CART, INDYLIGHTS, TRANS-AM: Team Rahal Scoop - Trois Rivieres
31 July 1998
THE SCOOPNews You Can Use From Team Rahal
Volume 4, Number 12.5
Trois Rivieres
Flight School
Team Rahal Indy Lights driver Mike Borkowski inadvertently earned his
wings
during last weekend's Detroit News 100 at Michigan Speedway. The
second-year series driver, without any previous flight experience, took
the
ride of his life when his Textron Automotive Lola went airborne following
contact with fellow driver Airton Dare three laps from the finish of the
season's first superspeedway race. His car took off and was perpendicular
to the track with its undertray exposed and nose in the air before
touching
down on its gearbox and rear wing and returning to earth right-side up.
"It
was pretty non-violent really," Borkowski remarked after a requisite visit
to the CART medical facility.. "It was like taking off in a hang glider.
I
just crossed my arms, got a good look at the sky and waited to land. It
was
really pretty soft, though it probably didn't look that way." After
viewing
a replay of the crash, Borkowski joked, "If that doesn't get us in the
next
Thrills & Spills video, nothing will."
So Close
Team Rahal's rookie season in Indy Lights had been short on highlights
before Saturday. Michigan marked the team's best effort of the season,
with
Borkowski qualifying on the front row, leading the race, and running in
the
shadow of the lead the entire distance before being involved in a
late-race
crash. "We had the right strategy," said the disappointed Borkowski.
"Tony
(Renna) was clearly the guy we had to beat. We were right in the right
position (2nd), and, on parts of the race track, we were faster. We were
just biding our time to see if we could get a run on him on the last lap.
It's a shame we didn't get the chance, because I think we had something
for
him."
Night Owls
While most teams were running through their typical pre-race
preparations
this week, Team Rahal was repairing its wrecked race car in order to have
it
ready for racing at this weekend's Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres. If there
was any good fortune related to the Michigan crash besides driver Mike
Borkowski's absence of injury, it was the fact that the tub of the race
car
was essentially undamaged. "All four corners were damaged in the
accident,"
said Team Manager Bill van de Sandt, "as was the undertray. Those repairs
were reasonably made by the end of the day Monday. Tub damage would have
been a different story." "I felt awful for the (crew) guys," Borkowski
said. "They've worked so hard and stayed with it all season. They gave
me
a great car last weekend and deserved a good result, not a couple of extra
nights' work."
Been There, Won That
Mike Borkowski returns to the streets of Trois Rivieres with fond
memories
in mind. Having twice won on the fabled French-Canadian street circuit in
lower formulae (Pro Formula 2000 and Pro Sports 2000), he brings a little
history to the track. "It's one of the most fun events on the schedule in
my mind," he said. "The atmosphere is electric. The place is always
packed. The fans are very knowledgeable and appreciative, and I've done
very well here in the past. Now that I think about it, I've got to find a
way to race here more often!"
Trans-Am Transplant
Mike Borkowski spent last year's Grand Prix within the closed confines
of a
Ford Mustang Cobra Trans-Am car. It was his first experience in a wider,
high-horsepower car on the narrow Trois Rivieres street circuit. "We
really
struggled getting the power down in those cars," he recalled. "Wheelspin
was a big problem and the track is so tight in places, it was pretty tough
to pass. I expect there will be a couple of good spots to get a run in
these (Indy Lights) cars. Turn one and the hard-braking left-hander on
the
back straight should be prime spots. Our focus for the set up will be a
bit
different with the Lights car. Getting it right for the bumps will be the
biggest challenge, I think. I expect those sharp corners will look a
little
wider than they did a year ago, too."
