EARLY CONTACT DENIES ANTINUCCI'S COMEBACK

At Canadian street circuit the Italian-American moves up five spots in the first 8 laps, then is forced to retire for mechanical damage stemming from a light contact at Turn 3

Sunday, July 12, 2009

SUNDAY'S NOTES
Richard Antinucci didn't have the time to plan tactics at the 85-lap Honda Indy Toronto race. After 8 laps he was already up to 19th only to see his Team 3G car chopped by Dan Wheldon's National Guard #4. The former Indy 500 winner, Wheldon, prematurely tightened his line and they wound up banging wheels. Antinucci, who had started from the 23th place, suffered mechanical damage as the outcome of the contact and retired after completing 41 laps, which were just enough to give him a disappointing 21th place in the box score.

RICHARD'S TAKE
"After the set-up problems that disrupted our Friday and Saturday here in Canada, today a high-downforce wing was fitted to my car and I have to say that from the word go I felt the car was behaving far better than the previous days. I had a good start, moving quickly past Ed Carpenter and Hideki Mutoh. Soon after I went for Dan Wheldon's spot. It took only one clear lap to catch him up, and by Lap 7 I was all over his rear wing. I went in at Turn 3 and he simply closed the door on me. These things happen in racing, especially when you're playing catch-up and starting further back than where you should be. My suspension got away with the contact, but my steering rack didn't and after trying rectify the problem with a few lengthy pit stops I just had to call it a day. It's a shame: just in front of Wheldon I could see Danica Patrick's car and she wound up 6th today... We were on course for a solid recovery."