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With the end of the FedEx relationship, the 2003 Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was
rebranded as the Bridgestone presents the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford.
In addition to the exit of FedEx, engine suppliers Honda and Toyota left to support the Indy Racing League. In 2003, all Champ Car World Series teams competed with a Ford-Cosworth XFE. The XFE is a fuel-injected turbocharged eight-cylinder motor with an aluminum engine block and DOHC cylinder heads. The 2.6-liter engine uses methanol racing fuel and produces approximately 750-horsepower. Two chassis’ were available to teams in 2003, the Lola B02/00 and Reynard 02I. Bridgestone is the exclusive tire supplier for the series. Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Green Racing, and Mo Nunn Racing left the series and joined Team Penske at the Indy Racing League in the off-season. Teams such as Fernandez Racing and Team Rahal compete in both series. The nineteen race season kicked off on February 23th at St. Petersburg and ended at California Speedway on November 9. Along with North America stops, the series visits Mexico, Germany, England and Australia.
In addition to the Driver’s Championship, there are also awards for the Nation’s Cup and Chassis Constructor’s Cup. All cars competed on Firestone’s parent company, Bridgestone, became the exclusive tire supplier for the series. Round ten of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford season was conducted at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, the series’s eighteenth annual track visit. The 112-lap contest around the eleven-turn 1.755-mile temporary street circuit was called the Molson Indy Toronto.
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Local favourite Paul Tracy drove the No. 3 Team Player’s Lola B02/00. Heading into round ten at Toronto’s Exhibition Place, Tracy had victories at St. Petersburg, Mexico and Long Beach and was leading the title chase by eight markers. The weekend in Toronto went perfectly for him. He qualified on the pole and went flag-to-flag in the 112-lap race for another win. Tracy increased his championship lead to fifteen points. |
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Michel Jourdain, Jr. was in his eighth season of the Champ Car World Series, and 2003 proved his best year. Jourdain earned his first series win at the Milwaukee Mile and also collected three podium results before round ten. Jourdain qualified third at Toronto in the No. 9 Gigante Lola B02/00. An error by Bruno Junqueira during the final rounds of pit-stops allowed him to collect a runner-up result. |
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After two years in the series, Brazilian Bruno Junqueira had three victories. His season to date included five podium results, but more importantly, he was second in the championship standings – eight markers behind the leader. Junqueira qualified second and chased Tracy for much of the race. On the final stop, he locked up brakes and was too close to the pit wall, which cost him time and dropped him to third. |
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Sebastien Bourdais was last season’s International Formula 3000 champion. The series rookie joined Newman Haas Racing in the No. 2 Lola B02/00. Bourdais qualified on the pole in his Champ Car World Series debut at St. Petersburg and earned his first series victory at Brands Hatch. At Toronto, he qualified sixth fastest. A steady performance and issues for Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier allowed him to finish fourth. |
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The No. 20 Patrick Racing Lola B02/00, with backing from Visteon, was driven by Spaniard Oriol Servia. His year got off to a slow start with a crash in race two at Mexico; however, by round six, the situation had improved and Servia finished second. He recorded the eighth fastest time in qualifying. A pass on Roberto Moreno and issues encountered by other competitors resulted in a fifth-place finish. |
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Open-wheel veteran Roberto Moreno raced the No. 4 Herdez sponsored Lola B02/00. He made his Champ Car World Series debut in 1985. Moreno collected wins in 2000 at Cleveland and Vancouver in 2001. His best result this year was a fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Moreno was gridded in the seventh position for the start of the 112-lap Molson Indy Toronto and finished in the sixth position. |
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Canadian Patrick Carpentier was the teammate of Paul Tracy and drove the No. 32 Player’s Lola B02/00. Carpentier was the fifth fastest during the qualifying session. He eventually moved to fourth in the race; however, he pitted out of sequence to check an issue with the car. Carpentier returned to the contest well down the order but fought back to collect a seventh-place finish at the checkered flag. |
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With the departure of Honda and Toyota to the Indy Racing League, Ford became the primary engine supplier for the Champ Car World Series. All teams used the Ford-Cosworth XFE. The 2.6-liter fuel-injected turbocharged eight-cylinder is capable of producing 950-horsepower at 16,500-rpm. However, it is detuned using boost and rpm limits to ensure the engine life goes from 500 to 1,500-miles. |
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Another one of the many Canadian drivers in the event was Alex Tagliani. Tagliani drove the No. 33 Johnson Controls Lola B02/00 and qualified fourth. On the opening lap, he passed Bruno Junqueira for second place. However, his hard work came to an end on lap-28. Tagliani went too fast into corner three; when he moved back on the racing line, he contacted Junqueira, which damaged his rear suspension. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Paul Tracy | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Michel Jourdain, Jr | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 3 | 2 | Bruno Junqueira | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 4 | 6 | Sébastien Bourdais | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 5 | 8 | Oriol Serviŕ | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 6 | 7 | Roberto Moreno | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 7 | 5 | Patrick Carpentier | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 8 | 11 | Darren Manning | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 9 | 10 | Adrián Fernández | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 112 | - |
| 10 | 13 | Tiago Monteiro | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 110 | - |
| 11 | 14 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 110 | - |
| 12 | 12 | Mario Domínguez | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 109 | - |
| 13 | 9 | Jimmy Vasser | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 109 | Accident |
| 14 | 19 | Geoff Boss | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 106 | Accident |
| 15 | 17 | Rodolfo Lavín, Jr. | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 105 | Disqualified |
| 16 | 15 | Max Papis | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 36 | Suspension |
| 17 | 4 | Alex Tagliani | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 28 | Contact |
| 18 | 18 | Alex Sperafico | Lola B02/00 / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 5 | Accident |
| 19 | 16 | Mario Haberfeld | Reynard 02I / Ford-Cosworth XFE | 5 | Accident |
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