Toronto: Quoteboard

Quote Board:

Buddy Rice #27 DSTP Motorsports/BG Products Swift 014.a
"The past few rounds have been pretty tough for us, especially after losing what should have been a podium finish in Chicago because of a battery failure. We've just had some unlucky setbacks that have taken us out of contention or put us in a bad starting position for every race. But, now, we're hoping to get this monkey off of our back starting with Toronto. It's taken us a few races to get back into the groove and now we just need to keep things moving forward every weekend. Toronto is one of my favorite tracks, it's such a great town, and everyone on this team is more than ready for a good result."

Alex Gurney #34 Dorricott Racing/Behr/Castrol Swift 014.a
'I'll be working very hard to get a good result in Toronto for Dorricott Racing. I loved racing there in 2000. The atmosphere is awesome and the fans love it. I've had a good feeling about this race for awhile and after a couple of rough weekends, I'll be going all out for a win. Fortunately, the championship is still wide open."

Waldemar Coronoa #88 Scuadra Fortia/Aviacsa/Standox/Maizoro Swift 014.a
"The car was so much better than in qualifying at Chicago. It is a great tribute to the team because we could pass a lot of cars. I was able to move by a lot of guys on restarts and in the corners. We have improved this car so much. I think I am getting familiar with the oval racing. The (fifth) finish is very good for the team. They worked hard to get the car good for the race. It was fun to race with the frontrunners today. I think we learned quite a bit this weekend and I'm anxious to go to Toronto next week. It's a very good performance for Scuadra Fortia. We had a very good test for the street conditions and we should be good for Toronto. At Long Beach, we had a fast car but we were hit on the first lap."

Eduardo Figueroa #86 Scuadra Fortia/Aviacsa/Standox/Maizoro Swift 014.a
"The Chicago race was a pretty hard race with the heat and the tight track. That track was much different than the Milwaukee track. I was trying to stay consistent on the groove and learn more about oval racing. This type of racing is so much different than the road racing. But I finished my second oval race and the team did a great job in preparing the cars this weekend. We have put together a good group of guys for this team. We started in January and didn't get the equipment until six weeks before the first race in Monterrey. So it's been an uphill battle to get everything ready. But Allen (Berg, team owner) and the crew have done an excellent job. Now we go back to the road courses and we have had a good test run too. I'm anxious for that."

Allen Berg Owner Scuadra Fortia
"The Chicago race was a great showing for our crew and Waldemar especially. He drove a sensational race and proved that he can race with the leaders in the Toyota Atlantic Championship. We just needed to give him a good car. Everyone on Scuadra Fortia is excited for Toronto now. I remember racing at Mosport and many other tracks in the area. Coming back to Canada always feels good and I hope we can be competitive again in the Molson Indy."

David Wieringa #3 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"My teammate, Rocky (Moran Jr.) had a good car in Toronto last year, so I think we will be able to find a good set-up. We had a good streetcar in Long Beach so I think we will be able to do well here in Toronto. The team is doing an excellent job and working real well together despite all the mechanical problems we have been experiencing. I am really looking forward to this race. The Canadian races are always great because the fans are really involved and the venues are fun to race at. I hope we will be able to work with the information we have to get a great car for this weekend and scores some more points for Sigma."

Alex Garcia #8 Transnet Racing/Dixien Swift 014.a
"We should have a good car for Toronto", said Garcia. "Of course we need to improve our qualifying position. However, we now have a good base and are reaching a level where we should begin qualifying among the faster cars." Garcia also indicated that he is happy to be returning to Canada. "I have raced successfully at Mosport, but never in Toronto. I understand that the city is beautiful, and of course the Canadian people are wonderful. They also know and enjoy motor racing and are very supportive of the sport. All of us at Transnet Racing are looking forward to competing there."

Jonathan Macri #31 P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings Miller Genuine Draft Battlefield Rentals Swift 014.a
"It's good to back to race in Toronto. I raced here in 1999 and 2000 in the Ford 1600 Championship and last year in the Atlantic, so I know the track well. It's bumpy and being a typical street course, you have to negotiate surface changes from asphalt to cement. The real challenge is handling the transition from asphalt to cement. Proper set-up will be absolutely integral if we want to challenge for a podium finish. Last year didn't go too well. I spread myself too thin trying to thank and acknowledge all the fans for their support spending quite a lot of time shaking hands and conversing. I simply lost focus. But this year, I'm committed to focusing on the race and driving hard for the win. Obviously, I will show my appreciation to my fans but only after I've completed my work on the track. It's great being part of P-1 Racing. We ran here last year so we have accumulated good mileage together at this track. Hopefully, the experience will translate come race day and I can win one for myself, P-1 Racing and for my major sponsors: NTN Bearings, Miller Genuine Draft and Battlefield Rentals as well as all my other sponsors."

Michael Valiante #19 Lynx Racing Swift 014.a
"It's both exciting and educational to be involved in such a tight championship battle in my first full year in the Atlantic series. I'm learning a lot about how to handle the pressure, and how to work together with the team to produce the best results we can at each race. We struggled for a couple of races with a car that just wouldn't handle and didn't respond to changes the way it should have. But we finally found something in the car that seems to make quite a difference, and we already had a good Toronto setup, so I think we'll be battling for the pole and the win this weekend. My goal is to get back into the points lead here at the first Canadian race of the season."

Grant Ryley #23 Lynx Racing/Northwest Speedwerx Cupertino Electric Swift 014.a
"It's been tough, because the thing that was keeping Michael's car from handling properly affected mine as well. I crashed in Portland trying to dodge another car that slowed suddenly, and had to race last year's backup car with this year's bodywork at Chicago. That wasn't a happy combination, but I'll be back in my primary car with the new setup here and my mission is to put the first half of this season behind me and get back to running with the big dogs up front. I really like the Toronto track and I feel at home here because it's fast, technical and it demands an equal amount of brains and bravery."

Rocky Moran Jr. #4 Sigma Autosport Swift 014.a
"I enjoy racing in Canada, the races are always great because the Canadians are big fans of the Toyota-Atlantic series, along with the CART series. Last year when I raced at Toronto, I had a really good car set-up. I think we will be able to do well here again from the information about the car that I attained. I am mostly anxious to get racing again this weekend to score more points for Sigma Autosport so we maintain our top five, or even higher, position in the battle for the championship."

-cart/atlantic-