Today, warm, sunny weather permeated Notre-Dame's Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec. Tens of thousands of racing fans watched with delight the 2001 running of the Cart-Toyota Atlantic, part of the Air Canada Grand Prix weekend, and the first of four stops scheduled for Canada for the 2001 season.
Montreal eyes were fixated on the speed and excitement provided by Atlantic drivers as they weaved in and out of turns and ran flat out on the straights of this permanent racecourse. Canada's own Jonathan Macri, from Gormley Ontario, was showered with much applause and fan support. He showed his appreciation by demonstrating his mature racing demeanor and competitive spirit putting in a sterling performance that saw him move his way up to third place from seventh on the starting grid. However, a slight misjudgment on the final lap denied Jonathan his first podium finish.
Jonathan managed to capture 6th position on the first lap after Hoover Orsi's gearbox gave way. Finding himself behind teammate Tony Ave in 5th and Martin Basso in 4th, Jonathan was content to allow Ave and Basso to race it out with each other for several laps until Jonathan decided to make a move on Ave nearing the latter part of the race. Macri's first pass didn't stick, but his second on Ave did. By this time, however, jousting between the two allowed Martin Basso the opportunity to build some space. But Macri would not have any of it and once past Ave, and with only six laps remaining, he pushed hard, setting the fourth fastest lap time, and finally vaulting past Basso in the 3rd-to-last lap of the race. With one lap remaining, however, Basso caught up to Macri, and both raced side by side into turns one and two. Unfortunately, Jonathan slid off track. His disappointment was obvious.
"Martin and I were trying to out-break each other into turns one and two," Jonathan said. I braked too late, my back end got away and I ended up sliding into the gravel trap. It's unfortunate because the team put in a great effort. The NTN car was running great, and we were definitely hoping for a podium position today. Overall though, we ran well. I got into a few good battles with Tony and Martin. Ending up in the gravel on the last lap is a tough one to handle. I wish we could have done more here in Montreal. I love the track and the fans."
Jonathan finished 11th in the race, thus gaining an additional two points and bringing his total to 27. As a result, Jonathan moves from 4th to 7th place in the overall standing and relinquishes his lead for Rookie of the Year to Michael Valiante with 28 points. David Rutlege leads the Championship with 64 points.
Joanthan's race was characterized by real grit, determination and racing savvy. Whether it was a slight error in judgment or some dirt sprinkled on the track or a bit of both, today, Jonathan met with a dash of hard luck. Well, until Jonathan's return in 2002, aurevoir Montreal. Merci beaucoup for bringing to the fore an excellent exhibition of open-wheel racing at your famed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
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