McDONALD’S® DRIVER RAHAL AND TEAMMATE DOORNBOS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO POSSIBLY ADDING TO TEAM’S SEVEN WINS, FIVE POLES AND 16 PODIUMS IN TORONTO AT THE HONDA INDY TORONTO STREET RACE

TORONTO, Canada (July 9, 2009) --- After one year away, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) is looking forward to their return to this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto, their 23rd race on the streets of Toronto and first since the 2007 Champ Car World Series race here where the team started from pole. In their previous 22 events on the 1.755-mile street course around Toronto’s Exhibition Place, the team has earned seven wins, five poles and 16 podium finishes. Graham Rahal and Robert Doornbos will rely on that experience for a strong finish here.

“Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has competed in Toronto since before I was even born,” said Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 02 McDonald’s race car. “Any understanding of the circuit that we can have will help us. Toronto should really play very well into our strengths.”

“I think it’s great that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has so much experience on the racetrack,” said Robert Doornbos, who raced here in 2007 and left the event as the Champ Car series points leader. “This will be their first time here with the Dallara but to be honest, at this level, all drivers and teams are so good that everyone will be quick. At the beginning of the year we showed that we have get setup on street courses, so let’s hope we’ll find a similar setup, and we can run with both cars at the front.”

In his two previous races on this temporary street course, Rahal led both qualifying sessions in the 2006 Atlantic Series race and started from pole and in his rookie Champ Car series season in 2007 with NHLR and he started 15th but contact on the opening lap on the tight street course hindered his finish both times. He is looking forward to turning his luck around on the 11-turn course.

“Toronto has always been okay to me finish-wise but I hope to change that this weekend,” said Rahal who is ranked ninth in the series point standings with 197, only 41 out of fifth place. “In my Atlantic race there we were dominant. There was nobody even close to us, we had the field covered, or at least we thought. Raphael Matos hit me square in the rear to take me out and that was the end. We got back out running to get fastest lap but that was little consolation for us. Then in Champ Car we struggled in a major way. We never felt competitive or comfortable until the rain came on race day. We started quickly moving up through the field and I caught Sebastien. He was holding me up and I made a stupid rookie mistake by forcing the issue and it ended my day. I think if we had kept running we would have been very strong in the race due to the weather. But in the end I really enjoy racing in Toronto and hope to bring McDonald’s a win there.”

The Toronto race will mark the return to a street course for the first time in 2009 since Rounds 1 and 2 in St. Pete and Long Beach. Rahal became the youngest pole winner in St. Pete but was hit on the start, dropped to 21st and rebounded to finish seventh. In Long Beach he started seventh but a pit miscue led to two penalties and he finished 12th. After being unable to capitalize on a competitive car with a strong finish, Rahal feels the potential for success in both qualifying and the race is high this weekend.

“Absolutely a pole or win is very possible for the McDonald’s team in Toronto and also in Edmonton,” said Rahal, who spent the week at his mother’s cabin in St. Andrew’s New Brunswick, Canada. “We started on pole in St. Pete and it would be great to start up front in Toronto. We ought to be very strong and I cannot wait to get started. It’s a very tight street course and that makes it tough to really feel comfortable getting everything out of the car. It’s a difficult circuit to learn and therefore hopefully we should have a nice advantage over others.”

CART and the Champ Car World Series held races here between 1986-2007 and the team’s seven wins, five poles and 16 podium finishes in their 22 events here is an indication of their success. Although those statistics are impressive, the team has been fortunate to be a contender at even more but did not finish in the top-three for a variety of reasons. Michael Andretti’s Andretti Green Promotions is now the promoter of the event and the former Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) driver won an event high seven races here, five of which were in NHR-prepared entries (1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000). After those five wins, the team emerged victorious again with Cristiano da Matta in 2002 and Sebastien Bourdais in 2004. Of their five poles here, their most recent came in 2004, 2005, and in the last race run here in 2007 – all by Bourdais who briefly surrendered the points lead to Robert Doornbos following the 2007 Toronto round.

“The Toronto race in 2007 was great, it was very exciting,” said Doornbos, who held a two point lead over Will Power after the ’07 event and three over eventual four-time champion Bourdais. “It was a bit messy because of the rain which made it very difficult to drive at this track. Taking the points lead in the rookie season was great. Obviously coming from F1 I had a point to prove to everybody and I really enjoyed the Champ Car season in general. We had a very successful year. To be leading the championship after Toronto in my first year was a great feeling. It’s something I hope to achieve with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in the future.”

After starting his 2007 Champ Car season with five podiums in the first six races for Minardi Team USA, Doornbos came to Toronto fresh off his win in Round 6 in Mont Tremblant, Canada. He qualified 12th and finished sixth despite late-race contact with Bourdais, whom he slid into on the wet, slippery track. Doornbos has been sightseeing in Toronto all week but is ready to get to work and is looking forward to building on his experience at this track.

“For me every race has been a new experience,” said Doornbos about the 1.75-mile course which will be only the second track of 10 to date that he has competed on before. “The first half of the season has not been what we were all looking for, and hoping for. I had a solid weekend in Richmond but we messed up a bit in Watkins Glen but we are putting this all behind us and focusing on a very strong second half of the season with some good momentum and hard work and hopefully some great results. The Toronto track is challenging. It’s a very bumpy, technical street course. There is no room for error which makes it very exciting for the drivers and the fans.”

Eleven drivers in the IndyCar Series field have made CART/Champ Car starts at this track and although the Andretti and Rahal surnames are synonymous with this event, it will mark the first time that Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal will compete here together. The 11 drivers who have previously raced here can attest to the fact that this was one of the most popular stops on the racing calendar for its 22 previous years.

“The races have always been popular because the crowd support is incredible,” said Rahal who will wear a special racing helmet to commemorate his father Bobby’s win in the inaugural race here in 1986. “I think with a year removed from the Toronto race, the crowd should be absolutely thrilled we are back and I cannot wait to see how they support it. There are very few places we go in the world that people get as enthusiastic as in Canada.”

“The atmosphere of the races in Canada is great,” added Doornbos. “The people look forward to the race. Obviously having Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani in the race is a big help so the fans have a couple of local guys to root for. Canadians are big race fans which always made racing in Montreal with Formula One so enjoyable as well. It was one of the best events of the year in that series.”

This weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto can be seen on live on Sunday, July 12 at 1 p.m. EDT on ABC. The weekend will get underway with practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday and the broadcast of the 85-lap race will begin at 1 p.m. EDT 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:
1 POLE IN TORONTO: Will be his third race here and first in an Indy car. Started from pole in the 2006 Atlantic race here but was hit by Raphael Matos on the first lap. Repaired the damaged suspension and returned to the track a few laps down but later retired in 15th place. Set the fastest race lap. In the 2007 Champ Car race as a rookie for NHLR, he started 15th but an evasive move to avoid a pile up on Lap 1 led to him hitting the wall and a subsequent stop for a new front wing. Had to pit again for another front wing later in the race after running as high as second. Retired in 11th place after he made contact for the third time due to a broken steering rack.

2 OF 7 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…Is ranked 9th in series points with 197.

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: “Toronto has always been okay to me finish-wise but I hope to upgrade that this weekend. In my Atlantic race there we were dominant. There was nobody even close to us, we had the field covered, or at least we thought. Raphael Matos hit me square in the rear to take me out and that was the end. We got back out running to get fastest lap but that was little consolation for us. Then in Champ Car we struggled in a major way. We never felt competitive or comfortable until the rain came on race day. We started quickly moving up through the field and I caught Sebastien. He was holding me up and I made a stupid rookie mistake by forcing the issue and it ended my day. I think if we had kept running we would have been very strong in the race due to the weather. But in the end I really enjoy racing in Toronto and hope to bring McDonald’s a win there.

“Absolutely a pole or win is very possible for the McDonald’s team in Toronto and also in Edmonton. We started on pole in St. Pete and it would be great to start up front in Toronto. We ought to be very strong and I cannot wait to get started. It’s a very tight street course and that makes it tough to really feel comfortable getting everything out of the car. It’s a difficult circuit to learn and therefore hopefully we should have a nice advantage over others.

“The races have always been popular because the crowd support is incredible. I think with a year removed from the Toronto race, the crowd should be absolutely thrilled we are back and I cannot wait to see how they support it. There are very few places we go in the world that people get as enthusiastic as in Canada.

“Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has competed in Toronto since before I was even born. Any understanding of the circuit that we can have will help us. Toronto should really play very well into our strengths.

“To commemorate dad’s win in the first Toronto race, I have a special helmet that I will use this weekend. It is half of my normal helmet, and half of my dad’s original helmet from his career.

“I’ve been relaxing in Canada since the Watkins Glen race! The weather at my mom’s cabin in Canada hasn’t been great but it has been relaxing walking on the beach, looking for starfish, sand dollars, and old sea glass for my mom’s collection!”




ROBERT DOORNBOS, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT TORONTO: Will be his second race here and only second track so far this season that he has raced on previously. Started 12th and finished sixth despite contact with Bourdais. He took over the points lead after the event by three over NHLR driver Bourdais and two over Power.

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 qualify ing 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…Is ranked 12th with 163 points and leads the Rookie of the Year standings (163-162) over Matos.

ROBERT DOORNBOS, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “The Toronto race in 2007 was great, it was very exciting. We were catching the points lead after the event. It was a bit messy because of the rain which made it very difficult to drive at this track. Taking the points lead in the rookie season was great. Obviously coming from F1 I had a point to prove to everybody and I really enjoyed the Champ Car season in general. We had a very successful year. To be leading the championship after Toronto in my first year was a great feeling. It’s something I hope to achieve with Newman/Haas Lanigan Racing in the future.

“The Toronto track is challenging. It’s a very bumpy, technical street course. There is no room for error which makes it very exciting for the drivers and the fans.

“The atmosphere of the races in Canada is great. The people look forward to the race. Obviously having Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani in the race is a big help so the fans have a couple of local guys to root for. Canadians are big race fans which always made racing in Montreal with Formula One so enjoyable as well. It was one of the best events of the year in that series.

“There’s no standing start because these cars are not made for standing starts and it a bit safer as well on a street course because if someone stalls the engine there’s not much room to go left or right so we’ll have a rolling start.

“I think it’s great that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing has so much experience on the racetrack. This will be their first time there with the Dallara but to be honest, at this level, all drivers and teams are so good that everyone will be quick. At the beginning of the year we showed that we have get setup on street courses, so let’s hope we’ll find a similar setup, and we can run with both cars at the front.

“For me every race has been a new experience. I think the first half of the season has not been what we were all looking for, and hoping for. You just can’t afford any mistakes at this level. I had a solid weekend in Richmond but we messed up a bit in Watkins Glen but we are putting this all behind us and focusing on a very strong second half of the season with some good momentum and hard work and hopefully some great results.”