Saturday, June 15, 2002 – Macri Captures 2nd at Portland
The CART Toyota Atlantic Championship continued its feverish open-wheel pace as it ran the last of a three-race June stint. A quick glance at the Championship Standings and one statistical fact can be effortlessly deduced. Competition is stiff. No one driver is racing away with the Championship. It was no surprise, then, to see Atlantic teams look to the inaugural race at Portland’s International Raceway in Portland, Oregon as an opportunity to get back into contention. For Jonathan Macri and P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings Miller Genuine Draft Swift 014.a, re-establishing its contender status was exactly the sentiment, although, Macri, no doubt, would also be racing to recapture that psychological edge that had been dulled somewhat after having walked away with no points at Laguna Seca just last week. Well, one week and 35 laps later on Portland’s 1.969-mile picturesque road course and Jonathan and P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings Miller Genuine Draft Swift 014.a are back in the hunt.
Qualifying third, behind Dorricott Racing rookies Luis Diaz and Jon Fogarty, and in front of Dorricott’s Alex Gurney, Macri would be matching metal with some formidable competition. At the green, unflinched by Dorricott’s dominance in the front, Macri let little time pass before imposing himself on Jon Fogarty, out breaking and then passing him into turn one. This would be Macri’s most decisive move as Diaz was simply too quick to catch today, the warm weather, as it were, favouring Diaz’s race set-up, according to Jonathan.
“It’s been an exceptional weekend,” Jonathan said. “My start made all the difference – it was a really good one. Running side by side with Jon, I nipped in front of him going into the first chicane. I tried to reel in Diaz; unfortunately, he was too quick, maintaining a 4-5 second lead throughout the race. I was hoping for a yellow, thinking I could get past him on a re-start, but none came. The entire race was run under green. So, I just tried to run a clean race and bring home some good points. I was under no pressure from Jon in third and thanks to lapped drivers, who quickly moved to the side, there were no hang-ups – all went smoothly. The car ran really well. P-1 Racing did an excellent job and the new engine lived up to our expectations. I would like to thank my major sponsors NTN Bearings and Miller Genuine Draft and all my minor sponsors for their support. Qualifying third, we were looking for a win. It wasn’t possible today so we’ll have to go after it in Chicago.”
Jonathan’s second-place finish puts him in a tie in 10th with Ryan Hunter-Reay (Hylton Motorsports) in the Championship Standings with 38 points apiece. As a result of his win today, Luis Diaz (Dorricott Racing) moved up to 5th place with 50 points. Jon Fogarty captured top spot from Michael Valiante after clinching 3rd for Dorricott. 4th and 5th went to Ryan Hunter-Reay and Rocky Moran Jr. (Sigma Sports).
Having run the 5th leg of the Championship, the third in just as many weeks, Atlantic teams and drivers will enjoy a well-deserved, albeit, short hiatus before moving to Chicago Motor Speedway June 30th for the 6th leg of the Championship.
Race Report by Fedele Fortino
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