MONTERREY, Mexico – A.J. Allmendinger of Hollister, who won the
Barber Dodge Pro Series title last year, made a rookie mistake at
the start of his first Toyota Atlantic race Sunday, damaged the
front wing on his car and spent the day playing catch-up, finishing
eighth.
MONTERREY, Mexico – A.J. Allmendinger of Hollister, who won the Barber Dodge Pro Series title last year, made a rookie mistake at the start of his first Toyota Atlantic race Sunday, damaged the front wing on his car and spent the day playing catch-up, finishing eighth.
Michael Valiante of Vancouver, British Columbia, who was the series runner-up last year, took the lead on the sixth of 32 laps and held on to win the race by 0.448 seconds over fellow Canadian Jonathan Macri of Bromley, Ontario.
Petite Danica Patrick, a rookie driving for Team Rahal, also ran a steady race and posted what is believed to be the first podium by a female driver in the 30 years of Atlantic competition with a third place finish.
The Toyota Atlantic race was part of the Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix, the second stop of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. In the featured Champ Car race, Canadian Paul Tracy, who lives in Las Vegas, dominated for a two-second victory over Mexico City native Michel Jourdain Jr. Alex Tagliani, also a Canadian living in Las Vegas, was third.
Regarding the start of the race, Allmendinger, who started third, said, “I’m a rookie. I don’t know the guys I’m racing around. It was my mistake. I didn’t expect Luis (Diaz, the pole sitter) to brake as soon and as quickly as he did. At that point, I was just checking my mirrors for Joey (Hand). I didn’t want to run him off the track and Luis was already hard on the brakes.
“It ruined the race for both Luis (who eventually wound up with a flat tire and finished 10th) and myself. It was totally my mistake. Team RuSPORT had a great weekend and we’ll take what we learned here and move on to Long Beach where I think we’ve got a great shot.”
In both qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday, Allmendinger had the fastest time each day until the final moments when the pole was snatched away from him. The talented young driver clearly demonstrated he will be a force with which to be reckoned in the championship chase.
The Champ Cars and Toyota Atlantic will both be competing in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 11-13. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will open its season with the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford June 13-15.
-David Coffin is a long-time motorsports writer based in Monterey.
