TROIS RIVIERES, Quebec (August 2, 2003) Rolling off the grid in 8th for tomorrow’s race doesn’t deter Jonathan Macri or his hopes for his Trois-Rivieres outcome. After all, Macri has started out of the top three on the grid before and still finished on podium. He also knows that he would have been in the top five starters for this race had his time in provisional qualifying not been discounted.
After Macri made hard contact with the outside wall coming into the front straightaway on Friday, his car was heavily damaged on the nose and right side, causing Macri and his team to go to the backup car for the second qualifier. Luckily Macri only sustained some minor bruising. “This weekend has been hard on everyone as we are trying to recover from Friday’s mishap. We are all working hard though to get ready for Sunday”, Macri stated.
Fans of Macri know that even when he has less than perfect days on the track, he never gives up his fight for the victory. Many feel his perseverance is one of his most valuable assets. Team that with his skill for the sport and ending up on podium so many times this season isn’t really a surprise to anyone. “Of course I am disappointed with the way things have gone this weekend. We had a really good car going into the Friday provisional, yet even though we are starting from the back, it just makes me work more to get to the front”, Macri said. “I will still push hard to take the lead, it just makes winning that much more difficult.” Macri’s best lap time in the second qualifier was 1:00.390 compared to his best lap time in the provisional qualifier, before his accident, at 59.857 seconds.
Sunday’s schedule at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres calls for a 15-minute warm-up session beginning at 8:45 a.m. EST, and will be followed by Round 8 of the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship at 1:00 p.m. EST. SPEED Channel will carry live coverage of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres at 1:00 p.m. EST, and live timing & scoring information is also available for every session on the official web site of the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship, www.toyotaatlantic.com. |
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