 |
|
|
BACK TO NEWS | |
|
||||
|
||||
| August 31, 2002 – Jonathan Macri 5th at Denver Today, CART Toyota Atlantic fans savoured the first Atlantic race on the 1.65-mile temporary street course in Denver, Colorado. It would consequently be the last race of the 2002 season. With the Championship hinging on the race, Jon Fogarty (Dorricott Racing) and Michael Valiante (Lynx Racing) battled for the win. It would be Fogarty, however, who would cross the line in first place, way ahead of Valiante, who finished 12th after a spin in turn 5 on lap 33 sent Valiante to 13th place. As a result of his win, Fogarty vaulted past Valiante in the Championship Standings and took the crown. The race for the Championship, however, though highly-charged and riveting, was not the only drama that unfolded. Being the last race of the year, Atlantic drivers all ran hard to walk away with the best possible results. Jonathan Macri, piloting the #31 P-1 Racing – NTN Bearings/Miller Genuine Draft/Battlefield Equipment Rentals Swift 014.a, would need to lay down plenty of his own talent to finish respectably. And so he did. Having started 11th on the grid, Jonathan managed to move up a total of 6 places to finish 5th by the time the checkered flag waved. “I’m pretty happy with our results today. Realistically, we thought that a top-five finish would be possible, but probably not a podium position since we started in 11th – a little too far back. The car ran well today and it seemed to come to me as the race went on. A solid 5th place is a pretty good way to end the season. P-1 Racing really worked hard throughout the season to put together a competitive racing package and I wanted to thank them for that. My gratitude also goes out to all my fans and sponsors: NTN Bearings, Miller Genuine Draft and Battlefield Equipment Rentals, to name a few. The support has been great and the team has worked really well together throughout the year,” Jonathan said. Jon Fogarty won the race for Dorricott Racing on his way to clinching the Championship. Ryan Dalziel (Hylton Motorsports) and Alex Gurney, the second of the two Dorricott Racing drivers finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Scuadra Fortia’s Waldemar Coronas took 4th, followed by P-1 Racing’s Jonathan Macri in 5th. Clinching 5th place solidified Jonathan’s 7th-place standing in the Championship with 96 points. Following Fogarty and Valiante, who finished first and 2nd, respectively, in the Championship, Alex Gurney’s 131 points guaranteed 3rd place. Luis Diaz (Dorricott Racing) and Rocky Moran Jr. (Sigma Autosport) ended 4th and 5th with Ryan Hunter-Reay (Hylton Motorsports) in 6th. No doubt, the inaugural Atlantic race at Denver will be remembered as the final race that determined one of the most highly competitive CART Toyota Atlantic seasons to date. Race Report by Fedele Fortino |
|
|