Saturday, June 15, 2002
Da Matta shows rivals ad for Newman's new flick
By LANDON HALL
AP Sports Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. — Newman-Haas drivers Cristiano da Matta and Christian Fittipaldi gave their CART rivals a good look at their new tail wing logos, which carry the name of their boss' new flick.
Paul Newman, who co-owns the team with Carl Haas, co-stars with Tom Hanks in the gangster movie “The Road to Perdition,” which is scheduled to open nationwide on July 12.
Da Matta won the provisional pole for Sunday's G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway, and Fittipaldi had the third-fastest lap.
Fittipaldi said he visited the set of the film and was “amazed” at how different the gentlemanly Newman was.
“I know Paul as a friend and competitive racer, so to see him in his other element was something I will never forget,” Fittipaldi said.
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STRONG ATTITUDE: Tony Kanaan is last among the 20 CART drivers with two points, but that hasn't diminished his enthusiasm.
“It's just a matter of time,” said Kanaan, who had the 15th-fastest lap during Friday's provisional qualifying. “I think we've been running pretty strong, and we haven't had a break yet. I hope we can do well here this weekend and turn the situation around.”
He took 12th at Laguna Seca last weekend, and even that wasn't easy. He spun out with two laps to go and had to get back onto the track to cross the finish line.
Still, it was the first time he completed a race all season. He had mechanical failures his first four CART races. Then in the Indy 500, he slid on a trail of oil after Bruno Junqueira's engine blew up, sending Kanaan into the wall.
“It's hard to not put yourself down, but if you do that, you're only doing damage to yourself and your team,” Kanaan said.
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TOYOTA POWER: Toyota is intent on making its final season in CART a memorable one. The engine-maker had the top four finishers at Laguna, a first for Toyota. And on Friday, seven of the top eight drivers in provisional qualifying were powered by Toyota.
Toyota and Honda are switching to the Indy Racing League next year, but the engine war will run through the end of the CART season.
Provisional pole-sitter Cristiano da Matta, who has had a long relationship with Toyota, will stay in CART, but he's sad to see Toyota go.
“For me it's a sensitive situation,” he said.
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SPARKPLUGS: Team Kool Green owner Barry Green went straight from Laguna to Indianapolis to prepare for Monday's appeal of the Indy 500 finish. IRL president Tony George will decide whether to uphold the victory by Helio Castroneves, who was passed by Green driver Paul Tracy during a yellow caution flag. ... Michael Andretti, who started last for the first time in Monterey and moved up to 11th, had only the 16th-fastest lap on Friday. ... Sunday's race will be televised live on CBS, while the IRL race in Fountain, Colo., will be on ABC. It will be the first time this season the rival series will be on TV at the same time. ... Oriol Servia hung around the track wearing a shirt that read “Unsponsored.” Servia, who competed for PWR Championship Racing earlier this season and is now looking for a ride, was given the shirt by another driver. ... Lola Cars International announced that its chief designer, Ben Bowlby, is resigning after 12 years.
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Da Matta shows rivals ad for Newman's new flick
