Monterrey: PCM quick race notes

Pacific Coast Motorsports Race Notes from Fundidora Park

- The season-opening round of CART Toyota Atlantic Championship got underway early Sunday morning in hot and sunny conditions.

- After posting one of the fastest times in morning warm-up, Alex Figge was looking forward to the start of the Tecate Telmex Grand Prix.

- On the opening pace lap, Kyle Krisiloff went off course, forcing four additional pace laps to be run.

- When the green flag flew to start the race, Figge got a great jump moving up several positions. As the field entered the hairpin turn, Figge found himself boxed in, losing the majority of the positions he had gained at the start.

- At the conclusion of the opening lap, Figge was in seventh position.

- While pressuring Aaron Justus, Figge remained in seventh place for the first seven laps.

- Working lap eight, Figge inherited sixth position, as Joey Hand went wide in a corner allowing several cars to pass.

- As the race progressed, Figge maintained the position, while steadily posting faster laps.

- On lap 17, Figge encountered lap traffic, losing valuable time to fifth place.

- As Figge pushed to regain the lost time, he posted his fastest lap of the race, 1:25.240.

- At the checkered flag, Figge had finished in sixth position and posted the third fastest lap of the race.

- The sixth place finish is Figge's best career finish in the season-opener and significantly betters his 11th place finish last year in Monterrey.

- The next round of the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship is April 13, at Long Beach, Calif.

"This is a good way begin the season," said Figge. "I got a great start and was in position to move up the grid until we got to the hairpin, where I got boxed in. By the middle of the race I had a really fast car, unfortunately I lost some time in lapped traffic and never got the yellow I would have liked. I'm looking forward to building on this solid start at my hometown race, Long Beach."

-pcm-