the car was going away so bad that we were dropping 5 seconds a lap and it was really tough to stay on line. So, it is a season filled with great potential, but with a couple of bad lucks that kept us from finishing on the podium and higher up in the championship. Overall, the team has been trying very hard all season, and I would like to thank them for all their hard work and dedication. Now we just have to look at the future. For me, I am already going to be looking for what I am going to be doing next year and Champ Car is definitely my choice.”

Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing Team Owner
“The weekend wasn’t all that bad; it was a great event. We just were not going to get a good race out of this, no matter how hard we tried and that was unfortunate. But after 38 years of racing, you learn realize you have bad days and that does not define who you are or who the people that try so hard. So we will just keep going.”

ROCKETSPORTS SURFERS PARADISE NOTES & QUOTE – RACE
Rocketsports Earn Top Ten Result after Difficult Weekend Down Under

SURFERS PARADISE, Queensland, Australia (October 21, 2007) – It was a long weekend for the Rocketsports Racing team, and a long race today in Surfers Paradise, Australia that almost saw Alex Tagliani salvage a top-five finish, but team will take a top-ten result knowing they worked very hard to deserve it.

During the Warm Up session, Tagliani demonstrated that the team was ready to fight in today’s Lexmark Indy, by finishing the session fourth quickest with a time of 1:32.798 (108.429 mph/174.499 km/h).

After starting from the 11th spot on the Bridgestone Red Potenza tires, Tagliani gained two positions on the first lap. On Lap 8 he moved up to the eighth position before making his first pit stop of the day under yellow on Lap 10. An excellent stop by the #8 Rocketsports pit crew put Tagliani back out in the ninth spot, with three cars that did not pit. On Lap 23, those cars pitted, moving the French-Canadian into the sixth position. Making a nice move around Graham Rahal on Lap 23 put Tagliani in the top five. He made his second stop of the day on Lap 31 for fuel and a set of the Bridgestone Black Potenza tires. Another good stop kept Tagliani on the hunt and by Lap 42 he was back in the fifth spot. The highest position that Tagliani sat in the field was fourth, when he entered the pits for his final stop of the day on Lap 45. A complete fuel fill up and a fresh set of the softer compound Bridgestone Reds would carry Tagliani to the end of the 1 hour, 45 minute timed race. Pushing as hard as he could, he would complete all 61 race laps in the 17th running of the Lexmark Indy 300 and finish 7th overall.

In eight starts, this marks the sixth top-ten finish for Tagliani in Australia. Rocketsports Racing has rounded out the top ten six times out of eight starts in five years of competition at Surfers Paradise. Tagliani remains in the top ten of the Champ Car championship standings, tenth overall with 197 points.

The Rocketsports team will pack up and head back to the United States tomorrow. They will then begin preparations for their final race of the season in hopes of ending on a good note. The 2007 Champ Car World Series season will wrap up in Mexico City, Mexico, November 9-11.

Quote
Alex Tagliani #8 PBS Equities/Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was a very good team effort. All weekend long we were working towards making a better car, and it was good in the race. We still lacked a little bit of overall grip in the slow corners, that is why were behind a little bit in terms of our competitors. But in general we had a good race. A couple of guys in front of us did an alternate strategy and got very lucky finishing on fumes, but if that hadn’t have happened then we could have definitely finished in the top five. Considering all the events that happened this weekend, I think it was a very good effort from everyone in the Rocketsports Racing team.”

Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing Team Owner
“The team did a good job this weekend, as it was not an easy one for them. We had a top five car, it was just unfortunate that we missed those two spots to cars that were on a different strategy; but that is how racing goes. We are just happy to have a good, clean race. Alex (Tagliani) drove a very good race. He made some nice passes and rebounded well from a rough start. It may not have been the results that we were hoping for, but it is a solid top ten finish that we will take. We have one more race this season; hopefully we can finish the season off on a good note in Mexico City and finish in the top ten of the Champ Car championship with Alex.”

Date 2007-09-02

Rocketsports Team Just Did Not Get the Breaks They Needed in Assen Race

The Rocketsports Racing team and Alex Tagliani just could not get the breaks they needed to salvage a better finish in the inaugural Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland in front of a huge Dutch crowd in Assen, The Netherlands.

After starting 12th on the grid, Tagliani dropped back to the 16th spot after a first-lap incident that he got in the middle of. There was some damage to the car, so the team took advantage of the yellow to come in for their first pit stop of the day for fuel and to check out the #8 Rocketsports Champ Car. Everything appeared to be fine, so the French-Canadian was back on track when the 17-car Champ Car field took the restart on Lap 4. For the next 11 laps, Tagliani was working his way from the 16th spot up to 14 before making his second stop of the day.

Just as the first yellow threw off the team's strategy in terms of pit stops, this yellow also hurt them. The team was trying to find a way to help Tagliani gain some track position and/or open track so that he could run quicker lap times, so they were going off sequence with the majority of the field. However, on Lap 14 when they were planning to pit Tagliani, a yellow flag came out and closed the pits. Once the pits were open on Lap 15, he lost the advantage as most of the cars ducked into the pits, which did not allow him to leapfrog anyone by going off strategy.

Tagliani was sitting P13 when he came in for his third stop of the day on Lap 31. However the rear of the #8 Rocketsports car was a little too far away from the wall in the pit box, which resulted in a fuel load issue. The #8 Rocketsports crew was unable to get enough fuel in the car, so they had to send Tagliani back into the pits on the following lap to finish filling the tank. That put him back into the 16th spot. He would obtain one more position before making another pit stop on Lap 47, but dropped back to the 16th spot after his stop.

On Lap 65 Tagliani grabbed a position overtaking the 15th spot, and had to make one more stop for enough fuel to finish the race since the team did not get the break they needed - this time they were hoping for a yellow so that they could conserve more fuel. The checkered flag dropped on Lap 69, and Tagliani was able to bring the #8 Rocketsports car home in one piece after hanging on to an unsettling car.

Tagliani earned six championship points this afternoon, so his Assen weekend was not a complete loss. He has a total of 180 points and sits tenth overall in the standings.

The team will head back to East Lansing, Michigan and enjoy a few weeks off from racing. However, they will not be on vacation, but rather preparing and packing for Round 13 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series, which will take place in the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia. The well-enjoyed Surfers Paradise Champ Car event will take place October 19-21.

Quotes

Alex Tagliani #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone

"At the start, we got into the corner and there were a lot of people in and out. People were trying really hard and Paul (Tracy) was very aggressive. He spun, Bruno (Junqueira) spun, and I was in the middle of it. From that I hit Bruno in the hairpin and we damaged the front of the car. From that point on the #8 Rocketsports car was not very good. It felt crooked and it was just a tough day for us."

Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Team Owner

"We tried to get a strategy that would put us back to the front, but every time we did it, a yellow came out and ruined it just before we stopped in the pits. So we weren't able to put Alex in a position where he could have made up some ground or run in free air to make some better lap times. After that, we had to save fuel to stay on the right strategy. Just nothing worked out for us between the damage making the car slow and the yellows coming out right as we were pitting. It was a day full of really bad breaks for Alex and the Rocketsports team."

-credit: rocketsportsracing.com

ROCKETSPORTS’ DECISION TO STOP EARLY COST TAGLIANI A TOP FIVE FINISH IN ZOLDER

ZOLDER, Belgium (August 26, 2007) – Rocketsports Racing went into the Zolder race with the knowledge that it was going to be all about the strategy, however, taking a gamble early on would cost Alex Tagliani a top five finish when he had the car to do it today at Circuit Zolder in Belgium.

After starting sixth on the grid, Tagliani lost one spot on the standing start as it was a tight squeeze as the 17-car field headed into Turn 1. However, he was able to get it back three laps later by making a nice move around Paul Tracy. On Lap 17, he made his first pit stop of the day during the first caution period of the day. With excellent work by the #8 Rocketsports crew, Tagliani grabbed one more position in the pits and made his way into the top five. He ran solidly there until Lap 26, when a yellow flag came out. As the team went back and forth on the decision whether to pit him or not, a quick call forced him in on Lap 27. But that call ended up costing him a top five, if not a podium finish, this afternoon in the inaugural Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix.

Since the leaders did not pit, Tagliani was then put off-sequence, and the gamble of doing so just did not pay off in the end. He dropped all the way down to the 13th spot on Lap 28. The Belgian crowd was able to see the French-Canadian run up front for a short time, during Laps 42-44, as he sat P2. But that would end when he came in for a stop on Lap 45. Another yellow flag halted the race during Laps 49-51, which saw Tagliani make his final stop of the day for fuel only.

After having a car that made him confident and quick, he was only able to salvage a ninth-place finish due to the gamble on race strategy. Despite the disappointment of this weekend’s result, the Rocketsports team gears up for the next road race in Assen, Holland. They know that they had a quick car here, and hope that momentum will carry over to the next event.

This is Tagliani’s ninth top-ten finish of the season. Tagliani earned 13 championship points for finishing Round 11 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series in the ninth spot. That gives him a total of 174 points, as he moves up one spot in the Champ Car standings from ninth to eighth. He is 22 points out of returning to the top five, where he sat for most of the first-half of the season.

The Rocketsports team will drive up to Assen, Holland tomorrow and begin preparations for the next Champ Car race on September 2. The Bavaria Beer Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland is Round 12 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, and the TT Circuit Assen will be yet another new European venue for the team and series. On-track activities will kick off on Friday, August 30. Final qualifying will take place on Saturday, September 1. For more information, check out www.rocketsportsracing.com or www.champcar.ws.

Quotes:
Alex Tagliani #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“The Rocketsports team did a really good job all weekend. We had a good car, but it was a really weird call at the beginning of the race to come in when we were already in the top five. From that point on, we never got our position back. The strategy was wrong and this is a track with a small amount of straight-away, so it makes it very difficult to pass. We got stuck behind and we never could make it back to the front. It was very unfortunate that we chose this strategy considering that we had a car that could have finished on the podium today. It is a little bit sad, but we just have to think about next weekend. Hopefully we will have as good of a car and we can finish on the podium at the next one.”

Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports Racing Team Owner
“Through indecision we made a bad decision in the pit box. The radio transmissions that we overheard lead us to believe the guys in front of us were going to stop for fuel only. Based on that, and the fact that we had low tire pressures and we needed to adjust the car, we stopped and that ended up to be the wrong thing to do. We could not go back and from that point on, nothing that could have assisted us to gain track position worked out. So we got caught for a long time behind Paul Tracy and that cost us a nine second gap and we could never make that up. We ended up taking a top five car and made it a ninth-place car.”

TAGLIANI FIFTH AT ROAD AMERICA

ELKHART LAKE, WI (August 12, 2007) – RSPORTS finish fifth and eighth in today’s Champ Car Generac Grand Prix at Road America keeping hopes alive of a solid finish this season in the Champ Car championship standings.

After the morning warm-up session, things were looking pretty good for Alex Tagliani, who recorded the top time of the session. Starting in the sixth spot on the Road America grid this afternoon, Tagliani moved into the top five by Lap 7, which is where he eventually finished. It was just one of those races; there was only one yellow flag at the beginning of the race which lasted from Laps 1 to 3, the rest was flat out racing. Those kinds of races take a toll on any team’s strategy, and that was the case for Tagliani and the #8 RSPORTS crew today. He drove a great race but was only able to bring the #8 RSPORTS Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone home in the fifth spot.

This is Tagliani’s fourth top-five finish this season, after ten races, and it also marks his eighth top ten result. The French-Canadian earned 21 points, giving him a total of 161 and he holds on to the ninth spot in the championship standings, only nine points out of returning to the top five.

Wilson had his struggles all weekend, but was hoping for a clean slate at the start of the race. Wilson started tenth, but jumped back and forth between positions 12, 10, 11, 10, 11, 10, 12 respectively before he came in for his first pit stop of the day on Lap 8. It was a normal stop for new tires and fuel, but Wilson had radioed to his team that he was concerned there might be something broken on the front right corner of the #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone. His concern ended up to be a reality, as the front backing plate, which attaches the front brake duct to the suspension, broke. His crew was able to repair the piece and get him back on his way. From that point on, it was just a matter of finishing out the race and getting some points.

The Englishman grabbed 15 championship points this afternoon and closed the gap between third and fourth, as he now trails by only seven points. With a total of 190 points, Wilson remains fourth in the championship standings.

The team will have two weeks to pack up and prepare for their return to the European market for Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The first stop will be in Zolder, Belgium, August 24-26, immediately followed by a trip north to Assen, Holland, August 31 – September 2.

Quotes
Alex Tagliani #8 RSPORTS Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was a good team effort today. I had good pit stops and we did all that we could out there. I think that we had the car that probably could have been in the top three, but some guys went out of sequence early and with the way the race went, it gave them the advantage. That is just part of the game; you never can tell when it will be a good thing to do that, or a bad thing. We realize now, with a top five again, that the last two races were definitely painful to digest because they just took us out of the top three in the championship. So we just have to keep working hard and I am pretty sure that we can get back in the top five of the championship standings before the end of the season, which is our goal.

Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“I really would have liked to have done better for CDW and all our partners. We had a piece of body work come loose in the race, which did not help us at all. The #9 CDW crew pushed through it and we were able to continue on. My crew gave me some good stops and we had a reasonable race strategy, but that was not enough to have a better result this afternoon. We will take what points we were able to collect and go on to Europe.”

Paul Gentilozzi, RSPORTS team co-owner
“We had a pretty good race car today. Alex drove the #8 RSPORTS car very well and had good, consistent laps. We think we may have missed a little bit of an opportunity in the strategy, but it could have gone either way for us had we gotten a late yellow. We are proud of the #8 RSPORTS guys, they had four great pit stops today. And we are proud of Alex, he drove an excellent race. Overall, a good weekend for us and we will carry that in to Europe.”

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner
“It was a rough weekend for the #9 CDW team. We did everything we could to move Justin up, but we just didn’t get the yellows that we would have needed. However, I think that we got the most out of the #9 CDW car that we could today and we were able to move up a few positions this afternoon. A few of the guys ahead of us in the championship standings lost some points to us, so that is pretty good because we were able to close the gap a little more. So I do not think that we are not in bad shape as we prepare for the

SWEET DREAMS OF A DOUBLE TOP-THREE EFFORT IN SAN JOSE FOR RSPORTS TURN OUT TO BE NIGHTMARES
Polesitter Wilson finishes 13th, Tagliani 15th

Notes
SAN JOSE, California (July 29, 2007) – As the spirits were high in the RSPORTS pits at the start of the race, those were dampened quickly as the pole sitter and then current race leader Justin Wilson was hit from behind sending him into the pits for a lengthy repair. Teammate Alex Tagliani was on track for a top three finish, he was running strong until a problem in the pits, followed by a mechanical failure, ended his day. RSPORTS finished 13th and 15th with their respective issues.

The 30-minute warm up session finished with both RSPORTS teammates in the top five. Wilson topped the charts with a time of 49.716 (104.490 mph), while Tagliani rounded out the top five with the fifth quickest time of 49.993 (103.911 mph). The team and drivers were feeling pretty confident with their racecars and ready for a race that was anticipated to see both drivers finish on the podium.

After the sixth standing start in Champ Car history took the green flag without a glitch, Sebastien Bourdais beat pole sitter Wilson into Turn 1, but Wilson took the lead from him in Turn 2. For the next three laps, Wilson paced the field, which was under caution after a first-lap melee brought out the yellow flag on Lap 2. Just as the field was preparing for a restart on Lap 5, Wilson was leading the field to the green flag up until he entered Turn 6. That is when his day went downhill, as he was hit from behind by the second-place runner, Dan Clarke. The Englishman entered the pit lane very slowly, with apparent suspension damage. Once the #9 CDW crew was able to take a look at the car, they witnessed a broken drive shaft and toe link. The crew went hard to work to repair the damages, sending Wilson back out 20 laps down. The team radioed to him to see how the #9 CDW car was feeling, and he said it was good. That it was, on Lap 28 Wilson recorded the fastest lap of the race up to that point with a time of 50.779. He would continue to lower the quickest lap of the race and on Lap 35 he recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 49.584.

Demonstrating he had a winning car this afternoon by setting a new Champ Car record for the fastest race lap on the streets of San Jose, Wilson stayed patient and brought the #9 CDW car home to salvage a 13th place finish. He earned one point for posting the fastest race lap, along with 10 points for finishing the race. He remains fourth in the championship standings with a total of 175 points, 17 points out of third.

Tagliani’s day was just as disappointing. After starting seventh on the San Jose Grand Prix grid, he made his way up into the top five by Lap 4. On Lap 30, Tagliani made a nice move at the exit of Turn 1 to get past Graham Rahal to pick up the fourth position. As the first round of pit stops began, Tagliani picked up the lead on Lap 41 before making his first stop of the day on Lap 42. Then the problems began. During the pit stop, the engine stopped running, costing the team valuable time in the pits and a few positions. Once he got going again, he was sitting tenth. He gained one spot on track before falling to the 12th spot after he made a small mistake. But there was no mistake that he was still in the running to have a solid race, as he was doing an excellent job conserving fuel, therefore being able to run longer then most of the 17-car field this afternoon. Then on Lap 85 he was ordered back into the pits because he was experience shifting problems.

Ultimately, the #8 RSPORTS car had a valve block failure in the semi-automatic shifter system. The valve block controls the actuation of the up and down shift system and the throttle blipper. The valve block began to leak, therefore the compressor turned on to try and replenish the system pressure. When it could not do that any longer, the compressor failed. The #8 RSPORTS crew changed the valve block, but just could not get back out on time.

Tagliani earned his second DNF (Did Not Finish) in nine race this season, finishing 15th overall. He drops down from sixth to ninth in the championship standings with a total of 140 points, but is only 16 points out of being back in the top five.

The RSPORTS team will have a week off, before the next round of Champ Car racing action returns to road course racing at the famed Road America course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 10-12.

Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“The #9 CDW car has been fantastic all weekend. It was awesome in the race. When we were coming around for the restart, I hadn’t even gotten to the exit of Turn 6 and I got rammed from behind. I do not know what Dan (Clarke) was thinking, he must not have been paying attention and just came flying into the back of me. The #9 CDW crew did a really good job trying to change the drive shaft after it broke from the contact with Clarke. That is not something that is easy to change because they have to take every thing else off the rear corner to get to it. So, then I was just sitting there in disbelief and waiting until it was time to go again. After that, when I was able to get back out there, I was just trying to stay out of people’s way and hoping that enough people would drop out of the race so that I could get as high of a finish that I could possible salvage. What was important for us was to pick up every point that we could. We got a point for the fastest race lap, along with the points for finishing 13th, so it was not a complete waste. We would have finished 17th if the guys did not work has hard as they could to get me back out there in the race, so that shows just how important it was for us today because we earned a few extra points and made the most out of it.”

Alex Tagliani #8 RSPORTS Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“I am a little bit disappointed because we had a great car. We were doing extremely well on fuel mileage and the #8 RSPORTS car was very competitive, very quick today. We got into the lead when Servia and Jani pitted and we were on our way to a solid podium finish. When I came into the pits for our first stop, the engine died when I got into my box. We lost fuel pressure and then it took a while to get the engine to start. When we were able to get back on track, I got in the middle of the pack of guys that were out of sequence with warm tires and light fuel loads. I was trying to save fuel and keep doing my race, and that is when I made a little mistake going into Turn 6, but I got back out on the track and continued. After that, one more problem came, which was the down shifting problem. I got stuck in a gear, and I was unable to up shift or down shift, so I came into the pits and we tried to get it repaired. My #8 RSPORTS crew worked hard, but we were not able to get back out there in enough time. It is very frustrating for us, I think that it was our race today, but we just let it slip between our fingers.”

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner
“It was a terrible day for Justin. He had a quick car all weekend, and made a great start from pole this afternoon. He was leading the pack around for the restart on Lap 4, when he was hit from behind by Dan Clarke. There was nothing that he did wrong, it was just one of those instances. It ruined our shot today of finishing on the podium with a win, or at least a top three result, and that is such a shame for CDW, all of our other partners, and our team. We are so close, but I guess it just wasn’t our time today. We will head to Road America with our heads held high, and hope for another great race car and better luck.”

Paul Gentilozzi, RSPORTS team co-owner
“It was a tough day for Alex today. We knew that we had a car that could have been on the podium, we faltered a bit in the pits on our own accord. At the end of the day, we just weren’t able to get it done. It was unfortunate that we had a failure on Alex’s car because we thought we had recovered quite well from the problems that we had earlier. But ultimately, the failure ended our day. So we will pack up, go back home to East Lansing, figure out what happened, and then head to Road America and hope for a better result.”

WILSON PUTS THE CDW/RSPORTS CAR ON POLE IN SAN JOSE FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
Tagliani ready to start seventh with a strong car

Notes
SAN JOSE, California (July 28, 2007) – RSPORTS headed out for the final round of qualifying soaking up sun and good lap times this afternoon on the streets of San Jose, California as Justin Wilson secured his second pole position of the season and Alex Tagliani earned yet another top-ten grid spot for tomorrow’s race.

The RSPORTS duo struggled this morning during practice, despite posting quick lap times on their first laps of the session. Holding the top spots earlier on, making a few small changes and putting on new tires, did not reflect positive results in the end of the session, as the RSPORTS drivers where unable to record faster lap times. Wilson put forth his time on his 11th out of 42 laps, posting a 49.721 (104.479 mph), which rounded out the top five. Tagliani recorded a 49.818 on his tenth lap, improving by a small margin on his 32nd out of 35 laps completed to finish the session with a time of 49.803 (104.307 mph) in the eighth spot.

While Wilson and the #9 crew decided to go back on their setup changes made overnight, Tagliani and his #8 team just made some small changes to the car, as both sides geared up for the final round of qualifying.

What each side of the RSPORTS team did with their respective cars was right on-track, as Wilson and Tagliani had cars quick enough for the pole position today in San Jose. Wilson ultimately secured the pole, with his fastest time of 49.039 (105.932 mph) on his last lap. Tagliani was on a lap that would substantially improve his best time of 49.183 (105.622 mph), but he was held up and that would remain his fastest time during the final round of qualifying, putting him seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s San Jose Grand Prix at Redback Raceway.

Wilson was presented with the Pole Awarded flag immediately following the session by the millionth Champ Car fan to attend a race in 2007.

There will be a 30-minute warm up session tomorrow morning before the RSPORTS team grids their Champ Cars at 2:15 p.m. local time. Round 9 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series, the San Jose Grand Prix is scheduled to take the green light at 3:00 p.m. PT, marking the sixth standing start attempt this season. The race can be seen live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the RSPORTS team on the internet by logging onto www.champcar.ws and signing up for Race Director.

Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was a very difficult session this morning. We got lost and we were struggling. We had a pretty good lap time early on in the morning practice, but after that we went downhill pretty quickly. We literally went back to yesterday's starting setup and it seemed to work well again. We could then start moving forward this afternoon, and we got there quite quickly. We put the option Bridgestone tires on for both of our stints this afternoon in the final round of qualifying. They worked very well for us. The first stint was good, and the second run was going well, but there was somebody ahead of Will Power who just slowed up every lap for no apparent reason. Fortunately, he backed us up so much that I saved enough fuel to do one extra lap and that was the only clear lap I got in the whole seven laps in our second stint. That allowed us to get pole on the very, very last lap. The obvious advantage of being on the pole here in San Jose is hopefully being first to the first corner, and after that dictating the pace of the race. Then you can just get into a rhythm and start to pull away. Whereas, in the past last two years, I started the race in San Jose 9th and 12th. It had been a tough battle of just trying to leapfrog the cars in front either in the pit stops or on the racetrack because you're always trying to catch up. Now, we have the advantage of just being able to sit back and relax and see how the race unfolds. I am just happy that we could put the #9 CDW car on the pole today, and hopefully take it all the way for the win tomorrow for my team, CDW, and all our partners.”

Alex Tagliani #8 RSPORTS Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“I want to thank my #8 RSPORTS crew; they gave me a fantastic car this afternoon. We were on a pole lap today, but (Mario) Dominguez obstructed us on our quick lap at the end of the session today. We were on a 48.9 lap, and when he made a mistake in front of me and did not move out of the way he destroyed our lap. The lack of respect cost us the pole, but other then that I am very proud of what my team did to give me a good car. We went on Bridgestone Potenza blacks the whole time and we saved a set of reds for the start of the race. Tomorrow we have to start from where we are and just move our way to the front because we have the car to do it.”

ANOTHER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE DAY FOR RSPORTS IN EDMONTON RACE
Wilson earns third podium of the season; Tagliani finishes 14th

EDMONTON, AB, Canada (July 22, 2007) – RSPORTS continues its momentum of podium finishes with Justin Wilson in today’s Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton, while teammate Alex Tagliani earned his first DNF of the season when contact ended his day earlier than planned.

Wilson gave it his all today, and in addition to his outstanding run this afternoon, his #9 CDW/RSPORTS crew gave him great performances in the pits, which ultimately led to another podium finish this afternoon in Edmonton.

Starting third on the grid, Wilson admitted that he did not make the best of (standing) starts. As he got going, he had a bit of wheel spin. Despite losing one position on the start, he was able to get back that spot on Lap 3 by making a nice move around Neel Jani. He remained P3 until Lap 20 when he made his first pit stop of the day. Obtaining new tires and a full load of fuel, Wilson’s crew showed what they were made of by getting the CDW/RSPORTS driver out ahead of Sebastien Bourdais, who was running in the second spot. Wilson then moved up to P2, where he sat until Lap 48. Wilson stayed out a lap longer than leader Will Power before pitting on lap 50 and paced the 17-car field for one lap. But Bourdais managed to go two laps longer than Wilson, thus leapfrogging back up into the lead after the pit-stops. After his final pit stop on Lap 70, Wilson was running laps around the 1.973-mile temporary road course under the one-minute marker, but it still was not enough to hunt down race winner Bourdais.

Wilson earned his second podium finish in Edmonton with his second-place result this year. This is his third podium in 2007, and it is also notable that he scored back-to-back podiums after finishing third at the last race in Toronto. This also marks his fifth top-five finish in the last five races. After earning 27 points today and retaining the fourth spot in the standings, Wilson closed the gap in the championship and sits only nine points out of second.

After a morning warm-up session which saw Tagliani post his best time of the weekend and finish in the top three, he seemed to have the confidence he needed to have going into today’s event. He was ready and determined to get the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car going for a more positive finish then he has had in the past couple of races.

Starting ninth on the grid, the French-Canadian grabbed one position on Lap 5. He was sitting in P8 all the way up until his first pit stop of the day on Lap 20, which saw a terrific performance by the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program crew that moved Tagliani up two spots. Sitting P6 from Laps 21-47, things were looking pretty good for Tagliani. That was up until he ran out of fuel on his last lap before his second stop on Lap 48. Coasting down pitlane on empty, Tagliani lost valuable time, and on top of that, the car stalled once he reached the pit box. The #8 crew got him going again, but at that point, he went a lap down. Despite the disappointment of losing a lap, the RSPORTS team quickly strategized a way for him to get back on the lead lap. They hoped to go one more lap then the rest of the field on the next pit stop sequence and make up for lost time, but an on-track incident involving Robert Doornbos and Tagliani ultimately sent him in the pits to park. The #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car had experienced left front suspension damage, which was unrepairable in the given time frame left of the race.

Tagliani completed 69 of 96 laps this afternoon, earning a 14th place finish as a result to his DNF (Did Not Finish). This is the first race after seven events that the Montreal- Native did not take the checkered flag. As a result, Tagliani drops one spot in the Champ Car championship standings. With 134 points, he currently sits sixth overall.

With the two podium finishes, a fifth-place result in Mont-Tremblant, along with teammate Tagliani’s double eighth-place finishes in Mont-Tremblant and Toronto, the RSPORTS duo finished third in the Canadian Triple Crown standings with an average of 6.7. The RSPORTS drivers were awarded with trophies on today’s podium, created by renowned Inuit artist Ohito Ashoona representing Inuksuks which were a symbol of co-operation and team building as well as leadership, achievement and strength.

The RSPORTS team and the Champ Car World Series will return resume racing in the United States next weekend as they gear up for Round 9 of the 2007 season on the streets of San Jose, California, July 27-29.

Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was a long, tough race. It was great fun and we gave everything we had, but it wasn’t quite enough. The team did a fantastic job all weekend and I’m really pleased to get another podium here at Edmonton for CDW and all our partners.”

Alex Tagliani #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It all started to go down hill when we ran out of fuel, which put us a lap down. So I was just trying to push hard in the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car to get back some time. Our strategy was to stay out there when everyone else pitted so that we could get back our lap. But then I got held up behind (Robert) Doornbos. He was not as quick as me and he was not fighting for position with anyone. I thought that he could have just let me by, but unfortunately the contact between us was just a racing incident. It is a shame, we really did not have the luck or the performances that we needed to have up here in Canada. Hopefully our return to the United States next weekend will see things turn around for us.”

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS co-team owner
“I am very proud of the entire #9 CDW/RSPORTS team after all their hard work this weekend. They put in a great effort and in the end, deserved another top finish. Justin drove an excellent race today and the team did a flawless job in the pits. We have been so close to earning our first win of the season; it is a shame that we just keep coming up a little short. But at the same time, we are closing the gap in the championship, so if we can keep up this consistency, that first win will come and we can have a successful season overall.”

Paul Gentilozzi, RSPORTS co-team owner
“It was an unfortunate race for us. It was not the way that we wanted to finish our Canadian run for our sponsors Tide, Wal-Mart, and all the partners with the Victory Lap Charity Program. We came into the race with a good car, we made a strategic mistake and it cost us quite a few positions. It was a shame that we were not able to finish the race, we will go on to San Jose and hopefully improve.”

RSPORTS’ WILSON ALMOST PUT THE CDW CAR ON POLE IN EDMONTON WHILE TAGLIANI STRUGGLES

EDMONTON, AB, Canada (July 21, 2007) – Final qualifying for Sunday’s Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton took place this afternoon seeing Justin Wilson almost put the #9 CDW/RSPORTS Champ Car on the pole for the second time this season, while teammate Alex Tagliani struggles with a slower #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car today in Edmonton.

It was a bittersweet start for RSPORTS this morning, one that saw Tagliani only complete six laps due to an incident, while his stablemate Wilson completed 23 laps this morning finishing the session on top. Only 22 minutes into the session, Tagliani found himself in the tire barrier in Turn 12 after the car went lose on him. His car had to be towed back to the paddock as there was some damage done to the rear wing of the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car, along with rear suspension damage. Exactly at the same time as Tagliani spun, teammate Wilson found himself in a situation when Paul Tracy got on the brakes in front of him leaving him with no where to go but into him. He ruined a set of tires and damaged the nose cone on the #9 CDW car. However, the tires and nose cone where replaced and the Englishman was able to continue. And that he did, with vengeance, as he recorded the fastest time of the morning practice session with a 58.931 (120.527 mph).

Knowing that losing valuable track time in the morning hurt Tagliani, he was ready to get back out there and try again. The Canadian was hoping to improve his time of 59.483 (119.409 mph) posted during his second and only run yesterday during provisional qualifying, but he was one of four drives that were unable to do that this afternoon. His best lap during the final round of qualifying turned was a 59.549 (119.277 mph), putting him tenth overall today. With the combined results from both Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions, that time sets him ninth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Wilson topped the charts during most of the qualifying session this afternoon up until the final minute when it was taken away by Will Power, the eventual pole winner in Edmonton today. However, Wilson was on another flier that would have recorded a time to reclaim the top spot, when he was slowed up by another car on the track. Frustrated, he knew he could have had the #9 CDW car on the pole, Wilson’s time of 58.410 (121.617 mph) left him second overall this afternoon. However, with Sebastien Bourdais claiming the provisional pole, he was guaranteed a front row starting position, pushing Wilson back to the third spot on the Edmonton grid.

Now if history does repeat itself, Wilson may find his way back to the top of the podium. In his two previous starts, Wilson has started in the top three. Last season, he started in the third spot, grabbed the lead on Laps 54-60, then again from Laps 65-85 to take the checkered flag for the win.

There will be a 30-minute warm up session tomorrow morning before the RSPORTS team grids their Champ Cars at 12:15 p.m. local time. Round 8 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series, the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton is scheduled to take the green light at 1:00 p.m., marking the fifth standing start attempt this season. The race can be seen live on ESPN in the United States and on Global in Canada with coverage beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the RSPORTS team on the internet by logging onto www.champcar.ws and signing up for Race Director.


Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“The CDW car was feeling good. “I was on a quicker lap and I caught Will (Power) in the last corner and lost a couple of 10ths. That lap was going to be quicker, but that's how it goes sometimes. Thanks to everyone at the #9 CDW team – they’ve worked hard this weekend to give me a quick car. I’m very pleased with the way things are going and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Alex Tagliani #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“Today did not go as well as we were expecting or hoping for. I am not happy, we are going slower then we were yesterday. I do not know what exactly is going on, but we have a lot of work to do so that we hopefully can have a decent race tomorrow in the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car.”

RSPORTS DUO FINISHES IN TOP EIGHT FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE TIME IN CANADA

Tagliani eight for the second race in a row

TORONTO, Ontario Canada -- After finishing both RSPORTS cars in the top eight for the fourth time this season in Mont-Tremblant, the team does it again, making it a back-to-back top eight finishes for drivers Justin Wilson and Alex Tagliani today in Toronto.

Just as the checkered flag dropped to end the morning warm up session, the dark rain clouds moved in. A thunderstorm produced quite a bit of rain, throwing off all the hard work that the team has done in the dry weather leading up to this today's race on the streets of Toronto. So, everyone knew that it was going to be an interesting afternoon.

And that is exactly what it was. Making their fourth Champ Car standing start, the first on a street course venue, RSPORTS drivers Wilson and Tagliani started second and sixth, respectively.

Wilson dropped back to P3 after a hard charging Oriol Servia took the lead from the third spot on the grid. Wilson would stay there for the next 17 laps, challenging for the opportunity to pass Bourdais for the second spot. That chance came on his 19th orbit around the 1.755-mile track, but the Englishman spun after making contact with Bourdais in Turn 5. He was able to continue, but sat 12th overall. Knowing he had a fast car this weekend, he started to charge back to the front of the field. On Lap 26, Wilson moved back into the top ten by getting around Robert Doornbos. He then made his first pit stop of the day on Lap 34, which was a successful pit for tires and fuel. He continued to work his way through the 17-car field this afternoon, making his final pit stop of the day on Lap 41 out of the ninth spot. On Lap 62, Wilson would meet up again with Bourdais, this time getting around him to claim the fourth spot. On Lap 71 of 73 laps, the third place runner Ryan Dalziel went into the tire wall in Turn 8 while trying to protect a podium finish as Wilson made his move. That resulted in the #9 CDW/RSPORTS car moving into the top three. During the 1 hour and 45-minuted timed race, the time just ran out on Wilson, who was charging hard to claim the second spot on the podium. It was a nail biter to the finish line, as Wilson did all he could but would remain third overall to claim his second podium finish in 2007.

Wilson's third place result in today's Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto marked the fifth time out of seven attempts of finishing in the top five this season. He earned 25 points this afternoon, giving him a total of 138 markers as he sits fourth in the Champ Car championship standings.

After starting sixth on the grid, Tagliani was hoping to put on a good show for his Canadian fans behind the wheel of the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car. However, luck just wasn't on his side again in his native land. On the first lap, he was hit by Simon Pagenaud, which resulted in a flat right rear tire for Tagliani. By taking advantage of the seven caution periods in today's race, the French-Canadian was on a strategy that could have put him on the podium. Pushing hard to make up positions lost because he had to pit for new tires, he was holding his ground and staying patient. The Toronto fans had something to cheer about, as a Canadian driver took the lead on Lap 38. But pushing it a little too far, in terms of strategy, Tagliani would have to pay on course. The rain began to fall on Lap 36 and the track continued to get slippery, Tagliani loses the rear of his car in Turn 3 and stoped on course. As a result, Oriol Servia, who tried to avoid him as he came around the turn, pushed Tagliani into the tire barrier. That was really the end of the day for Tagliani, once he had gone two laps down. For the rest of the day the goal was to hang in there and just walk away with some points. That is exactly what he did, and was able to salvage an eighth place result today on home soil.

Tagliani continues to be the only driver to have finished every event this season in the top ten. He takes home 15 championship points and remains fifth in the standings with a total of 127.

With both drivers sitting top five in the Champ Car championship standings, together they sit second in the Champ Car Canadian Triple Crown Standings. Wilson and Tagliani, who with their third and eighth positions moved up from third to second place with an average finish of 6. The Champ Car Canadian Triple Crown is a team competition pitting teams against each other over the three Canadian events on the 2007 Champ Car schedule. The standings for the Triple Crown are based on the combined average finish for each team over the three races with the winning team receiving a traditional Canadian Inuit Carving along with a variety of Canadian themed rewards.

During a summer tour that has five Champ Car races in six weeks, the RSPORTS team will have a little time to relax before Round 8 in Edmonton, July 20-22, immediately followed by Round 9 in San Jose, July 27-29.

Quotes Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone

"It was an eventful race. I was racing Sebastien earlier on and when I tried to pass him going into five, he got a really bad run through four so I knew I had a chance. But, he went in deep and turned in as if I wasn't there in the #9 CDW car. So, I was disappointed that I got spun around. But, you know, I was fired up to come back, too. I enjoyed passing him later in the race and getting a position off of him. I caught Ryan Dalziel at the end going into turn eight, and he braked much later than he had been. However, I had already committed to the inside. I got alongside him as he took me into the concrete. I just started sliding towards the wall as he then attempted to drive back around the outside. We kind of met almost up against the wall. I think his front right hit my left rear, which, you know, in normal terms you would say that was my corner. But, I feel sorry for Ryan. Everyone at Pacific Coast has done a fantastic job. They were running well. From my point of view, I thought he could have maybe slowed up, let me slide out wide and passed me back into the next corner. All in all, it was great to get the #9 CDW car back on the podium, for CDW and all of our partners and the RSPORTS team."

Alex Tagliani #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone

"It was a tough race for us because we got a flat tire which was caused by contact from (Simon) Pagenaud in Turn 3 on the first lap. From that point on, we were behind in the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car, but we were doing good. With the yellows and the times we came into the pits for refueling, we had a pretty good shot at finishing on the podium. But we just missed the opportunity to come into the pits for wet tires when it was raining in the back straight away. Because of that, I spun out because it really was slippery out there. Then Oriol (Servia) ran into me when I was stopped on the track after I spun and he pushed me into the tires. I was stuck there and it took forever to get us out, which is when we lost the two laps. After that, we just wanted to finish the race and score some points. It is a shame; I was hoping to have a better result here in Toronto for Tide, Wal-Mart, the Victory Lap Charity Program and all of their partners, also for the great Canadian fans. So, we will try again in Edmonton and hopefully have some better luck."

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner

"It was a great race for Justin, he worked very, very hard. He had a little tangle in the beginning when he was trying to get to second place, which spun him out and put him towards the back of the pack. Then slowly he just worked his way through the field in the #9 CDW/RSPORTS car. He didn't catch any breaks; he did it all on his own by making great passes. He challenged hard to the end, and that resulted in podium finish today. It just goes to show what a great racer Justin is when he has a good car to run with, and he proved that once again today."

Paul Gentilozzi, RSPORTS team co-owner

"Justin had a fantastic race today to come back and finish third. It seems like bad luck follows Alex when we are in Canada. First getting his tire cut by Pagenaud, then sliding in the tires; we just did not do anything right this afternoon. We will take eighth, it could have been worse. We are still fifth in the championship standings, we lost some ground, but we will keep after it and hopefully have a better Canadian finish in Edmonton."

-credit: rsports

BOTH RSPORTS CARS FINISH IN TOP EIGHT FOR THE FOURTH TIME THIS SEASON IN MONT-TREMBLANT

MONT-TREMBLANT, QC., Canada (July 1st 2007) – The RSPORTS team placed both cars in the top eight for the fourth time this season as Justin Wilson finished the inaugural Champ Car Grand Prix of Mont-Tremblant fifth and teammate Alex Tagliani eighth.

There was a lot of action for this race on the 2.6-mile Circuit Mont-Tremblant. It was a race with a mix of weather conditions that constantly changed from sun to rain, similar to the final round of qualifying on Saturday. Fifteen laps in today’s 62-lap race were under yellow with six different caution periods. The drivers wereable to make it to Lap 44 before they came into the pits to change their Bridgestone Potenza slick tires for a wet set. The remaining 18 laps of the race were run with these tires.

After attempting the third-standing start in Champ Car history, today marked the first time that it was not a complete success. Three cars stalled on the grid, causing the 17-car field to take the green flag in a rolling start formation on Lap 3. One of those cars that stalled was the second place starter, Will Power, who was lined up directly in front of the fourth-position start of Wilson when they were set to take the green light. That caused some complications for Wilson, but he made the best of it and found himself P3 (Pole sitter Tristan Gommendy failed to start the race due to complications, but later joined the field).

On Lap 10, Wilson posted the fastest race lap, despite struggling to keep up with the top two. However, that did not stop the Brit, as he felt that the #9 CDW car was running well and just kept fighting. Wilson came in for his first pit stop of the day, telling his #9 CDW crew that he needed no changes to the car, so the pit stop was usual business – tires and fuel. On Lap 22, the weather began to turn for the worst as a light, misty rain began. On Lap 28, Wilson moved up to the second spot, and on Lap 31 he was charging hard for P1. When a yellow flag came out on Lap 36, he came in for his second stop of the day. On Lap 43, Wilson moved from fifth to second as he made his way around eventual race winner Robert Doornbos, Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud. On Lap 44 he came in for wet tires and his #9 CDW crew demonstrated their speed and talent by getting him out quick so he could gain one spot in the pits, which put him P1 on Lap 45. He paced the field for another two laps, but due to a lack of grip on the wet tires he ran off into the grass, losing the lead and five spots. Wilson did the best he could to salvage a top-five result, as he crossed the finish line fifth in Round 6 of the 2007 Champ Car World Series.

Tagliani who started eighth, had moved into the top six at the start. On Lap 16 he was charging hard and really closing in to capture a topfive running position. On Lap 20, the French-Canadian came in for his first-of-three pits stops in today’s race. On Lap 23, Taglianiradioed to his RSPORTS #8 crew saying that it was taking forever for his tire pressures to come up. When the rain stopped for a brief period of time on Lap 25, it had already caused a wet and slippery track. The next lap would see Tagliani pay for the change of track condition as he spun in Turn 5 and continued. He was running in the 7th position at the time, and fortunately only lost one spot. But on Lap 35 he had made his way into the top five, and pitted out of the fifth position on Lap 37. Towards the end of the race, around Lap 58, the Quebec-native was trying hard to earn a top-five finish, but pushed a little too hard under the wet conditions on Lap 61 going off course and falling from sixth to eighth, as teammate Wilson and Graham Rahal were able to get by. Despite some good passes and a good effort, Tagliani finished today’s event in front of his hometown crowd eighth overall.

Despite not earning the finish that he was hoping for, Tagliani continues to make history this season in the Champ Car World Series as the only driver to have finished every event in 2007 in the top ten. He earned 15 points in today’s event, giving him a total of 112 markers in the 2007 championship standings. However, he is one point behind teammate Wilson. Wilson earned 19 points this afternoon, giving him a grand total after six events of 113 and moves into the fourth spot in the championship standings, while Tagliani now sits fifth.

With three races in a row in Canada this season, Champ Car has introduced a new mini-competition. Officially dubbed the “Champ Car Canadian Triple Crown,” the team competition will pit teams against each other over the three successive Canadian races, beginning this week in Mont-Tremblant (July 1), continuing next week in Toronto (July 8) and concluding on July 22 in Edmonton. The standings for the Triple Crown are based on the combined average finish for each team.With the Canadian team competition opening appropriately enough on Canada Day today in Mont-Tremblant, RSPORTS teammates Wilson and Tagliani round out the top three on the Triple Crown leaderboard with an average of 6.5 after finishing fifth and eighth.

Next up for the RSPORTS team will be the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto, the second stop in the Canadian Triple Crown and the seventh race this season. The Toronto event will take place one week from today, Sunday, June 8th at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was an eventful race. I had to dodge Will Power during the standing start because he had stalled and that compromised my start quite dramatically and I had to let (Robert) Doornbos go by. I could see that Sebastien (Bourdais) got a rolling start, and I was hoping that the officials had seen that, but they missed that. So, from then on it was just driving to the conditions, and the conditions were very changeable. When it started raining we were on slicks, so I managed to get past everyone and get to the front with the #9 CDW car. And then soon as we put the wets on, we were slow – we had no balance. We were just hanging on until it dried out a little bit on the last few laps and then get quicker, but unfortunately it was too little too late.”

Alex Tagliani #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“It was an eventful weekend and race. Unfortunately, we did not finish as good as we wanted in the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car for the team and the sponsors. We need to go to Toronto to try to make it happen there.”

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner
“I thought that we had a good race. We got ourselves up to the front and we just had a little bad luck in the rain. We spun out and got behind too many cars, then had to work hard to get something back out of it. But that is the way it goes, sometimes the rain can do some really funny things to you. The #9 CDW/RSPORTS team did a really good job today and I am very pleased with their continued strong performance. We had great pit stops, and Justin did a really good job out there for us in the #9 CDW car. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our day.

I think that Alex and the #8 crew also did a good job this weekend; it was a tough couple of days with the weather’s constant changes.He did a great job representing Quebec as a driver, and for the RSPORTS team. It is a shame that he couldn’t have had a better result, knowing that this was a special race for him.”

Paul Gentilozzi, RSPORTS team co-owner regarding the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program
“It is hard to spend time in the grass and win the race, although we were lucky both times we went off in the #8 Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car and the #9 CDW car because we did not loose much. We just didn’t have anything for the guys up at the front, Idon’t know exactly what it was, but we weren’t fast enough. We will take two top-ten finishes and aim at doing better in Toronto.”

RSPORTS ROUND OUT THE TOP SIX IN CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 24, 2007) – Despite not qualifying higher up on the grid, RSPORTS drivers Justin Wilson and Alex Tagliani drove their Champ Cars to a fourth and sixth place finish, respectively, in today’s action-packed Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank.

18 laps in today’s 89-lap race were under yellow. There were four different caution periods, which ultimately helped some drivers more then others.

After starting eighth on the grid, Wilson had moved the #9 CDW car up into the top five by Lap 4. On Lap 28, the Brit came in for his first-of-three pitstops. By Lap 37, Wilson was back in the fifth spot where he ran consistently until moving up to third, which marks his highest position in today’s race, one lap before his second stop of the day on Lap 57. He came in for his final pit stop on Lap 70 and drove the #9 CDW machine home to a fourth-place finish.

Tagliani started today’s event in the ninth spot. By Lap 11 he moved into the top five and was looking good. However, troubles came in the pits for the French-Canadian. During his second pitstop of the day, a fueling issue was the cause for a loss of time and a possible podium finish. This problem also resulted in Tagliani having to make an extra stop. However, Tagliani was able to hold it together for RSPORTS on track and bring home a sixth-place result.

In his fourth run in Cleveland, Wilson earned his best finish on the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit. Wilson’s fourth-place result marks the third time in five events this season that he has finished in the top five. He earns 23 points, giving him a total of 92 markers in the championship where he remains fifth in the standings. Wilson trails his teammate by only five points. Tagliani earned his fifth consecutive top-ten finish this season when he crossed the line sixth. He maintains his fourth position in the championship standings after earning 19 points this afternoon, which gives him a tally of 97. Tagliani sits only eight points behind third place, and 20 points behind the leader, Sebastien Bourdais.

The fun has just begun for RSPORTS, as they continue their summer tour and head to Mont-Tremblant in just one week. The team heads to Montreal on Tuesday evening, to participate in a go-karting event hosted by driver Tagliani on Wednesday. The crew will then drive up to Mont-Tremblant that evening and get back to work at the race track on Thursday. The Grand Prix of Mont Tremblant will take place at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in St. Jovite, Quebec, Canada next weekend, June 29 – July 1.

Quotes
Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“Well a top five finish is not a bad result. This was just one of those races where the cars that pitted off-sequence were able to be on top at the end. So, we did the best that we could but it just wasn’t our luck. The #9 CDW car was good this afternoon and the crew did an excellent job for me in the pits. We just have to make sure that we can have more chances like this and try to be stronger in the next race. We are not quite quick enough yet, but we are close and I hope that in Mont-Tremblant we can put the #9 CDW car back on the podium.”

Alex Tagliani #8 RSPORTS Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone
“We worked really hard here in Cleveland; it was a tough weekend for the team. We were not very happy with our starting position, but the guys worked very hard last night and they gave us a car that was very decent in the race today. So I would like to thank them for their hard working effort this weekend. I think we really lost the chance to finish with a better result at the end of the race in the pits. We had a problem refueling and we did not get all the fuel in the car, so we had to do an extra stop. On top of that, we had to save fuel at the end of the race. So, it was unfortunate; everyone was disappointed about that because we probably would have had a podium finish. We were dicing with Paul (Tracy) at a certain point and I think that the #8 RSPORTS car was as quick as the Forsythe car. Basically, we just missed out on a fantastic opportunity. We just need to get back and work on our pitstops and refueling for Tremblant. Also, we will have to work on improving the car for qualifying and then we should be good. The points are getting very tight in the championship, so with this race we are happy that we are still fourth in the standings and we just have to keep moving forward.”

Dan Pettit, RSPORTS team co-owner
“I think that it was a good race, it is just that it wasn’t a leader’s race today. There was just too many yellows and those that went out of sequence (with pitstops), ended up in front. It was just one of those days, but that happens. I think that the team worked very hard this weekend and Justin drove a great race in the #9 CDW car, but being fast just wasn’t good enough today. Justin’s fifth place gave him some good points in the championship standings, which helps him stay fifth in the standings, so we will just continue to work hard and I believe that our time will come to be on top.”

Paul Gentilozzi. RSPORTS team co-owner
“Alex drove a great race today, but we let him down as a team. We had some problems in the pit stops, but we have identified them. We know that we can fix them and we know that we can do better in the next race. We will go to Mont-Tremblant with a new attitude and a new chance.”

RSPORTS QUALIFY BOTH CARS IN TOP TEN BUT NOT SATISFIED

CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 23, 2007) – After a promising start that saw both RSPORTS Champ Cars in the top six on Friday in Cleveland, the team was left scratching their heads this afternoon as Justin Wilson and Alex Tagliani qualified eighth and ninth respectively for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank.