McDONALD’S DRIVER RAHAL AND TEAMMATE DOORNBOS HOPE TO CONTINUE TEAM’S STREAK OF PODIUM FINISHES IN EVERY REXALL EDMONTON INDY

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (July 22, 2009) --- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) has always looked forward to their return to the 1.973-mile, 14-turn City Centre Airport course in Edmonton since the first race here in 2005 which was won by then team driver Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdais started from pole the next year and finished second before another win came in 2007. The team has finished on the podium in every Champ or Indy car race held here for a total of six times in the four events, most recently with Justin Wilson’s third place finish in 2008. McDonald’s driver Graham Rahal and Robert Doornbos are looking forward to the opportunity to extend that record in this Sunday’s Rexall Edmonton Indy.

“Edmonton has been a great place for me,” said Rahal who has finished on the podium in two of his three races here. “I love the circuit, its very demanding, fast and fun. I have felt very competitive every time I have competed there and I really hope that streak continues this year and we can give the McDonald’s team another win here. Absolutely it is very possible to continue the team’s record of finishing on the podium in every race here. I feel very highly that either of our drivers have an opportunity to do great things here, and a win is certainly possible.”

Rahal competed here in the Atlantic series in 2006 where he started third and finished second before he moved up to the Champ Car series and raced for NHLR in 2007 where he started fourth and finished third to Bourdais and Justin Wilson, respectively. In his 2008 return here in the inaugural IndyCar Series race at this track, he had big expectations but was hit on the opening lap by Mario Moraes and, after multiple stops to repair that damage, he was later hit by E.J. Viso, who was given a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. Rahal qualified third at the previous street race in Toronto but second-place starter Will Power ran over his front wing at the start and ended his hopes of a victory there. He is not only looking to turn his luck around at Edmonton this weekend, he is also looking to turn his luck around for the season.

“The track is very physically demanding, and it is tough to figure out,” said Rahal, who has earned two poles this season and his best finish is third place on the oval in Richmond. “Being that areas are wide open, it is difficult to find your brake markers and etc. It is a fast place, with areas of high g-forces so it makes it lots of fun. I’m disappointed that the season hasn’t been better for us so far. I have been very competitive and my entire team has done a fantastic job but we have had the worst luck that anyone could ever have. I just hope we can end it off well in the remaining races beginning with Edmonton. We have the potential.”

Rahal’s teammate Robert Doornbos is also hoping to reach the full potential of the team in Edmonton. This track is the third and final one he has raced on before of the 17-race 2009 IndyCar Series schedule. He entered the 2007 race here as the points leader but he qualified and finished 11th for Minardi Team USA after contact with Alex Tagliani while ninth put him one lap down. He is looking forward to his return to the track and getting back to work after a rare weekend off.

“It’s great to come back to Edmonton,” said Doornbos, who is within seven points of the leader Raphael Matos in the Rookie of the Year standings (182-175), in second place. “In Champ Car I was very impressed with the turn-out of fans even on practice days! It’s great for the drivers and sponsors to have a big crowd watching and I hope this year is going to be the same. The track is technical and challenging with some fast bits so we just have to find a good car balance so that we can be strong all around the track! It sounds easy but a lot of hard work will take place to make this happen.”

Doornbos narrowly missed making it to the third round of the Firestone Fast Six qualifying at the last event in Toronto and started seventh. After making a great start he moved into third place on the opening lap but ultimately retired due to an electrical failure in the gear shift system. Like Rahal, he has the potential to continue the team’s string of podium finishes in Edmonton.

“I think as a team we have had many opportunities this season to be on a podium but we had too many problems,” said Doornbos. “To make it happen this weekend in Edmonton we just need a mega set-up for the car from the engineers, mechanics who prepare the car to the max and make it bulletproof and a driver who’s very hungry for a podium. The 06 crew has all of these and the potential to pull this off.”

As one of the main challengers of NHLR and Bourdais, with Justin Wilson, for the 2007 Champ Car title, Doornbos showed his ability by winning two races and amassing five podium finishes during the title fight on road and street courses and finished third overall. His best start this season of second place came on an oval and best finishes of ninth place came three times on two ovals and a street course. Prior to joining the IndyCar Series in 2008, the team and current drivers had built the bulk of their experience base on road and street courses. Doornbos believes the diversity of ovals, road courses and street courses in the IndyCar Series enable a variety of contenders throughout the year.

“You always have to believe that a win is possible and that is what is great about the IndyCar Series with the races being so exciting, almost anybody can win on these types of tracks,” said the Dutchman. “My goals are the same and that is to be successful in Indy cars in the long run. In all the championships apart from Formula One I have been a frontrunner and a race winner and I want to keep doing so in Indy car!”

Not only is it the second time for the IndyCar Series to race in Edmonton, it is also their third race in Canada in general after holding and event in Toronto two weeks ago. However, the team has enjoyed many competitive races in Canada over the years. Of their 107 wins, they have earned a combined total of 15 at events in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Edmonton dating back to their first in Canada with Michael Andretti in the 1989 event in Toronto. In addition, they have a total of 34 podium finishes in Canada. If they are able to carry over their previous success in Edmonton with a win, it would enable the team to extend their record of earning at least one victory every year but one in their 27th season of competition. Doornbos predicts a big celebration if he takes the checkered flag first on Sunday.

“It would be great to win a race this year with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and I promise you it will be a BIG party when we do! We have to keep working harder than the rest and make less mistakes, have a bit more luck and we can keep the tradition going! I flew out to Mont Tremblant and did my physical training which was great as there are awesome hiking and mountain bike trails and I also went back to the see the Mont Tremblant race track where I won the Champ Car race in 2007. I picked up some winning energy and now I’m ready for the Edmonton race!”

“I think that the team can win this season,” added Rahal, who earned one of the team’s two wins in 2008. “There are things we need to improve on, but yes we absolutely have a great opportunity to gain some wins here towards the end of the season. It would mean a lot to me to win again for this team, and I think it would give us a lot of momentum as the season ends and the 2010 season begins. Of the remaining races I think our best chance to win is at Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Chicago.”

This weekend’s Rexall Edmonton Indy can be seen on live on Sunday, July 26 at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Versus. The event will get underway with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the 95-lap race will begin at 4:00 p.m. MDT on Sunday. As always, fans can follow the action from every on-track session via the official website of the IndyCar Series, www.indycar.com. It will also be broadcast live on IMS Radio Network and XM Radio Channels 144 and 145.




GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
2 PODIUMS IN 3 EDMONTON EVENTS: Will be his third major open wheel race here and fourth overall. He started third and finished second in the Atlantic race here in 2006 and started fourth and finished third in the 2007 Champ Car race for NHLR. In 2008 he started eighth and was hit on the opening lap by Moraes which damaged his right rear pushrod and forced multiple stops. On Lap 61, he was hit by Viso, who had to serve a drive through penalty for avoidable contact. Retired in 26th place.

2 OF 10 POLES SO FAR IN 2009 INDYCAR SEASON: Rahal ran the fastest lap times on Friday and Saturday on the streets of St. Pete to become the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old. As the field entered the wide Turn 1 at the start of the race, second place starter Justin Wilson pulled slightly ahead on Rahal’s left while fifth place starter Dario Franchitti made a daring move on his right heading into the right hander. Rahal was not only squeezed in the process, he was hit from behind by Tony Kanaan which spun him sideways and into the grass. He dropped to the rear of the field but rebounded to finish seventh…Qualified seventh in Long Beach and pitted from second place but was waved out of the pits before the fuel nozzle was disengaged. Was ordered to let three cars pass as a penalty then was served another one when the officials deemed he didn’t do it quick enough although he only ran ½ lap before doing so. After a drive through penalty he could only recover enough to finish 12th…Won his first oval pole in Kansas and led eight laps, maintained a top-three position for the first half of the race and top-five second half before a caution came out when he was preparing the enter the pits. Had to get back on track and enter a closed pit for an extra stop the next time by for a splash of fuel before he came in again when the pits opened on the next lap and lost four spots. Dropped to 10th but finished seventh…Qualified fourth for his second Indy 500 but made contact after attempting to lap Duno and retired in 31st place after 56/200 laps…Qualified 2nd in Milwaukee and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval…Qualified 12th and retired in 22nd in Texas. Struggled to control his race car in the opening laps and dropped from 12th to 18th on the first lap and continued to fall back before he lost control and made contact…Started ninth based on entrant points in Iowa after qualifying was canceled and ran as high as sixth but contact with Patrick forced an unscheduled stop which put him two laps down and he ultimately finished 11th…Qualified fifth at Watkins Glen but failed the post qualifying tech inspection for being a few pounds underweight. Penalized 10 positions and started 15th, ran as high as second on an alternate pit strategy but finished 13th…Started third in Toronto but was hit by second place started Will Power who squeezed him to the wall on the opening lap before T1. A forced stop to replace his front wing dropped him to the back but he charged through the field into seventh place but held his position behind Patrick but flat-spotted his tires which led to losing three positions before his next stop. Tried to pass the lapped car of Carpenter on the inside of a turn but the contact ended his race in 20th place…Is ranked 10th in series points with 209.

YOUNGEST RACE & POLE WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his series debut in St. Pete in 2008 at the age of 19 years and 93 days old. The previous mark was held by Marco Andretti who won at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, 167 days old. Rahal had only run 10 laps at testing speed in an ICS car on a road course (Sebring) due to a pre-race three hour test (4-1) being cancelled due to rain. One year later he became the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old when he returned to St. Pete.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Edmonton has been a great place for me. I love the circuit, its very demanding, fast and fun. I have felt very competitive every time I have competed there and I really hope that streak continues this year and we can give the McDonald’s team another win here. Absolutely it is very possible to continue the team’s record of finishing on the podium in every race here. I feel very highly that either of our drivers have an opportunity to do great things here, and a win is certainly possible.

“The track is very physically demanding, and it is tough to figure out. Being that areas are wide open, it is difficult to find your brake markers and etc. It is a fast place, with areas of high g-forces so it makes it lots of fun. I’m disappointed that the season hasn’t been better for us so far. I have been very competitive and my entire team has done a fantastic job but we have had the worst luck that anyone could ever have, and we can’t seem to break an unlucky spell. I just hope we can end it off well in the remaining races beginning with Edmonton. We have the potential.
“I think that the team can win this season. “There are things we need to improve on, but yes we absolutely have a great opportunity to gain some wins here towards the end of the season. It would mean a lot to me to win again for this team, and I think it would give us a lot of momentum as the season ends and the 2010 season begins. Of the remaining races I think our best chance to win is at Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma and Chicago.

“I have been relaxing since Toronto! I have been just hanging out, boating and jet skiing at my mother’s cabin in st. Andrews. I’m simply trying to break my mind of the bad luck we have had and just have fun and relax. The best way to prepare for a great next race weekend is to go back to it with a fresh open mind.”




ROBERT DOORNBOS, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT EDMONTON: Will be his second race here and only third track so far this season that he has raced on previously. He entered the 2007 Edmonton race weekend as the CCWS points leader. Started 11th and was in 9th place when contact with Tagliani on Lap 69 in Turn 1 dropped him one lap down. Finished 11th.

FRONT ROW START IN 2009 INDYCAR ROOKIE YEAR: Worked to adapt to the different driving style needed to drive an Indy car’s in St. Pete opener. Qualified 13th, ran as high as fifth place but finished 11th after having to pit to repair damage from contact while alongside Wheldon for a pass. Race had seven caution periods for a total of 28 of the 100-laps…Started 15th in Long Beach and ran as high as third place but the timing of two caution periods negated the team’s pit strategy and he had to settle for a ninth place finish…Qualified second for his oval racing debut in Kansas to make up a 1-2 start for the team and took the lead after the first pit stop for two laps before he was penalized for hitting Rahal’s just-removed tire while leaving his pit. Dropped to rear of field but came back to finish 12th…Practice times prior to Indy 500 qualifying could have earned him a top-11 start on Pole Day but he crashed his race car on Friday and back-up car on Saturday/Pole Day and was not able to attempt to qualifying until Day 3 (23rd-33) and was the fastest that day in 23rd. Charged to 16th place in the first 50/200 laps before he brushed the wall after Scheckter abruptly passed him in Turn 1 and disrupted his air flow. The team repaired the car and he got returned to the track but retired in 28th place after a brake leak…Qualified 12th in Milwaukee and finished 15th in his third oval race…Qualified ninth in Texas and finished 11th…Started 14th in Iowa based on entrant points after qualifying was cancelled due to water seepage on track. Got sideways on the opening lap and was collected by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team repaired his left front suspension and he returned to the track to move up three places and finished 15th…Started 12th in Richmond and earned his top oval finish of 9th place…Started 17th in the two-day event at Watkins Glen after mechanical problems on Saturday. Matched his top finish of ninth place…Started seventh and moved to third on L1 in Toronto but an electrical failure in gear shift system forced him to retire in 23rd place after 26 laps…Is ranked 14th with 175 points and is second in the Rookie of the Year standings (182-175) to Matos.

ROBERT DOORNBOS, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “It’s great to come back to Edmonton. In Champ Car I was very impressed with the turn-out of fans even on practice days! It’s great for the drivers and sponsors to have a big crowd watching and I hope this year is going to be the same. The track is technical and challenging with some fast bits so we just have to find a good car balance so that we can be strong all around the track! It sounds easy but a lot of hard work will take place to make this happen.”

“I think as a team we have had many opportunities this season to be on a podium but we had too many problems. To make it happen this weekend in Edmonton we just need a mega set-up for the car from the engineers, mechanics who prepare the car to the max and make it bulletproof and a driver who’s very hungry for a podium. The 06 crew has all of these and the potential to pull this off.

“You always have to believe that a win is possible and that is what is great about the IndyCar series with the races being so exciting, almost anybody can win on these types of tracks,” said the Dutchman. “But to be realistic, on the ovals our cars are closing in on the top teams but we are just not there yet. My goals are the same and that is to be successful in Indy cars in the long run. In all the championships apart from Formula One I have been a frontrunner and a race winner and I want to keep doing so in Indy car!

“It would be great to win a race this year with NHLR and I promise you it will be a BIG party when we do! We have to keep working harder than the rest and make less mistakes, have a bit more luck and we can keep the tradition going! I flew out to Mont Tremblant and did my physical training which was great as there are awesome hiking and mountain bike trails and I also went back to the see the Mont Tremblant race track where I won the Champ Car race in 2007. I picked up some winning energy and now I’m ready for the Edmonton race!”