Milwaukee: Round three quoteboard

The CART Toyota Atlantic Championship.
Round 3, Miller Lite 250
May 30-June 2, 2002, The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin

Quote Board:

Alex Figge #14 Worldspeed Motorsports Redline/Glycomax/Ironclad Swift 014.a
"We just finished the two-day series test at Milwaukee and had some solid results. We had a few motor issues, but ran fast when everything was resolved. This is my first Atlantic race on an oval, but I feel good about it. World Speed always has a good oval car and I'll definitely be leaning on them for some guidance."

Alex Gurney #34 Dorricott Racing/Behr/Castrol Swift 014.
"Milwaukee will be our first race knowing that Bob is no longer with us so we'll all be there with heavy hearts. We struggled a little at the recent Milwaukee test but we learned a lot and we should be all sorted come race time. We'll be doing everything we can for a top finish and to continue our fight for the championship."

Luis Diaz #33 Dorricott Racing/Telmex Swift 014.a
"The Milwaukee Mile is one of the most challenging tracks for me because it is a fast oval for this type of car. I can only imagine at the moment how much faster is through the corners in a CHAMP car. One of the most difficult factors is turn one. It's very bumpy in the middle of the corner and the car balance has to be precise. I'm confident about my potential for success in this race because in past years Dorricott Racing has been one of the more dominant teams at Milwaukee. It also doesn't hurt that I one of the best engineers in racing in Gerald Tyler."

Michael Valiante #19 Lynx Racing Swift 014.a
"Milwaukee is one of the historic, old-style fairground tracks on the CART circuit, and I'm really looking forward to my first race there. We tested there for two days in mid-May along with several of the other Atlantic teams and got a good feel for the kind of setup this new Swift Atlantic car need to be fast around a flat oval. The weather may be a big factor in the race because temperatures were quite cold during the test, so if it's much warmer during the race weekend everybody's data will go out the window and we'll all be scrambling to find the 'hot' setup."

Grant Ryley #23 Lynx Racing/Northwest Speedwerx/Cupertino Electric Swift 014.a
"I had the best race of my season here last year, qualifying on the pole and finishing second, and I'm hoping to improve on that. This is a the best kind of oval track because you can run two- or even three-abreast in the turns, there are several lines through the turn and if the car is set up right, you're flat all the way around. The setup here is a delicate balance between mechanical grip in the corners and running as trimmed-out as possible aerodynamically to give you top speed, and after that it's knowing how to work the traffic. It's been a long six weeks since Long Beach, and we're all really, really ready to go racing."

David Wieringa #3 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"We just tested at Milwaukee and had a pretty good one as we were one of the fastest cars there. I'm really looking forward to this race and I'm confident that we'll roll out a fast car and be competitive during the race. (Sigma Autosport Atlantics Director) Jim (Griffith) and the crew did a great job during the test and they will work hard for the race. It will be my first time to race on an oval in a Toyota-Atlantic car, so I'm really excited about that. It's going to be a great race."

Rocky Moran Jr. #4 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"We did our test there a couple weeks ago and did very well, which was really encouraging. This will be a unique race in that we will need a great set up for the tires and we'll need a good qualifying position as track position is so important here. Jim has give me a great car and we expect to do well at The Milwaukee Mile. It's a tough track, one where you can go flat out, but at the same time do it without overheating the tires."

Ryan Hunter-Reay #1 Hylton Motorsports/U.S. Print/Medlock Ames Winery Swift 014.a
"I am excited about the first oval of the season, particularly the Milwaukee Mile, it is a track with a lot of history and I have always wanted to race there. Hylton Motorsports got their first win at Milwaukee last year and I would like nothing more than to give them a repeat. We had a very good test there two weeks ago, but just because of our pace at the test, it doesn't mean we won't face a bunch of challenges when we return for the race. The weather will likely be different, track conditions will have changed with the Champ Cars there as well, and I am sure other teams will be well prepared. You can never underestimate the other Atlantic teams so we're going to have to fight for it for sure."

Roger Yasukawa #9 Hylton Motorsports/Autobacs/Ueno Clinic/Pacific Creative Swift 014.a
"I am certainly looking forward to the first oval with the Atlantic car. I had a successful test there a few weeks ago, so I think we have a head start on our setup and I don't think we should have any problems in that area. I am confident I will qualify well and as long as we have a clean race, I think between Ryan and I, we should be able to bring home some strong results."

Waldemar Coronas #88 Scuadra Fortia/Aviacsa/Standox/Maizoro Swift 014.a
"The oval track at Milwaukee was a completely different experience for me. When we tested there a couple of weeks ago, I had to learn a lot about driving on an oval and the basic setup of the car. I have raced on road courses my whole career so going to Milwaukee was much different. We ran two days in testing and Allen (Berg, co-owner) was pleased with our team's progress. I know I still have a lot to learn about ovals. But Milwaukee should be excited for me and Eduardo (Figueroa)."

Eduardo Figueroa #86 Scuadra Fortia/Aviacsa/Standox/Maizoro Swift 014.a
"The Milwaukee Mile really opened my eyes when we tested there. I had never been to an oval ever. Wow, then trying to test on the oval was different. I have only raced for a little over a year. So I'm learning on the road courses too. But getting on the oval like Milwaukee brings a whole new type of racing. I had a lot of fun testing there. The race should be something totally different than anything I've ever done before."

Alex Garcia #8 Transnet Racing/Dixien Swift 014.a
"Milwaukee is very exciting for me. I get to debut the team's new Swift 014 which we feel will be better all around. This will also be my first race with our new engineer, Brian Jones and new crew chief, Eduardo Aguilar, both of whom are great additions to our team. I am looking forward to working along side them and the rest of the guys at Milwaukee. We have made tremendous progress as a team and continue to do so every time we go to the track."

Jonathan Macri #31 P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings Miller Genuine Draft Swift 014.a
"Over the past few weeks our testing was very successful. We are still learning new things about the car as it's only our 2nd test in the car since the late delivery. We ran strong last year in Milwaukee and will be looking to change our bad luck around with a podium finish."

Ryan Dalziel #28 Michael Shank Racing Swift 014.a
"I'm absolutely over the moon about the new car. I wasn't going to get my hopes up too much because I didn't want the disappointment of it not being as quick as I expected, but I knew in the first ten minutes of driving the car that it was better. It's not a huge difference, but it's enough that we should be competitive with everyone else for the rest of the season and have the chance to get some wins under our belt."

Sepp Koster #5 Michael Shank Racing/Blue Bay Golf Resort/Utert/Respons Swift 014.a
"The new car feels very good to me--it definitely responds better to changes than the old one--so I'm excited to finally have it. For me, it's almost going to be like starting the second half of the season. And Michael Shank Racing has had a pretty good set-up for Milwaukee the past few years, so I'm cautiously optimistic that we can do well there."

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