Le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve comes alive this weekend as it hosts the Molson Indy Montreal. The final stop in Canada and penultimate race for CART Toyota Atlantic teams and drivers, the famed track will witness the continuation of a hard-fought battle for the 2002 Championship. The 22nd time that the Atlantic series has competed here since 1978, teams and drivers will be in high gear as the 2002 Championship winds down to the final two races.
Twenty-year-old Jonathan Macri will be anxious to put wheels to the pavement this weekend. Having salvaged a somewhat frustrating weekend at Road America by climbing to seventh position from a 14th start-grid position, the Gormley, Ontario native is looking to make a successful run in Montreal.
“We didn’t settle our set-up problems at Road America but ended off pretty well overall,” Jonathan said. “We’ll have to get it right, though, for Montreal. We ran there last year and the car was definitely competitive. The last lap mishap put us out. That was unfortunate because, no doubt, second place was ours. So we have good experience running Le Circuit and aside from running there in my rookie season last year, I also raced there in my two years in the Canadian Formula Ford Championship. I really like running in Montreal and am looking forward to the race. Our experience should carry us through to a good finish there. P-1 Racing has done a great job to this point. We’ve been lucky to have such great support from our sponsors: NTN Bearings, Miller Genuine Draft, Battlefield Equipment Rentals, Mopal Construction Ltd, Baldhead Systems Inc., Con Lawn Construction and Cobra Power Inc. A win would be a nice way to cap the year.”
Jonathan Macri currently stands 7th with 81 points in the Championship. Fellow Canadian Michael Valiante (Lynx Racing) leads the Championship with 135 points. However the Championship is far from being decided, with Valiante holding Dorricott Racing’s Jon Fogarty to a 15-point lead.
Friday, August 19 will see drivers practice at 11:45am, and then descend onto the permanent road course for Provisional Qualifying at 4:00pm. Saturday morning will see drivers take to the track at 9:00am for Official Qualifying. The 27-lap race goes Green at 3:30pm EST with LIVE COVERAGE ON SPEED CHANNEL.
For further information on Jonathan visit www.jonathanmacri.com or www.toyotaatlantic.com
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